"Sure I wanted to win," said Coleman, who called the ruling a surprise. "I thought we had a better case. But the court has spoken."
He declined to talk about his future plans, brushing aside a question about whether he would run for governor in 2010.
Franken's victory will give Democrats control over 60 Senate seats, the number needed to overcome any Republican filibusters to health care, energy, or other legislation they or the Obama administration is seeking.
I was wide awake last night, unable to sleep, thinking about the Waxman-Markey bill, or the cap and trade bill, or H.R. 2454, whatever you want to call it. Most of us are calling it worse things than that.
This bill disgusts me on several levels. It's hard to know where to start. I suppose the fact that Congress voted for this thing without having read it should not surprise me as this is what happened with the Stimulus package. In fact, it's as if the authors were flaunting the fact that nobody was going to read it when they dumped the 300 page amendment on it at 3:00 a.m., just hours before the vote. It was never expected that anyone was going to read this bill. That's a travesty. John Boehner was right when he said that American deserve better representation than that.
The bill disgusts me in that it is based on a phony science. My purpose is not to debate whether or not global warming exists. The point is that there is, in fact, still debate about that, yet this bill assumes that it exists and then goes on to alter every aspect of our private lives based on that assumption. It strips us of our liberties. The fact that the EPA suppressed a 98 page report by EPA senior research analyst Alan Carlin, some assume under pressure by the Obama administration, that draws serious questions about climate change.
Carlin's report found "that global temperatures have declined for 11 years; that new research predicts Atlantic hurricanes will be unaffected; that there’s 'little evidence' that Greenland is shedding ice at expected levels; and that solar radiation has the largest single effect on the earth’s temperature." These findings are not what the administration wanted to get out right before the vote on climate change legislation.
The EPA justified suppressing this report by saying that Carlin is not a scientist. In her weekly column Michelle Malkin points out that "neither is Al Gore. Nor is environmental czar Carol Browner. Nor is cap-and-trade shepherd Nancy Pelosi." Carlin does, however, hold a B.S. in physics and has been with the EPA for 35 years.
At any rate, the report calling global warming into question was suppressed and the vote went on. The report was not read and neither was the bill.
The thing that disgusts me most about this bill is the fact that it knowing and intentionally creates an energy tax during a time when we are in a recession. People are already losing jobs, unemployment is up and is certain to get worse even without the passing of this bill. The only way this bill works is if it makes it painful on citizens to use energy, thereby forcing us to use less.
This bill will force jobs overseas. The Democratic administration will tell you that it's going to create all these wonderful "green jobs," windmill farms, solar panels and so on. Meanwhile, coal plants will be pushed out of business as will refineries and many small businesses. Many jobs will go overseas where these draconian strictures do not apply. This gives economic advantage to other countries. The Heritage Foundation predicts that this bill will "destroy 1,145,000 jobs on average, with peak years seeing unemployment rise by over 2,479,000 jobs."
And how will this bill affect you? It has regulations on every single aspect of your daily life. There are light bulb restrictions (no more than 60 watts in your candelabra); in fact there's a whole section that deals with lamps. If you decide to build a new home, it must meet new and specific energy requirements. If you decide to sell your existing home, a federal inspector must inspect your home, determine it's energy rating, and if your home is found to be unacceptable then you must retrofit and make changes before you will be able to sell.
There's an entire section on planting trees including guidelines on "scientific based measurements outlining the species and minimum distance required between trees planted...in addition to the minimum required distance to be maintained between such trees and building foundations, air conditioning units, driveways and walkways...". Do we really need the federal government telling us where we can plant trees?
There's a section dealing with outdoor lighting in which you are given instructions about landscape lights, lights in your swimming pool, lights on artwork and other architectural lighting. The federal government is going to tell you what wattage that light can be and how many you can have. In some cases the lights must be capable of producing two different light levels (100 and 60 watt).
There are new government regulations for water dispensers, hot tubs and other appliances. They're going to regulate water usage, and regulate wood stoves. Any wood stove that does not meet regulation must be "destroyed and recycled."
It goes on and on to enumerate where plugs for your hybrid cars must be, and deals extensively with transportation.
Do we really need the government dictating all this to us? Is this what we signed on for? If your Congressman had actually read this bill, would he have still voted for it? If the answer to any of those questions is yes, then we have even more serious problems than this bill.
There is still time to stop it. Contact your senators. Tell them how you feel about this legislation. Regardless of how you feel about global warming and whether or not it exists, (this bill does nothing toward elimination or cessation of that) we don't need a nanny state. If I want to use a 100 watt incandescent light bulb in my house, I don't want Big Brother coming after me for it. And I don't think I'm killing any polar bears by doing so.
Update: Don't miss this article which explains how lower income families will get cash by direct deposit to offset their energy costs.
Update 3: I want to clarify the statement on the housing energy standards. The government is not going to literally tell you that you can't sell your home unless it meets certain energy criteria but it does establish an energy performance labeling system that would rate your home's energy standards and this information would be available to any buyer. A full disclosure sort of thing. If your windows are leaky and your insulation poor, your appliances out of date, this would all affect your rating thus making it more difficult to sell your home. This is optional (at this time).
My blogging has been light today; I've been doing life-things like cleaning my carpets, grocery shopping, laundry, you know. Stuff. Went to the bookstore and bought some biographies for my mom. Went to Target and bought a new purse. Important stuff.
