Franklin Frightfest Tea Party Today

Are you Taxed Enough Already? Well, there will be another TEA Party in the Milwaukee area on October 31st, 2009 from 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM at the Milwaukee County Sports Complex at 60th & Ryan Rd. And don’t worry about the weather, it’s indoors.

Franklin Fright Fest Haunted Tea Party
• Date October 31st, 2009
• Time 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
• Sponsor Wisconsin GrandSons of Liberty
• Location Milwaukee County Sports Complex
  6000 W Ryan Rd
  Franklin
• Notes Confirmed speakers: James T. Harris, Jay Weber, Rep. Jim Ott and Rep. Leah Vukmir. For contact information: Tim Dake (414) 203-0865. The public is encouraged to wear costumes. There will be trick or treating for kids. Topics will include “Scary Things and Scary Times.” Event is indoors.

Hat Tip: Badger Blogger

Why did the stocks crash yesterday?

I am still attempting to figure it out.

Nothing changed in the last two days that would cause the stock market to jump on Thursday and then crash on Friday.

On Thursday, GDP showed growth at 3.5% for the last quarter. All that was government debt spending. The government went out and borrowed a bunch of money and spent freely.

Truth be told, the GDP did not really grow during the last quarter, government debt spending grew. This is not what our economy needs. The economy needs the private sector and individuals to start spending again.

We learned on Friday, that consumer spending dropped last quarter, sending the Dow into another nose dive.

Folks, we are in the same position we were a week ago, a month ago, a year ago.

Until the regular folks have confidence in our economy, no amount of faked job numbers by the Obama administration is going fix this.

I am frustrated with the dancing the same dance for months in a row.

Updated: Can the Obama administration spin anymore than they already have?

Apparently, when it comes to spinning, this administration is breaking records.

The Obama Administration plans on telling America today the 650,000 jobs were created or saved by the stimulus.

I cannot believe that the Obama administration would even be crazy enough to announce this.

About 3 million jobs have been lost since the President and his liberal cohorts through America's future down the drain with a failed $787 billion government spending package.

Does the President and his liberal cohorts think there will be dancing in the streets today when Americans hear Obama tell them that he created or saved 650,000?

The reality is, we are one week away from the October jobs report that will show that tens of thousands of more Americans have lost their jobs.

The idea that the President will run out to the public today and claim that his stimulus created 650,000 is laughable.

Good grief liberals, you would not have tolerated this garbage from President Bush.

Wall Street Journal

WASHINGTON -- Obama administration officials expect new reports Friday to show that the government's fiscal stimulus program helped create or save about 650,000 jobs, a figure officials are prepared to tout as a sign of stimulus success.

The number represents stimulus spending through Sept. 30 on projects or activities such as highway repairs and education funding.

The jobs data will be included in reports tens of thousands of state and local governments, private companies, colleges and community groups submitted earlier this month to show how they are making use of stimulus funds. The reports are expected to be available Friday afternoon on the Web site, recovery.gov.

As mandated by Congress, the reports cover only $150 billion of the $339 billion stimulus spending that has occurred through Sept. 30. The reports don't represent tax cuts, direct payments to individuals such as Pell Grants or grants of amounts under $25,000 per recipient, administration officials said.

Given that the documents representing less than half of the stimulus spending through the end of September, the White House sees the data as proof that its $787 billion American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 will meet its goal of creating or saving at least 1 million jobs.

Ummmm? $1 million jobs. I thought the stimulus was going to create 3.5 million jobs???

Clearly the Obama administration is attempting to move the goal posts again.

Updated: My bad, apparently the Obama administration plans on telling America that they created 1 million jobs! Politico

Update II: Peggy Noonan ain't buying it either.

