This is a President?

This is embarrassing.  Obama can't even control his own rallies.  How then can he get the unemployment rate under control?  The community organizer can't see to look very presidential these days.

Rob Ford - Mayor

Congratulations to the new mayor of Toronto, Mr. Rob Ford.  The gravy train ends today!  In some ways, we should also thank our outgoing communist mayor David Miller for making Ford's election possible.

You can also celebrate that George Smitherman just may have to find a real job and pay taxes like the rest of us serfs.  Perish the thought that his soft, elitist hands might have to produce something of value to make money.

Ford has taken 50% of the vote thus far with Smitherman at 33% and mini-Miller Pantalone at 11%.

I personally waited 30 mins in line to vote, but it was well worth it.  I've certainly never seen that kind of turnout before for a municipal election, but it's great to see democracy in action and people involved.

I'm thrilled that Ford has won and I deeply regret my initial support for Sarah Thompson at the early outset of the campaign.  However, justice has prevailed and the people of Toronto will again have their tax dollars respected if Mayor Ford can get his way.

Way to go Rob!

NPR: Nazi Collaborator George Soros Ok, Juan Williams No

NPR is happy to accept $1.8 million from Nazi Collaborator George Soros, but it can't tolerate Juan Williams' sincerely held beliefs.  Taken in context Williams' comments could never be taken for being bigoted or racist.  If anything, Williams has a track record and reputation for being an honest and dedicated defender of civil rights and tolerance.

 

On the other hand, George Soros is an admitted Nazi collaborator:

Kroft: "And you watched lots of people get shipped off to the death camps."
Soros: "Right. I was 14 years old. And I would say that that's when my character was made."


Kroft: "In what way?"
Soros: "That one should think ahead. One should understand that—and anticipate events and when, when one is threatened. It was a tremendous threat of evil. I mean, it was a—a very personal threat of evil."


Kroft: "My understanding is that you went … went out, in fact, and helped in the confiscation of property from the Jews."
Soros: "Yes, that's right. Yes."

But that's fine to NPR.  After all, if the state could only be run by an intelligent group of philosopher kings, thing would be much better, even Tom Friedman of the NY Times agrees.

 

Fox News reports: "Brent Bozell, head of the Media Research Center, said the turn of events regarding Williams looks like a Soros-inspired outcome. "His investment has paid off well," Bozell told Fox News. "This is Orwellian stuff."

 
Indeed.  Never forget that 2+2=4, and George Soros is an admitted Nazi collaborator. Isn't it amazing that the Democrats' concern of foreign donations never seem to apply to Mr. Soros and Moveon.org.

In Defence of Juan Williams

Despite that Juan Williams is a staunch defender of all things liberal, including socialist President Obama, I do admire his candor, intellect, and principles.  That NPR would fire him for his comments about Muslims is political correctness gone wild.

The facts are these: of any major religion, Islamic radicals (who are Muslims) is most likely to carry out attacks against civilian targets.  Muslims did carry out 9/11 (not George W. Bush Michael Moore and not Israel Mr. Ahmadinejad).  This does not mean that all Muslims are terrorists just like not all Democrats are blind defenders of abortion and infanticide (see partial birth abortion).

Are we really getting to the point that no one can say anything even remotely offensive or controversial?  Of course, it's fine to target Christians, tea partiers (by lewdly calling them Tea Baggers as the left, including the President, so often do), conservatives, and others who are unlikely to lash out in violence and self-detonation.

Juan Williams is an honorable guy, and he should be able to say controversial things without being sacked from his publicly funded network-NPR.  I mean, why is NPR getting tax dollars anyway?  I guess NPR stands for "Not Publishing anything by Republicans".

Ontarians Tolerate Incompetence

The auditor general's report on Ontario's health system provides more damning evidence of the sheer incompetence and/or corruption of public officials.  Every year, Ontario residents (and Canadians and taxpayers everywhere) are confronted with reports of bureaucratic disasters in which billions of dollars are found to be wasted.  And yet, virtually nothing happens, we tolerate it.  The fact that Mr. George Smitherman can run for mayor with his track record of incompetence and neglect is telling.  Moreover, Bob Rae, perhaps the worst premier in the history of Canada, continues to have a political career and is loyally re-elected by the overly forgiving residents of Toronto to his comfy seat in Ottawa where he enjoys perks, benefits, and a pension plan the rest of us can only dream of.

At what point do we say "enough is enough"?  I have to side with Bill Buckley in thinking that the first 500 names in the phone book could manage things better than our current crop of politicians and bureaucrats at Queen's Park.