Anyway, so I didn't see Fox 'n Friends this morning when Doocy got Carol Browner to admit she hasn't read the Cap ' n Tax bill. Great. Via Hot Air, here's the clip:
As I was driving around (burning FUEL purchased from FOREIGN SOURCES) I was listening to talk radio. Some woman called in to Rush Limbaugh lamenting that the average citizen doesn't even know what is in this bill and what Washington is doing to them. How many people actually WATCHED John Boehner read the amendment on CSPAN on a Friday evening? I'm betting not many.
How many people are going to be shocked when they go to sell their house and can't until the government comes in and does an energy inspection; if your house is leaking energy or doesn't have storm windows, etc. etc., you can't sell it until you fix that. This was in the amendment John Boehner read to Congress. I'm betting they didn't know about it until he told them.
At the very least you'd expect the energy czar, Carol Browner, to have read it.
At what point does this just become treason? Is it too much to ask that your representatives read the legislation that they vote on?
Timing is everything. The Inspectors General story has been overshadowed this week by other events, most notably the Michael Jackson non-stop media fest, but also the cap and trade vote.
Robert Stacy McCain has a piece in The Green Room at Hot Air today about the investigation so far. The biggest question, it seems to me, is where is the MSM on this story? There are some fine people doing the legwork on this story but so far the big papers haven't picked it up. You've got to wonder why. It's not because there isn't a story there.
Back in April there was a piece in the New York Times where Neil Barofsky, the special Inspector General overseeing the TARP bailout dollars, blasts the Obama administration and Geithner regarding their handling of the money. After asking questions, the administration has essentially gagged Barofsky as the Treasury Department tries to assert its authority over his office. Should this be allowed, it would clearly be a conflict and would go against the intent behind the formation of the Inspectors General because they are supposed to be independent. This is likely to be the most interesting part of the whole investigation, once it finally busts open, and one that might eventually land Timothy Geithner under the Obama bus.
Not Tucker Carlson has a great round-up of coverage and events if you need to get up to speed. Rick Moran of The American Thinker also had a piece posted Saturday.
Go here to see Robert Stacy McCain's American Spectator post on the Grassley report regarding the Amtrak investigation.
And go here for the most extensive round-up of coverage EVAH on the story!
The story isn't going away. Questions are being asked and soon the biggest question to ask will be why isn't the main stream media covering this thing?
When asked why he read portions of the cap-and-trade bill on the floor Friday night, Boehner told The Hill, "Hey, people deserve to know what's in this pile of s--t."
I wish he would have read the whole thing, sort of like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Might not have changed the vote, but who knows.
Word is that the Senate won't deal with the Cap 'n Tax until fall and that it's DOA when it gets there. That doesn't mean we should back off the fight though. It just gives us plenty of time to pound our Senators on the issue as well as the knuckleheads who voted for it - both Democrat AND Republican because the taxes and higher prices on goods that are coming from this bad boy will affect all of us.
In case you missed it, here is Boehner's Republican response from yesterday.
I'm sure you've seen this video by now. Maybe not, if you live outside of Louisiana, but seriously people, this is our Louisiana legislature. It's only two minutes - take a quick look. I don't think you have to watch all of it.
The backstory on this is that this kid, rapper Hurricane Chris, is the godson of Barbara Norton (D-Shreveport) and this occurred on the last day before the session ended. She introduced him as a role model. Hmm. Here are some of the lyrics to the "song":
Well let's get ratchet Let's get ratchet Look at her prettier then Halle and thicker than Janet She say she like all of my club bangers I be jamming Told her to bust it open let me see what's really happnin She the ship and I'm the captain I'm tha captain Booty bigger than the pus
And I'm all the way in your city I'm from louisianna so you gotta show me how your City do it for that camera Make it drop and bring it back to the top You no amateur Girl you can give it to me it ain't nothing I can't handle She just got out of the shower smellin like a scented candle And I'm finna finna? Sliding off tha mattress No moving no acting baby this is real action Beat it up so bad You be scared to walk past me I know your halle berry Baby there's no acting I beat it up so bad You be scared to walk past me for real
It goes on from there for a while, and that's the clean version. The video of his legislative performance (the 9 minute version) has been on The Dead Pelican for days and has been spreading around the internet. Barbara Norton, for her part, is pretty proud of this. She said, "I'm excited to know that Louisiana is putting something on the internet that's positive because there are so many things on the internet and we're on the bottom," whatever that means.
She introduced him on the floor by saying, "I want to introduce to all to a young man who I think is doing great work throughout this country in the area of music." Great work? She goes on, "I'm very proud of Hurricane Chris who is my godson...I'm just sound proud of him...when he was 10 years old he was singin' and was probably singin' before then." "He's gonna come down for just a minute or two and give you all just a second or two of Halle Barry's record, She's Fine, and I know you all like that, mens know about fine because you do it all the time so anyways don't act like you ain't never heard of it."
Then she leads the young wordsmith to the podium, a Proclamation is read, and Chris speaks.
"I 'preciate y'all for bringin' me out today, I wanna gi' y'all a taste of one of my new songs just in case y'all ain't familiar wit' me, I'm gonna getcha familiar wit me." Then he speaks to the legislature about categorizing women, about beautiful women, and about having confidence, which he does not lack.
I'd have paid good money to see the camera pan out to the faces of the legislators as this went on.
Look, I know it takes all kinds. I get it. I know some people like this music - the song is No. 5 right now, so somebody likes it. But I can't help but feel like it's words and lyrics like this that are dragging our culture down today and have helped lead us to the total Godless, amoral, self-centered culture we live in today. I have a teenager that loves this mess
Pundette wrote yesterday about being disgusted. I totally feel her pain. She wrote about Beyonce and how Michelle Obama said she was a great role model for young girls. I don't know a whole lot about Beyonce, and I can't really say if she's a role model or not. My feeling is that she's not as bad as some others but how relative is that? How bad do you have to be to be bad. And hey, now, "bad" means "good." It's a good thing to be "Bad!" As in, "I'm BAD, man." That's good.
