Over the river and through the woods

Christmas with the Palins

Merry Christmas one more time from me. And Gov. Palin and family:) Watch. Her Facebook point today. A libertarian defender:)

And God Bless America. Everyone.

Thomson Hearing

Quinn skips it. NPR. Tribune. ABC7Chicago. Rockford. FoxNews. More. Bloomberg. Related: DOJ betrays us. More. CSM: Skeptics Dominate Hearing. CBS2Chicago. Illinoisans question Guantanamo relocation plan. More. Bill Brady statement on Thomson hearing. Good.

UPDATE: The feds don't have the money. Yet. Fight this!

Previous post: A Second Jihad Here

Merry, Merry!

And a Happy New Year.

P.S.Transvestites, Mao And Obama Ornaments Decorate White House Christmas Tree

P.P.S.

Senator Roland Burris is claiming credit for a provision in Harry Reid’s “manager’s amendment,” unveiled Saturday morning, that could funnel money to ACORN through the health care bill…

It's a KFC Christmas

An American blogger:

When I first came to Japan, I was told that Kentucky Fried Chicken, or simply ‘Kentucky’ as it’s known in Japan, is a Christmas tradition. I was told that people flock to KFC for their annual Christmas Eve dinner. I didn’t really take it seriously until I saw people lining up for three blocks one Christmas Eve, just to get their dose of chicken!

Colonel Sanders looks like Santa Claus.

(And in non-Christmas news, there's some kind of curse on the Hanshin Tigers baseball team. Kind of like the Cubs' one I guess.)

The Welsh remind us the traditional Christmas dinner was not turkey.

Hmm, how about this--Japanese commercials of Christmas past.

Angel Falls Name Under Attack by Chavez

The falls, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, were spotted by US pilot Jimmy Angel in 1937, bringing international attention to what has become one of Venezuela's top tourist attractions, though it is in remote Bolivar state.

"How could we accept this idea that the falls were discovered by a guy who came from the United States in a plane. If we do that, that would be like accepting that nobody was living here," Chavez mused on his weekly radio and television show, "Hello Mr President."

A 90 year supply under our feet

Clean natural gas. Go for it. Not for global warming worries but to get our economy moving again. New technology is unlocking new supplies.

And let the market work.

Jesus of Nazareth

First Jesus-era house discovered in Nazareth:

NAZARETH, Israel – Just in time for Christmas, archaeologists on Monday unveiled what may have been the home of one of Jesus' childhood neighbors. The humble dwelling is the first dating to the era of Jesus to be discovered in Nazareth, then a hamlet of around 50 impoverished Jewish families where Jesus spent his boyhood.

A rare find.

It has come to this. Again:)

Polluting pets: the devastating impact of man's best friend

"Time to Eat the Dog: The Real Guide to Sustainable Living"

But pets have their defenders on the left:

But Reha Huttin, president of France's 30 Million Friends animal rights foundation says the human impact of eliminating pets would be equally devastating.

"Pets are anti-depressants, they help us cope with stress, they are good for the elderly," Huttin told AFP.

"Everyone should work out their own environmental impact. I should be allowed to say that I walk instead of using my car and that I don't eat meat, so why shouldn't I be allowed to have a little cat to alleviate my loneliness?"

Walk your dog, herd your cat. Do your part.

Back off. Ruff!

Iran in Protest

Torture Case Jolt Iran

Students beaten to death.

YouTube links.

More. Video of Sen. McCain on GMA. "Time is running out."

IranHQ 'Iran will pursue its nuclear activity 'normally:' FM (AFP via Yahoo! News).. http://bit.ly/7gQaGt #iran'

IranHQ 'Iran expects speedy trial of 3 American hikers (AP via Yahoo! News).. http://bit.ly/7Is9gq #iran'

(Descending into farce if they weren't so nuts, if they didn't hang people or beat them to death. Berkeley students as spies, for sure)

Josh Fattal, 27, along with Shane Bauer, 27, and Sarah Shourd, 31 — all graduates of the University of California at Berkeley — had been trekking in Iraq's northern Kurdistan region when they accidentally crossed the border, according to their families.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's views on the hikers remain unclear, although they appear to have hardened in recent months.

In an interview with ABC World News to be aired Monday night, Ahmadinejad said "yes" when asked if he would do his best to set them free.

But, he added, "How do you know they have accidentally crossed into Iran? How do you know they were looking for waterfalls and forests?"

More.

bahariran2009 RT @Persian2English: Radio Zamaneh - New wave of arrests condemned by human rights groups #Iran #Iranelection #Moharram http://bit.ly/6SRIdy Cleric's Death,

More TAX to spend?!

