The Saloon dot net

Global Socialists Toast Victory over America

Roland, the Gunslinger — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 15:22:09 -0500

The American people may be losing their jobs and savings, but on Friday night, on the eve of the international financial summit, they provided President Bush and other G20 leaders a lavish banquet that included $300-a-bottle wine, Vermont Brie, eggplant fondue, and rack of lamb. Details of the “culinary delights” and “sumptuous feast” provided to the politicians who departed their black limousines were included in wire service stories. They were toasting the demise of America as a global economic and military superpower and planning to loot another trillion dollars from U.S. taxpayers.

Stories about the feast can only cause rising anger in the United States. A C-SPAN moderator on Sunday morning, hosting a discussion of the growing financial crisis and taking calls, himself commented that there was a lot of anger out there. One caller mentioned taking up arms against the government over the looting of the taxpayers

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Republicans Invite Bad Press Coverage

Roland, the Gunslinger — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:05:23 -0500

Some Republicans like Boehner and Cantor now want to show they mean business when it comes to bailouts by taking a stand against $25 billion for the auto industry. The Times reports, “He [Cantor] said Republicans have to be able to draw lines on future votes such as an automobile manufacturers’ bailout, even if it means losing some of their members’ support.”

After having voted to bail out bankers on Wall Street, how will it look to deny federal aid to American car companies employing ordinary Americans? Calling these Americans “union members” doesn’t change the fact that they are people and have families, too. Indeed, a significant number of them are Republicans, like Boehner and Cantor.

This is another public relations disaster in the making for Congressional Republican leaders. All of a sudden they are going to rediscover their principles when jobs in the auto industry are at stake?

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Krugman: Raising Taxes Worsened Depression But OK Now

Roland, the Gunslinger — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 23:16:39 -0500

It appears being bestowed a Nobel Prize for economics doesn't improve one's economic acumen, for in the course of roughly 60 seconds Sunday, Paul Krugman said Franklin D. Roosevelt's decision to raise taxes in 1937 deepened the Depression, but it's okay to raise taxes 70-plus years later when the economy is in trouble.

Interesting contradiction, wouldn't you agree?

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EPA ruling over climate jeopardizes coal plants

Roland, the Gunslinger — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:46:57 -0500

"The bottom line is this leads to delays for coal plants," David Bookbinder, a lawyer for environmental group the Sierra Club.

Delays could be bad news for the industry especially as the United States may soon regulate greenhouse gases as President-elect Barack Obama has promised to do, he added.

A section of the EPA ruling said, "The Board recognizes that this is an issue of national scope that has implications far beyond this individual permitting proceeding."

Environmentalists said the wording opens up the EPA to reconsidering permits in other states.

In a landmark ruling in 2007, the Supreme Court found that carbon dioxide can be regulated as a pollutant under the U.S. Clean Air Act.

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Palin: GOP's free spending caused loss

Roland, the Gunslinger — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 17:45:11 -0500

From ConservativeHq.com: Some Republicans think the GOP needs to move Left to win future elections, but Sarah Palin isn’t one of them. Proving that she’s the tuned-in candidate that conservatives came to admire, Palin says the Party spent too much.

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Judicial Watch: Obama Advisor Valerie Jarrett Linked to Real Estate Scandals

Roland, the Gunslinger — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 16:29:40 -0500

According to the documents obtained by Judicial Watch from the Illinois Secretary of State, Valerie Jarrett served as a board member for several organizations that provided funding and support for Chicago housing projects operated by real estate developers and Obama financial backers Rezko and Allison Davis. (Davis is also Obama's former boss.)...(According to press reports, housing projects operated by Davis and Rezko have been substandard and beset with code violations. The Chicago Sun Times reported that one Rezko-managed housing project was "riddled with problems -- including squalid living conditions...lack of heat, squatters and drug dealers.")

As Chief Executive Officer of the Habitat Company Jarrett also managed a controversial housing project located in Obama's former state senate district called Grove Parc Plaza. According to the Boston Globe the housing complex was considered "uninhabitable by unfixed problems, such as collapsed roofs and fire damage...In 2006, federal inspectors graded the condition of the complex an 11 on a 100-point scale -- a score so bad the buildings now face demolition." Ms. Jarrett refused to comment to the Globe on the conditions of the complex.

