SEC and Homeland Security need Web backup, GAO says
Securities exchanges have a sound network back-up if a severe pandemic keeps people home and clogging the Internet, but the Homeland Security Department has done little planning, Congressional investigators said on Monday. The department does not even have a plan to start work on the issue, the General Accountability Office said. But the Homeland Security Department accused the GAO of having unrealistic expectations of how the Internet could be managed if millions began to telework from home at the same time as bored or sick schoolchildren were playing online, sucking up valuable bandwidth. (SNIP) Private Internet providers might need government authorization to block popular websites, it said, or to reduce residential transmission speeds to make way for commerce. [So now the “flu pandemic” is gonna jam up the big honkin’ internets giving the government the ability to “authorize” the blockage of “certain websites” huh? Oh that’s right! Back in August Senate Democrats gave Obama the power to seize temporary control of private-sector networks during a so-called cybersecurity emergency. Coinkydink? I think not…ed]
Americans In No Rush for Flu Shots Despite Swine Flu Outbreak
President Obama may have declared swine flu a national emergency, but the number of Americans who plan to get a flu shot is virtually unchanged from a year ago. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 53% of adults plan to get a flu shot this year, compared to 54% in 2008, despite the much-publicized outbreak of swine flu. Forty percent (40%) do not intend to get a flu shot. In October of last year, 44% said they weren’t getting one. In similar surveys in 2006 and 2007, Americans were more evenly divided when asked whether they intended to get a flu shot or not. Just 25% say they are more likely to get a flu shot this year because of the outbreak of swine flu, but 21% say that outbreak makes them less likely to do so. Most adults (51%) say swine flu has no impact on their decision whether to get a shot. [Could it be that the American public is just not buying this hyped up pig flu alarmism from this particular administration?…ed]
U.S. official resigns over Afghan war
When Matthew Hoh joined the Foreign Service early this year, he was exactly the kind of smart civil-military hybrid the administration was looking for to help expand its development efforts in Afghanistan. A former Marine Corps captain with combat experience in Iraq, Hoh had also served in uniform at the Pentagon, and as a civilian in Iraq and at the State Department. By July, he was the senior U.S. civilian in Zabul province, a Taliban hotbed. But last month, in a move that has sent ripples all the way to the White House, Hoh, 36, became the first U.S. official known to resign in protest over the Afghan war, which he had come to believe simply fueled the insurgency. [Someone in the Obama administration with some principles throws in the towel over the handling of the war in Afghanistan. Will this resignation become the first domino to fall with many more to follow?…ed]
8 US troops die; new deadliest month in Afghan war
Eight American troops were killed in two separate insurgent attacks Tuesday in southern Afghanistan, making October the deadliest month of the war for U.S. forces since the 2001 invasion to oust the Taliban. In one of the insurgent assaults, seven Americans were killed while patrolling in armored vehicles, U.S. forces spokesman Lt. Col. Todd Vician said. He said an Afghan civilian died in the same attack. The eighth American was killed in a separate attack elsewhere in the south, also while patrolling in a military vehicle, he said. The military issued a statement saying the deaths occurred during “multiple, complex” bomb strikes. It said several troops were wounded and evacuated to a nearby medical facility, but gave no other details. [Meanwhile the state run media is all aflutter over the ditherer in chief Obama playing golf with some woman Sunday…ed]
Ratings for Fox New up 10% since attacks by Obama
The news that Fox ratings are up only deepens the mystery; why did the White House want to take on Fox News?
