Obama and that other f**king guy
Podcast: Play in new window | Download  You can damn well trust Dave! This is the first Elkhart Review Podcast in over a year. Short sweet unadorned, it’s more of an experiment. We’re calling this, for lack of better phrase, a “Davecast.” Where our previous episodes were highly produced, the Davecast is intended to be barebones. Maybe we’ll pretty it up later. Maybe we won’t. This episode, Dave reviews the healthcare vote. More to come on this, but you already know where Dave stands.
James Sikes called from his Toyota Prius last Monday to report his car was accelerating out of control. He drove for more than 20 minutes before a California Highway Patrol officer helped him bring it to a stop. The story has seemed fishy, perhaps even staged, to us for a number of reasons. First, Sikes claims to have been standing on the brakes for a good bit of the time, finally telling the 911 operator he called that he smelled his brakes burning. At 90 miles an hour, there should have been fire coming out from under his car. Second, he claims he couldn’t handle a number of logical methods to turn off the car, such as putting it in neutral, pressing the ignition-off button, etc., because he was afraid to take his hands off the wheel. And yet, he was talking on his cell phone. Ok, maybe he had a bluetooth (no word on this), but he apparently tried pulling UP on the accelerator — a very risky move for a guy who was afraid to take his hands from the wheel. Third, the recording from the 911 operator seems odd. She too-quickly jumps to the conclusion that the accelerator is stuck, before Sikes mentions it (keep in mind there are only about 60 reports of this happening, nationwide). Second, she ASKS HIM FOR HIS TELEPHONE NUMBER. She’s from 911, right? They have caller id, right? Then she calls Border Patrol, she says. And it takes 20 minutes for anyone to get to this guy. Fourth, the fact that the NHTSA boys can’t duplicate this problem is bothersome. As the AP story indicates, this fact leaves the question open, but normally, we’d think some aspects of the malfunction could be concretely identified. Fifth, the incident appears to be a ploy for a lucrative lawsuit for Sikes and his shyster, John Gomez. Class action lawsuits have already been filed as well. Toyota’s mostly pristine record is being besmirched for money. And for power. We’ve been suspicious of the sudden rise in “malfunctions” at Toyota. The company outsells the other American based automakers and it’s not unionized. We should consider who stands to benefit from this whole episode. John C. Dvorak and Adam Curry, on their podcast No Agenda, humorously skewer the San Diego incident — Listen to it here (some explicit language). Michael Fumento in Forbes.com also writes about the “Toyota Hybrid Horror Hoax”  Senators Reid and Durbin with their victim Gina Owens. Scurrying in to camera view is the hairline of Chuck Schumer. E-truth carried this picture today. It shows Senators Reid and Durbin arriving at a press conference with Gina Owens, whose daughter died after losing her job and health care. Ms. Owens’ story is sad, but I am not convinced it is typical in any sense. And the outcome was probably unnecessary. There is help for people in desperate circumstances. What is equally troublesome is that this picture illustrates the gap between the left and the right in this country. It is the gap between irrationality and rationality. It is the gap between emotion and reality. And it is a gap between a party that habitually parades the sick and indigent around for political purposes and one that is aware that the real abusers are the people who create these sickening and insincere displays. Obamacare will not change things for people like Ms. Owens. Reid knows it, Durbin knows it. Yet they lie to poor souls like Gina Owens in order to use them. To make them a star for a half hour or so, in order to advance a dictatorial bill that ultimately has very little to do with health. Ms. Owens’ moment in the sunlight will be over when she no longer serves the Senators’ purpose. We wish more who have had trouble with the health care system would realize it is the very Senators they turn to for help who have brought them to this point. USATODAY.com reports that states in trouble are likely to withhold state income tax refunds for months while they struggle with record deficits, etc. California and New York are mentioned in the article along with several others. We suspect this problem will become more widespread, especially if Congress manages to cram its health care bill through. The bill contains a number of unfunded mandates for states, which will make their cash crunch even worse. States cannot print money to cover their debts, as the Federal government can, nor can they really be sued for money owed. What WILL happen, however, is that states will become increasingly unable to borrow money, and more government and contracted services will end as vendors refuse to do business with states. Indiana is actually in better shape than many states, with employment rising about 5% in the last month or so, and this is largely because the state as actually kept its taxes LOW, which makes it easier to do business here. Unfortunately, unfunded mandates passed by the federales essentially amount to a tax increase, because state and local governments have to do SOMEthing to cover the costs. When will Washington learn? Maybe never, but that’s what elections are for.  Louise Slaughter, D. NY As outrageous as the Democrats’ behavior has been in trying to cram healthcare through to passage, we still had to say, “Hey, wait a minute” when reports of the so-called “Slaughter Solution” cropped up on talk shows today. I mean, would they really do this? The Slaughter Solution is named for New York Democrat Louise Slaughter, who is also the House Rules Chairperson. Basically, according to the National Journal’s Congress Daily, as quoted in the Washington Examiner:
Basically, the House would “deem” that they passed the Senate’s version, even though they haven’t. The House would vote on the rule but not the bill itself. This way, House members can make corrections to the bill before the pass it, which they won’t ever actually do. This sort of goofy logic would be laughable (like so many Democrat shenanigans) if it weren’t being seriously put forward. Radio talker (and constitutional scholar) Mark Levin is both outraged at the notion and terrified of the consequences, calling for the expulsion of Ms. Slaughter at the very least, because she should know better — and if she doesn’t, she’s incompetent to hold her position. The Slaughter Solution essentially opens the way for Congress to create laws without passing them. By fiat. By manipulation alone. But not by a vote. As usual, the major news media are largely silent on this proposed violation of the constitution that protects them.  Sam Adams -- Brewer with a brain Checked out a new (to me) website today — Political Mommentary — written by a conservative mom in Missouri. She offers this quote from Sam Adams.
This one seems quite appropriate at a time when our government is offering so-called security in exchange for our freedom. This masquerade has been over since 1776, boys. Time for the progressives to leave the dance.  Obama According to The Weekly Standard, President Obama has appointed Scott M. Matheson to the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. This wouldn’t be notable if it were not for the fact that Mr. Matheson’s brother, Congressman Jim Matheson of Utah were one those whose “yes” vote on healthcare is one Obama badly needs. It appears the fix may be in on the healthcare bill. That the Democrats are apparently willing to buy any vote, subvert any rule and break any arm to get this destructive bill passed would be breathtaking if it were not so routine. There are some possible routes to defeat, but the fact is, the Democrats have abandoned any semblance of honesty in their quest to turn the US into a welfare state. Sure, Obama pulled the special deals for Nebraska and Florida out of the current bill, but has now apparently replaced them with political payoffs that are simply outright bribery. We cannot expect a President this dishonest to remove “waste, fraud and abuse” from the health care programs when is personally responsible for so much fraud and abuse of power himself. | |||
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