Garden State Patriot

I caught a bit of this the another night but did not realize the context of the incident. Jim Calhoun is the UConn Men’s Basketball coach and is known for his outbursts so at first I dismissed it as another Calhoun rant.

However, as it turns out an, ahem, ‘freelance reporter and political activist’ was condescendingly questioning Calhoun about his salary which is the highest of any state employee. But Calhoun is paid this salary because he is a success as a basketball coach. If not for Jim Calhoun, UConn basketball would not be a national power and would not be able to bring in chunks of money for the school.

Yet, this no-doubt liberal dweeb reporter has the gall to question his salary. This is the mindset that we are now fostering in America. Self-proclaimed reporters feel it is their duty to question the salary of someone like Calhoun. It’s just a disgrace.

But Calhoun stood up for himself. Watch the exchange here.

Rep. Boehner gave an excellent speech at CPAC and pulled no punches – warning about the path to ’socialism’ the Democrats are leading us down.

Part 2 contains the meatiest part of the speech. To see the entire speech, here are the links for Part 1 and Part 3.

Economist Larry Kudlow has an excellent article on the damaging economic policies being set forth by Obama. This article is essential so I am posting the full text here.

Let me be very clear on the economics of President Obama’s State of the Union speech and his budget.

He is declaring war on investors, entrepreneurs, small businesses, large corporations, and private-equity and venture-capital funds.

That is the meaning of his anti-growth tax-hike proposals, which make absolutely no sense at all — either for this recession or from the standpoint of expanding our economy’s long-run potential to grow.

Raising the marginal tax rate on successful earners, capital, dividends, and all the private funds is a function of Obama’s left-wing social vision, and a repudiation of his economic-recovery statements. Ditto for his sweeping government-planning-and-spending program, which will wind up raising federal outlays as a share of GDP to at least 30 percent, if not more, over the next 10 years.

This is nearly double the government-spending low-point reached during the late 1990s by the Gingrich Congress and the Clinton administration. While not quite as high as spending levels in Western Europe, we regrettably will be gaining on this statist-planning approach.

Study after study over the past several decades has shown how countries that spend more produce less, while nations that tax less produce more. Obama is doing it wrong on both counts. [emphasis added]

And as far as middle-class tax cuts are concerned, Obama’s cap-and-trade program will be a huge across-the-board tax increase on blue-collar workers, including unionized workers. Industrial production is plunging, but new carbon taxes will prevent production from ever recovering. While the country wants more fuel and power, cap-and-trade will deliver less.

The tax hikes will generate lower growth and fewer revenues. Yes, the economy will recover. But Obama’s rosy scenario of 4 percent recovery growth in the out years of his budget is not likely to occur. The combination of easy money from the Fed and below-potential economic growth is a prescription for stagflation. That’s one of the messages of the falling stock market.

Essentially, the Obama economic policies represent a major Democratic party relapse into Great Society social spending and taxing. It is a return to the LBJ/Nixon era, and a move away from the Reagan/Clinton period. House Republicans, fortunately, are 90 days sober, as they are putting up a valiant fight to stop the big-government onslaught and move the GOP back to first principles.

Noteworthy up here on Wall Street, a great many Obama supporters — especially hedge-fund types who voted for “change” — are becoming disillusioned with the performances of Obama and Treasury man Geithner.

There is a growing sense of buyer’s remorse.

Well then, do conservatives dare say: We told you so?

SaveJersey has the scoop on where the pork’s going in NJ. And, hey, guess what? So far it’s all going to urban areas. All ~$2.7B worth.

How’s that make you Obama voters in the ‘burbs feel, eh?

See here for all the LONG list of details.

And keep track of the Stimulus waste here.

Cross-posted at Red County.

Senator DeMint has been posting on Twitter (would that be ‘twittering’ or ‘tweeting’??) regarding Un-Fairness Doctrine debate. GOP amendment banning Fairness Doctrine passed 87-11…BUT Durbin amendment which will allow FCC to regulate radio content passed 57-41. In other words, laying the groundwork for back door censorship of talk radio – just not calling it what it really is. First Amendment be damned!

Here is some audio from the debate on the Senate floor.

To join the movement to help fight this go to protectfairness.com.

Cross-posted at Conservatives with Attitude!

From ABC News:

Obama’s Budget: Almost $1 Trillion in New Taxes Over Next 10 yrs, Starting 2011
February 26, 2009 12:00 PM

President Obama’s budget proposes $989 billion in new taxes over the course of the next 10 years, starting fiscal year 2011, most of which are tax increases on individuals.

1) On people making more than $250,000.

$338 billion – Bush tax cuts expire
$179 billlion – eliminate itemized deduction
$118 billion – capital gains tax hike

Total: $636 billion/10 years

2) Businesses:

$17 billion – Reinstate Superfund taxes
$24 billion – tax carried-interest as income
$5 billion – codify “economic substance doctrine”
$61 billion – repeal LIFO
$210 billion – international enforcement, reform deferral, other tax reform
$4 billion – information reporting for rental payments
$5.3 billion – excise tax on Gulf of Mexico oil and gas
$3.4 billion – repeal expensing of tangible drilling costs
$62 million – repeal deduction for tertiary injectants
$49 million – repeal passive loss exception for working interests in oil and natural gas properties
$13 billion – repeal manufacturing tax deduction for oil and natural gas companies
$1 billion – increase to 7 years geological and geophysical amortization period for independent producers
$882 million – eliminate advanced earned income tax credit

Total: $353 billion/10 years

And we’re supposed to grow the economy in this environment? My goodness.

Cross-posted at Conservatives with Attitude!

