A study from Heritage shows just how successful the Left has been. Heritage found:

“The average American relying on federal government assistance receives more in benefits than the average American’s disposable personal income, according to The Heritage Foundation’s newly released 2012 Index of Dependence on Government.

The Index reports Americans who rely on government receive an average $32,748 worth of benefits, surpassing the average American’s disposable personal income of $32,446.”

Heritage also found what many other organizations have noted—roughly half of all Americans pay no federal income taxes.

People get upset when I call Obama and the Democrats the socialist party. That is an illogical response to a logical conclusion.

What happens when the government runs out of people to loot? It won’t be pretty.

Someone should do a study on the voluntary poor.

How much of those federal dollars are sidetracked by fraud?

Meanwhile, taxpayers should form a coalition to file a class action lawsuit—something about equal rights and all that.

The only class that has it good right now is the political class—top and bottom.

Main Street isn’t in fashion these days when it comes to the Left. This is what happens when you cede freedom and control to a ruling class.

See the full report at Heritage.

(Commentary by Kay B. Day/Feb. 8, 2012)

The Washington Post

Current members of Congress have admittedly directed US taxpayer dollars to questionable projects. Among them:

─A parking garage with a bus and taxi facility in a West Virginia town. 
─Millions to companies that their children or relatives work for.
─A bike path in Michigan—a local project clearly not appropriate for federal dollars.

Democrats appear to have a particular fondness for earmarking tax dollars for projects or companies their kids, spouses or other relatives work for.  Most Republicans on the list had a penchant for infrastructure projects—those aren’t quite as troubling if the money went for major roadways, but not all of them did.

The most questionable earmark on the Washington Post's list was requested by Florida Rep. Corrine Brown (D). WaPo said:

“Between 2005 and 2010, Brown helped secure $21.9 million for six clients of a lobbying firm where her daughter works. The clients paid the firm more than $1 million to represent them before Congress. Brown was the sole sponsor of $1.79 million in earmarks sent to a seventh client, the Community Rehabilitation Center, while her daughter worked as a lobbyist on behalf of the center, the Florida Times-Union reported in 2010.”

If this isn’t illegal, it certainly should be.

Obama’s earmarks were frankly far worse than most on the list. For instance in 2008, he directed almost $1 million to the La Raza Hope Fund, almost half a million dollars to one Illinois County for radio equipment and approximately $1 million to his wife’s employer. These are benign samples—full lists are posted on Obama’s own website and on Legistorm.

Obama and other legislators—mostly Dems but also some Republicans—poured $23 million dollars into a sinkhole called the National Writing Project. Here’s a description of the purpose:

“National Writing Project, a nonprofit organization that supports and promotes K-16 teacher training programs in the effective teaching of writing.”

Most rational people consider the teaching of writing a standard part of curriculum. This earmark benefited educational entrepreneurs and cronies in my opinion.

One problem with earmarks is lack of disclosure to the public. A congressman can query the Ethics Committee and if he gets the go-ahead, which is normally the case, that’s all he needs to do before sending the pork back home to benefit lobbyists, relatives, donors and anyone else he wants to schmooze.

A reporter for The Washington Post told Fox News on Wednesday that the ethics rules are “permissive.” There’s an understatement if a human ever uttered one.

The list produced by the newspaper is very troubling, but even a brief glance at the president’s track record shows when it comes to earmarks, he’s still king of the hill. Or at least one of the kings.

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) was named Porker of the Year, 2010, by Citizens Against Government Waste. The watchdog group is in the process of selecting a champion porker for 2011; there’s an overview of the top pork contenders at the CAGW website. Among them is cabinet member Steven Chu, Obama's Energy secretary.

CAGW is urging Congress to make the earmark moratorium permanent; that effort has been led by Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.)

The only answer to the problem is a permanent ban on earmarks unless they are directed towards a bona fide national emergency.

When lawmakers talk about cutting spending, they usually target Main Street programs self-funded by taxpayers—like Medicare for instance. It’s time they looked at pet projects and started cutting those. How many earmarks are perpetual? Does anyone even know?

