The Return of the Vera Baker - Obama Affair Rumor

For those who do not know who Vera Baker is, the story copied below will answer your question of who some people think she might be:

Vera Baker was Obama's mistress: Swiss paper says it has evidence to prove it

April 30, 2010 08:37 AM EDT (Updated: April 30, 2010 08:50 AM EDT)

Swiss newspaper Le Matin is reviving old claims that President Barack Obama had an extramarital affair in 2004 with Vera Baker, a young woman who worked on his campaign team when he was running for Illinois Senator.

The paper claims "video surveillance tapes exist that are rather compromising for the 44th president of the United States." It also alleges that software engineers have dug up email exchanges between Obama and Baker since he has been President.

There are also claims that Michelle Obama found out about the affair and had Baker shipped off to Martinique. - Link

The Vera Baker rumors came out all the way back in 2008 but nothing ever came of it. It will be interesting to see where this latest revelation will go, if anywhere. If this latest story turns out to be true, how long will the White House Press Corps ignore it?

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ENTRY INTO THE US WITHOUT INSPECTION IS A CRIME

Americans and Legal US Residents have to subject ourselves to search (and seizure of some items we bring back into the country) by US Immigration and US Customs. Not to mention subject ourselves to mandatory taxes when traveling into and out of the country by air and sea as well as possible import duties

It has bugged me to no end to hear politicians and illegal alien activities claim that illegal aliens are not breaking the law by avoiding Immigration and Customs Agents when crossing into the country. After all people get fined, detained, arrested and deported at border crossing stations every day. How can it be possible to enter the country legally by crossing the desert, hopping a fence, sneaking through a tunnel, or hiding in a car, truck, railcar or cargo container. Well, it is not possible:

ENTRY WITHOUT INSPECTION IS A CRIME: In fact, pursuant to 8 U.S.C. 1325, crossing the border illegally is a crime--a misdemeanor for the first offense and a felony for the second and subsequent offenses. But of course, ignoring or mischaracterizing the law is a very convenient way for those in power to avoid the laws they find most inconvenient. Sadly, statements such as these are also a signal that Americans will have to wait a long time before their government articulates any credible immigration enforcement policy. - DAN STEIN (Found via Michelle Malkin)

Of course crossing the border is not the only crime illegal aliens commit. They also work here without authorization to work. Many do not pay taxes. They do not show up for court dates when they are caught and released on their own honor to return. They steal people's identities by using Social Security numbers that do not belong to them. They misuse IRS ITIN numbers, fabricating fake Social Security cards. American's get punished for doing these things. However, illegal aliens do not.

These people should not be here. Yes, they are, but many are here because they believe that eventually they will be given the right to live here legally. This is a legitimate expectation given how others who have came here before them have managed to makes lives here for themselves with little fear of being caught by the authorities.

What is needed is more enforcement like in Arizona. The Federal Government makes it too easy for illegal aliens to live here. As I have said before, if this is about fairness, then why not approve a residence permit for a person who has waited for one for every person who came here illegally.

One more relevant piece of law people normally ignore, hiring illegal alien day laborers is a felony:

A person (including a group of persons, business, organization or local government) commits a federal felony when he:

• assists an alien whom he should reasonably know is illegally in the U.S. or who lacks employment authorization, by transporting, sheltering, or assisting him to obtain employment,
• encourages that alien to remain in the U.S., by referring him to an employer, by acting as employer or agent for an employer in any way, or
• knowingly assists illegal aliens due to personal convictions.

Penalties upon conviction include criminal fines, imprisonment, and forfeiture of vehicles and real property used to commit the crime.

Anyone employing or contracting with an illegal alien without verifying his work authorization status is guilty of a misdemeanor. Aliens and employers violating immigration laws are subject to arrest, detention, and seizure of their vehicles or property. In addition, individuals or entities who engage in racketeering enterprises that commit (or conspire to commit) immigration-related felonies are subject to private civil suits for treble damages and injunctive relief. - Link

(Click on the label Illegal Aliens for more thoughts on this matter.)-------------------- --------------------

Perpetual Democrat Election Plan - 'Reconnect with their base' BS

So with the Democrats heading for a disaster of an election this fall, their strategy is quickly appearing to be to lie once again to their base.

The DNC released this clip of the president rallying the troops, if rather coolly, for 2010, with the express goal of "reconnecting" with the voters who voted for the first time in 2008, but who may not plan to vote in the lower-profile Congressional elections this year.

Obama speaks with unusual demographic frankness about his coalition in his appeal to "young people, African-Amerins, Latinos, and women who powered our victory in 2008 [to] stand together once again." - Politico

The message surely is going to be that only Democrats can work on behalf of minorities. This is as Drudge calls it, pulling out the race card.

However, how stupid do voters have to be to fall for this election year gimmick every two years?!?!?! Really, the Democrats F-over their base after every damn election and once the next election cycle comes around return to promise their supposed base the same damn crap they did the previous election cycle.

