Bill O’Reilly goes nutso on Barney Frank

Bill O’Really short-circuited recently when talking with Congressman Barney Frank on the Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac debacle. Here is the video:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrfPMa3lONU

Now, O’Reilly, blinded by his seeming anger (Did he personally invest in Freddie and Fannie after Frank’s projection?), O’Reilly didn’t want to talk about Frank’s success in getting a regulatory bill passed after becoming head of the House Financial Services Committee. O’Reilly only wanted to focus on this statement by Frank:

“I think this is a case where Fannie and Freddie are fundamentally sound, that they are not in danger of going under. They’re not the best investments these days from the long-term standpoint going back. I think they are in good shape going forward. They’re in a housing market. I do think their prospects going forward are very solid. And in fact, we’re going to do some things that are going to improve them.” — CNBC interview, July 14, 2008

O’Reilly, again and again, accused Frank of telling people to invest in Fannie and Freddie, when he did not make that statement. As the quote states, Frank expressed optimism about the future of the company but stopped short of telling people to invest in that company’s stock. Obviously, Frank’s projections were off target.

“That’s great,” O’Reilly said about Frank’s work for more regulation, “but you still went out in July and said everything was great, and off that, a lot of people bought stock and lost everything they had.”

Frank: “Oh No.”

O’Reilly: Oh yes, oh yes!”

This was the point in the interview where O’Reilly began to unravel. Regardless, after reading up on this, Frank and O’Reilly’s boss, Rupert Murdoch, have an interesting history. From Wikipedia’s entry on Frank:

Amidst the 2008 financial market turmoil, billionaire Rupert R. Murdoch has repeatedly pointed blame at Frank and a few others as the root cause of the recent housing crisis. In a recent interview, Murdoch claimed that Frank’s plan in the early nineties pushed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to make “bad” loans to “underprivileged” families. An anonymous opinion piece published in The Wall Street Journal (owned by Murdoch’s News Corp) on September 9th 2008 further describes Barney Frank as the Patron Saint of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

As late as 2003 Frank rejected Bush administration proposals for increased oversight of Fannie Mae. The market at the time was reaping great profits and further regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would have opened the very lucrative sub-prime mortgage products to Wall Street firms. As sub-prime loans started to falter a year ago, the administration worked to move the loans back. According to the New York Times, “The White House also pitched in. James B. Lockhart, the chief regulator of Fannie and Freddie, adjusted the companies’ lending standards so they could purchase as much as $40 billion in new subprime loans. Some in Congress praised the move.”.

I find it interesting how so many of these companies , politicians and pundits are intertwined: O’Reilly continuing the argument of his boss and Frank possibly in a conflict of interest with Fannie and Freddie:

Frank, like many elected Representatives, has collected tens of thousands of dollars from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in campaign contributions — $42,350 since 1989. Also, Frank’s former lover, Herb Moses, was an executive at Fannie Mae from 1991 to 1998, where he “helped develop many of Fannie Mae’s affordable housing and home improvement lending programs.” The relationship ended around the same time Moses left the company to start a pottery business, and Frank continued support of the companies after the relationship ended. Fox News reported that in 1991, “the year Moses was hired by Fannie, the Boston Globe reported that Frank pushed the agency to loosen regulations on mortgages for two- and three-family homes, even though they were defaulting at twice and five times the rate of single homes, respectively.”

Increasingly annoyed by say-nothing blogs

You know what is increasingly raising my blood pressure? Surfing WordPress for some opinion writing, news or what have you, and finding blog posts that consist of one link and nothing else. Or, blog posts that are merely cut and paste of some other news story or video that can be readily found on some other site.

You shouldn’t have a blog if you don’t have something original to say. Anything else is regurgitation.

