Comprehensive--a word we need to strike from Washington's vocabulary

We've heard it all. But one word we hear/see too often. COMPREHENSIVE. "Comprehensive immigration reform" and "comprehensive health care;" "Comprehensive environmental response" legislation, and "comprehensive gender strategies;" "Comprehensive Financial Regulatory Reform" and "comprehensive knowledge based yada yada yada." Most of these comprehensive efforts, especially immigration, could be achieved by enforcing laws already on the books, laws that were never fully understood or enforced or funded. But that wouldn't tie up millions of tax dollars in more hearings, writing new laws and creating more agencies to suck up the billions the new laws and regulations will demand.

John Boehner remembers why he got into politics

"I grew up in a small house on a hill in Cincinnati, Ohio, with 11 brothers and sisters. My dad ran a bar, Andy’s Café, that my grandfather Andrew Boehner opened in 1938. We didn’t have much but were thankful for what we had. And we didn’t think much about Washington.

That changed when I got involved with a small business, which I eventually built into a successful enterprise. I saw firsthand how government throws obstacles in the way of job-creation and stifles our prosperity. It prompted me to get involved in my government, and eventually took me to Congress."

It's a good lead in for a speech, but power and the beltway have a funny way of changing people. We'll have to see if a traditional Republican has gotten the conservative message from the voters who are a thousand times better informed than they were in 2000 or 2004. I'm quite sure we've heard this "no more business as usual" from other pols--specifically Barack Obama, the biggest fraud of them all. We were promised that his enhanced use of technology would have us all reading the bills, when in fact these gully washers weren't even read by Congress, let alone us!

Again, Boehner: "I have maintained a no-earmarks policy throughout my time of service in Congress. I believe the House must adopt a moratorium on all earmarks as a signal of our commitment to ending business as usual in the spending process.

• Let Americans read bills before they are brought to a vote. The speaker of the House should not allow any bill to come to a vote that has not been posted publicly online for at least three days. Members of Congress and the American people must have the opportunity to read it.

Similarly, the speaker should insist that every bill include a clause citing where in the Constitution Congress is given the power to pass it. Bills that can’t pass this test shouldn’t get a vote. House Republicans’ new governing agenda, “A Pledge to America,” calls for the speaker to implement such reforms immediately.

• No more “comprehensive” bills. The next speaker should put an end to so-called comprehensive bills with thousands of pages of legislative text that make it easy to hide spending projects and job-killing policies. President Obama’s massive “stimulus” and health-care bills, written behind closed doors with minimal public scrutiny, were the last straw for many Americans. The American people are not well-served by “comprehensive,” and they are rightly suspicious of the adjective.

• No more bills written behind closed doors in the speaker’s office. Bills should be written by legislators in committee in plain public view. Issues should be advanced one at a time, and the speaker should place an emphasis on smaller, more focused legislation that is properly scrutinized, constitutionally sound, and consistent with Americans’ demand for a less-costly, less-intrusive government."

As long as presidents are allowed to appoint people who can regulate the Congress into powerlessness and the people into slavery, what legislators do and how much pork they send home to their cronies really won't make much difference, now will it?

Obama thinks he just didn't get his message out . . .

. . . but I think he communicated loud and clear.

"Republicans picked up at least a record 680 state legislative seats nationwide. That's more than even the 472 seat gain in 1994, according to the American Legislative Exchange Council, and more than the previous record of 628 seats by Democrats in the Watergate election of 1974. Not since 1928 have Republicans held so many state legislative seats. . . Voters clearly said on Tuesday that they want state leaders to control spending, reform pension and health-care benefits for state employees, and attract new job-creating businesses.

From today's Review and Outlook, Wall St. Journal

Stem cell face lifts--we're not there yet

Sherrell Aston, MD, answers some questions about face lifts, including the so called stem-cell face lift, which is apparently a new term for fat transfer. I'd like a little of that, but by the time it is perfected, I either won't care, or won't remember that I cared.

