Nickel and Dimed to Death

"Now the two Washington candidates in the race have been attacking me lately because I don't support their idea of a gas tax holiday," Obama said.

He argued that suspending the gas tax collections would undercut highway construction, costing North Carolina up to 7,000 jobs, while saving consumers little.

"We're arguing over a gimmick that would save you half a tank of gas over the course of the entire summer so that everyone in Washington can pat themselves on the back and say they did something," Obama said.

Hold on, hold on, I actually agree with Obama that cutting the gas tax is a bad idea. But not because of the bloated highway spending budget. Rather I think it is a bad idea because it undercuts the market. (Diesel and Fuel tax by state - click for larger view)

Markets work, "Businessweek reports that Americans appear to be burning less gasoline as a result of driving less." If you cut the tax you will encourage greater use thus forcing higher prices for a longer period of time.

If you really want to give the economy a boost then drop corporate taxes, how about cutting ALL state and federal taxes on diesel fuel only -- giving a break in the cost of all goods. The federal tax on diesel fuel is about 30% higher then it is on gasoline (24.4 cents vs 18.4 cents)

DKK

Stop the Pain -- New Orleans Needs Business

WANT TO HELP NEW ORLEANS? Support free trade!

Is there any city for which congressional Democrats claim more concern than New Orleans? So why are they denying the Katrina-ravaged city a major opportunity for recovery by shutting out Colombian free trade? . . . The mayor of the hurricane-hit city made an impassioned plea to Congress to pass the Colombia free trade agreement for New Orleans' sake. He knows how badly his city needs every break it can get, three years after the biggest disaster to ever hit a U.S. metropolitan area. . . .

"New Orleans is becoming an even greater international city in the wake of Hurricane Katrina," Nagin wrote to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi last November, "and we are making every effort to capitalize on trade liberalization that will flow from these FTAs (free trade agreements). Our port system is ideally situated to take advantage of the Latin American FTAs."

Congress is unmoved because free trade produces less graft than massive aid projects. But it's funny that this hasn't gotten much attention from the press.

DKK

Instapundit

Ding, ding ding, Obama Wins as King of Spending

The Democratic presidential candidates have some big plans -- with big price tags attached. By our calculations, using figures supplied by the campaigns, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) has proposed new spending and tax breaks that would amount to almost $265 billion a year when fully implemented, while the initiatives proposed by Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) total nearly $333 billion.

DKK

WASHINGTON POST

Enough With The Number Two Jokes

The Nose On Your Face give us a hilarious translation of Zawahiri, al-Qaeda's number two.

DKK

Never Cooperate, Never Surrender!

The most hilarious point came when Obama tried to claim credit for bipartisanship on the John Roberts confirmation vote — not because he supported Roberts. He voted against Roberts. However, Obama wanted credit for defending the few Democrats who did support Roberts on Daily Kos, and taking the venom of Kos’ readership for his defense.

So bipartisanship is defending your own party members! Actually I have noticed that about the left, the only acceptable cooperation is agreeing with them, it is never the other way around. Obama confirms he is a member of the far left every day -- no wonder some people have a pathological disdain for Fox News, or even the DLC which is moderate in comparison.
American Thinker Blog -- Obama's Weird Idea of 'Bi-partisanship'
DKK

PR Gains In Muslim Nations

Would progress in public opinion against al-Qaeda in Muslim nations constitute important news? One might think so, considering the lengthy and difficult war we fight against the radical Islamist terrorists of the AQ network, especially in recruitment. The Washington Post took four days to report this progress, however, and stuck it on page A13, where Walter Pincus briefs us on some real progress

Hot Air -- US making PR gains in Muslim world — but apparently not in US media
DKK

Americans Really Are Smart

It always seems like a no-brainer to the Democrats: we'll promise to take some money from the "rich" and give it to those most likely to vote for us; how could it go wrong? But those pesky voters--what's the matter with Kansas?--don't think it's quite so simple.

