Day: February 19, 2009

Government In My Life

I have never wanted the government to tell me that I could smoke or not.  Or read porn or not.  Or be gay or not.  Or anything that involved my private life.  What I do in my private life is absolutely none of their business.  If I am hurting NO one but myself…then leave me the hell alone!

But now the government has gone a bit far…even for those a/holes!

The federal government is funding a $5 million national media campaign that launches this month, extolling the virtues of marriage for those ages 18 to 30.

Research suggests a bevy of benefits for those who marry, including better health, greater wealth and more happiness for the couple, and improved well-being for children.

Some say the government has no business using tax dollars to promote marriage. But others say the campaign is just like those conducted by other federal agencies to encourage the use of seat belts and discourage drug use, smoking and drunken driving.

With ads on social networking sites Facebook and MySpace, videos on YouTube, spots on radio talk shows, ads in magazines and public transportation and a new website (TwoOfUs.org), creators say the aim is to start a national conversation about marriage.

Resource center project director Mary Myrick of Oklahoma City says the media campaign has a budget of $1.25 million a year for four years; the campaign is part of the federal Healthy Marriage Initiative, a Bush administration effort under the Administration for Children & Families.

In 2005, Congress allocated $750 million over five years to the marriage initiative, with $100 million a year for marriage-related programs and $50 million a year supporting fatherhood programs. Of those dollars, the resource center is receiving $2 million each year over five years. The media campaign money is an additional annual allocation, according to HHS.

Now, the government will be spending my tax money to tell people the benefits of getting married, is that about it?  They are going to be persuading people that marriage is the only way to live life?  They are going to tell people that marriage the only acceptable way to fit into society, right?

Am I the only one that thinks that this is just so much crap?

The Afghan Build-up Begins

And so it begins…….

Defense and congressional officials say President Barack Obama has approved an increase in U.S. forces for the flagging war in Afghanistan. The Obama administration is expected to announce on Tuesday or Wednesday that it will send one additional Army brigade and an unknown number of Marines to Afghanistan this spring. One official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the total is about 17,000 troops.

That would be the first installment on a larger influx of U.S. forces that have been widely expected this year. It would get a few thousand troops in place in time for the increase in fighting that usually comes with warmer weather and ahead of national elections this summer.

COMMENT:  How many of you saw “Charlie Wilson’s War?”  The movie about the Texas Congressman that almost singlehandedly ending the Cold War by arming the Afghans with modern weaponry so that they could adequately fight one of the world’s best militarises.  If you recall the world cheered the Afghans for their achievements on the battlefield and their victories.

But keep one thing in mind, if you DO NOT remember anything else, remember this…..WE, the United States Of America, are fighting the same people that defeated the Soviet military two decades ago.  And the same people that defeated the British empire 100 years ago.

Military might, may not be the best answer to the situation in Afghanistan is all I am saying.

The Consensus Grows

It appears to be a growing consensus round the idea of nationalization of the banks…it started with some of the socialist fringe groups but has grown to include many mainstream greoups and people to include even a Repubs like Lindsey Graham, who said that it should not be taken off the table completely.

And now even the former head of the Federal Reserve, Alan Greenspan is on board with the concept.  Written in the Financial Times:  The US government may have to nationalise some banks on a temporary basis to fix the financial system and restore the flow of credit, Alan Greenspan, the former Federal Reserve chairman, has told the Financial Times. In an interview, Mr Greenspan, who for decades was regarded as the high priest of laisser-faire capitalism, said nationalisation could be the least bad option left for policymakers. “It may be necessary to temporarily nationalise some banks in order to facilitate a swift and orderly restructuring,” he said. “I understand that once in a hundred years this is what you do.”

Who Is To Blame For The Economic Crisis?

I had thought about this myself….but I found the answers in this poll a bit humorous, especially the blaming of McCain and Obama.

I bet you have an opinion on this….but how does yours measure up to what others think?  How does your opinion match up with the poll’s answers?

This is a poll taken by Harris Interactive.

“How much do you think each of the following are to blame for the country’s economic and financial crisis?”

Base: All adults

A lot

Some

Not too much

Not at all

Not at all sure
Banks and lending institutions that sold mortgages to people who could not afford them

%

76

15

2

2

5
Home buyers who took on mortgages they could not afford

%

58

25

7

3

6
Wall Street

%

57

28

6

2

8
Big Business

%

55

26

8

3

8
Congress

%

51

35

7

1

7
President Bush

%

48

28

12

5

7
The budget and trade deficit

%

47

33

8

3

8
The very rich

%

39

30

14

8

8
The Republicans

%

36

34

14

5

11
The Democrats

%

26

34

19

9

12
Other countries

%

17

38

24

10

12
President Clinton

%

16

26

21

26

11
Senator McCain

%

12

29

27

19

14
President Obama

%

11

22

27

26

14

How Are They Doing?

Congressional Approval that is!

Remember during the election when congress slipping to almost single digits approval ratings?  I mean Bush was in the low 20’s and Congress was even lower…that was just flippin’ sad.

Despite a partisan battle over the $787 billion economic stimulus bill passed last week, Congress scored its highest approval rating from the public in nearly two years, according to a Gallup Poll released Tuesday.

About 31% of Americans approve of what Congress is doing — a jump of 12 percentage points from January.

Jeffrey Jones of the Gallup Poll said the boost in support may indicate that the public likes Congress’ work on the stimulus plan, which no Republicans voted for in the House and only three voted for in the Senate.

This is the highest approval rating for Congress since April 2007, when it reached 33% in the Gallup Poll not long after the Democrats took control.

But the public’s approval didn’t last long: The all-time low point came in July 2008, when 14% of Americans said they approved of Congress’ job performance, according to the Gallup Poll.

Damn!  They must be doing something right!  Does this mean that the average American is not listening to the BS coming from the two sides in the partisan cat fight in Washington?  If they are not then that would be a promising sign.  And possibly they will shut the hell up and get to doing the work they were set to Washington to do.

What A Difference A Burris Makes

I will be honest…..when Burris made his appearance in Washington to take his seat in the Sernate I was behind him for the way he took on the leadership and demanded, basically, to be seated.  But now, like the rest of the writing majority……

U.S. Sen. Roland Burris now acknowledges attempting to raise money for ousted Gov. Rod Blagojevich — an explosive twist in his ever-changing story on how he landed a coveted Senate appointment from the man accused of trying to sell the seat.

Burris made the admission to reporters on Monday, after releasing an affidavit over the weekend saying he had more contact with Blagojevich aides about the Senate seat than he had described under oath to the state House panel that recommended Blagojevich’s impeachment. The Democrat also said in the affidavit, but not before the panel, that the governor’s brother asked him for fundraising help.

Lawmakers of both parties have said Burris should resign after he admitted over the weekend that he had talked to several aides of the governor before getting the Senate post. During his testimony before the panel, he said he remembered talking only to one aide about the seat and did not say he was hit up for campaign donations.

The new affidavit submitted to the impeachment panel indicated contact not only with Robert Blagojevich, but with Blagojevich’s former chief of staff John Harris and two other close friends — all of whom Burris had been specifically asked about by the committee’s top Republican.

I will agree that if the man lied or withheld info from the hearings then he needs to resign and get out of the way.  There has been enough embarrassment for the people of Illinois.  It is time for them to have the true representation that they deserve.