GOVERNMENT MADE FIGURES UP

According to this Bloomberg Article (Jobless Claims in U.S. Decreased 27,000 to 451,000 Last Week)Unemployment figures had to be estimated for nine (9) states.

For the latest reporting week, nine states didn’t file claims data to the Labor Department in Washington because of the federal holiday earlier this week, a Labor Department official told reporters. As a result, California and Virginia estimated their figures and the U.S. government estimated the other seven, the official said.

Hopefully the estimators are better than the ones who said ObomaCare would reduce the Deficit!

Why didn't they just postpone the announcement of the figures until the actual figures could be made available?

WHO'S RACIST????

Mary Frances Berry is former chairman of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. Currently the Geraldine R. Segal Professor of American Social Thought and History at the University of Pennsylvania said this about the Democrats use of the label "Racist" in reference to the Tea Party Movement.

Tainting the tea party movement with the charge of racism is proving to be an effective strategy for Democrats. There is no evidence that tea party adherents are any more racist than other Republicans, and indeed many other Americans. But getting them to spend their time purging their ranks and having candidates distance themselves should help Democrats win in November. Having one’s opponent rebut charges of racism is far better than discussing joblessness. [Emphasis Mine]

YOUR TAX BILL IS GOING UP...UNLESS

120 Days to Go Until the Largest Tax Hikes in History describes the Federal Tax Increases unless Congress enacts new legislation by December 31, 2010.

In addition, the states have designs on your income through their own Tax Measures. New Report Outlines Significant State Tax Changes in 2010

What can you do about it? Exercise your right to vote. When voting, consider your choices carefully.

UPDATE: Here is a table of how the Bush Tax Cuts impacts each State and Congressional district. Effect of Expiration of Bush-Era Tax Cuts on Average Middle-Income Family, by State and Congressional District

WAKE-UP CALL ON IMMIGRATION

The latest proof that the United States of America is being invaded by the Mexican Drug Cartels is in this article. Mexican Drug Cartel Allegedly Puts a Price on Arizona Sheriff's Head. It is time to secure the border. What to do with those who came here illegally is a secondary consideration.

We cannot have foreign Nationals threatening our people. It is time to send in the troops and secure the border.

DEMOCRATS NEED TO SHOW RESPONSIBILITY

According to at least one Democrat in the House, it is Republicans who are holding immigration reform back. That's rather silly considering the Democrats hold a 255 to 178 majority in the House. They could pass anything WITHOUT a single Republican Vote. Gutierrez: Despite Democrats’ 255 Seats in House, GOP’s Lack of ‘Bipartisanship’ Is Why Immigration Reform Hasn’t Passed makes Congressman Gutierrez look a little foolish.

RACISM IN CONGRESS

Racism charges have been hurled by Howard Dean, most of the Left Leaning Media, NAACP, Shirley Sherrod etc. It is a favorite claim of the Liberals. Distract your opponent by making them defend themselves from a charge of Race Bias.

The latest charges appear to be coming from Congress and directed at Congress. Ethics cases raise racial questions

HARRY'S WRONG ABOUT SOCIAL SECURITY

Harry Reid (D-NV), Senate Majority Leader, recently said Social Security is not broke. Reid to Netroots: "We're Going To Have a Public Option"

During a question and answer session, Reid also argued against "fear tactics of those who say Social Security is going broke. It's not."

And here. Out-Of-Touch Harry Reid Calls Social Security Insolvency A Myth

Reno, NV - During the Nevada Democratic Party Convention that was held over weekend, Senator Harry Reid called the idea of Social Security insolvency a “myth” while claiming that the fund should remain solvent for at least another 40 years. Reid went on to say that this “myth” was perpetuated in order to scare senior citizens,as noted by reporter Jon Ralston.

That's what Harry says. This is the truth. Social Security Jitters? Better Prepare Now
is from the "New York Times".

The program, which has its own dedicated stream of income, is projected to pay out more this year than it is taking in, but that is a function of the weak economy. [Emphasis Mine]

That's the bad news. The good news is this.

Social Security will, according to the last annual report from its trustees, be able to pay full benefits through 2037. Then, if there are no changes in the program in the meantime, the taxes collected will be enough to pay out only about 75 percent of benefits through 2083.

However it is prudent to note that the Social Security Trust Funds are not in a Lock Box. These dollars have been used by Congress for years to fund all the spending. What is really in the Social Security Lock Box is a bunch of IOUs signed by Congress.

These IOUs can only be made good by Congress taking money from the General Revenue, unless some changes are made in The Social Security System. There are several proposals. Raise the retirement age to 70, or cut benefits, or raise the FICA payroll taxes, or increase the limit on earnings subject to Social Security Tax, or some combination of these ideas. But it is clear. Something must be done and the sooner the better. The other thing clear to me is Harry Reid is Wrong.

WHAT HAPPENED TO SHIRLEY?