*Sigh*
Our celebrity worship culture has led us to this (which is another point Pundette makes). We elected a cool, celebrity president who is in turn leading us into ruin. I'm not being hyperbolic here, I don't think. It's clear to me that he's ramming health care reform, climate reform, financial reform, etc. etc., through as fast as he can because he figures by 2010 the Kool Aid might have worn off and it will be more difficult to do after the mid-term elections. I'm sure immigration reform is next on the agenda.
But hey, he's cool, suave, young and hip. He has a dog and two kids and looks debonairre in a suit (so they say). Like many young liberals, he thinks America needs to be apologized for and we need to be like the Europeans, who are cool. And he was so much better than the old, white guy.
I don't want to insult people - I know some liberals voted for him because they think his policies are valid. Not everyone voted on the cool factor. I was reminded during the campaign when I railed against him daily that some voters have done their research and sincerely believe that his policies are the best. I'm obviously not one of them.
Back to Hurricane Chris. We're down here celebrating a young man who sings about "gettin' ratchet" and ... well, I can't even print the lyrics he sings. I know parents have been protesting the idols of their teenagers since time began (the Beatles and Elvis were going to be the ruination of society, remember?) but seriously, how much lower can we go? How much longer before Hurricane Chris is president?
Our country is in serious trouble. People that read this blog already know that or you wouldn't be here. I'm preaching to the choir. I get the occassional liberal commenter who disagrees with me, but I've given up on changing their views. They are dead set that global warming is ruining the planet, that Obama IS cool, that inviting dictators to tea IS the path to world peace and that we need to be buying bottled water for Africans and stop worrying about about ourselves so much because we are just arrogant and egocentric.
I'm going to quote Bride of Rove here, because she had a great post that summed up how I felt right after the Cap ' n Tax vote.
You think Republicans lie? This guy is the king of all liars. Did you hear his speech the other day on how he was a great believer in Capitalism and a free market system? I damn near wrecked the car I was laughing so hard. He had just taken over two car manufacturers and refused to allow several banks to pay off the TARP money so they could get out from under the Govt’s thumb and announces a pay czar to decide how much everyone will be allowed to earn. It was beautiful....
If I did not have kids or any responsibilities I would be loving every minute of this. I would enjoy what I know is coming down the road because whether you voted for him or not, you’re not escaping this horror. Every idiot who thought he was going to pay their mortgage and buy their gas and they would not have to work and their taxes would not go up - they are in for the shock of their lives. What kind of moron believes a politician’s promises like that? Hey. That Iranian President at least gave everyone a potato - before he shot them.
Enough doom and gloom. Hurricane Chris and all the others can just go rot for all I care. And sitting here in this funk is not going to do anything to turn this train wreck around. I just hope that there's enough of this country left to save after we vote Obama out. The changes he's making are irreversable. It'll be very difficult to undo Obamacare.
Chin up. Remember the words of John Paul Jones who would not accept the British demands for surrender and said, "I have not yet begun to fight!" We've got to keep protesting, contacting legislators, finding strong candidates to put out there, talking about the things that made this country great, and remind people what it could be before we have to remind them about what it was.
Here is my anti-Hurricane Chris song to cheer you up:
The intrepid Chad Rogers at The Dead Pelican has this on the Obama administration's behind-the-scenes maneuvering on Cap 'n Tax (there's more at his site - go look):
The Obama Administration tried to pressure Louisiana Congressman Joseph Cao into supporting "Cap-and-Trade" legislation, THE DEAD PELICAN has learned.
Sources tell THE DEAD PELICAN that Obama personally called the freshman congressman to ask for his support of controversial legislation that will place a tax on carbon emissions!
Sources tell THE DEAD PELICAN that Obama (the Democrat) promised to assist Cao (the Republican) in his re-election in return for his vote!Well-placed insiders tell THE DEAD PELICAN that Congressman Cao has refused Obama's offer and intends to vote in the interest of Louisiana by voting "no."
Your weekly Full Metal Jacket Reach Around begins now:
On the cap and trade mess, which has left me with a depressed gloom today, lots of folks jumped in to sum it up. The Blog Prof has an extensive post on its cost. Political Byline also weighs in. The Pirate's Cove has comments and the great chart that Boehner held up during his discussion. The Daley Gator is not a happy camper. Doug Ross has the phone numbers of the eight turncoat republicans who passed this thing. Yukio isn't happy about Cap and Trade and is gearing up for the Senate fight. Gateway Pundit rounds it all out, and Robert Stacy McCain reminds us, Not One Red Cent to the sellouts!
Our favorite Left Coast Rebel points out that there is still hope; it's not yet over.
Stacy is also the go-to guy for all your IG-Gate news. Carol is keeping step. Jimmie at The Sundries Shack has a post on Chuck Grassley firing the first shot!
Pundette - I'm TOTALLY feeling your pain and agree with you whole-heartedly! Well said! Equally disgusted: Red Stick Rant. Be sure to click over there and see OUR fine State Legislature at work.
Even with the non-stop coverage on Fox News (and others), some of us posted on Michael Jackson (including me). Dave Lucas has a nice post. Sippican Cottage has a beautiful piece, as you might expect. Caught Him With a Corndog also loved Thriller.
Here are the turncoat Republicans who voted FOR the cap 'n tax boondoggle. It made a difference. The vote was 219-212. AND they brought Patrick Kennedy in from rehab to vote. Go figure. Desperate times....