Rasmussen reports that by 65% to 16%, likely voters oppose the Democrats' scheme to increase capital gains taxes. That's partly because lots of people pay capital gains, and partly because many voters have figured out that the Dems may come first for the "rich," but they'll be coming for them, too, before long: 60% say that a candidate who promises to hike taxes on capital gains will raise other taxes, as well. And a considerable number of voters have a better grasp of economics than Democratic politicians; 52% say that increasing capital gains would hurt the economy.

So the Democrats may soon be asking, not just what's wrong with Kansas, but what's wrong with America? Not that that would be much of a departure

Powerline -- Soak The Rich
DKK

Scary Close

WASHINGTON - CIA Director Michael Hayden said Monday that the alleged Syrian nuclear reactor destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in September would have produced enough plutonium for one or two bombs within a year of becoming operational.

U.S. intelligence and administration officials publicly disclosed last week their assessment that Syria was building a covert nuclear reactor with North Korean assistance. They said it was modeled on the shuttered North Korean reactor at Yongbyon, which produced a small amount of plutonium. The Syrian site, they said, was within weeks or months of being operational.

“In the course of a year after they got full up they would have produced enough plutonium for one or two weapons,” Hayden told reporters after a speech at Georgetown University.

LGF -- Syria Was Way Too Close To Nukes
DKK

Supremes Uphold Voter ID Law

The Supreme Court ruled yesterday that states may require voters to present photo identification before casting ballots, opening the way for wider adoption of a measure that Republicans say combats fraud and Democrats say discourages voting among the elderly and the poor.
(...)
(T)he usually liberal Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the main opinion and said the state law is a reasonable reaction to the threat of voter fraud.

"The application of the statute to the vast majority of Indiana voters is amply justified by the valid interest in protecting the integrity and reliability of the electoral process," he wrote. His opinion was joined by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., who is normally on the right, and Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, who is often considered a swing vote.

This is one of those things you assume happens anyway, it seems like common sense.
DKK
Washington Post

Update: Wizbang Blog says it is a win for, "people who believe in the rule of law. Federalism/states' rights advocates. Republicans," and a, "colossal defeat for Democrats.
DKK

UN Means Unaccountable!

I'D BE SHOCKED, but by now this really isn't shocking:

The UN has covered up claims that its troops in Democratic Republic of Congo gave arms to militias and smuggled gold and ivory, the BBC has learned. . . . These are not the only allegations to have been brought against peacekeepers in DR Congo.

In December 2006, former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said Moroccan troops had been involved in widespread sexual abuse.

"There have been crimes such as rape, paedophilia and human trafficking," he said, shortly before leaving office.

But since there's no anti-American angle, it won't be much of a story.

Instapundit

DKK

Consensus, What Consensus?

I’m only concerned about people who are going hysterical about it. How many billions of dollars is our government going to spend to combat something that isn’t real? That has my attention.
(...)
Was there a consensus of 2,500 scientists at the Bali meeting of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change? Heavens no. The key paragraphs or chapters of their report and the research documents behind it, which are very voluminous, were not widely read by these scientists.

If you look at the history of the IPCC, its mission and existence was to prove that there is climate change. So they start hiring scientists and giving them research money to go out and prove that its mission is valid.

But 19,000 scientists signed a petition against the Kyoto Protocol, and 400-plus scientists spoke out against global warming in 2007, along with at least four dozen TV meteorologists. There is no consensus.

Video at the link.

The New American --Weather Channel Founder’s Forecast

DKK

RICO Thy name is RIAA

WE'RE SEEING MORE OF THIS KIND OF THING: Single Mother Gets RIAA Suit Dismissed, Sues Them Right Back. And I suspect they're vulnerable.

Finally, the RIAA and the record companies failed to innovate and adapt to the new media and then punished their customers for that failure. I hope this lady wins and the entire thing gets solved so legal music is readily available and transportable to any player, any time you want to listen to it.

Instapundit
DKK

Brittons Held By Iran?

The hostages were handed over to the Revolutionary Guards by their Iraqi kidnappers last November, the sources believe. One of the sources said they were being held in the western Iranian city of Hamadan.

If confirmed, the involvement of Revolutionary Guards would be seen as evidence that senior figures in the Iranian government had backed the decision to hold them in the country.