A 400 Percent (and Higher) Excise Tax

A Massive New Burden

Reason.tv: ObamaCare and Mission Creep—Why health care reform will end up covering much more than you think.

Philip Klein, The American Spectator, Democrats Break Ground. Just the beginning of the loss of our freedom.

Sen. Judd Gregg, NRO. Welcome to a new America:

American government changed last night. “We are now functioning under a parliamentary form of government,” says Sen. Judd Gregg (R., N.H.) in a conversation with NRO. “An ideological supermajority in Congress, along with a government run by community organizers, has taken over.”

“They’ve taken over the student-loan program, they’ve taken over the automobile system, and now they’re taking over the health-care system. There is no limit to their belief that people should be controlled by smart bureaucrats in Washington,” says Gregg. “They’re putting our country on a path that will reduce the quality of life for the next generation, undermine our nation’s wonderful exceptionalism, and Europeanize our economy to curb its growth.”

Harry Reid’s health-care bill “was purchased,” says Gregg. “Our system of checks and balances is gone. We now have a government that lurches with great speed even though our system is founded upon incremental change.” And don’t hope that the House stops the runaway train, he says. “I think the House is ideologically even further to the Left than the Senate. There are many people there who are committed to taking us down the road toward nationalization.”

“In the future, discretionary dollars won’t be able to be spent on college or a new house, but on this massive new burden for Americans,” says Gregg. “Eventually, at some point, the pressures on the private sector will tip the scales so that employers offering private insurance send people over to the health-care exchange. It’s all part of their ultimate goal to get a vast amount of people subsidized by the government.”

This is an “unsustainable course for our nation,” says Gregg. “We can’t sustain the debt we’re adding. Soon we’ll reach banana-republic status.”

We need to try to stop this now. 5 Reasons it Might Not Pass.

There is a need to reform healthcare. This bill is not it. Not rushed like this. Come back, make a fresh start. With true bipartisanship. Don't shut out half the country.

A Second Jihad Here

Thomson hearing tomorrow in Sterling, Illinois. TEA party and Band of Mothers (her video interview here.) heading over.

Tribune Op-ed Sunday: Keep enemy combatants out of the U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch. Trib story yesterday. Apparently those in support are busing people in. Interesting, but who? WSJ:

Anders Lindall, a spokesman for AFSCME in Illinois, said the state system is overcrowded -- housing 45,000 prisoners in facilities built for 32,000. He said Illinois shouldn't be thinking about offloading Thomson to the federal government without a plan to house its own prisoners.

Another snippet from the Trib story:

Even after Florence, Colo., landed the "supermax" prison 15 years ago, a ballyhooed building boom was confined to a Super 8 motel, credit unions and antiques shops.

Clearly a real gangbuster of a boom.

Look, this Thomson transfer from Gitmo exposes Americans to unecessary risks to terrorists when we have a perfectly good prison at Gitmo. The terrorists targeted us long before we opened Gitmo and they will until we defeat them on the battlefield.

Does it make sense to open another battlefield here in America? We know the ACLU is poised to push to release these most dangerous terrorists once they arrive here--so dangerous their own countries don't want them back. And then there are the home-grown terrorists which have surfaced with alarming regularity. Jihad came to America on Sept. 11th.

Don't encourage a second jihad here.

Related posts: What next--take a terrorist to lunch day, Well, maybe Dems will finally attack them as "the rich", Another Big Yawn from Dick Durbin: What Nukes?, Dead Wrong Durbin, Haven't you heard?, Ben Stein at Camp Pendleton, Collateral Damage in the Making, Your Morning Thomson, Chicago Style, Never Again, Gallup Polls on Thomson, Terrorists as Tourists?, LA Reaching Out: Nukes the New Normal, Color the Trib PC Pink, Palin on Thomson, Ahhnold, Roskam, Kirk Statement on Thomson, How Will Importing Dangerous Terrorists Make America Safer?, It's like bulldozers in the night, They did it even before the hearing, Criminally Irresponsible Dems. Quinn. Durbin, Thomson Hearing 12/22, Protest, PC Trib tries to whip us in line, Thomson Illusion, Bringing Terror Home, Cynical and Cowardly, Change of Venue for KSM?

