How to Cut Foreign Oil Useage By 20%

Number of barrels of oil saved if automakers updated mileage standards to "real world" driving conditions, according to a new report: 710 million

http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/15023946.htm

Political Party Agendas Summarized

Democratic Agenda: Help me help you

Republican Agenda: Help me fuck you

Bush Celebrates Fourth Largest Deficit In History

Today, the Office of Management Budget projected a $296 billion federal deficit for fiscal year 2006. Bush held a press conference arguing that this is a vindication of his economic policies.

Actually, it would be the fourth largest deficit of all time. Here’s the top five:

1. 2004 (George W. Bush) $413 billion
2. 2003 (George W. Bush) $378 billion
3. 2005 (George W. Bush) $318 billion
4. 2006 (George W. Bush) $296 billion (projected)
5. 1992 (Geroge H. W. Bush) $290 billion

When President Bush came into office, he inherited a surplus of $284 Billion. At that time, the Bush administration predicted a $516 billion surplus for 2006.

The fact that Bush now considers a $296 billion deficit an occasion to celebrate shows how far we’ve fallen.

Of course this $296 billion number is complete bunk. The unified budget deficit was projected by the CBO to be $336 billion this year. Now they say it will be $296 billion.

There will be a projected $180 billion surplus in Social Security this year that they will "borrow" that doesn't count against the deficit number, meaning the CBO projected on-budget deficit is actually around $480 billion.

The supplemental request this year is around $107 billion. That pushes the real deficit to around $587 billion -- which is around what Bush and the Republicans have averaged since they got a lock on power, leading to $2.6 trillion in new debt so far. This, after we were running actual, on-budget surpluses which were reducing the debt.

And Bush is proud of this???

What a fool.

The Illogical Midset Of George W. Bush

George W. Bush on Larry King Live:

"It's easy to lose resolve if you made decisions based upon polls. If you make decisions based upon what you believe in your heart of hearts, you stay resolved. And what we're doing is hard. But what we're doing is going to make this country more secure. And what we're doing is going to lay that foundation for peace."

Check out that false dichotomy: choices based on polls or choices based on beliefs. It's a rather amazing reflection of this guy's mindset that he never even bothers to try to assert that he makes decisions based on facts...probably because he NEVER does.

Does Anyone Else See The Irony??

Does anyone else see the irony of President Bush declaring every Memorial Day as a day of prayer for permanent peace after he involved the US in an unnecessary war in Iraq based on lies with no exit plan and he refuses to even discuss the criteria for when the war will actually end.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/05/20060516-5.html

Bush: Osama who??

The CIA unit dedicated to hunting Osama Bin Laden was closed late last year. “Michael Scheuer, a former senior C.I.A. official who was the first head of the unit, said the move reflected a view within the agency that Mr. bin Laden was no longer the threat he once was. Mr. Scheuer said that view was mistaken.”

The Do Nothing GOP Congress

The House will vote on a conservative-backed resolution “today or Thursday” that is expected to attack The New York Times for its recent disclosure of the government’s secret monitoring of Americans’ bank transactions.

And...

On the Senate floor yesterday, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) said there was nothing the Senate could be doing that was more important than banning flag burning.

Really???

How's that immigration bill coming?

Terrorism has quadupled. Any useful thoughts on curbing that?

The investigation into the use of Iraq intel we've waited 3 years for?

Relief from high gas prices during this energy crisis?

How about the rising deficits?

Any headway on helping solve global warming?

Perhaps you could tell us what you're doing about 45 million Americans without health insurance?

How about the 37 million Americans living in poverty?

Any progress on fixing the chaos in Iraq?

How about inadequate cargo inspection?

Nope. Didn't have time to get to any of these because of the "important issues" of the day like flag burning, gay marriage, and attacking freedom of the press because the press FINALLY figured out Bush is a unqualified, dangerous fool.

Vote the GOP out in November 2006. They obviously aren't up to the job of governing this nation.

Cheney Makes a Fool of Himself AGAIN

"Withdrawing troops by a certain deadline -- a Democratic proposal knocked down in the Senate [last] Thursday -- is a 'terrible idea,' [Vice President Dick] Cheney said."
-- Chicago Sun-Times, 6/24/06

VERSUS

"The top American commander in Iraq has drafted a plan that projects sharp reductions in the United States military presence there by the end of 2007, with the first cuts coming this September, American officials say."
-- New York Times, 6/25/06

U.S. Senate votes: stay the course

The GOP warmongers are in for an awful surprise in November.

U.S. Senate votes: stay the course. The Senate has voted 60-39 against an amendment to begin redeploying U.S. forces out of Iraq by the end of 2006. See how your senators voted.

Grouped By Vote Position YEAs ---39
Akaka (D-HI)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Biden (D-DE)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Byrd (D-WV)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Carper (D-DE)
Chafee (R-RI)
Clinton (D-NY)
Conrad (D-ND)
Dodd (D-CT)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Harkin (D-IA)
Inouye (D-HI)
Jeffords (I-VT)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Kohl (D-WI)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murray (D-WA)
Obama (D-IL)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Salazar (D-CO)
Sarbanes (D-MD)
Schumer (D-NY)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Wyden (D-OR)

NAYs ---60
Alexander (R-TN)
Allard (R-CO)
Allen (R-VA)
Bennett (R-UT)
Bond (R-MO)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burns (R-MT)
Burr (R-NC)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Coleman (R-MN)
Collins (R-ME)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Craig (R-ID)
Crapo (R-ID)
Dayton (D-MN)
DeMint (R-SC)
DeWine (R-OH)
Dole (R-NC)
Domenici (R-NM)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Frist (R-TN)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hagel (R-NE)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lieberman (D-CT)
Lott (R-MS)
Lugar (R-IN)
Martinez (R-FL)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Pryor (D-AR)
Roberts (R-KS)
Santorum (R-PA)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Smith (R-OR)
Snowe (R-ME)
Specter (R-PA)
Stevens (R-AK)
Sununu (R-NH)
Talent (R-MO)
Thomas (R-WY)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (R-VA)

Not Voting - 1
Rockefeller (D-WV)

http://senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congres s=109&session=2&vote=00182

Dubai Still Controls American Ports

CNN reports that Dubai is still controlling 22 US ports, and that Congress silently killed legislation that would have helped ensure the ports stay American-owned. Lou Dobbs thinks the Republican Congress and the Bush White House have played a fast one on the American people. Lou is right.

Dubai is one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Let's look at the UAE record on terrorism shall we:

The UAE was one of three countries in the world to recognize the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan.

The UAE has been a key transfer point for illegal shipments of nuclear components to Iran, North Korea and Lybia.

According to the FBI, money was transferred to the 9/11 hijackers through the UAE banking system.

After 9/11, the Treasury Department reported that the UAE was not cooperating in efforts to track down Osama Bin Laden's bank accounts.

We bomb Iraq which had nothing to do with 9/11, yet we hand UAE the keys to our ports.

That's the Bush Administration in action.

Bush Made North Korea the Problem It is Today

Bush's yee-hah foreign policy, where he shoots first and askes questions 3 years later, has made North Korea the mess it is now.