Mayor denigrates own constituency

A recent story published in the Daily Journal/Daily Messenger, said that the Walhalla, S.C.’s mayor claimed an increased wave of illegal immigrants to the area were draining the city’s resources and putting a financial burden on taxpayers. Since I didn’t write the story, I’m not sure whether we called him, or he made contact with us first, but the mayor also claimed recent reports had implied city police were arresting Hispanics for minor traffic violations. While the mayor, Randy Chastain, denied that any racial profiling was taking place in the city, he pointed to an increased amount of graffiti and the recent arrest of an illegal charged with murder as clues that more illegals were flooding the area.

School records did not support this claim:

Given that the total student population in Oconee has hovered around 10,500 for the past 40 years, Hispanics make up 0.07 percent of students in Oconee classrooms.

At James M. Brown Elementary School on Coffee Road in Walhalla, which at one time had one of the largest Latino-student enrollments in the state, their numbers actually declined during the current school year. — “Mayors says illegals abound,” Carlos Garlaza, Daily Journal/Daily Messenger

The school officials in the story took the high ground and simply said they weren’t getting into the immigration debate, that their primary concern was education. Fair enough. Walhalla Principal John Frady did, however, make this statement:

There are radicals that don’t want that sector in the community, and there are others who are more accepting. I happen to be among those that are more accepting.

Chastain, however, at least from the details presented in this story, seems to be in the latter camp. He apparently brought up the city’s supposed illegal immigration problem at his first meeting with city council as mayor and he still seems to be frothing at the mouth about the issue. Here’s Chastain’s most startling statement of the story:

Initially, they came here and were basically to themselves. They didn’t cause much problems. Now they are more brazen; there’s a lot more of them. There’s more now than there’ve ever been. It’s their culture versus the American culture.

Before going further, let me say that I used to work in a city with a comparable Hispanic population. Walhalla, S.C. and Clayton, Ga. both are running at about 15 percent. And even working in that environment in Georgia, never have I come across such a brazen, bigoted statement as this toward Hispanics. Sure, the crankier folks in Georgia thought Mexicans were taking over the place, just like here, but at least they were more tactful about it. Folks, on the whole in Georgia were quite pleasant, at least to your face. But Chastain statement should not only offend Hispanics, white, blacks alike, it should scare them. Chastain essentially denigrated a section, a significant section, of his own constituency! That is remarkable, and not in a good way. Sure, Chastain was speaking in the context of illegal immigrants for the purposes of the story, but in this specific statement, he’s clearly not just talking about illegals. By saying, “It’s their culture versus the American culture,” he’s talking about Hispanics in general, not just illegals.

I’ve already spoken at length about guys like this, so I won’t pummel a dead horse, but I feel speaking out against illegals’ status as non-citizens is fine because they are, after all, breaking the law. But No. 1, please don’t turn their legal issues into character flaws or strip them of their humanity. They are people with real families who really love them somewhere, either in this country, or elsewhere. They have beating hearts, pulses, souls and emotions. While their culture is different from Americans’ in some ways, it’s not better or worse, just different. And by all means, don’t demean members of your own constituency, most of whom are, in fact, legal. I’m glad I’m not part of the mayor’s constituency; if I were, I’d probably relocate post haste.

GOP’s endgame

First, let me emphasize this: While I don’t necessarily agree with all his policies, I think John McCain would be an able leader of this country. He’s got the expertise to keep the boat afloat. That is, if he can keep himself afloat.

The Republican party, and this is my own opinion, has put the country in jeopardy, awarding the VP nomination to someone with less experience, much less, than Barack Obama. Here’s a look at the two résumés:

NAME: Sarah Heath Palin.
AGE-BIRTH DATE-LOCATION: 44; born Feb. 11, 1964; Sandpoint, Idaho.

EXPERIENCE: Alaska governor since December 2006; unsuccessful run for Republican nomination for lieutenant governor in 2002; chairwoman of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, 2003-2004; served two terms as Wasilla mayor and two terms on city council.

EDUCATION: Graduated University of Idaho, 1987, journalism.

FAMILY: Husband, Todd; five children.