"Right now, there is no such thing as a stem cell face-lift, although the hope is that stem cells can help rejuvenate tissues and fill in volume. Stem cells are obtained with liposuction. We frequently inject fat into different areas of the face to return fat that is atrophied, or to improve the contour of the jawline, or over the cheekbones to improve contour. Stem cells show promise for the future, and I anticipate that we'll do more with stem cells as part of facial rejuvenation in the years to come."

The Modern Face-lift: An Expert Interview With Sherrell J. Aston, MD

I've been using the Medscape/WebMD site for years and have found it to be reliable. Usually go there when all I can find are the heavily advertising supported sites.

A return to the norm--I disagree

Sorry, Charlie, I love you, but you missed it on this one. The huge win on Tuesday was not a default, it was not a return to the norm. It resulted from the American slumbering giant, many the retired electorate, rising up, getting informed, going to the library and book store, going to rallies, talking to their friends, organizing small groups without any headship, and supporting candidates for smaller, more responsive government. Conservatives, not all true Republicans, have won big both at the state level and the national. I sent no money to the National Republican party, but did support candidates in about 5 or 6 other states. I've learned the hard way that how they vote, and the bills they don't read, directly affect me.

Charles Krauthammer - A return to the norm

At last, some honesty at MSNBC

Lawrence O'Donnell admits he's a socialist and chides other liberals for playing with terms.

LAWRENCE O'DONNELL: Glenn [Greenwald], unlike you, I am not a progressive. I am not a liberal who is so afraid of the word that I had to change my name to progressive. Liberals amuse me. I am a socialist. I live to the extreme left, the extreme left of you mere liberals, okay? However, I know this about my country. Liberals are 20 percent of the electorate. Conservatives are 41 percent of the electorate, okay? So I don't pretend that my views, which would ban all guns in America, make Medicare available to all in America, have any chance of happening in the federal government, okay? You can sit there and pretend that liberals should run more liberal in conservative districts. You love the loss of the Blue Dogs. The only way, the only way you have a chairman Barney Frank, there's only one way, that's by electing Blue Dogs. It's the only way. That's the only way you have a Speaker Pelosi.

Now if he could just admit that socialists are Marxists, the air would be a lot cleaner in the studio. He's also an actor, pulls down big money by selling his image and his knowledge, which is sort of like being a private company not controlled by the government, so in my opinion, he's also a hypocrite in wanting to impoverish other people.

Read more: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2010/11/05/lawrence-odonnell-i-am-socialist-i-live-extreme-left-mere-liberals#ixzz14RY2LrhI

The jobs report

I'm sure Obama is taking credit for the uptick in the October jobs report, however, I remember how the econmy literally fell off a cliff when it looked like Obama would be the president after he was selected as the candidate. Business knew he would not be for them, and they were already struggling. Then in the fall of this year, the predicting of the Republican take overs not only of Congress but in the states also was gaining steam. So people took hope that the Bush tax cuts would stay in place and we could finally stop the Pelosi, Obama and Reid steamroller which was flattening the will and wallets of the American people.

A serious subject treated humorously, golf and terrorism

Second-generation Indian Americans 'Return' to India

"In 2004, The New York Times reported there were 35,000 "returned nonresident" Indians in the Indian city of Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore). In 2009, The Economist noted that between 2003 and 2005, approximately 5,000 tech-savvy Indians with more than five years' experience in America returned to India.

A 2010 report by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with The Boston Consulting Group found that in 2006, 32,000 second-generation Indians born in the United States or Europe returned to India. Although the report does not define return in temporal terms, it observed that the availability of challenging job positions, strong demand for experienced workers, and the promise of economic growth were crucial in creating such reverse talent flows."
Migration Information Source - For Love and Money: Second-generation Indian Americans 'Return' to India

I don't think this is too unusual. It happened after the break up of the Soviet Union with many 2nd generation Poles, Lithuanians, Latvians, etc. returning to the country of their parents. Also, after China loosened up, a number of Americans of Chinese ancestry saw new opportunity. When Ireland had its boom economy in the late 90s, many Irish diaspora returned home. It will be interesting to see if they are welcomed with open arms, since they had so many advantages the people who stayed behind didn't.