Republican Rep. Jeff Flake (Ariz.) said in 2009 that earmarks are nothing but “circular fundraising.” That’s the most ethical definition I’ve come across to date.

(Commentary by Kay B. Day/Feb. 8, 2012)

Help The US Report do a little non-circular fundraising by making a donation via PayPal (see sidebar) or by purchasing a recommended book from our 'Books and Sundries' page.

Former Sen. Rick Santorum with wife Karen and his family. (photo from ricksantorum.com)

Some pundits on Fox mentioned more than once these were “beauty contests.”

That’s disingenuous—if they were only beauty contests, it’s even more impressive because a whole lot of people came out to cast a vote for him.

Americans have gotten to know the senator better in the last month; he got a big boost by delivering a very strong performance in the debate in Jacksonville, Florida on January 27.

Santorum has an edge in some regards—he never voted for a mandate on health insurance and he has consistently presented conservative values. He has taken issue with his rivals, but not on the level former Gov. Mitt Romney has as well as former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich.

Santorum has certainly shown a great deal of fighting spirit, competing against all odds yet somehow keeping his campaign on message. What set him apart from others was the fact his message has been positive. Santorum told supporters he didn’t want to be the alternative to Romney, he wants to be the alternative to President Barack Obama.

Speaking to supporters in Missouri, he called his wife Karen “a rock.”

Santorum told the crowd, “Your votes were heard…loud and louder all across this country.” He said the country needs a president “who listens to the American people.”

He also noted The Wall Street Journal gave him a nod—“[Santorum’s] supply-side economics is resonating for the working man.”

The senator has actually become more likable over the past few months, toning down what began as a strident tone but managing to hang onto the intensity that characterized his remarks in Jacksonville. Santorum has also run a campaign based on positives and issues.

On CNN, Democrat strategist Donna Brazile said the triple win for Santorum was “a thumping.”

That brought to mind that attacks are likely to come from some rivals and media. Former press secretary for President George W. Bush, Ari Fleischer said Santorum is “really going to get a vetting” now.

Many of my fellow bloggers and journalists were as surprised as I was at the outcome tonight, with some noting this has been an up and down process and Santorum’s momentum may not last.

I have a different impression. I think tonight Main Street decided to coalesce around a candidate no one forced on them. Santorum should benefit in terms of fundraising and it’s likely in weeks to come he will see an uptick in support for future races.

Romney may have his work cut out for him with Santorum because an attack campaign won’t work on the senator—it would just continue to degrade the governor’s numbers as it has already done. The same goes for Gingrich.

Author Michelle Malkin parted with many other big media pundits to endorse Santorum in late January. She detailed her reasons in a column, noting both his strengths and his weaknesses. Pointing out that he didn’t support TARP, a healthcare mandate or Cap and Trade, Malkin wrote, “He rose above the fray by sticking to issues.”

That stickability certainly paid off on Tuesday night in 3 states in the heartland, earning Santorum a header at Drudge, ‘Heartland Rick.’

A word of advice to his wife Karen—donate Santorum’s sweater vests to charity.

(Analysis by Kay B. Day/Feb. 8, 2012)

Palin has been fileted, marinated and seared, yet she perseveres. Despite many accomplishments, including a governorship and earning wealth far surpassing most women and despite bearing and raising a child with special needs, Palin is a frequent target of the Left and some on the Right. I’ll never figure that out. Seems to me America should be proud of her, but then again, this is a country where a Supreme Court Justice implies our Constitution is an inferior product, so I guess nothing much should surprise me anymore.

When I saw a Tweet describing the treatment of Palin in a blog post at Glenn Beck’s site, however, I was perplexed. Beck always struck me as projecting himself as a free thinker.

The writer on Beck’s site took Palin to task for penning an article for Newsweek. Part of his problem seemed to be she’d criticized a cover story at the magazine before writing for it. Palin was invited to write the story by the current editor.

The story Palin criticized was written by a leftwinger who was part of the Trig Truther movement. He titled his story, “Why are Obama’s critics so dumb?”