BUSINESS: Worked as sports reporter for two Anchorage television stations; owned with her husband a snowmobile, watercraft, ATV business from 1994-97. Husband is a North Slope oil field worker. — The Associated Press

And Obama’s:

Education
Undergraduate
Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA
Undergraduate, 1981-1983

Columbia University
B.A. Political Science with specialization in international relations
Thesis topic: Soviet nuclear disarmament

Graduate
Harvard Law School
J.D. magna cum laude 1988-1991

President, Harvard Law Review

Organizing and other work experience
1983-1984 Writer/Researcher for Business International Corporation. Helped companies understand overseas markets in the “Financing Foreign Operations” service and wrote for the “Business International Money Report”
1984-1985 Community Organizer for New York Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), promoting personal, community, and government reform at City College in Harlem.
1985-1988 Director of the Developing Communities Project (DCP), a church-based community organization originally comprising eight Catholic parishes in Greater Roseland on Chicago’s South Side. While director grew the DCP staff from 1 to 13 and their budget from $70,000 to $400,000.
1992 Led Chicago’s Project Vote! push. This effort resulted in a record number of voter registrations, over 600,000 in Chicago. 1)
Teaching
1993-2004 Visiting Law and Government Fellow, then Senior Lecturer, in Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago Law School. Taught courses on the due process and equal protection areas of constitutional law, on voting rights, and on racism and law. Helped develop a casebook on voting rights.
Law Practice
1993-2002 Worked as an associate attorney with Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Galland. Represented non-profits and private individuals in urban development projects, voting rights cases, and wrongful firings. Filed major suit that forced the state of Illinois to enforce the Motor Voter Law and successfully argued a wrongful firing case before the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Illinois Senate 1996-2004
chairman, Health and Human Services Committee
Spearheaded a successful bipartisan effort in Illinois to pass the broadest ethics-reform legislation by any state in 25 years, and also gained bipartisan support for his successful bills reforming death penalty interrogations and ending racial profiling by police. Worked with the Republican-led effort to reform welfare
Also sponsored successful bills expanding tax credits and child-care subsidies for low-income working families, protecting overtime pay for workers, expanding health care for children, and providing job skills training for juveniles
Sponsored Bill Statistics
Number of sponsored bills: 65
Number of sponsored bills passed: 0
Number of co-sponsored bills 364
Number of co-sponsored bills passed: 5
www.opencongress.org (9/3/2008—-dankster keeps taking this out for some reason)

Alternative account: more than 800. Chart at http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2007/07/29/us/politics/20070730_OBAMA_GRAPHIC.html