Our most famous granny terrorist speaks again

Still spewing after all these years--Bernadine Dohrn, Bill Ayer's wife, the Obamas' Chicago neighbor and friend, unrepentent terrorist still thinks conservatives, and not her ilk, are the ones to fear.
See the video, feel the chill wind blowing.

CNN debunks the cost figures from India

. . . but doesn't have any numbers to replace them.

Story here.

Rob Portman's US Senate victory speech

One last campaign appeal--Joe Miller

It's not over until it's over.

Statement from Joe Miller “The campaign remains optimistic that Joe Miller will be the next U.S. Senator from the state of Alaska. Previous write-in campaigns in Alaska have demonstrated that as much as 5 to 6% of returned ballots have not met the standard to be counted as a valid vote. As with any write-in campaign, the burden of execution rests with the candidate whose name is not on the ballot. Candidates who mount a write-in campaign opt for an uphill battle. At this point, without a single write-in ballot counted, Lisa Murkowski has no claim on a victory. To complicate the matter, the Division of Elections has yet to adequately explain how a ballot will be marked in favor of a candidate. The current standards are extraordinarily ambiguous. We trust that officials will conduct the hand count with propriety and consistency. In short, this campaign is not over! “

Joe Miller for US Senate
PO Box 72838
Fairbanks, AK 99707-2838
(907) 452-8559

http://joemiller.us/

CAIR wants OSU Christians to be more tolerant

From OSUToday: "Join us to discuss recent hostility and intolerance facing the Islamic community in America and the appropriate Christian response to the attack of other faith traditions. Indianola Presbyterian Church welcomes representatives from the Council on American-Islamic Relations."

109 verses in the Koran command Muslims to make war against the unbeliever. The Hadith says that even the rocks behind which a Jew hides will call out for his death.

Islam teaches that the Christian Bible, the Torah and the Psalms are all corrupted, even though those manuscripts and extant copies are much, much older than Islam's holy books, and no scholar is allowed to do critical research on the Koran.

Muhammad's followers are commanded to believe in Allah and to wage war against their neighbors.

Jesus' followers are commanded to love God and to love neighbor as themselves.

Perhaps the Christians who attend this meeting could have a few words for the CAIR representative about centuries of hostility and ignorance on their side?

Bullying on social networking sites

Today's Wall Street Journal has an interesting article on the history of shaming--from the scarlet letter, to names of tax delinquents in newspapers to publicly charging for plastic bags at the grocery store to "encourage" responsible behavior. But the story lead is one of the most interesting. It involves rich, socially advantaged, well-educated young adults--the senior class at Dartmouth attempting to shame their classmates into donating for the class gift, using blogs, social networking sites, names, photos, and personal slurs. Techno-rats without a moral clue.

Oh yes, the names came from the school administration. Link.

The cost of the Civil War

From Measuring Worth, which provides seven indicators for making comparisons in US dollars between any two years from 1774 to the present (2009):

"The Civil War was one of the most devastating events in the history of the United States. It lasted from 1861 to 1865 and has been estimated to have direct cost about $6.7 billion valued in 1860 dollars. If this number were evaluated in dollars of today using the GDP deflator it would be $139 billion, less that one-fourth of the current Department of Defense budget. This would be inappropriate, as would be using the wage or income indexes. The only measure that makes sense for an expenditure of this size is to use the share of GDP, as the war impacted the output of the entire country. Thus the relative value of $6.7 billion of 1860 would be $22 trillion today, or over 150% of our current GDP.

The $6.7 billion does not take into account that the war disrupted the economy and had an impact of lower production into the future. Some economic historians have estimated this additional, or indirect cost, to be another $7.3 billion measured on 1860 dollars. This means the cost of the war (as a share of the output of the economy) was nearly $46 trillion as measured in current dollars."

Michelle Bachman's Plan for Republicans to restore America

As told to tingly leg Chris Matthews:

"BACHMANN: Well, the plan that I've been talking about all through this election is really four things. And I would encourage the new Republican leadership to take this on as the agenda in 2011. And it's very simple.

It's keep the current tax policy so no one has increased taxes.

Number two, we need to put a full scale repeal of Obamacare passed through the House, hopefully it can get through the Senate, and then

number three, we need to make sure that we secure the United States borders.

