• Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for September 13th on 08:33

    September 13, 2011 /

    These are my links for September 13th from 08:33 to 16:34:

    • Rick Perry and HPV vaccine-maker have deep financial ties – Texas Gov. Rick Perry, whose bid for the White House depends heavily on support from religious conservatives, finds himself confronting an issue that is a flash point for that part of his base: his attempt to order schoolgirls to take a vaccine made by one of his major campaign donors.

      The uproar over the Gardasil vaccine knocked Perry off-stride during a Republican debate Monday night co-sponsored by a tea party group.

      The vaccine, manufactured by Merck, is aimed at protecting girls from human papillomavirus (HPV), a common sexual infection that can lead to cervical cancer. Federal health officials say they are confident that the vaccine is safe, noting that more than 35 million doses have been administered in the United States with no pattern of serious side effects.

      Perry bristled Monday night at accusations from his chief rival for tea party voters, Rep. Michele Bachmann (Minn.), that he had pushed the vaccine in 2007 at the bidding of Merck, a Perry donor that also employed a former aide to the governor as a lobbyist.

      “It was a $5,000 contribution that I had received from them,” Perry said. “I raise about $30 million. And if you’re saying that I can be bought for $5,000, I’m offended.”

      But campaign disclosure records portray a much deeper financial connection with Merck than Perry’s remarks suggest.

      His gubernatorial campaigns, for example, have received nearly $30,000 from the drugmaker since 2000, most of that before he issued his vaccine mandate, which was overturned by the Texas legislature.

      Merck and its subsidiaries have also given more than $380,000 to the Republican Governors Association (RGA) since 2006, the year that Perry began to play a prominent role in the Washington-based group, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics.

      Perry served as chairman of the RGA in 2008 and again this year, until he decided to run for president. The group also ranks among the governor’s biggest donors, giving his campaign at least $4 million over the past five years, according to Texans for Public Justice, a watchdog group.

      =======

      Read it all

    • The Gardasil Flap – I can’t make up my mind over this whole controversy. I think I’m torn because both sides are making good and bad arguments. I think the charge of crony capitalism against Perry is valid generally and looks on target in this case in particular. The issue isn’t just that he got $5,000 from Merck. It’s that his former chief of staff was a lobbyist for Merck. I think Perry’s partial apology is heartfelt. He did it the wrong way and has said so. On the other hand, I think his argument that he did this because he will always “support life” is dangerous hogwash. He mandated government inoculations against STDs because he’s a pro-lifer? It takes some pretty circuitous reasoning to get there, and in the process you’ve conceded the case for pretty much every other kind of health-care intervention by the state up to and including Obamacare.

      Meanwhile, I think Michele Bachmann’s attacks on Perry are irresponsible and borderline demagogic. References to the “government needle” being “pushed into innocent girls,” sound paranoid and exploitative to me. And fueling anti-vaccine fears to score political points against Perry is beneath her. I think Fox or some other news outlet should investigate Bachmann’s claim last night on Greta Van Susteren’s show. Bachmann said that a member of the audience came up to her and told her with tears in her eyes that Gardasil caused “mental retardation” in her daughter. I’m not doubting that someone told Bachmann that, but it’s a pretty serious — and unusual — claim. Regardless, the suggestion that Rick Perry is in any way responsible for it is ludicrous.

      Santorum’s objections seem the most philosophically sound to me. I agree with him that there should have been more of an opt-in rather than an opt-out provision. And I agree with both Bachmann and Santorum that this shouldn’t have been done as a mandate from the governor’s office. But I can’t muster much outrage over the underlying policy of offering the vaccination as a general proposition.

