Congress' nightmare: CAGW Pig Book reveals federal spendthrifts

Citizens Against Government Waste came up with this catchy mascot and slogan to raise awareness of federal spendthrifts.This morning taxpayer watchdog groups spoke from the National Press Club about government spending; the program aired on C-SPAN. I was about to catch David Williams’ remarks when the Florida storms killed our power for the umpteenth time. Williams, policy vice-president for Citizens Against Government Waste, puts the organization’s annual Pig Book together. Also on the program was Tom Schatz, CAGW president. CAGW also had the group’s official mascot, a large pink pig character, on hand and a new slogan, ‘Where’s Pigfoot?’ will hopefully draw attention to ongoing offenses committed by spendthrifts in the US Congress.

CAGW said, “The 2009 Pig Book identified 10,160 projects at a cost of $19.6 billion in the 12 Appropriations Acts for fiscal 2009. A pork project is a line-item in an appropriations bill that designates tax dollars for a specific purpose in circumvention of established budgetary procedures.” To qualify as pork, an item must satisfy at least 2 of 7 criteria:

Click to read more ...

Pirates vow revenge after Obama passed age-old test for US presidents

Shipping containers at the A.P. Moller-Maersk Group based in Copenhagen, Denmark.[Photo from corporate website press gallery.]With the rescue of Capt. Richard Phillips on Easter Sunday, pirates are vowing revenge on both the US and France for the deaths of comrades who were holding Phillips hostage. Piracy is nothing new—by now most are aware US presidents have faced issues with rogues on the high seas dating to Thomas Jefferson’s struggles with the Barbary pirates. Some experts translate history in a manner that can be confusing. One line of thinking suggests The Barbary Wars had nothing to do with religion, but were actually about trade. Regardless of the pirates’ faith, Jefferson would have acted.

But Jefferson had a wakeup call like the one the current US president may soon have. As in many other parts of the world, pirates off the coast of Somalia are often Islamic. Christopher Hitchens, in the essay ‘Jefferson versus the Muslim Pirates’ at City-Journal, recounts what Jefferson heard when he and John Adams met with Tripoli’s ambassador to London in 1785. Hitchens recounts: “When they inquired by what right the Barbary states preyed upon American shipping, enslaving both crews and passengers, America’s two foremost envoys were informed that “it was written in the Koran, that all Nations who should not have acknowledged their authority were sinners, that it was their right and duty to make war upon whoever they could find and to make Slaves of all they could take as prisoners, and that every Mussulman who should be slain in battle was sure to go to Paradise.”

Hitchens points out one aspect of piracy many historians have ignored: between 1530-1780, approximately 1.5 million Europeans and Americans were enslaved in Islamic North Africa. In the US, the only history taught about slavery relates to trans-Atlantic slavery in America. Schools rarely include discussion of slavery practiced by a number of countries before America was a nation and long after American president Abraham Lincoln freed US slaves. Slavery never was and is not entirely the white man's burden; it is a human global burden and the practice existed in domiciles of all skin colors.

Click to read more ...

Rasmussen poll on capitalism vs. socialism raises more questions than it answers

In a socialist economy, the lion's share of pork goes straight to the government.The headlines were shocking—in a Rasmussen telephone survey only 53 percent of Americans prefer capitalism over socialism. Of those polled, 20 percent prefer socialism, but the devil’s in the ‘not sure’ group totaling 27 percent. I imagine the decisive capitalists and socialists both have a pretty good idea what the terms mean. I imagine if the unsure 27 percent received a definition with examples, they’d opt for capitalism every time. The terms weren’t defined—the surveyors asked a simple question. ‘Which is a better system—capitalism or socialism?’

What if, instead, you’d asked, would you like people who aren’t in the political ruling class—just regular people—to live in identical housing and receive set wages for work performed, with the government deciding what sort of raises you get and who should get them according to standards set by the government?

What if, instead, you’d said, go down to your nearest low income apartment complex and you can see socialism at its finest?

What if you’d said the next leap forward after socialism is usually communism?