At least with the Republicans, they are not going to promise you handouts that they never plan to deliver on. Maybe for once, the voters might want to vote on results and not on promises and hope.

Part of this election-year strategy will include dealing with illegal immigration. Keep in mind that any push by the Democrats to legalize illegal aliens is solely an attempt by them to shore up their voter base. After all, if they wanted a resolution to the illegal immigration problem then all they need due is push a legalization strategy that excluded Citizenship. They won't do that though as the Democrat Party gets nothing out of it.

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Yes, The US Government has an Obligation to Help Americans Trapped Overseas

Most Americans have never had to visit a US Embassy overseas. If you are part of that group, consider yourselves lucky because visiting a US Embassy, even as a US Citizen is a horrible experience. And this is just for regular business. If for some reason you have to visit an Embassy as a result of some self-stupidity (i.e. getting drunk and losing your passport), forget it. But regardless of the reason, you are interrupting their day and in many cases, they will resent your interruption and do nothing to hide their resentment, treating you in a condescending matter. So if you can avoid it, stay far away from any US Embassy. (Note: Yes there are some wonderful, helpful people working in US Embassies, but those who do a crappy job will do their best to keep you from reaching any of them.)

That said, there are thousands of Americans trapped in Europe due to the Iceland's volcano fallout. there has been discussion of the US's responsibility to help these people. Surprising many people are wholly unsympathetic to their plight. (Perhaps they are State Dept. employees.) So I thought I would comment on what, if anything, the US Embassies in Europe should be doing to help these people.

First, we need to evaluate the situation that caused the problem. It is one thing for an Embassy to show a lack of interest in helping you when you have done something that resulted in you getting into trouble. Such as skipping on a restaurant bill, driving drunk, creating a public disturbance, etc. However, it is another thing entirely when you become a victim through no action of your own, other than deciding to take a vacation. This is a perfect example of that kind of situation. Over 40,000 Americans ended up trapped in the UK due to airports being closed. Given that these people are powerless to resolve the problem on their own, many have looked to the local US Embassy for guidance and assistance with little to show for it. And that is a shame. (Here is the guidance statement from the US Embassy in London)

Even now that the skies are opening up, there is the ongoing problem of a shortage of available seats to carry the passengers from the canceled flights, given that the seats on these flights had already been booked by others. This is a perfect example of how the US can work to solve the problem by arranging for additional airlift, either by chartering commercial craft or by requesting military airlift to assist. None of this has been done.

Don't get me wrong, I am not suggesting that the US fly these people home for free. They should be charged a reasonable fare for the service. As it so happens this is what the US does when they bring refugees to the US (at least they did). That is not the only form of assistance that should be provided. The Embassies should also be willing to extend a loan to these Americans trapped overseas. Many are in need of money and have no easy way of getting additional funds from the US or have simply spent their last dollar.

It makes no sense to me how people can complain how the Government comes to the aid of Americans at home (think Katrina) but somehow reason that you should be on your own simply because you are outside the country. Given that the US Government will tax you where ever you live simply for being an American, it should should be ready to provide a lifeline when needed, where ever you are. This is certainly one of those times.

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At Least We Will Know Who To Blame When We Are Standing knee-Deep in Global Warming Water

You have to wonder about the European Union. They would love to believe that they are standard bearers of the 'Modern Society', pressing issues like human rights and fighting to save the planet from Global warming climate change.

However, their latest do-good task seems to be in direct odds with what many EU politicians call the greatest threat to mankind, Global warming climate change.

Under the proposed scheme, which could cost Europe’s taxpayers hundreds of millions of pounds a year, pensioners, young people aged 18 to 25, disabled people and families facing “difficult social, financial or personal circumstances” would receive cut-price holidays.

Northern Europeans would be encouraged to visit southern Europe and vice-versa.

A spokesman for Tajani said: “Why should someone from the Mediterranean not be able to travel to Edinburgh in summer for a breath of cool, fresh air? And why should someone from Edinburgh not be able to travel to Greece in winter?”

The programme will be piloted until 2013 and then put into full operation. - Link

Are these people crazy? They have already spent years increasing the cost of air travel and demonizing airlines, claiming that they are responsible for causing (as yet unproven) global warming. So now that they have taken away travel by making it unaffordable to many people, they now plan to give it back to them as some sort of subsidy.

Why not just lower the expense of travel by removing all the crap taxes? Well, if they did that they would be losing some of their control of the people.

And who is going to pay for the therapy some of these people are going to need for being forced to contribute to global warming?

And since they are declaring vacations a 'human right', what are they going to do when people demand vacations to the US, Africa and Asia? What are they going to do when people head off on state-subsidized sex vacations?

You can bet that the family of deadbeats mentioned at the bottom of this post are already lining up for their vacations.