Via Gateway Pundit, in just one month the Democrats and Barack Obama have TRIPLED the nation’s deficit.

For all the complaining about Bush era spending, the new administration has already spent more than the entire Iraq War.

And they are..not…done!!

Obama also wants $634B for a health care reserve fund (read: socializing healthcare). And Bank Bailout II which could be as much as $750B! Then there’s the cap and trade debacle that will just cripple this economy by causing energy costs to skyrocket.

This is no longer Bush’s mess. The deficit and debt being racked up by Obama and the Democrats is now THEIR MESS.

Of course, we all know where this is leading to. Taxes that will inevitably go through the roof. Obama wants us to believe that he can do this by letting the Bush tax cuts expire and just taxing the ‘rich’ who make over $250k. But even the ‘rich’ won’t be able to subsidize all of this. An article today in the Wall Street Journal, which I highly recommend reading, explains:

Consider the IRS data for 2006, the most recent year that such tax data are available and a good year for the economy and “the wealthiest 2%.” Roughly 3.8 million filers had adjusted gross incomes above $200,000 in 2006. (That’s about 7% of all returns; the data aren’t broken down at the $250,000 point.) These people paid about $522 billion in income taxes, or roughly 62% of all federal individual income receipts. The richest 1% — about 1.65 million filers making above $388,806 — paid some $408 billion, or 39.9% of all income tax revenues, while earning about 22% of all reported U.S. income.

Note that federal income taxes are already “progressive” with a 35% top marginal rate, and that Mr. Obama is (so far) proposing to raise it only to 39.6%, plus another two percentage points in hidden deduction phase-outs. He’d also raise capital gains and dividend rates, but those both yield far less revenue than the income tax. These combined increases won’t come close to raising the hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue that Mr. Obama is going to need.

Bottom line: the money isn’t there and the middle class will have to eventually bear the burden.  There’s no way around it.

It’s only taken a month and this Congress and Administration are already the most reckless and irresponsible we’ve ever seen.

Cross-posted at Conservatives with Attitude!

Looks like Governor Corzine only likes guns when he can hold them to Republican’s heads. And that’s exactly what he’s trying to do in order to get his destructive pension gimmick passed.

Here is the press release from Ass. Addiego and Ass. Rudder:

Assemblywoman Dawn Marie Addiego, R-Burlington, and Assemblyman Scott Rudder, R-Burlington, today voiced their strong objections to Governor Corzine’s comments that $75 million in school aid would not be restored during the current year if the Legislature did not approve his proposal to permit school districts to defer making pension contributions.

“To hold schools hostage unless pension deferral legislation passes is fiscal blackmail,” stated Addiego.  “This is not a veiled threat.  The governor is ready to punish school districts and taxpayers if he does not get his way on this issue.  Republicans firmly believe that delaying mandated pension contributions is misguided public policy and we will not be coerced into voting for something that will have long-term implications on taxpayers and retirees.”

“The governor’s fiat on cutting school aid is deplorable,” remarked Rudder.  “If the reality is that the state withholds aid that was promised in the middle of the school year, then either taxpayers must make up for the shortfall or children suffer the consequences. 

“The governor should start to cut spending in areas like Special Municipal Aid instead of reneging on funding commitments to schools.  There is opposition on both sides of the aisle on delaying pension contributions.  It is shameful that our youth are being held as captives so that Governor Corzine can get what he wants,” concluded Rudder.

Cross-posted at Red County.

According to the Lonegan campaign, the first debate for the GOP’s nomination is scheduled for this Friday morning and will be broadcast on NJN over the weekend. Here’s the statement:

FIRST TELEVISED DEBATE SCHEDULED FOR FRIDAY MORNING IN GALLOWAYI will be joining Chris Christie, Brian Levine and Michael Aron for a roundtable debate on Friday morning at 11:15 am at the Rams Head Inn in Galloway Township. The exchange will be broadcast on NJN over the weekend. Stay tuned for more information.

Geez, even bad movies wait a while for a sequel but the Democrats just can’t help themselves. This time it’s a $410B porkfest with 9,000 earmarks and pet projects! 9,000! One wonders when PETA will rise up to oppose it all.

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democrats unveiled a $410 billion spending bill on Monday to keep the government running through the end of the fiscal year, setting up the second political struggle over federal funds in less than a month with Republicans.

The measure includes thousands of earmarks, the pet projects favored by lawmakers but often criticized by the public in opinion polls. There was no official total of the bill’s earmarks, which accounted for at least $3.8 billion.

The legislation, which includes an increase of roughly 8 percent over spending in the last fiscal year, is expected to clear the House later in the week.

So, what earmarks and pet projects are there? So far the following goodies have been uncovered (via Michelle Malkin).

• $200,000 for “Tattoo Removal Violence Prevention Outreach Program
• Maine lobster earmark in the omnibus
• $5.8 million earmark for the “Ted Kennedy Institute for the Senate
• National Council of La Raza, $473,000 earmark from Sens. Bingaman and Menendez

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There’s also…

• $1.75M in for “Mammoth Springs National Fish Hatchery—-complete visitor center”
• $1M earmark for “City of North Pole for wastewater system improvements project”
• $142K for greenie cars “CITY OF LV PLUG-IN HYBRID VEHICLE DEMO. PROGRAM”
• $480K for “Urban Horticulture”

I could go on but you can see for yourself here where Senator DeMint staffer Tom Jones has been listing them out all day.

Quite frankly, it’s a disgrace what is happening before our eyes. We are just digging ourselves a mountain of debt that is unsustainable and jeopardizing our nation’s future prosperity in a way heretofore unseen in our history.

Cross-posted at Conservatives with Attitude!