Apparently SHIRLEY SHERROD live is no longer interesting to the media or the Liberals. Where in the World is Shirley Sherrod? asks and answers the question of why this lack of interest. Simply put Shirley is a liability to the Liberal Media, Democrats like Howard Dean and the Obama Administration. A liability because she is not quite so innocent as she was painted.

Recall that she was ousted by the Obama Administration for her now infamous speech at a NAACP event in Georgia where she admits, back in the day, that she “didn’t give the full force” of her resources as a state USDA official to a white farmer because, well, he was white. But then she saw the light and came to realize that it’s not only about white and black (her words), but it’s also about rich and poor. So she helped the guy out.

On the surface, Shirley is a great story of an Innocent Victim. But below this facade, Shirley makes the Liberals, Democrats and Liberal Media look bad. The NAACP reacted without checking facts, even though the NAACP had a FULL copy of the tape. Tom Vilsack and The Obama Administration reacted without checking facts, and without allowing Ms. Sherrod to explain. Howard Dean, DNC chairman, falsely accused Fox News of being raciest. The Liberal Media, who continue to accuse the Conservative Movement in America of racism also looks like a bunch of hypocrites.

After Andrew Breitbart released the video of her remarks, the left’s media race-baiters went into all-out attack mode. From CNN to Newsweek, from CBS to CNBC, those outlets helped to saint Sherrod, claiming that Breitbart was a ‘nut job’ (Ed Shultz from MSNBC said that gem), a “bully” (CNN’s Anderson Cooper) and that Breitbart was engaged in, along with Fox News, a “smear campaign” (Newsweek’s Jonathan Alter). This all before we even heard Mrs. Sherrod’s side of the story.

Up to this point it's great copy for all with a Liberal agenda including the Obama Administration. It's another story to show all Conservatives as racist.

But then Shirley speaks.

Then, she stepped to the podium and confirmed to America what Breitbart’s video conveyed: Shirley Sherrod is a rambling race-hustler. Speaking with Anderson Cooper, she said that Andrew Breitbart would like to “get us stuck back in the times of slavery. That’s where I think he’d like to see all black people end up again.” Uh. What? How can she even come out and imply that this is how Andrew Breitbart feels when she doesn’t even know him and all she does know about him is of a videotape that he released of her own words?

Oops Shirley is beginning to sound very racist herself.

Then, Shirley took her anger out on—who else?—Fox News. Speaking with the Washington Post, Sherrod said she wouldn’t go on Fox because she felt that they considered her a “pawn” and that the network wanted to go “back to where black people were looking down, not looking white folks in the face, not being able to compete for a job out there and not be a whole person.”

Suddenly Shirley is no longer news. She has become a liability.

Since Sherrod’s incoherent and racial media blitz, she hasn’t popped up anywhere. Where’s the media’s canonized darling? “Reporters” have been quieter than a church mouse on the whole incident. Granted, our propagandist press probably realized that they fabricated Fox’s and Breitbart’s involvement in Sherrod’s firing (even Jon Stewart acknowledged this!)

So here is the answer to the question "What Happened to Shirley?"

Shirley Sherrod went on a racially tinged rant, this time in the safe confines of the leftist media, and was never heard from since. They’ve given her a pass. Sherrod is now harder to find than Waldo. I don’t blame her. She’s demonstrated that her world view is deeply shaped by race and gender.

Apparently Shirley is no longer useful to the Left.

UPDATE: Here is a link (Race on the Brain) to another race related story. Consider how the Obama Administration uses Race Politics to further the Obama Agenda.

The Obama administration’s race absorption apparently has a shelf life of about three years. Consider the list: Reverend Wright, “typical white person,” the Pennsylvania clingers, Michelle’s campaign editorializing about the U.S., “cowards,” the Professor Gates mess, “wise Latina,” the president’s race-based DNC video, the suing of Arizona, the comments made before the law was read, the sudden characterization of al-Qaeda as racist, the disturbing stories coming out of the Justice Department that some decisions are now race-based — and on and on. Each outburst in isolation is a sort of Macaca moment, a brief news item; in their totality, they have now more or less cemented in the minds of most Americans that Obama and his appointees see race as a sort of wedge issue by which to further an agenda.

Here is another related Link (Left Admits: Racism Charges Against Tea Parties a Tactic, Not a Truth)

Washington, D.C. – Members of the Project 21 black leadership group are condemning the left's false use of the accusation "racist" as a political tactic, saying they recognize the strategy from the teaching of left-wing organizer Saul Alinsky.

Former U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Chairman Mary Frances Berry, a long-time prominent liberal activist, has admitted in an interview with Politico that the left is trying to smear the tea party movement as "racist" for strategic reasons, not out of genuine concern that the movement is itself racist.

Berry called the tactic an "effective strategy" and chose not to denounce it.

Race relations will not get better as long as comments like the following are allowed to go unchallenged by the Left.

