Education Secretary on Sequestration: "Kids are Going to Get Hurt!"

Ministry of Hope and Change caught up in more careless lies.

Teacher pink slips claim by Duncan not backed by evidence

The Washington Post
By Lyndsey Layton and Karen Tumulty,

Feb 27, 2013 07:53 PM EST

The descriptions of the post-sequester landscape that have been coming out of the Obama Administration have been alarming, specific--and, in at least some cases, hyped.
“There are literally teachers now who are getting pink slips, who are getting notices that they can’t come back this fall,” Education Secretary Arne Duncan said Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation

When he was pressed in a White House briefing Wednesday to come up with an example, Duncan named a single county in West Virginia and acknowledged, “whether it’s all sequester-related, I don’t know.” And, as it turns out, it isn’t. Officials in Kanawha County, West Virginia say that the “transfer notices” sent to at least 104 educators had more to do with a separate matter that involves a change in the way West Virginia allocates federal dollars designated for poor children

Read the entire article here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/teacher-pink-slips-claim-by-duncan-not-backed-by-evidence/2013/02/27/8a87aa2a-8113-11e2-b99e-6baf4ebe42df_story.html

The Most Transparent White House Ever! (threatening reporters against telling the truth)

Gooooo, Zo!!!

ZoNation: Dr Benjamin Carson Got Real on Pres Obama

Thomas Sowell: Sheperds and Sheep (26 Feb 2013)

John Stuart Mill's classic essay "On Liberty" gives reasons why some people should not be taking over other people's decisions about their own lives. But Professor Cass Sunstein of Harvard has given reasons to the contrary. He cites research showing "that people make a lot of mistakes, and that those mistakes can prove extremely damaging."

Professor Sunstein is undoubtedly correct that "people make a lot of mistakes." Most of us can look back over our own lives and see many mistakes, including some that were very damaging.

What Cass Sunstein does not tell us is what sort of creatures, other than people, are going to override our mistaken decisions for us. That is the key flaw in the theory and agenda of the left.

Implicit in the wide range of efforts on the left to get government to take over more of our decisions for us is the assumption that there is some superior class of people who are either wiser or nobler than the rest of us.

Yes, we all make mistakes. But do governments not make bigger and more catastrophic mistakes? [....]

One of the key differences between mistakes that we make in our own lives and mistakes made by governments is that bad consequences force us to correct our own mistakes. But government officials cannot admit to making a mistake without jeopardizing their whole careers.  [....]

What is even more relevant to Professor Sunstein's desire to have our betters tell us how to live our lives, is that so many oppressive and even catastrophic government policies were cheered on by the intelligentsia.

Back in the 1930s, for example, totalitarianism was considered to be "the wave of the future" by much of the intelligentsia, not only in the totalitarian countries themselves but in democratic nations as well.

The Soviet Union was being praised to the skies by such literary luminaries as George Bernard Shaw in Britain and Edmund Wilson in America, while literally millions of people were being systematically starved to death by Stalin and masses of others were being shipped off to slave labor camps.

Even Hitler and Mussolini had their supporters or apologists among intellectuals in the Western democracies, including at one time Lincoln Steffens and W.E.B. Du Bois.

An even larger array of the intellectual elite in the 1930s opposed the efforts of Western democracies to respond to Hitler's massive military buildup with offsetting military defense buildups to deter Hitler or to defend themselves if deterrence failed.

"Disarmament" was the mantra of the day among the intelligentsia, often garnished with the suggestion that the Western democracies should "set an example" for other nations — as if Nazi Germany or imperial Japan was likely to follow their example.

Too many among today's intellectual elite see themselves as our shepherds and us as their sheep. Tragically, too many of us are apparently willing to be sheep, in exchange for being taken care of, being relieved of the burdens of adult responsibility and being supplied with "free" stuff paid for by others.

Read Complete Column Here: http://jewishworldreview.com/cols/sowell022613.php3

Blast from the past: when the dictator feels insecure, he makes EVERYBODY feel insecure, by performing stunts like releasing all the prisoners from jail -- in doing so, he hopes to inspire in the general public the wisdom that they need to cede him total power in order to have security. 
 