Jan. 29, 2002: Bush labels North Korea, Iran and Iraq an "axis of evil" in his State of the Union address. "By seeking weapons of mass destruction, these regimes pose a grave and growing danger," he says.

Dec. 12 2002: North Korea reactivates nuclear facilities at Yongbyon that were frozen under the 1994 deal with the United States.

Dec. 13 2002: North Korea asks the U.N. nuclear watchdog to remove monitoring seals and cameras from its nuclear facilities.

Dec. 14 2002: The U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency urges North Korea to retract its decision to reactivate its nuclear facilities and abide by its obligations under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

Dec. 21 2002: North Korea removes monitoring seals and cameras from its nuclear facilities

So there you go the cameras were in place the nuclear facilities were shut down, N. Korea was being monitored and everything was fine when CLINTON was dealing with this.

THEN Dubya comes along and starts shooting his mouth off like the arrogant ass he is and suddenly the nuclear facilities are reactivated, the cameras are removed and N. Korea is no longer being monitored.

Then of course he sent another arrogant ass with a big mouth to try to bully the North Koreans named JOHN BOLTON who insulted the N. Koreans so much he had to be pulled from the talks. That guy ias now our main "diplomat" at the United Nations...imagine that??

Let’s review the progress of North Korea’s nuclear program during the last three administrations:

1. George H. W. Bush: one to two bombs’ worth of plutonium

2. Bill Clinton: zero plutonium

3. George W. Bush: 4-6 nuclear weapons’ worth of plutonium

Anyone else see a pattern?

Another Big Difference

When DeLay was indicted the GOP changed the rules so that he could stay on all his committees. Previously, by law anyone under indictment could not sit on committees. The Democrats actually deal with their members when corruption arises. The GOP just encourages more corruption.

The House Democratic caucus voted tonight to strip Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA) of his seat on the Ways & Means Committee. Jefferson is currently under criminal investigation for allegedly accepting bribes to help a technology company win several contracts and business deals. He had been asked to voluntarily give up the seat but refused.

And the Worst Comparison of the Day....

goes to House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL), encouraging his colleagues to vote for the sham Iraq resolution during today’s debate on the Iraq war:

"We in this Congress must show the same steely resolve as those men and women on United flight 93, the same sense of duty as the first responders who headed up the stairs of the Twin Towers. We must stand firm in our commitment to fight terrorism and the evil it inflicts around the world."

Gheesh...Talk about an inflated sense of self importance. I'm surprised he didn't hurt his back kissing his own ass like that.

Idiot of the Day: Ben Roethlisberger

If you are a professional athlete why would you be so stupid as to ride a motorcycle???

Roethlisberger
Winslow
Williams

On the positive side, if Roethlisberger got brain damage in the crash he could be a future GOP presidential candidate.

So let me get this straight....

There was enough money (let's all pretend the deficit doesn't exist la la la la la) to give a massive tax cut to the children of MILLIONAIRES inheriting money they didn't earn but there isn't even a fraction of what that would cost to keep Sesame Street on the air to educate everyone's children?

“House Republicans yesterday revived their efforts to slash funding for public broadcasting, as a key committee approved a $115 million reduction in the budget for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting that could force the elimination of some popular PBS and NPR programs,” the Boston Globe reports.

That's some "logic" the GOP has got there.

Well...On to the next non-issue

Now that the Marriage Amendment is dead...again, the Republican Senate is now free to move on to other hot button social issues in its valiant attempt to avoid talking about rising deficits, global warming, chaos in Iraq, inadequate cargo inspection, and the other burning issues of the day that Republicans are incapable of confronting. Speaking of burning, the next non-issue Republicans will raise to distract voters is likely to be a recycled attempt to amend the Constitution to prohibit flag burning. Have you seen much flag burning in the U.S. lately?

I'm still waiting for someone to explain this...

US, Spain caught in Libya missile mixup
By Tito Drago

MADRID - The US government needs to explain why the missile shipment on a vessel intercepted a year ago on the high seas by the Spanish navy ended up in Libya, a spokesman from Spain's Defense Ministry said this week.

The official was referring to declarations made by sources from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to the Madrid daily El Mundo that claim 15 complete Scud missiles, a set of conventional warheads and 85 containers of chemical products - some 20 holding nitric acid - were ultimately delivered to Libya under a Washington decision.

The episode began on December 5, 2002, when US intelligence services informed Madrid about the route of a freighter named So San, which they suspected of trafficking weapons and which was, at the time, crossing a zone under Spain's authority in the Indian Ocean. Four days later, a Spanish frigate and warship intercepted the So San after ordering the captain to halt and firing warning shots. The vessel was found to be sailing under the Cambodian flag.

The weapons and chemicals came from North Korea and did not appear on the ship's manifest, which showed only that the merchant vessel was carrying bags of cement. After intercepting the freighter, Spain then handed the ship over to the US Navy. Immediate official explanations out of Washington and Madrid said the missiles might have been headed for the al-Qaeda network, which the US government holds responsible for the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. However, just hours later, the US administration took Spain by surprise by turning the So San over to Yemen, explaining that the cargo was actually a legal shipment of weapons purchased from North Korea by the Yemini government.

The handover was preceded by a telephone conversation between US Vice President Dick Cheney and Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. When that conversation was made public, the White House justified the move by calling Yemen a friendly nation. So what initially came off as a brilliant Spanish military operation to prevent illegal trade in weapons of mass destruction was reduced to a suspected manipulation directed from Washington, with Madrid in the role of receiving and carrying out orders that were not very clear in their purpose.

The NATO sources cited in El Mundo said that at the time the shipment was intercepted, the United States was secretly negotiating the possibility that Libya would accept Saddam Hussein, then still president of Iraq, in exile. And Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who played the role of go-between during the Gulf War in 1991 by assisting in Iraq's withdrawal from Kuwait, had hopes of gaining access to the weapons.

"Gaddafi wanted the missiles and Yemen acted as intermediary. In the context of gestures with Libya, it was decided to look the other way, given that there was no international regulation that impeded it," said the newspaper, citing sources from the Pentagon.

Today, as it was a year ago, Madrid's reaction of disappointment regarding the United States' handling of the shipment was immediate, but not very explicit, because Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar continues to be a staunch, unconditional supporter of the policies of his US counterpart, President George W Bush.

As a result, the opposition United Left (IU) has announced that it will petition Defense Minister Federico Trillo to inform parliament about the country's participation, "past and present", in relation to the case of the weapons shipment. Madrid's handling of the issue "is one more demonstration of [Aznar's] erratic foreign policy and his troubling submission and total dependence on the policy marked by the US," IU general coordinator Gaspar Llamazares said. "The IU is highly concerned that Spain is extending political and commercial ties to a country that does not provide any democratic guarantees," such as Libya, he added.

Neither the Spanish government nor the opposition and civil-society organizations categorize the Gaddafi regime as terrorist and they agree on the need to facilitate his integration into the international community. In fact, Spain has not drawn up a list of countries it considers terrorist, noted a Foreign Ministry spokesperson, but the United States has, and Libya, which figures on that list, is subject to a commercial and military embargo. No US company is authorized to sell weapons to Libya directly or indirectly, nor to facilitate the delivery of arms.