The new economic statistics put growth at a healthy 3.5% for the third quarter. We should be dancing in the streets. No one is, because no one has any faith in these numbers. Waves of money are sloshing through the system, creating a false rising tide that lifts all boats for the moment. The tide will recede. The boats aren't rising, they're bobbing, and will settle. No one believes the bad time is over. No one thinks we're entering a new age of abundance. No one thinks it will ever be the same as before 2008. Economists, statisticians, forecasters and market specialists will argue about what the new numbers mean, but no one believes them, either. Among the things swept away in 2008 was public confidence in the experts. The experts missed the crash. They'll miss the meaning of this moment, too.

The biggest threat to America right now is not government spending, huge deficits, foreign ownership of our debt, world terrorism, two wars, potential epidemics or nuts with nukes. The biggest long-term threat is that people are becoming and have become disheartened, that this condition is reaching critical mass, and that it afflicts most broadly and deeply those members of the American leadership class who are not in Washington, most especially those in business.

It is a story in two parts. The first: "They do not think they can make it better."

continued...

More info on buying your way into Obama administration

It is not just the Washington Times investigating the Obama administration and their penchant for giving big donors cushy jobs; USA Today has begun investigating:

WASHINGTON — More than 40% of President Obama's top-level fundraisers have secured posts in his administration, from key executive branch jobs to diplomatic postings in countries such as France, Spain and the Bahamas, a USA TODAY analysis finds.

Twenty of the 47 fundraisers that Obama's campaign identified as collecting more than $500,000 have been named to government positions, the analysis found.

Overall, about 600 individuals and couples raised money from their friends, family members and business associates to help fund Obama's presidential campaign. USA TODAY's analysis found that 54 have been named to government positions, ranging from Cabinet and White House posts to advisory roles, such as serving on the economic recovery board charged with helping guide the country out of recession.

Nearly a year after he was elected on a pledge to change business-as-usual in Washington, Obama also has taken a cue from his predecessors and appointed fundraisers to coveted ambassadorships, drawing protests from groups representing career diplomats. A separate analysis by the American Foreign Service Association, the diplomats' union, found that more than half of the ambassadors named by Obama so far are political appointees, said Susan Johnson, president of the association. An appointment is considered political if it does not go to a career diplomat in the State Department.

That's a rate higher than any president in more than four decades, the group's data show, although that could change as the White House fills more openings. Traditionally about 30% of top diplomatic jobs go to political appointees, and roughly 70% to veteran State Department employees. Ambassadors earn $153,200 to $162,900 annually.

"It is time to end the spoils system and the de facto sale of ambassadorships," Johnson said. "The United States is best served by having experienced, knowledgeable and trained career officers fill all positions in our diplomatic service."

It is not like this type of stuff has not happened in previous administrations, it has. Team Obama is setting records with his political payback machine.

This is precisely the culture Obama promised to change in Washington. Remember hopey and changey?

Not only has Obama not changed the corrupt culture of Washington, but he has put the "culture of corruption" in Washington on steroids. Not only is Obama adding to the culture of corruption, he is adding the to corruption in spades.

Chicago style of politics has gone national.

Stimulus jobs less than Americans were told

A few weeks ago, liberals cheered when a report came out that about 30,000 jobs had been created or saved by stimulus dollars. Of course, these liberals shut down pretty quickly once they realized that Obama had promised 3.5 Million jobs and that 30,000 job number was a huge disappointment.

The AP has done a check into those 30,000 to see if they were real. Turns out, even the 30,000 job number is inflated:

An early progress report on President Barack Obama's economic recovery plan overstates by thousands the number of jobs created or saved through the stimulus program, a mistake that White House officials promise will be corrected in future reports.

The government's first accounting of jobs tied to the $787 billion stimulus program claimed more than 30,000 positions paid for with recovery money. But that figure is overstated by least 5,000 jobs, according to an Associated Press review of a sample of stimulus contracts.

The AP review found some counts were more than 10 times as high as the actual number of jobs; some jobs credited to the stimulus program were counted two and sometimes more than four times; and other jobs were credited to stimulus spending when none was produced.

continued...

