• Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for April 14th on 20:17

    These are my links for April 14th from 20:17 to 21:16:

  • Afghanistan,  Harry Reid,  Iraq War

    Harry Reid: The Afghanistan War is LOST or Something Like That

    Nevada Senator and Senate Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid proclaims the Iraq War is lost

    Not again! Harry Reid was already wrong about the Iraq War in the video above.

    Now, it is Obama’s turn in Afghanistan.

    Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid expressed doubt in the U.S. military operation in Afghanistan Thursday, saying, “I’m not confident it’s going to work.”In an interview that aired Thursday on CNN’s “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer,” the five-term Nevada senator said, “The president has indicated as commander-in-chief he is going to start drawing down the forces this summer.”

    Reid also noted the $100 billion the country is spending, calling it a “huge amount of money” that the nation “cannot continue to keep dumping” into the Afghanistan war.

    Sharing his respect for Gen. David Petraeus, commander of coalition forces, Reid said, “I’ve talked to General Petraeus…and he thinks things are going well.”

    “I hope it’s going well,” he continued. “But the American people have a … very short attention span.”

    Yeah, but not so short a memory or attention span that we cannot remember that YOU were wrong before and ready to quit in Iraq.

    Dingy Harry should stick to waking up Vice President Biden when he takes a nap during “The One’s” speeches.

  • Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for April 14th on 18:47

    These are my links for April 14th from 18:47 to 20:07:

    • Obama blows up the bridge – "Rather than building bridges, he's poisoning wells," said Rep. Paul Ryan, after listening to Barack Obama's scathing attack on his deficit-reduction plan as a shredding of America's social contract with the elderly and poor.

      Ryan is right. Yet, with Obama's partisan savagery, virtually calling the GOP plan immoral, we have clarity.

      There will be no grand bipartisan bargain on taxes and spending.

      The two parties on Capitol Hill and the president will not be coming together to solve the gravest financial and fiscal crisis America has faced since the Great Depression. Between them today is a high wall and a deep ditch.

      The heart of the Ryan plan is to turn Medicaid into block grants to the states, so each can decide for itself how best to use the funds, and to convert Medicare into a program where the U.S. government would provide citizens with the funds and freedom to chose whatever health insurance they wished to buy.

      Obama denounced both.

      But if the Republican Medicare and Medicaid proposals are dead on arrival in Harry Reid's Senate and Obama's White House, Obama's plan to raise taxes is equally lifeless.

      ======

      So, did Obama do the GOP a favor with his "political speech" on Paul Ryan's budget proposal?

    • Undeclared candidate Mitch Daniels becoming the big man on campus – It might be a stretch to call him the big man on campus. But Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels is getting some presidential buzz at colleges across the country.
      Daniels, a Republican, can thank Yale University students Max Eden and Michael Knowles, who launched the Students for Daniels website.
      "He has incredible executive experience, and what's more, he's just very down to earth, very direct. You don't see that from anybody else," Eden said.
      Borrowing a page from the 2008 playbook, the Students for Daniels organization uses social media to spread the word to chapters at 57 colleges and universities. Interest in the group spiked after it released a YouTube video featuring Knowles and former New York gubernatorial candidate Jimmy McMillan, who coined the phrase: "The rent is too damn high."
      "The deficit is too damn high," McMillan says in the Students for Daniels YouTube video, seizing on the Indiana governor's message on fiscal discipline.
      Eden, who volunteered for the Obama campaign in 2008, says he's disappointed in the president's approach to the mounting national debt.

      =====

      Read it all…..

    • Republican presidential primary: Many top GOP donors remain on the sidelines – Michael Ashner was one of Sen. John McCain's major fundraisers in the 2008 presidential campaign, bringing in $500,000 for the Republican nominee.

      That makes the Oyster Bay, N.Y., real estate investment executive one of the most sought-after bundlers for prospective GOP candidates in 2012. Supporters of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney have been particularly persistent in wooing him — New York Jets owner Woody Johnson even invited him to take in a game in his private box.

      But Ashner is reluctant to sign up with any of the White House hopefuls.