When the United Nations Security Council lifted sanctions against Libya, then-US ambassador James Cunningham abstained from the vote, stating that Washington did not want to give the idea that it believed Libya had done an about-face, because, said the ambassador, the country continued to try to obtain weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles. But things appear to have changed radically, given that the weapons shipment intercepted by Spain, and which ended up in Libya, includes such arms.

Why was the US involved in brokering a deal to get WMD to Libya in 2002?

Why would Libya then turn around and give up these same weapons in 2003?

Seems awful strange that the US is involved in a weapons deal that allows WMD to go to Libya via Yemen and then 3 months later begins brokering a deal to eliminate WMD in Libya. We essentially provide them with WMD to take them away???!!!!

What an Amazing ''Coincidence''

HOUSTON, United States (AFP) - Former Enron chiefs Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling faced spending the rest of their lives in prison after a jury found them guilty of fraud and conspiracy in the collapse of the energy giant.

The verdicts delivered Thursday at the end of a 108-day trial drew a line under an era of corporate mega scandals in which Enron, Worldcom and Tyco collapsed under tens of billions of dollars of debt.

Prosecutors accused Lay, 64, and Skilling, 52, of setting up an elaborate scheme to deceive investors over Enron's crumbling finances prior to what was then the largest corporate bankruptcy in US history.

Skilling was found guilty of 19 of 28 counts of fraud and conspiracy and faces a maximum penalty of 185 years in jail.

Lay, 64, a prominent Republican fund raiser, was found guilty of six fraud and conspiracy charges, and federal bank fraud charges in a separate trial. He faces a maximum of 165 years in jail.

They will be sentenced on September 11.

I'm sure it's just a "coincidence" that Lay and Skilling will be sentenced on 9/11/2006, the five year anniversary of 9-11.

Some other coincidences of note:

1) Halliburton has made a shit load of money with their Ex-CEO in the White House.

2) Diebold machines that had errors usually had errors in George Bush's favor.

3) George Bush Sr. was meeting with Osama bin Laden's brother, Shafig bin Laden, in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Washington, on the morning of 9/11.

4) The RNC convention was held just miles from Ground Zero.

Tax Cuts For The Rich

I love these people that still try to justify tax cuts for the rich because they say the rich pay most of the taxes and the poor pay no income tax. So? EVERYONE pays taxes.

Take a guy who is making $20,000 a year and needs 90% of his gross income to survive (rent, food, medicine, gas, etc.)

Now, take another guy who is making $2,000,000 a year and needs 1% of his gross income to survive (rent, food, medicine, gas, etc.)

If each of them pays 15% in taxes the one guy has to give up basic things needed to survive to make up for that 5% he can't afford.

The other guy is using 16% of his total gross salary for survival and taxes and still has approximately $1.7 million in disposable income. That sound like the America you want? It seem to me preventing one of my fellow citizens from having to eat out of a garbage is much more important than a millionaire having 84% of his income be disposable. Maybe that makes be a bleeding heart...but at least I have a heart.

Believe whatever you want but...

Historically low job growth, a declining labor participation rate, declining wages, rising poverty and the worst deterioration in our fiscal situation in history is hardly proof that current fiscal policies are working or should be continued.

Interesting: Take a Look at the Map

MAP

Before I was Just Pissed Off

...now I'm offended.

Senate Republicans proposed a $100 rebate check for millions of taxpayers Thursday to counter high gasoline costs, but linked the assistance to drilling in an Alaska wildlife refuge, assuring the measure would face stiff opposition from most Democrats.

We still pay for high gasoline, except we'll pay for it through our income tax and deficit. This $100 for millions of people has to come from somewhere.

Now if you really think about it they are bribing you with your own money to allow the oil companies, that bribe them, to drill on public land. Oh and the oil companies that are gouging you don't have to cough up one red cent. And the GOP plan doesn't even go after wholesale gougers.

They must really think American voters are stupid...half of you did foolishly vote for Bush...so maybe they have a point.

Why The Price of Oil is High In The US

I've heard a number of very uninformed people insisting this is a supply and demand issue and saying that if we open ANWR, get OPEC to pump more, or drill off shore where it is currently banned we can fix the issue and that's just NOT true. Crude oil supplies are at 8 year highs and demand is average for this time of year.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12280570/from/RL.3/

The problem has many causes but the monetary policy, refined supply and gouging are the main causes.

The monetary policy of the Bush administration has more to do with the high price of gas and oil than anything else. In other words the value of a dollar is the main cause of high gas and oil prices. Record defecits lead to inflation, lower currency valuations, and higher commodity prices.

Oil prices in dollars rose by 162 percent from their low point in January 2002, they climbed by less than half that rate measured in euros, 77 percent. At that rate, oil prices would have only risen to $34 per barrel in October 2004, instead of the actual $52, without changes in the dollar’s value.

A picture, as they say, is worth a thousand words.

http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=USDEUR=X&t=5y

As far as refined supply goes, you can pump your brains out but if you don't have the capacity to refine it, pumping more oil is meaningless. If that piece of garbage, corporate welfare, Energy Bill had fixed the refinery BOTTLENECK then this would be a short term problem. Since the GOP decided to take 4 years to create energy legislation that did NOTHING to fix the issue but instead gave energy companies HUGE tax breaks at a time they're making record profits NOTHING got done to fix the bottleneck in refining. A bunch of oil guys did get even richer though.

Anyone who voted for that piece of shit legislation should be voted out of office. Here are their names....

http://realityofitall.blogspot.com/2005/10/corporate-welfare-energy-bill-see-who.html

And yes, the oil companies are price gouging. You'd have to be pretty naive or awful foolish to believe otherwise.

i.e.
Valero Energy Net Profit 2003 = $617 MILLION
Valero Energy Net Profit 2005 = $3.6 BILLION

Exxon Mobil Net Profit 2003 = $21.5 BILLION
Exxon Mobil Net Profit 2005 = $36.1 BILLION

"When speaking to lawmakers and the general public, the oil industry highlights the small profit margins (typically around 8 to 10 percent) that are measured by comparing profits with total revenues. But when oil companies communicate with Wall Street and shareholders, they use a different measurement."

"For example, ExxonMobil's annual report states: 'ExxonMobil believes that return on average capital employed is the most relevant metric for measuring financial performance in a capital-intensive industry' such as petroleum. In 2004, ExxonMobil's global return on average capital employed was 24 percent; its U.S. profit margin for oil drilling was 37 percent and the company's American refining sector enjoyed a 29 percent profit margin. This shows that the company's biggest profits came in the American market, and provides sound footing to implement a windfall profits tax."

http://www.accuracy.org/newsrelease.php?articleId=1214

More demand in the last few years from China and India, oil speculation and of course the matter of a little war in Iraq destabalizing the middle east are some other more minor contributors to high oil and gas prices.

Fox News Anchor to Become White House Press Secretary?