Really, has the EU just simply run out of common sense? How about just teaching people to save. Worse, the people they are targeting with this program probably have serious financial issues that sending them off on a vacation will only make worse, given that the vacations are not 100% financed.

This is little more than sheer stupidity and a waste of taxpayer funds.
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Accident Report - Keep Your Wooden Shoes at Home!

Here is another classic accident report from the Danish Maritime Authority. We have a ship's engineer, wooden shoes and alcohol.

Division for Investigation of Maritime Accidents - Denmark

Accident to seafarer – EGESUND – 20 January 2010 Summary

EGESUND is a tug with a tonnage of 135.6 BT. The ship is built in 1994.

During stay in port the ships chief engineer came back to the ship after a visit in the town of Thyborøn. At the day of the accident there were snow on the quay and it was freezing.

When entering the ship he slipped on a provisional arrangement used as a gangway. The arrangement consisted of a wooden pallet 3 metres long. The chief engineer fell in the gap between the ship and quay.

The fall was observed by a witness who alarmed the crew. The chief engineer was rescued by the crew and some bystanders. Subsequently he was hospitalized.

At the fall the chief engineer suffered injuries to his back and chest.

Conclusions

It is the opinion of the Division for Investigation of Maritime Accidents that the causes to the accident were:

• An inappropriate arrangement used as gangway.
• Inappropriate use of footwear, wooden shoes.
• The chief engineer’s judgment- and reaction capability were reduced due to consumption of alcohol.
• The chief engineers overweight restrained his freedom of movement and made his rescue difficult.
• There were no satisfactory procedures describing to access to the ship.
• There was not sufficient equipment on board to ensure safe access to the ship.
  

Recommendations

The Division for Investigation of Maritime Accidents has recommended:

1. That the owner ensures means to safe access to the ship under all circumstances.
2. A revision of the ships Safe Management System.
   

A report is available in Danish. - Danish Maritime Authority

So, how many of you Europeans take your wooden shoes to sea with you?

See the last covered accident report here: 'Solo Fisherman Caught in His Own Net! (Accident Investigation Report)'

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USS JOHN MURTHA (LPD-26) Ship Emblem

Here is what I think of the news that the US Navy plans to name a ship after corrupt former US Congressman (and ABSCAM crook) John Murtha.

Yes, the pig is from the Porkbusters logo.

As for a motto for the ship, how about 'Bringing Home the Bacon!'

Click on the Murtha tag below for previous posts on Murtha.

Also, see more at CDR Salamander.

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UK Revenue 6,465 Pounds per Resident. Gov't Spending 10,900 Each!

This all started when I saw this image and related post 'Tax cheats cost you £1,150 a year' on the website Tax Research UK:

This made me wonder, just how much revenue does the UK take in per person? Nicely enough, another post on the website links to their report 'Tax Justice and Jobs: The business case for investing in staff at HM Revenue & Customs' (Link to PDF Report) which provides a link to the UK's Revenue statistics. The total tax revenue estimated for the 2009-2010 tax year is 397 Billion British Pounds. (http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/tax_receipts/table1-2.xls)

Now take the total population of the UK:

The estimated resident population of the UK was 61,383,000 in mid-2008, up by 408,000 on the previous year. Children aged under 16 represented around one in five of the total population, around the same proportion as those of retirement age. In mid-2008 the average age of the population was 39 years, up from 37 in 1998. - Office of National Statistics, UK

So:

• Revenue: 397 Billion
• Population 61.4 Million
• Revenue per person: 6,465
• Revenue per family of four: 25,870
  

This would mean, according to the numbers above, that the UK Government is taking in almost 6,500 Pounds per person. For the Government to not run a deficit, which would limit it to not spending more than it takes in, it would have to limit spending to no more than 6,500 pounds per person.

As we all know, the UK Government is not able to limit it's spending and according to the UK Treasury, they are spending much more than that and I dare say that they are spending an irresponsible amount of money:

Where taxpayers money is spent

Total public spending is expected to be around £671.4 billion this year, around £10,900 for every man, woman and child in the UK. It is set to rise to £701.7 billion in 2010-11. - UK Treasury

So, for a family of four, the UK plans to spend 43,600 Pounds. That is simply insane, not just for the fact that they are taking in nowhere near that amount of money but also for the fact that they plan to spend even more money, whether or not it is collected in revenue.

The issue here is that UK spending has gotten to a point that the majority of the population is unable to provide the Government with their fair share of the bill, and by 'fair share' I mean about 10,900 Pounds in taxes/Revenue to the Government.

So back to that claim above that 'Tax cheats cost you £1,150 a year'. Given the numbers above, the real thief in all this is the UK Government, spending well more that it's population, including the tax cheats, can afford to pay.

As for the United States, we are no better. See my earlier post 'Obama's 2010 Budget Spends Almost $12,000 Per American!'

Now comes the President's 2010 budget that is also screaming that this is something the Country can't afford.

