What is the Bush Doctrine?

Some in the media are trying to make something out of Palin not knowing what the Bush Doctrine was. Check out this article from the Washington Post.

Is the media hawking recession?

It seems to me that the media had been trying to convince the American public it was in a recession.

Some examples:

"Two-thirds of the 52 economists polled said the U.S. economy is in recession. Add those who believe the economy will be in recession soon, and 79% believe that the economy will contract at some point in 2008." USA Today, 4/28/2008

http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2008-04-28-economy-survey-recession_N.htm

"Recession is here - economists" CNN 2/5/2008

http://money.cnn.com/2008/02/05/news/economy/recession/

"Talk of the worst recession since the 1930s" -NY SUN 11/12/2007
http://www.nysun.com/business/talk-of-worst-recession-since-the-1930s/66268/

Do the Democrats understand what a recession is?

A recession is defined by two or more quarters of negative growth.


9/11: Sen Schumer (D-NY) "I think if you ask the average middle-class American, they would clearly say we are in a recession."
9/11: Sen Stabenow(D-MI) "...we are absolutely in a recession."
9/11: Sen Casey(D-PA) "...we have been in a recession."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,421301,00.html

link2

The Bureau of Economic Analysis says the economy is in positive growth.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

Current Numbers:

• 2nd quarter 2008: +3.3 percent
• 1st quarter 2008: +0.9 percent

Attack Ads Continue

Well the Rubik's cube has made a comeback. First with a commercial of Tiger Woods hitting one into a golf hole, and now to illustrate how old McCain is. Another example of Obama using old style politics.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/09/12/america/Obama.php



McCain Response:

Freelotto

Freelotto is a site I have playing for a few years now, averaging wins
around $5 to $12 a year. You go to site, select a few numbers (I use
the quick pick), and then select an ad to view or question to answer.
Then you check to see (the next day or two) to see if you won. If you
have patience to go everyday and want to win a few dollars a year
(though you could win a million), check out this site.

And Good Luck!

Oh, be careful, the results might go to your spam folder.

Update: They now have a link on the results page to check out your results for the last 30 days. A nice addition.

Town Hall Meetings - New Poll

Do you think it was a mistake for Obama to reject the Town Hall meetings that McCain proposed?

Wolfs attacking Palin ad

Reminds me of Reagan's Bear in the Woods commercial.



The Bear

America is safer - MSNBC

Richard Engel on MSNBC today said "the security services have done a great job... Al Qaeda in Iraq has been dealt a great blow."
David Ignatius says we are safer in America. "In the Muslim world, Al Qaeda is losing"

Will entertainment affect our Presidential choice?

Did the show "24" make it more easier for the American public accept the idea of a black president. Did the show "Commander-in-Chief" do the same for women. If you watch PBS, you might have seen "The Amazing Mrs. Pritchard" were a down to earth woman, supermarket manager, becomes a popular Prime Minister of Britain.

Did Palin want to ban books?

No books have been pulled from the shelves.

"Palin supposedly tried to ban…that hadn’t even been published yet. Example: The Harry Potter books, the first of which wasn’t published until 1998."

A good read on the subject.

Citizens Against Government Waste

Their reform ratings: MaCain: 100%, Obama 10% (voting twice against waste), Biden 0%

link

A change in the Money

For the last couple of weeks I have been intrade, an online market where you can bet on you opinions. For the first time, McCain is ahead.

Today's storyline on television appears to be: Democratic party worried.

http://www.intrade.com/

New Poll - Should Hilllary replace Biden as VP?

Yesterday Biden said Hilllary would have been a better choice as VP. Does this foreshadow a change in the ticket or was Biden being kind?

Vote in the new poll.

Democrat steps in it again

Speaking on the House floor, Tennessee Rep. Steve Cohen said Jesus was a community organizer and "Pontius Pilate was a governor."

Who do they think they are kidding?

Obama -Lipstick - Pig II

On Letterman tonight, Obama will say, that though he didn't mean it that way, the lipstick would be Palin and the Pig would be McCain.

Is this any better?

