LEAVWORLD: GRAFFITI POLITTI

President Obama has agreed to extend all of the current tax rates for two years, in a “grand compromise” with the GOP. The deal includes extending unemployment benefits another thirteen months, which the Dems have been pushing for. There are several more provisions that are popular with one side or the other, but that’s not the aspect of this deal that I want to focus on. The reaction to it, by partisan pols and media people, is worth examining. Rush Limbaugh thinks the GOP could’ve gotten more, that they have much more leverage than they realize, but won’t use it because of past experiences ( link ). He also notes that “Republicans do not run the House; they don’t run the Senate; they don’t run the White House, so in that limited context it’s a good deal.” ( link ) As the “biggest dog on the (conservative) block,” he is “barking” against “the deal,” which is to be expected. Still, as a regular Rush listener, I didn’t hear real outrage from him. Meanwhile, the left is apoplectic, and i...

Once upon a time “Leftists” were labeled as “Reds,” as in Communist. Now, the “Right-wing” of America is labeled “Red” and the Commies have gone “Green.” It’s interesting that the Dems have chosen “Blue” as their color, because when combined with “Yellow” (as in journalism), it makes “Green,” as well.

Andrew Cuomo accepted the endorsement of the Working Families Party , which is a thoroughly corrupt appendage of New York State's corrupt liberal kleptocracy. They are wholly owned by ACORN and the public sector unions, and exist solely to advance a "big government" agenda. Cuomo made a speech, saying that the WFP would have to conform to "his" agenda, if he was to accept their endorsement. They gave him their ticket, but who do they answer to if they lied? Nobody. It's a "wink and nod," folks! Cuomo doesn't expect them to support lower taxes, or spending restraint. Whether Cuomo sides with their agenda or not is not important. I can't vote for him because he acceded to running on their party line. I will never vote for any candidate on the WFP line, whichever other "major" party cross-endorses them. I have shunned GOP candidates on this basis as well. The name "Working Families Party" suggests that they represent, and a...

New York State government has long been known as "dysfunctional," with "corrupt" being a quick second thought. For a long time, people have lost faith in the electoral process, and given in to the left-wing coalition that has a big "ground game." This year is somewhat different. The right-leaning Tea Party movement has become an effective, and organized counter-movement, in most of the nation. As a "Tea Party" proponent, I have to say that we have a long way to go, in NYS. Let's start with the race for governor, between Carl Paladino , Andrew Cuomo , and several others. My problem with Cuomo is that I already gave the last Democrat "reformer" the benefit of the doubt, and he was thrown out of office! I have serious doubts that Cuomo will do anything to change the "status quo" in Albany. As much as I can't vote for "more of the same," I can't vote for "Archie Bunker" (Carl Paladino), either. Or I...

As the Congress puts off a decision on extending the current tax rates, I have a few thoughts for them. The debate seems to be centered around the divide between taxpayers who make more than X ("the rich"), and people who make less than X ("the rest of us taxpayers"). Obama and Pelosi want to allow tax rates to go up for "the rich," but leave the rates at the current ("cut") levels for "the rest of us taxpayers." The GOP, and a growing number of Democrats want to continue the current tax rates ("Bush tax cuts") for both groups. Keeping the current tax rates in place is projected to "cost," over the next 10 years, $700 billion for the "rich," and around $3 trillion for "the rest of us taxpayers." Doing nothing means everyone's tax rate will increase on Jan. 1st, so the political pressure is as high as it's ever been. Those are the parameters of the debate so far, but I'd like to person...

Here in New York, everyone knows that Andrew Cuomo will be the next governor. The anti-Democrat backlash sweeping the nation will not signifigantly affect the gubenatorial race, though it may well impact most other contests. I came to this conclusion after repeatedly viewing the latest commercials for Cuomo's two GOP challengers, who face a Sep. 14th primary. Rick Lazio, failed senatorial opponent of H.R. Clinton, and Carl Paladino, successful "upstate" businessman. The guy I liked, "converted" Democratic Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy, failed to get the party's support at their convention. Paladino forced the primary, getting on the ballot through petitions. He gets credit for giving me a choice, even if it's not the one I wanted. Let's get to the commercials. Rick Lazio's spot attacks Cuomo, equating him with the corrupt Albany establishment, presenting himself as someone who "will" clean it up. Pretty straightforward campaign st...