    • President 2012 Poll Watch: Rick Perry Being Hurt by Social Security Flap? | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – President 2012 Poll Watch: Rick Perry Being Hurt by Social Security Flap? #tcot #catcot
    • United States Poverty Rate Soars – Nearly 1 in 6 Americans | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – United States Poverty Rate Soars – Nearly 1 in 6 Americans #tcot #catcot
    • Day By Day September 13, 2011 – Dis-infectant | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Chris Muir's excellent observations on the day.:
    • Study: Sugar-Free Polyol Gum, Lozenges and Hard Candy Help Prevent Dental Caries | Smiles For A Lifetime – Temporary (Locum Tenens) Dentistry – Study: Sugar-Free Polyol Gum, Lozenges and Hard Candy Help Prevent Dental Caries
    • Dilbert September 13, 2011 – Proportional » Flap’s California Blog – Dilbert September 13, 2011 – Proportional
    • Flap’s Links and Comments for September 12th through September 13th | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Flap’s Links and Comments for September 12th through September 13th #tcot #catcot
  • Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for September 12th on 20:22

    September 12, 2011 /

    These are my links for September 12th from 20:22 to 20:26:

    • Perry doubles down on in-state tuition for illegals in Texas – Another clip via Breitbart TV, which did a bang-up job tonight of posting highlights almost as fast as they happened. Were these the only actual boos (or maybe they’re grumbles of dissent) that Perry got? My thinking on this subject has been that if we’re willing to vote for Bush and McCain, we’re willing to forgive any potential nominee their heresies on immigration — especially since Perry’s position here likely improves his electability by attracting Latino voters in the general. But maybe I’m wrong. None of tonight’s “problem” issues — Social Security, Gardasil, the Texas DREAM Act — is necessarily fatal on its own, but together I think they’ve raised enough doubts to erode some of the white-knight stature he enjoyed when he first declared. Ace’s co-blogger Drew said it well: “I want to like Perry but if you watched these things & didn’t know who was who, no one would ID Perry as the double digit frontrunner.” Indeed. And I think his biggest problem tonight may be less the substance of the attacks than the fact that they came from Bachmann, who’s probably back in the race (at least in Iowa) and may be able to keep Perry from breaking away. A good night for Romney.

      =======

      Read it all

      Michele Bachmann is back into the race and maybe even Sarah Palin.

    • Palin slams Perry on ‘crony capitalism’ – Sarah Palin took a hard swipe against her friend Rick Perry in a post-debate TV appearance, calling him out by name for “crony capitalism” for his effort to mandate an HPV vaccine for girls in Texas.
      Asked by Greta Van Susteren about someone in Perry's office going to work for a drug company that made the vaccine, Palin sought to put a finer point on it: “That someone, as Michele Bachmann pointed out, was Governor Perry’s former chief of staff.”
      She went on: “That’s crony capitalism. That’s part of the problem that we have in this country is that people are afraid, even in our own party, to call one another out on that. True reform and fighting the corruption and fighting the crony capitalism is a tough thing to do within your own party. You have to go up against the big guns and they will try to destroy you when you call them out on the mistakes that they have made. Believe me, I know that, I have the bumps and bruises to prove it because that’s what I have been doing for the last 20 years … calling out the corruption in government. Michele Bachmann tried to make that point tonight and she’s going to get potentially crucified.”
      Van Susteren asked another question, but Palin wasn’t done: “Let me go back to that issue with Governor Perry,” she said. She pointed out that at the time Perry was boosting the vaccine in Texas, she was opposing it in Alaska, and she thought Perry’s order was strange “because it just didn’t sound like Governor Perry,” who she thought was against big government.
      “I knew even at that time something was up with that issue. And now we’re finding out, yeah, something was up with that issue,” she said.

      ======

      As she should. It is a weakness for Perry as is illegal immigration.

  • Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for September 12th on 08:30

    September 12, 2011 /

    These are my links for September 12th from 08:30 to 12:03:

    • Is Perry going to walk back his Social Security rhetoric? – Perry’s central issue — and it’s a problem for Romney too — is that he’s really not exerting any leadership or showing courage. He writes, “We must have a frank, honest national conversation about fixing Social Security to protect benefits for those at or near retirement while keeping faith with younger generations, who are being asked to pay.” Oh, puh-leez. Haven’t we been discussing entitlements for a good long time.? What is his idea?