The good thing about such writers is they are rarely remembered—their work usually dies with them, discovered only when some leftwing kid at an upscale college goes through the rite of passage so many do as they explore shallow intellectual theories that in the scheme of things, mean little unless a president is shallow enough to buy into them.

Ah, well, perhaps we’ll never figure out why Obama’s supporters are so dumb, but I digress.

The Glenn Beck writer guy opened his story with this riveting lede:

“What’s the first thing that came to mind when you heard that Rick Santorum‘s special needs child was in the hospital with pneumonia late last month? I bet all of Mitt Romney‘s money it wasn’t Sarah Palin unless you are Sarah Palin.”

I was amazed. When I heard Santorum was heading to see about his child, the first thing I actually thought of was Palin. I’ve learned something about people who are 100 percent pro-life. They practice what they preach. I admire that. Many people are simply not strong enough to do that.

I couldn’t be classified as a Palinista, but I still admire a woman who came into one of the most dismal GOP elections in my lifetime, redeemed a lackluster campaign, held her head high despite character assassinations from big media, Tinseltown and tabloids, held her family together and continued to share her ideas with audiences around the world.

When an advocate of Palin complained to the writer, his reaction was on the level of a rabid dog cornered on the street. He allegedly called the woman a ‘whore.’

I wouldn’t recommend he try that in person, not on Palin, not on his critic and not on any of my Republican sisters. Put flatly, if he tried that, he would not emerge without injury.

Sometimes, you have to get in the gutter to unclog the trash lining the storm drains.

[Ed. Note: For detailed background on the story, see John Nolte’s column at Big Journalism. For a touching note from Palin to the Santorum family, see her Facebook page. Nolte has links to the hit piece on Palin; I'm not linking to Beck's site myself.]

(Commentary by Kay B. Day/Feb. 7, 2012)

'It's Halftime in America' aired during the Super Bowl. (Screen snip from video)

When the commercial ended, I said the ad sounded like smarmy poetry—“the kind you’d see in a college writing program.” If you don’t believe me, go purchase four or five chapbooks published by professors who teach creative writing.

I was almost embarrassed for Eastwood. I figured there’d be plenty of blogging about it the next day. I was right, only many of the bloggers focused on the relevance of the message to President Barack Obama seeking a second term. I suppose they drew a parallel from what some perceived as obvious. Second half=second term.

I thought the whole ‘second half’ motif completely flawed because I’m quite the survivalist—I certainly don’t think of my country’s future as the second half. That’s finite in a very immediate sense.

My initial reaction to the ad, I learned, had a kernel of insight.

According to The L.A. Times, a poet was one of the copywriters who helped write the lines Eastwood spoke.

The paper’s writer praised the ad as “powerful,” and opined, “Maybe more literary writers should give advertising a try.”

There are probably numerous “literary writers” (What’s that, anyway? A writer is a writer) working in advertising.

One of America’s finest poets, the late James Dickey, worked in advertising before he became successful, both in the literary world and in the real world. Now there was a poet. He’d never have settled for lines like ‘halftime in America’ coming during halftime at Super Bowl. That sort of obvious thunk-you-on-the-head motif would’ve never passed muster with Dickey.

I knew him personally; I studied under him in college. He was a remarkable writer. He is one of the reasons I became a writer.

I’d wager the poet who helped write Eastwood's script is capable of much better work. I’d also wager the politics killed the poem that might have emerged had the poet been given free rein.

I can tell you this. It isn’t half-time in America.

The times we live in now are but a dot on what I hope will be a very long timeline for the Republic still struggling to be free and still setting an example for the rest of the world, courtesy of the greatest document the world has ever known—knuckle rap to a certain Supreme Court justice—the US Constitution and the amendments therein.

Related Articles at The US Report

'Taking Chance' a hymn of praise to a fallen soldier...

How does a poet get a book of poetry published?

(Commentary by Kay B. Day/Feb. 7, 2012)

The CD disclosed his position to the site by creating a profile. Some editors praised his input. He stopped making changes in May, 2011.

People, the point of Wikipedia is open source editing. Do you have any idea how many advocates have edited pages about climate change and probably the Obama family as well? Even Wikipedia pointed out Vice-President Joe Biden's pages have been edited by his aides. If I had a buck for every page edited by a political ally of a subject, I could fund a run for the office of US president.