I spent the whole day in front of CSPAN twittering my favorite comments and when John Boehner got up and did his Mr. Smith Goes to Washington routine I was cheering! It was a bright spot in an otherwise dim day.
After the vote I went and drank Dos Equis and ate Mexican food, came home and walked my dog and some psycho woman chased me around the block in her SUV because my dog peed in the city property strip in front of her house. Just wait until they start taxing her dog farts.
This is the most recent list on how your Congressman might be leaning on the Cap-and-Trade vote today. If you don't know who your Congressman is, go here, type in your zip code and find out. You'll also find out his/her phone number so you can melt the phones!
Republican List (Unlisted are solid no)
Solid Yes Bono, Mary California
Lean Yes Castle, Michael Delaware Ehlers, Vernon Michigan Lance, Leonard New Jersey McHugh, John New York Reichert, Dave Washington
Undecided Buchanan, Vern Florida Kirk, Mark Illinois Lobiondo, Frank New Jersey Petri, Thomas Wisconsin Smith, Chris New Jersey
Lean No Fortenberry, Jeffrey Nebraska Frelinghuysen, Rod New Jersey Gerlach, Jim Pennsylvania Johnson, Timothy Illinois
Democratic List (Unlisted are solid yes)
Lean No Boswell, Leonard Iowa Edwards, Chat Texas (No "in current form") Etheridge, Bob North Carolina Halvorson, Debbie Illinois Hinojosa, Ruben Texas Kaptur, Marcy Ohio Marshall, Jim Georgia Massa, Eric New York Minnick, Walt Idaho Rahall, Nick West Virginia Salazar, John Colorado
Undecided Arcuri, Michael New York Bishop, Sanford Georgia Boccieri, John Ohio Boyd, Allen Florida Brown, Corrine Florida Carney, Chris Pennsylvania Davis, Lincoln Tennessee Dicks, Norm Washington Donnelly, Joe Indiana Foster, Bill Illinois Green, Al Texas Jackson Lee, Sheila Texas Johnson, Eddie Texas Kind, Ronald Wisconsin Kirkpatrick, Ann Arizona McIntyre, Mike North Carolina Ortiz, Solomon Texas Space, Zach Ohio (voted yes in committee) Teague, Harry New Mexico Tonko, Paul New York
Lean Yes Abercrombie, Neil Hawaii Adler, John New Jersey Baca, Joe California Bean, Melissa Illinois Cardoza, Dennis California Clay, William Missouri Cooper, Jim Tennessee Costa, Jim California Driehaus, Steve Ohio Fudge, Marcia Ohio Grayson, Alan Florida Kagan, Steve Wisconsin Kildee, Dale Michigan Kosmas, Suzanne Florida Kratovil, Frank Maryland Maffei, Dan New York Mary Jo Kilroy Ohio McMahon, Michael New York Meek, Kendrick Florida Meeks, Gregory New York Mitchell, Harry Arizona Murphy, Scott New York Nye, Glenn Virginia Peters, Gary Michigan Rodriguez, Ciro Texas Schauer, Mark Michigan Shuler, Heath North Carolina Skelton, Ike Missouri Thompson, Bennie Mississippi
Solid No - Call to confirm/thank/support! Altmire, Jason Pennsylvania Barrow, John Georgia Berry, Marion Arkansas Boren, Dan Oklahoma Bright, Bobby Alabama Childers, Travis Mississippi Costello, Jerry Illinois Cuellar, Henry Texas Dahlkemper, Kathy Pennsylvania Davis, Artur Alabama Defazio, Peter Oregon Doggett, Lloyd Texas Ellsworth, Brad Indiana Griffith, Parker Alabama Herseth, Stephanie South Dakota Holden, Tim Pennsylvania Kissell, Larry North Carolina Kucinich, Dennis Ohio Matheson, Jim Utah Melancon, Charlie Louisiana Mollohan, Alan West Virginia Pomeroy, Earl North Dakota Ross, Mike Arkansas Scott, David Georgia Tanner, John Tennessee Taylor, Gene Mississippi Wilson, Charlie Ohio
The American Farm Bureau warns that cap and trade would cost the average farmer $175 on every dairy cow and $80 for beef cattle. So farm-state politics trumped climate change.
The EPA has been tasked by a Supreme Court ruling to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from your nostrils to your lawn mower. This even covers the emissions of barnyard animals, including the methane from cows. American taxpayers apparently will be paying companies not to chop down trees. The Washington Times reports that as part of the legislation, the House will also be voting Friday on a plan to pay domestic and international companies around the world not to cut down trees.
Heritage Foundation projects that by 2035 it would reduce aggregate gross domestic product by $7.4 trillion. In an average year, 844,000 jobs would be destroyed, with peak years seeing unemployment rise by almost 2 million.
Inflation-adjusted gasoline prices would rise 74%, residential natural gas prices by 55% and the average family's annual energy bill by $1,500.
This is Representative John Fleming's statement on the Cap and Trade bill; I'm posting it in it's entirety. Fleming represents my district. (All emphasis mine).
“It’s time that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle come clean about the cost of cap-and-trade, more accurately described as ‘cap-and-tax’, which is nothing more than a $646 billion national energy tax. This is a bad energy policy that will cost the average American household more than $3,100 per year -- turning on the light switch will mean a 40% increase in utility costs. Impoverished and low income earners cannot make up this increased cost and will be the hardest hit by this policy.