To say they wanted to “stifle dissent” doesn’t cut it. To do that, they would have to pull the network’s FCC license and even the lapdogs in the media would scream “Nixon” at a move like that. It can’t be because they want to reduce their viewership. They might not have anticipated such a big jump but they certainly didn’t believe that Fox News ratings would go down. Nor could they have thought that they would lessen the influence of the network. Those who are already influenced certainly wouldn’t stop listening because the White House told them to. What we are left with is personal pique – the president doesn’t like to be criticized. No grand strategy, no ulterior motive. It’s just Obama being annoyed at a network that doesn’t think much of him. [Saul Alinsky’s Rules For Radicals gameplan surely didn’t work out too well for Obama against Fox NEWS now did it?…ed]
Daily Presidential Tracking Poll
The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Tuesday shows that 29% of the nation’s voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Forty percent (40%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -11. The President’s Approval Index rating is -4 among women and -17 among men. [Fox NEWS is up 10% and Obama is sitting at -11. The last time Obama was in positive numbers on Rasmussen’s Daily Prez Tracking Poll was JUNE 30TH, FOUR MONTHS AGO!!…ed]
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Tax refugees staging escape from New York
New Yorkers are fleeing the state and city in alarming numbers — and costing a fortune in lost tax dollars, a new study shows. More than 1.5 million state residents left for other parts of the United States from 2000 to 2008, according to the report from the Empire Center for New York State Policy. It was the biggest out-of-state migration in the country. The vast majority of the migrants, 1.1 million, were former residents of New York City — meaning one out of seven city taxpayers moved out. “The Empire State is being drained of an invaluable resource — people,” the report said. What’s worse is that the families fleeing New York are being replaced by lower-income newcomers, who consequently pay less in taxes. [Unfortunately when most of these people leave New York they take their same “gotta vote for a Democrat because Republicans are evil” attitude with them infecting the political landscape in their new location with their worn out destructive liberalism…ed]
Rats! City to Pay for Informing on Tax Cheats
You dirty rat. Chicago and Cook County residents aren’t the only ones about to get shocking tax news; the city is debuting a “tax whistle-blower” plan that could turn neighbor against neighbor in Chicago’s business community. The folks at city hall will pay cash bounties to informants who turn in business tax cheats around the city. The reward would amount to some sort of percentage of the tax money that the city recovers. “It’s just another way of bringing people into compliance,” Revenue Department spokesman Ed Walsh told the Sun-Times. [This is precisely the kind of tactics communist countries use to keep their subjects in line since people can’t even trust their own families from ratting them out. I wonder how many of those New Yorkers fleeing the state because of outrageous taxes plan on relocating to Chicago?…ed]
Obama’s big change: He moves America to the Right
As promised, Barack Obama is bringing change to America. He’s making it more Republican. It’s not that more people are actually becoming Republicans or calling themselves Republicans — the number of voters who formally identify with the party is at its lowest point in years. But we appear to be in the early stages of a shift in which political independents, people who not too long ago were sick of Republicans, are now leaning toward GOP positions on some key issues. They still call themselves independents, but they’re worried by the left-leaning policies of President Obama and the Democratic Congress, especially on the economy. “The middle, which wanted to move away from George W. Bush, did not want to move this far left,” says a Republican pollster who is tracking the shift. “They are tending to agree with what Republicans are saying more and more, despite the previous eight years.” [Hey, I found ONE good thing Obama has done!!…ed]
Trust on Issues: Voters Trust Republicans More On 10 Top Issues
For the first time in recent years, voters trust Republicans more than Democrats on all 10 key electoral issues regularly tracked by Rasmussen Reports. The GOP holds double-digit advantages on five of them. Republicans have nearly doubled their lead over Democrats on economic issues to 49% to 35%, after leading by eight points in September. The GOP also holds a 54% to 31% advantage on national security issues and a 50% to 31% lead on the handling of the war in Iraq. But voters are less sure which party they trust more to handle government ethics and corruption, an issue that passed the economy in voter importance last month. Thirty-three percent (33%) trust Republicans more while 29% have more confidence in Democrats. Another 38% are undecided. Last month, the parties were virtually tied on the issue. [Something tells me 2010 is gonna be one hell of bad election year for Congressional Democrats regardless of how much of that “stimulus” money slush fund is released by the White House to help them. Yes Obama, we know why 60% of that money has been held back until next year but it really isn’t going to make much of a difference…ed]