      It’s not very daring to throw red meat to the base. It’s not real brave to then hedge your bets. What would be courageous and impressive would be to lay out a reform agenda with specifics — on Social Security, Medicare, Medicare, the debt and immigration, among other issues. That would certainly set up a contrast with the president and demonstrate some moxie. Let’s see if he can do it. Let’s see if any of the candidates can do it. Or should they just give up, announce Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) will be the VP pick and he’ll figure it all out? The GOP and the country could do a lot worse.

      =======

      Bachmann and Romney will be all over Perry tonight at the debate, if Perry does not walk back the rhetoric a bit.

      The Paul Ryan as VP idea is a good one.

    • Rick Perry Walks the Third Rail – Is Social Security a Ponzi scheme? It was sold politically as a form of social insurance where the "premiums" paid each year of a working person's life were saved up and entitled him to retirement benefits. To underscore this point, FDR started collecting Social Security taxes in 1937 but did not distribute benefits until 1941.

      But, under the weight of the automatic cost of living adjustments started under Nixon, the benefits have long outstripped the amounts that have been paid in by each retiree. Social Security functions like any other cash transfer program, taking from younger generations and paying the money to the older ones. The collected payroll tax deductions of the average retiree account for only a small part of his total pension. In that sense it is a Ponzi scheme – it sells itself as a savings and investment plan but it uses each new generations' revenues to fund the older one's benefits.

      But it's a Ponzi scheme with the power to tax. If Bernie Madoff had that capability, he wouldn't be in jail today. A Ponzi scheme is only bad when the new money dries up. With the power to tax, it need never do so.

      Is Social Security a failure? Hell no! It is the most successful anti-poverty program of all time. From FDR's second inaugural where he said that one-third of the nation was "ill clothed, ill housed, and ill fed" until the early 60s when Michael Harrington alerted the nation to its high poverty level, the elderly constituted about half of America's poor. Now there is no such thing as an impoverished senior citizen and our poverty rate has dropped from one-third to one-eighth, largely due to Social Security (and partly due to welfare reform).

      Now Perry is flying in the face of the deeply held opinions of the entire American electorate. Rasmussen Reports shows that only 17% of Americans agree that Social Security is a Ponzi scheme. Rick Perry would do well to side with the 83%, not the 17% if he wants to get elected.

      ======

      Perry needs to walk back the rhetoric at tonight's debate.

    • President 2012: Mitt Romney Delivers Labor Policy Speech – Backs Boeing | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – President 2012: Mitt Romney Delivers Labor Policy Speech – Backs Boeing #tcot #catcot
    • Virtual Colonoscopy to Become the Standard to Detect Colon Cancer? | Smiles For A Lifetime – Temporary (Locum Tenens) Dentistry – Virtual Colonoscopy to Become the Standard to Detect Colon Cancer?
    • Flap’s Links and Comments for September 11th through September 12th | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Flap’s Links and Comments for September 11th through September 12th #tcot #catcot
  • Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for September 11th on 14:05

    September 11, 2011 /

    These are my links for September 11th from 14:05 to 17:21:

    • Romney goes after Perry on Social Security – In Florida, the Mitt Romney campaign is distributing a flyer attacking on Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Social Security. It contrasts Perry’s own words (“By any measure, Social Security is a failure”) with Romney’s positions (“Ensuring the program that millions of Americans rely on will be there for our children and grandchildren”). The issues is not simply, as Perry boosters would have us believe, that it is a Ponzi scheme. No, that part is halfway defensible (hence the focus of their commentary) since it addresses the concern that the system as currently configured will go bankrupt. No, the real issue is twofold: Are Perry’s attacks on the very idea of federal retirement benefits reasonable and will he make himself unelectable by defending them?

