Archive for June, 2009

posted by Doug Patton, June 29, 2009

Like much of the country, you may have spent your time last week snickering about the peccadilloes of yet another hapless politician who couldn’t keep his pants zipped. Or maybe you were captivated by the untimely but predictable passing of the most talented musical freak of the last quarter century. Perhaps while watching the ABC-Barack Obama dog-and-pony show purporting to deal with the future of your health care system, you were deceived into thinking that this was the big issue of the week. If so, you would be wrong. Make no mistake, it is on the agenda, but the real threat of the moment was simmering up on Capitol Hill in the United States House of Representatives. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by David Limbaugh, June 26, 2009

Here they go again — our faithful representatives in Washington, that is. They’re about to pass, without reading its 1,200-plus pages, an incredibly expensive and destructive cap and trade bill, which has little prayer of accomplishing what it sets out to accomplish but satisfies their urgent need to pay homage to their liberal ideology and secular humanist worldview.

Do you remember when Barack Obama was forced to give an answer to justify his advocacy of a capital gains tax increase in view of such taxes’ history of actually decreasing revenues? The revenue reductions are worth it because it’s a matter of “fairness,” he said. Spread the misery. Likewise, with cap and trade, Obama and his congressional cohorts will wreak untold destruction on the economy and get little benefit in return. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by DAVID ESPO, Associated Press, June 25, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama left the door open to a new tax on health care benefits Wednesday, and officials said top lawmakers and the White House were seeking $150 billion in concessions from the nation’s hospitals as they sought support for legislation struggling to emerge in Congress.

“I don’t want to prejudge what they’re doing,” the president said, referring to proposals in the Senate to tax workers who get expensive insurance policies. Obama, who campaigned against the tax when he ran for president, drew a quick rebuff from one union president. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by Michelle Malkin, June 24, 2009

If you believe the White House, there are 30 million Americans who support a government health care takeover. But if you look at the funding behind the Obamacare campaign, it’s the same few leftist billionaires, union bosses and partisan community organizers pushing the socialized medicine agenda. Let’s connect the dots.

On Thursday, a national “grassroots” coalition called Health Care for America Now (HCAN) will march on Capitol Hill to demand universal health care. The ground troops won’t have to march very far. HCAN, you see, is no heartland network. It is headquartered at 1825 K Street in Washington, D.C. — smack dab in the middle of Beltway lobby land. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by Bobby Eberle, June 23, 2009 at 7:21 am

We are all told that Barack Obama is personally popular. He’s called a great orator (teleprompter included), charming, smooth, likable, and more. The list of positive adjectives provided by the media continues to grow as they fall more and more in love with him.

When push comes to shove, however, a president will have to face up to the policies that are being advocated. Have Obama and the Democrats overplayed their hand with this massive move to the left? It appears so, as more and more Americans are starting to take a second look at Obama’s health care plan and other policies. I guess this is not the “change” they were expecting. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by Michelle Malkin, June 19, 2009

The White House, Democrats and MoveOn liberals are spreading health care sob stories to sell a government takeover. But there’s one health care policy nightmare you won’t hear the Obamas hyping. It’s a tale of poor minority patient-dumping in Chicago — with first lady Michelle Obama’s fingerprints all over it.

Both Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa and Democratic Rep. Bobby Rush of Illinois have raised red flags about the outsourcing program run by the University of Chicago Medical Center. The hospital has nonprofit status and receives lucrative tax breaks in exchange for providing charity care.

Yet, in fiscal year 2007, when Mrs. Obama was employed there, it spent a measly $10 million on charity care for the poor — 1.3 percent of its total hospital expenses, according to an analysis performed for The Washington Post by the nonpartisan Center for Tax and Budget Accountability. The figure is below the 2.1 percent average for nonprofit hospitals in surrounding Cook County. Read the rest of this entry »

Notes from the West Wing

Posted by State Representative Garey Bies, June 18, 2009

It is Thursday afternoon here in the State Capitol and the budget process continues with the latest version of the spending plan being passed by the State Senate last night. Thanks to the many contacts from people around the state and the efforts of my colleagues and me to affect change, the Senate actually made some improvements to the bill. Nonetheless, this budget process has provided solid evidence to the adage “two things you should never see being made are sausage and law.” Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by PHILIP ELLIOTT Associated Press June 18, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama signaled to gay-rights activists Wednesday that he’s listening to their desire for greater equality in “a more perfect union.” But he didn’t give them even close to everything they want, bringing to the surface an anger that’s been growing against the president.

“We all have to acknowledge this is only one step,” Obama said in the Oval Office, where he signed a memorandum extending some benefits, such as visitation or dependent-care rights, to the same-sex partners of gay federal employees. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by Ben Jones Sunday, June 14, 2009
Appleton Post-Cresent, Appleton, WI

MADISON — As state lawmakers work to close a $6.6 billion budget shortfall — the largest in state history — two Fox Valley Republicans are warning that more budget trouble may lie ahead.

On the other side, a key Democrat defends his majority party moves in making tough budget choices.

Higher taxes, cuts to school aid and state employee layoffs are already expected to be products of the state’s 2009-11 budget. Read the rest of this entry »

Michelle Malkin

President Obama promised he would end “Washington games.” But his abrupt firing of the AmeriCorps inspector general is more of the same. The brewing scandal smells like the Beltway cronyism of the Bush years. And the apparent meddling of first lady Michelle Obama in the matter smacks of the corruption of the Clinton years.

If Obama keeps up with this “change,” we’ll be back to the Watergate era by Christmas. Read the rest of this entry »