What if you’d said if you have a socialist government, you will never be well off unless you work as a bureaucrat in a government office, and to get that job you have to kiss a lot of government butt and climb your way up through politics rather than talent, skill or productivity? And you absolutely must not make waves.
 
Maybe you could give an example. If you live in a socialist country, say you want to get a cell phone. The government has budgeted for only so many cell phones, so the phones are awarded by lottery. Maybe you can buy a rabbit’s foot charm and be one of the lucky comrades.

Click to read more ...

Idaho latest to push states' rights in 10th amendment

Republican Liberty Caucus (Florida) chair Will Pitts, addressing the 2009 National RLC Convention in Jacksonville, keeps members informed about politics and legislation.[Photo by Kay B. Day]Idaho is the latest state to remind the federal government that power is “inherent in the people.” Republican Liberty Caucus chair for Florida Will Pitts informed members late Wednesday Idaho passed the 10th Amendment Resolution Memorial. Pitts said the resolution “will now be forwarded to the US Congress and the President as a notice and demand to cease and desist all unconstitutional activity.”

According to The Tenth Amendment Center, more than 30 states have either passed such a resolution or are in the process of doing so. The movement actually gained momentum during President George W. Bush’s term as conservatives and libertarians grappled with implications of The Patriot Act and other issues.

Click to read more ...

Congressional Black Caucus Cuba trip: media and pundit omissions

Flag of Cuba from The CIA Factbook online.Newspapers and talking heads are on the same page with Cuba talking points—the kids wear shoes and eat ice cream, Fidel is “engaging” and “50 years” of failed US policy (largely dictated by Democrats who have controlled Congress for most of those years). I watched Tuesday’s entire press conference after the Congressional Black Caucus visited the Castros—you can watch it too at C-SPAN.

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) headed up the delegation and it was obvious all the members were still under the influence of Cuban hospitality. Remarks made by Lee and her fellow delegates are a reminder that when a country has an iron fist on media and the populace, nothing but positive stories are forthcoming. An off-the-cuff remark by Rep. Laura Richardson (D-Calif.) and an unattributed report by none other than Fidel Castro himself constitute interesting omissions in stories circulating at present.

Click to read more ...

Tax Day tea parties gaining ground—will interlopers show up?

Tax Day tea parties are gaining ground with hundreds scheduled around the nation and if parties held in Orlando, Fla. are an indicator, thousands will show up to protest Uncle Sam’s hand dipping deeper into taxpayer pockets. Conservative sites like Newsbusters and Fox News’ Neil Cavuto have disclosed rumors of tax-loving statist interlopers showing up—we called these people liberals until Mark Levin hit the nail on the statism head with his book ‘Liberty and Tyranny.’ Huffington Post, the blog directory where you can set up your own deal and provide free content, has an invite posted: “The Huffington Post wants to have citizen journalists at as many of these events as possible.” Ironically, Mark Meckler, organizer of the Sacramento Tea Party, told Cavuto during an interview all are welcome. What a sharp contrast Meckler’s remarks illustrate. And by the way, what an insane term: 'citizen journalists.' Whoever thought that one up as blogs began to proliferate did us no favors.

Click to read more ...

Michigan Dem targets Arizona sheriff over illegal entrants; deputies frustrated

Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) targeted Maricopa County (Phoenix, Ariz.) Sheriff Joe Arpaio for the department’s efforts to stem the tide of illegal entrants breaching the border. The sheriff’s department said in a news release (Apr. 3) Conyers’ office contacted the president of the local chapter of the NAACP in an attempt to get the group to bolster the congressman’s portrayal of Sheriff Arpaio and his deputies as “racial profilers” during hearings in Washington, D.C.

Conyers, Chairman of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, recently spearheaded a federal investigation by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Attorney General Eric Holder claiming Arpaio’s deputies are routinely violating the civil rights of Hispanics in Maricopa County.

"Dragging" wipes away any footprints or other signs that people are crossing a border road. Later the Border patrol will check for signs that people have crossed the road illegally heading into the U.S.[Photo by James Tourtellotte/US Gov.]

Click to read more ...