The White House press office is about to become more fair and balanced. CNN’s Suzanne Malveaux reported last night that “Fox anchor Tony Snow is likely to accept the job as White House press secretary, succeeding Scott McClellan.” Malveaux added that Snow would announce his move “perhaps as early as within the next few days.”

Now let me get this straight...they're hiring a guy from FOX News to say whatever the president wants him to say.

[sarcasm on]
Gee, I wonder if he'll be able to get used to this "new" job.
[sarcasm off]

Fixing Illegal Immigration Is Easy

Put employers in jail for hiring illegals. Deport illegals one at a time as you catch them. No need to round up all 11-15 million all at once. Hire more folks as needed to catch offenders, use local law enforcement, IRS resources, Homeland Security and volunteers like the Minutemen. Impose heavy fines on any employer caught hiring illegals and make the law breaking employers pay the full price of deporting their illegal employees (on top of the fines) that way it won't cost the taxpayers (i.e. you and me) one red cent.

Also, put up rewards for turning these people in, paid out as a percentage of the mandatory fines collected from the employer. That should bring in bounty hunters which would easily remove the main offenders at little cost.

Also, no public assistance of any kind (except emergency medical care) without proper immigration papers. That includes putting children in public or private school. If emergency medical care is needed it should be granted but the medical staff should be required to verify citizenship within 24 hours for anyone not presenting a valid healthcare card. If the medical staff fails to do so they face fines and 30 days in jail for each violation. The hospital can verify your insurance within 24 hours so they should be able to verify legal status for those without insurance as well. It won't catch everyone but it will catch some.

Problem solved. No jobs, no illegals, no benefits for illegals, and no extra taxpayer dollars needed to fix the issue. It makes perfect sense and that's why the scum in Washington, D.C. will never do it.

Feel free to build fences if enough people think it's necessary with the $$$ produced from the fines. But if there are no jobs this problem is going to be very manageable with or without fences.

For Those Who Still Think Iraq Was A Good Idea

Annual war spending in Iraq is set to double since the U.S. invasion, having risen from $48 billion in 2003 to $59 billion in 2004 to $81 billion in 2005 to an anticipated $94 billion in 2006. The administration is now spending nearly $10 billion a month in Iraq and Afghanistan, up from $8.2 billion a year ago.

And while the US pisses money down a rathole...

Terrorism is increasing worldwide. “The number of terrorist attacks documented by U.S. intelligence agencies jumped sharply in 2005, crossing the 10,000 mark for the first time,” up from 3,192 attacks in 2004.

Who is Bush Trying to Fool?

No one with an ounce of sense can possibly believe this (so Bush Supporters definitely believe it.)


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush said on Tuesday he is "concerned" about high gasoline prices, and pledged that the U.S. government will keep a close watch out for profiteering.

"I'm concerned about higher gasoline prices," Bush said at a Rose Garden news conference to name new staff appointments.

"The government has the responsibility to make sure that we watch very carefully and investigate possible price-gouging, and we will do just that," Bush said in unprompted remarks about energy prices.

****MEANWHILE...

Exxon Mobil made a record $36.1-billion profit last year but Bush can't for the life him see anyone profiteering off of oil.

Someone save us from this moron.

Bush & GOP Obviously Have No Answers

The goal of the administration always seems to be to change the American public's perceptions of an issue, rather than to acknowledge reality and change what's actually happening. That is a sure sign these people have no answers to the problems that face this nation, they just don't give a damn, or both.

Iraq, Deficits, Medicare, Terrorism, Ports Deal, Bankruptcy Bill, Jobs, Katrina, Poverty, etc. etc. etc.

It's just one PR campaign after another, one failure after another. These people just don't want to deal with reality. Ignoring facts doesn't make them less true and the one fact that stands out most is Bush has failed to lead this nation in the right direction.

Ask yourself, in what way is the US better off today than before Bush and the GOP came to power?

Honestly, in what way?

Fiscally --- No, the government owes MUCH more money.

Foreign Relations --- No, most countries have a worse view of the US due to the torture, illegal wars, and arrogant US policies.

Environment --- No, Pollution controls have been weakened.

Healthcare --- No, we spend more than any other country in the world and by most measures we've fallen behind.

Border Security --- No, 11 to 15 million undocumented people walking around this country. The unsecured ports, chemical plants, and nuclear facilities compound this issue to one of poor safety and failed national security as well.

Wages --- No, real wages have declined.

Energy --- No, energy costs have skyrocketed.

Moral Values --- No, 81% of the people surveyed in a recent Gallup poll say things are getting worse.

Seriously how are we as a nation better off? What positive things have been achieved here with Bush and the GOP Congress? It looks to me like the GOP (you know the guys allegedly in charge) have FAILED the American people. The results and the 29% approval ratings speak for themselves.

Dust off the GOP Election Plan

There's an election coming up and it's the same old tired nonsense...

1) War Monger - We can't wait for a mushroom cloud with Iran.

Iran is NO THREAT and even thinking about a war with them is just plain foolishness. There's no money, no troops, and no support for such an action. Dubya used all his chips on Iraq and lost.

2) Divide by Fear - A bunch of brown people are going to take your job.

The GOP has been in control of the federal government for 10 years and it's been almost 5 years since 9/11 and they haven't done shit to control the ports and border but now that it's an election year, the GOP has approval ratings in the 20's and we're suddenly supposed to believe this is a priority for them...even after they went on vacation leaving the immigration bill to collect dust?

And let's face it, the immigration bill with amnesty and a guest worker program is a ridiculous piece of legislation that will ensure further wage erosion for AMERICANS and legal immigrants. Put employers in jail for hiring illegals and fine them heavily. Problem solved. If there are no jobs there will be no illegals.

3) Paint the Minority Party as Obstructionist - We can't get anything done because of the Democrats.

Having seen the results of the bad ideas Dubya and the GOP have gotten through (Energy Bill, Medicare Bill, Iraq, Deficits, etc.), anyone that can save America from GOP incompetence should be praised...

But let's face it folks the majority party (GOP) can do pretty much anything they want because they have the votes. The guys allegedly in charge (the GOP) blaming the minority party (Democrats) for the GOP's inability to govern effectively is just sad and ridiculous.

4) Support Nonsense Issues to Pander to the Right Wing Base

Let's not forget such "important" issues as flag burning and gay marriage being made the primary issues...yet again...in an election year. The GOP has got to pander to that right wing base that NEVER gets what they're promised by the GOP but the right wing base keeps falling for the same trick every election. How many times can these people be lied to before they catch on?

Most Who Voted For Bush in 2004 Were Actually Not ''Stupid''

I've actually given this phenomenon quite a bit of thought. Stupidity is just a small part of the reason for the election results in 2004. When people do strange and ridiculous things from my point of view I attempt to understand their point of view so I can answer the hardest of all questions "WHY?"