      Perry has suggested in his book that Social Security is unconstitutional (“Social Security is something that we’ve been forced to accept for more than 70 years now. . . . at the expense of respect for the Constitution and limited government”). However in the debate he said he didn’t want to discuss the theoretical issue. (But if it is unconstitutional, why wouldn’t he?)

      The Romney team is making several points. First, Perry has said these things frequently; it’s not a matter of backing away from a throwaway line in his book. Second, Romney is betting that even among conservatives this stuff sounds bonkers; in fact, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) has suggested as much. And finally, Romney is telling GOP voters that President Obama could essentially copy this sort of flyer, put it on every ad his campaign can manufacture, and make the election not about Obama’s rotten record but about Perry’s extremism.

      ======

      Rick Perry has dug himself a hole.

    • Amazon reportedly in talks to launch a Netflix for books – In February, Amazon.com launched its long-awaited subscription video-streaming service as part of Amazon Prime, setting itself up to be a serious rival to Netflix. If we’re honest, it has yet to take off but let’s not be too harsh on a service that is essentially a bolt-on to its existing Amazon Prime annual subscription that offers free two day shipping with no minimum purchase amount for $79/year.

      Today however we’re hearing reports via the WSJ that Amazon may soon launch a book equivalent of the service, charging a fixed monthly fee for access to a library of books. Amazon will reportedly offer book publishers a substantial fee for their involvement in the program.

      The idea isn’t entirely new with services like ‘the library’, booksfree.com and bookswim existing for some time but both are currently primarily for offline paperbacks and hardbacks. There’s also 24symbols which recently launched a near identical offering, but currently only features titles that are public domain rather than premium bestsellers. With Amazon’s Kindle platform and intimate relationships with every premium publisher on the planet, this is a unique new space only the likes of Amazon and Apple are likely to be able to cater to.

    • The California Amazon Internet Sales Tax Compromise Signals a Shift to a National Online Tax? » Flap’s California Blog – The California Amazon Internet Sales Tax Compromise Signals a Shift to a National Online Tax?
    • Flap’s Links and Comments for September 9th through September 11th | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Flap’s Links and Comments for September 9th through September 11th #tcot #catcot
  • Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for September 7th through September 8th

    September 8, 2011 /

    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
  • Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for September 7th on 10:49

    September 7, 2011 /

    These are my links for September 7th from 10:49 to 11:37:

    • Rep. Dan Lungren won’t challenge Tom McClintock for Congress – Rep. Dan Lungren has decided against challenging fellow Republican Congressman Tom McClintock and instead will run in what is a swing district that extends from Elk Grove to Folsom, his campaign manager said today.

      "Unless something changes, he will run in the 7th Congressional District and is confident in doing so," Lungren adviser Rob Stutzman told The Bee.

      Lungren had toyed with running against McClintock, the more conservative of the two, in the 2012 GOP primary for the 4th Congressional District.

      The district where McClintock will be running is among the most conservative in the state. It includes part of Roseville, and stretches from Lake Tahoe south past Yosemite National Park.
      By deciding to stay put, Lungren will seek the congressional seat that includes his home in Gold River. If he wins reelection — not a sure thing — he would represent McClintock, whose residence is in Elk Grove.

      "Republicans need to focus on holding the House, not necessarily running against each other, which unfortunately is happening elsewhere," Stutzman said.

      Lungren won reelection last year against Democratic physician Ami Bera. Bera, a proven fund-raiser, is planning to run again.

    • Does Rick Perry have a Social Security problem? – Perry has a couple of options here. He can disclaim his prior suggestion to send Social Security to the states, but stick by his statement that Social Security is not sustainable. That would require presenting something more detailed than his campaign line that we should all have a ”conversation” about Social Security. Another approach would be to stick with his call for a radical reworking or end to federal retirement benefits. That too would require a full plan and plenty of assurance that he’s not going to relegate grandma to eating cat food in her old age. Perry’s campaign has not yet responded to my request for comment.