      "I'm sort of hiding under my desk when the calls come in," said Ashner, noting he still wanted to learn more about the contenders. "I don't see a dynamic candidate out there yet. A number of them have interesting credentials, but they just strike me as a little lackluster."

      Ashner is part of a large swath of top-tier Republican donors still sitting on the sidelines of the 2012 race, according to prominent Republican political operatives and fundraisers, in a reflection both of torn loyalties and ambivalence about the field of candidates.

      ======

      Unless Mitch Daniels, Paul Ryan or Chris Christie run, the donors will stay on the sidelines and help in Senate races.

  • Jerry Springer,  Joy Behar,  Keith Olbermann,  S.E. Cupp

    Video: Keith Olbermann Says Conservative S.E. Cupp Demonstrates the Necessity of Planned Parenthood

    S.E. Cupp and Jerry Springer on the Joy Behar show

    Keith Olbermann is always the master of class.

    The leviathan of all things wise, former MSNBC host and Current TV’s chief news officer Keith Olbermann, tried to cover his tracks Thursday afternoon after implying on Twitter that he wished Planned Parenthood had prevented conservative pundit S.E. Cupp’s birth.

    “On so many levels she’s a perfect demonstration of the necessity of the work Planned Parenthood does RT @meow_6 #worstpersons S.E Cupp bashing PP on Joy Behar last nite. http://j.mp/hktGUX,” Olbermann posted.

    Upon receiving a number of negative reactions, Olbermann revisited his sentiment, bringing the current debate about the actual work of Planned Parenthood into the mix and an ad hominem attack at Arizona Republican Senator John Kyl for good measure.

    “.@oakdogg I said no such thing. Only 3% of PP’s work is abortions. Unless you’re moron Jon Kyl,” he posted, referring to Kyl’s exaggeration that 90 percent of Planned Parenthood’s business was abortions.

    The more he backed away, the more evident the tenor of his original posting – that he wished S.E. Cupp had never been born.

    “@JonesNetIT I never mentioned abortion. I said her parents could have used counseling by PP rather than get the results they did,”Olbermann wrote, adding, ”@maggiefanelli no, I insinuated her parents would’ve helped the earth had they consulted PP for birth control.”

    Here is the tweet that started the flap:

    Well, Olbermann is a MORON and what do you really expect? He fits right in there with the equally moronic Al Gore at the Current television operation.

    But, what equally shameful was the conduct of Jerry Springer (also a lefty, but an older one) who continued to make make faces and condescending remarks while S.E. Cupp was making her point (see the video above).

    Shame on you too, Jerry.

  • Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for April 14th on 15:29

    These are my links for April 14th from 15:29 to 17:54:

    • Mitt Romney Picks Up Florida Rep. Connie Mack Endorsement – Mitt Romney has picked up another important Florida endorsement as he continues to build his network in the crucial primary state ahead of his probable run for president. U.S. Rep. Connie Mack IV has said that he will support the former Massachusetts governor because of his economic background and leadership.

      "We need true leadership in the White House with someone who is uniquely qualified to grow the economy and create the quality jobs that Americans deserve and need, " Mack told the St. Petersburg Times.

      Mack, who supported Romney in 2008, is a popular Republican congressman in southern Florida, and was expected to run for U.S. Senate but decided against it in a surprising move last month.

      Former Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida and powerful state Senator John Thrasher also said last month that he would also support a Romney 2012 candidacy.

      "If Governor Romney decides to run for president in 2012, I will absolutely be supporting him and helping him in Florida," Thrasher told FOX in March." He would be a great GOP nominee." 

      ======

      Romney has had a good week in Florida. He has led in two polls and now these endorsements.

    • As California economy stumbles, Medi-Cal costs climb – In California’s state Capitol, they call it counter-cyclical, a mundane term used to describe the volatile rollercoaster effect of a bad economy on government-run social programs. As the economy and tax revenues decline, demand for many state-run programs increases, putting more stress on the budget just when it can handle it least.

      The grand daddy of all counter-cyclical programs: Medi-Cal, the state and federal program that provides health care for the poor.