Generic Congressional Ballot: GOP Up By Five Points In Generic Ballot
The GOP advantage over Democrats increased from two points to five in the latest edition of the Generic Congressional Ballot. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 42% would vote for their district’s Republican congressional candidate while 37% would opt for his or her Democratic opponent. Support for Democrats dropped two points this week, while support for the GOP slightly increased. Voters not affiliated with either party heavily favor the GOP, 40% to 23%. [More outstandingly bad news for the Democrats. Yay!…ed]
New York’s 23rd Congressional District lies near Canada, far to the north — but next week’s special election merits attention throughout the state. That’s because the Republican candidate in that race, Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava, is the product of an obscenely corrupt political bargain by GOP bosses that sells out their party — and New Yorkers generally. Because of that, and because so many of her positions ill-serve the interests of New York and the nation, The Post today endorses businessman Doug Hoffman, the Conservative Party nominee. No, Republicans needn’t toe the conservative line without any deviation. Moderate GOPers like Rudy Giuliani have managed to stray on some issues without wholly betraying their party. But a Republican should adhere to certain minimum GOP principles. Scozzafava is just too far to the left too often. [The far left lunatics at the Daily Kos endorsed the “Republican” Dede Scozzafava. Sarah Palin along with many other conservatives endorse Hoffman. Hoffman is surging while Scozzafava’s numbers are falling like a rock…ed]
Biden’s popularity plunges; lower than Cheney’s
Vice President Joe Biden’s favorable rating has fallen to 42 percent in a new Gallup poll, down from a high of 59 percent just after last year’s election. Biden’s unfavorable rating in the new poll is 40 percent, up from 29 percent last November. (Eighteen percent of those surveyed say they have no opinion of Biden.) Biden’s average favorable rating during his time in office so far is 45 percent — well below the average 65 percent favorable rating for Vice President Dick Cheney during Cheney’s first year in office. Vice President Al Gore’s favorable rating during his first year, 55 percent, was also higher than Biden’s. (Gallup did not measure vice presidential popularity before Gore.) Biden’s rating has fallen most dramatically among independents. Last November, 55 percent of them had a favorable impression of Biden. Now, it’s 32 percent. [Biden is a foolish mentally challenged blowhard and it didn’t take long for the American public to discover this once he became veep…ed]
Billy Carter gas station may become historic site
Looks like Billy Carter’s gas station in Plains, Ga., is about to be recognized as a national historic landmark. If the U.S. House gives its OK this afternoon to HR 1471, the National Park Service site honoring President Jimmy Carter will be doubled to include the Billy Carter Service Station museum. [You have GOT to be kidding me? Taxpayer money will be spent maintaining this drunken bum’s old gas station as a historical landmark?…ed]
Father of 9/11 Victim Fights to Have ‘Murdered by Muslim Terrorists’ Inscribed on Son’s Memorial
Peter Gadiel wants everyone to remember his son, James, who was killed during the September 11 terrorist attacks. And he also wants people to remember how he died: “Murdered by Muslim terrorists.” For Gadiel, any tribute to his son would be woefully incomplete without those words. “I think it’s important, because I think there’s a nationwide effort to suppress the identity of the people who were involved in the attacks,” Gadiel told Fox News. (SNIP) “We perceive ourselves as a very warm, loving town,” said Ruth Epstein, a Kent selectman and one of two town leaders to vote the plaque down. “To disparage any one ethnic group is just against everything that we stand for here.” [Hey Ruth, how do you feel about the POTUS flying all over the world giving speeches about how rotten this country and her citizens are? The fact of the matter is this man’s son WAS murdered by MUSLIM TERRORISTS and it’s up to the muslim community to come out strongly against all these attacks carried out by their co-religionists…ed]
Fla. Democrat calls Fed adviser “K Street whore”