Chicago, Chicago...Blago...Rahmbo

• Chicago Politician’s Drunken Husband Goes to Gay Bar to Heckle Opponent
3 hours ago

• \n','http://www.breitbart.tv/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/grah-128x96.jpg');" onmouseout="hlO(this);">‘Seedy Chicago Politics’: Sen. Graham Blasts Tactics in Health Care Debate
3 hours ago

• Scarborough Predicts: Rahm Emanuel Will Be Fired ‘Over the Next Year’

More. Sun Times:

Blagojevich aide's computer yields new secrets

Chief of staff surfed Web on Emanuel vacancy, 'King Madigan'

The Ugly Democrat

A hate-filled rant. Evoking Kristallnacht. Sheldon Whitehouse on the Senate floor. Legal Insurrection. Video.

...delivered in the gutless way characteristic of liberal pols.

Previous post: Nakedly Self-Interested Political Calculation

Nakedly Self-Interested Political Calculation

The Emperor has no clothes. We have seen this kind of duplicity before, but now it's in our face, as Senate Democrats and their president are ramming this bill through in the days before Christmas, rousing widespread revulsion. Our President Barack Obama has lost the moderate economic seer Robert Samuelson. Bigtime. "A Parody of Leadership". ObamaCare is "atrocious legislation".

Jay Cost, "Democrats Risk another Jacksonian moment":

This is why Democratic leaders are courting disaster with this health care bill. With it, they've moved their questionable wheelings and dealings from the margins to the center of American life. And because of this, they risk being swept away in another Jacksonian moment.

Make no mistake. This bill is so unpopular because it has all the characteristics that most Americans find so noxious about Washington.

Read on.

Chicago Way, Beltway Democrats. A corrupt bill delivered behind closed doors. Where smiley-faced smarminess, rank political opportunism and crassly porky posturing reign.

Change Nobody Believes In. A bill so reckless that it has to be rammed through on a partisan vote on Christmas eve. WSJ. More stunning details of the bill. And this on our President Barack Obama: "He's forced to claim the mandate of "history" because he can't claim the mandate of voters."

Can we reverse the vote? The White House knows this bill is indefensible:

To defend this abomination of a bill yesterday on the Sunday shows, the White House did not send Health Reform director Nancy-Ann DeParle or Budget director Peter Orszag. Instead they sent White House sent political consultant David Axelrod to defend the bill on three of the five top Sunday shows.

And we have a Democrat Congressman comparing opponents of this monstrosity to Nazis on Kristallnacht.

Now we know it's indefensible.

(Sen. Durbin intones more pompous pieties but perhaps we should recall here that Dem Sen. Byrd is a former Klansman. Not to mention Sen. Durbin's own despicable remarks.)

Enough. We see you in all your tawdry nakedness. Plummy words can't give you cover this time.

What next--take a terrorist to lunch day

Hamas Behind Livni Arrest Warrant

Well, maybe Dems will finally attack them as "the rich"

• Pan Am Flight 103: Lockerbie bomber had secret Swiss bank account worth $3 million. Fox News

Banker Guy

(Full disclosure, I used to be a banker.) At Hugh Hewitt. This administration demonizes people. It's wrong. And deceitful.

Creating a permanent tea party.

Another Big Yawn from Dick Durbin: What Nukes?

What terrorists? Oh well, at least it wasn't the nuke plant near Thomson:
Authorities: "Chicago man" charged with helping plot Mumbai attacks also conducted surveillance of nuclear plant

Headley was arrested at Chicago's O'Hare airport.

Previous post: Dead Wrong Durbin

Hair on Fire!!!

Sadly, the Bears are losing so how about some amusement at alarmism: Anthropogenic Continental Drift UPDATED"—LauraW. We Are Running Out Of Time.

(Drill baby drill)

MORE. NEW EVIDENCE!!!
P.S. Go Hawks!

NHLBlackhawks

Soupy streaks to the Wings' net after taking a nice feed from Sharp. 2-0 after the wrister, 4 minutes left in the 2nd.

P.P.S. Mixed reviews:) Mark Steyn.

Why Accenture Dumped Tiger

The parody. Via Forbes.

...trade in for a newer model?

Haven't you heard?

It's clear the Tribune's Kathleen Hennessey is writing from D.C. Her snide piece on Michele Bachmann exudes the conventional wisdom, and it's obvious Bachmann is a stand-in for Palin, who has inspired similar attacks, though more venomous and hysterical.

I'd say the beltway GOP was responsible for the NY loss, and it appears they may have learned their lesson. Even moderate New Trier back here in the Midwest is not willing to endorse a Dede Dem-light mush.