      “In California, the primary catalyst of growth in the Medi-Cal program in recent years has been the economic downturn,” said Anthony Cava of the Department of Health Care Services, which manages the Medi-Cal program.

      Medi-Cal is California’s version of the nationally implemented Medicaid program and it provides more than 7.7 million low-income families, children, and elderly, and disabled Californians will health care and other vital human resources. Costs for the program are split by the federal and state governments, with a total price tag of about $53 billion this year.

      =======

      Not too shocking.

      And, they will grow astronomically under ObamaCare.

      But, what businesses will be left in California to pay the tab for everyone, including the millions of illegal immigrants?

  • Barack Obama,  Chris Christie,  Mike Huckabee,  Mitch Daniels,  Mitt Romney,  Newt Gingrich,  Polling,  President 2012,  Rand Paul,  Sarah Palin

    President 2012 Poll Watch: Barack Obama 48% Vs. Mike Huckabee 43%, Barack Obama 47% Vs. Mitt Romney 41%


    Chart from Pollster

    According to the latest PPP Poll.

    Job Approval Vs. Disapproval:

    • President Barack Obama – 47% Vs. 48%

    GOP Favorable Vs. Unfavorable:

    • Mike Huckabee – 36% Vs. 42%
    • Mitt Romney – 32% Vs. 43%
    • Sarah Palin – 31% Vs. 61%
    • Newt Gingrich – 28% vs. 55%
    • Rand Paul – 26% Vs. 45%
    • Chris Christie – 28% Vs. 30%

    General Election Head to Head:

    • Obama – 48% Vs. Huckabee – 43%
    • Obama – 47% Vs. Romney 41%
    • Obama – 54% Vs. Palin – 36%
    • Obama – 52% Vs. Gingrich – 38%
    • Obama – 48% Vs. Paul – 38%
    • Obama – 48% Vs Christie – 39%

    Again, this is an aggregate national poll but it shows a couple of things:

    • Obama has a negative approval rating
    • This GOP candidate field is weak against the President in the general election.

    Additionally, President Obama is doing well with independent voters.

    The president wins by racking up the independent vote by double-digit margins against everyone but Christie, who holds him to a seven-point advantage. The others trail with this group by ten (Huckabee and Romney) to a whopping 28 points (Palin). Obama also pads his leads by getting double-digit GOP support against Gingrich and Palin.

    If the GOP wants to beat Obama in 2012, they had better develop a better candidate field, consolidate behind him or her and be ready to hit the ground running after Labor Day 2011. The delay in the GOP selection process may allow say a Rep. Paul Ryan or Governor Mitch Daniels to jump into the field and become the fresh face of the GOP.

    The GOP needs such a candidate, if they wish to win next year.

  • Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for April 14th on 13:24

    These are my links for April 14th from 13:24 to 14:54:

    • Renewable energy: California Gov. Jerry Brown signs law requiring 33% of energy be renewable by 2020 – Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday signed into law a requirement that California get 33% of its electricity from renewable sources, such as wind and solar energy, by the year 2020.

      Calling the law the most ambitious clean-energy effort in the nation, the governor predicted that it would help jump-start the state's economy. He said he expects the aggressive shift away from coal and natural gas to create jobs while putting the state on the cutting edge of new technology.

      "It's about California leading the country. It's America potentially leading the world," Brown said at a signing ceremony in Silicon Valley.

      The governor spoke at a recently opened SunPower/Flextronics manufacturing plant, a cavernous factory where more than 100 employees make solar panels.

      U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu, who attended the ceremony, said he sees the measure as a model for other states. He also announced a tentative commitment of $1.2 billion in loan guarantees for a solar energy project in San Luis Obispo County that he said would generate enough power for nearly 60,000 homes.

      The legislation will make it easier for renewable-energy companies to attract investors for green energy firms, said SunPower Chief Executive Thomas Werner. The measure "gives us long-term market visibility," he said.

      Bernadette Del Chiaro, a representative of the lobbying group Environment California, called the law a "huge victory" for the environment.