United States Senate 2004-present
Member, Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Chairman, Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on European Affairs
Member, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Member, Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Member, Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
Shares responsibility for the bipartisan Coburn-Obama Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006, requiring full online disclosure of all entities receiving federal funds, and the bipartisan Lugar-Obama Cooperative Proliferation Detection, Interdiction Assistance, and Conventional Threat Reduction Act of 2006, deepening non-proliferation work with WMD and including surface-to-air missiles, land mines, and other weapons that may be used by terrorists
Bills / Amendments Passed
Barack Obama has introduced nearly 300 bills during his time in the U.S. Senate, and cosponsored close to 1,000 others. If you would like a full look at his legislative efforts, search the 109th Congress at http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d109query.html and 110th Congress at http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d110query.html
S.AMDT.1041 to S.1082 To improve the safety and efficacy of genetic tests.
S.AMDT.3073 to H.R.1585 To provide for transparency and accountability in military and security contracting.
S.AMDT.3078 to H.R.1585 Relating to administrative separations of members of the Armed Forces for personality disorder.
S.AMDT.41 to S.1 To require lobbyists to disclose the candidates, leadership PACs, or political parties for whom they collect or arrange contributions, and the aggregate amount of the contributions collected or arranged.
S.AMDT.524 to S.CON.RES.21 To provide $100 million for the Summer Term Education Program supporting summer learning opportunities for low-income students in the early grades to lessen summer learning losses that contribute to the achievement gaps separating low-income students from their middle-class peers.
S.AMDT.599 to S.CON.RES.21 To add $200 million for Function 270 (Energy) for the demonstration and monitoring of carbon capture and sequestration technology by the Department of Energy.
S.AMDT.905 to S.761 To require the Director of Mathematics, Science, and Engineering Education to establish a program to recruit and provide mentors for women and underrepresented minorities who are interested in careers in mathematics, science, and engineering.
S.AMDT.923 to S.761 To expand the pipeline of individuals entering the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields to support United States innovation and competitiveness.
S.AMDT.924 to S.761 To establish summer term education programs.
S.AMDT.2519 to H.R.2638 To provide that one of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used to enter into a contract in an amount greater than $5 million or to award a grant in excess of such amount unless the prospective contractor or grantee certifies in writing to the agency awarding the contract or grant that the contractor or grantee owes no past due Federal tax liability.
S.AMDT.2588 to H.R.976 To provide certain employment protections for family members who are caring for members of the Armed Forces recovering from illnesses and injuries incurred on active duty.
S.AMDT.2658 to H.R.2642 To provide that none of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used to enter into a contract in an amount greater than $5,000,000 or to award a grant in excess of such amount unless the prospective contractor or grantee makes certain certifications regarding Federal tax liability.
S.AMDT.2692 to H.R.2764 To require a comprehensive nuclear threat reduction and security plan.
S.AMDT.2799 to H.R.3074 To provide that none of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used to enter into a contract in an amount greater than $5,000,000 or to award a grant in excess of such amount unless the prospective contractor or grantee makes certain certifications regarding Federal tax liability.
S.AMDT.3137 to H.R.3222 To provide that none of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used to enter into a contract in an amount greater than $5,000,000 or to award a grant in excess of such amount unless the prospective contractor or grantee makes certain certifications regarding Federal tax liability.
S.AMDT.3234 to H.R.3093 To provide that none of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used to enter into a contract in an amount greater than $5,000,000 or to award a grant in excess of such amount unless the prospective contractor or grantee makes certain certifications regarding Federal tax liability.
S.AMDT.3331 to H.R.3043 To provide that none of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used to enter into a contract in an amount greater than $5,000,000 or to award a grant in excess of such amount unless the prospective contractor or grantee makes certain certifications regarding Federal tax liability.
Senate Resolutions Passed:
S.RES.133 : A resolution celebrating the life of Bishop Gilbert Earl Patterson.
S.RES.268 : A resolution designating July 12, 2007, as “National Summer Learning Day”.
Other Bills Introduced
S.J.RES.23: A joint resolution clarifying that the use of force against Iran is not authorized by the Authorization for the Use of Military Force Against Iraq, any resolution previously adopted, or any other provision of law.
S. 453: Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act of 2007. The Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act of 2007 (H.R.1281), (S.453), would establish criminal penalties for acts of voter deception. Those who knowingly disseminate false information with the intention of keeping others from voting would face up to five years in prison under the legislation. The Act was sponsored by Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) and 60 cosponsors in the House, and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and 15 cosponsors in the Senate. (20 Cosponsors)
S. 2030: A bill to amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to require reporting relating to bundled contributions made by persons other than registered lobbyists. (1 Cosponsor)
S. 2111: Positive Behavior for Effective Schools Act. A bill to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to allow State educational agencies, local educational agencies, and schools to increase implementation of early intervention services, particularly school-wide positive behavior supports. (3 Cosponsors)
S. 2066: Back to School: Improving Standards for Nutrition and Physical Education in Schools Act of 2007. A bill to establish nutrition and physical education standards for schools.
S. Con. Res. 46: A concurrent resolution supporting the goals and ideals of Sickle Cell Disease Awareness Month
S. 2044: Independent Contractor Proper Classification Act of 2007. A bill to provide procedures for the proper classification of employees and independent contractors, and for other purposes. (6 Cosponsors)
S. 2519: Contracting and Tax Accountability Act of 2007. A bill to prohibit the awarding of a contract or grant in excess of the simplified acquisition threshold unless the prospective contractor or grantee certifies in writing to the agency awarding the contract or grant that the contractor or grantee has no seriously delinquent tax debts, and for other purposes.
S. 2433: Global Poverty Act of 2007. A bill to require the President to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to further the United States foreign policy objective of promoting the reduction of global poverty, the elimination of extreme global poverty, and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goal of reducing by one-half the proportion of people worldwide, between 1990 and 2015, who live on less than $1 per day. (9 Cosponsors)
S. 2330: Veterans Homelessness Prevention Act. A bill to authorize a pilot program within the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development with the goal of preventing at-risk veterans and veteran families from falling into homelessness, and for other purposes. (1 Cosponsor) — http://obamasresume.org/

