Money quote:

The agenda Mr. Obama described at (a speech at) Carnegie Mellon is so vast you’d think [...]]]> To us, Barack Obama’s dislike for business, regardless of who his animosity hurts, has been painfully apparent for a very long time.  Today in the Wall Street Journal, Daniel Heninger lays it out for anyone who might have missed it.

Money quote:

The agenda Mr. Obama described at (a speech at) Carnegie Mellon is so vast you’d think he’d at least enlist the private sector’s help. But there’s nothing in the speech’s enumerations to suggest any desire to have them along on these projects. If they contribute or comply, it will be out of intimidation. It’s all him or the government or its “investments.”

Some might say that instead of being a cheerleader for business, Mr. Obama is simply a tough-minded public official holding well-shod feet to the fire. I don’t buy it. His tone and vocabulary, in use since he took office, goes beyond public policy. It sounds personal. Too personal for a president.

Obama continuously reveals an ideological agenda that is devoid of any actual knowledge or experience.  He is a hate-monger against American business, and the people who make the American dream possible.  It has to stop.

Elkhart County’s current stress index is 17.99, which is down about 3 points from this time last year.

AP’s most stressed county is Imperial County, California, with an index of 31.27. Number 20 on the most [...]]]> The Associated Press reports the most and least “stressed” counties in the United States, and Elkhart County isn’t on either list.

Elkhart County’s current stress index is 17.99, which is down about 3 points from this time last year.

AP’s most stressed county is Imperial County, California, with an index of 31.27. Number 20 on the most stressed list is Boone County, Illinois with an index of 22.59, or about five points higher than Elkhart.

The top 20 list is dominated by California, with three Michigan counties, Cheboygan, Iosco and Lapeer, also making the list.

No Indiana Counties made the “most stressed” list.

See AP’s interactive stress index map.

Obama health care supporters: Florida doctor tells Obama health care supporters to go elsewhere – OrlandoSentinel.com.

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 [...]]]> AP reports that the government can’t explain the runaway Toyota incident that happened on the San Diego freeways last week.

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”

We suspect this problem will become more widespread, especially if Congress manages to cram its health care bill through.  The bill [...]]]> 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.

It's our funeral

Dick Morris hits it on the head, about Obamacare and the utter incompetence, not only of this administration, but the entire gaggle of leftists that wants to run our lives.

Money quote from Morris:

If it can’t run the epidemiological equivalent of a two-car funeral, how can Obama promise that the government will do an [...]]]>

It's our funeral

Dick Morris hits it on the head, about Obamacare and the utter incompetence, not only of this administration, but the entire gaggle of leftists that wants to run our lives.

Money quote from Morris:

If it can’t run the epidemiological equivalent of a two-car funeral, how can Obama promise that the government will do an adequate job of managing the nation’s health care system? (To say nothing of two car companies and a trove of banks and insurance firms?)

The problem is, we shouldn’t have to wait until after the funeral to find out what we already know — that the government is not competent to wield the power it’s trying to (unconstitutionally) grab for itself.