      There is plenty of room for smart talk on Social Security. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) sets forth some solid suggestions in his Roadmap for America. Perry will need to show he has a serious plan as well — or maybe even to adopt Ryan’s ideas in total.

      Rove is right about one thing: Even for Republicans, the idea of ending Social Security is going to be a tough sell.

      UPDATED AT 1:34 P.M.

      A Perry spokesman e-mails me: “We realize entitlement reform is a politically touchy subject, but it must be discussed if America is serious about fiscal responsibility and economic growth. At the rate they are going, many federal entitlement programs will be unsustainable, unaffordable and unavailable for future generations. Governor Perry would protect Social Security benefits for those at or near retirement and also recognizes we must discuss changes to make Social Security and other retirement benefits financially sound and viable going forward.”

      That doesn’t sound like he’s ready to propose anything specific. We’ll have to see if that will be sufficient to allay concerns he is out to wreck Social Security.

      =======

      Perry needs a specific proposal like Paul Ryan

  • Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for September 7th on 06:11

    September 7, 2011 /

    These are my links for September 7th from 06:11 to 07:15:

    • Obama to propose $300 billion to jump-start jobs – The economy weak and the public seething, President Barack Obama is expected to propose $300 billion in tax cuts and federal spending Thursday night to get Americans working again. Republicans offered Tuesday to compromise with him on jobs — but also assailed his plans in advance of his prime-time speech.

      In effect, Obama will be hitting cleanup on a shortened holiday week, with Republican White House contender Mitt Romney releasing his jobs proposals on Tuesday and front-running Texas Gov. Rick Perry hoping to join his presidential rivals Wednesday evening on a nationally televised debate stage for the first time.

      Lawmakers began returning to the Capitol to tackle legislation on jobs and federal deficits in an unforgiving political season spiced by the 2012 presidential campaign.

      Adding to the mix: A bipartisan congressional committee is slated to hold its first public meeting on Thursday as it embarks on a quest for deficit cuts of $1.2 trillion or more over a decade. If there is no agreement, automatic spending cuts will take effect, a prospect that lawmakers in both parties have said they would like to avoid.

      According to people familiar with the White House deliberations, two of the biggest measures in the president's proposals for 2012 are expected to be a one-year extension of a payroll tax cut for workers and an extension of expiring jobless benefits. Together those two would total about $170 billion.

      The people spoke on the condition of anonymity because the plan was still being finalized and some proposals could still be subject to change.

      The White House is also considering a tax credit for businesses that hire the unemployed. That could cost about $30 billion. Obama has also called for public works projects, such as school construction. Advocates of that plan have called for spending of $50 billion, but the White House proposal is expected to be smaller.
      Obama also is expected to continue for one year a tax break for businesses that allows them to deduct the full value of new equipment. The president and Congress negotiated that provision into law for 2011 last December.

      ======

      Too little and way too late.Obama needs to repeal and repudiate ObamaCare

      Next President please

    • President 2012: Rick Perry on Immigration: Even weaker than you think – Rick Perry’s record on immigration isn’t as bad as I thought. It’s worse! … It’s not just that he doesn’t want to build the border fence. Many fence opponents argue (though I disagree) that it’s far more important to take away the “jobs magnet” that lures illegals to try to cross the border in the first place. But Perry hasn’t supported the quickest, best way to take away the jobs magnet, which is to require all private employers to use the “E-Verify” electronic check of Social Security numbers. Perry wouldn’t even require his own state government to use E-Verify, let alone private employers, declaring “E-Verify would not make a hill of beans’ difference when it comes to what’s happening in America today.” ….

      And the fence and E-Verify are the easy part of this issue. They are the “stripped down basic package” of enforcement provisions outlined by immigration-control advocate Mark Krikorian. The hard part is getting a candidate–especially a pro-business GOP candidate–to promise, in a binding way, that in the future he or she won’t, under pressure from business and Latino leaders, accept some sort of premature legalization (i.e., amnesty).