It is not just monthly budgets that will be negatively affected, but jobs and industry as a whole will suffer. We will likely lose 3 to 4 million American jobs if “cap-and-tax” is enacted. Businesses will take whatever necessary measures to decrease the negative effects of this policy; whether it be passing the cost to the American consumer or laying off workers to compensate for the increased cost. Companies looking to invest in our economy will simply move overseas to escape this enormous tax increase and flee stringent environmental protection laws. “Cap-and-tax” will serve as an economic stimulus for countries like India and China, who stand to receive the benefits of an influx of outsourced American business and jobs.
Just last week I received a letter from hospitals in the 4th District of Louisiana who are gravely concerned about this Administration’s energy policy. As one of the state’s leading consumers of electricity, these hospitals wrote to warn me of the expected effects of such far-reaching radical legislation. They have assured me that, if enacted, these policies will force them to dramatically raise healthcare costs on consumers to make up for their increased utility bills.
I too want to protect our environment, but believe we must do it in a way that keeps energy costs low for working families and protects our jobs and small businesses. Cap-and-tax will do nothing to cap greenhouse gases, but it will set the United States at a global economic disadvantage. Simply said, this tax proposal will cap our growth and trade our jobs.”
Michelle Malkin has the list of those that are undecided or leaning. Find out what your representative thinks and then go here to get his number, talking points, and a feedback form.
If you live near me, in Texas or Mississippi for example, there are some leaning yes. There are also some undecideds. Check the list. Make the calls! This is a BAD bill and god knows they haven't even read it. Hot Air reports that a 300 page amendment was dumped on the 1000 page bill just this morning. You think they're going to read that before they vote?
We're just about a week away from our July 4 Shreveport/Bossier Tea Party and Freedom Celebration. I posted on this earlier in the week and plans continue toward making this one even better than the tax day tea party. There will be many more activities and amenities than before plus the added bonus of having a perfect viewing site for the Riverfront fireworks later in the evening!
Organizer Kim Ebey sent out this photo yesterday of her tea party pin and I thought it was adorable. They are available for $15 from teapartyitems at gmail dot com. The pin is being sold by the Republican Women of Bossier and proceeds benefit their scholarship program. So consider this my plug for their pin and their scholarship fund.
I'll post more on July 4 events as information comes out and as always, you can check their main site here. Twitter is here. Facebook is here.
Meanwhile, on the eve of the House vote on the largest energy tax increase known to man, they are partying at the White House. The congressional luau is underway where Mark Knoller tells us they are feasting on tilapia tempura rolls, grilled lamb chops, BBQ baby back ribs, Kalua pig and shrimp & clams.
Gibbsy has already been dunked in the dunking booth; Obama and Michelle are there wearing leis and even Bo is there.
Hope they have a lovely time. Meanwhile, the rest of us should be working the phones and faxes to those folks still on the fence over this horrific cap 'n trade bill.
Say what you will about him, the boy had talent. And I have many, many a fond memory of dancing to Thriller with my friends in many a nightclub in my youth! I sang along to many a MJ song as loudly as I could in my car with the windows rolled up. I've plugged into my iPod and cleaned for hours to Michael's songs! Since I can't embed Thriller, I'm putting up this one because I love it, too.
We got word in Shreveport this week that our GM plant will be closing by mid-2012 if not sooner. The plant employs about 1,100 people at this time. It has been as high as 3,200. The Shreveport plant produces the Colorado, the GMC Canyon and the Hummer H3 and H3T.
U.S. Rep. John Fleming (R.) said the state's congressional delegation "will also aggressively work with Tengzhong, the Chinese buyer of the Hummer brand, to show the benefits of not only keeping the existing Hummer manufacturing at this plant, but also the possibilities for expanding their U.S. operations at this facility." Of course, that sale hasn't gone through yet. If it does go through, Shreveport would continue to produce the H3 and H3T until 2010 but anything after that is uncertain.
"Basically, cap and trade strikes me as the Iraq war of the Democratic domestic policy agenda. It's the overreach moment. It's a massive program that, unlike health care reform, no one is demanding, no one understands, and no one can explain. Cap and trade may be the only thing that can save the Republican party from eight years in the wilderness."
The much debated Cap 'n Trade (aka Cap and Tax) legislation is up for vote tomorrow. The tension is palpable and the vote is critical. Do the Dems have the votes, or not?
It's been said that this vote will have serious ramifications in 2010. All participants are nervous and there are numerous polls and opinions out there. One such survey was conducted by The National Center for Public Policy Research of African Americans. They found the following:
* 76% of African-Americans want Congress to make economic recovery its top priority, even if it delays action on climate change;
* 38% believe job losses resulting from climate change legislation would fall heaviest on the African-American community. Only 7% believe job losses would fall heaviest on Hispanics and only 2% believe they would fall heaviest on whites;
* 56% believe Washington policymakers have failed to adequately take into account the economic and quality of life concerns of the African-American community when formulating climate change policy;
* 52% of respondents aren't willing pay anything more for either gasoline or electricity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 73% are unwilling to pay more than 50 cents more for a gallon of gas and 76% are unwilling to pay more than $50 more per year for electricity to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions;
There's more at the link.
The Heritage Foundation has also done a study and comes to the conclusion that the legislation will do little for "global warming" but will absolutely increase taxes: "Though the proposed legislation will have little impact on world temperatures, it is a massive energy tax in disguise that promises job losses, income cuts, and a sharp left-turn towards big government."
With regard to the job loss issue, just refer back to Lion Oil who promised to shutter their refinery in El Dorado should this thing pass. They wouldn't be able to survive. They would lay off 1,200 employees. There are others. Obama touts this bill as one that would GROW jobs. Not so.