Times Online -- Britons kidnapped in Iraq are ‘held by Iran’

DKK

Islam At Perpetual War?

Islam divides the world into two parts. The part governed by sharia, or Islamic law, is called the Dar al-Islam, or House of Submission. Everything else is the Dar al-Harb, or House of War, so called because it will take war—holy war, jihad—to bring it into the House of Submission. Over the centuries, this jihad has taken a variety of forms. Two centuries ago, for instance, Muslim pirates from North Africa captured ships and enslaved their crews, leading the U.S. to fight the Barbary Wars of 1801–05 and 1815. In recent decades, the jihadists’ weapon of choice has usually been the terrorist’s bomb; the use of planes as missiles on 9/11 was a variant of this method.
Is Islam destined to be at perpetual war with the west?

Bawer: An Anatomy of Surrender

Via LGF

DKK

Credit for over 200 bombings nationwide

I do not understand how William Ayers wound up teaching at a University, holding forth on how he didn’t do anything wrong. I can understand people in succeeding generations wanting to talk to the real deal. But I cannot understand lauding a man who does not regret setting bombs. I believe Weather Underground takes responsibility for over 200 bombings nationwide. I also cannot understand the attitude of a man who wants to be President of all the people of this country associating with Ayers. Let’s not debate the association. It is well documented and it goes beyond ‘we met a few times.’

Lin Farley of Savage Politics
Via Rockford's own Power and Control -- So many choices.
DKK

Press one for success, press two for destruction, press three for implosion

Could the far left and their chosen messiah finally destroy the Democratic Party for a generation?

Possibly. Here are the three outcomes of the race, barring any unforeseen issues:

1. Obama wins the nomination and the election -- demonstrating that Peggy Noonan was absolutely correct when she said George Bush destroyed the Republican Party.
2. Obama wins the nomination and looses the election. In the process the Democrats show that, again they picked an out of touch elitist. Look at some of the discussion on the left side of the internet and you will hear repeated chants that Obama was right in saying that people cling to their guns and God!
3. The super delegates swing the nomination to Hillary Clinton because they see fatal flaws in Obama. This would fracture the party into its various voting blocks greatly reducing the chances of a Democratic victory come November to just about zero.

Whats a super to do?

Is hatred of Bush and the Republicans as bad as the media would have us believe? Is McCain's "maverick" status enough?

Will the Democrats do something to torpedo their chance for victory?

If I were a super I would have to go with Obama and hope he can win. If he doesn't the Democratic Party could be long in the wilderness as the party so out of touch that they couldn't win when they held all the cards.

Obama's elitist statements, his attitude toward using tax policy to force "fairness," his willingness to sit down with the worlds worst, and his lack of judgment in choosing his friends and associates make this standard bearer seem more of an anchor. Oh, and they will blame it all on "swiftboating" of some type. Yep, telling the truth always hurts the Dem's presidential candidate.

Keep watching, this should be interesting.
DKK

Purpose and Update On Stats -- April 28, 2008

The content of the RRStar (online Rockford Register Star) blogs have an overwhelmingly liberal slant in both content, links, and quantity.

I established this blog to demonstrate the type and quality of content the RRStar could offer to its readers and that I would be willing to provide.

Checking the stats of their political blogs it is clear that they need more of a balanced portfolio of political blogs.

Again, here are the political blogs available at the RRStar:

• Applesauce is a prolific far left blog that addresses national issues. The content is mainly composed of links to the left wing of the blogosphere along with a short quips, photo, and video content. Occasionally there are longer posts that include opinions on the items linked. Comments are quickly answered, often with another quip.
  
• In Chambers is a blog that covers Illinois state politics. It appears to be right of center but that could be the result of its adversarial nature to the current state administration. There is no real interaction in the comments.
  
• Sweeny Report is a blog written by the Political Editor of the Register Star who blogs from the center right is a journalist. Postings are sporadic, concentrating on local, state and national issues and are mainly short thoughts on events with few links. He doesn't like to respond to anonymous comments uncharacteristic of blogs but consistent with a newspaper.
  