      "California can power itself entirely on clean energy resources like wind, geothermal and solar power," she said.

      Brown's signature raises the former renewable-energy mandate of 20%. Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), author of the legislation, said the 33% benchmark would reduce air pollution and U.S. dependence on unstable foreign sources of oil, while creating more than 100,000 jobs. That number is based on research by the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies, a trade group representing renewable energy companies, according to Simitian's staff.

      "The new law will stimulate the economy and improve the environment, while protecting ratepayers from excessive costs," Simitian said.

      =======

      Actually, it will push energy costs up and businesses will either leave California or not look at relocating here due to higher costs.

      Government interfering interfering in the market again will lead to dislocations in the market.

      Wait and see……

    • The Share of Americans Working Has Fallen to Lowest Level in Three Decades | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – The Share of Americans Working Has Fallen to Lowest Level in Three Decades #tcot #catcot
    • Gov. Mitch Daniels calls for immigration reform | The State Column – Gov. Mitch Daniels calls for immigration reform
    • Untitled (http://www.sacbee.com/2011/04/14/3551428/the-buzz-teachers-union-plan-built.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter) – California Teachers' Union plan built on emotion
    • Education cuts: Thousands rally at Cal State campuses against cuts – latimes.com – Thousands rally at Cal State University campuses to Protest Education Cuts
    • Flap’s Links and Comments for April 14th on 13:00 | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Flap’s Links and Comments for April 14th on 13:00 #tcot #catcot
  • American Economy,  Polling,  Unemployment Rate

    The Share of Americans Working Has Fallen to Lowest Level in Three Decades

    According to the latest numbers from USA Today.

    Only 45.4% of Americans had jobs in 2010, the lowest rate since 1983 and down from a peak of 49.3% in 2000. Last year, just 66.8% of men had jobs, the lowest on record.

    The bad economy, an aging population and a plateau in women working are contributing to changes that pose serious challenges for financing the nation’s social programs.

    Another change: the bulk of those not working has shifted from children to adults.

    In 2000, the nation had roughly the same number of children and non-working adults. Since then, the population of non-working adults has grown 27 million while the nation added just 3 million children under 18.

    The numbers for California are worse – 37.3%

    And, these numbers will drive the policy discussions about the economy, jobs and entitlement programs for the baby boom generation.

    Other key findings:

    •Men leave. Working-age men have been dropping out of the labor force for decades. The disappearance quickened when construction and manufacturing jobs vanished in the recession from December 2007 through June 2009. Until the 1960s, more than 80% of men worked.

    •Women stay. The trend of women getting jobs offset the loss of working men until the late 1990s. The share of women holding jobs rose from 36% in 1960 to 57% in 1995, then leveled off. The rate was 56% in 2010.

  • Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for April 14th on 13:00

    These are my links for April 14th from 13:00 to 13:23:

    • Gov. Mitch Daniels calls for immigration reform – Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels called on state lawmakers Wednesday to pass a proposal aimed at implementing immigration reforms in the state, adding that changes in the bill were necessary before passage.

      Mr. Daniels says a bill aimed at implementing an Arizona-style law should focus more on Indiana employers and less on law enforcement. The Indiana governor is the latest governor to call on state lawmakers to implement immigration reforms.

      “I think that legislation will be changed,” Mr. Daniels said Wednesday. “I support this, to drop the law enforcement provisions that have been the ones that have bothered most people.”

      The Indiana Republican and potential Republican presidential candidate says he hopes the law enforcement provision is remove, refusing to note whether that provision would cause him to veto the bill.

      “The idea I like is to deny them the tax deduction if they’re caught doing it,” he said. “It’s a fairly clean way to get at it, and really employment is the magnet that leads to the illegality.”

      ========

      Again, the right will go wild here but Daniels is practical again.

      The Arizona law will be declared unconstitutional since the states are precluded from immigration enforcement – it is a federal responsibility.

      But, E-verify or state laws that give a disincentive to employers who hire illegal immigrants is a practical and realistic goal.