After taking office in January, Obama released a bare-bones version of his budget in February that offered a spending plan for 2010 carrying a price tag of $3.55 trillion. The White House revised up the size of the spending plan to $3.59 trillion. - Yahoo News

At $3.59 Trillion, the Government will be spending around $11,970 per American (Given 300 million Americans). That comes out to Government spending of $47,900 for a family of four.

This is an impossible spending figure for the country to sustain. Hell, it will take years, most likely decades of taxation just to pay this one year's deficit back.

Think of buying a car for that amount of money. You would be looking at a five or seven year loan. Most all sensible families would opt for a more fiscally responsible alternative. Now picture buying and trying to pay off a car that costs $45,000 every year! This is the kind of debt that the Obama Administration is burdening families with.

This story gets worse:

The new White House figures bring the deficit estimates closer in line with the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, which has forecast a $1.85 trillion deficit this year and $1.38 trillion in fiscal 2010. - Yahoo News

So, for 2009, the Government is borrowing $6,000 per American. That is $24,000 per family of four.

Then in 2010 they plan on borrowing another $4,600 per American ($18,400 per family of four).

I have a senior management position in a company that employs over 100 people. Looking at my own tax bill for 2008, I am guessing that the senior management's tax payments is nowhere near to covering the gap between what the staff is paying in taxes and what the Government is spending.

Now remember that half of the population pays no taxes. That means that the amounts need to be doubled for the half that does! - Link

So when a politician/leftist berates you that cutting taxes will kill children or make angels cry, Tell them that you already gave $40,000 of your family's share of the budget and if they couldn't save the children with that amount that they can't be the right person to spend any more.

Pre-Posting Update:
As I proof this article for posting I come across this example of abuse of the system in the UK. Keep in mind the statement above that 'Tax Cheats cost you 1,150 a year'.

Why work when I can get £42,000 in benefits a year AND drive a Mercedes?

By Paul Sims

The Davey family's £815-a-week state handouts pay for a four-bedroom home, top-of-the-range mod cons and two vehicles including a Mercedes people carrier.

Father-of-seven Peter gave up work because he could make more living on benefits.

Yet he and his wife Claire are still not happy with their lot.

With an eighth child on the way, they are demanding a bigger house, courtesy of the taxpayer.
More on the way: The Davey family at home

'It's really hard,' said Mrs Davey, 29, who is seven months pregnant. 'We can't afford holidays and I don't want my kids living on a council estate and struggling like I have.

'The price of living is going up but benefits are going down. My carer's allowance is only going up by 80p this year and petrol is so expensive now, I'm worried how we'll cope.

'We're still waiting for somewhere bigger.'

Mrs Davey has never had a full-time job while her 35-year-old husband gave up his post in administration nine years ago after realising they would be better off living off the state.

At their semi on the Isle of Anglesey, the family have a 42in flatscreen television in the living room with Sky TV at £50 a month, a Wii games console, three Nintendo DS machines and a computer - not to mention four mobile phones.

With their income of more than £42,000 a year, they run an 11-seater minibus and the seven-seat automatic Mercedes.

But according to the Daveys they have nothing to be thankful for.

'It doesn't bother me that taxpayers are paying for me to have a large family,' added Mrs Davey.

'We couldn't afford to care for our children without benefits, but as long as they have everything they need, I don't think I'm selfish.

'Most of the parents at our kids' school are on benefits.'

She added: 'I don't feel bad about being subsidised by people who are working. I'm just working with the system that's there. - Daily Mail, UK

Go read the whole story because the sheer sense of entitlement is amazing. You can bet that this family is not the only one sucking off the system. And leftists are demanding that Governments raise taxes on self-supportive people to support deadbeats. That's right, the Davey family are deadbeats and as far as I am concerned the aid should stop for them and they should be thrown on the street to fend for themselves. If that is too cruel, use the tax money that they are destroying and use it to support an entire village somewhere.

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The Problem with Liberals is that they dispise Education, Training, Skill and Experience

One problem with the Liberal Agenda is that they simple ignore the basic fact that many people who earn lots of money have put in years of hard work, education and training to get the experience to earn that money.

Take this recent comment from liberal economist site Tax Research UK:

It costs £32 to see a GP in Jersey. The shape of things to come under the Tories in the UK? I suspect so. - Tax Research, UK

I left the following comment which was promptly deleted by the blog author since it does not fit with his message.

And just how valuable is a doctor's time? In the US, those with insurance pay a co-pay. Those without insurance get to see a doctor for free when they want their kids to see a doctor. I asked the reception why they are not asked to pay a small $10-$15 fee like everyone else. I was told flatly that if they had to pay anything, they would not bring their kids to see a doctor. It is not about affording the fee. The waiting area was packed with 'poor' children wearing expensive shoes, playing electronic games.