"Like Barack Obama, Valerie Jarrett is a product of the corrupt Chicago political machine. And it is no stretch to say that she was a slumlord," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. "We have real concerns about Jarrett's ethics. Washington already has plenty of corruption. We don't need to import more of it from Chicago."

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"If we don't stop.. the People might rise up and stop us"

Roland, the Gunslinger — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 18:30:26 -0500

Looks like someone finally remembered who the boss REALLY is.

NYT's token "conservative" finally gets one right

Roland, the Gunslinger — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 12:21:20 -0500

FTA: Not so long ago, corporate giants with names like PanAm, ITT and Montgomery Ward roamed the earth. They faded and were replaced by new companies with names like Microsoft, Southwest Airlines and Target. The U.S. became famous for this pattern of decay and new growth. Over time, American government built a bigger safety net so workers could survive the vicissitudes of this creative destruction — with unemployment insurance and soon, one hopes, health care security.

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Why Europe is secretly afraid of a socialist America

Roland, the Gunslinger — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 09:20:09 -0500

Suppose you've been living under the protective wings of a benevolent superpower for sixty years. And suppose you've used that big half century to take off on an endless vacation -- spending all your tax money to buy votes for the socialist Ruling Class. It's been one long, grand, drug-infested, sex-drenched, self-indulgent, tabloid party scene...But now you see your guardian superpower electing a guy who wants to follow your example. Whooops!

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Change? Obama transition members have Fannie ties

Roland, the Gunslinger — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 08:54:15 -0500

President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team leaders for the State Department are both Clinton-era department officials with links to the troubled mortgage giant Fannie Mae.

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Despite national financial crisis, Baucus steps up with sweeping healthcare plan

Roland, the Gunslinger — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 08:48:41 -0500

Baucus's plan comes after Sen. Edward Kennedy (Mass.), who chairs a key health committee, and other top Democrats have sent clear signals that the 111th Congress will attempt to enact a sweeping healthcare plan — despite the skyrocketing national debt. Obama has listed healthcare as a priority on his agenda, but he has suggested that a big push may wait until after the financial system stabilizes.

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Reuters: UPDATE 1-U.S. automakers bailout outlook in doubt-senator

Roland, the Gunslinger — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 08:31:20 -0500

"Right now, I don't think there are the votes," Dodd of Connecticut told reporters about prospects in the Senate. "I want to be careful of bringing up a proposition that might fail," he said.

Although Dodd said "we ought to do something" and personally backed using money from the ongoing $700 billion financial services rescue program to help Detroit, he was skeptical that enough Republicans would support a bailout.

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Will we wake up to discover that America is now a bit player in a “New World Order” dominated by China, rich Arab nations, and international institutions?

Roland, the Gunslinger — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 19:11:27 -0500

In a release from the World Economic Forum, Suzanne Nora Johnson, Senior Director of Goldman Sachs, USA, and a Trustee of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, declared that the Washington summit “gives us great opportunities to find solutions and new ways of looking at the world.” Johnson says that, while there has been “protectionist reaction” in the U.S. to sovereign wealth fund investments, as a result of the liquidity crisis there would now be greater openness to such deals. Sovereign Wealth Funds are government financial entities based in China and several Arab/Muslim states.

In this context, the Center for Security Policy and other groups recently held a news conference to draw attention to how the Treasury Department is planning to implement aspects of Islamic banking in the U.S. In a release, the Coalition Against Shariah declared that, “It is especially alarming that the Treasury Department is now in a position to impose its submission to Shariah on the various financial institutions which it has bought in recent weeks or otherwise controls. With the nationalization of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, its purchase of―at last count―17 banks and the enormous leverage associated with its $700 billion slush-fund, Treasury can be an irresistible force should it actively promote Shariah-Compliant Finance.”

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Malkin: Unrepentant, anti-capitalist terrorist cashes in

Roland, the Gunslinger — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 17:31:34 -0500

Weather Underground bomber Bill Ayers is a busy bee.

The violence-embracing Marxist is on the lecture and media circuit, hawking his repackaged memoir, promoting a new book on race, and basking in all the post-Obama victory attention.

He’ll be at Georgetown Law School on Monday and at a book-signing at Busboys & Poets at 14th and V St in Washington DC on Monday night at 6:30PM.

God damn America, eh, Billy boy?

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Bush warns against big government and praises free market and capitalism... The stock market soars during and after speech for the first time since the election.