As for Hennessey's attempt to define what's mainstream by mockery of those who are concerned (Robert Rubin a rightie?!!) about our massive IOU's to China, or disagree with the gullible global warming crowd, look around. Those lightbulbs are hazardous, especially for children, and awfully dim, especially for older readers. It's not just the "right brigade" that is concerned, people are worried--why can't they have a choice--why must it be a government mandate? I'd say she should look for her news outside the MSM to realize what's really going on in the world.

As far as our President Barack Obama being anti-American, well, reasonable people have their doubts. About that and other things.

The tea party is mainstream. As is Bachmann. George Will:

Some of her supposed excesses are, however, not merely defensible, they are admirable. For example, her June 9 statement on the House floor in which she spoke of "gangster government" has been viewed on the Internet about 2 million times. She noted that, during the federal takeover of General Motors, a Democratic senator and one of her Democratic House colleagues each successfully intervened with GM to save a constituent's dealership from forced closure. One of her constituents, whose dealership had been in the family for 90 years, told her that the $15 million dealership had been rendered worthless overnight, and, Bachmann said, "GM is demanding that she hand over her customer list," probably to give it to surviving GM dealerships that once were competitors.

In her statement, Bachmann repeatedly called such politicization of the allocation of economic rewards "gangster government." And she repeatedly noted that the phrase was used by a respected political analyst, Michael Barone, principal co-author of the Almanac of American Politics, who coined it in connection with the mugging of GM bondholders in the politicized bankruptcy. Bachmann, like Barone, was accurate.

George Will is hardly a member of the "right brigade".

But even if he were, haven't you heard?

Nelson's Fecklessness and Treachery

The Middle Coast.

Honest Services

Is the honest services clause in the mail fraud statute too broad? Yes.

Is Illinois a cesspool of corruption reaching to the highest levels of government and abetted by powerful elites? Yes.

You be the judge. John Kass column today.

On balance I say keep it. Because now America is at risk as well:

But does anyone expect White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, D-Tomczak, to push real ethical reform for President Barack Obama that would threaten powerful, connected politicians in Illinois?

America is at risk as well. Does any reasonable person think this unprecedented proliferation of radical (one has since resigned) and obscene and predatory czars is anything other than an under the radar power grab by the Obama administration?

Is this the mark of an honest and transparent government?

A final apropos remark from John Kass not long ago.

Providential

Powerline.

Lights at Night

Bad Faith Dick Durbin

Democrats kill school choice for poor kids in D.C. "It's duplicitous and shameful,"

And the president signed the bill in the night.

NRLC Statement on Senate ObamaCare Bill

WASHINGTON (December 19, 2009, 2:00 PM EST): The National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of right-to-life organizations in all 50 states, strongly opposes the abortion language contained in the "manager's amendment" filed today by U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (Nv.). Reid intends to press for Senate approval of the language during the days immediately ahead, without allowing an opportunity for any revisions to be considered.

The following statement may be attributed to NRLC Legislative Director Douglas Johnson:

The manager’s amendment is light years removed from the Stupak-Pitts Amendment that was approved by the House of Representatives on November 8 by a bipartisan vote of 240-194. The new abortion language solves none of the fundamental abortion-related problems with the Senate bill, and it actually creates some new abortion-related problems.

NRLC will score the upcoming roll call votes on cloture on the Reid manager’s amendment, and on the underlying bill, as votes in favor of legislation to allow the federal government to subsidize private insurance plans that cover abortion on demand, to oversee multi-state plans that cover elective abortions, and to empower federal officials to mandate that private health plans cover abortions even if they do not accept subsidized enrollees, among other problems.

In addition, if the final bill produced by a House-Senate conference committee does not contain the Stupak-Pitts Amendment, NRLC will score the House and Senate votes on the conference report as votes to allow federal mandates and subsidies for coverage of elective abortion. Unless the Stupak-Pitts Amendment is included in the final bill, and the new pro-abortion provisions dropped, a significant number of House members who voted for H.R. 3962 will not vote to pass the final legislation.

A more detailed critique of the new Reid language will be posted on the NRLC website later today at http://www.nrlc.org/ahc

Daughters Know Best:)

YouTube initial hit from the U.S. Senate campaign of Republican Scott Brown:)

Copenhagen Collapse

This week has been truly historic. It has marked the beginning of the landslide that is collapsing the whole AGW imposture. The pseudo-science of global warming is a global laughing stock and Copenhagen is a farce. In the warmist camp the Main Man is a railway engineer with huge investments in the carbon industry. That says it all. The world’s boiler being heroically damped down by the Fat Controller. Al Gore, occupant of the only private house that can be seen from space, so huge is its energy consumption, wanted to charge punters $1,200 to be photographed with him at Copenhagen. There is a man who is really worried about the planet’s future.

