Reminders of the past and reflections thereon are apparently the venue fools inhabit. I feel a fool. My wife thinks I'm naive. I think that almost 30 years in the Army made me a bit of a cynic and said so but my wife insisted I think the best of folks.

Today I was watching a made-for-TV movie, "In Pursuit of Honor". Purportedly about a true event (about which there is absolutely no documentation), the movie does start off with a scene at the Bonus Army march in the summer of 1932.

In 1924, a grateful Congress voted to give a bonus to World War I veterans - $1.25 for each day served overseas, $1.00 for each day served in the States. The catch was that payment would not be made until 1945. Members of the Bonus Army encamp within sight of the Capitol. However, by 1932 the nation had slipped into the dark days of the Depression and the unemployed veterans wanted their money immediately.

In May of that year, some 15,000 veterans, many unemployed and destitute, descended on Washington, D.C. to demand immediate payment of their bonus. They proclaimed themselves the Bonus Expeditionary Force but the public dubbed them the "Bonus Army." Raising ramshackle camps at various places around the city, they waited.

The veterans made their largest camp at Anacostia Flats across the river from the Capitol. Approximately 10,000 veterans, women and children lived in the shelters built from materials dragged out of a junk pile nearby - old lumber, packing boxes and scrap tin covered with roofs of thatched straw.

Discipline in the camp was good, despite the fears of many city residents who spread unfounded "Red Scare" rumors. Streets were laid out, latrines dug, and formations held daily. Newcomers were required to register and prove they were bonafide veterans who had been honorably discharged. Their leader, Walter Waters, stated, "We're here for the duration and we're not going to starve. We're going to keep ourselves a simon-pure veteran's organization. If the Bonus is paid it will relieve to a large extent the deplorable economic condition."

The sad truth is that MacArthur and the D.C. Police managed to kill 4 including 2 children. This happened because the Army charged/attacked veterans and their families to include women and children. Men we now lionize for their service during WWII didn't much hesitate to order their soldiers to attack unarmed and peaceful protesters. This happened in part because the Congress borrowed against the money set aside for the bonuses just as Congress has been using money taken for Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid to pay for other things. When I see what the POTUS and Dem/S in Congress are trying to do with OUR money now, I'm reminded of this past act. I wonder when it will be that they will start to deny their needy former defenders of their support and when they will order us to be run/shot down in the streets...

Labels: Culture, History, Military

  ¶ posted by Hobie 3:09 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

  So they finally get it! CNN Poll: Majority says government a threat to citizens' rights

Fifty-six percent of people questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Friday say they think the federal government's become so large and powerful that it poses an immediate threat to the rights and freedoms of ordinary citizens. Forty-four percent of those polled disagree.

The survey indicates a partisan divide on the question: only 37 percent of Democrats, 63 percent of Independents and nearly 7 in 10 Republicans say the federal government poses a threat to the rights of Americans.

I'm a bit surprised that so many finally get it. I don't think they "health care" summit yesterday helped calm their fears either. The Rasmussen Daily Presidential Tracking Poll indicates that the POTUS's approval is down to 44%.

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Friday shows that 23% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Forty-three percent (43%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -20. For President Obama, the Approval Index has been lower only once (see trends).

Of course, Congress's approval is down to 10%.

Only 10% of voters say Congress is doing a good or excellent job.

Labels: Criminals in Power, Culture

  ¶ posted by Hobie 6:00 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

  So what about Charlie Rangel? Is Grandma speaker going to have to boot the chair of the House Ways and Means committee? She did promise the most ethical Congress but then, she also swore to uphold the Constitution.

The House ethics committee's decision to admonish New York Democratic Rep. Charlie Rangel over improper corporate-sponsored trips to the Caribbean leaves Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the ethics committee itself facing difficult questions.

When then-Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) was admonished by the ethics committee in October 2004, Pelosi and other Democratic leaders went on the offensive against him.