Jailbirds fly free in Iraq (Oct 22, 2002)

Tens of thousands of Iraqi prisoners were released from custody this week by the regime of Saddam Hussein http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/1022/p07s01-wome.html

 

And in today's news:

 

Illegal Immigrants Released from Prison Ahead of Sequester
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Monday, “We're doing our very best to minimize the impacts of sequester but there's only so much that I can do." Napolitano added, “You know, I'm supposed to have 34,000 detention beds for immigration.
http://www.eastidahonews.com/2013/02/illegal-immigrants-released-from-prison-ahead-of-sequester/

I guess the President felt the American people were calling his bluff on the Mayan Apocalypse prophecies he foretold would come in the wake of the mere 2.4 percent spending cuts that would come off this year's projecctions (even with these cuts, this year's out-of-control spending will exceed last's).  Obama doesn't have any intention at all of cutting spending and seems to be determined to drive this country to economic ruin.

J.D.

New study confirms economy was destroyed by Democrat policies (Examiner, Dec 12)

A little dated (Dec 2012), but worth the read if you're not already apprised....

A new study from the widely respected National Bureau of Economic Research released this week has confirmed beyond question that the left's race-baiting attacks on the housing market (the Community Reinvestment Act--enacted under Carter, made shockingly more aggressive under Clinton) is directly responsible for imploding the housing market and destroying the economy.

More here at the Examiner.com: http://www.examiner.com/article/new-study-confirms-economy-was-destroyed-by-democrat-policies

                                                                                                                                   http://imaksim.com/

Dems: 2.4% Cut to Future Spending Means Apocalypse (Breitbart)

One has to question the seriousness of any pledge to get the debt in this country under control when a mere 2.4% cut to projected spending (i.e. even with this cut, we will still be spending more than last year, for which we have incurred a 1.33 trillion dollar deficit) is demagogued as the End of Days....  We are in a lot of trouble, not due to the sequester, but due to failed leadership.

Bretbart:

This weekend, President Obama deployed his entire team of lackeys to detail the parade of horribles that will supposedly inevitably follow the implementation of the sequester on March 1. The sequester, a package of $1.2 trillion in cuts to future spending, was originally President Obama’s idea. But now, in an attempt to leverage Americans into accepting still-higher taxes, Obama says that should the sequester hit, the world as we know it will fall into darkness.[...]
Sure, the top taxpayers just got smacked on January 1 with a dramatic tax increase. And sure, the American people got smacked, too. But it’s Republicans who are extreme, because they’re not willing to sacrifice the entire economy to President Obama’s myopic focus on class warfare.
More here at Breitbart: http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/02/24/Dems-Present-parade-of-horribles-sequestration

Bloomberg's Soda Ban..... (NY Post)

There IS a cost (a rather large one, actually) for abdicating personal responsibility over your life and surrendering your decision-making power to Control Central.  For example: You lose flexibility to exercise options to solve problems on a case by case basis (e.g. regardless of whether or not you think drinking a 32oz soda is bad for your health, being forced to buy beverages in smaller units at restaurants and at take-out/delivery establishments will drive up the cost of your "night out" [and, I'm assuming, this will probably impact the economic middle and lower classes more than the upper classes]).  Also, by attempting to institute cultural practices by fiat in adults, you don't "improve" the behavior of people engaged in seemingly decadent practices, you just teach them to heel a little better when the authorities are around.  The whole concept of "Majority Age" is based upon the idea that, when a child reaches the age of adulthood, he or she should be allowed to make their own personal decisions -- the checks and balances included in this package are that the young adult now has to bear responsiblity for all their decisions and is held legally liable by law for such. 

Hence, in the old world of personal responsibility we formerly lived in, if a young person regularly engaged in behavior that  negatively impacted their health to the extent that they regularly incurred medical costs, the person would either have to pay these bills directly out of pocket or, if covered, his or her insurance rate would go up.  But now, you have the "option" for mandated insurance where the provider cannot "discriminate" (...) against you for your "prior condition" -- which said condition could very well have been the result of your previously-chosen dumb, decadent behavior.  So, yes, indeed! Party Days are here in Nanny Bloomberg's state and probably coming soon to a state near you! - no responsibility for your decisions!!! (but your personal choice options are going to be increasingly fewer and each more expensive).  This is what is called a trade off.  In this case, trading off your personal liberty to abjure your personal responsibilities.
J.D.

NY Post:

""It’s not fair. If you’re gonna tell me what to do, it’s no good,” said Steve DiMaggio of Caruso’s in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. “It’s gonna cost a lot more.”