The waste is absolutely incomprehensible: "In one instance, auditors found a hospital awarded one consulting firm a multi-year contract in March 2008 worth $700,000, but failed to provide a description of the services needed, or a time frame for delivery."

This is outright fraud that should be criminally prosecuted.  Nowhere could this happen in a public company without serious investigations, and yet corporations which create jobs and wealth are demonized by politicians who have never held a real job in the private sector (i.e. McGuinty, Smitherman, Rae, Layton, Ignatieff, Chretien, Miller, etc.) in which making a profit mattered.  I'd like to hear these buffoons explain how a job is created in their own words.  It's no wonder that our central planners have no clue as to how jobs and wealth are created while social ills go unsolved despite having billions of dollars thrown at them each year.

The National Post further reports, "In an interview, Mr. McCarter said that while it's not reasonable for the public to expect the health minister to monitor LHIN and hospital activities on a daily basis, the minister is "ultimately accountable for what happens in health care."

That's true, but that doesn't mean there shouldn't be accountability.  Every hospital and health center where such malfeasance was occurring should have their CEO fired and the board of directors removed.  It is inexcusable that such waste could be occurring without oversight or knowledge.  Furthermore, exactly who these "consultants" were should be investigated.  Did they have ties to key government officials?  Were they former lobbyists?  Did any of the work they did actually benefit the organizations paying them?

It is infuriating as a tax payer to see such waste after seeing how little of my paycheck I actually get to keep.  To think of how much personal debt I could pay down and how much I could put away for retirement were it not for the government seizing that big chunk of my paycheck every two weeks is both depressing and maddening.

I want accountability and I want heads to roll because of this.  Mr. Hudak should, and I'm sure he will, be reminding the voters of the gross incompetence that has manifested itself repeatedly since McGuinty took office.

Victory for Wilders and Free Speech

A big victory over Islamo-fascists, politically correct censors, and cowards unwilling to stand up to tyranny and intimidation everywhere.  Bravo Mr. Wilders, bravo.

Dutch News reports:

The public prosecution department on Friday afternoon stated that Geert Wilders is not guilty of discriminating against Muslims. Earlier on Friday it announced he should also be found not guilty of inciting hatred.

Prosecutors Birgit van Roessel and Paul Velleman reached their conclusions after a careful reading of interviews with and articles by the anti-Islam politician and a viewing of his anti-Koran film Fitna.

They said comments about banning the Koran can be discriminatory, but because Wilders wants to pursue a ban on democratic lines, there is no question of incitement to discrimination 'as laid down in law'.

On the comparison of the Koran with Mein Kampf, the prosecutors said the comparison was 'crude but that did not make it punishable'.

Dealing earlier on Friday with incitement to hatred, Van Roessel and Velleman said some comments could incite hatred against Muslims if taken out of context, but if the complete text is considered, it can be seen that Wilders is against the growing influence of Islam and not against Muslims per sé.

On Tuesday, the prosecutors said the MP should not be found guilty of group insult.

The public prosecution department was forced to take the case by the high court after anti-racism campaigners protested at its refusal to prosecute Wilders.

Hat Tip to the Corner.

Rewind: Post Turtle

I can't help but think of a prior post of mine that refers to President Obama as a "Post Turtle".  In light of the flailing economy, the threats to world peace, a diminished and declining America, and the growth of government, combined with bureaucratic insanity and ineffeciency, it seems more true now than ever.

 

While suturing a cut on the hand of a 75 year old rancher, whose hand was caught in the gate while working cattle, the doctor struck up a conversation with the old man. Eventually the topic got around to Obama as our president. The old rancher said, 'Well, ya know, Obama is a 'Post Turtle''..

Not being familiar with the term, the doctor asked him what a 'post turtle' was.

The old rancher said, 'When you're driving down a country road and you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that's a 'post turtle'. The old rancher saw the puzzled look on the doctor's face so he continued to explain. 'You know he didn't get up there by himself, he doesn't belong up there, and he doesn't know what to do while he's up there, and you just wonder what kind of dumb ass put him up there to begin with'.

CBC Stupidity, Yet Again

The CBC has a story that a "report" is negative on the F-35 for Canada. They only quietly mention after their loud title that the report is from the communist leaning Canadian Center for Policy Alternatives which has never favoured any military project in the history of the country, which likely includes our fight against Hitler's Nazi forces in WWII.


The story quotes as follows:

"Canada does not need the F-35, either for North American/domestic roles or for expeditionary roles," wrote CCPA research associate and Rideau Institute president Steven Staples. "The Canadian government should not proceed with the planned procurement of the F-35."