“Mr. DeLay has proven himself to be ethically unfit to lead the party,” Pelosi said at a news conference the following day. “The burden falls upon his fellow House Republicans. Republicans must answer: Do they want an ethically unfit person to be their majority leader or do they want to remove the ethical cloud that hangs over the Capitol?”

Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) — now the House majority leader — said DeLay "certainly ought to step aside as leader at this point in time because I think his credibility has been undermined by these findings."

Six years later, the shoe is on the other foot: Republicans have previously called for Rangel to lose his chairmanship over his ethical troubles, and some of them — including Indiana Rep. Mike Pence — renewed that call Thursday night.

How will Pelosi and Hoyer respond?

Neither had anything to say about Rangel's future Thursday night, but the issue is certain to be a central topic for Democratic leadership in the days ahead.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0210/33564.html#ixzz0gexZ4qb8

BUT this goes even further than Rangeling another pass for the Congressman...

The ethics committee, meanwhile, appears to have issues of its own.

In a statement Thursday night, committee leaders Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) and Jo Bonner (R-Ala.), took Rangel and his staff to task — but also admonished the committee's own former counsel.

"The evidence shows that Rep. Rangel’s staff knew that corporations had contributed funds to Carib News specifically for the 2007 and 2007 [trips],” Lofgren and Bonner said. “This information was not provided to the Standards Committee when [Rangel] sought and received approval to accept these trips."

Lofgren and Bonner said the ethics committee “did not find actual evidence, nor does it believe that it would discover additional evidence” to show that Rangel personally knew about the corporate funding, but they added that Rangel “was responsible for the knowledge and actions of his staff in the performance of their official duties.”

The committee faulted its former counsel, Dawn Kelly Mobley, for giving confidential information to Carib News officials about the probe.

And the ethics committee made a criminal recommendation to the Justice Department against three Carib News employees — Karl Rodney, Faye Rodney and Patricia Louis — for having “submitted false or misleading information” to the ethics committee before it approved the trips.

For those who don't know, Representative Rangel (now there's some irony in that phrase) is also being investigated for not paying taxes on property rentals over several years (and I wonder how he came to have some of these expensive properties).

Labels: Criminals in Power

  ¶ posted by Hobie 1:00 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

  Governor Patterson calls off re-election bid, stays in office Gov. David Paterson pulls plug on election bid, but will not resign: insider

Embattled Gov. Paterson has pulled the plug on his election bid, a source close to the governor said Friday.

Paterson will announce the decision later Friday.

Paterson has been under fire for having contacted a woman who accused one of his top aides of domestic violence.

The source said the governor has agreed not to seek election, but he will not resign - opting to serve out the remainder of his term.

The decision clears the way for Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who is the favorite of many Democrats, to seek the nomination unimpeded.

Cuomo's office is investigating whether Paterson and the state police improperly contacted the woman, Sherr-una Booker, who made the allegations against his aide, David Johnson.

Pretty clear that Cuomo set up Patterson. In-fighting among the Politburo members is kinda fun to watch. One guy who is using his position of authority to get another guy for using his position of authority to get somebody...

Labels: Criminals in Power

  ¶ posted by Hobie 11:17 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

  I bet it would help Detroit's budget to drop a bunch of citizens... Well, they really just want the citizens to move to where they can provide services. If they would level what's vacated they might have a nice place to live.

Of course the racoon man might like the enlarged rural area!

Labels: Culture

  ¶ posted by Hobie 2:37 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

  Health Care back on the Front Burner The POTUS is vowing to move health care "reform" forward with this proposal. Latest talking points are apparently that "reform" is critical to job creation. Well, government jobs, yes as there are 1-2 MORE councils/boards to oversee every health care decision along with accompanying implied bureaucracy to administer the thing. Harry Reid says that we have to do this to keep unemployed men from beating up their family members. He also says we shouldn't be upset if the Dems use reconciliation to force through this restructuring of the country (as opposed to budget items).

