The depths of Obama's budgetary depravity

When you reach a certain number of zeros, the ability of the public to understand trillions or even billions approaches zero.

So when Obama asked for a pork package in the $700 billion - $800 billion range to "stimulate the economy," Congress and most CNN viewers said, "Sure! Why not! I don't know $700 billion from $700 million. What's a few zeros in a serious recession?"

So what does the $787 billion price tag for Obama's porkulus compare to? How about it's bigger than the entire U.S. defense budget, including two full-scale wars. That's right. Every time you see a gargantuan aircraft carrier, every time you think of the vast expenses of supporting two full-scale wars at once, every time you think of the hundreds of thousands of military families whose livelihoods and health care are provided for by the defense budget, yes, well, Obama's first stimulus package alone was a lot bigger than all of that put together. And since that first package, he's kept piling on the pork, including the latest twenty-something billion for yet another round of Realtor bailouts.

So in the blink of an eye, your children have been sold into an unimaginable amount of debt. But at least we kept unemployment under 8%, huh?

Your Obama stimulus at work

... paying Louisiana Department of Transportation workers to sit around the office googling "fisting."

So this is how liberty dies -- with thunderous applause

HT: TheBlogProf via Instapundit

New NY Democrat Congressman Owens reveals true self, breaks 4 campaign promises in his 1st day on the job

Remember that "moderate" Democrat who beat out the Conservative Party nominee in Northern NY last week? It turns out he's a bad man, a really severe case of "typical lying politician".
After detailing each broken promise, this Gouveneur Times (of Northern NY) article sums it all up nicely in the closing paragraph quoted below. It's one more case of citizens getting screwed and lied to during the crucial moments of the campaign.

Breaking campaign promises is not unusual for politicians... it's a cliche. This is almost certainly a record though. Mr. Owens broke no less than 4 promises in his first 24 hours in office.

Your Department of Homeland Security at work

Instapundit: While Janet Napolitano was classifying Tea Partiers as likely terrorists, Nidal Malik Hasan was about as obvious as a terrorist could be.

Kind of like Meaghan Cheung at the SEC, huh?

Common ground

Over at True Slant, liberal Rick Ungar and teabagger W.C. Varones are finding common ground:

On TARPs and teabaggers.

That Evening Sun

An excellent movie, and a fine exclamation point on the career of Hal Holbrook, opened this weekend in New York. Produced by a good friend of ours, "That Evening Sun" will open in Los Angeles in two weeks.

Critics' reviews have been mostly excellent, but an extended theatrical run will depend on getting people to the box office.

Read the New York Times review of "That Evening Sun" here, see the movie, and tell your friends.

V online

The first episode of V is now available online here.

It's a good show, and not just as a cautionary allegory on Obama Nation. I'm going to watch it regularly.

We're #1! And #2! Greenspan sucks

On Google search for Greenspan sucks.

Pelosi: buy ObamaCare insurance or go to prison for five years

I am not making this up:

“Criminal penalties

Prosecution is authorized under the Code for a variety of offenses. Depending on the level of the noncompliance, the following penalties could apply to an individual:

• Section 7203 – misdemeanor willful failure to pay is punishable by a fine of up to $25,000 and/or imprisonment of up to one year.

• Section 7201 – felony willful evasion is punishable by a fine of up to $250,000 and/or imprisonment of up to five years.” [page 3]

Greenspan's Body Count: Otis Beckford, victim of Orlando shooter Jason S. Rodriguez

It's been overshadowed by the Islamic terrorist attack on Fort Hood, but there was another shooting spree today, this one in Orlando.

And surprise, surprise -- it's another guy who was pushed over the edge by Greenspan's debt bubble:

The suspect in Friday's shooting of six people in a downtown high-rise is a 40-year-old "man with economic woes that include a recent bankruptcy filing, federal records show.

In his filing last May for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, under which he sought to have his assets liquidated and his debts discharged, Jason S. Rodriguez listed his assets at $4,675 and his liabilities at $89,873.31.