And number four, we need to make sure that we don't have a huge increase in national energy tax.

Those are the four issues that the American people want the Congress to deal with because they want to get certainty back into the economy."

Works for me.

No, Mitch. He needs to fail.

It seems that, like Obama, Mitch McConnell doesn't get it either. What is it? Is the air too thin in Washington? Why is it people don't get the Tuesday message?

"Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) said Thursday he wants President Obama to “change,” not fail, and said Republicans will force him from office in 2012 if he does not. “I don’t want the president to fail, I want him to change,” McConnell said in remarks at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington."

What good is a "changed" failure who doesn't know he failed? I do not want Obamacare, I do not want Cap and Tax which will further destroy the economy, I do not want a bazillion sneaky regulations brought to us by his appointed czars, I do not want more leftist, squishy judges on the Supreme Court. No, Obama needs to fail at trying to destroy our country. If it isn't too late.

After Bernanke's move this week--the additional $600 billion--I'm not sure any of it matters at this date. Hasn't anyone read what the Fed did in the 1920s which brought on the Great Depression? John Maynard Keynes who advocated "managed currency" and constant government interference neither foresaw that the Depression was coming, nor how long it would last.

"A country that doesn’t understand its own history is not well equipped to deal with its future. The Great Depression was not a failure of the old order. It was the failure of the new order that had just begun. The Federal Reserve is the most powerful institution of a new order that believed in the efficacy of government and its ability to do good. The same Federal Reserve caused the Great Depression when its wise men made a series of cumulative mistakes that contracted the money supply by one-third and wiped out purchasing power in an unprecedented fashion." The Fed's Depression and the New Deal

Humbled? Hardly!

What a silly concept. A humbled Obama? That's unimaginable for a narcissist.

"A conservative wave roared across the American political landscape last night, humbling President Barack Obama and instantly redrawing the landscape in Washington with a new place on the high perches of power for the flag-bearers of the ultra-conservative Tea Party movement." The Independent

Here's what Armstrong Williams wrote: "Judging by his words yesterday, Americans should settle in for more gridlock during these next two years. Yes, at times the president seemed conciliatory. His "shellacking" comment was as accurate as it was self-deprecating. But that's where the humility ended.

Phrases such as "I didn't communicate my message better" and "We should have started earlier in convincing the American people" are not admissions of mistakes or even acknowledgements that, if he'd had a chance to do it all over again, things would be done differently. No, those are remarks from a person who to this day believes in his heart he was right all along. A supermajority of the voters didn't see it that way, but doggone it, Obama sure did, and that's all that matters.

Folks, that thought process achieves new levels of arrogance, and leaves me with little hope for the next two years. "Communicating our message better" is what losers say when they're too proud to admit they lost. That's not presidential, that's pathetic. As smart as the president is, he knew exactly what he was doing when he chose those words, and that alone makes his sincerity yesterday all the more suspect."

Please! It's o-p-h-t-h-a-l-m-o-l-o-g-i-s-t

"Moisturizers are important for the skin around the eyes, which contains no oil glands. Ms. Cryer uses two eye creams, a day cream that offers sun protection and a night cream without the "extra chemicals" of sunscreen. In the winter, Ms. Cryer even applies a little extra eye cream in midafternoon to "refresh" the skin. She sticks to "opthalmologist-tested" moisturizers that won't irritate the eyes themselves."

Today's Wall Street Journal, article by Cheryl Lu-Lien

Now that ophthalmologist Rand Paul is heading for the Senate, maybe reporters will start getting this one right.

"Dr. Paul completed a general surgery internship at Georgia Baptist Medical Center in Atlanta and completed his residency in ophthalmology at Duke University Medical Center. Upon completion of his training in 1993, Dr. Paul moved to Bowling Green, Ken., and began his ophthalmology practice.

In 1995, Dr. Paul founded the Southern Kentucky Lions Eye Clinic, an organization that provides eye exams and surgery to needy families and individuals. He has also provided free eye surgery to children from around the world through the Children of the Americas Program." Becker's ASC Review.