More Details On The Coming Spending Spree

I caught a fair amount of the First Rookie's speech this morning from George Mason University. I have to say, I'm very scared about how badly this novice and his party are going to screw up the American economic system, and the current economic situation, in the coming months.

The first thing I noticed is the Rookie's continued insistence that we are in a grave, terrible recession that will become worse if he is not given nearly $1T to spend immediately.

He warns that unemployment may rise to 'double digits!'

Hell, yes it's going to go to double digits. Nothing's going to stop that. Economists have been forecasting perhaps 10-12% peak unemployment. High, but way, way shy of the Depression's 25%!

Then the Rookie solemnly professes, with all of his lack of economic education and inexperience, that only massive Federal spending can fix the current, deep economic mess.

His list of areas he claims will magically improve is comical: education, healthcare, roads, employment, technology, and more.

It simply amazes me that the party that thought Republicans spent too much have decided that, in retaliation, they'll spend heretofore unheard of sums. And for nothing.

The economic rationale for this stimulus is tissue-paper thin. Apparently the naive President-elect has simply been told that, when joblessness is rising, the Federal government should print money and spend it. Period.

There's not historical precedent called upon as an example of the success of the concept. As one conservative pundit noted,

'If that's all it took to end recessions- large scale government spending- then we'd have done that and ended every prior recession. But it doesn't work that way.'

And, despite the Rookie's call for 'a national discussion' on this program, there won't be one. That's just hype and hyperbole to provide cover for ramming this incredibly inflationary, needless pork barrel through Congress.

Stay tuned for more on this evolving fiscal nightmare.

Nonsensical Steps To Reduce Waste From The First Rookie-Elect

Did you hear the First Rookie's approach to minimizing waste, fraud and corruption in his new $1T stimulus plan?

A website.

Yep. A website. After all, he's the new, improved, techno-savvy President-elect.

So now, all waste will be banished and prevented because he'll have progress reported on a website. Oh, and he is going to add a White House staffer to oversee the progress on the various projects.

But, wait! There's more!

The First Rookie-elect swears that he will brook NO earmarks! Imagine that. Suddenly, the Democratic party is against these pork barrel goodies.

Of course, if you read some of the 'priority,' 'shovel ready' projects described in that prior, linked post, you understand the game here.

Mayors and Governors place earmarks in ahead of the Senate and House additions. So the earmarks appear to be genuine demand from local and state officials.

Of course, you get the same result. Swimming pools and ice skating rinks to improve our nation's competitive, economic infrastructure.

This is one case where I agree with CNBC's blowhard, Mark Hanes. He moaned loudly earlier this week when some reporter listed the various checks and balances which the Illinois Rookie plans to use to make sure that his precious trillion dollar spending spree is not wasteful.

Hanes yawned and noted that every President promises to closely monitor spending, eliminate waste and fraud, etc., etc.

Then, in a classic example of media bias, Steve Liesman, the economic cub reporter for CNBC, allowed as how any rushed government spending program will waste a lot of money. Liesman then declared that if the First Rookie can avoid even a little waste, it will be an achievement.

When was the last time you heard any media figure give a pass like that to a Republican? Especially President Bush.

So, the bottom line is, look for the Democrat's trillion dollar spending orgy to bleed, what, tens of millions of dollars into blind alleys, pockets of political friends and hacks, etc.

I am forecasting that by about year three of the new administration, the various graft and corruption cases will begin to surface, discrediting Mr. 'Post-Partisan Politics' once and for all.

This is what happens when you elect a completely inexperienced person to the world's most complex executive position.

Oops! Another Year of Global Cooling

Talk about inconvenient truths.....

I saw on Fox News earlier this week that the average global temperature dropped in 2008.

Oops. Sorry Al!

In fact, the story continued, global temperatures have been falling for the past six consecutive years!

Perfect timing for the New Messiah to publicly anoint Warm Boy Al Gore our new national climate conscience. And to announce serious Federal government efforts to tackle the suddenly-vanished 'global warming' trend.

So much for honesty, when bad science and denial work better for persisting in the need to 'solve' a non-existent problem. And, if existent, one that may well not be, and has yet to be proven to be, caused by human behavior.

