Porky and Harry

Photo: http://flickr.com/photos/7789604@N05/473808810/

In another bit of liberal condescension, my senator, Charles E. Schumer, referred to those who object to the economic bailout bill as the "chattering class." Then he went on to say that the American People do not care about the "porky amendments" in the bailout bill. Few things irk me more than a politician--especially a self-serving liar like Chuck Schumer--saying what the American people want, or care about, or think; or what we expect from our fearless leaders in Washington. But I am proud to be included in the "chattering class." We chatterers are American citizens exercising our First Amendment rights. Chuck would just LOVE it if we could be shut up. That is why this boondoggle of a bailout bill, this blatant purchase of political power, has been kept secret right up to the eleventh hour, when it is too late to do anything about it. That is why, on a daily basis, democrat after democrat demagogues the so-called fairness doctrine. That is why Obama is misappropriating the Census Bureau to the executive branch, where Rahmbo will have control of it.

Chuck Schumer is one of those democrats who objected to the rush to war after 9/11. It was a year and a half after 9/11 before President Bush ordered the invasion of Iraq. The Obama has been president for what, three weeks, and we must pass this bill now! Even 48 hours of delay is too much. Why? Because the chattering classes and work-a-day Americans might actually learn what is in it if they wait too long. Thus we begin the new era of openness, honesty, and transparency in our federal government.

Japan, Role Model for the U.S.?

Yesterday, the New York Times front page contained this article: "Japan’s Stimulus Push Holds Lessons for U.S.," by Martin Fackler. The gist of the article is that, in the 1990s, when Japan’s economy went down the tubes, the Japanese government spent over $6 trillion on public works projects, mostly construction-related, to spur the economy back to life. After 10 years of this, the Japanese were still in a recession. The most telling paragraph in the article is this(P. A10):

Among ordinary Japanese, the spending is widely disparaged for having turned the nation into a public-works-based welfare state and making regional economies dependent on Tokyo for jobs. Much of the blame has fallen
on the Liberal Democratic Party, which has long used government spending to grease rural vote-buying machines that help keep the party in power. [emphasis added]

Sound familiar? Suppose we paraphrase Fackler(changes in italics):

Among ordinary Americans, the spending is widely
disparaged for havingturned the nation into a public-works-basedwelfare state and making regional economies dependent on Washington for jobs. Much of the blame has fallen on the liberal Democrat Party,which has long used governmentspending to grease rural, city, and
suburban vote-buying machines--such as unions,
Acorn, the ACLU,the NAACP, La Raza, etc.--that help keep
the party in power.

Will ordinary Americans (or, as Dan Rather used to call us, “work-a-day Americans”) be as smart as “ordinary Japanese”, and realize what a colossal power-grab this so-called stimulus package is? I am not optimistic.

BORA: Barack Obama Rex Americanae*

Script for a trailer for the new blockbuster, "Obama Rex"  (spoken in a deep, sinister voice):

The coronation is over. The curtain has risen. With Rahm Emanuel as his Iago, the Moor has taken the reins. See the conniving Shylock, his hands in everybody's pockets, played by Timothy Geithner. Hear Polonius, played by Joe Biden, utter the famous "to thine own self be true, and thou canst still be false to any man." Thrill to the sight of Lady Macbeth (Michelle Obama)  after the infernal-obama-rescue-dog  pees in the Lincoln bedroom, as she exclaims: "Out, damned Spot. Out I Say!" Tremble as the three witches(Nancy, Hillary, and Bill), their ambitions thwarted, brew their scheme to bring about his demise. Will the crafty Iago and the unwitting Obama out-maneuver the three,  or will THEY prevail?   Limited engagement opens January 20, 2009.

But, seriously, I heard the new president say that economic collapse was  a "collective" failure.

So, it follows that  we will to have a "collective" response.  Collective--that is something like a commune, is it not?   When he talks about a more mature tone in Washington,   what he means is that Republicans and Conservatives better be mature.   What about the 1.4 million clods on the Washington mall who booed the outgoing President Bush?  They are Obama's constituents; will he implore them to be mature?   

Finally, a word about the cute, charming, Rev. Joseph Lowery.   Did I hear him Wright?

Did he say, "the brown man will stay around;  the red man will get ahead, man;  and the white man will do right?" So,   white people do not do right? Strange thing to say, considering that, according to the new President, all of us, black, white, red, etc., are supposed to get along now.   Strange thing to say, considering that the first black president was elected because of the votes of white people.   Mr President, I have one word for you:  Maturity.

*cf. INRI:   Iesus Nazareni, Rex Iudaiorum

Princess Caroline's Career

Today, AOL news reported that “[Caroline]Kennedy, a lawyer and author, has spent much of her career maintaining the family legacy and working on civic efforts in New York, such as fundraising for public schools. She has written several books, including ‘The Right to Privacy,’ and ‘The Best-Loved Poems of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.’ “

One thing is for sure: the blogosphere and talk-radio are going to love her. She is a treasure-trove of material. Just look at all the neat stuff in these two sentences.

“…maintaining the family legacy…” What exactly does that mean? Marrying money?
Bootlegging? Getting a ghost-writer to write your book? Getting drunk and seducing young men? Getting drunk, seducing a young man, driving to a deserted beach in the middle of the night? Getting drunk and blubbering er, uh, er uh, er uh….? Getting drunk and committing rape or murder? Paying off people such as lawmakers and DAs? Wire-tapping civil rights leaders? Using her family name to advance her career? Earning approximately $0.0 of her personal wealth? Has any one else ever had the career of maintaining the family legacy? When I was a kid, no one ever told me that was a career option. Does maintaining the family legacy prepare one for the U.S. Senate? Come to think of it, it does.



“…fundraising for public schools…” Does that mean she is a property tax collector? In New York, her home state, public schools are funded by property taxes. In New York City, the cost per student is $14,119.00, the highest in the nation. Do they really need Caroline Kennedy to raise more funds? If she raises a lot of money for the schools, will they lower NYC property taxes ?

“…’The Right to Privacy’ “ I guess this book is a treatise on the Constitutional basis for the right to privacy. She had a co-author--surprise, surprise--named Ellen Alderman. The first chapter is about a case involving a strip search. There’s that family legacy again.

“…’The Best-Loved Poems of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.’ “ It must have been tough Xeroxing all those poems and sending them to her agent.

She does have one very positive and true qualification for being the junior senator from
New York: she is not Hillary Rodham Clinton.