Flap's Blog – FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog

These are my links for September 7th through September 8th:

• Older GOP voters – Or Why Social Security Matters – After the theatrics last night on Social Security I wondered how big a deal this could be with the Republican electorate. The Post’s polling director Peyton Craighill told me that “the GOP has significantly fewer young voters.” In the general registered voting population about 17 percent are 18- to 29-year-olds; only 12 percent of Republicans are in that age bracket. For 30- to 39-year-olds the difference is 15 percent (for all registered voters) vs. 19 percent for Republicans and Republican leaners. Put differently, in the GOP electorate that is likely to be selecting the next GOP nominee, 69 percent are 40 or older. Forty-eight percent are 50 or older.

  No wonder the Mitt Romney campaign is recirculating its e-mail from the debate, entitled (all in caps) “RICK PERRY: RECKLESS, WRONG ON SOCIAL SECURITY.” It reads:

  “Our nominee has to be someone who isn’t committed to abolishing Social Security, but who is committed to saving Social Security.” – Mitt Romney

  Governor Perry Believes Social Security Should Not Exist:

  Perry Does Not Believe Social Security Should Exist, Asking: “Why Is The Federal Government Even In The Pension Program. . .?” PERRY: “When you look at Social Security, it’s broke. . . . Get it back to the states. Why is the federal government even in the pension program or the health care delivery program? Let the states do it. . . . That, I will suggest to you, is one of the ways this federal government can get out of our business, save a lot of money and get back to that Constitutional way of doing business in those enumerated powers that they’re supposed to have.” (MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” 11/5/10)

  ======

  Read it all

• On Disclosure – Writing about the Koch confab referenced in today’s morning links, my friend Dave Weigel points out that Mother Jones has published profiles of some top donors to various Koch organizations. Dave comments:

  And it’s just a disgrace that this information is smuggled out of a meeting like a heroin shipment, instead of being disclosed. The Tea Party movement, the GOP, etc — no one who benefits from this disagrees with the goals of these people in making more money. Why hide it?

  First, I wouldn’t assume that everyone who donates to these causes does so to enact policies that will make them more money. The Kochs themselves, for example, spend money advocating for an end to ethanol subsidies, even though their business benefits from those subsidies. You could certainly call that hypocrisy. But it doesn’t fit the narrative that their political activism is all about enriching themselves. The easier explanation is simply that they’re free market ideologues. And if you’re not a free market ideologue, that’s a fine reason to criticize them.

  But I also want to address Dave’s point about disclosure. I can think of lots of reasons why someone wouldn’t want their donations to political causes to be made public. For example, there’s a bi-partisan history in this country of using the IRS to target the political opponents of the party in the White House. I could also see a business executive not necessarily wanting a regulatory agency to know that he’s donating money to groups that would like to dismantle or diminish that agency’s power.

  I suppose those two examples aren’t going to win much sympathy from Koch critics. So let me offer a couple more: I could also see why a progressive-minded businessman in, say, Salt Lake City, would want to keep secret his donation to a group advocating for gay marriage in California. Or why the trust fund kid of a Raytheon executive may not want his family to know he gives to anti-war organizations.

  But the best example of what I’m getting at here may come from Mother Jones itself. Mother Jones is published by a non-profit organization called the Foundation for National Progress, which “exists to publish and support Mother Jones.” Which means that the magazine is mostly funded by donors. So who donates to Mother Jones? Good question. They won’t say!

  ======

  Read it all

• yfrog Photo : http://yfrog.com/mf1pxdj Shared by Flap – Rick Perry meet and greet at Camarillo Airport #tcot

One has to wonder if this FLAP involving one of President Obama’s mega-donors is going to blow up in the President’s face.

The FBI has confirmed to ABC News that federal agents are conducting a search this morning at the offices of Solyndra, the now-bankrupt California solar power company that received $535 million in federal loans under a green energy program touted by President Obama.

The raid is part of a joint operation between the FBI and the Department of Energy’s Office of Inspector General, Public Affairs Specialist Peter D. Lee said Thursday morning. Lee said he could not disclose the reason for the raid because the matter is under seal. Karen Sulier, a spokeswoman for the Department of Energy’s inspector general’s office, confirmed its part in the probe.

Beginning in March, ABC News, in partnership with the iWatch News/the Center for Public Integrity, was first to report on simmering questions about the role political influence may have played Solyndra’s selection as the Obama administration’s first loan guarantee recipient. Federal auditors had flagged the loan, saying some applicants had benefitted from special treatment.

One of the lead private investors in Solyndra was an Oklahoma billionaire who served as an Obama “bundler,” raising money during the 2008 presidential campaign.

The bundler, George Kaiser, has declined to comment. His firm, Argonaut Ventures and its affiliates have been the single largest shareholder of Solyndra, according to SEC filings and other records. The company holds 39 percent of Solyndra’s parent company, bankruptcy records filed Tuesday show.

Typical Obama Crony Capitalism or criminal activity?

Guess we will find out soon enough.

Did American business really have any choice?

In response to the National Labor Relations Boards (NLRB) onslaught of attacks on expansion, competition and jobs, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) will launch a series of ads today calling on members of Congress to support the Protecting Jobs from Government Interference Act. The multi-state ad campaign will highlight one of many recent actions from the NLRB that, if left unchecked, could result in closing a new state-of-the-art plant and the loss of thousands of jobs at a time when the national unemployment rate is above 9 percent.

The radio spots will air in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, and Virginia, calling on Congress to pass legislation to rein in the NLRB and prevent the Board from dictating where businesses can and cannot create jobs in our country. This initiative brings together small business owners and manufacturers of all sizes to educate policymakers and the public on the stark economic consequences of the NLRBs actions. Job creators are supporting this effort and speaking out against the anti-growth agenda pursued by an unelected federal board because they face uncertainty when making decisions about where to expand and whom to hire.

The conduct of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has been egregiously intrusive and the President REALLY thinks his jobs program that he will announce this evening is a solution? Obama has to only look at his administration as to why American business is in trouble.

Update:

Here is more from The Hill on the Ads.

The ads will run in 16 congressional districts, held by mostly Democratic House members, in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia. Those running for the Senate, like Reps. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), will have ads run in their districts. Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.), who sometimes takes union-friendly positions, is the lone Republican member who will have ads aired back home.

The radio ad campaign will cost more than $1 million, and includes a Web video and a direct-mail component. The campaign will run until the House votes on the legislation, which is expected sometime in the near future.

Did American business really have any choice?

In response to the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) onslaught of attacks on expansion, competition and jobs, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) will launch a series of ads today calling on members of Congress to support the Protecting Jobs from Government Interference Act. The multi-state ad campaign will highlight one of many recent actions from the NLRB that, if left unchecked, could result in closing a new state-of-the-art plant and the loss of thousands of jobs at a time when the national unemployment rate is above 9 percent.

The radio spots will air in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, and Virginia, calling on Congress to pass legislation to rein in the NLRB and prevent the Board from dictating where businesses can and cannot create jobs in our country. This initiative brings together small business owners and manufacturers of all sizes to educate policymakers and the public on the stark economic consequences of the NLRB’s actions. Job creators are supporting this effort and speaking out against the anti-growth agenda pursued by an unelected federal board because they face uncertainty when making decisions about where to expand and whom to hire.

The conduct of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has been egregiously intrusive and the President REALLY thinks his jobs program that he will announce this evening is a solution? Obama has to only look at his administration as to why American business is in trouble.