There is a fairly significant portion of the population that doesn't care about REAL issues that effect them (Jobs, economy, crime, immigration, fiscal responsibility, etc) and only care that gays can't get married and women can't get abortions (code named: "moral values"). To these "moral values" people, this is all that an election is: And it is both sad and tragic that these "moral values" people are so VERY concerned about such things that have NO EFFECT on their lives but virtually ignore the things that DO effect their lives. Once you understand that you start to understand 2004 a bit better. I wrote about it in my blog and if you check out polling report you can see the numbers.

http://realityofitall.blogspot.com/2005/11/what-was-and-what-shall-be.html

http://www.pollingreport.com/2004.htm

There are some scary stupid people living in this country, there is no doubt, but there are even more of our fellow citizens that have their priorities so screwed up by religious dogma, willful ignorance, bigotry, generational voting habits, lack of intellectual curiosity, stubborn close-mindedness, uninformed selfishness, misinformed greed, black and white world views, or some combination of the above they vote against their own personal interests without ever a moment of reflection to re-evaluate their obviously bad choices.

If you ask someone why they voted for a candidate and you don't have to sit down to hear their answer because it is so short...they're very likely one of these "moral values" people and no matter what you say, no matter what evidence you give, no matter what irrefutable facts you give them you'll usually find you can't change their mind. Sometimes it's just the inability on some people's parts to admit a mistake or admit their own ignorance other times it's just because they don't care enough (apathy) about this county to try to do what is right for the country. It's ALWAYS worth trying to persuade them to try to re-examine their views but it can be as frustrating as Hell.

http://realityofitall.blogspot.com/2005/09/like-talking-to-wall.html

An Interesting Question

I had someone ask today: Why is it that the media in the United States is so afraid of Bush?

This was in response to the fact I pointed out that the press sat on their ass for 2 months in regards to Libby telling people Cheney and Bush authorized him to leak information in regards to Plamegate.

I wrote about this in February but really nothing much was reported in the main stream media until April.

So my reply to his question of: Why is it that the media in the United States is so afraid of Bush?...

The main stream media actually isn't afraid of Bush. The main stream media is working with Bush. Take a look at who owns the main stream media. It's owned by a handful of very big, very rich and very powerful companies. (i.e. the big three TV networks ABC, NBC, and CBS are owned and operated by Disney, General Electric, and Viacom.) Every piece of major legislation put forth by Bush has HURT Main Street to HELP Wall Street. Bush IS the CORPORATE PRESIDENT. From the day he was elected he has ALWAYS put CORPORATE interests above those of "the people".

Corporations are getting huge benefits from having Bush in power so why would they turn the main stream media they own loose on him? Do you think it was a coincidence that Colin Powell's son was put in charge of the FCC and they immediately passed legislation removing limits on the amount of media one company can own in a market. The press is now "controlled" because there are a handful of corporation that own and control it whether anyone wants to acknowledge that or not.

For Instance: If the FACT that the NY Times knew well BEFORE the 2004 election that Bush was authorizing illegal warrantless wiretaps and sat on the story for A WHOLE YEAR before reporting it doesn't make one question who exactly it is the media is looking out for then there is really no help for that person.

Without DeLay

Please take note of the 63 members of the House Republican Conference who confirmed voting in November 2004 to rewrite the rules to allow Tom DeLay to remain in leadership after being indicted by a grand jury.

Remember their names on election day and vote them OUT OF OFFICE.

Robert B Aderholt AL
Joe Barton TX
Bob Beauprez CO
Marsha Blackburn
Roy Blunt MO
Henry Bonilla TX
Jo Bonner AL
John Boozman AR
Kevin Brady TX
Henry E Brown Jr SC
Dave Camp MI
Eric Cantor VA
John R Carter TX
Tom J Cole OK
Ander Crenshaw
John Abney Culberson TX
Randy "Duke" Cunningham CA **IN PRISON**
Jim DeMint SC
Tom Feeney FL
Mike Ferguson NJ
Vito Fossella NY
Trent Franks AZ
E Scott Garrett NJ
James W Gerlach PA
Wayne T Gilchrest MD
John Phillip Gingrey GA
Kay Granger TX
Sam Graves MO
Mark Green WI
Melissa A Hart PA
J Dennis Hastert
Wally Herger CA
Darrell E Issa CA
Sue W Kelly NY
Peter T King NY
John Kline MN
Jerry Lewis CA
Frank A LoBiondo
Frank D Lucas OK
Thaddeus G McCotter MI
Howard P "Buck" McKeon CA
John L Mica FL
Anne M Northup KY
Ron Paul TX
Thomas E Petri WI
Jon Porter Sr NV
Adam H Putnam FL
George Radanovich
Ralph Regula OH
Michael Dennis Rogers AL
Dana Rohrabacher CA
Jim Ryun KS
Jim Saxton NJ
Pete Sessions TX
Lamar S Smith TX
Mark Souder IN
John E Sweeney NY
Thomas G Tancredo CO
William M Thomas CA
James T Walsh NY
Dave Weldon FL
Gerald C Weller IL
Don Young AK

Can You Say Delusional??

"This is a man, I believe, God has appointed ... to represent righteousness in government,"

Rev. Rick Scarborough speaking about Tom DeLay

Evidentially, ol' Reverend Ricky thinks God has a tail, hooves, horns, carries a pitch fork, and listens to the screams of the damned on his iPod.

Oh Hypocrisy, Oh Irony, Thou Art Glorious

A federal appeals court ordered Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) to pay House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) $700,000 "for leaking an illegally taped phone conversation between Boehner and then-Speaker Newt Gingrich," the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

IMAGINE, the head of the GOP is upset because HE was illegally wiretapped. LOL!!!

Has he been paying attention to what HIS president is doing???

Oh hypocrisy, oh irony, thou art glorious.

For Those That STILL Haven't Figured It Out...

The Iraq occupation was never about WMD, Democracy, or human rights. It was and is all about who controls the Iraqi oil fields. Not a revelation to those of us that have been paying attention I grant you but there are still people who haven't seen the obvious truth. I know...that hardly seems possible but they do exist.

The United Nations inspectors were lurking about Iraq in early 2003 and within the next six months they were going to declare Iraq WMD free. That OBVIOUSLY makes sense because as we "all" KNOW there were no WMD in Iraq. Once Iraq was cleared, UN sanctions would be lifted within a year or two and then the Chinese, French and Russians would be able to begin developing the second largest oil reserves in the world. The US oil companies like Exxon that are having a more difficult time finding "easy oil" absolutely couldn't have THAT.

Fast forward to Bush kicking out the UN weapon inspectors and an unnecessary invasion of Iraq by the United States and Britain and presto chango those contracts that Chinese, Russian and French oil companies agreed on with Iraq long before the invasion are null and void. If you take a quick Goggle of the situation now you'll see US and British oil companies have rights to those oil fields NOW. Oh and while you're at it look up Executive Order 13303 that provides absolute legal protection for US interests in Iraqi oil. They can do whatever they want and they are above the law.

Bottom line is that this whole Iraq fiasco is about who controls the oil and that's now the US and British oil companies. The Bush/Republican agenda has NEVER been to do what's good for America. Their agenda has and always will be to do what is good for their very elite constituency composed largely of "Big Oil".

Babs Bush's Katrina ''Donation''

Remember Dubya's mom? The woman who said of Katrina victims:

"And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this -- this [she chuckles slightly] is working very well for them."