Iran is tiny threat

According to ABC New tonight, on August 23 Obama said,
"Iran, Cuba, Venezula these countries are tiny compared to the Soviet Union. They don't pose a serious threat to us the way the way the Soviet Union posed a threat to us."

Well, how tiny was Afghanistan and Al Qaeda compare to Iran, before 9/11? "Tiny" threats can still cause a lot of damage.

Democratic surrogates step in it again.

Fower, the South Carolina Democratic chairwoman, said about Palin: "whose primary qualification seems to be that she hasn’t had an abortion.”

link


Just as they were trying to distance themselves from the implied insult of the "pig with lipstick" comment, the campaign goes off track again. One person also tried say that Obama's comment of something smells fishy was a reference to Palin's "Barracuda" nickname.

That republicans and other had used the "pig with lipstick" in the past is not an excuse. The word lipstick takes on a different connotation with Palin, just as "articulate" has a different connotation with Obama.

Update:
I think this is the quote; "Obama said "“You can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called ‘change,’ it’s still going to stink.""

Product Endorsement - Swifter Wet Jet

After a few months of use, my mother commented she really likes the Swifter Wet Jet. I also found it to be a great replacement for the mop. Check it out, I think you will be pleased.

Product Alert - Plastic Containers

Many of you may have dropped a plastic bottle on the floor with no problems. I am here to alert you to be more careful in the future. A 89 fl ounce bottle of Tropicana Orange juice was dropped and it cracked on the bottom and the sides. Orange juice spilled all over the frig and floor.

I guess we have to go back to treating our plastic containers like glass. Two hands everyone :)

Obama says lipstick comment not referring to Palin

Given Obama's speech making capabilities and the recent reference to lipstick being associated to Palin's joke about "the difference between a hockey mom and a pit-bull, lipstick", shouldn't Obama been aware that the connection would have been made?

Combined this with "sexist" comments made recently about Palin all over the media, shouldn't have Obama known that this would be adding fuel to the fire.

McCain Ad to Lipstick Comment - Update

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZd_Y_D-RaA

Update: I guess CBS didn't like the segment of Katie Couric commenting on sexism.
In case you are interested, a new video.

Too much PC?

Biden was criticized for using the word "articulate".

"I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy," Biden said.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/01/31/biden.obama/
February 9, 2007

Now Obama is getting flak for using the phrase "lipstick on a pig". September 9, 2008

Have we gone to far on PC, or this an example of the "liberals" (who have championed political-correctness speech) being "hoist by one’s own petard"?

Is global warming over? Low Sunspots.

"the sun has had more than 400 spotless days during its current minimum. Most agencies reported no sunspots during all of August."

"The longest known spotless era on the sun occurred from about 1650 to 1700. This was during Little Ice Age, a period of severely cool weather documented in paintings, written records and even in tree rings. Some climate scientists believe that the inactive sun may have contributed to the chill."

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/environment/27975949.html


see also
http://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/global_cooling/2008/09/08/128749.html

Global Cooling may be underway says the Old Farmer's Almanac

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/news/2008-09-09-farmers-almanac_N.htm

Is the media biased? - US Weekly

US Weekly Cover titles "Why Barak Loves Her" versus Palin's cover "Babies, Lies & Scandal"


A good read:

Update:
more links

Appears people are cancelling subscriptions.
link1 link2

Should Fenimism be only for Liberal women?

"As for the candidate as mother, is it beyond the pale to wonder whether Sarah Palin and her husband should have thought first of shielding their pregnant daughter from a media lens that they know will focus on the baby bump and a marriage that will take place during a national campaign?" - Ellen Goodman

link


"Vice in Go-Go Boots?" - Maureen Dowd

Bridge to Nowhere

Does it matter that Palin was initially for a "link" as a candidate but then cancelled the "Bridge to Nowhere" as governor, when both Obama and Biden voted for it and McCain voted against it?

link1
link2

The Bradley Effect.

Right now, Real Clear Politics has Obama 217, McCain 174 with 147 Toss Up. With No Toss Ups, Obama wins 274-265. But if the "Bradley Effect" plays, at 2%, McCain wins 278-260, and at 5%, McCain wins 321-217.

Link

Electoral College Tie?

OK, it is way too early, but here is an example of how the election can be thrown in the House of Representatives.