• Why We Vote is a group blog consisting of the thoughts of the members of the Register Star's voters opinion panel. The posts are mostly left of center (including those from the independents to date). The conservative member who was posting, sadly, passed away recently.

The Stats for April 21 through April 27, 2008:

• Applesauce 29 posts with 40 out links 4 YouTube.
  
• In Chambers 2 posts with 7 out links 1 YouTube.
• Sweeny Report 6 posts with 3 out links 0 YouTube.
• Why We Blog 9 posts (8 left 1 unknown) 0 out links 0 YouTube.

If your interested in balance in the RRStar blogs let me, and the RRStar know.
DKK

Update:
Totals since I started counting March 27, 2008 through April 27, 2008:

• Applesauce 115 posts with 129 out links 16 YouTube.
  
• In Chambers 20 posts with 198 out links 1 YouTube.
• Sweeny Report 22 posts with 11 out links 0 YouTube.
• Why We Blog 21 posts (18 left 1 right 2 unknown) 1 out links 0 YouTube.

DKK

Oops One More Enviro-wacko Error

Concern is mounting because the new generation of biodegradable plastics ends up on landfill sites, where they degrade without oxygen, releasing methane, a greenhouse gas 23 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. This week the US national oceanic and atmospheric administration reported a sharp increase in global methane emissions last year.

Hype has moved the market, all based on the crisis warnings of a Man/bear/pig that has no one can verify exists.

Months ago I mentioned in the comments that I honestly expected there to come a time when we would look back and dread the day we fundamentally altered the mix of our trash. It had to happen because we really don't know what we are doing, yet the crisis hype hasn't stopped us from doing it.

American Thinker Blog -- The latest environmentalist-generated fiasco


DKK

To The Left of San Francisco Left

Ipeachment isn't Sheehan's only concern. Pelosi's refusal to vote for an immediate end to the Iraq war and to support single-payer health care shows she's out of touch with San Francisco's progressive roots, Sheehan said.

"I'll represent everyone in San Francisco, not just the corporate elite," she said. "I'm working class, my family was working class, and we have struggled the same way our neighbors here in San Francisco have struggled."

How far to the left do you have to be to the left of Nancy Pelosi? Cindy Sheehan left!

SF Gate -- Anti-war Cindy Sheehan files to take on Pelosi

DKK

Results of a Face to Face -- How's That Working?

"The Iranian government pledged to halt such activities some months ago," Mullen said. "It's plainly obvious they have not. Indeed, they seem to have gone the other way."

The discovery of weapons caches in Iraq, with devices bearing stamps that indicate they were manufactured quite recently, run contrary to the Iranian promises not to interfere in Iraq, the admiral said.

Gee, that talking thing worked out well didn't it? When will Obama and the left understand that every other nation does things in its own interest, and that is okay! We should too!

Lefty diplomacy check list:

• Sit down and talk
• Have tea
• Oh pretty rugs!
• Agree, "off the record," that America IS the great satan -- under Republicans!" (Thank goodness you don't wear a flag pin!)
  
• There we have gained trust and got them nodding in agreement
• Get agreement that they will stop sending weapons to Iraq
• Throw in agreement that the Jews control the Republicans, offer Carter as proof that you agree
• OOPS, forget that Carter part, Iranians aren't too keen on Carter, throw him under the buss with your Grandmother!
  
• Come home to adulation, claim your way worked and you have, "brought peace in our time."

• Wait for the rainbows and sunrises that are sure to come
• Discover you've been had, weapons continue
• Regret your Chamberlain act earlier
• Blame Republican, Neocon, warmongers
• Think wistfully back to your glory days -- and those beautiful rugs, where can you get you some of those rugs!
• Spend the better part of the next century meddling with in foreign policy kissing up to terrorists and dictators as a way to, "show them," you were right after you are tossed out of office on your ass at the next opportunity
• Try to figure out why the nation won't trust your party with the keys to the liquor cabinet let alone the Oval Office.

International Herald Tribune -- Top U.S. military officer assails Iran's role in Iraq
DKK