By the way, reconciliation will allow our Senators Warner and Webb to vote against the plan without endangering the plan. They know it although they seem a bit disingenuous in their description of what is going on.

Meanwhile, Dems and Republicans both think that the pending "summit" won't break the impasse. Even Steny Hoyer doesn't think that it has to be all or nothing if success is the goal.

Go back and read the President's proposal. Seems like an all or nothing approach to me. It seems that the POTUS still doesn't hear the public opposition to this bill. He still doesn't get it.

This may be a blessing in disguise. If he continues to push, the job market doesn't improve, and taxes increase this might be enough to ensure a rejection of the Dem/S this fall. That could save the country.

Labels: Health

  ¶ posted by Hobie 10:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

  Christian "One Liners" Don't let your worries get the best of you;
Remember, Moses started out as a basket case.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Some people are kind, polite, and sweet-spirited
Until you try to sit in their pews.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Many folks want to serve God,
But only as advisers.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
It is easier to preach ten sermons
Than it is to live one.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
The good Lord didn't create anything without a purpose,
But mosquitoes come close.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
When you get to your wit's end,
You'll find God lives there.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
People are funny; they want the front of the bus,
Middle of the road,
And back of the church.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Opportunity may knock once,
But temptation bangs on the front door forever.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Quit griping about your church;
If it was perfect, you couldn't belong.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
If a church wants a better pastor,
It only needs to pray for the one it has.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
We're called to be witnesses, not lawyers or Judges.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
God Himself doesn't propose to judge a man until
he is dead. So why should you?

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Some minds are like concrete
Thoroughly mixed up and permanently set.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Peace starts with a smile.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
I don't know why some people change churches;
What difference does it make which one you stay home from?

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
A lot of church members singing 'Standing on the Promises'
Are just sitting on the premises.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Be ye fishers of men. You catch 'em - He'll clean 'em.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Stop, Drop, and Roll won't work in Hell.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Don't put a question mark where God put a period.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Don't wait for 6 strong men to take you to church.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Forbidden fruits create many jams.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
God doesn't call the qualified,
He qualifies the called.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
God grades on the cross, not the curve.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
God loves everyone,
But probably prefers 'fruits of the spirit' over 'religious nuts!'

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
He who angers you, controls you!

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
If God is your Co-pilot, swap seats!

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Prayer:
Don't give God instructions, just report for duty!

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
The task ahead of us is never as
great as the Power behind us.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
The Will of God never takes you to where the
Grace of God will not protect you.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
We don't change the message,
The message changes us.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
You can tell how big a person is
By what it takes to discourage him.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
The best mathematical equation I have ever seen:
1 cross + 3 nails = 4 given.

Just in case you've forgotten whence we've come!

Labels: Humor, Religion

  ¶ posted by Hobie 8:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

  Its called Projection... Harry Reid must be thinking that we out here in tea-party land react the same way he does to unemployment, in his case it is pending unemployment, by being abusive of the American people.

Reid, speaking in the midst of a Senate debate over whether to pass a $15 billion package meant to spur job creation, appeared to argue that joblessness would lead to more domestic violence.

"I met with some people while I was home dealing with domestic abuse. It has gotten out of hand," Reid said on the Senate floor. "Why? Men don't have jobs."

Reid said that the effects of joblessness on domestic violence were especially pronounced among men, because, Reid said, women tend to be less abusive.

"Women don't have jobs either, but women aren’t abusive, most of the time," he said.

"Men, when they're out of work, tend to become abusive," the majority leader added. "Our domestic crisis shelters in Nevada are jammed.”

And just what made those men and women unemployed? Why, it was liberal policies that forced banks to give loans to so many who couldn't repay them.

Its called projection Harry, thinking that we'll do what you'd do.

Labels: Criminals in Power

  ¶ posted by Hobie 1:21 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

  Heads up! Jimmy Carter inflation has begun... Inflation was at a 16.8% annual rate in January.