Riley Jones — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:17:29 -0500

President George W. Bush today urged leaders of the world's biggest economies not to abandon free- market capitalism as they seek an escape from the financial crisis, calling it the ``best system'' for delivering growth.

In a speech at the Manhattan Institute in New York before weekend talks among leaders from the Group of 20 nations, Bush said policy makers should resist the urge to meddle too much in markets as they seek to reverse the financial and economic turmoil now engulfing the world.

(Thanks, Truthache)

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Regulators nix credit card debt forgiveness plan

Riley Jones — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 11:01:51 -0500

Federal bank regulators have rejected a request by banks and consumer advocates for a program to let lenders forgive huge portions of credit card debt.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency rejected the request for a special program that would allow as much as 40 percent of credit card debt to be forgiven for consumers who don't qualify for existing repayment plans.

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$700B bailout enters Second Stage

Riley Jones — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 12:29:02 -0500

In this second stage of the bailout, officials also hope to attract private capital, possibly through matching investments, to give the government's injections more heft.

Paulson also said the government is no longer planning to buy troubled mortgage assets, the original goal of the plan. And officials are continuing to examine ways to help homeowners and slow the tide of foreclosures.

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Federal Reserve Refuses to Identify Two Trillion Dollar in Loans...Taxpayer Money...After They Promised They Would...But, Hey, Barney Frank Says It's All Good

Roland, the Gunslinger — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 15:15:26 -0500

The Federal Reserve is refusing to identify the recipients of almost $2 trillion of emergency loans from American taxpayers or the troubled assets the central bank is accepting as collateral.

Fed Chairman Ben S. Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said in September they would comply with congressional demands for transparency in a $700 billion bailout of the banking system. Two months later, as the Fed lends far more than that in separate rescue programs that didn't require approval by Congress, Americans have no idea where their money is going or what securities the banks are pledging in return

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It was a great victory - but not for the Left

Roland, the Gunslinger — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 17:19:28 -0500

To begin with, the Democrats’ gains were not quite as comprehensive as they had hoped or as the structural political conditions would seem to have predicted. Mr Obama won a lopsided victory in the electoral college, thanks to quite narrow victories in a number of states, but his lead over his opponent in the popular vote (about 6 percentage points) was well short of landslide proportions.

What’s more, the Democrats did not really make the sweeping gains in Congress that they had been expected to make. With recounts still going on in a number of states yesterday it looked as though they might have increased their total number of Senate seats from 51 to 56 – a comfortable majority, but well short of the 60 that many had forecast.

Most important, when you think of the macro-political conditions in America in 2008, you are left wondering why the Democrats did not do significantly better.

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Tax Policy Decisions Ahead

Roland, the Gunslinger — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:01:58 -0500

In Tax policy decisions ahead: President-elect Obama’s call for change, the Tax Policy Group of Deloitte summarizes the broad tax proposals made by President-elect Obama on the campaign trail, and the challenges of moving his agenda through Congress. It then analyzes proposed tax changes more closely, and offers insight on how corporate and individual taxpayers can prepare for changes that may come.

(H/T to our man Steve)

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"...And that's the problem. Because we have been guided by a Republican administration that believes in this simplistic notion that people who have wealth are entitled to keep it..."

Roland, the Gunslinger — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 03:07:16 -0500

Need I say more?

Obama: I’ll make energy prices “skyrocket”

Roland, the Gunslinger — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 00:35:18 -0500

"You know, when I was asked earlier about the issue of coal, uh, you know — Under my plan of a cap and trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket. Even regardless of what I say about whether coal is good or bad. Because I’m capping greenhouse gases, coal power plants, you know, natural gas, you name it — whatever the plants were, whatever the industry was, uh, they would have to retrofit their operations. That will cost money. They will pass that money on to consumers."

(H/T to the good folks at HotAir.com)

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News To Obama: The OECD Says The United States Has The Most Progressive Tax System

Roland, the Gunslinger — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 15:11:14 -0400

Barack Obama's admission that his policies would "spread the wealth around" has ignited a nationwide discussion of how progressive the tax system should be and how it should be used to redistribute income among Americans. Obama has been very successful in bolstering the conventional wisdom that the U.S. tax system does not place a significant enough burden on wealthier households and places too much of a burden on the "middle class."