Well she made a hefty donation today to the Katrina fund. Nice jesture you say? Nope. Not if you look at where it was specifically earmarked for....

The Houston Chronicle reported that the donation Barbara Bush made to the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund was 'earmarked' for the educational software company Ignite! As some of you probably know that's the junk company owned by her ne'er-do-well son Neil Bush.

So Babs gets to give money to her other idiot son free and clear and she gets a nice tax writeoff to boot...the Bushs, a family of scumbags I tell ya.

Bush Passing the Devalued Buck AGAIN

"The American people did not place us in office to pass on problems to future generations and future Presidents and future Congresses." – President Bush, 3/12/05

VERSUS

At this morning’s press conference, President Bush said that U.S. troops would remain in Iraq through the end of his presidency. According to Bush, the question of whether U.S. troops will ever leave Iraq will be one for “future presidents.”

Bush Obviously Has No Answers

The goal of the administration always seems to be to change the American public's perceptions of an issue, rather than to change what's actually happening. That is a sure sign these people have no answers to the problems that face this nation, they just don't give a damn, or both.

Iraq, Deficits, Medicare, Terrorism, Ports Deal, Bankruptcy Bill, Jobs, Katrina, Poverty, etc. etc. etc.

It's just one PR campaign after another, one failure after another. These people just don't want to deal with reality. Ignoring facts doesn't make them less true and the one fact that stands out most is Bush has failed to lead this nation in the right direction.

Sometimes ol' Dubya makes it too easy...

WASHINGTON - President Bush delivered a partisan pep talk Thursday night to Republicans who may be jittery about midterm elections while his approval rating is at an all-time low.

"We don't fear the future," Bush told donors who contributed $8 million Thursday night to support Republican House candidates. "We welcome it."

Yep, the rest of us welcome the future too...

President Bush's approval rate is just 39%, with 58% disapproving of his performance.

Democrats have "an historic" 15 point edge, 52% to 37%, in the generic congressional ballot.

Bring on the future!!!!

Then the coked out retard said...

"I can stand up here and tell you that we have delivered results for the American people, and we've got an agenda to continue to do so," Bush said.

Yep ol' incompetent Dubya sure did deliver results, of course 99% of the results were BAD results, thus the poor ratings and coming GOP slaughter in the 2006 elections.

Quote of the Day

"The more we hear about what Allen is accused of, the less it sounds like kleptomania and the more it sounds like an application of Bush economic policy."

Jacob Weisberg, referring to Claude Allen, former Bush White House aide caught in a shoplifting scheme

Insane Bush Can't Admit His Mistakes...

so he will NEVER LEARN from them.

Bush Will Reissue Declaration of Preemptive War

President Bush plans to issue a new national security strategy today reaffirming his doctrine of preemptive war against terrorists and hostile states with chemical, biological or nuclear weapons, despite the troubled experience in Iraq.

The definition of insanity is, “Doing the same thing over and over again expecting the outcome to change”.

Bush Delivers

...29% approval ratings, huge deficits, incompetence, death, torture, no accountablity for anything on any level, dangerously open borders, White House press passes to a gay male prostitute, cronyism, an outrageously expensive poorly working medicare drug bill he lied about the cost of, outsourcing of our sea ports and security to potential enemies, our nuclear secrets to foreign countries that have not signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, illegal invasions, hyped/manufactured evidence, corruption, high gas/oil prices, out of control medical costs, no bid contracts, exporting of American jobs, an energy bill that does nothing to reduce foreign dependence or bring fuel prices down, illegal wiretaps, no WMD, no Osama, no anthrax mailer, QUADRUPLE the terrorism since he started his "war on terror", corporate welfare, stagnant real wages, nation building, environmentally negative legislation, outting of CIA agents, bungled Katrina response, government intervention in private matters, increased poverty every year of his presidency, cover ups, deceit, propaganda, lame excuses, lies, and long presidential vacations.

2005 Deficit Actually $760 Billion

CongressDaily reported today, "A little-noticed Treasury Department report sent to congressional leaders in December paints a bleaker picture of the nation's finances than is widely accepted and is beginning to attract attention as lawmakers prepare for election-year budget battles." The report puts the fiscal year 2005 deficit at $760 billion by "using generally accepted accounting principles that private businesses must use to present their finances." The larger figure contrasts strongly with the $319 billion figure typically cited. According to the report, standard deficit calculations give "a potentially unrealistic and misleading picture of the federal government’s overall performance, financial condition, and future fiscal outlook." Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN) complained that Congress was not sufficiently notified about the report. "We got more notification on the NSA domestic surveillance thing," Cooper said.

Bush Caught on Tape LYING AGAIN!!!

Bush caught on tape being warned that Hurricane Katrina “could breach levees, risk lives in the New Orleans Superdome and overwhelm rescuers.”

VERSUS

“I don’t think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees.” -George W. Bush, Sept. 1, 2005

By definition, that would make him a liar.

On the UAE Port Deal

It doesn't matter what foreign country we are talking about (UAE, Canada, UK, Iran, etc), no foreign country should ever have control of our sea ports, airports, nuclear facilities, or any other area of national security interest. It's absolutely unacceptable.

Only 5% of all shipping containers are inspected that come into this country and air freight is really NEVER inspected. Think about that.

Bush likes to say "9/11 changed everything". Not from where I sit. Whether the UAE "gets" these ports or not we'll have the same criminally negligent port security we've always had and that's the REAL problem.

While we're told we're supposed to invade countries without cause, torture prisoners, surrender civil liberties, and get spied on illegally by our government, all in the name of "national security", Bush and his GOP cronies don't think pesky things such as "national security" should get in the way of commerce. Especially with some of Bush's best Middle Eastern pals who have links to terrorism.

Our current government is FAILING miserably on the issue of national security (and every other issue I can think of) to make a quick buck and something needs to be done. Getting rid of the GOP Congress in '06, that sat on their ass doing nothing about this issue for 10 years, would be a good start.

Some Thoughts on How to Address the Poverty Issue in This Country

There are many steps that can be taken to cure the ills of poverty. Some of them that quickly come to mind are:

Raising the minimum wage and at the very least keep raises in the minimum wage tied to inflation. (even though that number is usually wrong) The US minimum wage hasn't been raised in over a decade and even then it wasn't keeping up with inflation. Our goal shouldn't be to push people to minimum wage jobs but for those that need them they should be able to reasonably live on such a wage. There is little incentive for someone to drive to work if it costs more in gas to get to work than you make in wages when you get there.

Something like "work-centric (bank?) accounts" could be created that match the savings of low-income families THAT ARE WORKING. Folks on Welfare would lose so much in benefits by TRYING to work that there is no incentive to try. For instance taking a minimum wage job and losing all your health benefits when you have children is dangerous for the kids and in the end a foolish decision. And that shouldn't be the case. Incentive to work and not punishing those that do is essential.

Government funding could be provided to high school graduates for college tuition and books as long as the students agree to work while in college. Many that make it to college are on a work program already. A government matching of their salaries or even a FICA and/or tax exemption would help these kids tremendously and would reap benefits for the society as a whole down the road. Sure these are tax cuts, but they are tax cuts that HELP the poor and the lower middle class, NOT the rich...who don't "need" the money.