Tax that Tan!

Not a joke.

(Do you think it was directed at Boehner?)

RCP Blog analysis of the Nelson 60th vote.

Ben Stein at Camp Pendleton

His thoughts on our Marines there. A Pre-Christmas visit. It will make you tear up in thankfulness.

Being emailed around as Ben Stein's letter.

Nelson Caves: A Game of Political Bribes

Gets more Medicaid funding for Nebraska (which we pay for)--it's just a shell game. Abortion still funded through "segregation of funds formula". State opt-out language. Philip Klein, The American Spectator is tweeting.(Or see previous post.) Nelson giving a press conference at 10. (9 central)

What will the left do? Probably cave in the Senate, but then what will happen in the House, where the Stupak amendment passed with bipartisan support? Presumably this Senate abortion deal is unacceptable.

Call your legislators, folks!

More: NRO in the wee hours this morning: DeMint: 'A Game of Political Bribes':

“We are going to read this bill,” says Sen. Jim DeMint (R., S.C.) in a conversation with National Review Online. “If the Democrats squeal, so be it.”

The rest of the Senate GOP also seems keen for a read-a-thon once (if?) Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) moves forward on health care. “We’re looking to do everything we can within the rules,” says DeMint. “We’ll use the rules that we can to make sure that we have time to understand the bill and communicate it to the American people. Harry Reid and the president are rushing this process because they know the longer this bill hangs out there, the less people like it. I’m pretty sure if this debate goes past Christmas, and senators come back to Washington after facing their voters, then there won’t be many people left who still want to vote for it.”

And don’t buy all of the fascination with moderate Democrats on the fence, he says. “They’ll squawk and then they’ll vote for it,” predicts DeMint. “They’ll squawk like Senator Landrieu and wait until they get what they want. Senator Landrieu got $300 million for her state. Others will follow her lead. This debate has become a game of political bribes.”

“This is Chicago politics,” says DeMint. “We don’t know what’s being said behind the scenes. You can see symptoms of the degradation on the Senate floor, where Senator Lieberman was recently denied a basic courtesy by Senator Franken. He wanted one more minute to speak and Senator Franken, then acting as the chair, denied him. It's unprecedented. The whole mess just shows you how they’re taking no prisoners and keeping score. They’ve thrown traditional courtesies out the window.”

More from the liberal WaPo. Senate Debate "surreal". The Dems complain the GOP is trying to slow deliberations (after all, the healthcare part doesn't even go into effect until 2014--but we start paying for it upfront!!! And this has to be stuffed through now???!!!):

"This is a far-left bill," said Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah). "Where have Republicans been asked to participate in this?"

Olympia J. Snowe, the Maine Republican who has been frantically wooed by Democrats, said the legislation is too important to rush. "Why not use January as an opportunity to continue work through these issues?" she asked.

The Senate is self-consciously the "upper chamber" of Congress, and has been often described as the "saucer that cools the tea," a nod to the custom of pouring the hot liquid from the cup into the saucer before imbibing. But lately it's been more like a flying saucer, carrying creatures who are strangely nocturnal and speak a language few earthlings can understand

Latest polls at RCP.

More. What Nelson got on Medicaid.

More. Nelson claims he reserves right to vote against cloture for later reconciled House/Senate bill if there are material changes.

Ha. Presumably he will hold out his hand again. And we will all pay for these bribes. And our children. And our children's children.

More. Heritage detailed analysis of the bill. Key points. The Senate bill will:

• Cause many Americans to lose their current health insurance. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that up to 10 million Americans would no longer be covered by their employers. Given the bill's incentives for employers to discontinue job-based coverage, independent analysts expect the loss of employer-based coverage to be much higher.

• Bend the cost curve up. According to independent analysts and government actuaries, the bill would substantially increase total health care spending instead of reducing it as promised. Richard Foster, Chief Actuary of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), recently judged the projected savings from the Medicare updates as "doubtful" and estimated that the total national spending on health care would increase.

• Impose many new taxes on middle-class Americans. The Senate bill contains over a dozen new taxes, including a 40 percent excise tax on high-priced health plans and special fees and taxes on insurance, drugs, medical devices, and anyone who violates the new mandates.

• Reduce many seniors' access to Medicare benefits and services. The bill would reduce Medicare payments by an estimated $493 billion over 10 years, including payment reductions for Medicare Advantage, hospital care, home health care, and nursing homes.

• Provide federal funding for abortion. Contrary to the President's clear statement to Congress and the nation on health care reform, the Senate bill would provide funding for abortion. The House would prohibit using taxpayers' dollars to finance abortion, but a similar amendment to the Senate bill was tabled without even a floor vote.