Another report from the department showed prices paid at the farm and factory gate rose a faster-than-expected 1.4 percent from December as higher gasoline prices and unusually cold temperatures helped boost energy costs.

I'm sure you might not remember the Jimmy Carter years with 21% inflation. I actually spent all my paycheck to ensure I could buy at that time that which I might not be able to afford a couple of months later. There were times when the inflation rate was more than the interest rate on credit cards.

But that level of inflation may be a wished for thing compared to the hyper-inflation we might have in store. Never in history has a country printed as much money as we have without causing hyper-inflation and the destruction of their economy. Never. It would be insane to think that we'll be different. President Obama's stated goals and policies would indicate that he's insane.

I suggest that you pay off your debt, stockpile things you always use that won't deteriorate, sell off the things you don't need, and prepare to become as self-sufficient as you can be.

Labels: Culture

  ¶ posted by Hobie 1:00 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

  Is it the TSA or the Airport Authority that is Incompetent? You can't have so many incidents of security "breaches" without somebody having failed to do their duty. We had one TSA guy who walked off from a gate that should have been a physical barrier and we've had other incidents. Now this at Newark.

Parts of Newark Liberty International Airport were closed again this week due to a security breach, the second security snafu in six weeks.

It was calm at Newark on Thursday, but that definitely wasn't the case Monday when a security breach forced the closure of parts of Terminal A for over an hour.

The reason for the security breach was a real doozy -- a passenger was flagged for having suspicious objects in his carry-on bag but a Transportation Security Administration spokesman said that agents stopped the wrong passenger for rescreening and the passenger with the suspicious objects got away.

When agents couldn't find the passenger after shutting down the operations for an hour they went to all gate areas to screen passengers but they never found the person.

Apparently the TSA guys can't look the person in the eye and point at that same person. Having been through security at several airports I can't imagine how a passenger would be so separate from their bag or the TSA personnel that they couldn't properly identify that passenger.

However, I think that they are missing the real problem, They are looking for stuff instead of passengers. Then again, the no-fly list has no means of differentiating people with the same name by DOB, gender, etc.

One of the things that the TSA will be doing is swabbing your hands to see if you've handled explosives. Do you know how many shooters there are in this country? I have seen somewhere that about 169,000,000 rounds are fired each day. Many shooters/hunters travel by air. How many more misidentified people will it take to stop this? There won't be any? Why? Because they're also going to miss those that have handled the types of explosives we should worry about... Just like they mis-indentified a passenger standing no more than 3 feet from them in a "controlled" space...

Labels: Culture

  ¶ posted by Hobie 10:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

  5 Muslim Soldiers Conspired to Poison Other Soldiers... There's been a lot going on and I'm going to try to catch up a bit today...

At Fort Jackson, SC (just outside of Columbia) 5 Muslim soldiers have been detained/arrested for attempting to poison the food served soldiers on the post.

CBN News has learned exclusively that five Muslim soldiers at Fort Jackson in South Carolina were arrested just before Christmas. It is unclear whether the men are still in custody. The five were part of the Arabic Translation program at the base.

Patrick Jones, the Deputy Public Affairs Officer for Fort Jackson, confirmed for CBN News yesterday afternoon that an investigation was ongoing .

Prior to this posting, CBN News learned that these details were also confirmed by a government official with knowlegde of the investigation.

The men are suspected of trying to poison the food supply at Fort Jackson.

A source with intimate knowledge of the investigation, which is ongoing, told CBN News investigators suspect the "Fort Jackson Five" may have been in contact with the group of five Washington, DC area Muslims that traveled to Pakistan to wage jihad against U.S. troops in December. That group was arrested by Pakistani authorities, also just before Christmas.

Coming as it does on the heels of November's Fort Hood jihadist massacre, this news could have major implications.