Hey liberals, it is time to man up and admit you were snookered into believing total garbage from the President and the VP on the stimulus dollars!

Rep. Paul Ryan on Increases in Health Insurance Premiums

What is a government option opt-out co-op?

A government option opt-out co-op is the latest version proposed by Senator Harry Reid. It is not really ObamaCare, folks are calling it, HarryCare.

What is a government option opt-out co-op?

Don't know?

Well, apparently no one really knows. Harry Reid has not really explained it either.

Fox News-

HANNITY: All right. Look, Senator, no body would accuse you of not being informed about the workings of Washington and all that goes on in the Senate. So — you're laughing. So you can't tell our audience what a government option opt-out coop is. You can't explain it to me.

MCCAIN: I cannot explain it to you because Republicans have been completely shut out of any conversation or negotiation. And you know that during the campaign — I wish our viewers could see it over and over again.

The president is saying when we take up health care reform, C-SPAN will be in the room, Republicans will be there, and the American people will be able to see who's on the side of the pharmaceutical companies and who's on the side of the American citizens.

Behind closed doors they cut deals with the pharmaceutical companies, with the hospital people. They tried to cut one with the American Medical Association to the tune of $247 billion. That didn't work. And so it's business as usual. There is no change.

Perhaps one of the Dems that reads this page can explain what a government option opt-out co-op actually is...

I am all ears.

WH high ethical standards is the reason for free passes to WH

When a story ran yesterday about the hundreds of big time Obama donors were getting the royal treatment from the WH, the response from the WH was just laughable.

"As part of an effort to open up events at the White House to thousands of Americans, we have at times provided tickets to events to the DNC, among many other organizations. Our understanding is that those tickets have in turn been distributed to grass-roots supporters, contributors and elected officials. Contributing does not guarantee a ticket to the White House, nor does it prohibit the contributor from visiting.

"This Administration has across the board set the toughest ethics standards in history. As a result, we have reduced special-interest influence over the policymaking process to promote merit-based decision-making. We believe that is due in no small part to our insistence on strict adherence to the rules - an approach we intend to continue."

The truth is that this White House has taken the taxpayers wallet and spent freely.

Big parties at the White House every week. Trips all around the country for any number of reasons including taking his wife out to dinner in New York. Golf constantly, lobbyist perks, democrat paybacks, private movie screenings and on and on.

Yes, every President has done it, but this President promised these practices would end.

Clearly they have not ended. Your tax dollars will be used to entertain Obama's friends.

You have got to love this DNC letter.

The National Advisory Board gathers exclusively on several occasions to be recognized by senior Party leadership and to contribute to shaping policy agendas. In addition, members will be invited to attend virtually all events sponsored by the DNC -- weekend retreats, private dinners and receptions, conferences and policy discussions.

The DNC even tells you how much it will cost you to buy your way into the Obama White House.

Barb Lawton out!

Barb Lawton has dropped out of the Governor's race.

Bring on Tom Barrett! At least Lawton has no record to try to defend.

With the financial mess in Milwaukee, Scott's changes just got better!

Updated: Republicans back on top? Thank you President Obama!

It appears to be that way. I still have to admit, Obama and his liberal minions in Congress have gone a long way towards repairing the Republican party's woes than any single Republican can do.

Issue	Democrats	Republicans
Health Care	40%	46%
Education	38%	43%
Social Security	37%	45%
Taxes	35%	50%
Economy	35%	49%
Abortion	35%	47%
Immigration	33%	40%
Nat'l Security	31%	54%
Iraq	31%	50%
Gov't Ethics	29%	33%

Heath Care, Education, Social Security and Immigration???? All of these go straight to the core of the Democrat party and what they say they stand for.

Thank you President Obama and the liberal congress. With each passing day, you are proving to America that you are neither qualified or capable of listening to the people or following the will of the people.

Edited to add: Source...Rasmussen

My fault folks, I should have included the link in the original post. I forgot.