      That’s tough enough with, say, Mitt Romney: He’s criticized “amnesty” in the past, but you know there will be Romney strategists pushing legalization as the key to capturing the fast-growing Hispanic vote.

      =======

      Read it all

  • Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for September 2nd on 11:12

    September 2, 2011 /

    These are my links for September 2nd from 11:12 to 11:22:

    • The NLRB’s Unlawful Rule – The National Labor Relations Board’s recent rule requiring virtually every employer in America to post a notice describing its employees’ rights under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) is reflective of two disturbing trends at the NLRB: first, a myopic and partisan focus on increasing unionization by whatever means, including bold exercises of authority not within the agency’s statutory mandate; and second, a concomitant disregard of protected employee rights to refrain from union activity.

      Under the new rule — enacted just a few weeks after the NLRB proposed to radically shorten the time it takes to conduct secret-ballot elections for union representation, so as to limit employers’ right to express their views about unionization to their employees — an estimated 6 million employers will be required to post a notice in every workplace. Further, if the board finds that an employer’s failure to post the notice was “knowing and willful,” this fact may be deemed presumptive evidence of an “unfair labor practice,” or violation of the NLRA.

      =======
      Read it all

      NLRB requiring posters – how ridiculous is this?

    • Mr. Obama, tear down those union posters – Just in time for Labor Day, the National Labor Relations Board is making sure that unemployment remains high in America.
      Following its attack on Boeing for opening a new plant in South Carolina, and new proposals for quickie union elections, the board will now require employers to put up 11-by-17-inch posters informing workers of their right to unionize.

      On Thursday, millions of unemployed Americans will be watching President Obama's speech to Congress, desperately waiting to hear the president explain how employers will create more jobs.

      Requiring posters won't benefit the 14 million unemployed Americans, but it is another message to employers that the administration regards them with suspicion. Other countries don't require these posters and welcome American businesses to hire their workers.

      The rule, to take effect Nov. 14, is a parting gift from Wilma B. Liebman, the former chairwoman, and a board member since 1997, whose term expired Aug. 28. She believes in unions and their ability to raise workers' incomes.

      The required poster size is larger than for notices for minimum wage, employee polygraph protection, family medical leave, equal employment opportunity and other employee rights guaranteed by Congress.

      If 20 percent or more employees are most comfortable speaking a language other than English, an additional poster in translation must go up. That's two posters.

      ======

      Great!

      9.1% unemployment and the feds are mandating posters.

    • S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley Calls Obama ‘Cowardly’ – South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley blasted President Obama and the National Labor Relations Board today. She called on President Obama to address the NLRB’s unprecedented lawsuit against Boeing during his jobs speech on Sept. 8. The South Carolina governor made the comments during a conference call with bloggers and journalists this morning.

      Citing the fact that at least 1,000 jobs and the future of American aircraft manufacturing hang in the balance with the NLRB’s lawsuit against Boeing, Haley called the president’s silence on the issue “cowardly” and “unacceptable.” Haley also cited the fact that the current White House Chief of Staff and Commerce Secretary both served on Boeing’s board at the time the South Carolina plant was approved, and demanded that he speak up and go on the record whether he agrees with the NLRB’s actions or not.

    • John Fund: Why Sarah Palin Is Not Running – Rick Perry has already vaunted – at least temporarily – to the front of the GOP presidential pack, leading Mitt Romney by 29% to 22% in the latest Fox News poll that has Palin at 8%. If Sarah Palin decides that 2012 isn’t her year to run, as I firmly believe is the case, but even sweeter revenge could she have on her media adversaries than to give early backing to a kindred conservative spirit who then went on to win the GOP nomination and indeed the presidency?

      That’s why I believe Sarah Palin isn’t running, and why she will ultimately endorse Rick Perry. And if her bet pays off and Perry becomes president, don’t be surprised if the next Secretary of Energy is a certain former Alaska governor who has an aggressive agenda to open up America’s energy resources. Such a platform would also be an effective launching pad for her to start refurbishing her political and policy image.