When I attended basic training there were a lot of soldiers being served food by other soldiers, cooks and KPs, every day. We absolutely NEVER gave a thought to the idea that our fellow soldiers would intentionally harm us via our food. I know that when I had KP I worked hard to make sure that I did my part to put good food out on clean tables. To think that you had to look at every bite wondering if it had been adulterated, well, that defines terrorism. To think that your fellow soldiers did this to you, well, that defines betrayal. To think that you have to trust other Muslim soldiers, well, that defines insanity.

These soldiers have not only attacked their fellow soldiers they have forever put the loyalty of their fellow Muslim soldiers in doubt. Forever.

I'd like to point out that this is the third instance of Muslim betrayal in the military. The first was the Muslim chaplain in Gitmo who worked to the benefit of the terrorists held their above and beyond his religious duties. The second was the Fort Hood shooter. This may prove to be the charm in convincing the command structure to more closely watch their Muslim soldiers.

I'd like to point out that we had absolutely no incidents of this kind with Japanese-American (Nisei) soldiers during WWII. To me, this demonstrates that Muslims will do things that others would not. It would be foolish to ignore this proclivity.

Labels: Military

  ¶ posted by Hobie 8:27 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

  The Olympics, Watch 'em... The Olympics are here. They are fun to watch. There's something for everyone. There's speed, head to head, against the clock and with endurance. It's international. It's "artistic". Great for those who aren't morning people or who are insomniacs. It only comes once every 2 or 4 years depending on you see it.

What it isn't any more, if ever, is dominated by amateurs. Still, it is a fun show.

Labels: Sport

  ¶ posted by Hobie 6:00 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

  Agent Dobyns of the BATFE is Getting the Horn from the Bull Don't mess with the bull if you don't want to get the horn. That's what one old sergeant told me. Hells Angel infiltrator and highly decorated BATFE agent Jay Dobyns and his family were hung out to dry by the agency that had used him. He's written a book and sued them over the malfeasance and they are now countersuing saying he's irreparably harmed their image or reputation.

Well, they've got it wrong. He has never said anything about the BATFE that we didn't already believe to be true. An agency who's sole responsibility is supposedly to enforce tax law on alcohol and tobacco morphed into an agency also responsible for enforcing FEDERAL firearms laws (but morphed that into an arm of your local zoning agency) and explosives. They've managed to avoid the FBI's reputation (deserved or not) as defenders of law and order by way of their addiction to racism and shady dealing in matters of the truth and evidence. They have had such a bad reputation for so long that 12 years ago a reserve officer who was also an agent for the agency was shunned by even Commonwealth Attorneys serving in his Brigade. To say that Agent Dobyns harmed their reputation would be like saying Stephen Ambrose slandered Hitler as a racist and murderer.

Labels: Criminals in Power

  ¶ posted by Hobie 8:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

  Did Obama actually attend Columbia? I hadn't heard this one. True? False? Tell me, SHOW me.

Want to hear something really disturbing?

I have always wondered why NO ONE ever has come forward from Obama's past saying they knew him, attended school with him, was his friend, etc.

NO ONE, not one person has ever come forward from his past. VERY, VERY STRANGE!!

This should really be a cause for great concern. This is very interesting stuff. Sort of adds credence to the idea of The Manchurian Candidate thing having happened here!

Stephanopoulos of ABC news said the same thing during the '08 campaign. He too, was a classmate of BO's at Columbia , Class of 1984.
He said he never had one class with him.

Was Obama even there?

While he is a great orator, why doesn't anyone in Obama's college class remember him? Maybe he never attended classes? Maybe he never attended Columbia ? (He won't allow Colombia to release his records either.) Hm-m-m.

NOBODY REMEMBERS OBAMA AT COLUMBIA !!!!!!!

Looking for evidence of Obama's past, Fox News contacted 400 Columbia University students from the period when Obama claims to have been there, but none remembered him.

Wayne Allyn Root was, like Obama, a political science major at Columbia who also graduated in 1983. In 2008, Root said of Obama,
"I don't know a single person at Columbia that knew him, and they all know me. I don't have a classmate who ever knew Barack Obama at Columbia . Ever! Nobody recalls him. I'm not exaggerating, I'm not kidding.