The Heritage study also points out that energy costs will skyrocket: "President Barack Obama described the plan best when he said “[u]nder my plan of a cap and trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket.” And skyrocket they will. In total, a typical family of four will see its energy costs rise by over $22,800 from 2012-2035." I don't know about you, but my energy costs are already incredible. And we all know what happens when energy costs rise. Everything else does, too.
Last summer when gas prices were $5.00, the cost of everything else in the grocery store went up. Not just a few cents, either. Milk jumped from $2 to $4 a gallon, a pound of cheese jumped from $1.50 to $4.50...
The Wall Street Journal exposes a counter argument that Dems are using when they say that the CBO says this bill will only cost families $175 per year. This is deceptive. According to the WSJ, the CBO report only looks at the first year. "To get support for his bill, Mr. Waxman was forced to water down the cap in early years to please rural Democrats, and then severely ratchet it up in later years to please liberal Democrats. The CBO's analysis looks solely at the year 2020, before most of the tough restrictions kick in. As the cap is tightened and companies are stripped of initial opportunities to "offset" their emissions, the price of permits will skyrocket beyond the CBO estimate of $28 per ton of carbon. The corporate costs of buying these expensive permits will be passed to consumers."
In addition, the CBO report ignores the potential decrease in the GDP because of the cap.
The CBO report also ignores the fact that some regions will be hit harder than others: "Note also that the CBO analysis is an average for the country as a whole. It doesn't take into account the fact that certain regions and populations will be more severely hit than others -- manufacturing states more than service states; coal producing states more than states that rely on hydro or natural gas. Low-income Americans, who devote more of their disposable income to energy, have more to lose than high-income families."
Some in the Midwest are especially anxious about the bill; from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Midwestern Republicans are calling the measure "an economic declaration of war on the Midwest by liberals in Washington, D.C. 'This is a job killer, particularly for the upper Midwest,' said Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, a Menomonee Falls Republican who is one of the leading voices against a climate change bill."
This is another case of Congress pushing through legislation so fast that nobody has read the bill. Mary Katherine Ham has made it her quest to read the whole thing - you can follow her findings here and here. She'll definitely be ahead of Congress. Here is her quest:
Robert Stacy McCain has a fine piece at The American Spectator this morning about the Inspector General mess - and make no mistake, it's a MESS. You need to read the whole thing.
One of the many things that concerns me about this story is that were it not for people like Stacy, Malkin, York and other diligent bloggers, it would likely be swept under the rug. There's just so much else to talk about! Mark Sanford! Everyone loves a good sex scandal! An Argentina love affair with titillating emails! Sex sells, and that's what will be all over the news today.
The health care boondoggle. After last night's infomercial the analysts and pundits are all over it. Everyone has an opinion or an experience to share on the health care issue. It affects everyone in the country. Everyone wants to talk about it.
Cap and Trade? Not EVERYone is talking about it, but they should be. The vote is tomorrow so there will be lots of conversation about it today, as there should be, and people need to be calling their representatives. This one is a back breaker for the country. It's important.
And Iran - oh god - Iran. Those courageous people dying in the streets for their freedom. There's plenty to talk about there.
So you can see where some fired inspector generals will be pushed to the back burner were it not for Robert Stacy McCain, Byron York, Michelle Malkin, and a few others who are all doing their best to keep it out there. To make my case, the top threads at Memeorandum this morning - the Sanford story, the Iran story, and health care. At the time of this writing, there is NOTHING on the inspectors general story. (UPDATE: There is a Memeorandum thread now!)
So why is it important? As McCain said, it's not just about Gerald Walpin. He's the most well known of those fired so far, but probably only because he's the one that Team Obama said was demented and senile. Also, Glenn Beck had Walpin on his program (and he didn't seem senile at all!) which increases the name recognition.
What makes this story important is first of all the serious nature of the inspector general position - they are supposed to be INDEPENDENT, non-partisan watchdogs. Now we have the Obama administration playing hardball with them in a way that indicates a pattern of behavior and this is certainly troubling.
McCain points out that "Those familiar with the investigations (and yes, that noun is plural) caution against personalizing or politicizing the situation. These sources are especially concerned that inquiries by Republican members of Congress should not be portrayed as a partisan "gotcha" game against the popular new president." Indeed, an important point to make. And maybe it's why the media isn't making a bigger deal of it.
Walpin, as you know by now, was fired because he questioned a program affilitaed with San Francisco Mayor Kevin Johnson regarding the AmeriCorps money. Kevin Johnson is a longtime ally of Obama and a friend of Michelle's. Johnson had been accused of inappropriately using funds which he later agreed to pay back in part. But now the FBI is in the investigation over some e-mails that Johnson supposedly deleted. Now, that's incriminating, no? Possibly? Suspicious, to say the least.
Other players include Judith Gwynn, inspector general for the ITC, who was fired. She was attempting to conduct an audit and documents she needed were forcibly taken from her, thereby prohibiting her from doing her job.
Fred Wiederhold, Jr., inspector general for Amtrack; he unexpectedly resigned. He was asked to provide examples of agency interference; there are some odd connections there in that you should look at (it's outlined in the McCain piece), not the least of which is that Joe Biden's son is on the Amtrak board of directors. Not to say that he's done anything wrong, but it's a tangled web.
Neil Barofsky is another investigator general, and the one that most fascinates McCain; he's over the TARP money that went through Congress in October. Documents have been withheld from Barofsky thus strangling his ability to do his job. He has reported a "staggering" level of fraud, but how can he make the case without the necessary documents? And what is Geithner afraid of?