And consumers, especially families, will soon see how the rules will affect their wallets — forcing them to pay higher unit prices for smaller bottles.
Typically, a pizzeria charges $3 for a 2-liter bottle of Coke. But under the ban, customers would have to buy six 12-ounce cans at a total cost of $7.50 to get an equivalent amount of soda.
“I really feel bad for the customers,” said Lupe Balbuena of World Pie in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn.
Domino’s on First Avenue and 74th Street on the Upper East Side is doing away with its most popular drink sizes: the 20-ounce and 2-liter bottles.
“We’re getting in 16-ounce bottles — and that’s all we’re going to sell,” a worker said.
He said the smaller bottles will generate more revenue for the restaurant but cost consumers more."
Read More Here: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/soda_ban_to_sap_your_4t5pEK0hvo3PoNZEBOdZ2L

Cardinals Mull Obama Papacy (People's Cube)

Vatican insiders today report what is an apparent "testing the water" move by the White House to suggest President Barack Obama as a possible replacement for retiring Pope Benedict XVI.

Father Guido Sarducci, unofficial Vatican spokesman, confirmed that a "highly placed person" in the administration had floated the idea of naming Obama the Vicar of Christ on Earth when Pope Benedict steps down at the end of the month.

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney was quick to state that any talk of the President leaving his current office to assume the duties of the supreme pontiff was irresponsible. "We are quite sure that the President would be able to fulfill the duties of both roles simultaneously," Carney reassured reporters.

He admitted that, like assuming the mantle of the presidency, becoming pope would entail a step down for the Lightbringer, but in his well-documented humility the President would be willing to do so to set the Church straight on a number of vital issues.

"Internally, the Church needs a thorough reorganization, starting with assigning union representation for each diocese, and also this staunch resistance to the human right of abortion on demand has obviously got to stop," Carney said.

Furthermore, Carney pointed out the additional advantages of having a Pope Hussein at the helm of the Church.

"Imagine the ecumenical possibilities in the Middle East," the Press Secretary suggested. "This could be the moment when the Earth begins to heal itself, when the waters start to recede in the relationship between Islam and Christianity."

Carney invited reporters to consider how a heartfelt apology to the Arab World for the Crusades could open up an entirely new era of interfaith cooperation. While this would of course "require all lands stolen from the Caliphate by Christendom be returned to the Dar-al-Islam," Carney reminded reporters that the Muslim call to prayer at sunset was one of the sweetest sounds on Earth and that he was sure the Spaniards would welcome back sharia law.

Carney closed the briefing with an emphasis on the historic opportunity this presented to the College of Cardinals. "Imagine, if you will, not only the first African-American pope, but indeed the first non-Catholic pope. I only hope the College of Cardinals can overcome their racism and religious bigotry to make the clear choice

http://thepeoplescube.com/peoples-blog/vatican-pope-resignes-cardinals-mull-obama-papacy-t10698.html

Thomas Sowell: Random Thoughts (12 Feb 13)

One of the talking points in favor of confirming Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense is that he was a wounded combat veteran. How does that qualify anyone to run the whole military establishment? Benedict Arnold was a wounded combat veteran!

...read the full article here: http://jewishworldreview.com/cols/sowell021213.php3

Politizoid: You Didn't Build That

Who Bears Responsibliity for the Sequester Cuts?

Aaron Blake in the Washington Post assigns the blame (via Woodward et al) squarely on the shoulders of the Whitehouse for formulating the plan (though he mentions Republicans voted in larger numbers than Democrats to approve the President's plan).  It's curious how the president is still making denials of responsibility for the plan, in the face of numerous bi-partisan witnesses (and even a video tape with the President adamantly stating that he would veto any proposal to overturn the sequester if the budget cut conditions weren't met).  It's as if he has no respect for the average voters credulity.

Aaron Blake:
"Mitt Romney also tried to argue that the sequester was the president’s doing. “I will not cut our military budget by a trillion dollars, which is a combination of the budget cuts the president has, as well as the sequestration cuts,” Romney said. “That, in my view, is making — is making our future less certain and less secure.”
Obama responded: “First of all, the sequester is not something that I’ve proposed. It is something that Congress has proposed. It will not happen.”

So who is right?

 

Well, according to our Washington Post colleague Bob Woodward, the idea did in fact originate in the White House. Woodward’s book about the 2011 debt ceiling crisis says clearly that the idea originated inside the White House, and Woodward later said that Obama’s assertion that the idea was proposed by Congress was “not correct” and that “it’s refuted by the people who work for him.”
The Post’s fact-checker, Glenn Kessler, awarded Obama four Pinocchios for his claim — a rating that denotes “significant factual error and/or obvious contradictions."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/02/05/who-is-responsible-for-the-sequester/

 

 

First Time Ashamed vs First Time Proud

 

Big news when Rush Limbaugh is, for the first time, ashamed of his country; par for course, when the First Lady in waiting is proud of her country, for the first time, when she's about to become First Lady.  I guess the media holds Rush to a higher standard than the first family.  Duh!

J.D.