I'd love to hear what CCPA thinks Canada does need. Perhaps we need a gender-neutral, environmentally friendly mobile tie-dye making vehicle that can spread peace and love in any terrain or climate.

The CCPA report isn't worth the paper it was printed on and the CBC should avoid publishing such non-sense from such a pathologically biased group. Canada deserves to have the best military equipment in the world and we can afford to get it. Our men and women in uniform certainly deserve the best.

The CCPA and other "progressive" (aka communist or socialist) organizations forget that the military is in the business of killing people and breaking things in the most efficient manner possible. That is how wars are won.

The Corrupt Aristocratic Elite

Barney Frank deserves a ton of blame for his unrelenting defence of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac which have massively contributed to the sub prime mortgage crisis and the overall economic recession as a result.  However, Mr. Frank also deserves some serious scrutiny for his corrupt practices and high-priced benefits received from beneficiaries of TARP.

Even if what Frank did is technically "legal", it's corrupt and I'd say the same for any GOP member who did the same thing.  Frank "took a free private jet to the Virgin Islands courtesy of a Maine congresswoman's billionaire fiance — whose company received a $200 million federal bailout, the Herald has learned."

The corruption doesn't get much clearer than that.  After all, old Barney is chairman of the Financial Services Committee.

The Boston Herald reports:

Frank, who's facing feisty Republican challenger Sean Bielat, flew to the tropical paradise for a vacation in 2009 on a $25 million jet owned by Paloma Partners honcho S. Donald Sussman, the fiance of U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine). Paloma Securities — a subsidiary of Sussman's Greenwich, Conn.-based hedge fund — received $200 million in 2009 as part of the $180 billion federal bailout of troubled insurance giant AIG, records show.
Frank, who chairs the House Financial Services Committee, said his partner, Jim Ready, lives in Pingree's district and the couples are "personal friends."

Isn't that nice.  However, it's corrupt and it symbolizes the rot that infects Washington in every corner, party, district, and chamber.  The Chamber of Commerce is vilified without evidence by an administration that refused to filter overseas donations during it's campaign while this monstrosity in Massachusetts continues.

Bielat, Frank's GOP contender for the district, added: "Typical. Barney keeps showing how career politicians work — they use our dollars for their favors. It may be legal, but it's wrong and that's why we need a change."

This kind of elitism eventually leads to revolution, and I don't say that lightly.  Consider the Wall Street Journal's report highlighting that Congressional members and staffers are not subject to insider trading rules even though the information they trade on is not public information:

"Congress is immune from insider-trading laws; federal regulators have never brought an insider-trading case against either congressional members of their staffs. Unlike many executive branch employees, lawmakers and aides don't have restrictions on their stock holdings and ownership interests in companies they oversee."

Corrupt.

The Obama Regime - Two Years In

There were a number of Blogging Tories, "moderates", and "centrists" who proudly supported the candidacy of Barack Obama despite that he had no executive experience, no private sector experience, no accomplishments other than two books about himself, and a far-left record as a state and national senator.  Obama's close associates like Bill Ayers, Jeremiah Wright, Tony Rezko, and others were ignored because Obama was perceived to be "transformational". 

The warnings were there, but many chose to ignore them.  Obama has revealed himself as, indeed, transformational, but transformational in an overtly anti-business, anti-freedom, anti-military, and even anti-American manner.  The "progressive" agenda means progressively higher taxes, progressively bigger government, and progressively more control by bureaucrats at the expense of individuals.

America may well begin pushing back against the socialist agenda of the President in November.  I surely hope they do.  Obama's policies have had worldwide implications that have devastated wealth creation and prosperity.  In times past, America was the driver of economic productivity, wealth creation, and ingenuity.  I'm not so sure we can still say that today.

But hope is not lost, and at the same time it does not stem from the "hopey and changey" policies of the Obama regime.  Rather, hope stems from the power of the individual free to pursue life, liberty, and happiness without government regulation and burden.  The government does not create jobs, people with an incentive to work and earn money create jobs. 

Clearly, government has expanded beyond the consent of the governed with the help of a sheep-like media, unprincipled 'representatives' of the people, and a coercive bureaucracy whose tentacles stretch into every form of human endeavor.  The framers of the Constitution would be appalled.

But, the progressively coercive government can be turned back through the people's power in the voting booth.  I'm hopeful they'll begin to return America to its roots, grounded in the primacy of the individual.