The Florida Democrat who said Republicans want sick people to “die quickly” is again facing criticism for his rhetoric—this time for calling a senior Federal Reserve adviser a “K Street whore” in a radio interview. Rep. Alan Grayson hurled the insult at Linda Robertson last month on the Alex Jones Show, a syndicated talk radio program, while discussing the Fed’s resistance to stronger congressional oversight. Robertson is a former Enron lobbyist and Clinton administration adviser who was hired by Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke this summer to help with congressional relations. (SNIP) Grayson, a liberal firebrand, drew strong criticism last month for saying that Republicans were ignoring sick people who die without health insurance, and that the GOP’s health care plan amounted to wanting people to “die quickly” when they get sick. [But all we hear from the state run media is how mean and nasty Republicans are. I guess this rookie knucklehead congressman has no other way to get his name in the news…ed]
Alan Grayson goes too far for colleagues
Republicans and Democrats slammed Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) for calling Linda Robertson, an adviser to Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, a “K Street whore” in a month-old radio interview that circulated on Capitol Hill Monday night. “There’s no call for that language. No call for it. That’s absurd. If he was standing here now, I’d say that to him,” said Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) “He’s out of control,” added Washington Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who is vice chairwoman of the House Republican Conference. (SNIP) It’s clear that his colleagues’ opinion of him has suffered. “Is this news to you that this guy’s one fry short of a Happy Meal?” asked Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) [Grayson’s words and the reaction to them from fellow Democrats will come back to haunt him in a big way come reelection time. Cool…ed]
Joe Lieberman: I’ll filibuster Harry Reid’s plan
Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) said Tuesday that he’d back a GOP filibuster of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s health care reform bill. Lieberman, who caucuses with Democrats and is positioning himself as a fiscal hawk on the issue, said he opposes any health care bill that includes a government-run insurance program — even if it includes a provision allowing states to opt out of the program, as Reid’s has said the Senate bill will. “We’re trying to do too much at once,” Lieberman said. “To put this government-created insurance company on top of everything else is just asking for trouble for the taxpayers, for the premium payers and for the national debt. I don’t think we need it now.” Lieberman added that he’d vote against a public option plan “even with an opt-out because it still creates a whole new government entitlement program for which taxpayers will be on the line.” [Talk’s cheap, it’s action that counts. We’ll see what happens with Lieberman when Obama and Reid begin really squeezing him…ed]
Gibbs Admits Bush Team Left Behind “Helpful” Review of Afghan War
On October 18, Rahm Emanuel said on CNN that, with respect to the war in Afghanistan, “there’s a set of questions that have to have answers that have never been asked. And it’s clear after eight years of war, that’s basically starting from the beginning, and those questions never got asked.” (SNIP) Today, Robert Gibbs concedes that the Bush team did conduct a review and that “some of the information was helpful.” [Typical of this administration. Throw out a bomb full of lies then after the smoke clears come back with a half assed retraction hoping everyone only remembers the explosion…ed]
Nineteen States Move to Defend Individual Health Care Choice
Regardless of what the U.S. Congress decides about health care reform, a growing number of states are standing up for individuals’ freedom of choice when it comes to purchasing – or not purchasing – health insurance. Several Kansas Republicans have introduced a state constitutional amendment that would protect the right of Kansas residents to make their own health care choices. That makes Kansas the 19th state where legislators have introduced, or will introduce, such legislation. The proposed Kansas amendment preserves the right of individuals to pay directly for medical care — something that is not allowed in single-payer countries such as Canada. It also prohibits any individual from being penalized for not purchasing government-defined insurance. [Only 31 more states to go! That 10th Amendment thingy seems to have a way of jacking up the liberals’ plans for completely taking over our country now doesn’t it?…ed]
Frank: “We Are Trying On Every Front To Increase The Role Of Government”
[Video of Bawney Fwank admitting he and his fellow far left loons who have taken over Washington DC are doing everything they can to increase the role of government in our lives…ed]
Quote of the day.
There are basically two types of people. People who accomplish things, and people who claim to have accomplished things. The first group is less crowded.-Mark Twain. What he would have said to the Nobel Peace Prize knuckleheads before they awarded the now worthless thing to Barack Obama.