POLITICAL: The “Chesley Sullenberger” yardstick for assessing “leadership”, Politicians found wanting!

Saturday, January 31, 2009

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2009/01/the_sullenberger_combination.html

January 17, 2009
The Sullenberger Combination
Lee Cary

*** begin quote ***

Captain Chesley Sullenberger gave us a glimpse of what’s long been lacking in our national political leadership — the complete combination of competence, leadership and courage.

The pilot of US Airways Flight 1549 had, in multiple ways, prepared all his life to save the crew and 150 passengers on his aircraft. When the moment came to apply all that preparation, he calmly announced over the aircraft’s intercom, “Brace for impact.”

*** end quote ***

An excellent comparison to ALL the current political leadership!

Running around yelling: ‘the sky is falling’ is what comes to mind in DC!

Argh!

# # # # #

Leave a Comment » | Political | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

RANT: Media Bias? What Media bias?

Saturday, January 31, 2009

http://www.mrc.org/press/2009/press20090129.asp

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 26, 2009 CONTACT: COLLEEN O’BOYLE or TIM SCHEIDERER AT 703.683.5004

Bozell: ABC’s Stephanopoulos Must Recuse Himself From Any Reporting Involving The Obama Administration
This Week host owes an explanation for his daily strategy phone calls with White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel

ALEXANDRIA, VA – Tuesday’s Politico broke the news that ABC News’s Chief Washington Correspondent and the host of ABC’s Sunday morning news show This Week George Stephanopoulos has daily phone discussions with White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel during which he helps formulate and shape the thoughts of and messaging for Emmanuel and the Barack Obama Administration. And that he has had these conversations with Emanuel throughout his tenure at ABC.

CNN liberal pundits Paul Begala and James Carville also participate in the daily round robin telephonic strategy sessions. In the article, Begala said he often can’t remember the originator of any particular insight, and is quoted as saying “We talk so much — was this my idea that James changed, or was this George’s observation that Rahm tweaked?”

Stephanopoulos first joined ABC News as an analyst in 1997. He was serving as a fill-in anchor by 2001 and became host of This Week in September of 2002. When named to what would seem to be an unrealistic post for him in June of that year, Stephanopoulos asserted “If I were biased, I don’t believe I would have gotten the job.”

Emanuel was elected a Democratic Congressman from Illinois in November 2002. As head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee he helped the Party retake control of the House in 2006.

And Emanuel accomplished all of it with the daily assistance of ABC News’s Stephanopoulos. And he continues to receive Stephanopoulos’ help in his new role as President Obama’s Chief of Staff.

Brent Bozell:

   “What’s worse than the liberal media’s sycophantic coverage of President Barack Obama? ABC’s George Stephanopoulos actively helping design and deliver the Administration’s strategy and message – which he is then charged with reporting.

   “Will Stephanopoulos be critical of the White House’s plans when he spends every morning helping to craft them? Not likely. He must from this point forward recuse himself from any reporting involving the Obama Administration.

   “For Stephanopoulos, the line between journalist and liberal strategist would be completely obliterated were it not for the fact that it apparently never existed at all. He didn’t fail in his attempt at transformation from liberal operative to journalist – he never made the effort.”

# – # – #

This just leaves me speechless.
# # # # #

Leave a Comment » | Ranting | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

QUOTES: Impossibe!

Friday, January 30, 2009

http://www.plaxo.com/events/show/133143714

If someone says: “That’s impossible!”

You should understand it as: “According to my limited experience and narrow understanding of reality, that’s very unlikely.”

# # # # #

Leave a Comment » | Quotes | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

RANT: O versus L? The typical false choice.

Friday, January 30, 2009

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0109/18194_Page2.html  

Are you with Obama or Rush?
By JONATHAN MARTIN
1/29/09 8:00 PM EST
Updated: 1/30/09 4:37 AM EST

*** begin quote ***

Politico has learned that tomorrow Americans United for Change, a liberal group, will begin airing radio ads in three states Obama won — Ohio, Pennsylvania and Nevada — with a tough question aimed at the GOP senators there: Will you side with Obama or Rush Limbaugh?

“Every Republican member of the House chose to take Rush Limbaugh’s advice,” says the narrator after playing the conservative talk radio giant’s declaration that he hopes Obama “fails.”