FoxNews is reporting Harry Reid is capping insurance company profits--so presumably the left will go along. Another bankrupt industry that will be folded into Big Government at our expense--what TOTAL CRAP. Do you think we will get any kind of decent healthcare out of this?!!! And the cost will be ASTRONOMICAL.

More. And despite ClimateGate, we're still going to do this--yes, we're going to borrow more money from China our children will slave to pay for:

skye820

Obama's cold day in Denmark... http://bit.ly/6WcZyX - still promised 100 billion a year to prop up 3rd world dictators 'green' initiative. 2 minutes ago from web

MOre.

fleckman

RT @JoAnneMoretti: @JimDeMint: Where is CBO report on this Amendment.

Medicaid forever must be expensive! See Ben Nelson's bribe!

.mattklewis

RT @JimDeMint We must keep fighting this. Keep calling, emailing, faxing your senator, the vote is scheduled for Monday at 1am.

More.

A CLASS ACT

Dems Said The Class Act “Ponzi Scheme” “Needs To Be Out Of The Bill,” And Voted To Strip It, But It Is Included In Final Health Care Bill

SENATE DEMOCRATS: CLASS Act “A Ponzi Scheme Of The First Order”

SEN. BEN NELSON (D-NE): “The CLASS Act, Which Is The Community Living Assistance Program That The CMS Actuary Said Will Be Financially Upside Down In A Very Short Period Of Time, That Needs To Be Out Of The Bill.” “Well, it has to make -- the Senate will have to make a lot of changes. The public option would have to be changed dramatically or dropped from the bill. The CLASS Act, which is the community living assistance program that the CMS actuary said will be financially upside down in a very short period of time, that needs to be out of the bill.” (Fox News’ “On The Record,” 12/1/09)

SEN. KENT CONRAD (D-ND): “‘A Ponzi Scheme Of The First Order, The Kind Of Thing That Bernie Madoff Would Have Been Proud Of,’ And He Vowed To Block Its Inclusion In The Senate Bill.” (Proposed Long-Term Insurance Program Raises Questions,” The Washington Post, 10/27/09)

SEN. MAX BAUCUS (D-MT): “I Am No Fan Of The CLASS Act Myself.” “To be honest, I frankly would like to hear you talk about the CLASS Act because frankly I am no fan of the CLASS Act myself, so you can proceed.” (Sen. Baucus, Floor Remarks, 12/2/09)

SENATORS CONRAD, LIEBERMAN, LINCOLN, LANDRIEU, BAYH WARNER AND NELSON LETTER TO REID OPPOSING CLASS ACT:

“A Group Of Moderate Senators Wrote To Harry Reid Today Asking Him Not To Include The CLASS Act, Which Would Create A Long-Term Insurance Program For The Disabled, In The Merged Bill. Sens. Conrad, Lieberman, Lincoln, Landrieu, Bayh, Warner And Ben Nelson Wrote That They Are Concerned The Provision Would Increase Long-Term Deficits.” (“Mods Say No To CLASS Act,” Politico, 10/28/09)

12 Senate Democrats Voted In Favor Of Removing The CLASS Act From The Bill. (S.Amdt.2901 To H.R.3590, Roll Call Vote #360, Vote Failed 51-47: R: 39-0; D 11-46; I 1-1, 12/4/09)

CBO: CLASS Act Will “Eventually Lead To Net Outlays When Benefits Exceed Premiums”

CBO: CLASS Act Will “Eventually Lead To Net Outlays When Benefits Exceed Premiums.” “As noted earlier, the CLASS program included in the bill would generate net receipts for the government in the initial years when total premiums would exceed total benefit payments, but it would eventually lead to net outlays when benefits exceed premiums. ... In the decade following 2029, the CLASS program would begin to increase budget deficits.” (Douglas Elmendorf, CBO Director, Letter To Rep. Rangel, P.13, 10/29/09)

CMS: CLASS Act Faces “A Significant Risk Of Failure”

CMS: “In 2025 And Later, Projected Benefits Exceed Premium Revenues, Resulting In A Net Federal Cost In The Longer Term. … In general, voluntary, unsubsidized, and non-underwritten insurance programs such as CLASS face a significant risk of failure as a result of adverse selection by participants.” (“Estimated Financial Effect Of The ‘America’s Affordable Health Choices Act Of 2009’ (H.R. 3962), As Passed By The House On November 7, 2009,” P.11, CMS, 11/13/09)

WASHINGTON POST: CLASS Act “A New Gimmick… Designed To Pretend That Health Reform Is Fully Paid For”

WASHINGTON POST: “…A New Gimmick Has Been Designed To Pretend That Health Reform Is Fully Paid For. The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions adopted a measure, endorsed by the Obama administration, to have the government provide long-term care insurance in which workers would be automatically enrolled unless they opt out.” (“How Not To Fix Health Care,” The Washington Post, 7/10/09)

Aurora Shimmer, Meteor Flash

APOD. Am listening to the ObamaCare Reid amendment being read on the floor.