If Palin had a longer résumé available online somewhere, I would post it. One can check out her bio on her Web site: http://gov.state.ak.us/bio.html

My point being: McCain is the second-oldest, first-time, major party presidential nominee. (Bob Dole would be the oldest). He’s had bouts with cancer. I like the dude immensely and wish him well, but I have to ask. What is McCain is elected and, God forbid, doesn’t make it through four years and Palin is elected? What then? There is no way anyone can convince me this person is ready to be president. Period. Much less more ready than Obama. This has nothing to do with gender whatsoever. Hillary Clinton, for all her ghosts, would have been capable of keeping the boat afloat. But I feel the Republican party has played a dangerous endgame with the well-being of this country, and did it solely for political reasons. If you truly think Palin was the best pick to lead this country in McCain’s stead, you are either uninformed or so hyped on the “hockey-mom” thing that you can’t see straight. If something happens to Obama, Joe Biden can at least keep the wheels on the wagon. Experience is not everything, as I have said, to make a case for Obama’s competency to lead. But if Palin came off to me as someone who was competent, corruption-free, and capable of leading this country, my statement would be different. But viewing her track record, as provided by the Anchorage Daily News, I can’t say that. See here:

http://www.adn.com/opinion/view/story/510705.html

and

http://www.adn.com/opinion/view/story/514086.html

She is brilliant at the podium. She’s a firecracker. She’s charismatic and eloquent. But she’s also ruthless and seems to do whatever it takes, ethical or not, to get ahead and weed out those who dissent. And as far as international experience? That’s nearly, or in whole, nonexistent.

McCain vs. himself, the TelePrompTer: Part MCCXXXII

I like the guy. I really do. He’s warm and convivial. He has a sense of humor. He seems to perform well on the stump. He clearly loves his country, and if you can push through all the sometimes inaccurate portrayals of Barack Obama’s policies and McCain’s exaggerated claims his own intentions, I think one will find a person that genuinely believes he’s got the best plan to move the nation forward.

But I’m not sure what else John McCain has to prove at this point. While his war-torn stories already give the man the highest praise that we can bestow for his, often-physically excruciating, sacrifice for our country — which are obviously above and beyond anything John Kerry, George Bush or Bill Clinton can claim regarding military service — and his long service in the Senate is impressive, what more can he hope to achieve? Is he hoping for a coup de grace to cap his career before his mind goes dim or his embattled body finally gives up the fight? Is he hoping to avenge his defeat in 2000?

And by all that’s right and good, we have got to keep him on the stump and off of the “big speech” stages, which are more aptly dominated by Barack Obama and Sarah Palin. In front of the TelePrompTer, McCain is awkward, smiles at unusual times in the speech and seems robotic or mechanical. I suppose that’s par-for-the-course for a 72-year-old, but still …. I digress.