Everyone should pay. Those who cannot afford it get assistance money. Everyone else has to make choices when it come to money. Maybe the poorest are in that situation because they do not have to save for necessities as the state takes care of it... - Fred Fry

Yes, wages are not equal in the modern world. The left's answer to this is to simply tax the hell out of those who spend years learning a trade or getting experience to be experts in their field. They totally ignore the inconvenient detail that the doctor they are demanding to see for free spent eight or more years learning to be a doctor.

Yes, in some countries the doctor's education fees are paid by the state, but still the state is dependent on the student to dedicate years of time to study to become a doctor. No amount of money in the world is going to turn someone into a doctor if they do not want to become one, or are not interested in putting in the time and effort required as part of the education. Simply put, not everyone can be a doctor.

If you could, then why not send all the poor to school to learn trades. But wait, there are already educational opportunities available for poor and minorities. So the opportunity is available, provided people are willing to put in the effort to take advantage of it. Take US Federal Academies. They are 'free' but put students through a very demanding program. Since the Academies have been traditionally under-represented by minorities, it is very easy for them to get accepted, and still they have a hard time finding minority students to take advantage of the opportunity. (Part of the problem is that qualified minority candidates also have many other attractive competing offers available to them.)

At the end of the day, the full price of the products and services offered need to be paid for. Take this comment:

Older Russians invariably recall the Soviet era as a time of stability and social security, if not prosperity, and feel they have suffered unfairly from the social turmoil and repeated economic crises of the past two decades.

"You could buy a loaf of bread for 16 kopeks (cents), and that was a stable price for many, many years," says Alevtina Dimitrieva, a Moscow pensioner. "Now the price is different every day. The authorities promise to raise our pensions, but even when that happens, rising prices gobble up the increase immediately." - Christian Science Monitor

One of the problems of the Soviet Union was that prices almost never reflected the true cost. In the example above, the cost of bread was determined by the central Government. This of course also goes for other things, such as wages. That was another problem of the Soviet System, even if they could get everyone to accept that they were all equal and all earning their 'fair share', people would either not accept it or not be satisfied with what they were being compensated.

Think of it as if everyone agrees to work their hardest so that everyone can have a home, two cars and a boat for their family. It is a great idea until someone decides that they don't want to work hard enough for the boat.

And with that is where the socialist system falls apart. So the system we have includes a level of inequality. But it is not just a level of inequality in terms of wages, but also in terms of work input.

P.S. Do not take this post as dismissal of the notion that some people are in need and need assistance. I am sure that there are people who need public support. My problem is that there are so many people taking advantage of the system, or not taking advantage of ways to escape from poverty (such as moving to where the jobs are) that it is all but impossible to identify who these people are. In addition, many in need are being buried in all sorts of aid programs. Shouldn't one of these cover family expenses? (And if we are going to give 'free' health care to the poor, how about having them use a portion of their unemployment, welfare, whatever payments as a payment for the insurance.)

That said, if the poor have the expectation that they too are expected to pay their fair share, then I am pretty sure that they will adjust their habits and pay when needed.

Unfortunately, the effects of attacking the financial incentive to become a doctor are spreading to the US:

The new federal health-care law has raised the stakes for hospitals and schools already scrambling to train more doctors.

Experts warn there won't be enough doctors to treat the millions of people newly insured under the law. At current graduation and training rates, the nation could face a shortage of as many as 150,000 doctors in the next 15 years, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.

That shortfall is predicted despite a push by teaching hospitals and medical schools to boost the number of U.S. doctors, which now totals about 954,000. - Wall Street Journal

I simply do not understand the insistence of the left to destroy the concept of cost and value. Not only that, but they also seem to have a very short memory of how horrible typical Government-run 'customer service' really is! It is a shame that we are all being forced down this path for the sake of a painful reminder.

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Congressman Stupak Headline Correction

Here is an entry on Drudge Report covering how Congressman Stupak sold his vote on Health Care reform.

For me, the headline is all wrong in that a big part of the trade involved Stupak trading away the lives of unborn babies.

WASHINGTON, March 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Phyllis Schlafly, president and founder of the conservative grassroots public policy organization Eagle Forum, made the following remarks after the public announcement that formerly pro-life Democrat Bart Stupak (D-MI) will cast a "yes" vote for the Senate health care bill today in the House:

"It is naive for any elected official, especially one who describes himself as 'pro-life,' to expect that a promise to issue an Executive Order that reasserts the intentions of the Hyde Amendment will be fulfilled by the most pro-abortion president to ever sit in the White House. Perhaps Mr. Stupak and his fellow pro-life Democrats forget that President Obama's first Executive Order was the repeal of the Mexico City Policy to allow for international funding of abortion."

"Not only would an Executive Order be rendered meaningless in the face of Congress passing legislation which actively provides for the massive expansion and funding of abortion services, but anyone who doubts the abortion tsunami which awaits this bill becoming law lives in a fantasy world."