Updated again: Is Gallup a conservative pollster also?

Released today!

Conservatives continue to outnumber moderates and liberals in the American populace in 2009, confirming a finding that Gallup first noted in June.

I was planning on taunting Bears fans, but...

It seems the Chicago media is trashing the Bears players worse than I ever could.

I remember a few weeks back, when the Packers lost to the Bengals the taunting Packers fans got from Bears fans. How could the Packers lose to the lowly Bengals?

At least the Packers played a respectable game! I said then that they are better than people were giving them credit for. Packers did not play well but at least they have some pride!

45-10!

Holy cow!

As I said, I planned on taunting a few Bear fans today, but the media is just destroying the Bears. Even I cannot come up with good enough insults to top Chicago's media today:

If it weren't for postgame handshakes, the Bears defensive linemen never would've gotten close to Carson Palmer.

On the Bengals' second drive, Benson broke a Lance Briggs tackle for 18 yards. Next play, Benson ran out of a Nick Roach tackle for seven yards. The Bears were so lame at tackling that I saw Briggs try to trip a rookie runner from Abilene Christian with his right leg as Briggs was spinning on his butt. That's some textbook tackling by a team that would rather strip the ball than tackle the ballcarrier.

They approached tackling as if it carried a communicable disease. They gave Ochocinco so much cushion, he'll have a sofa endorsement deal by the end of business hours Monday.

You have to admit, that sofa thing is pretty funny.

Ah well, enjoy it today Packer fans, Bret comes back next week and we gotta win!

Stimulus bust

Not really something anyone wanted to hear. The stimulus, meant to create jobs(you remember this three letter word?), has already had its biggest impact in the second and third quarter of this year. From this point forward, things will not be improving as a result of the stimulus. At least this is what the Obama Administration is telling us.

Americans hoping for a big economic boost from President Obama’s economic stimulus programs got a douse of cold water Thursday: The White House’s top forecaster said the largest impact of the stimulus on economic growth is probably in the rear view mirror.

That’s the case even though unemployment continues to rise and many of the stimulus dollars haven’t been spent.

“Most analysts predict that the fiscal stimulus will have its greatest impact on growth in the second and third quarters of 2009,” Christina Romer, who chairs the President’s Council of Economic Advisers, said in testimony prepared for Congress. “By mid-2010, fiscal stimulus will likely be contributing little to growth.”

This view is shared by many economists, as Ms. Romer noted. But her assessment comes at a difficult time for both policymakers and for Americans in general.

Despite the massive $787 billion price tag, polls show that many Americans are skeptical about whether the stimulus is accomplishing much. Since the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the nation’s jobless rate has climbed higher than the White House and others had predicted.

Mr. Obama’s approval ratings have sagged in recent weeks. Meanwhile, policymakers who back the stimulus have sent mixed signals. Some say not to judge the programs too soon, since most of the stimulus money hasn’t been spent yet. But now Americans have been reminded that, in terms of gross domestic product (GDP), the impact of stimulus next year will be modest.

continued...

Public Option?

Okay, now I am confused.

Yesterday, Pelosi was claiming that she had the votes to pass a public option.

House Democrats "definitely" have a health reform bill right now that could win 218 votes in the House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Wednesday.

Today...

Speaker Nancy Pelosi counted votes Thursday night and determined she could not pass a “robust public option” — the most aggressive of the three forms of a public option House Democrats have been considering as part of a national overhaul of health care.

Okay- so what is the truth?

Congrats Anthony Nudo

Congratulations to Anthony Nudo. Last night Anthony was sworn in as the President of the Kenosha Realtors Association



Bare with me. I know the quality was not the best, but it was my first time to try it on my cell phone.

Wisconsin Right to Life presents Sarah Palin

It has just been announced that former Governor Sarah Palin is coming to Wisconsin.

Wisconsin Right to Life has announced it.