It's standard.

Wikipedia places some pages on semi-protected access; non-registered visitors can't make changes.

Gingrich's CD even placed comments on the talk pages, similar to a forum.

There's no controversy here. This is just another minor news story in a never-ending cycle of trivia.

Big media could actually cover policy and legislation. That would be in keeping with the watchdog role US media love to project but often fail to fulfill.

Time to move on.

Democrats threw a fit and select Republicans joined in.

Speaker of the House John Boehner (OH) apparently was right to delay, though he may not have realized why.

Tucked away in that bill, HR 3630,  was a new fee—the kind of fees ‘moderate’ politicians like Mitt Romney like so much. See the section that begins around the end of page 20. It conveniently followed a long boring section on flood insurance. Handy way to structure it.

CBS News explained it this way:

“But there's something the politicians weren't bragging about - the fact that they're paying for the two-month tax cut with what has turned into a brand new fee on home buyers.

The new fee is a minimum of one-tenth of 1 percent on Fannie Mae- and Freddie Mac-backed loans, and is likely to go much higher.

It will be imposed for the next 10 years on most mortgages and refinancings and it lasts for the life of the loan.”

The fee is an extra $15 a month on your mortgage for every $200,000 borrowed. So multiply that fee by 12 months and then by 30 years (or the life of your mortgage).

One woman CBS talked to found out she will pay an extra $9,500 on her mortgage just for that fee.

President Barack Obama wanted the fee as did his fellow Democrats. They all teamed up to pressure Boehner, and well-known Republican ‘moderates’ joined in as did longtime appropriator Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.):

“The pressure for Boehner to cut a deal built for days. Republican Senators Olympia Snowe of Maine, Scott Brown of Massachusetts, John McCain of Arizona and Bob Corker of Tennessee criticized Boehner’s move to reject the bipartisan two-month extension after it passed the Senate on Dec. 17.

Boehner became more isolated in his opposition after the top Republican in the Senate, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, issued a statement yesterday urging the House to pass the short- term measure.”

No wonder Democrat Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid had such a big smile on his face.

If we had had longer as Boehner wished, would more of us have caught the fee and let people know? After all, the big push came during Christmas—Obama was itching to head to Hawaii for his vacation. Something about seizing a crisis comes to mind.

This money won’t go toward paying the deficit, by the way. It will go to the general revenue fund and politicos can spend it as they please.

Once again the federal government has screwed Main Street to the wall. The government caused the housing meltdown—that is an inarguable fact.

If you will be affected by this, you should contact your congressman to express your outrage. If you’re not outraged, there’s little help for your psychological state.

Aside from that, be aware. A fee is a tax—it’s just a kinder term for the same method for government to move money from your wallet into the federal kitty.

Until government is downsized, politicians will continue to take money from the people who struggle on a daily basis to achieve the American dream. I can’t think of a practice more despicable than that.

Americans should bear in mind when politicos pressure others to pass legislation quickly, there’s always a catch and the catch usually sends the middle class into a trap, in this case, a 30-year trap.

Anyone who let that ‘fee’ stay in that bill should be fined a portion of his salary and/or pension for dereliction of duty to the people they are sworn and bound to represent. That goes for Democrats or Republicans who pulled this scam on the American people.

As I have often said before, it is way past time for the GOP to set new leadership in the US Senate. We have enough Democrats already.

(Commentary by Kay B. Day/Feb. 5, 2012)

North Florida precinct on primary day, Jan. 31, 2012. (Photo, The US Report)

In Iowa, results from 8 precincts couldn’t be certified. I haven’t been able to determine the number of votes that represents. The most troubling outcome in Iowa was mistaking the winner. Mitt Romney was declared the victor in the January 3 race, and he enjoyed momentum because of it. More than a week later, the real winner was declared—Rick Santorum.

In Nevada, two days after the GOP Presidential Caucus, votes are still being counted from one of the state’s most heavily populated counties. Ahead of the caucus, Romney was projected to win the state by media; the projections were fueled by pundits and some power brokers in the GOP.

Ironically, that perception may have decreased turnout. Acting GOP chair James Smack told The Reno Gazette-Journal , “A lot of people felt the state was in the bag for Mitt Romney.”

The paper said 44,000 Republicans voted in the Nevada caucus in 2008; 110,000 Democrats voted that year.

Turnout is projected to have been less in 2012 for the GOP caucus, but when you consider the total number of registered Republicans in Nevada—400,310—the apathy should raise concerns about the General Election.

Perhaps some people felt it wasn’t worth their trouble.

Florida bumped the state Primary ahead to January 31, throwing the calendars of other states into a muddle. Romney benefited from earlier primary dates because he had holdover support from 2008, and he was clearly the favorite of power brokers like the RNC finance co-chair who informally declared him the nominee before a single vote had been cast.

While manipulating a calendar does provide advantages to a repeat candidate, it also depresses enthusiasm at the grassroots level. The GOP will have to produce record turnout in 2012 to defeat President Barack Obama.

The newspaper said turnout was slightly higher in the first three contests, in the New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries and in the Iowa caucus. In Florida, turnout was higher. The US Report noted in a previous column that in the Florida primary, turnout was higher in counties won by Newt Gingrich and lower in counties won by Romney.

The caucus system in Nevada is complex, as evidenced by a FAQ section on the state GOP website.

Obviously protocol for these caucuses warrants a close look—chaos will not confer a path to victory in the General Election.

Three states will caucus on Tuesday, Feb. 7: Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri.

(Commentary by Kay B. Day/Feb. 6, 2012)

File photo, The US Report

With the Nevada Republican Presidential Caucuses behind us (with the results most of us anticipated), Americans will now pay attention to the annual rite known as Super Bowl.

Today's game between the NY Giants and the Patriots will preempt the GOP presidential races.

Obviously, I am goin' for the Giants!

May your beer be cold and your hamburgers loaded with trimmings. Happy Super Bowl to all!

(Filed by Kay B. Day/Feb. 5, 2012)

The Left and some on the Right argue about jobs numbers, but food prices remain at an all-time high, slamming household budgets. (photo, The US Report)

What members of the political class and President Barack Obama overlook—household budgets are still slammed.

Remember that in March, 2011, even CBS News indirectly acknowledged an assault on the middle class all politicians love to schmooze. Economists don’t use that term—middle class is a socio-cultural label.

CBS reported:

“Wholesale prices jumped last month by the most in nearly two years due to higher energy costs and the steepest rise in food prices in 36 years. Excluding those volatile categories, inflation was tame.”

Almost one year after that CBS revelation, the US Government noted this in a report:

“Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 3.0 percent before seasonal adjustment.”

Reading between the government’s smoke and mirrors rhetoric, what this means is we experienced the steepest rise in food prices in 36 years in 2011 and by January, 19, 2012, the government announced a 3.0 percent overall increase.

Do we even need a government report to tell us that food, gas, electricity, appliances, clothing, used car parts (and used cars due to Cash for Clunkers), entertainment and everything on the face of Planet Earth costs more now?

President Barack Obama set out to make electricity prices “skyrocket,” and they did. Thing is, when you lock down natural resources and opt for expensive alternative energy, that impacts the cost of any good manufactured or transported.

As everyone has acknowledged, the cost of health insurance has also increased because of mandates in the president’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care (ObamaCare) Act. Democrats should have named that monstrosity the Patient Destruction Act.

Pundits and politicos can bat comments back and forth about jobs numbers. The rest of us down here on Main Street know the government’s intrusion into every sector of the American economy has produced nothing but hardship for every American.

I can see Europe from my back yard.

Related Articles

Obama prosecutes a war on the middle class –National Conservative/Examiner.com

Cash for Clunkers failure: Minorities, poor people hardest hit –Red State (by Moe Lane)

US consumers fizzle out even as incomes rise –Reuters

It’s a good time to work for Uncle Sam –CBS News

Consumer Price Index, Jan. 19, 2012 –US Government

(Commentary by Kay B. Day/Feb. 4, 2012)