Minnesota's Shame: Recount Cheats Coleman of Victory, Names Comedian Franken Senator

Minnesota is currently displaying a sickening drama involving Democratic Senate candidate Al Franken stealing the election with the help of the state's certification board and Democratic Secretary of State.

Originally, Republican incumbent Norm Coleman had won the election by some 200 votes. A recount, of course, was required.

With a Democratic party-controlled process, is it any surprise that, weeks later, the Democratic candidate, Al Franken, ended up 200 votes ahead, and certified yesterday by the state's board?

Among the irregularities catalogued by the Wall Street Journal were these:

-counties in which Franken 'won' having more total ballots than registered voters.
-varying use of either election-night totals, or revisited totals, all of which magically handed Franken more votes in each case
-situations in which, when recounted, Franken added many more votes than were added for Obama among the same ballots.
-inconsistent rulings on whether to use damaged ballots
-lost custody records on suspect ballots

It seems incredible that Coleman could wake up on election day having won, and then lose by a like amount two months later.

It seems to me that the sensible approach for any state to take in elections of a statewide nature is to hold a second election for any race in which the margin of victory is smaller than the least number of contested ballots by any candidate in the race.

Recounts, beginning with the Florida situation in the 2000 Presidential election, always leave one party feeling cheated. There's no way these things are seen as fair. The presiding officer is of one party, so the other feels it was cheated.

That's what has happened with Coleman/Franken. But not in Georgia, where they held a runoff.

It's a fair bet that, with a new election, Coleman would win.

But the reality is that the Minnesota Supreme Court probably won't want to be seen as picking a winner, so they'll likely hear, then deny Coleman's bid to be named the winner.

So the Democrats rack up another national embarrassment. First the circus for Senator from Illinois. Then New York. Now this cheating and theft of the Senate election by Franken in Minnesota.

Should help 2010 be easy pickings for the GOP.

More Weak Cabinet Picks: Panetta To Head CIA

You have to love the pre-inaugural antics of the newly-elected First Rookie.

Now, he's finally found someone who will take the CIA post in his administration. Just a few problems, though.

First, Leon Panetta is yet another Clintoneer.

Second, he was a budget mensch, not a security expert. And, as Clinton's budgeteer, and after, he was notoriously partisan. I believe he was also Bubba's last chief of staff. Hardly a recommendation to be non-partisan and focused on what is good for the nation.

Lastly, it seems a Democratic Senator from his own state doesn't endorse him. It seems Diane Feinstein got her back up over not having been consulted on his appointment as CIA chief.

It just gets better and better, doesn't it?

Bill Richardson Withdraws!

Today's news of New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson's withdrawal from consideration for the post of Secretary of Commerce in the incoming Cabinet poses more difficulties for the Democrats' New Messiah.

Looking portly and minus the beard, Richardson acknowledged the grand jury investigation into why some of his donors landed choice contracts from the state of New Mexico.

Did someone say 'vetting?'

Apparently, where the New Messiah is concerned, like attracts like. Coming from the corrupt Chicago Machine, the First Rookie naturally gravitated to a graft-prone Governor for his cabinet.

As a conservative, this is looking better and better. The Rookie Senator can't even get sworn in before looking like a novice, messing up a cabinet selection.

As I have predicted, he'll make Carter look good before he's through.

Shovel Ready?

Have you read some of the "shovel ready" projects being requested for the infrastructure spending spree planned by the incoming Democratic Congress and President?

I can't recall all of the nonsense, but these do come to mind:

-a community swimming pool in, I believe, Kansas.
-a Santa Barbara service program to discourage prostitution
-a museum of/for children
-a Texas ice-skating rink

There were others of similar inappropriate nature. The point, of course, is that none of these has any relationship to the sort of infrastructure originally promised to be upgraded for the nation's economic welfare and productivity.

Mind you, we haven't even mentioned the graft and corruption you know will occur for union-related spending for the real road-and-bridge infrastructure projects.

If this is how it starts, before the bill is even passed, imagine how dreadful a waste of money, resources and time this will be before the entire effort is judged in a post-mortem some years from now.