"Barack Obama has lined every existing federal agency with the most dedicated pro-abortion ideologues, and we know that he will continue this pattern of pro-abortion appointments when it comes time for him to fill the over-100 bureaucracies created to administer his socialized health care program."

"Any formerly pro-life Democrat who casts a 'Yes' vote for this Senate health care bill tonight will be forever remembered as being among the deciding votes which facilitated the largest expansion of abortion services since Roe v. Wade."

"Mr. Stupak and his Democrat followers have now clarified that you cannot be pro-life and be a Democrat. If abortion was truly their biggest issue, they wouldn't willfully align themselves with the Party of Death."

"This vote will expose the myth of the 'pro-life Democrat.' With this single vote, the Democratic Party will divide our nation into the Party of Death and the Party of Life, and future elections will never be the same."

CONTACT: Suzanne Bibby, (610) 608-6303

SOURCE Phyllis Schlafly - Yahoo News

As far as I am concerned, the President was able to sign this Health Care bill into law because Congressman Stupak enabled it's passage by selling out the lives of unborn babies. It is that plain and simple. Sure other votes were bought to get this bill passed, but he got paid off to drop his concern for the protection of unborn children. Concern like that should have no price.

This makes me wonder if he ever cared about this issue or simply knew that it was the best way to get a payoff. Turned out is was. I just wonder why he sold so cheap...

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OBAMACARE - A Big F.U. to Everyone who Voted Against, and For Obama

A quick though about the horrendous ObamaCare health care reform that Congress just shoved down our throats last night. Looking at the situation, I truly think that not only did the Democrats and President Obama fuck over those against ObamaCare. He and the Democrats also fucked over his supporters. Here is why:

• First, this 'reform' will most likely only benefit those who would vote for Democrats no matter what they do or don't do for them. So it is hard to call it a payoff for supporters. However, the Democrats are sticking those who voted against them with a huge bill to pay for it. (Well, many who voted for them are getting a piece of the bill as well)


• Second, All of the voters who are excited that the Democrats did this for them and who believed that we had to act NOW! because people were dying, are certainly going to wonder come election time in November, 2010 when they realize that all of the people without coverage will still not be covered, even though this 'reform' promises coverage for the uninsured.


• Third, many of the current supporters are going to be outraged come Presidential Election time in 2012 when they realize that they are still not covered, even though this 'reform' promises coverage for the uninsured. And yet, they will still vote for Democrats because somehow the Republicans will still be evil.


• Fourth, how many Americans are still going to die because the Democrats had to lie by hiding just how expensive this 'reform' is really going to cost. You can bet though that we will no longer be hearing health care sob stories of those who will be ObamaCare delay victims. (Note: This is in addition to all the babies that are going to get aborted, thanks to a Government fund this 'reform' sets up.)

Congress could have enacted good health care reform. But instead they chose to enact some monstrosity. Shame on them. Eventually the truth will come out, but it is sad that we have to subject ourselves to this painful road of discovery. Which, I am sorry to say, will become ever more painful once the Democrats somehow find a way to legalize all the illegal aliens out there and let them flood our health care system with high demand patients.

Update:

Here is one example of the lie being pushed forward. No, the doctor is not going to see you now. He might in 2014, provided he has not given up care-giving by then...

From the LA Times:

WASHINGTON (AP) — When President Lyndon Johnson signed the Medicare law in 1965, seniors got their health insurance cards less than a year later.

When President Barack Obama finally gets to hold a signing ceremony for his health care overhaul, the major expansion of coverage for uninsured workers and their families won't come until 2014 — after the next presidential election.

Parts of the plan won't be fully phased in for a decade, but ultimately 94 percent of eligible Americans would have coverage. - LA Times

And just think, starting in 2011:

Requires employers to report the value of health care benefits on employees' W-2 tax statements. - LA Times

This move will cost workers thousands of dollars in higher income taxes. Add to that the real possibility of the Bush tax cuts expiring at the end of this year.

Update 23 March 2010:

Ace of Spades has posted 'We Can Repeal This' which backs up my claim that ObamaCare is a big F.U. to most everyone both Republican and Democrat:

This is not the sort of bill that becomes "unrepealable" as Social Security and Medicare would. Social Security and Medicare paid their benefits to everyone who became elderly; there was something in each program for everyone. Sure, there were a lot of people who did not get out of these programs what they paid into it, but they got something out of it. Even if some richer seniors only got 80% back or so, well, eight cents on the dollar isn't a deal you'd normally take but it's also not so horrible a deal you'll get riled up enough to change your political behavior.

That has always been the secret of how the progressives shift income from the middle class to the poor -- they establish programs which have benefits for the middle-class, too, even if those benefits are less than what the middle class actually pays into the system. The middle class at least feels like it's getting something out of the deal, and, well, if they're not quite getting out of the deal as much as they put in, they shrug it off in the interests of being nice and helping the needy and so on.