Education, incentivizing people to work, and making a culture of work ethic will put this country on the right track again. The fact is poverty has gotten worse EVERY YEAR of the Bush presidency because education is becoming less affordable, there is less incentive to work, wages have stagnated/dropped, and more people have been given less an incentive to work.

Bush Making Facts Based on Decisions

President Bush likes to sell his tax cuts for the rich by saying, “We want our families to have more money in their pocket.”

And the White House reported in August 2004, “Real after-tax incomes are up 11 percent since December 2000.”

But Bush’s economic statistics have no basis in reality. The Federal Reserve Board reported today that the “average income of American families, after adjusting for inflation, declined 2.3% in 2004 compared with 2001.”

I'm gonna get me some o' them French fried taters mmm hmm...

Too Many Lies...

"None in the hunting party was drinking alcohol, said the owner, Katharine Armstrong. 'No, zero, zippo and I don’t drink at all,' she said. 'No one was drinking.'"
-- Scripps Howard News Service, 2/13/06

VERSUS

"[Armstrong] says she was not sure if there were beers in the coolers but wasn't ready to rule it out: 'There may be a beer or two in there, but remember not everyone in the party was shooting,' she told NBC News."
-- MSNBC, 2/14/06

VERSUS

"Armstrong had told CNN she never saw Cheney or Whittington 'drink at all on the day of the shooting until after the accident occurred, when the vice president fixed himself a cocktail back at the house.'"
-- Editor and Publisher, 2/15/06

Bush's Oil Giveaway to Obscenely Cash-Rich Oil Companies

Yes everyone it's really happening...AGAIN. A HUGE giveaway to the oil companies at the taxpayers' expense.

The federal government is on the verge of one of the biggest giveaways of oil and gas in American history, worth an estimated $7 billion over five years.

New projections, buried in the Interior Department's just-published budget plan, anticipate that the government will let companies pump about $65 billion worth of oil and natural gas from federal territory over the next five years without paying any royalties to the government.

Based on the administration figures, the government will give up more than $7 billion in payments between now and 2011. The companies are expected to get the largest, known as royalty relief, even though the administration assumes that oil prices will remain above $50 a barrel throughout that period.

Hmm, the "9-11 changed everything" excuse won't fly here. I wonder what they'll try instead. What will our OIL president say when asked about this other than the obvious "ummmmmmm...uh...err..."?

Remember when you're filling up the gas tank of your car next time, you paid for that gasoline TWICE.

Bush is Such an Arrogant Fool

Seven-year cost of private Social Security accounts, which President Bush slipped into the 2007 budget this week: $712 billion

What gaul! What a friggin sneak! The American people and the Congress already gave a resounding NO to this "plan". Maybe he missed the standing ovation Congress gave the sinking of that scheme during his State of the Union speech?

Imagine trying AGAIN to tell people you're going to be spending $700 billion of their dollars to cut their SS benefits when they already said no.

I don't think that's going to fly too well do you?

I believe the American people are going to tell ol' Dubya to fuck off and don't stop fucking off for quite some time...AGAIN.

Worst President EVER.

There Are No Excuses....

left for supporting the Bush administration.

Court documents filed by special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald reveal that I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, "told a grand jury that he was authorized by his 'superiors' to disclose classified information to reporters."

hmmmm...superiors with an "S" at the end. Now if you think about it Libby (the ex-chief of staff of the VP) only had TWO superiors...Cheney...and Bush.

The great protectors of our country were so concerned about covering their lies about Iraq they were willing to pass out ***highly classified*** information to reporters. This is a major news story.

You would have had to be profoundly foolish and naive to be supporting the Bush administration BEFORE this. Now? If you're still supporting these people now you're absolutely retarded.

Gonzales is as Stupid as His Boss

"President Washington, President Lincoln, President Wilson, President Roosevelt have all authorized electronic surveillance on a far broader scale."

Alberto Gonzales 2/6/06

Really? Electronic surveillance? President Washington?

Everyone feel free to make their own joke. Many of you obviously elected one for the White House and Dubya obviously appointed one for Attorney General.

Bush Continues to Fail on Terrorism

...like he does on just about every other issue.

President Bush continues to talk tough on terrorism, but more than four years after the 9/11 attacks, what does he have to show for all of his talk?

– Global terrorist attacks have tripled on President Bush’s watch.

– The Bush administration has received failing and mediocre grades on fighting terrorists by the 9/11 Commission.

– By invading Iraq without a plan to stabilize the country, President Bush created a new haven and terrorist training ground for Al Qaeda.

– The Bush administration let top Al Qaeda leaders slip away in the early days of the war in Afghanistan.

The Bush failures in the fight against terrorism keep piling up, and Americans are less safe because of them.

Senator Feingold Hits One Out of the Park

"This administration reacts to anyone who questions this illegal program by saying that those of us who demand the truth and stand up for our rights and freedoms somehow has a pre-9/11 world view. In fact, the President has a pre-1776 world view. Our government has three branches, not one. And no one, not even the President, is above the law."

Sen. Feingold

Is John Snow High or Just Retarded?

Reuters:

Snow said Bush's budget and his push to make permanent tax cuts on income from dividends and capital gains, which are set to expire at the end of 2008, are consistent with long-term goals of reducing the deficit, which the administration projects to reach $423 billion in 2006.

"Lower tax rates are good for the economy and a growing economy is good for Treasury receipts," he said.

YOU'VE GOT RECORD DEFICITS EVERY YEAR!!!!!!! The Treasury is EMPTY...except for the IOUs and Bush's footprints...and you can NOT pay the country's bills without borrowing more money from the Japanese and Chinese. Tax Cuts caused this. That's been proven time and time again. WAKE THE HELL UP!!!!

Sure You Haven't...

"Yes, I am cozy with lobbyists, but I have never done anything unethical."
—new House Majority Leader Rep. John Boehner

VERSUS

"One day last summer Representative John A. Boehner of Ohio, chairman of the House Republican Conference, decided to play Santa Claus. … In any event, Mr. Boehner took it upon himself to begin handing out money from tobacco lobbyists to certain of his colleagues on the House floor."

Boehner stopped handing out the checks only "after being questioned about the practice by two freshmen who’d heard about the handoff on the House floor" [Charleston Gazette, 5/11/96]

Bush On Corruption

Amazing how Bush always seems to be on the positive end of the double standard he sets for himself huh??

"If there is corruption, I'm not surprised that people say, let's get rid of corruption. If government hadn't been responsive, I'm not the least bit surprised that people said, I want government to be responsive."
-- President Bush, 1/26/06, on corruption in the Palestinian territories

VERSUS

"President Bush today dismissed the significance of photographs showing him with disgraced Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff and indicated that the White House would continue to oppose releasing the photos, which he said are irrelevant to a federal investigation."
-- President Bush, 1/26/06, on corruption in the United States

Compare Gore's Medicare Drug Plan to Bush's Debacle

During the 2000 presidential campaign, Democrat Al Gore had proposed a simple drug benefit that would have been delivered by Medicare—and not outsourced to private companies. His estimated a price tag of $253 billion over 10 years drew condemnations from Republican ranks. “Mr. Gore seems unconcerned about costs,” the Wall Street Journal sniffed.