Wisconsin Right to Life Presents Sarah Palin

Yes, it’s true! Sarah Palin is coming to Milwaukee to appear at a benefit for the educational efforts of Wisconsin Right to Life. The event is Friday, November 6 at 7:30pm at the Wisconsin Exposition Center at State Fair Park, Hall B. You won’t want to miss this exciting opportunity to hear Sarah Palin!

You can find ticket purchase and other information here.

Barbara Lyons

I hope it is not a farce, I just bought tickets. I did not want to chance it.

No cameras or recording devices are allowed.

Charges against Heene parents are coming

I guess someone finally figured out that the runaway balloon hoax was actually a hoax.

Charges are pending against balloon parents.

We do not know what the charges will be, but a lot of people are speculating.

Face it America, we were punked

No one likes to admit that they have been had, but sometimes it is the best thing to do so everyone can move on.

There are so many questions now about this whole incident, how can anyone NOT believe that it was a hoax?

Little Falcon seems to be the key to this entire hoax.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

We have been told numerous times that little Falcon was scared and was in hiding for hours because he was the one that untethered the balloon. Clearly, from this video Dad untethered the balloon, complete with his own countdown.

Now that story has changed, little Falcon was scared because Dad yelled at him???

Falcon's comment about doing this for "a show" does not really helps the case.

But probably the most important point to note is that the family called the media before calling authorities.

That is the one that no one can seem to explain.

I was shocked when I heard the Sheriff say that his people were "savvy" enough to be able to tell if this was a hoax on day one and closed the investigation. Under normal situations, that is probably true, but this was a highly emotionally charged situation. Based on the Dad's reaction in the video taken at the moment the balloon was released, this is clearly an emotionally charged family. I am certain that during the time the balloon was in flight, authorities were privy to the video. Dad's reaction was one of anger, not panic.

What would have been the harm in letting things settle down first before closing anything?

Taxpayers have the right to demand this family pay back the charges they incurred, if this thing turnes out to be a hoax or even if it was serious negligence by the family. The family jumped to a bad conclusion quickly, with little evidence that the child just was not hiding.

Tax Levy Increases for Westosha Central High School

From WestoftheI.com

Last month Central High School district administrator Scott Pierce introduced the possibility of the district applying for a one-year energy exemption that would allow the school to increase its tax levy by almost $500,000. The idea suggested at the time, but not concretely connected, would be the additional money might plug the funding hole created by the expense of building a state required roundabout intersection at the school’s new exit/entrance on Highway 83.

Read more at WestoftheI.com

Shhhh: Sneaky Dems create Obamacare reconciliation loophole

From Michele Malkin:

While few were watching, the Democrats were at work today paving a short cut to passing Obamacare through the reconciliation process. From CBS News via Political Wire:

Ways and Means approves procedural motion to send health reform legislation to the house budget committee

Pelosi & Rangle are sneaking the groundwork to reconciliation into HR3200.

Apparently the voices at the town hall meetings in August & September fell on deaf ears.

Updated:

If you go to the "Ways & Means approves procedural motion" link and click on "Please click here to view the letter approved by the Committee" the letter from Rangle will download. In that letter is this quote:

"... you as fulfillment of the Committee on Ways and Means budget reconciliation instructions."

Gold Medal for best parks system in the US

I just get the giggles sometimes watching the liberals flounder around. For the last couple of years, the liberals have been beating and bashing Scott Walker over the County Parks in Milwaukee. The liberal theme of badly deteriorated parks during Scott's re-election in 2008 was pushed constantly.

I was even told by local and state Democrats that the liberals planned on using the same line of attack against Scott during the 2010 elections to prove that all of the "massive" cuts Scott insists on in Milwaukee have severely damaged the parks systems.

Errrr.

Scott just tweeted:

Sue Black, our Parks Dir, just called me. We won the Gold Medal for the BEST park system in the USA!

Hah! That is funny.

Congrats Sue Black, Scott Walker, and Milwaukee County!