I was watching a political show with a liberal friend recently, when someone on the TV used the talking point that Republicans want to abolish the federal Department of Education. She hadn't been paying attention, perhaps, because when I commented in supporting that idea, she said "they already did that!" When I asked "who did it?" she said "Bloomberg." Then I got it. She was referring to Mayor Bloomberg's takover of the powers of the NYC Board of Education. The record of improvement since then is well known, which was my final comment on the subject, in that conversation. Abolishing the federal Department of Education is only possible by creating a new, smaller bureacracy, to handle funding to the states on an equal "per capita" basis. That said, the case for abolishment is fairly straightforward: Public schools have declined steadily since the creation of the DoE. It is a failed experiment of national bureacracy that's having an ext...

The Obama administration lifted a warning that "'racist prejudices could lead to the arrest of Afro-Americans who travel to Spain," just as first lady Michelle Obama landed there for vacation, according to the UK's DailyMail. ( link ) The article continues, "Mrs Obama's trip now risks being overshadowed by a row about institutionalised racism." No, I don't think it will, in the US media. This isn't a story that Obama wants to see, and the obsequious media will accomodate him. However, this story deserves to be heard, because it gives an insight into the politics, as well as the nature and universality of racism. It's worth looking back at the Administration's intervention in the arrest of Pres. Obama's friend, Professor Gates, which culminated in the famous "beer summit." It seemed as if the administration was forced to deal with that story, because the "victim" was a friend of the president. Still, his handling of...

I caught the last hour of Rush today, and listened to him talk about this article from The American Spectator . It's worth sharing, though I haven't finished reading it yet. America's Ruling Class -- And the Perils of Revolution, by Angelo M. Codevilla

Here's a good reason to like, and support Adam Lambert: He's a target of the infamous Westboro Baptist "Church." They were at it again, recently, at his "Glam Nation Tour" date in North Carolina, after protesting him during the "American Idol" tour last year ( LINK ). Mr. Lambert has not responded, though he came out and waved to his fans, as the protesters were haranguing them with blowhorns. In fact, he's been nothing but graceful in response to criticism from all corners. ( LINK ) He shouldn't bother responding, as this group is so far on the fringe, they don't represent Baptists, or Christians of any stripe. Lambert joins US servicemen who've given their lives in combat, as well as the Amish victims of a gruesome Pa. massacre, as targets of this "cult." I've written about them before ( LINK ), and when I found out that they were the group protesting Adam Lambert, I had to weigh in on the subject. Here's an exce...

Aetna insurance co. sent a out a letter, which included the following excerpts: "We are changing our health benefits plan designs to comply with new federal laws...This will affect you because your employer currently offers one or more of the benefits plan designs we will no longer be offering. We will offer new plan designs to replace the old ones. Your employer may buy any plan design that we still offer, and we will tell your employer which plan design is most like your current Aetna plan." The President said that we would be able to keep our current insurance plans. This was widely suspected to be untrue, and now I can personally confirm it. Now, we'll have to see if the new plans are better, or if many employers choose to buy one of the new plans. Here's the rub: While Aetna is forced to change the plans they offer, small businesses have no obligation to offer health insurance at all. Right now, the critics of Obamacare have been proven correct, on at least one p...

NOTE: This was originally posted on Gather.com on May 28th. I'm just crossposting it here, now that I've replaced my old PC, which couldn't sign on to Blogger. I watch Tavis Smiley almost every night, and am a fan, though I disagree with his political views completely. One of the reasons I am such a fan is because he gives a great insight into himself in every interview. He asks questions that his viewers want the answers to, and usually manages his time well. I also love to disagree with the premises of his questions, and occasionally write about it. Agree or disagree, ya gotta love a person who makes you think! Tavis had an interesting exchange with Ayaan Hirsi Ali on his PBS program Tuesday night . They were discussing Islamist terrorism, and she mentioned the Fort Hood shooting and the Times Square bombing. Tavis replied that Christians in America kill people every day, citing Columbine and "post office" shootings, asking why she doesn't hold Christianit...

The Venezuelan state-run oil company has seized some more oil rigs owned by a US company (see story HERE ). Apparently, Chavez & Co. don't want to pay these companies for their services, and when the owners stop production, the rigs get "nationalized." How much longer, until no company from any nation will operate in Venezuela? There's a lesson here for more than just oil companies. All the US corporations that own "carbon credits" in Brazil, and other countries in that region, are at risk. Chavez is becoming an influencial force, with several other nations in the region following his lead. Don't be surprised if all those billions of dollars worth of "carbon credits" simply evaporate, if the political winds change. There is already a "grass roots" political movement to "take back" the rain forests in Brazil. The situation could escalate, as Chavez keeps getting away with this treatment of foreign investors. PS: On a per...