"Root adds that he was also, like Obama, "Class of '83 political science, pre-law" and says, "You don't get more exact or closer than that. And I never met him in my life and don't know anyone who ever did. At the class reunion, our 20th reunion five years ago, who was asked to be the speaker of the class? Me. No one ever heard of Barack or Barry Obama! And five years ago, nobody even knew who he was.

The guy who writes the class notes, who's kind of the, as we say in New York , "the macha who knows everybody", has yet to find a person, a human, who ever met him. That's very strange.

"Obama's photograph does not appear in the school's yearbook and Obama consistently declines requests to talk about his years at Columbia , provide school records, or provide the name of any former classmates or friends while at Columbia .

Labels: Criminals in Power

  ¶ posted by Hobie 8:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

  The US Post Office The United States Post Office was as regular as the sunrise when I was a kid. Much was made of their supposed creed "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." The mailman, usually a neighbor, maybe a friend, always lived up to that unofficial motto.

It is an unfortunate truth though that the "modern age" has taken revenue from the Post Office by substituting e-mail and digital news for all the mail that used to move through this country. Also, commercial carriers have taken business by finding ways to ship packages more quickly and with greater reliability than the USPS. Combined with an almost self-destructive arrogance that continues outrageous spending by the Postmaster General, this has driven the now semi-commercial USPS towards bankruptcy.

With ever increasing rates failing to meet revenue needs (and driving away more and more customers) the USPS has recently resorted to cutting hours. In their great wisdom they have changed the counter's weekday hours to 9:30-4:30 and weekend hours to 10:00-12:00. Meanwhile all but the two or three folks out front are still working the regular hours. I fail to see how they are saving any real money.
The USPS could also have one location open at 8:00 AM and close at 3:00 PM and another open 11:00-6:00. That doesn't appear to have been an option.

They could not have calculated the work day hours any better. These hours make it nigh impossible for me to get into the Post Office to mail a package. Going to the post office is a necessity because they won't take a package dropped in a box for fear that it will contain something liquid, fragile, perishable or potentially hazardous. They always ask ignoring the obvious that a criminal who is shipping a forbidden item will always lie. I doubt anyone walks in and says they are going to ship a dirty bomb or a container of anthrax.

Lately, we've had quite a bit of snow. That unofficial creed went by the boards. It was really kind of silly. At the height of the storm we had delivery. Two days later, after having had deliveries after the storm end, the USPS decided it was too dangerous to deliver mail. Clear skies, relatively warm temperatures, but more dangerous than at the height of the storm.

All together this makes the United States Postal Service a pretty disappointing service provider. I don't see how they are going to survive as a viable alternative to the commercial shipping service providers. That said, I know a number of people who work for the USPS and they are all nice, hard working folks. It is a shame that some of them might be unemployed because of the management decisions made by those above them.

Labels: Culture

  ¶ posted by Hobie 12:54 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

  The IRS WILL get your Money The IRS is buying shotguns. Now, who is it that believes that all law doesn't imply the use of violent action to enforce it? All law. Not just law against violence. All law. If you don't pay all your taxes, they can come get you, with 14" shotguns...

Labels: Culture

  ¶ posted by Hobie 1:00 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

  The Canadian PM gets such good care in Canada that... ... he comes to the U.S. for heart surgery. But wait, I thought our health care was the most messed up in the whole world...

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. -- Newfoundland Premier Danny Williams will undergo heart surgery later this week in the United States.

Deputy premier Kathy Dunderdale confirmed the treatment at a news conference Tuesday, but would not reveal the location of the operation or how it would be paid for.

"He has gone to a renowned expert in the procedure that he needs to have done," said Ms. Dunderdale, who will become acting premier while Mr. Williams is away for three to 12 weeks.

"In consultation with his own doctors, he's decided to go that route."