But this bill doesn't do that. There is, in fact, no benefit for the 85% of the country that have part of their salaries diverted into a third-party insurance plan. There is nothing for them but additional taxes and additional rationing of their care so that part of their salaries -- I am stressing, a health insurance plan is just a part of your salary -- can be paid to someone else.

On top of that, the plan will add trillions to the deficit, as even with all those new taxes and rationing of care and impounding people's salaries to give them to someone else, it still isn't paid for.

I just don't see this like Social Security or Medicare. Those benefited the middle class, and furthermore benefited everyone, eventually (assuming they didn't die earlier in their lives). This bill benefits only a discrete, easily-identifiable fraction of the population at the direct and unambiguous expense of everyone else.

I just don't see this plan ever becoming popular with those being forced to hand over larger and larger parts of each paycheck to perfect strangers. People are never going to be unsure whether or not they're the ones Taking or they're the ones being Taken From.

And the Taken From is 85% of the country. - Ace of Ace of Spaces Blog (Go read the whole post)

Of course it is the poor who are losing nothing in all of this, which is one reason why they are so excited about this. It just so happens to be that Health Care Christmas will be held in 2014 and not immediately. It is just that the rest of us need to start paying more immediately in order for the Government to have some money for the giveaway they are planning. I bet the excitement would be rather lacking if the poor had to contribute as well. Say by having a percentage of their unemployment or welfare payments taken as a fee for health care. I suspect their enthusiasm for health care would disappear with many rather risking having no insurance than losing any cash support..

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Russia's New Gulag - The Sochi Olympic Site

Back in September, I posted about how Russia is home to slave labor camps stocked with North Koreans.

Now comes news that many workers at the Sochi Olympic site are basically being turned into forced laborers as they have not been paid for their work in months:

Hundreds of workers at an Olimpstroi-funded construction site in Sochi have not been paid in months, with some complaining that they are going hungry after giving up their passports as collateral to get food at grocery stores.

The scandal is the latest to hit Russia’s $13 billion effort to ready the Black Sea resort for the 2014 Winter Olympics. Residents displaced by construction for the games have complained that they are not being adequately compensated, while environmental activists say the work is blighting the region.

About 180 people were not working Friday, exasperated by months without pay and desperate for food, said Sergei Dykhalov, who was hired by general contractor Moskonversprom as the site’s crane operator for 36,000 rubles ($1,200) a month.

He said he hadn’t his salary since December. - La Russophobe

I find this pretty shocking given that Russia is so eager to show off Russia to the world. Just what kind of Olympics site are they planning to build without spending any money and starving the workers expected to build it? Even discounting the suffering that they are putting the local residents through and the workers, just how do they plan to overcome the inevitable negative publicity this will eventually generate? The whole point of hosting the Olympics in Sochi was to show off Russia. Well, that will happen, but not as they plan it to. So that leaves making money for a select few. I wonder how successful Putin will be at fleecing the Games given that money has to be thrown at it first. Might he be planning to blackmail Russian and International companies operating in Russia to contribute? I wouldn't doubt it. But why would he bother to use the Olympics to generate more cash? He has easier ways to do it than trashing the Olympics and a city in the process.

This is yet one more example of why Russia should no longer be considered a world power. The main stumbling block of kicking the country to the curb is it's veto on the UN Security Council.

Previous:
Russia's New Gulag - Powered by North Koreans - Sept 2009

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Aggressive Illegal Aliens Loitering at Falls Church, VA U-Haul

As mentioned before I am moving to a new house later this month. So we have made a few trips to the local U-Haul to pickup supplies. Each time there has been a good-sized gang of illegal aliens loitering on the sidewalk in front of the U-Haul and on the other side of their driveway and even across the street.

Seeing a large group of illegals is nothing new given how long they have been hovering around Home Depot lots. However at U-Haul, while they are kept off the property like at Home Depot, they are right on the sidewalk that borders the entrance and unlike at Home Depot, they are actively trying to proposition for work.

This put me in the odd position of how to react to their shouts for work. My initial reaction was to do what I normally do when I see large gatherings of illegals, which is to ignore them. Since they were asking for work I wondered if I should reply and that is when I got annoyed at being put in this situation. Because where are we going to draw the line? If I start saying no thank you, is it just going to encourage them to spread their services? What next? Local hardware stores? How about at the supermarket? How about if they start freelancing at self-service gas stations for tips? Some of these suggestions are silly, but the point is that this is going to get worse before it gets better.

And don't kid yourself, hiring illegal alien day laborers is a felony:

A person (including a group of persons, business, organization or local government) commits a federal felony when he:

• assists an alien whom he should reasonably know is illegally in the U.S. or who lacks employment authorization, by transporting, sheltering, or assisting him to obtain employment,
• encourages that alien to remain in the U.S., by referring him to an employer, by acting as employer or agent for an employer in any way, or
• knowingly assists illegal aliens due to personal convictions.