Berry, now the Geraldine R. Segal Professor of American Social Thought and History at the University of Pennsylvania, was asked, "will branding the tea party 'racist' work?"

Berry replied:

Tainting the tea party movement with the charge of racism is proving to be an effective strategy for Democrats. There is no evidence that tea party adherents are any more racist than other Republicans, and indeed many other Americans. But getting them to spend their time purging their ranks and having candidates distance themselves should help Democrats win in November. Having one's opponent rebut charges of racism is far better than discussing joblessness.

President Obama, The first Black President, has become a Race Polarizing President.

DoD CAN ACCOUNT FOR $400,000 - MIA $8.7 BILLION

The Department of Defense says not following regulations makes it impossible to account for $8.7 Million of the $9.1 Billion in Development Funds for IRAQ. SIGIR: Defense can't account for $8.7 billion because...

"This situation occurred because most DoD organizations receiving DFI (Development Fund for Iraq) funds did not establish the required Department of the Treasury accounts and no DoD organization was designated as the executive agent for managing the use of DFI funds," the report states.

The Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) finds that only one Defense organization actually set up the accounts required by the Treasury.

The fact that $400,000 could be accounted for is only because one Defense organization followed Treasury requirements is unacceptable. Where did the money go? Unfortunately, we will probably never know.

OBAMA'S HEALTH CARE

On July 7th of this year, President Obama made several recess appointments. One of those was Dr. Donald Berwick who will head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Recess appointments usually cause grumblings from the opposite political party. In this case Republicans. But also in this case the complaints came for some Democrats. Obama Uses Recess Appointment To Install Berwick As Head Of Medicare, Medicaid from Kaiser Health has a summary of comments from the media.

One of the Democrats is Max Baucus of Montana. Senator Baucus is chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. As such Senator Baucus is the one who would schedule the hearings for Dr. Berwick's nomination. Senator Baucus had not scheduled any hearings as yet, so this is one nomination which cannot be blamed on the Republicans.

[Sen. Max Baucus] "said he was 'troubled' that Obama chose to install Berwick without a formal confirmation process. 'Senate confirmation of presidential appointees is an essential process prescribed by the Constitution that serves as a check on executive power and protects Montanans and all Americans by ensuring that crucial questions are asked of the nominee — and answered"

There is a very real possibility that Dr. Berwick's confirmation both in committee and before the full Senate, might not happen because of his Health Care Views.

Dr. Berwick does not believe waste in Medicine. But waste to him appears to mean something different than what most Americans call waste. It means Health Care rationing to Dr. Berwick.

Dr. Berwick has championed the interests of patients and consumers. At the same time, he has spoken of the need to ration health care and cap spending, has supported efforts to 'reduce the total supply of high-technology medical and surgical care' and has expressed great admiration for the British health care system. [Emphasis Mine]

In a interview with Katherine T. Adams, senior editor of Biotechnology Healthcare, published in June 2009, Rethinking Comparative Effectiveness Research, Dr. Berwick states ...

The decision is not whether or not we will ration care - the decision is whether we will ration with our eyes open. [Emphasis Mine]

That's what Dr. Berwick means by waste. He wants to measure the care of each patient, each procedure as to whether it is COST EFFECTIVE.

As mentioned earlier, Dr. Berwick "...has expressed great admiration for the British health care system". Here is a look at the present state of British Health Care. Axe falls on NHS services is an Investigative Report form the UK's "Sunday Telegraph".

Patients’ groups have described the measures as “astonishingly brutal”.

How brutal. Here is what the investigation found.

The Sunday Telegraph has uncovered widespread cuts planned across the NHS, many of which have already been agreed by senior health service officials. They include:

* Restrictions on some of the most basic and common operations, including hip and knee replacements, cataract surgery and orthodontic procedures.

* Plans to cut hundreds of thousands of pounds from budgets for the terminally ill, with dying cancer patients to be told to manage their own symptoms if their condition worsens at evenings or weekends.

* The closure of nursing homes for the elderly.

* A reduction in acute hospital beds, including those for the mentally ill, with targets to discourage GPs from sending patients to hospitals and reduce the number of people using accident and emergency departments.

* Tighter rationing of NHS funding for IVF treatment, and for surgery for obesity.

* Thousands of job losses at NHS hospitals, including 500 staff to go at a trust where cancer patients recently suffered delays in diagnosis and treatment because of staff shortages.

* Cost-cutting programmes in paediatric and maternity services, care of the elderly and services that provide respite breaks to long-term carers.

Many laughed when Sarah Palin talked about Death Panels. In light of the above, can anyone seriously say these cuts will not cut short the quality of care and possibly result in premature death for some of the patients covered under British Health Care? The same kind of Health Care System favored by Dr. Berwick? The same kind of Health Care System which is the result of ObamaCare? And now ObamaCare under Dr. Berwick?