His 2002 Nissan XTerra with 110,000 miles represented $4,000 of those assets. His personal property filing described the vehicle as having body damage on the right side, an air conditioner that did not work and a transmission that was slipping.

He said his monthly income as a "sandwich artist" at a Subway Restaurant in Orlando, where he had worked for nine months, was $890.67, and he listed his monthly expenses at $815.

Excuse me? What kind of sick society extends enough credit for a "sandwich artist" to find himself in $90,000 of debt?

And, kiddies, didn't I tell you not to take on massive debt for a useless college education? Jason didn't get the memo:

The largest debts were for student loans -- $8,500 to Wachovia, $28,912 to Sallie Mae.

How did that education help your sandwich artistry, Jason? Spread the mayo with a little more flourish?

Thanks to Jr. Deputy Accountant for finding Alan Greenspan's DNA spewed enthusiastically all over the crime scene.

Greenspan victim Otis Beckford was apparently a nice young man just starting a family. Yet despite the tragedy, Ben Bernanke vows to carry on Alan Greenspan's bubble-blowing ways.

Greenspan's Body Count stands at 113.

Fed Surrounded by FBI

November 6th, 2009 - Washington, DC

Thousands of FBI agents surrounded the Fed Reserve headquarters in Washington, New York, Boston, and all the other branches of the FED today with warrants for the arrest of most of the upper management including Ben Bernanke. Ben Bernanke was seen being led to an FBI transport vehicle in handcuffs and appeared to be crying.

FBI Agents confiscated all of the computers and documents and delivered them to a special hanger at Andrews Air Force base where an army of forensic accountants are going to audit everything.

The mission, organized in the name of liberty by Ron Paul and Alan Grayson, is being led by Junior Deputy Accountant(JDA) as the lead CSI. JDA was quoted as saying "Time to @#$% them like they've been @#$%ing us for the last 96 years. By the way, we aren't going to be gentle." At which point she made a hand gesture like she was putting on a medical glove.

As part of the action every upper management executive and board member of every major bank and Wall Street trading firm in the nation had their passports revoked to prevent them from leaving the country while the investigation was taking place.

The reaction to this has been stunning. People all over the country are literally cheering out loud. You could hear a roar of applause in Manhattan when the FBI moved in. "It's a historic day where the people of this great nation have finally said 'ENOUGH, this is our country, not yours!'" said W.C. Varones.

Reporting from Chicago Sic Ibid stated "It was incredible! It was like when the Bulls won their first title times 100. Everyone was out in the streets proud to be an American again. This must have been what it was like in Russia when the communists fell. It's a glorious day for the country."

Authorities stated the investigation would be swift and 100% transparent. We will be updating this site as each piece of information is presented.

~ Negocios Loucos

HOW AWESOME WOULD THAT BE?!?

Unemployment 10.2%

... and that's the official number that doesn't count those who have given up looking for work or are stuck in part-time jobs (the broader U6 is at 17.5%).

Bloomberg:

Payrolls fell by 190,000 workers last month, compared with a 175,000 drop anticipated by the median forecast of economists surveyed by Bloomberg News, figures from the Labor Department showed today in Washington. The jobless rate gained from 9.8 percent in September and exceeded 10 percent for the first time since 1983.

But I thought if we passed Obama's $787 billion porkulus bill, unemployment wouldn't go over 8%!

Pelosi lied; transparency died

About those bills being made publicly available online 72 hours before the vote?

Yeah, not so much.

Protesters descend on Washington

This was a last-minute thing started by Rep. Michele Bachmann, and it turned into a full-fledged Tea Party at the Capitol today.

Temple of MUT has the story.

And, yes, I know Bachmann might make some kooky comments from time to time, but a little anti-establishment kookery is exactly what we need in Washington right now. I'd rather rage with the kooks than go along with the sane. The sane are the ones who got us in this mess.

US to Renters - GFY!