But a new study on inequality by researchers at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris reveals that when it comes to household taxes (income taxes and employee social security contributions) the U.S. "has the most progressive tax system and collects the largest share of taxes from the richest 10% of the population." As Column 1 in the table below shows, the U.S. tax system is far more progressive—meaning pro-poor—than similar systems in countries most Americans identify with high taxes, such as France and Sweden.

Even after accounting for the fact that the top 10 percent of households in the U.S. have one of the highest shares of market income among OECD nations, our tax system is second only to Ireland in terms of its progressivity for households.

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What Obama Really Means by 'Change'

Roland, the Gunslinger — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 00:08:03 -0400

I had a shocking conversation with a well-informed voter the other day. She asked about Barack Obama's “tax cut for 95 percent of Americans.” I laughed, noting that it was going to be quite a trick to give a “tax cut” to the roughly 40 percent of Americans who don't pay federal income taxes.

“What?” She asked.

It stopped me dead in my tracks.

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Bob Kerrey: Dems' Campaign-Finance Hypocrisy

Roland, the Gunslinger — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:28:08 -0400

ON the question of public fund ing of presidential cam paigns, we Democrats who strongly support Sen. Barack Obama's candidacy and who previously supported limits on campaign spending and who haven't objected to Obama's opting out of the presidential funding system face an awkward fact: Either we are hypocrites, or we were wrong to support such limitations in the first place. The next time we speak of the virtue of level playing fields

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Tough times: Congress grew 13 percent richer in 2007

Roland, the Gunslinger — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:09:50 -0400

Times are tough, but don't worry about most members of Congress making ends meet.

Their collective wealth grew by 13 percent last year, leaving them in better shape than most Americans to make it through an economic downturn, according to a new analysis of personal financial reports.

Overall, nearly two of every three senators are millionaires. That includes presidential candidates Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. In the House, 39 percent of all members belong to the exclusive club.

Only 1 percent of all Americans are considered millionaires.

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Carter-Era Housing Policies Helped Spark Sub-Prime Crisis, Expert Says

Roland, the Gunslinger — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 02:19:37 -0400

The Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) – a Carter-era policy that requires federal financial supervisory agencies to encourage banks to grant loans to people with low income and little credit – played a major role in sparking the sub-prime mortgage crisis the nation now faces, according to economist Russell Roberts, who spoke at a forum on the issue Thursday at the Hudson Institute

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Dubious Donations: Bam's Web Site Invites Fraud

Roland, the Gunslinger — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 18:40:43 -0400

Barack Obama has proved the greatest fund-raiser of all time by a long shot. His campaign has raised more than $600 million - $150 million in September alone. But the campaign has also failed to adopt standard protections against fraudulent giving.

The average contribution to Obama in September was just under $86. And federal law only requires the disclosure of identifying information for contributions in excess of $200. Campaigns must keep running totals for each donor and report them once they exceed $200.

The Federal Election Commission says the Obama campaign has reported well over $200 million as coming from contributions of $200 or less. Only a small portion of that sum is attributable to donors the Obama campaign has disclosed.

No presidential campaign has ever before received such a gargantuan sum of money from unidentified contributors

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A Leading Member of the Party of Diversity and Inclusion Wants Some of Us To Shut Up...Why?

Roland, the Gunslinger — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 14:52:53 -0400

Over the weekend, we at the Saloon posted a piece on The Radio Equalizer's blog of an interview of Democrat Senator Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico by Albuquerque radio station KOB, during which Bingaman admitted supporting the post-election plan to reimpose the anything-but-fair Fairness Doctrine. The misnamed Fairness Doctrine was enacted at a time when there were very few media outlets on television and radio from which Americans could get information on controversial issues. Americans had to rely almost entirely on journalists for information. However, the doctrine was dissolved during the Reagan administration, an act which opened the way for talk radio to flourish.

Why is Senator Bingaman so intent upon shutting out conservative opinion?

An answer may just possibly be found on the Republican Party of New Mexico website (link). From their site:

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Obama Bombshell Redistribution of Wealth Audio Uncovered

Roland, the Gunslinger — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 01:49:32 -0400

The Warren Court wasn't radical enough in that "it didn't break free from the restraints" imposed by the founding fathers in the Constitution!...Redistribution of wealth SHOULD have been enforced to address "economic justice" in society...Obama says that the Constitution doesn't say what the federal government MUST do for you "on your behalf"!

Stunning bombshell stuff. Why won't the national news media pick this up and report it to the American people?

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