Map

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/maps/obama_vs_mccain/?map=1&save=3-3-3-3-1-2-1-1-1-4-4-1-3-1-4-2-3-3-3-1-1-1-2-2-3-4-4-3-4-4-1-2-1-4-4-4-3-2-2-1-3-3-3-3-3-1-4-1-3-2-3

Obama - does he go against his own party?

On Fox News Sunday (9/7), David Axelrod (Chief Strategist - Obama Campaign), trying to give an example where Obama went against his party, cited Obama's ethics reform bill. Chris Wallace stated that the bill passed unanimously. Axelrod replied Obama had to fight Democratic Party leaders on the bill.

Question - what was in the bill that the leaders didn't like? And did Obama leave it in or did he modify the bill to please the party bosses?

Glenn Beck on Biden's Forced Segregation Plan

I was listening to Glenn Beck program on the radio this morning. In a humorous way, he commented that Obama picked for a vice-president someone who was in favor of forced religious and ethnic separation. This was a reference to Biden's play to divide Iraq into three separate entities.

Link

Energy Plan - Bush's

For those who say Bush did not have an energy program, take a look at this article on May 17, 2001 from CNN and tell me what you think.

Link

Energy - Increase Security By Drilling More

Certain of the United States' current adversaries gain a significant amount of income from oil sales. If we start drilling in all available areas now, even though it may takes years before any oil is produced, those that produce oil will know that in the future they will find it harder to sell oil.

If the U.S. combines drilling with an aggressive alternative energy program, those that sell oil will realize that there will be less demand in the future. This will produce a desire to sell as much oil as they can while they still can. More overall supply will lower the price, thus leaving the current adversaries with less funds with to do mischief.

Feminism - Is NOW dead?

An interesting read. Kirsten Powers is a democrat.

Is the media biased? - MSNBC

Kieth Olbermann and Chris Matthews are replaced as co-anchors of political coverage

link1
link2

Can we handle benefits better?

The way we handle cut off points for denying benefits seems counter-productive. Example: Social Security disability benefits. Assume you are receiving benefits but decided to try to go back to work. You are allowed to work so much but once you achieve a certain point you lose all benefits. This is an incentive not to work unless the new individual income is greater than the current benefits receiving plus taxes paid on the new income plus the cost of working. The cost of working includes possible increased costs in transportation, clothing, meals, baby-sitting, etc, plus the lost of time.

A better system would be a partial cut in benefits. For example for each additional $3 earn, a $1 decrease in benefits. This would provide an incentive to work while also decreasing the cost to agency. In this case the agency actual cost is decreased by $1, plus $0.45 ($3 *15% combined SS tax, individual and company match). And if they person is "wealthy"enough, the state and federal government will also receive income tax.


Links:
substantial gainful activity (SGA)

trial work period

Is the media biased?- The Chris Matthews Show

9/7 With Joe Klein of Time and John Heilemann of New York Magazine, Andrea Mitchell of NBC, and Michele Norris of NPR is the panel unfairly balanced toward the left?

9/7 Joe Klein came out swinging against the Republicans with Democratic talking points. From his blogs I would guess he is far-left.

Health Care - Socialized Medicine - Vaccines

Whether or not you believe in socialized medicine, there maybe a few areas where the government should participate.

One area is the distribution of vaccines. Because vaccines protect not only the health of the individual but also of the whole population, the cost of vaccines should be shared by the government. Vaccines should be made available to everyone.

But we also need to protect those who suffer adverse reactions from taking vaccines. To insure the viability of the companies making vaccines, we should limit being able to sue the manufactures. In return, a fund would be set up to pay for those injured by taking vaccines. This will take out the "lottery" mentality out of suing manufactures. Those that are severely injured would be compensated fairly without having to overly compensate lawyers and battle manufactures in court.

The government would save money by increasing the overall health of the general public, reducing lost wages from those becoming sick and those taking care of the sick. Also the court system will save money by having less trials. The manufactures will save money by having a sure customer for their product (the government) and by reducing litigation costs. Because their risks will be less, they can lower the overall return needed to attract investors. These saving can be passed on it lower drug cost or in increased research and development.