To counter the Gore drug-benefit plan, Bush offered voters his privatized version—pulling out of his hat a price tag of $158 billion. When he pushed his plan to Congress in 2003, the number had risen to $400 billion. At the time, a government actuary had determined that the program would cost a lot more than $400 billion, but he shut up after the Bush administration threatened his job. And so taxpayers are now looking at a $724 billion bill.

I See the Republicans Proposed "Ethics" Legislation Today

Someone better get the RNC a dictionary so they can look up what ethics are:

Let's see who was involved in scandal BEFORE the Abramoff scandal broke:

REPUBLICAN Tom "The Hammer" DeLay had to step down as the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives two months ago after he was indicted on charges of breaking campaign finance laws.

REPUBLICAN Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice-President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, has been charged with perjury and obstruction of justice.

REPUBLICAN Bill Frist, the Senate Majority Leader, is under SEC investigation over allegations that he benefited from inside information for stock trades.

REPUBLICAN Randy "Duke" Cunningham pleaded guilty to charges of tax evasion and fraud. And cried like a little girl I might add.

REPUBLICAN Karl Rove, President Bush's chief political adviser, is still under investigation by the special prosecutor for charges related to outting CIA agent Valerie Plame, perjury, and obstruction of justice.

NOW we have the Abramoff Scandal. Abramoff is a GOP lobbyist who did NOT give any money personally to anyone not a member of the GOP (that's documented). Sure the GOP says Mr. Abramoff's clients -- those Indian tribes -- gave money to Democrats as well as Republicans but anyone with an ounce of sense can see that for smoke screen it is. The tribes were ALREADY giving money to Democrats before Mr. Abramoff entered the picture, Abramoff persuaded them to REDUCE those Democratic donations, while giving much more money to Republicans. All those FACTS aside, the GOP controls the House, the Senate, and the Presidency...golly who would people be bribing via a GOP lobbyist...those in power, the GOP, or those NOT in power. How many REPUBLICAN lobbyists that want to keep their job can you think of that would arrange for funding to be directed to Democrats? If you answered NONE, it shows you have a working brain. Congratulations.

It's going to be a VERY long year for the GOP ending in an election that is going to make them lose a considerable bit of power. The GOP is going to lose the House and perhaps the Senate, and if one of those things happen they could easily lose the presidency after Bush is impeached and prosecuted.

The GOP proposing ethics legislation is like having the fox design the hen house.

As the Rovebots keep saying....

about the ILLEGAL wiretaps that Bush used to BREAK THE LAW with...If you've got nothing to hide what are you worried about??

“The White House is refusing to reveal details of tainted lobbyist Jack Abramoff’s visits with President Bush’s staff,” reports the AP.

Hmmmmmmm...

We Need an Attorney General That Actually Knows The Law

"It's very, very important that the president has the agility and the speed to gather up electronic surveillance of individuals that may be in contact with the enemy."
-- Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, attempting to justify Bush's warrantless domestic wiretapping program, 1/16/06

VERSUS

"FISA law does include emergency provisions that allow warrantless eavesdropping for up to 72 hours if the attorney general certifies there is no other way to get the information."
-- Washington Post, 12/22/05

Does anyone in the GOP have ethics??

>>> By now we've all seen this...

Md. Legislature Overrides Veto on Wal-Mart Bill

Maryland lawmakers bucked the will of the state's **Republican** governor and the nation's largest retailer yesterday, voting to become the first state to effectively require that Wal-Mart spend more on employee health care.

(Basically, so that the taxpayers of Maryland can quit footing the bill to pay for Walmart employees' healthcare and make Walmart do it.)

>>>Now check this out:

“Wal-Mart hosted a $1,000 [per-person] fundraiser for me?” Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich said on CNBC yesterday. “That is absolutely incorrect. Wal-Mart has not hosted any fundraisers.” His press secretary explained “Wal-Mart was not the host, just one of many hosts” but was “unable to identify any other sponsors.”

Gee he vetoed legislation BAD for Walmart but GOOD for the citizens of his state after Walmart gave him a bunch of money...no ethics violation there right? right?

WRONG.

New Law Criminalizes Anonymous Annoying E-mails and Web Posts

We all better learn to think twice before clicking our mouses. A new law signed by President Bush last week makes sending annoying anonymous e-mails or posting annoying messages on websites a federal crime.

Last Thursday, President Bush signed into law a prohibition on posting annoying Web messages or sending annoying e-mail messages without disclosing your true identity.....Buried deep in the new law is Sec. 113, an innocuously titled bit called "Preventing Cyberstalking." It rewrites existing telephone harassment law to prohibit anyone from using the Internet "without disclosing his identity and with intent to annoy."

For people who comment on use-net groups and blogs, this could be a problem. Here's the actual text:

"Whoever...utilizes any device or software that can be used to originate telecommunications or other types of communications that are transmitted, in whole or in part, by the Internet... without disclosing his identity and with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass any person...who receives the communications...shall be fined under title 18 or imprisoned not more than two years, or both."

Worst President Ever

It's hard to REPRESENT the interests of the people IF you IGNORE what they want/need and Bush is completely out of touch with the needs and wants of the average American. The polls clearly show that with most Americans showing disapproval of Bush's policies and overall job performance.

Bush clearly looks at the polls but only to craft a message to attempt to trick people into accepting policies that are bad for them. Polls should be a tool Bush uses to gage what people want and act according to those interests when possible.

“Who gives a flying !*@@ what the polls say, I’m the President and I’ll do whatever I goddamned please. They don’t know &!^&.” are NOT the words of someone who is serving this country. They are the words of someone serving himself.

Worst president ever.

Cheney Hilariously Fails to Defend Breaking the Law...

The only 2 sentences in the article worth reading:

"A 1978 law, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, forbids domestic spying on U.S. citizens without the approval of a special court. Bush secretly authorized the NSA to intercept communications without court approval."

Another Reason Not To Go To Times Square

for the New Year's Eve Celebration.

It's bad enough there are loud drunks, almost no bathrooms, and vomit and urine in the streets but NOW it's obviously a prime terrorist target. From NYTimes.com:

"While the party carried on in Times Square, late arrivals waited in long lines to pass through security checkpoints where police searched bags. The crowds were still merging on midtown for the celebration an hour before midnight."

Good thing we spent $500 BILLION on Iraq so we could all feel "safer" in our "free" and "open" society. Safe from the scary terrorists. BOO!!!

Enjoy your freedom while you're being patted down and strip searched and remember that $500 BILLION pissed down a hole in Iraq was a HUGE God damn waste. What the heck it's only OUR money and it's not like we have HUGE deficits, MAJOR cuts in education funding, Poverty increasing every year for the last 4 years, 45 million US citizens without health care, a city that needs to be rebuilt after being destroyed by a natural disaster, and an aging population currently retiring that will put a HUGE strain on the economy.

Happy New Year...if that's possible.