NFL Fly Overs

There's no better way to start a football game than to see fighter jets roar over a packed stadium at the end of a national anthem rendition. It gets the heart pumping and the adrenaline flowing.

Be sure to watch the very end for a moving observation.

Gov. Charlie Crist's Brutal Opening Pitch

This tells me about as much about Charlie Crist as I'll ever need to know.  If a man can't throw a baseball like a man... well, you be the judge:

Hockey is Back

Isn't it great to have hockey back? 

I love this game.

ON Tobacco Ban for Minors Will Fail

There's always some government bureaucrat or career politician that thinks they have the answer to solve a longstanding societal ill.  Once again, the ill in question is the possession of tobacco by minors.  No one will deny that the world would be a slightly better place if minors never had tobacco, but everyone will admit that the government's efforts to prevent such possession and enforce legislation towards that effort will be useless and likely quite expensive.

 

I'm saddened that a Conservative MPP, Gerry Martiniuk, is the one leading the charge on this.  Conservatives should be well aware that the government is normally useless in solving problems in society whether it be poverty, homelessness, or joblessness.  Despite the billions spent, the problems never go away.  But why would they, then the bureaucrats running those agencies would be out of jobs and denied their large salaries and benefits.  We certainly can't have that.

 

We have laws against alcohol possession by minors in Ontario, but do those do any good?  No.  We also have laws against many vices and spend billions trying to enforce them with little to show for it.

 

I am not saying that we don't need laws to limit access to various drugs, narcotics, or substances, but we must realize the very real limits of enforcement and compliance with such laws.

 

I think the society would be much better served if illegal cigarette sales were targeted, but that would involve the politically dangerous decision of confronting the fact most such activity takes places on First Nations reserves.  Considering Caledonia, I wouldn't imagine any gutless politician will have the cajones to confront real issues, like the fact that 50% of tobacco sales are illegal.

Democrats: The Party of Food Stamps

Since Democrats (include progressives, liberals, socialists, and lefties of all types) have no idea on how jobs and wealth are created, they are the party of food stamps.  The Democrats have massively expanded government since Obama's regime gained power over the executive in 2008 and have controlled the nation's purse strings since 2006 when Pelosi became Speaker of the House and Reid president of the Senate.  America now has debt that surpasses the imagination, debt that citizens' great-grandchildren will likely still be paying off.

Newt Gingrich has captured what the Democratic Party has become, the party of food stamps: "Most Americans would like to get a paycheck," Gingrich said. "Most Americans would not like to be forced to have food stamps handed out by liberal Democrats."

Gingrich continued, "It's perfectly fair to say they are earning the title of the party of food stamps," he said. "By contrast, we have historically since Ronald Reagan of 1980 been the party of job creation."

He's right, since 2006, there has been virtually no job creation and the economic conditions have mirrored those of the 1930's and late 1970's.  The economy is not adding jobs, the stimulus hasn't stimulated, and the government has seized control over major areas of the economy including the financial industry, the auto industry, student loan programs, home mortgages, health care, and banking.  The authors of the Constitution must be doing barrel rolls in their graves.

The fact is that economic uncertainty abounds and there are virtually no incentives to create jobs because of the anti-business Obama regime which is bent on seizing private property through taxes and controlling private activity through regulation.  America is less free and the world is suffering, economically, socially, and politically, as a result.

Foreshadowing of Obama's Future

Hopefully, this is a sign of things to come...

This is Justice?

Kelly McParland in the National Post points out the absurdity of the Crown's case against David Chen:

 

Bennett [the thief] admits to everything: yes he's a thief and a drug dealer, yes he has a record as long as your arm, yes he had returned to the Lucky Moose to steal some more, yes he lied to police, yes he lies under oath. No, he can't be considered a reliable witness. Yes he likes to give shop owners the finger when they confront him.

Gee, Ontario justice system, we sure are impressed that you decided to enlist this guy to go after an honest shopkeeper who tried to stop the guy from stealing from him. Boy do we support the idea that David Chen should be made an example of, because otherwise honest people might think they had a right to protect themselves from people like Bennett. And we can't have that.

Here's what Chi-Kun Shi, a lawyer supporting Mr. Chen, has to say about Bennett:

"The guy is a living, breathing and walking mockery of our justice system," she said. "He's a product of our system. He has shown neither fear nor respect for the system, and no wonder. It has coddled him for the last 30 years."