“Every Republican voted with Limbaugh — and against creating 4 million new American jobs. We can understand why a extreme partisan like Rush Limbaugh wants President Obama’s Jobs program to fail — but the members of Congress elected to represent the citizens in their districts? That’s another matter. Now the Obama plan goes to the Senate, and the question is: Will our Senator”—here the ad is tailored by state to name George Voinovich in Ohio, Arlen Specter in Pennsylvania, and John Ensign in Nevada—”side with Rush Limbaugh too?”

Asked to respond, Limbaugh had a message for his party.

“Senate Republicans need to understand this is not about me,” he wrote in an email. “It is about them, about intimidating them, especially after the show of unity in House. It is about the 2010 and 2012 elections. This is an opportunity for Republicans to redefine themselves after a few years of wandering aimlessly looking for a ‘brand’ and identity.”

*** and ***

Senate Republicans acknowledge that they’ll lose some of their members on the first vote.

“We’re in a little different spot than the House in that we have a handful of Republicans who have all but committed to supporting the package,” said a Senate GOP aide.

The aide declined to say who, but speculation on both sides of the aisle is centered on a group of northeasterners — Senators Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine, Sen. Judd Gregg (NH) and Specter.

*** end quote ***

Everyone should be real clear. The “stimulus” bill is not about stimulus, jobs, or benefits for the “folks”.

It’s about socialism, pork spending, and making future voters for the democratic party.

Rahm told you that a crisis is a terrible thing to waste.

We’ve been hustled before — the Bush pre-rebate, the TARP, and now this!

And, the ad offers a false choice — O versus L?

I’m with neither.

The Republican Party NOW, when it’s out of power wants to “brand” itself as the party of smaller gooferment again. Where were they for eight years? We have the TSA, deficits, and out of control spending. All caused by a President who wouldn’t veto anything.

And, O wants to remake America on the basis of he “won” an election. Hey, guess what, more folks didn’t vote than voted. So you were elected by 28% to 24%. That should tell you that your plurality is very small.

More than half the Americans know they are getting screwed no matter which “side” won.

Not that there is much difference between EITHER “side”!

In this case, I am against the “gooferment enlargement” package.

You want to restart the economy. Shrink gooferment — Nuke the TSA, Kill whole gooferment department and agencies, stop the psuedo drug war, pardon all non-violent drug offenders, and return to normal. Cut the corporate tax to ZERO forever. It’s a sham; only real people pay taxes. Corporate taxes hide how much the gooferment is stealing from us.

Argh!

# # # # #

Leave a Comment » | Ranting | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

LIBERTY: Cops out of control

Thursday, January 29, 2009

http://jonathanturley.org/2008/12/05/video-police-taser-son-who-tries-to-rescue-his-father-after-police-and-fire-department-refuses-to-go-into-water/

Video: Police Taser Son Who Tries to Rescue His Father After Police and Fire Department Refuses to Go Into Water
Published 1, December 5, 2008 Criminal law , Society , Torts

*** begin quote ***

The video below reveals another troubling use of a taser. 54-year-old Maurizio Biasini went to a Mendocino Beach called Portuguese Beach with his two twin sons, Dario and Andriano Biasini, and fell into the water. The police and fire department refused to go into the choppy water as the father was swept further and further out to sea. When the sons screamed at the officers for not acting and one tried to go into the water, the police tasered one son twice. The father was lost.

The fire department insisted on waiting for the Coast Guard as the distraught sons demanded action and swore at the officers. According to one witness, it was the police that turned the confrontation into a physical matter by grabbing one son around the neck and lifting him off the ground. They then tasered one son who wanted to rescue his father not once but twice. To make matters, the police proceeded to criminally charge the son for . . . you guessed it . . . interfering with a rescue that they refused carry out.

*** end quote ***

Not the “worst” case of police abuse I have ever seen on the internet.

Obviously, these people don’t understand that the bureaucrat’s job is to fill out paperwork. Save their father? Please, the uniform might get wet.

Now, they may have recognized there was no hope.

But, preventing the boy from trying himself? Who owns his body? May have been the boy’s last mistake, but it WAS his to make.

Handled badly. That cop looked like he had spent to much time at the donut shop.

Tasering the kid after he handled it badly, the cop should be charged with assault. At the very least, he should be seeking a new career.

I wonder if got a “paid vacation” (what they called administrative leave) and a promotion?