Penalties upon conviction include criminal fines, imprisonment, and forfeiture of vehicles and real property used to commit the crime.

Anyone employing or contracting with an illegal alien without verifying his work authorization status is guilty of a misdemeanor. Aliens and employers violating immigration laws are subject to arrest, detention, and seizure of their vehicles or property. In addition, individuals or entities who engage in racketeering enterprises that commit (or conspire to commit) immigration-related felonies are subject to private civil suits for treble damages and injunctive relief. - Link

When I moved back in 2005 I got a bunch of friends to help me. This time around, despite having friends offer to help, I have hired a professional firm to help with the move. I figured that I could save at most $400 using illegal laborers, provided that they worked as fast as the team that I have hired. At the professionals are bringing things with them, like a large truck, and moving tools, and insurance and the need to protect a good reputation. What am I getting when I hire illegal aliens? Sure I might be saving money. But am I opening myself to a greater risk of theft or breakage? Am I opening myself to being targeted for a home robbery in the future? What if they think they are cheated at the end of the day or decide to threaten me for more money? With hiring professionals, the salary is not an issue. I do plan to make sure these guys have refreshments and food during the day and plan to tip them. I plan on being generous, especially if they make this a pleasant experience.

And one more thing. I am the one who has to go to U-Haul because my wife does not want to go there with all these aggressive men hanging around. I call that a public safety issue. Of course the Government does not see it that way. No, instead, they are going to legalize what is going on. Keep that in mind, they are not going to just let illegals stay here legally, they are going to legalize their behavior, unless of course they plan on giving illegals unemployment and welfare... And once they are legalized, you are going to see them everywhere.

Update:
Two more thoughts:

• - I expect that you'll start seeing illegals going house to house looking for work in some areas, This is regardless of whether they are legalized or not.
  
• - With all the dirty tricks playing out in Congress at the moment on the lies about how this Health Care reform is going to save us money, just wait until they legalize all the illegal aliens and then give them free health care...

Links:
Explanation: 'Universal' Health Care First - Then Mass Amnesty

I Told You So: 'Obama: Legalize illegals to get them health care'

"Even though I do not believe we can extend coverage to those who are here illegally, I also don't simply believe we can simply ignore the fact that our immigration system is broken," Mr. Obama said Wednesday evening in a speech to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. "That's why I strongly support making sure folks who are here legally have access to affordable, quality health insurance under this plan, just like everybody else.

Mr. Obama added, "If anything, this debate underscores the necessity of passing comprehensive immigration reform and resolving the issue of 12 million undocumented people living and working in this country once and for all." - Fred Fry, 27 June

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Solo Fisherman Caught in His Own Net! (Accident Investigation Report)

Here is an investigation report covering an accident where a fisherman alone on his fishing vessel managed to get caught in his fishing gear and it took a navy boarding team to set him free.

It is funny because the guy lived to tell about it. (He was seriously injured which is not funny.) That said, there are important safety lessons to be learned here and thankfully the entire report is only one page as copied below. So it is a simple matter of just taking five minutes to read it.

Division for Investigation of Maritime Accidents - Denmark

Occupational accident - MARIE - 9.12.2009

Summary

The accident occurred on 9 December 2009 at approx. 1230. The fishing skipper, who was alone on board, was about to heave the trawl after the first haul when he was caught by a bridle and pulled up onto the net roller. The fishing skipper was caught on the net roller in approx. 6 hours before he was relieved by the Navy and a rescue helicopter. The fishing skipper was seriously injured in the accident.

Analysis and conclusion

Immediate causes (6.1)

Unsafe acts

The fishing skipper was alone on board and was caught by a bridle and was trapped because he worked right at the net roller, while it was turning.

Unsafe surroundings

It is the assessment of The Division for Investigation of Maritime Accidents that control levers which are hindered in or do not automatically return to neutral position pose a significant safety risk when using net roller equipment.

Contributing causes (6.2)

Persons involved

The fishing skipper was aware that it was unsafe to stay in close vicinity of the net roller during operation.

Safety System

It is the assessment of The Division for Investigation of Maritime Accidents that it is totally irresponsible to operate the net roller, and then work with the lines, when you are alone on board. It is the assessment of The Division for Investigation of Maritime Accidents that the task by the net roller was conducted without any sort of safety precaution and that the risk was unacceptably high.

Safety Culture (6.3)

It is the assessment of The Division for Investigation of Maritime Accidents that the circumstances of the accident and the poor state of maintenance on board demonstrated that there has been insufficient attention to safety on board.

Recommendations

The Division for Investigation of Maritime Accidents recommend all owners of fishing vessels and fishing skippers, to pay special attention to proper maintenance of control handles, which must go to stop when released, so they will not pose a safety risk. - Danish Maritime Authority

There is no word on whether he had a knife with him nor if having one might have permitted him a way of escaping.

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