...Fox reporting the Dems have the 60 votes.

more.

philipaklein

New abortion language (page 38) allows states to opt-out of offering abortion coverage on HC exchange.

philipaklein

Abortion language still includes "segregation of funds" formula. 6 minutes ago from TweetDeck

philipaklein

RT @brianbeutler: Schumer says he and Reid shook hands with Nelson on cloture last night at 10:30 p.m. http://bit.ly/6nbkG4 5 minutes ago from TweetDeck

JoeNBC

Big News. RT @BreakingNews: AP sources: Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson intends to support health bill as 60th and decisive vote

Dead Wrong Durbin

Andrew McCarthy on Durbin and Thomson. Plus must reads on Gitmo/Thomson--a spike in recidivism rates of terrorists, supposedly reformed, released from Gitmo returning to terror. That and more here. WSJ:Guantanamo North, and East. Al Qaeda detainees move to Illinois and Yemen.

Evidence Gitmo is the best detention facility for terrorists in America. Keep them there. Keep us safe.

P.S. Yes, Sen. Durbin is a Democrat.

Previous post: Collateral Damage in the Making, Your Morning Thomson, Chicago Style

Twas the Congress Before Christmas

Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO) with his video rendition. (Featuring Sen. Durbin as a reindeer)

And the Senator's and staff's doggies.

P.S. "Happy Holidays" from our President Barack Obama and his OFA complete with impersonal personal greetings: BarackObama

The Organizing for America community came together to make a personalized holiday video for you. Enjoy. http://bit.ly/4stHmg

Church Doors

Marco Rubio on Fox Business

Battleground poll, 63% of Americans describe themselves as conservative. The unofficial TEA Party candidate even with the GOP establishment candidate in Florida. Video.

Keeping the American Dream alive.

We are Mainstream America.

Durbin Demagogues Again Ad Nauseum

Is there any subject he doesn't bungle and obfuscate? Roland Burris, the stimulus, Thomson, our troops, healthcare? From Republican Senate.gov:

FACT CHECK: “BIGGEST DEFICIT CUTTER” “IN HISTORY”

Ten Years Of Taxes With Only Six Years Of Benefits Still Do Not Produce A Third Of The Savings Of The Balanced Budget Act Of 1997

SEN. DICK DURBIN (D-IL): “And The Congressional Budget Office Took A Look At This Bill, Took A Year To Prepare It And Said It Is The Biggest Deficit Cutter In The History Of The United States. Because Over 10 Years, This Bill Alone Will Save The Federal Government $130 Billion…”(Sen. Durbin, Floor Remarks, 12/18/09)

BALANCED BUDGET ACT OF 1997: $423.9 BILLION OVER 10 YEARS

CBO: “Direct Spending And Revenue Effects Of The Balanced Budget Act Of 1997 … Total … Deficit … 1998-2007 … -423.9 [Billion Dollars].” (“Budgetary Implications Of The Balanced Budget Act Of 1997,” Congressional Budget Office)

One more:

FACT CHECK: SENATOR ONCE AGAIN MISTAKENLY CITES CBO

Majority Whip Attributes Savings Analysis To CBO When The Actual Source Is The Majority Leader’s Office

SEN. DICK DURBIN (D-IL): “This Bill Alone Will Save The Federal Government ... $650 Billion [From 2020-2029].” “And the Congressional Budget Office took a look at this bill, took a year to prepare it and said it is the biggest deficit cutter in the history of the United States. Because over 10 years, this bill alone will save the federal government $130 billion and over the next 10 years, $650 billion.” (Sen. Durbin, Floor Remarks, 12/18/09)

WHAT CBO ACTUALLY SAID: “A Detailed Year-By-Year Projection For Years Beyond 2019… Would Not Be Meaningful”

CBO: “A Detailed Year-By-Year Projection For Years Beyond 2019, Like Those That CBO Prepares For The 10-Year Budget Window, Would Not Be Meaningful Because The Uncertainties Involved Are Simply Too Great.” (CBO Director Doug Elmendorf, Letter To Sen. Harry Reid, 11/18/09, P.14)

SO WHO IS THE SOURCE OF THIS $650 BILLION CLAIM?