Argh!

# # # # #

Leave a Comment » | LIBERTY | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

MONEY: Economy needs Austrian solution!

Thursday, January 29, 2009

http://www.centraljersey.com/articles/2009/01/27/opinions/doc497f83d8ae815184216560.txt

DISPATCHES: Economy needs Keynesian solution
Tuesday, January 27, 2009 5:06 PM EST
By Hank Kalet, Online Editor

*** begin quote ***

   The mood of the nation may be changing.

   A nation that for nearly three decades bought into a conservative ideology that painted government as the enemy is embracing the return of federal intervention in the economy as necessary to repair the damage caused by years of neglect.

   Polling over the last month shows that about two thirds of Americans support an economic stimulus package weighted toward government spending while a majority of Americans now favor increased regulation of the financial industry.

*** end quote ***

Yeah, they want more gooferment regulation to fix the problem that the gooferment regulation created in the first place. Argh! Theres an incestuaous relationship between the congresscritters, the regulatory agencies, and the companie being regulated. Argh! Follow the moeny and campaign contributions! And, you expect it to change?

*** begin quote ***

   The credit crunch has resulted in “trillions missing from the economy,” he said. “Money is not moving, and the government is in a position to make money move.”

   Direct investment — in the form of road and bridge repairs, construction of a 21st-century electrical grid and expanded broadband access — will not only get people working again, but also leave the nation better off down the road.

   A little more than a third of the $825 billion stimulus package on the table in Washington is slated to go toward what some are calling “make-work” projects, which also include building schools and providing funding to help local and state governments, as well as homeowners, make their buildings more energy efficient.

   The package also includes significant aid to the states, an expansion of unemployment benefits and assistance with health care — all of which not only puts money back in the economy, but alleviates some of the economic pain being felt by average Americans.

*** end quote ***

YEAH, every social program that can be thrown in has been. Please don’t make me laugh. The socialists of the R’s and D’s are using this crisis — as politicians have throughout the ages — to justify more and bigger intrusions on our lives, our pocketbooks, and our essential liberties. Argh!

*** begin quote ***  

   Without the federal aid, it is likely states will need to slash their budgets, drastically in some cases, to meet constitutional requirements. New Jersey, for instance, requires that its state budget be in balance, meaning falling revenue must be addressed either by cutting taxes or spending cuts — neither of which makes sense at a time of severe recession.

*** end quote ***

NJ finances are a joke. The crooks in Trenton spend like there is no tomorrow. And, the taxpayers get stuck.

*** begin quote ***

   While many tie the New Deal — Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s package of programs meant to battle the Great Depression — as Keynesian, Dr. Reich reminds us it was “not until the U.S. entered World War II” that the nation implemented “Keynes’ idea on a scale necessary to pull the nation out of the doldrums.”

*** end quote ***

FDR had to lure, cajole, and almost force the Japanese into the attack on Perl Harbor. To end the Great Depression. And, we’re left with the illusion that FDR was a “good guy”.

*** begin quote ***

   These results — and the long economic expansion that followed — are evidence we need bold action; we must inject public money into the economy regardless of its impact on the deficit. Once the economy is rescued, we can start thinking about reining in the deficit.

*** end quote ***

No we need to have a revolution!

# # # # #

Leave a Comment » | MONEY | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

RANT: Fixing a broken leg? Corporations receiving bailouts look overseas

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090116/D95OHIB80.html

Report: Over 8 in 10 corporations have tax havens
Jan 16, 6:28 PM (ET)
By KEN THOMAS

*** begin quote ***

WASHINGTON (AP) – Eighty-three of the nation’s 100 largest corporations, including Citigroup, Bank of America and News Corp. (NWSA), had subsidiaries in offshore tax havens in 2007, and some of the companies received federal bailout funding, a government watchdog said Friday.

The Government Accountability Office released a report that said Bank of America Inc., Citigroup Inc. (C) and Morgan Stanley (MS) all had more than 100 units in countries that maintain low or no taxes. The three financial institutions were included in the $700 billion financial bailout approved by Congress.

*** end quote ***

Corporations are a product of the gooferment. Why are we surprised when they take bailout money and setup tax shelters? I’m sure the congresscritters will “fix” this! (Fix in the sense of amputating the broken leg!)

Argh!