Regardless, other than vagaries, he has yet to show us specifically how we will institute change in Washington, clean up the rampant lobbying, etc. In fact, as Jon Stewart recently showed on “The Daily Show,” many of the promises made by McCain are nearly exactly the same promises made by first-term candidate George Bush in his election bid. This can be seen here:

Thus, McCain and the gang know they aren’t going to bring any significantly different. When was the last time a new person was elected to the White House and a year later, you thought, “Wow, he has drastically shaken things up.” It’s certainly not going to happen with McCain and even given Obama’s high-in-the-sky rhetoric, change is unlikely to come with him either. That said, that doesn’t necessarily mean I don’t seek an end to lobbyist influence in Washington, that I don’t seek the best and quickest way out of the Iraq boondoggle, that I don’t want the economy to right itself post haste and gas prices to slither downward. I certainly do. But we will be dealing with political rhetoric, not reality, now until Nov. 4. And that’s about as much straight talk as we’re going to get at this point.

Details on Sarah Palin

I’ve posted this because items like this need to be propogated to as many people as possible. Many politicians seem to work tireless trying to cover up who they really are. This letter tells us a lot about Sarah Palin that won’t be find anywhere else.

We obviously can’t 100 percent verify the authencity of this, but given the immense, immense detail provided in this account, it appears quite credible. The write said her name could appear in forwarded e-mails and correspondence, but not on Web sites, so unlike other sites, I’ll respect that.

For more information, see: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/03/us/politics/03wasilla.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

and

http://www.washingtonindependent.com/3671/the-reform-candidate

Dear friends,

So many people have asked me about what I know about Sarah Palin in the
last 2 days that I decided to write something up . . .

Basically, Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton have only 2 things in
common: their gender and their good looks. 🙂

You have my permission to forward this to your friends/email contacts
with my name and email address attached, but please do not post it on
any websites, as there are too many kooks out there . . .

Thanks,
[Name]

ABOUT SARAH PALIN

I am a resident of Wasilla, Alaska. I have known Sarah since 1992.
Everyone here knows Sarah, so it is nothing special to say we are on a
first-name basis. Our children have attended the same schools. Her
father was my child’s favorite substitute teacher. I also am on a
first name basis with her parents and mother-in-law. I attended more
City Council meetings during her administration than about 99% of the
residents of the city.

She is enormously popular; in every way she’s like the most popular
girl in middle school. Even men who think she is a poor choice and
won’t vote for her can’t quit smiling when talking about her because
she is a “babe”.

It is astonishing and almost scary how well she can keep a secret. She
kept her most recent pregnancy a secret from her children and parents
for seven months.

She is “pro-life”. She recently gave birth to a Down’s syndrome baby.
There is no cover-up involved, here; Trig is her baby.

She is energetic and hardworking. She regularly worked out at the gym.

She is savvy. She doesn’t take positions; she just “puts things out
there” and if they prove to be popular, then she takes credit.

Her husband works a union job on the North Slope for BP and is a
champion snowmobile racer. Todd Palin’s kind of job is highly
sought-after because of the schedule and high pay. He arranges his
work schedule so he can fish for salmon in Bristol Bay for a month or
so in summer, but by no stretch of the imagination is fishing their
major source of income. Nor has her life-style ever been anything
like that of native Alaskans.

Sarah and her whole family are avid hunters.

She’s smart.

Her experience is as mayor of a city with a population of about 5,000
(at the time), and less than 2 years as governor of a state with about
670,000 residents.

During her mayoral administration most of the actual work of running
this small city was turned over to an administrator. She had been
pushed to hire this administrator by party power-brokers after she had
gotten herself into some trouble over precipitous firings which had
given rise to a recall campaign.

Sarah campaigned in Wasilla as a “fiscal conservative”. During her 6
years as Mayor, she increased general government expenditures by over
33%. During those same 6 years the amount of taxes collected by the
City increased by 38%. This was during a period of low inflation
(1996-2002). She reduced progressive property taxes and increased a
regressive sales tax which taxed even food. The tax cuts that she
promoted benefited large corporate property owners way more than they
benefited residents.