And that doesn't mean 'good for you' this time:

Buyers who have owned their current homes at least five years would be eligible for tax credits of up to $6,500. First-time homebuyers — or anyone who hasn't owned a home in the last three years — would still get up to $8,000. To qualify, buyers in both groups have to sign a purchase agreement by April 30, 2010, and close by June 30.

"This is probably the last extension," said Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., a former real estate executive who championed the credits.
...
"We are still in a world of economic hurt, and Congress must continue to act boldly and creatively," said Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. "With the right mix of tax breaks and investments we will get through this recession and get folks working again."

Here's the truth Comrade Isakson and Comrade Baucus; you can't bailout everyone, forever, that's just a fact. You may be "creative" in your attempt to hold Mr. Market at bay but eventually, as has happened since history was written down, Mr. Market will win. So all you are doing is duping people into buying a home with the false hope that they've gotten some sort of value for their money while in the mean time financially destroying the future of this nation.

OF COURSE there is an opposing view often expressed by W.C.; I am the idiot for not buying now because once hyperinflation kicks in, and my salary hopefully somehow inflates along with it, that mortgage for $700,000 for a 2 bedroom/1 bath house will be worth the price of seeing a movie in 2020. To which I respectfully retort, 'yeah but if that happens, the next stop in society's journey around the sun will be the Thunderdome.'

UPDATE: and then there is this posted at Zerohedge: Fannie becomes a landlord. This will not please Mr. Market one bit.

Remember, remember, the 5th of November

In memory of Guy Fawkes, please consider a money bomb for your favorite insurgent candidate today.

Rand Paul would be my first choice.

Financial Coup explained: "This is so Soviet"

Why Baseball Rules!

And why AMERICA RULES!

The Yankees are world champions for a 27th time, beating the Phillies 7-3 in Game 6 on Wednesday to win their first title since 2000.

And why Negocious Loucos hasn't watched more than 1 entire baseball game per year since 1994. The World apparently doesn't include any country outside of the United States. And the more pathetic the title, the more you have to give an absurd name. WORLD CHAMPIONS!!! Dude I think CSKA Moscow was soccer World Champions for the entire 50's and 60's, because they never played outside of the Soviet Union. See how that works? Communists think they are the world.

And the irony is that economically that soon will be a fact. The only folks who will accept dollars will be the only folks that call one country's baseball team "World Champions".

Congrats World Champion Yankees! You defeated the world! GFY - good for you!

Trey Grayson for Kentucky Senate

This Trey Grayson web site is #2 on Google search for "Trey Grayson for Senate."

If enough people link it, maybe we can get it to #1!

"V" attacks Obama Nation

The producers better forget about getting any NEA grants!

Chicago Tribune:

Imagine this. At a time of political turmoil, a charismatic, telegenic new leader arrives virtually out of nowhere. He offers a message of hope and reconciliation based on compromise and promises to marshal technology for a better future that will include universal health care.

The news media swoons in admiration -- one simpering anchorman even shouts at a reporter who asks a tough question: "Why don't you show some respect?!" The public is likewise smitten, except for a few nut cases who circulate batty rumors on the Internet about the leader's origins and intentions. The leader, undismayed, offers assurances that are soothing, if also just a tiny bit condescending: "Embracing change is never easy."

So, does that sound like anyone you know? Oh, wait -- did I mention the leader is secretly a totalitarian space lizard who's come here to eat us?

Some of you may be too young to remember this, but the original "V" was an awesome miniseries in the early 80's. I'm looking forward to the remake.

Hope and change and enslaving a fawning populace!

View a message from the Leader and join Organizing for America the Peace Ambassador program here.

As I recall, most of these elements were present in the original miniseries, so the real story here may be not how the new V's charismatic totalitiarians resemble Obama, but how Obama resembles the old V's charismatic totalitarians. Art imitates life imitates art.

Two out of three ain't bad

Hoffman may be doomed because inbred upstate New Yorkers care more about local issues on the St. Lawrence Seaway than about leaving their children the Obama-Pelosi debt bomb. Too early to call, but it ain't looking good.