# # # # #

Leave a Comment » | Ranting | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

VETERANS: Get snubbed. No surprise there.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

http://formerspook.blogspot.com/2009/01/little-unfinished-inaugural-business.html

Friday, January 23, 2009
A Little Unfinished Inaugural Business

*** begin quote ***

Among all the inaugural hoopla this week, there were a few incidents that we found disturbing–if not down-right offensive–because they took a direct shot at the nation’s military heroes, and the out-going commander-in-chief.

And we’re not referring to the smattering of boos and the refrain of “nah-nah-nah-nah, hey, hey…goodbye” that greeted George Bush as he arrived at the inauguration on Tuesday morning. These events occurred after Mr. Bush left town, at galas that commemorated the swearing-in of Barack Obama.

*** and ***

By comparison, the quadrennial “Salute to Heroes Ball” went on as planned, just as it has on every Inauguration Night since 1953. But this year’s event was noteworthy for its most prominent no-show: the new commander-in-chief. Barack Obama was the first president to skip the event, breaking a tradition that began with Dwight D. Eisenhower.
To his credit, Mr. Obama did attend the Commander-in-Chief’s ball, but the Heroes gala is no ordinary event. It’s been a staple of the inauguration for six decades and it’s chief sponsor is a powerful organization (the American Legion) that has been courted by every recent president and presidential candidate. Among those honored at the Heroes ball are the nation’s Medal of Honor recipients. This year, 47 of the 99 living MOH winners were at this year’s ball, where they were honored by Vice-President Joe Biden and other dignitaries.
Obviously, the president can’t make it to every inaugural event, but nine commanders-in-chief found time to attend. As for President Obama, he found time to attend something called the “Neighborhood Inaugural Ball,” aimed at D.C. residents. Apparently, living inside the federal district puts you higher on the social register than winning the nation’s highest decoration for military valor.
*** end quote ***

Sorry to hear this. Not surprised. Just sorry.
As a vet and an American Legion member, Liberals don’t value the military. Sometimes their disrespect is palpable. In this case, it’s subtle.
Argh!
# # # # #

Leave a Comment » | VETERANS | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

LIBERTY: What will be foisted upon us now!

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

http://townhall.com/columnists/ThomasSowell/2009/01/27/what_are_they_buying?page=2

Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Thomas Sowell :: Townhall.com Columnist
What Are They Buying?
by Thomas Sowell

*** begin quote ***

What are the Beltway politicians buying with all the hundreds of billions of dollars they are spending? They are buying what politicians are most interested in– power.

In the name of protecting the taxpayers’ investment, they are buying the power to tell General Motors how to make cars, banks how to bank and, before it is all over with, all sorts of other people how to do the work they specialize in, and for which members of Congress have no competence, much less expertise.

This administration and Congress are now in a position to do what Franklin D. Roosevelt did during the Great Depression of the 1930s– use a crisis of the times to create new institutions that will last for generations.

To this day, we are still subsidizing millionaires in agriculture because farmers were having a tough time in the 1930s. We have the Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”) taking reckless chances in the housing market that have blown up in our faces today, because FDR decided to create a new federal housing agency in 1938.

Who knows what bright ideas this administration will turn into permanent institutions for our children and grandchildren to try to cope with?

*** end quote ***

It’s no doubt that politicians use crisis to consolidate and enlarge their power over us.

What will the serfs be saddled with now?

# # # # #

Leave a Comment » | LIBERTY | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

JOBSEARCH: A book is recommended to me

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

http://www.amazon.com/Do-What-You-Are-Personality/dp/0316167266/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231976366&sr=1-1

Do What You Are by Paul D. Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger.

Already a classic in the genre, Do What You Are has helped hundreds of thousands of people find truly satisfying work. Do What You Are introduces Personality Type – how you process information, make decisions and interact with the world around you – and shows you which of the 16 types describes you best. It lists dozens of occupations that are popular with people of your type. Then, using workbook exercises and real-life examples to highlight the strengths and pitfalls of each personality type, it shows you step-by-step how to use your unique strengths to customise your job search, ensuring the best results in the shortest period of time. And if you plan to stay in your job, Do What You Are provides savvy advice for getting the most out of your current career.

# – # – #

Maybe I should read this one? I’m an ITSJ.

# # # # #

Leave a Comment » | JOBSEARCH | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »