Congress moves to prohibit "unreasonable and excessive compensation" as they keep theirs

Everybody's favorite boy, Barney Frank, wants to set your salary. Not just the salary that your boss gets, but also yours.

Beyond AIG: A Bill to let Big Government Set Your Salary
It was nearly two weeks ago that the House of Representatives, acting in a near-frenzy after the disclosure of bonuses paid to executives of AIG, passed a bill that would impose a 90 percent retroactive tax on those bonuses. Despite the overwhelming 328-93 vote, support for the measure began to collapse almost immediately. Within days, the Obama White House backed away from it, as did the Senate Democratic leadership. The bill stalled, and the populist storm that spawned it seemed to pass.

But now, in a little-noticed move, the House Financial Services Committee, led by chairman Barney Frank, has approved a measure that would, in some key ways, go beyond the most draconian features of the original AIG bill. The new legislation, the "Pay for Performance Act of 2009," would impose government controls on the pay of all employees -- not just top executives -- of companies that have received a capital investment from the U.S. government. It would, like the tax measure, be retroactive, changing the terms of compensation agreements already in place. And it would give Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner extraordinary power to determine the pay of thousands of employees of American companies.

The purpose of the legislation is to "prohibit unreasonable and excessive compensation and compensation not based on performance standards," according to the bill's language. That includes regular pay, bonuses -- everything -- paid to employees of companies in whom the government has a capital stake, including those that have received funds through the Troubled Assets Relief Program, or TARP, as well as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

I wonder if Franklin Raines, Jamie Gorelick and the many others will have their huge bonuses from Fannie and Freddie affected. Maybe they're just like all the tax cheats in the administration and are more equal than the mere workers that pay their salaries. And bonuses.

There's a stench in DC and it isn't even August.

UPDATE: Tom Blumer of Bizzy Blog has some interesting insights on this absolutely ridiculous idea of Barney Frank.

Obama's Cavalcade of Chat Jetting to Europe

After numerous trips over the pond to do advance work for President Obama, the kit and kaboodle is now jetting off for real now that the most picturesque backdrops and people have been found and prepared.

Cargo planes, carrying all of Obama's travel needs and presumably Michelle's closet, will flank Air Force One, as they fly, which should remind Europe of the last D-Day force to invade. In addition to all of the experts, the flying gym, teleprompters, aides and the Presidential minion, there are at least 35 vehicles, numerous helicopters to confuse our terrorist friends and Marine One so Obama won't have to use the Tube. Also part of the Flymada are staff for Mrs President, Reggie Love who handles Obama's favorite snacks and beverages for the President as well as being Obama's personal exercise buddy and tireless dialer of the President's BlackBerry, chefs to cater to his food-of-the-people menu and a medical team so Obama will not have to deal with the medical systems in Europe which he wants to emulate here in the United States.

This will number about 500 people including a palace guard of 200 Secret Service to protect Obama from his friends in all the countries he will visit to chat, summit with and just get down with his new buddies around the world.

Meanwhile in the real world, the stock market is losing billions, people are losing jobs and Barney Frank wants to start setting salaries for all of us money grubbing know-nothings.

On the bright side, Barack will be able to whisper to Michelle, "We'll always have Paris."

Obama: Dictator of Detroit, Baron of Banks & Sultan of Stocks

Tim Geithner: Court Jester

He's told Wall Street what to do. He's ordered banks to disregard the foolish lack of detail by his Treasury Secretary and now Obama is firing CEOs, talking mergers and guaranteeing warranties in Detroit. Is he the man for all seasons? No, he most certainly is not that.

I think it time that someone ask Obama, "Just who do you think you are? Dictator? President? Businessman? Wall Street wiz? Actually, who are you, because you are failing across the board."

Obama has betrayed the his base, the left, he has betrayed business, he has betrayed CEOs and he's betraying pretty much everybody else left.

People that voted for him are suddenly quiet about him. People who didn't, but wouldn't help Republicans are obviously shamed into silence, as they should be. People with children and grandchildren feel scared. People with parents and grandparents watching their savings, investments and options dwindle are angry. People involved in the stock market just want him to at least shut his mouth. Our allies are angry and confused. Hell, that pretty much leaves communists, dictators, the ignorant and the stupid left with a smile on their face.

Here, on Jenkins Hill, Obama appears to be not stupid, yes, ignorant, yes, naive, but a man with a vision that he cannot communicate or dare not communicate.

He is the Hugo Chavez of North America with all of the bravado, the swagger and the inability to convince anybody that he knows what he is doing, outside of dragging this country down. He does seem to be doing that pretty well. I guess in his relative world that is something.

It is time for Republicans to form a solid line to block and to not just say no, but to offer alternatives when he spouts off, but better yet, offer alternatives before he spouts off. It can only be Republicans that can save us from this mess and bring sanity back to Washington, DC. They must unite their members, all of them (hear that Specter, Collins, Snowe, etc.?), and they must unite their Party and they must unite the people.

That's change and hope that can save this nation.

Obama to be CEO of GM?

Why not? He's saving the world, if only in his mind, why not a tiny little concern like General Motors?

GM CEO Rick Wagoner Will Step Down... Developing...
Stipulation for feds to lend billions more to GM?
...Automaker Awaits Bailout News

We The People Stimulus Package

Bravo!

U.S. Treasury before completion. Washington, D.C.

Photograph from the early 1860s.

State Rebellion Pending

From Stephen Hopkins at Aude Sapere:

Even Alexander Hamilton couldn't argue with this.

States Rebellion Pending
Professor Walter E. Williams has a very interesting article today that puts a little more punch into the state sovereignty effort. Here is a small snippet:

…Congress and the White House will laugh off these state resolutions. State
legislatures must take measures that put some teeth into their 10th Amendment
resolutions. Congress will simply threaten a state, for example, with a cutoff
of highway construction funds if it doesn’t obey a congressional mandate, such
as those that require seat belt laws or that lower the legal blood-alcohol level
to .08 for drivers. States might take a lead explored by Colorado.

In 1994, the Colorado Legislature passed a 10th Amendment resolution
and later introduced a bill titled “State Sovereignty Act.” Had the State
Sovereignty Act passed both houses of the legislature, it would have required
all people liable for any federal tax that’s a component of the highway users
fund, such as a gasoline tax, to remit those taxes directly to the Colorado
Department of Revenue. The money would have been deposited in an escrow account called the “Federal Tax Fund” and remitted monthly to the IRS, along with a list of payees and respective amounts paid. If Congress imposed sanctions on Colorado for failure to obey an unconstitutional mandate and penalized the state by
withholding funds due, say $5 million for highway construction, the State
Sovereignty Act would have prohibited the state treasurer from remitting any
funds in the escrow account to the IRS. Instead, Colorado would have imposed a
$5 million surcharge on the Federal Tax Fund account to continue the highway
construction.

The eight state legislatures that have enacted 10th Amendment resolutions
deserve our praise, but their next step is to give them teeth.

John Boehner's rebel, Thaddeus McCotter

Rep. John Boehner, Minority Leader, is fighting the good fight to keep America a shining beacon to the world, but more importantly, a shining beacon to us, the citizens which is what will keep us strong, focused and making our country better each day. His job is made easier by his surrounding himself with absolutely outstanding individuals.

One such individual is Thaddeus McCotter, Republican representing the 11th District of Michigan. Geez, who knew there were still Republicans in Michigan. Well, outside of Mr. Cat Scratch Fever, Ted Nugent.

McCotter is my new hero. He knows who he is and from whence he came.

Thaddeus McCotter: Five Principles

1) Our liberty is from God not the government
2) Our sovereignty is in our soul not the soil
3) Our security is through strength not surrender
4) Our prosperity is from the private sector not the public sector
5) Our truths are self-evident not relative

These are five good places to start.

On the Stimulus Bill Republicans stuck to their principles and offered a plan that would create twice the jobs at half the costs.

I'm going to start following this guy like white on rice, but, as McCotter would say, I hope there are no pictures.




He also has a wicked sense of humor.

Obama' Special Olympics economics

Condomnation for Obama's 'Economic Plan'

First Obama and the Democrats spoke of Buy American as part of their "Stimulus Plan" and sent chills to our trading partners. Then they laid the groundwork for the plan by preaching class warfare, actually class hatred, so they could control business through salary caps on those companies that accepted bailout money to fit their Five Year Plan. Then they announced salary formulas for companies (that are salary caps) that haven't asked for or received federal bailous.

Now Obama has a stimulus for safe sex that will screw American workers, but will pay workers in a Communist country.

U.S. to buy Chinese condoms, ending Alabama jobs

So, Obama is now saying the hell with Buy American, but he'll cut executive's pay and we'll get our condoms from a nation that can't build safe toys or ship safe food. That'll put some lead in your pecker.

Yep, that sounds like a Five Year Plan Vladimer Obama would come up with.

Obama's Swedish American Model

This is what this whole "economic crisis" is really about which is why Obama has been crying wolf for so long. There really isn't a wolf and people are seeing it for what it is.

Liberal Fascism: AIG Issue Is Simply a Stepping Stone Toward More Government Control

Library of Congress Construction

Construction of the Thomas Jefferson Building, from July 8, 1888 to May 15, 1894.

The Library of Congress was established on April 24, 1800, when President John Adams signed an act of Congress providing for the transfer of the seat of government from Philadelphia to the new capital city of Washington.

The legislation appropriated $5,000 "for the purchase of such books as may be necessary for the use of Congress ..., and for fitting up a suitable apartment for containing them...." The original library was housed in the new Capitol until August 1814, when invading British troops set fire to the Capitol building, destroying the contents of the small library (3,000 volumes).

Within a month, former President Thomas Jefferson offered his personal library as a replacement. Jefferson had spent 50 years accumulating books, "putting by everything which related to America, and indeed whatever was rare and valuable in every science"; his library was considered to be one of the finest in the United States. Jefferson, who was heavily indebted, sought to use the proceeds of the sale of his books to satisfy his creditors. He anticipated controversy over the nature of his collection, which included books in foreign languages and volumes of philosophy, science, literature, and other topics not normally viewed as part of a legislative library, such as cookbooks. To satisfy any objections as to the suitability of his collection for Congress' use, he wrote, "I do not know that it contains any branch of science which Congress would wish to exclude from their collection; there is, in fact, no subject to which a Member of Congress may not have occasion to refer."

In January 1815, Congress accepted Jefferson's offer, appropriating $23,950 for his 6,487 books, and the foundation was laid for a great national library. The Jeffersonian concept of universality, the belief that all subjects are important to the library of the American legislature, is the philosophy and rationale behind the comprehensive collecting policies of today's Library of Congress.

On December 24, 1851, a fire destroyed 35,000 books, an original portrait of Christopher Columbus, portraits of the first five US Presidents by Gilbert Stuart, and statues of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Marquis de Lafayette.

AIG Attainder Bill 90% Tax Unconstitutional

Bill of Attainder. The bill, while not mentioning AIG by name, is clearly meant to punish AIG executives who received large bonuses—a specific group of individuals in response to public outrage over the bonuses. Given this motivation, many believe that the legislation is a bill of attainder, and thus prohibited by Article I, Section 9, Clause 3 of the Constitution.

The really sad thing about this continuing serial thriller of clowns on crack is that Congress successfully made contractual bonuses the main focus instead of their role in this planned economic train wreck. A train wreck that Democrats in Congress engineered. The train wreck cover-up by Frank, Dodd, et al is a Democratic Congressional production that is pure CYA by the Democratic leadership and those Democrats, er-cough-cough-Frank-Dodd-cough-cough that used our money to wreck the train.

Bitching about the bonuses is like bitching about incorrect change, say 12 cents instead of 13 cents, back on a $100.00 bill. But distraction is the action on Capitol Hill, especially when one doesn't want the media to be able to explain the roots of the mess and one doesn't want their name prominently headlined as a culprit in crime. The "one" here would have a D after their name when sponsoring, cosponsoring and voting on legislation.

Remember, this all started with "something for nothing", otherwise known as mortgages to people that could not afford one and could actually not pay on one. To show their racial sensitivity, Congress ordered banks to give mortgages to those that couldn't possibly afford them and now blame the banks.

Hello Fannie. Hello Freddie.

Hello Barney. Hello Maxine.

Where's our damned money you pandering political losers?

If Congress sez it's so, It is. Isn't it?

Fiscal responsibility is a relative term to many in Congress.

Carter Obama; How incredibly appropriate

CARTER VISITS WHITE HOUSE...

One economic trainwreck learning (teaching?) from another.

Where are the fiscally responsible, ie. conservative, in Washington, DC?

Do they no longer exist or have they just lost their voice?

Nationalize the Banks, But Privatize the Military

In the world of the Obama Administration the world is viewed as not as it should be thus the world will have to change for the Administration. This seems to be written in jello just above the door entering the Oval Office.

In a rush to pass its stimulus legislation, that was not even read by members of Congress, and to try to nationalize banks that didn't want a government partnership, the Administration is attempting to control wider and wider swaths of business, industry and jobs in the United States. The Swedish model, if you will.

The Administration has stated that they know more about these areas than the private sector does and has urged Congress to pursue what they perceive as wrong-doing and to replace "incompetency" in the private sector with government actions to right the crippled ship "Economy." If continued, the ship will sink.

Thus, in the Administration's world view, if something is working and is competent, then the Administration must privatize it to punish it. Enter the privatization of medical care for soldiers wounded and maimed on the battlefields to which the United States government sent them to fight our nation's battles.

The American Legion Strongly Opposed to President's Plan to Charge Wounded Heroes for Treatment
The leader of the nation's largest veterans organization says he is "deeply disappointed and concerned" after a meeting with President Obama today to discuss a proposal to force private insurance companies to pay for the treatment of military veterans who have suffered service-connected disabilities and injuries. The Obama administration recently revealed a plan to require private insurance carriers to reimburse the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in such cases.

"It became apparent during our discussion today that the President intends to move forward with this unreasonable plan," said Commander David K. Rehbein of The American Legion. "He says he is looking to generate $540-million by this method, but refused to hear arguments about the moral and government-avowed obligations that would be compromised by it."
...

"I only hope the administration will really listen to us then. This matter has far more serious ramifications than the President is imagining," concluded the Commander.

Some of those ramifications will be that soldiers who are Reserve and are self employed or that work for small business won't get the medical coverage they need and once that is realized by volunteers serving in the military, they will no longer see the military as a viable alternative, no matter how strongly they believe in the mission. Our military will then not be able to meet the recruitment levels needed to sustain a volunteer force thus, once again, forcing the Obama Administration will need to step in to fix it by instituting an unpopular draft which will dumb down the forces at a time when a creative and intelligent military is so desperately needed.

This would be a win-win for the Administration because they can keep the military more directly under their boot and at the same time make our military, a shining success, unpopular. Both of these objectives are sought because this Administration loathes the military, their mission and the whole ethos of the their culture.

To wed the Administration's fiscal irresponsibility to its anti-military culture, maybe they can make Congressman Barney Frank head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and he can do for the military what he has done for the housing industry.

Just as the Administration is killing business with its tainted kindness of control, it can kill the military with its illogically driven hatred through something as basic as medical care for serving our country.

How simply diabolical. How simply naive. How simply progressive.

William Thornton's Capitol 1793

The site for the United States Capitol chosen by Pierre Charles L'Enfant was Jenkins Hill, which rose 88 feet (27 m) above the Potomac River.[3] The site is one mile (1.6 km) from the White House. Pierre-Charles L'Enfant secured the lease of quarries at Wigginton Island and along Aquia Creek in Virginia for use in the foundations and outer walls of the Capitol in November 1791.[4]

In 1792, a contest was announced by Commissioners of the Federal City seeking designs for both the Congress House and the President's House.[3] The contest deadline was July 15, 1792, with rewards including $500 and a lot in the city.[5] All the drawings submitted were considered inadequate and rejected.[6] The most promising of the submissions was by Stephen Hallet.[7] However, a late entry by amateur architect William Thornton was submitted on January 31, 1793 to much praise by President George Washington and Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson. Thornton was inspired by east front of the Louvre, as well as the Pantheon for the center portion of the design.[8] Thornton's design was officially approved in a letter, dated April 5, 1793, from George Washington.[9] In effort to console Hallet, the commissioners appointed him to review Thornton's plans, develop cost estimates, and serve as superintendent of construction. Hallet proceeded to pick apart and make drastic changes to Thornton's design, which he saw as amateur with numerous problems and high costs to build.[10] Jefferson appointed a five-member commission, including Hallet and James Hoban, to address problems with and revise Thornton's plan. Except for some details in Thornton's plan that specified an open recess in the center of the East front, the revised plan was accepted.

FDR Didn't Have BO

"This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance." FDR Inaugural Speech - Inauguration Day January 20, 1933

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was many things, he shared a purposeful opaqueness with Barack Obama that allowed for soaring oratory that held very little true meaning, but FDR didn't scare the hell out of the country every time he spoke.

This administration talks of fiscal irresponsibility as they drive us deeper in debt faster than ever before and making everything worse every time they talk.

"I don't think that any economist disputes that we're in the worst economic crisis since the great depression." Barack Obama Inaugural Speech - Inauguration Day January 20, 2009

Now, after Obama has now said that, oops, guess things are getting better after all, Larry Summers, Obama's top economic advisor, blurts out that we have an excess of fear:

Summers: 'Excess of fear' must be broken
President Barack Obama's top economic adviser said Friday the nation's economic crisis has led to an "excess of fear" among Americans that must be broken to reverse the downturn.

"Fear begets fear," Lawrence Summers, the president's director of the National Economic Council, told a forum.

"It is this transition from an excess of greed to an excess of fear that President Roosevelt had in mind when he famously observed that the only thing we had to fear was fear itself," Summers said. "It is this transition that has happened in the United States today."

Excess greed to excess fear. Is this another Jimmy Carter idea that it's our fault that we believed Obama and minions and are feeling a malaise?

This is a rocky road we find ourselves on and it is going to get rockier.

Councils, Czars, Commissions, Special Assistants Clogging Government and Spending Our Money

When ever DC wants to pose a PR stunt to address the polling problem de jour they start with committees, commissions, councils, etc. They accomplish little if anything, but they give a nice face to the cold hard largeness of the federal government. It's kind of like trying to make a meat cleaver seem like a fine scalpel. It may seem nice, but if it does anything at all, it mangles what ever it strikes.

Most of these window dressings at least look like a window dressing that will pull people in. Look at the list below and ask yourself what is wrong.

“Opportunities their mothers and grandmothers and great grandmothers never dreamed of”

The White House Council on Women and Girls:
The Secretary of State; Hillary Clinton
The Secretary of the Treasury; Tim Geithner
The Secretary of Defense; Robert Gates
The Attorney General; Eric Hilder
The Secretary of Interior; Ken Salazar
The Secretary of Agriculture; Thomas J. Vilsack
The Secretary of Commerce; Gary F. Locke *
The Secretary of Labor; Hilda L. Solis
The Secretary of Health and Human Services; Charles E. Johnson 1
The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; Shaun L.S. Donovan
The Secretary of Transportation; Raymond L. LaHood
The Secretary of Energy; Steven Chu
The Secretary of Education; Arne Duncan
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs; Eric K. Shinseki
The Secretary of Homeland Security; Janet A. Napolitano
The United States Ambassador to the United Nations; Susan Rice
The United States Trade Representative; Ronald Kirk
The Director of the Office of Management and Budget; Peter R. Orszag
The Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency; Lisa P. Jackson
The Administrator of the Small Business Administration; Darryl Hairston 2
The Director of the Office of Personnel Management; Kathie Ann Whipple 3
The Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors; Christina Romer
The Director of the National Economic Council; Lawrence Summer
The Director of the Domestic Policy Council. Melody C. Barnes

* designate
1 Acting Sec, appointed by George W Bush
2 designate – nominee, Karen Gordon Mills
3 acting director

This is just putting a face on another special interest group to win elections. It is a waste of taxpayer dollars and a waste of government bureaucrat's valuable time.

It is Washington, DC as usual which is at its worst.

March 11th In DC History

11th March, 1977 : 130 hostages held in Washington, D.C., by Hanafi Muslims are freed.



The time was the best of times and the worst of times. Marion Barry may have actually been drug free, but James Earl Carter was president.

Hall Of Shame

Top 20 Earmarking Senators in the $410 Billion Spending Bill

Here's a breakdown of the top 20 earmarking senators and the value of their solo earmarks:

1) Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va. -- $122,804,900
2) Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala. -- $114,484,250
3) Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo. -- $85,691,491
4) Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. -- $76,899,425
5) Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss. -- $75,908,475
6) Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska -- $74,000,750
7) Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa -- $66,860,000
8) Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla. -- $53,133,500
9) Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. -- $51,186,000
10) Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii -- $46,380,205
11) Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. -- $39,228,250
12) Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D. -- $36,547,100
13) Sen. Pat Leahy, D-Vt. -- $36,161,125
14) Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. -- $35,577,250
15) Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa. -- $27,169,750
16) Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev. -- $26,628,613
17) Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa. -- $25,320,000
18) Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis. -- $23,832,000
19) Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. -- $21,952,250
20) Former Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M. -- $19,588,625
Click here to read the full report from Taxpayers for Common Sense.

"Two Wings With No Body"

U.S. Capitol and Pennsylvania Avenue before 1814. Ink, wash, and gouache drawing. Unattributed (formerly attributed to Benjamin Henry Latrobe; "B.H.L." appears on drawing), ca. 1819.

Two Months Too Much

Two months of "change has brought us a world of change that most voters haven't even noticed, because they are not paying attention or, worse yet, they are believing the bankrupt news media.

In 2006 the Democrats took charge of Congress and began portraying Republicans as heartless hoping the charge would pile on top of their baseless and jaded charges that the Bush Administration was guilty of "crimes." The media jumped on this pile head first laughing all the way to the bank, they thought.

Republicans did little to counter these charges and offered up a "maverick" for the presidency while Rep. Barney Frank, Sen. Chris Dodd and their financial backers at Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac continued to force lenders to give mortgages to people who could not afford them. When President Bush and some Republicans questioned this practice, Democrats were quick to divert attention away from the facts by crying "racist." Most Republicans sat on their hands, too cowardly or worse yet, they agreed with liberals, to do anything.

Their moment of triumph came with the election of Obama.

Obama's 4 million jobs? Who is going to hire? In the midst of this manufactured financial crisis Obama comes up with a tax plan that raises taxes on the very people that hire people. To add insult to injury, Obama trod his own path, saying what he thought worked well on the campaign trail and sent the stock market to the tank. Some change.

Health care will be a joke unless you're someone who wishes abortion on demand or want to see embryos used in stem cell research.

Obama is now addressing the real crisis, which is education in this country and, as usual, he wants more spending and more government control. This is the very policy that has driven our education system downward which has made the system totally incapable of producing the leaders we need in industry, research and development and sensible policy.

This administration has a plan for the Middle East. Just ask them. Unfortunately, the rest of the world is confused and scared about what this policy may or may not be. The terrorists operating in Iraq and Afghanistan have been given hope because they believe in Obama's "change" and in thanks to Obama have set off fire works killing dozens, sending shock waves of fear through those countries.

This is not change unless you like the dumber twin of Clinton policy or the oafish stupidity of a Carter. It is a naive and dangerous attempt to be all things to all people. The only thing we have to show for all this work is a president said to be "tired", in fact too tired, to act presidential to the leader of one of our most important allies, Gordon Brown.

Stalin once said "A Capitalist will sell you the rope to hang him with." I am beginning to doubt that can happen know. Obama will make sure that we are too poor, too stupid, too sick and too scared to make, sell or receive the rope.

Republicans need to once again to act Republican and stop this ridiculous drama of hoping and caring. It is neither.

March 10th in DC History

In 1949, Nazi wartime broadcaster Mildred E. Gillars, also known as "Axis Sally," was convicted in Washington D.C. of treason. (She served 12 years in prison.)

My, How DC Has Changed

Remember when Democrats had great fun trying to trip up Republicans with embarrassing questions and information? Gee whiz, that was great fun, wasn't it?

They don't appear to be laughing now.



Thanks to Riehl World for allowing us to see and hear the more genteel side of Chargin' Charlie Rangel. What a guy! What a Congressman! He does his constituents proud. Yeah...

DC Before DC Was DC

This is a very cool site that shows what early Washington, DC looked like before and after the Capitol was built.

Visualizing Early Washington

Jenkins Hill 1846-1855

Library of Congress

This un-attributed painting is one of many depicting early Washington DC. Looking from the southeast, you can see the United States Capitol on the right and the White House in the background. The Capitol design, first photographed in 1846, would change several more times before reaching what we see today. At the far left, on what would become the Smithsonian Mall, you can see the Smithsonian Castle, built between 1846-1855. The painting is thought to have been created or published between 1846 and 1855.

Taxation As Repression Against Those With Whom You Disagree

Against all logic and common sense it appears that we are in for more taxes, hidden taxes and fees and other costs just to save us and the US from us.

Hoist the Green flag and the green flag of Democrats over the Capitol and the White House because they are there, they are for us and they're going to tax us to death just to cure us.

Oh, hoist those flags over every government building throughout the land because they are all on the same page whether it is a cabal to destroy conservative talk, starting with Limbaugh, to destroy conservative thought or to just tax us back to the stone age. That way we can be just like the third world countries they so envy.

More price hikes due for cigarettes
The average price for cigarettes will soon be above $5 a pack, according to Credit Suisse. That probably won't have much of an impact on smokers, the analysts said, since sales volume didn't really change in states where prices have already surpassed that mark.

New York has fat taxes, people taxes, cab taxes, water taxes, etc., etc., and now a pack of cigarettes will be around $9 per pack. What a healthy city. Yeah.

The federal government isn't the only one taxing the hell out of people.

Invincible Armor has more on this and how government fattens their pockets by dividing and conquering us, one group at a time.

The Economic Lies Of Sin Taxes

Taxes. I once learned about a shining new country, The United States of America, that was formed with freedom for all and it was formed in reaction to taxes and other onerous government repressions. Now, as their elected officials sit by and argue about the correct degrees of how much lost economic and individual freedoms will be lost, the government is unable to hear the people.

It seems the people don't matter anymore.

Territory of Columbia

In 1793 Andrew Ellicott produced this topographic map entitled "Territory of Columbia". City boundary labelled: Out lines of the city of Washington with the grand avenues and principal streets leading through the public appropriations.

1922 in Washington DC

This is what they were drinking in DC in 1922 before the G-men appeared.

Not really sure what they are drinking now.

The New Economics Of Bad Economics And You

For the last eight years conservatives have been able to say, "At least we didn't get attacked again."

We did get attacked. Financially.

First, Republicans forgot that: one, they were Republicans; 2, their base; 3, their popularity was not more important than America.

Renaming a trash dump, The (enter elected officials name) North Nowhere Recycling Facility, may get their name in the news and may make some people feel all warm and fuzzy inside, but it is self-aggrandizement at the expense of the country and it is still a trash dump.

Second, when Democrats took control of the Congress and the administration moved into the White House complex, the real financial attack on America began. LBJ and his Great Society was a piker and FDR and his New Deal was just a tad bigger compared to BHO's monster coming out of the dark and shadowing our every waking moment. Darkness at noon, so to speak,

Now, the feel-good ignorance of the last few elections is going to be the new hard reality of big government being that, big government. Big government is expensive, ineffective and totally so not cost effective. Plus it comes with bureaucratic oversight as an extra kick in the ass. Try getting your local tax bill corrected and now try to deal with any federal bureaucrat to fix any problem. After running the maze for months you will find yourself back at the beginning and having to start all over, but then it will be a newer maze.

Vocal Minority has a great article about those that got that famous tingle all up their leg and the real cost of fiscal irresponsibility.

To All You Well-to-Do Liberals/Democrats: Bend Over, Here It Comes!
Question: What do you call the driver of a BMW, Mercedes, Lexus (or any such high-end vehicle) with an Obama bumper sticker on it?
Answer: Fool. Or sucker, take your pick.

That was one of the messages on the Mark Levin Show last week. All you wealthy Blue State liberals with the big houses and fancy cars and Ivy League educations who think you participated something historic by voting for President Golden Calf: You’re about to have your tuchas handed to you by the very guy you put in office. Your taxes are going up. Your home value is going down. And it will be your fault.

It’s a textbook example of constituents voting against their best interest.

I recently visited a friend matching the above description and told him straightforwardly: You’ll be lucky if you still have this house in four years. He replied, Well, your guy [i.e., Bush] didn’t do much better!

You know what? He had a point. Toward the end, Bush was really screwing up the economy. But you know why? Because he was behaving like a Democrat! The downturn that happened in Bush’s last years in office weren’t the result of conservative economic principles! It was liberal Democrat big government socialism through and through. Even Bush said it himself: “I’ve abandoned free-market principles to save the free-market system.”

The late Molly Ivins would probably have disagreed with me, but that was the stupidest thing George W. Bush has ever said as president.

Fiscal responsibility is the red headed step child in the halls of Congress. It has been so for a number of years and nobody will claim to even notice the child frantically running from hall to hall trying to knock on doors to get someone's attention.

It's time to give the little fellow a hug and invite him in.

DC State Of Mind

ObamaNero seems to be just fiddling away as he torches DC. The heat is so hot the stock market is melting, but the parties, the music and the obliviousness just rocks on at a blistering pace.

FEAR: HOW LOW WILL IT GO?

When not reading up on how to paper train puppies, Michelle is helping out in the kitchen and appearing on the bizillionth magazine cover that blares her latest insider tip on love, finances and raising perfect children and husbands. Well, at least until it's time to party.

DANCING THE RECESSION AWAY: CONGA LINES, PARTIES, COCKTAILS AT OBAMA WHITE HOUSE...

Business as usual. Nothing to see here. Just move along. The first couple are just winding down after a busy day of fear mongering by the partying prez.

I do have a question concerning the business of doing business. Sheryl Crow has been lambasted by seemingly everyone for doing a concert for Northern Trust who received a $1.6 billion in government bailout money because , as others said, they squandered their money through worst business practices.

Bailout bank using our money to party with stars?

Well, what about Stevie Wonder, Earth, Wind and Fire and all those people that ate Maryland crab, Wagyu beef ($100.00 per serving) and Nantucket scallops at a time when the partying prez is squandering, just to start, $1.5 trillion dollars? Talk about worst business practices.

I'm not hearing any complaining about that waste of money by our business scape-goating prez. $1.6 billion is a far cry from $1.5 trillion. And not a peep.