The Wall Street Journal has a piece today in which they point out that had these incidents occured under the Bush White House, it would be front page news:
"However unserious these nanoscandals were, given their animating impulse Mr. Walpin's sacking and now the challenge to Mr. Barofsky's autonomy would be front-page news had Mr. Bush pulled them off. But the administration has gotten away with waving off the Barofsky affair as trivial and smearing Mr. Walpin as an old coot."
They go on to point out that Obama co-sponsored the legislation that gave the IGs their power in the first place and established the rules of their office: "Mr. Obama professed to love the Inspectors General as a Senator, and he cosponsored legislation that bolstered their autonomy and required the president to give Congress a month's notice and a reason before firing an IG. Either the administration ought to abide by its own rules or get rid of the office."
It is difficult to separate the story from Team Obama completely, as the previously noted cautionary statment wished. It's true that this should not be a witchhunt, or a "gotcha" game against Obama; it's not that different than the many scandals that come out of Washington all the time - Travel Gate, Whitewater, etc. etc. This one seems important because it directly involves taxpayer dollars and it has nasty overtones such as the smearing of Walpin while covering up the bad behavior of long-time cronies (Johnson). Michelle Malkin has pointed to the puzzling involvement of Michelle Obama in this particular case.
Is it all politics as usual or is there more? McCain is quick to point out that this is definitely a "story" and not necesarily a "scandal" or a "crime" at this point, but it's true that there are multiple investigations going on and as a "story" it should be more widely reported.
Does Obama really get credit for rescinding the Iranian hot dog invitations when none of the Iranian ambassadors even agreed to come? How can you actually take back an invitation that was never even accepted?
I guess you can, and he did. I guess he gets points for that. Or something.
It should tell him SOMETHING than none of them accepted his invitation. How much blood in the streets and slaughter does he need to see? The sound bite that just slays me right now is from his press conference yesterday with regard to Iran: "Because I think that we don't know yet how this thing is going to play out. I know everybody here is on a 24-hour news cycle. I'm not. OK?"
Play out? How much more does it need to play out before we do SOMEthing?
And since when is the president not in a fairly constant loop with regard to the news cycle? He's a 9-5 president now?
Well, either way, the invitations that were not accepted have now been rescinded, so I guess that's something.
If you live in my neck of the woods be sure you're making plans to attend the July 4 Sheveport-Bossier Tea Party/Freedom Celebration.
The location will be the same as the very successful Tax Day tea party - the Bossier Civic Center lawn. Be sure to bring lawn chairs or blankets and make an evening of it. Organizers have a great line up of speakers planned, including the fabulous CL Bryant who spoke at the Tax Day tea party. Louisiana Outlaws will again provide the music and you'll be able to see the Riverfront fireworks display as well. There will be concessions and restroom facilities this time. A voter registration table will also be available, should you need to register to vote! There will also be a booth where you can write to your politicians and have your letter mailed for you.
The Tax Day tea party was a great success and attendance was much higher than anyone anticipated. I personally spoke to lots of people that drove in from neighboring towns and communities to attend.
Don't forget to bring signs! Organizers are making a DVD of the event and will also be conducting interviews with attendees.
There's plenty of free parking and it promises to be a great event, so mark your calendar and come on out.
You can stay volunteer to help or just stay current here, at the SBTea Party website.
Yes, the picture is a little fuzzy, but I feel a little fuzzy right now! I survived Eric Clapton and it was awesome! More to come on that. Dallas was awesome - I love the DART thing. Nikki was awesome - I have the cutest daughter ever. My grand-puppy is awesome. Steve was awesome for seeing to it that I got there and back safely. Is that enough "awesome" for you? I thrilled and amazed my twitter people all day yesterday with my stunning pictorial images of my trip. You can check those out if you missed them over there on the Twitter link.
Meanwhile, the past 24 hours has been a crazy news cycle which I have totally been unable to blog on and my sitemeter is in the cellar. The cellar of the cellar, actually.
I'm going to unpack, regroup, and then get back to blogging.
What they fail to consider is that by genuflecting to tyrants, Obama has made the US an international laughingstock. Far from sharing their adulation of Obama and his cool demeanor, most of the nations of the world believe that the US has abandoned its leadership role. And unlike the US media, they realize that America has no understudy.
Caroline Glick on the adulation of the press toward Obama
Allahpundit calls it the lowest point of the Obama presidency so far. I have to agree. After failing to condemn murder in the streets of Iranian teenagers, students and other protesters, he continues to stand with open arms to the tyrannical regime. Let's have a hot dog!
President Barack Obama's administration said earlier this month it would invite Iran to US embassy barbecues for the national holiday for the first time since the two nations severed relations following the 1979 Islamic revolution.
"There's no thought to rescinding the invitations to Iranian diplomats," State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters.
"We have made a strategic decision to engage on a number of fronts with Iran," Kelly said. "We tried many years of isolation, and we're pursuing a different path now."
Disgusting.
I hope they think about this girl when they are eating their hot dogs. That's Neda, the young girl who was shot through the heart on Saturday as she watched the protests. She was 27.
I understand the limitations that Obama is under as far as what he can do with Iran right now. I get it. But the continued displays of merriment are too much. People are dying in the streets while he goes out for ice cream, plays golf, hosts parties in the White House, grills with Bobby Flay and plans a luau.
The Inspector General scandal is absolutely "growing legs" and Robert Stacy McCain continues to be all over it. The story is the subject of several editorials around the country this morning.
The Washington Times reports, as we learned late last week, that the FBI has opened an investigation into the AmeriCorps story:
The FBI has opened an investigation into a Sacramento program formerly run by a close ally of President Obama's, giving credence to the IG's work.