I just saw an ABC news report saying that Arizona threatened to cut off electricity to Los Angeles, if they decide to boycott Arizona. Though this is a common headline in many recent stories from many news outlets, it's not true. There was a letter written from an Arizona official to the L.A. officials, which basically asked them if their boycott would include the purchase of electricity from Arizona. The Arizona official who wrote the letter appeared on Greta Van Susteren's program, and stated that he did not have the authority to "cut off" electricity to L.A. Case closed on the phony hype from ABC and others. Update: I just saw another ABC news report, which said Arizona "all but" threatened to cut off L.A.'s electricity. Better, but still wrong. The PBS Newshour's Margaret Warner reported on the Arizona law, saying "it makes it a crime to be in Arizona without proper documentation." It "directs state and local police to enforce it, ...

Last week's Frontline/World program on PBS had an interesting story on carbon credits ( The Carbon Hunters ). It opened with a local Brazilian measuring the circumference of a tree in the rain forest, and estimating the amount of carbon in it. He priced it at one dollar's worth, and said that the carbon in the tree belonged to General Motors. Though this sounded like another typical "corporate bashing" story, I ended up watching it, to see how much they "bashed" the "green" business (The Nature Conservancy, who declined to speak to Frontline) that sell the carbon credits to GM, and other companies. They did, but more importantly, they showed exactly what carbon credits do to indigenous people in Brazil. Basically, it's wiping them out, by not letting them plant in the forest, or to harvest trees for repairing their homes. The money they get from the program isn't enough to replace what they've given up. There is money to hire security (...

Next month, I'm going to spend ten hours in visual range of the spot of the attempted terrorist attack in Times Square. I'll be waiting in line for the best "general admission" floor spot to see Adam Lambert at the Nokia Theater. It's strange, but I'm almost relieved that this happened now, before the night of Lambert's show. It wasn't too long ago that a very suspicious van was deserted in Times Square for three days, before it was given similar treatment. That one was just an abandoned vehicle, but this more recent one was an actual "bomb," of some kind. That's the point that makes most NY'ers go "hmmmm." What kind of bomb was it? Well, it brings to mind the old "Batman" TV show, with Adam West. He always got caught by the villain, and was subjected to some complex mechanism to kill him. However, the villain always left before Batman was killed, and Bats would always escape. This device seemed needlessly complex,...

As a private citizen, I've hung out with illegal aliens many times. Often, I was violating a law or two myself. I've worked with, and perhaps hired illegal aliens, though I don't think I ever worked for one (but it's possible). I would only call a local cop on an illegal alien in a situation where I would call a local cop on anybody. When I was on guard duty at Camp Pendleton, CA, in '84, we occasionally saw illegals travelling through the base, and we reported them, most of the time. Of course, that was a different time, when I could spend a night walking the streets of Tijuana alone, smoking Mexican Marlboros, without getting killed or kidnapped. It's a different time, now, and I doubt I'll ever vist TJ again. I'd like to make a comparison between the new Arizona state law, and the federal law that already exists, and my attitude, as a private citizen. The state law basically codifies the federal immigration law for enforcement by state and local autho...

If President Obama has half a brain in his head, he'll become an actual "moderate." Let's look at where the actual center of American politics resides, on domestic issues. Reagan famously won over Democrats, which Bush (42) lost to Perot, when he ran against Clinton, in '92. Clinton had a change of heart, approving conservative domestic policies like "welfare reform," before his re-election in '96. It's worth noting that the GOP took control of the House of Representatives for the first time in 40 years in '94. I suggest that the "tea party" movement is a manifestation of this same "center-right-libertarian" movement that has influenced America's politics over the last 20 years. These people aren't "worked up" about abortion, or gay marriage. They are more concerned with the government keeping American business "uncompetitive" in the world market, and keeping Americans from being gainfully emplo...