Read more: http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2010/10/07/kelly-mcparland-david-chen-learns-the-canadian-word-for-justice/#ixzz11gLwqZiV

Beer League Hockey

West in "Near Depression"

Despite that the economy has not experienced a second dramatic plunge since 2008, we're by no means out of the woods.  The IMF concedes that the West is verging upon an economy depression.  However, despite Keynesian warnings from Krugman and his ilk, austerity will have positive effects for the economy, not negative.  More regulation, public expansion, and taxes will act as an anchor to the economy.  The "experts" always seem to forget that the government can only print so much money and take on so much debt before disaster strikes. 

 

Instead of spending our way out of debt (which is a preposterous notion to begin with), we should be focusing on growing our way back to fiscal sanity.  Entire bureaucracies (like Education and Energy in the US) need to be eliminated.  The government needs to be downsized in scale, depth, and breadth.  As government has encroached further and further into private economic activity, it has complicated business processes, increased unemployment, and led to countless inefficiencies and cost increases to free enterprise.

 

Government must start acting in ways to make the cost of business less.  Businesses will hire more workers if they believe they can make higher profits by adding to their workforce.  But Obamacare and pending tax increases only add to the costs of doing business and the uncertainty of future tax increases and health costs makes it impossible or unwise to hire new workers.

 

Donald Luskin in the WSJ today points out that the "stock market over the last year and a half has followed a path eerily similar to that of 1937" which then crashed severely under the weight of FDR's New Deal policies.

 

So what lies ahead?  "Let's start with taxes. If today's low rates expire at year-end per current law, that would at a stroke reduce after-tax income for every working American, the average reduction being 3.3% according to the Tax Policy Center. Do the math: 94% of income goes to consumption, and consumption is 70% of gross domestic product. All else being equal, if the Bush tax cuts don't get extended, that's a 2.3% hit to 2011 GDP. That means instant double-dip recession, starting at midnight, Dec. 31" says Luskin.

 

A GOP Congress won't necessarily make everything bright and happy.  The President will have to sign any law passed by the Congress, and if he chooses ideology over reality, America and the West's economies could be doomed to another depression.

Rouse Replaces Rahm

Obama has replaced ballerina and chief of staff Rahm Emanuel with Pete Rouse.  Rahm was a political bulldog despite his grace on the dance floor.  Pete Rouse is seen as a laid-back, quieter operative who won't bully people the way Emanuel did.

Not surprisingly, like most WH consultants, czars, secretaries, and strategists, Rouse has no experience in the "real world", also known as the private sector.  Rouse has been working on capitol hill for 30 years.  Yet another Obama staffer with no clue about how jobs are created, what the difficulties of meeting a payroll involve, or how to sell something for a profit.

 

The descent continues.

 

 

The Great Divide in the Democratic Party

There may be friction within the Republican Party between "moderates" and conservatives, Tea Partiers and the establishment, but it is nowhere close to the division in the Democratic Party.  Indeed, chasm exists between the President and much of the Party's base.  The President's policies have not led to an economic rebound, but rather a decent into deeper hardship, debt, and confusion.

 

Peggy Noonan of the WSJ highlights this divide in the Dems, commenting on Obama's statement about his base not having a right to be apathetic about what the upcoming elections:

At first I thought this was another example of the president's now-habitual political ineptness, his off-key-ness. You don't diss people into voting for you, you can't lecture them into love. The response from the left was fierce, unapologetic—and accusatory. Mr. Obama had let them down, he'd taken half measures. "Stop living in that bubble," shot back an activist on cable. But Jane Hamsher of the leftist blog Firedoglake saw method, not madness. She described the president's remarks as "hippie punching" and laid them to cynical strategy: "It's about setting up a narrative for who will take the blame for a disastrous election." She said Mr. Obama's comments themselves could "depress turnout."

Take the blame? Disastrous? Setting up a narrative?

Further division exists in the Congress between the Blue Dogs who support extending the Bush tax cuts and the hard-left like Pelosi and Reid.  Never mind Afghanistan where Obama has increased troops for no apparent reason other than to show he's not a complete coward while being completely inflexible on the withdrawal date next year regardless of what the situation is in the country.  The Taliban now know, as does Patreaus and other Dem politicians, that they merely need to wait out Obama before resuming their onslaught to control the country.

 

With the economy in shambles, an uncertain war, a weak foreign policy, and sliding poll numbers, Obama is leading the Democrats into oblivion.  The voters certainly know that more government is all they'll get from Obama and that strategy will only exacerbate the economy's woes.  Obama's blame game on Bush is backfiring and he has no plan to revive the US economy.  The transformational president is learning what America truly values, and it's not a progressively larger and more powerful government.