“Reid’s Office Said The Bill Could Reduce The Deficit By $650 Billion In Its Second 10 Years.” (“Harry Reid's Plan Ups Pressure On Moderates,” Politico, 11/18/09)

More. Michelle Malkin:Coburn defends the Party of No; Durbin blasts “styptic-hearted Republicans;” Update: Video added

Styptic-hearted?

styp·tic (stptk)

adj.

1. Contracting the tissues or blood vessels; astringent.

2. Tending to check bleeding by contracting the tissues or blood vessels; hemostatic.

If we're trying to stop the bleeding we're hard-hearted? Do you feel like you're on a precipice, Sen. Durbin?

STOP ObamaCare THIS Weekend!

UPDATE: By tomorrow night! Philip Klein, TAS***Cloture is the key vote, likely coming up late Monday night. Action information here--good video rundown.

Rasmussen: Just 34% Say Passing Health Care Bill is Better Than Passing Nothing

Get your Obama Czar Cards

Big Government. Stocking stuffer--dart board?

Obama Bust

IRANIANS SEIZE IRAQI OIL WELL

Venezuela's Chavez 'Still' Smells Sulfur After Obama Speech...

CASTRO MOCKS OBAMA, TOO...

Drudge headers.

Turn Springfield Upside Down!

Video. Republican candidate for Governor Dan Proft in an address to the McLean County GOP.

Photo and more here.

Schakowsky's Obscene Spouse Creamer

Convicted Felon Strategist Robert Creamer Compares Lieberman to ‘Suicide Bomber’ Breitbart T.V.

Republican Joel Pollak, who is running against extreme leftist Rep. Jan Schakowsky in the 9th congressional district, issued this response in Illinois Review.

Related posts: Pollak Getting Play, Beck Bests Creamer the Crook, Completing the Chicago Loop, Schakowsky's Spouse Creamer Healthcare Blueprint.

ObamaRahmbo Lobbied Lipinski to Abort Abortion Clause

In a joint-session address to Congress in September, our President Barack Obama made a point of saying this:

"One more misunderstanding I want to clear up -- under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions."

He followed it up with his HHS Sec. Kathleen Sebelius. Back in November, even as the president and his Dem allies were claiming this is a healthcare bill, not an abortion bill, even as they were claiming there was no funding in the House bill, Rahmbo was lobbying Illinois Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-3rd) to take out the Stupak amendment in the House bill. Lipinski was in charge at the time as Congressman Stupak's father had died during the debate. According to a very reliable community activist source, Rahm told Lipinski his district already knows Lipinski is pro life so this issue didn't matter. You can bet our President Barack Obama was fully in on this with Rahm, whose first instinct was to lobby the only pro-life Democrat in Illinois delegation. Lipinski stood firm and kept his word.

You may also recall the president lied, repeatedly, about the Illinois healthcare victim in that same September speech.

But we're just "misunderstanding" The One.

Once again, ObamaRahmbo want to have it both ways. Two-faced.

A Little Snow

Stonings to Combat AIDS

Now there's an idea. Hizb-ut Tahrir, featured in some of my recent Thomson prison posts, is holding another recruitment meeting in the Chicago suburbs. Chicago News Bench with the details.

Love New Trier Vote NO Update

From conservativeBrand:

Here's what you (New Trier taxpayers) get for $174 million

It’s all about the children, right? Below, read about the educational problems/objectives in the New Trier school board building plan. Make up your own mind if these are worth $174 million - and by the way, how would Harvard, Yale and Princton classrooms measure up to the “New Trier” standard?

Not Good in Denmark

Lord Monckton barred from Copenhagen conference – pushed to the ground by security

VDH:

Given the disturbing news about the growing green business empire of Gore, Inc., the private jetting by grandees into Copenhagen to harangue us about our incorrect lifestyles, and the expansive estates of prominent green advocates, it seems that the movement is in need of a formal code of conduct to restore the reputation of climate-change advocacy.

The five green commandments.

More.

"It was crazy," AP's Seth Borenstein said. "You couldn't leave the line. You couldn't go to the bathroom, you couldn't eat. Then snowflakes started falling. One woman even said, 'if lightning strikes me, would they take me out of line?'" [snip] Seth himself stepped into the line at 7:55 a.m. and was through at 3:15 p.m.

Was it torture? Come on AP. Go after the UN. You can do it. Yes you can.

Earlier. Monckton takes apart Pachauri. (Not literally.)