      Sarah Palin may yet have the last political laugh over her doubters.

      =====

      Agree.

      With the polls as they are and at 47 years old, she is better to wait.

    • Crony capitalism: Perry’s Achilles heel? – For a time, Sarah Palin and Texas Gov. Rick Perry were kindred spirits. They both cheered the Tea Party and sneered at establishment Republicans. But then Perry entered the presidential race. Lately, Palin seems determined to turn up the heat on the governor. Last month, CBS reported on Palin at the Iowa fair:

      Palin also took a subtle shot at Texas governor Rick Perry, who is entering the presidential race on Saturday. Perry is sometimes dismissed as [a] “weak governor” by virtue of the way his state’s government is structured, and Palin seemed to draw out that distinction when asked to contrast their records.

      “You have different functions in the state of Texas and the state of Alaska in terms of governing powers from the governor’s office,” she said, “So it’s tough to compare what the executive duties are. We have a very strong governor’s office . . . but, he’s a great guy and I look forward to seeing him in those debates.”

      ======

      A problem for Perry which will be aired at next week's Presidential debate

  • Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for August 25th through August 26th

    August 26, 2011 /

    These are my links for August 25th through August 26th:

  • Pinboard Links

    Flap’s Links and Comments for August 16th through August 17th

    August 17, 2011 /

    These are my links for August 16th through August 17th:

    • Is Rick Perry the new Fred Thompson? – Perry has criticized Arizona’s tough anti-illegal immigration laws, and is a supporter of comprehensive immigration reform, a battery of legislation that would put over 10 million illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship. Conservatives call this amnesty. They are so offended by the policy that they were able to stop its implementation when another Texas Republican tried to push it through with help from a Democratic congress. Conservatives never trusted Bush again.

      Perry has also issues with social conservatives. He approved mandatory HPV vaccinations for all Texas public school girls above the objections of the religious right. He says he is “Okay” with New York’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage, a provocative position for a candidate who wants to appeal to religious conservaties, and one that could intensify the now-whispered accusation that Perry is a closeted homosexual.

      And moderates can find plenty to dislike as well. There was the governor’s well-publicized flirtation with secession in 2009 for starters. And Perry’s religiosity goes beyond investing common American political maxims with Biblical language the way Obama does. Perry has encouraged Texas residents to pray for rain, a decision that was widely mocked. And he is holding a Day of Prayer and Fasting on August 6 that will include a panoply of pastors whose views go beyond the Evangelical mainstream. Needless to say, DAR Republicans don’t want a candidate whose religious friends describe the Statue of Liberty as an “idol” or think Oprah’s career portends the arrival of the Antichrist.

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      Read it all

    • Some conservatives not thrilled by Rick Perry – But the vaccine controversy isn’t Perry’s only break from conservative orthodoxy.

      “The Gardasil debacle is just one of many concerns a wide range of grassroots conservative activists have about Perry's record as governor,” said prominent conservative blogger Michelle Malkin, who wrote a post critical of Perry on Wednesday. “He’s soft on illegal immigration despite a few recent nods to border enforcement. He's prone to crony capitalism. And as the vaccine mandate scandal shows, he demonstrated Nanny State tendencies that are anathema to Tea Party core principles.”

      Perry has also ruffled feathers with social conservatives in recent days by saying that under 10th Amendment principles, gay marriage in New York didn’t bother him. After all, Perry endorsed former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani in the 2008 presidential race, who is hardly considered a social conservative.

      Perry has also drawn criticism for his plans for the Trans-Texas Corridor, a failed cross-state toll road that drew criticism from rural property owners and immigration foes, because the plan involved a partnership with the Mexican government.

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      Read it all.

      I am concerned with his past of handling illegal immigration and the Texas Dream Act in particular.