The huge increases in tax revenues during her mayoral administration
weren’t enough to fund everything on her wish list though, borrowed
money was needed, too. She inherited a city with zero debt, but left it
with indebtedness of over $22 million. What did Mayor Palin encourage
the voters to borrow money for? Was it the infrastructure that she said
she supported? The sewage treatment plant that the city lacked? or a
new library? No. $1m for a park. $15m-plus for construction of a
multi-use sports complex which she rushed through to build on a piece
of property that the City didn’t even have clear title to, that was
still in litigation 7 yrs later–to the delight of the lawyers
involved! The sports complex itself is a nice addition to the
community but a huge money pit, not the profit-generator she claimed it
would be. She also supported bonds for $5.5m for road projects that
could have been done in 5-7 yrs without any borrowing.

While Mayor, City Hall was extensively remodeled and her office
redecorated more than once.

These are small numbers, but Wasilla is a very small city.

As an oil producer, the high price of oil has created a budget surplus
in Alaska. Rather than invest this surplus in technology that will
make us energy independent and increase efficiency, as Governor she
proposed distribution of this surplus to every individual in the state.

In this time of record state revenues and budget surpluses, she
recommended that the state borrow/bond for road projects, even while
she proposed distribution of surplus state revenues: spend today’s
surplus, borrow for needs.

She’s not very tolerant of divergent opinions or open to outside ideas
or compromise. As Mayor, she fought ideas that weren’t generated by
her or her staff. Ideas weren’t evaluated on their merits, but on the
basis of who proposed them.

While Sarah was Mayor of Wasilla she tried to fire our highly respected
City Librarian because the Librarian refused to consider removing from
the library some books that Sarah wanted removed. City residents
rallied to the defense of the City Librarian and against Palin’s
attempt at out-and-out censorship, so Palin backed down and withdrew
her termination letter. People who fought her attempt to oust the
Librarian are on her enemies list to this day.

Sarah complained about the “old boy’s club” when she first ran for
Mayor, so what did she bring Wasilla? A new set of “old boys”. Palin
fired most of the experienced staff she inherited. At the City and as
Governor she hired or elevated new, inexperienced, obscure people,
creating a staff totally dependent on her for their jobs and eternally
grateful and fiercely loyal–loyal to the point of abusing their power
to further her personal agenda, as she has acknowledged happened in the
case of pressuring the State’s top cop (see below).

As Mayor, Sarah fired Wasilla’s Police Chief because he “intimidated”
her, she told the press. As Governor, her recent firing of Alaska’s top
cop has the ring of familiarity about it. He served at her pleasure
and she had every legal right to fire him, but it’s pretty clear that
an important factor in her decision to fire him was because he wouldn’t
fire her sister’s ex-husband, a State Trooper. Under investigation
for abuse of power, she has had to admit that more than 2 dozen
contacts were made between her staff and family to the person that she
later fired, pressuring him to fire her ex-brother-in-law. She tried to
replace the man she fired with a man who she knew had been reprimanded
for sexual harassment; when this caused a public furor, she withdrew
her support.

She has bitten the hand of every person who extended theirs to her in
help. The City Council person who personally escorted her around town
introducing her to voters when she first ran for Wasilla City Council
became one of her first targets when she was later elected Mayor. She
abruptly fired her loyal City Administrator; even people who didn’t
like the guy were stunned by this ruthlessness.

Fear of retribution has kept all of these people from saying anything
publicly about her.

When then-Governor Murkowski was handing out political plums, Sarah got
the best, Chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission: one
of the few jobs not in Juneau and one of the best paid. She had no
background in oil & gas issues. Within months of scoring this great
job which paid $122,400/yr, she was complaining in the press about the
high salary. I was told that she hated that job: the commute, the
structured hours, the work. Sarah became aware that a member of this
Commission (who was also the State Chair of the Republican Party)
engaged in unethical behavior on the job. In a gutsy move which some
undoubtedly cautioned her could be political suicide, Sarah solved all
her problems in one fell swoop: got out of the job she hated and
garnered gobs of media attention as the patron saint of ethics and as a
gutsy fighter against the “old boys’ club” when she dramatically quit,
exposing this man’s ethics violations (for which he was fined).