Mr. Williams' decision to leave Canada for the surgery has raised eyebrows over his apparent shunning of Canada's health-care system.

"It was never an option offered to him to have this procedure done in this province," said Ms. Dunderdale, refusing to answer whether the procedure could be done elsewhere in Canada.

Mr. Williams, 59, has said nothing of his health in the media.

"The premier has made a commitment that once he's through this procedure and he's well enough, he's going to talk about the whole process and share as much detail with you as he's comfortable to do at that time," she said.

Ms. Dunderdale wouldn't say where in the U.S. Mr. Williams is seeking treatment.

Read more: http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=2510700#ixzz0ePt0WaSw
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Labels: Health

  ¶ posted by Hobie 8:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

  Media Collusion? Reuters released this article, "Backdoor taxes to hit middle class"

Mon Feb 1, 4:09 PM

By Terri Cullen
ADVERTISEMENT

NEW YORK (Reuters.com) --The Obama administration's plan to cut more than $1 trillion from the deficit over the next decade relies heavily on so-called backdoor tax increases that will result in a bigger tax bill for middle-class families.

In the 2010 budget tabled by President Barack Obama on Monday, the White House wants to let billions of dollars in tax breaks expire by the end of the year -- effectively a tax hike by stealth.

While the administration is focusing its proposal on eliminating tax breaks for individuals who earn $250,000 a year or more, middle-class families will face a slew of these backdoor increases.

The targeted tax provisions were enacted under the Bush administration's Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001. Among other things, the law lowered individual tax rates, slashed taxes on capital gains and dividends, and steadily scaled back the estate tax to zero in 2010.

If the provisions are allowed to expire on December 31, the top-tier personal income tax rate will rise to 39.6 percent from 35 percent. But lower-income families will pay more as well: the 25 percent tax bracket will revert back to 28 percent; the 28 percent bracket will increase to 31 percent; and the 33 percent bracket will increase to 36 percent. The special 10 percent bracket is eliminated.

Investors will pay more on their earnings next year as well, with the tax on dividends jumping to 39.6 percent from 15 percent and the capital-gains tax increasing to 20 percent from 15 percent. The estate tax is eliminated this year, but it will return in 2011 -- though there has been talk about reinstating the death tax sooner.

Millions of middle-class households already may be facing higher taxes in 2010 because Congress has failed to extend tax breaks that expired on January 1, most notably a "patch" that limited the impact of the alternative minimum tax. The AMT, initially designed to prevent the very rich from avoiding income taxes, was never indexed for inflation. Now the tax is affecting millions of middle-income households, but lawmakers have been reluctant to repeal it because it has become a key source of revenue.

Without annual legislation to renew the patch this year, the AMT could affect an estimated 25 million taxpayers with incomes as low as $33,750 (or $45,000 for joint filers). Even if the patch is extended to last year's levels, the tax will hit American families that can hardly be considered wealthy -- the AMT exemption for 2009 was $46,700 for singles and $70,950 for married couples filing jointly.

Middle-class families also will find fewer tax breaks available to them in 2010 if other popular tax provisions are allowed to expire. Among them:

* Taxpayers who itemize will lose the option to deduct state sales-tax payments instead of state and local income taxes;

* The $250 teacher tax credit for classroom supplies;

* The tax deduction for up to $4,000 of college tuition and expenses;

* Individuals who don't itemize will no longer be able to increase their standard deduction by up to $1,000 for property taxes paid;

* The first $2,400 of unemployment benefits are taxable, in 2009 that amount was tax-free.

and then pulled it.

Mon Feb 1, 8:07 pm ET

The story Backdoor taxes to hit middle class has been withdrawn. A replacement story will run later in the week.

Why? Because they don't want you to know that EVERY US citizen is going to have increased taxes to pay for the outrageous spending by the Democrat Congress and President Obama.

Labels: Politics

  ¶ posted by Hobie 4:26 PM 0 Comments Links to this post