      The Crony Capitalism is also a non-starter for me.

      If it is a choice between Romney, Perry and Bachmann, the GOP had better team up two of the three or Obama wins.

    • President 2012 GOP Wisconsin Poll Watch: Perry 20% Vs. Bachmann 20% Vs. Romney 13% | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – President 2012 GOP Wisconsin Poll Watch: Perry 20% Vs. Bachmann 20% Vs. Romney 13% #tcot #catcot
    • Gregory Flap Cole – Google+ – Tax the rich – yeah right.

      Maybe the NFL and NBA should… – Tax the rich – yeah right.Maybe the NFL and NBA should add some more teams?

    • Warren Buffett’s Tax Dodge – The billionaire volunteers the middle class for a tax increase – Barney Kilgore, the man who made the Wall Street Journal into a national publication, was once asked why so many rich people favored higher taxes. That's easy, he replied. They already have their money.

      That insight is worth recalling amid the latest political duet from President Obama and Warren Buffett demanding higher taxes on "millionaires and billionaires." Mr. Buffett is repeating his now familiar argument this week, coinciding with Mr. Obama's Midwestern road trip on the economy. Since the media are treating Mr. Buffett as a tax oracle, let's take a closer look at some of the billionaire's intellectual tax dodges.

      • The double tax oversight. The Berkshire Hathaway magnate makes much of the fact that he paid only 17.4% of his income in taxes, which he considers unfair when salaried workers often pay more. But Mr. Buffett makes most of his income from his investments, in particular from dividends and capital gains that are taxed at a rate of 15%.

      What he doesn't say is that much of his income was already taxed once as corporate income, which is assessed at a 35% rate (less deductions). The 15% levy on capital gains and dividends to individuals is thus a double tax that takes the overall tax rate on that corporate income closer to 45%.

      This onerous tax on capital is a U.S. competitive disadvantage in the global economy, which is why Congress agreed in 2003 to cut the rates on dividends and capital gains. Even as the rest of the world is cutting tax rates on corporate income, Mr. Buffett wants to raise U.S. rates in a way that would make America less attractive for investment. Under a sensible tax reform, the feds would impose either a corporate tax or a dividend and capital gains tax, but not both.

      • The middle-class bait-and-switch. Like Mr. Obama, Mr. Buffett speaks about raising taxes only on the rich. But somehow he ignores that the President's tax increase starts at $200,000 for individuals and $250,000 for couples. Mr. Obama ought to call them "thousandaires," but that probably doesn't poll as well.

      The President needs to levy his tax increase at such a lower income level because that's where the money is. In 2009, 237,000 taxpayers reported income above $1 million and they paid $178 billion in taxes. A mere 8,274 filers reported income above $10 million, and they paid only $54 billion in taxes.

      But 3.92 million reported income above $200,000 in 2009, and they paid $434 billion in taxes. To put it another way, roughly 90% of the tax filers who would pay more under Mr. Obama's plan aren't millionaires, and 99.99% aren't billionaires.

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      Read it all

    • Flap’s California Morning Collection: August 17, 2011 | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Flap’s California Morning Collection: August 17, 2011 #tcot #catcot
    • Flap’s Dentistry Blog: The Morning Drill: August 17, 2011 – The Morning Drill: August 17, 2011
    • Poll Watch: American Unemployment Rate Up to 9.1% in Mid-August | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Poll Watch: American Unemployment Rate Up to 9.1% in Mid-August #tcot #catcot
    • President 2012: Obama’s NOT So Secret Economic Plan = Blame Congress | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – President 2012: Obama’s NOT So Secret Economic Plan = Blame Congress #tcot #catcot
    • @Flap Twitter Updates for 2011-08-17 | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – @Flap Twitter Updates for 2011-08-17 #tcot #catcot
    • Flap’s Links and Comments for August 16th on 14:33 | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Flap’s Links and Comments for August 16th on 14:33 #tcot #catcot