links for 2010-10-04

More than $69 million in California welfare money, meant to help the needy pay their rent and clothe their children, has been spent or withdrawn outside the state in recent years, including millions in Las Vegas, hundreds of thousands in Hawaii and thousands on cruise ships sailing from Miami.

State-issued aid cards have been used at hotels, shops, restaurants, ATMs and other places in 49 other states, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam, according to data obtained by The Times from the California Department of Social Services. Las Vegas drew $11.8 million of the cash benefits, far more than any other destination. The money was accessed from January 2007 through May 2010.
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And, they wonder why the state is bankrupt.

The One Nation Rally was everything it’s detractors said it would be–and nothing like its boosters on the Left and in Old Media claimed. Those who did show up got paid–unless they were just there for the revolution, comrade.
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Look at the photos.

With vote-by-mail ballots hitting mailboxes this week, U.S. Senate candidate Carly Fiorina today joined Democrat and independent voters at a Sacramento phone bank to get out the vote for her campaign to defeat Barbara Boxer.

“Republicans, Democrats and independents alike believe that the most important issues facing our state right now are jobs and the economy. And with unemployment at a shocking 12.4 percent, voters of all parties are witnessing firsthand Barbara Boxer’s continued failure to stand up for the people of this state, and they’re rightfully calling for new leadership in Washington,” said Fiorina. “I believe, like all Californians do, that we need leaders in the U.S. Senate whose laser focus is on creating jobs, growing the economy and reining in out-of-control federal spending..
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GOTV efforts are vital in this close race

Geert Wilders, the anti-Islam politician, told a Dutch court that he stood by his opinions that the Koran is a "fascist book" and Islam is as dangerous as Nazism, as he went on trial for inciting racial hatred.

Mr Wilders faces five charges of inciting racial hatred between Oct 2006 and Mar 2008. If found guilty, Mr Wilders faces over a year in prison or a £6,600 fine.

Speaking at his trial yesterday, Mr Wilders said: "I am sitting here as a suspect because I have spoken nothing but the truth. I have said what I have said and I will not take one word back."

Throwing down an open challenge to the court, Mr Wilders, 47, attacked the three judges sitting in the Amsterdam court for prosecuting him for "stating my opinion in the context of public debate".

"I can assure you, I will continue proclaiming it," he said.
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And, why the first amendment is held sacrosanct in America.

Gallup's generic ballot for Congress among registered voters currently shows Republicans with 46% of the vote and Democrats with 43%, similar to the 46% to 46% tie reported a week ago. However, in Gallup's first estimates among likely voters, based on polling from Sept. 23-Oct. 3, Republicans have a double-digit advantage under two separate turnout scenarios.
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This is why Obama and the LEFT are trying to whip up enthusiasm from their base. Apparently, it is not working.

After taking a beating at the hands of Missouri voters in August, "Obamacare" could be roughed up once again at the ballot box in November.

Following the lead of the successful Missouri initiative, which passed with 71 percent of the vote, Arizonans, Coloradans and Oklahomans will decide this fall whether to approve proposed constitutional amendments that would allow them to opt out of key provisions of President Obama's signature national health care law.

The three initiatives prohibit the government from forcing individuals to buy health care insurance – a "mandate" that critics say violates the U.S. Constitution – and would allow patients and employers to pay providers directly without penalty. The idea is to protect state residents from "the ongoing takeover of health care by government," backers of the Colorado campaign say.
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Repeal and replace ObamaCare.

While the State tightens its belt in a bid to close a budget gap of $19 billion, merchants withhold $1.4 billion in sales taxes collected from customers but never remitted to the State! The LA Times reports that, “The tab is up about 25% from a year ago and has almost doubled since 2007, state records show.”

California appears to be facing a perfect storm of bankruptcies taking out businesses after they have collected sales tax but before they have forwarded it to the State. Used car dealers can get behind on tax payments very quickly, while continuing to operate with no loss of their sales licenses. Ancient computer systems keep the State from even tracking what is owed, much less collecting on it.
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CA Dems really want to drive the economy under the bus.

The jobless rate probably rose in September for a second month as the year-old U.S. recovery failed to generate enough jobs to keep up with a growing labor force, economists said before a report this week.

Unemployment climbed to 9.7 percent from 9.6 percent in August, according to the median estimate of 62 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News ahead of an Oct. 8 report from the Labor Department. The data may also show companies added 77,000 workers to payrolls, and total hiring stagnated amid cuts in government staffing as the decennial census wound down.
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Obama fiddled with ObamaCare while the economy crashed.