      Daniels should he run for President will be able to elaborate in a debate against the others.

      In the meantime, the Tom Tancredo right will go crazy against Mitch.

    • California Teachers’ Union plan built on emotion – The California Teachers Association this week declared a "State of Emergency" over the state budget and potential deep cuts to schools. It posted a 15-page "plan of action" on its website to help teachers, parents – and apparently children – lobby for tax extensions.

      Some of the union's ideas went beyond the usual letter-writing and rallying:

      • Attempt to close a major artery into town/cities.

      • Turn fire/earthquake drill into crisis response drill to the budget cuts (involve students and the community).

      • "Penny drive" where kids empty piggy banks to support teachers and deposit in the state Capitol.

      • Pay for everything with $2 bills to show the true impact of teachers.

      • Have students create a BIG poster on a school bus that is sent to Sacramento.

      • Take mug shots of teachers and students to make the point that prisons receive better funding.

      By Wednesday, the more creative ideas on the list had been removed. CTA spokesman Mike Myslinski said the list was "brainstorming" from the union's 800-delegate state council, and that CTA is not suggesting students be used as props.

      ======

      Guess some of the leftists in the CTA (California Teacher's Association)thought the Wisconsin protests were a good thing?

    • Thousands rally at Cal State University campuses to Protest Education Cuts – Decrying what they called an assault on higher education, thousands of faculty and students at California State University campuses across the state rallied, marched and held teach-ins Wednesday to protest steep funding cuts and rising tuition.

      Dubbed the Day of Class Action, events were held on all 23 Cal State campuses, featuring speakers, workshops, gospel singers, guerrilla theater and, on one campus, a New Orleans-style "funeral" march.

      The protests were largely peaceful and there were no reports of disruptions, although student groups staged sit-ins in hallways outside the offices of presidents Jolene Koester at Cal State Northridge and James M. Rosser at Cal State L.A.

      No arrests were made, and students left the buildings by the end of the day. Peaceful sit-ins were also held at campuses in Pomona, San Francisco and the East Bay.

      With education funding at risk and higher tuition possible in many states, students and faculty at public universities elsewhere also held rallies and teach-ins Wednesday, including at Portland State in Oregon, Rutgers University in New Jersey and the University of Massachusetts' Boston campus.

      The goal, organizers said, was to raise public awareness of the consequences of continued disinvestment in higher education and to give faculty and students a greater voice in policy decisions.

      ========

      The students and faculty should really direct their protests to the Democrat Governor and Legislature who have been ruling California for decades now.

      For every action the left-wing California Legislature takes there is an equal and opposite reaction by private business who vote by their feet – and leave.

      Also, for every new entitlement program and cost of living adjustment the California Legislature makes, there is less money for other programs, including a heavily subsidized public university education.

      But, true to from the left faculty will try to convince their students that it is the rich who are refusing to pay their fair share or something.

      Sometimes the truth is hard.

    • Texas reporter weighs in on California lawmakers’ visit – "People out here laugh at Perry walking down the main street of Dallas, waving a pistol around and talking about the crazy people in California who want to legalize marijuana," said veteran Democratic political consultant Chris Lehane.

      But some facts are clearly on Perry's side. Texas created more jobs last year than any other state: 253,900 vs. California's 89,400.

      Texas has no state income tax. It's a right-to-work state, so there are none of the collective-bargaining issues bedeviling states such as Wisconsin and (with high public-employee pensions) California.

      In the games that statisticians play, there are numbers favoring California, too.

      Texas has higher property taxes and oil extraction taxes. Its jobs pay less. It leads the nation in uninsured people and chemical pollution. And while Texas has created more manufacturing jobs, California's created more in semiconductors, computers, communications equipment and medical equipment.

      Texas has the Alamo; California has Disneyland . Texas has Ted Nugent ; California has Charlie Sheen.

      Which is to say we're different. So it's no surprise that Texas and California are taking different approaches to solving their budget shortfalls.

      ======

      California and Texas are different states with different demographics and priorities.

      If they both can learn from each other, this is great.

      But, I would not hold my breath.