Other than that odd rural district in New York, it was Waterloo for Obamunism as New Jersey and Virginia went heavily Republican, by margins well beyond expectations.

And the rout is sure to help stop ObamaCare, which was already stuck in the mud before the Obamassacre news came in.

Rand Paul leads Kentucky poll!

We don't yet have word on whether Doug Hoffman will be victorious tonight, but there's great news in the Kentucky Senate primary.

Rand Paul (actual and philosophical son of Ron Paul) has taken the lead over business-as-usual politician Trey Grayson.

HT: qs

Treasury Dept. uses Phone-a-Friend Lifeline

Weird. The Treasury Department had an anonymous, off-the-record meeting with financial bloggers including Michael Panzner and Yves Smith.

That's kind of like Homer Simpson inviting nuclear physicists to discuss the Springfield power plant.

Needless to say, the physicists left with bemused puzzlement but no new information, and Homer didn't retain much beyond a donut daydream.

Gold gone wild!

The signs were there; you should have bought connections before.

No sooner was I feeling silly for having bought gold at all time highs two weeks ago than gold went nuts again today, spiking 3% to new highs above $1080.

One possible spark for the oro en fuego: news that India's central bank is stocking up on gold:

India, the world’s biggest gold consumer, bought 200 tons from the International Monetary Fund for $6.7 billion as central banks show increased interest in diversifying their holdings to protect against a slumping dollar.

The transaction, equivalent to 8 percent of world annual mine production, was the IMF’s first such sale in nine years and propels India to the ninth-biggest government owner globally, according to figures from London-based research company GFMS Ltd. The country previously held 358 tons, the data show. The news was a “surprise because everybody was talking about China being the buyer,” said James Moore, an analyst at TheBullionDesk.com.

“The fall in the U.S. dollar seems to be pushing all the central banks to strengthen their portfolio with gold,” said N.R. Bhanumurthy, professor at the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy in New Delhi. “Gold is a safe store of value compared to the U.S. dollar.”

Jr. Deputy Accountant has much more, including suspicious gold futures activity at Comex that hints at a short squeeze.

Election day

If the Republicans sweep NY-23 and the NJ and VA governorships, it's a big win. Two out of three would still be a victory. If they take only Virginia, it means that the Obama political machine beat the Tea Party movement.

CA-10 is not competitive because of an overwhelmingly Democratic district and widespread bigotry in the Bay Area against David Harmer's religion.

LA Times: California sucks!

Call the police -- someone has kidnapped the LA Times' Opinion editors!

The Times' usual cheerleading for higher taxes has been replaced with this:

One way to assess how Americans feel about the different tax and benefit packages the states offer is by examining internal U.S. migration patterns. Between April 1, 2000, and June 30, 2007, an average of 3,247 more people moved out of California than into it every week, according to the Census Bureau. Over the same period, Texas had a net weekly population increase of 1,544 as a result of people moving in from other states. During these years, more generally, 16 of the 17 states with the lowest tax levels had positive "net internal migration," in the Census Bureau's language, while 14 of the 17 states with the highest taxes had negative net internal migration.

These folks pulling up stakes and driving U-Haul trucks across state lines understand a reality the defenders of the high-benefit/high-tax model must confront: All things being equal, everyone would rather pay low taxes than high ones. The high-benefit/high-tax model can work only if things are demonstrably not equal -- if the public goods purchased by the high taxes far surpass the quality, quantity and impact of those available to people who live in states with low taxes.

Today's public benefits fail that test, as urban scholar Joel Kotkin of NewGeography.com and Chapman University told the Los Angeles Times in March: "Twenty years ago, you could go to Texas, where they had very low taxes, and you would see the difference between there and California. Today, you go to Texas, the roads are no worse, the public schools are not great but are better than or equal to ours, and their universities are good. The bargain between California's government and the middle class is constantly being renegotiated to the disadvantage of the middle class."

And that's just the cheerful part. Click on over and read the whole thing before the cops free the editors.