The president fired Mr. Walpin June 11 after Mr. Walpin filed two reports critical of Obama friends. The highest-profile of the two reports focused on misuse of funds at Sacramento's St. Hope Academy, then run by former NBA star Kevin Johnson before Mr. Johnson was elected Sacramento's mayor in November. Mr. Johnson was a frequent stump speaker for Mr. Obama during last year's campaign and has claimed in TV interviews to be particularly good friends with first lady Michelle Obama.
The Las Vegas Review also has an editorial which also points out that Obama co-sponsored the law that prohibits just the sort of thing he's just done:
The White House tried to fire Mr. Walpin last Wednesday night. That could be a violation of the 2008 Inspectors General Reform Act, which requires the president to give Congress 30 days' notice, plus an explanation of cause, before firing an inspector general.
Does President Obama have the right to remove an inspector general? Sure -- despite that new law, intended to put limits on that power, which was co-sponsored by, um ... U.S. Sen. Barack Obama. Was the Walpin firing the right thing to do? Heck, no. Barack Obama is covering up for a prominent supporter caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
The law the Review is referring to was sponsored by Senator Claire McCaskill last year to protect inspectors general from partisan firings. Presidents can't just say they have “lost confidence” in an Inspector General; the new law requires him to explain the actual reason for a firing and to allow Congress 30 days to investigate the claims.
The Kansas City Star quotes McCaskill: “This reform isn’t about Obama; it’s about keeping future auditors independent and free to prepare critical reports without political pressure.”
As this all broke, you may recall, Obama said just that he'd "lost confidence" in Walpin. When pressed, and reminded of the law that he co-sponsored, he then tried to make the case that Walpin was senile and displayed dementia in a meeting. This doesn't work because the entire nation has seen Walpin in one interview after another in which he displays no such thing.
Enter FBI.
Stay glued to The Other McCain on this one because Stacy is like a dog with a bone on this story. His latest update says, "Meanwhile, at 1:30 a.m. Monday, I've just made an executive decision to go down to Capitol Hill again today and talk to more sources. There is no substitute for old-fashioned shoe leather. Just show up unannounced and buttonhole your source. It's an infallible method. Make a nuisance of yourself until they figure out that they need to start calling you, or else you'll be back again bugging them tomorrow."
Somehow, this clip seems appropriate:
See also this story on NRO today for the backstory.
Today is the longest day of the year. I love summer!
I've been in a blogging funk this weekend after my temper tantrum last night. I'm better now.
Steve and I went to Lester's Farm yesterday, loaded up on veggies and that's been the highlight of my weekend. He shelled purple-hull peas for hours yesterday and we ate them last night and tonight. We bought 20 ears of the sweetest corn in the world and have been working our way through that, too, as well as the fresh tomatoes, and yes, cucumbers. Rest assured, OUR cucumbers were sliced and lightly marinated in tarragon vinegar.
And look at the wonderful little graphic my buddy Carol sent me! I've long been a fan of her cute sheep. She's a doll! It made my day! It's not just the Troglopundits that get the cool stuff! I feel like one of the cool kids now!
If you were watching any of those tragic videos coming out of Iran yesterday then you probably saw Neda. She was watching one of the protests with her father and was shot. She died within minutes with her father screaming by her side. It was horrible.
She's become a martyr and a symbol for the movement in Iran now and Doug has more information on her and some great links. Go see. (No, he's not going to make you watch the video. It's okay, I promise.)
A quick look-around of the news sites today gives me this:
On Iran: "Iranian state TV is reporting that the daughter of former President Hashemi Rafsanjani -- a senior cleric and an architect of the 1979 Islamic Revolution -- has been arrested along with four other relatives."
On Iraq: "The death toll from an attack near the Iraqui city of Kirkuk - the deadliest in Iraq for more than a year - has risen to at least 72, security officials say. About 200 people were injured in the truck bombing, which flattened dozens of mud-brick houses."
In Afghanistan: "Two U.S. soldiers were killed and six others wounded Sunday in a rocket attack inside a heavily fortified compound in Afghanistan, the military said."
On Health Care: "As Republicans stepped up attacks on Obama's ambitious health care plan, members of both parties were staggered by early cost estimates of $1 trillion or more for proposals that still left millions of people without health insurance."
On Inspector General Gerald Walpin: "Mr. Gerald Walpin was/is an Inspector General of the United States that from all outside appearances was initially fired by President Obama for doing his job, and by all accounts, apparently illegally to boot."
North Korea: "A U.S. Navy destroyer is tailing a North Korean ship suspected of carrying illicit weapons toward Myanmar in what could be the first test of new U.N. sanctions against the North over its recent nuclear test, a leading TV network said Sunday."
Palau: "The Obama administration's drive to close the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has hit a new snag: At least some of the 13 detainees accepted for resettlement by the island nation of Palau don't want to go there."
On unemployment figures: "The unemployment picture in all but two US states deteriorated in May as the jobless rate in more than a quarter of them exceeded 10 percent."
In Washington: President Obama, a son of Hawaii, is re-branding the annual White House picnic for members of Congress and their families the "Congressional Luau." The popular South Lawn cook-out takes place this Thursday night, according to an invitation that was emailed to Hill staffers Saturday. The Congressional Luau will feature food, drink and entertainment," reads the invite. "Attire is Casual."
and "The White House hosted a cookout Friday afternoon, featuring chicken grilled with chef Bobby Flay's barbecue sauce. Flay joined Obama and other celebrities to promote fatherhood on the Friday before Father's Day. When the president appeared at the cookout in the mid-afternoon, he got some tips from Bobby Flay before sprinkling some seasoning on rib eye steaks."