Hat tip to James Taranto's " Best of the Web Today " column, for the following tidbit from Ms. Collins, at the NY Times. Taranto makes it part of a larger point, but I'd like to take another look at this excerpt. If I accept that 47% of American households pay no income tax, how does that relate to 45% of Tea Party supporters making less than $50,000? If she assumes that all the people paying no income tax "make less" than 50K, she knows nothing about the tax code. Plenty of people who make more than 50K pay no tax, if they have enough "deductions." As someone who makes less than 50K, but still pays income tax, I have to question her assumptions, when my own experience refutes them, as well. (link) According to one much, much-quoted study by the Tax Policy Center, 47 percent of American households didn't have to pay one cent of income tax for 2009. . . . According to the Gallup polls, 45 percent of Tea Party supporters have incomes under $50,0...

Why do all these people have to be hatin' on the "Tea Party" people? Rep. Steve Cohen, among others, brand us as racists. Now, I've never been to a "tea party" rally, though I've wanted to check one out. I'm one of them because for years I've advocated the same principles they espouse, and am happy to see people rallying to something I agree with. I don't know how Rep. Cohen equates "limiting government spending and taxes" with "racism," but he's in a seat that is supposed to be "reserved" for a Black candidate, according to a supporter of his African-American primary opponent. This being his second time through that wringer, he's obviously grasping at a political straw, by bashing the "tea partiers" as racists. The real problem I have is with the media coverage of the protests, and the movement in general. Like any "movement," it's more about ideas that people share, and agree on,...

If we didn't know already, Vice President Joe Biden reminded us that passing health care reform is a "BIG (F-bomb)-ING DEAL!" Thanks, Joe! Of course, he used the profanity in praise of Obama, so it's not like when Cheney said "go (f-bomb) yourself" to some Democrat Senator. Personally, I find both comments unremarkable, but for the fact that they've been remarked about. I could rightly argue that Cheney was somewhat more discreet, only being on the Senate floor. Also, let's be honest; Biden is a serial offender, when it comes to sticking his foot in his mouth, surpassing even Pres. Bush's famed malapropisms. For some reason, this endears Joe to most people. I have to admit, I like the guy, though I consider him an old-school "hack" politician, who rode Obama's coattails. He's got to be enjoying this, or he wouldn't have made that comment, at such an inappropriate moment. So God Bless Joe, for giving us a peek at the "ha...

The NYS Conservative party appears to be supporting Rick Lazio, over newly-minted Republican Steve Levy, the formerly Democratic Suffolk County Executive. The Conservatives endorsed him in his '07 re-election campaign, but he ran unopposed. Why was that? It looks as if he was fighting against the "tax and spend" mentality that most elected officials and bureaucrats have, and it was politically popular. That's why he might be a tougher opponent for Cuomo than Lazio, in the general election. I want to share some excerpts from some recent columns, and use them in support of Levy's candidacy: (link) The rallying cry in NYS is "stop the spending," and people are looking for candidates whose record reflects that. They are tired of having the party "anoint" candidates that they have to hold their nose while voting for...I think the GOP senators are scared, because he may represent the exact threat they fear the most: the voice of voters from both par...

If the fine or tax is less than the cost of health insurance, millions of people will be dumped from, or drop their "current" insurance, in the coming months. This will not be due to "some government bureaucrat," but Democrats in the US Congress, if they pass health care reform this Sunday night. This follows a pattern of passing the toughest votes on weekends and holidays. "It's 10 PM, do you know how you're representative is going to vote?" I know my rep, Carolyn McCarthy, will vote for it, because she's part of the Dem leadership. What legislators don't account for, when they pass regulatory laws, is the anti-regulatory nature of private individuals, and most businesses. That's why only a few are talking about this (well, there's Rush, Hannity, Beck, and a few others, but "no one" listens to them...), and the MSM will try to say "no one saw this coming," when it happens. It will happen over this Summer, leadin...

President Obama showed "masterful political skill" as he danced around Brett Baier's "deem as passed rule" question on FNC's Special Report Wednesday. He said he supported it, without actually saying it. Mr. Baier did a good job getting that much out of him, though it is actually a view expressed almost every night on Special Report (and other FNC shows) by AB Stoddard, one of the frequent panelists on Mr. Baier's show. It boils down to this: the vote on the rule is politically the same as a vote on the whole health care bill. It sounds like a good point, but how many Dems who previously voted "no" will try to run on that vote in November, instead of this "rule" vote, whether it passes or fails? Technically, they will be telling the truth. They voted "no" to Obamacare. When they are confronted with their "rule" vote, they will explain, as Pelosi is currently fond of doing, that the GOP has used this gimmick hundred...