As Mayor, she had her hand stuck out as far as anyone for pork from
Senator Ted Stevens. Lately, she has castigated his pork-barrel
politics and publicly humiliated him. She only opposed the “bridge to
nowhere” after it became clear that it would be unwise not to.

As Governor, she gave the Legislature no direction and budget
guidelines, then made a big grandstand display of line-item vetoing
projects, calling them pork. Public outcry and further legislative
action restored most of these projects–which had been vetoed simply
because she was not aware of their importance–but with the unobservant
she had gained a reputation as “anti-pork”.

She is solidly Republican: no political maverick. The State party
leaders hate her because she has bit them in the back and humiliated
them. Other members of the party object to her self-description as a
fiscal conservative.

Around Wasilla there are people who went to high school with Sarah.
They call her “Sarah Barracuda” because of her unbridled ambition and
predatory ruthlessness. Before she became so powerful, very ugly
stories circulated around town about shenanigans she pulled to be made
point guard on the high school basketball team. When Sarah’s
mother-in-law, a highly respected member of the community and
experienced manager, ran for Mayor, Sarah refused to endorse her.

As Governor, she stepped outside of the box and put together of package
of legislation known as “AGIA” that forced the oil companies to march
to the beat of her drum.

Like most Alaskans, she favors drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge. She has questioned if the loss of sea ice is linked to
global warming. She campaigned “as a private citizen” against a state
initiaitive that would have either a) protected salmon streams from
pollution from mines, or b) tied up in the courts all mining in the
state (depending on who you listen to). She has pushed the State’s
lawsuit against the Dept. of the Interior’s decision to list polar
bears as threatened species.

McCain is the oldest person to ever run for President; Sarah will be a
heartbeat away from being President.

There has to be literally millions of Americans who are more
knowledgeable and experienced than she.

However, there’s a lot of people who have underestimated her and are
regretting it.

CLAIM VS FACT
•“Hockey mom”: true for a few years
•“PTA mom”: true years ago when her first-born was in elementary
school, not since
•“NRA supporter”: absolutely true
•social conservative: mixed. Opposes gay marriage, BUT vetoed a bill
that would have denied benefits to employees in same-sex relationships
(said she did this because it was unconsitutional).
•pro-creationism: mixed. Supports it, BUT did nothing as Governor to
promote it.
•“Pro-life”: mixed. Knowingly gave birth to a Down’s syndrome baby
BUT declined to call a special legislative session on some pro-life
legislation
•“Experienced”: Some high schools have more students than Wasilla has
residents. Many cities have more residents than the state of Alaska.
No legislative experience other than City Council. Little hands-on
supervisory or managerial experience; needed help of a city
administrator to run town of about 5,000.
•political maverick: not at all
•gutsy: absolutely!
•open & transparent: ??? Good at keeping secrets. Not good at
explaining actions.
•has a developed philosophy of public policy: no
•”a Greenie”: no. Turned Wasilla into a wasteland of big box stores
and disconnected parking lots. Is pro-drilling off-shore and in ANWR.
•fiscal conservative: not by my definition!
•pro-infrastructure: No. Promoted a sports complex and park in a city
without a sewage treatment plant or storm drainage system. Built
streets to early 20th century standards.
•pro-tax relief: Lowered taxes for businesses, increased tax burden on
residents
•pro-small government: No. Oversaw greatest expansion of city
government in Wasilla’s history.
•pro-labor/pro-union. No. Just because her husband works union
doesn’t make her pro-labor. I have seen nothing to support any claim
that she is pro-labor/pro-union.

WHY AM I WRITING THIS?

First, I have long believed in the importance of being an informed
voter. I am a voter registrar. For 10 years I put on student voting
programs in the schools. If you google my name (Anne Kilkenny +
Alaska), you will find references to my participation in local
government, education, and PTA/parent organizations.

Secondly, I’ve always operated in the belief that “Bad things happen
when good people stay silent”. Few people know as much as I do because
few have gone to as many City Council meetings.

Third, I am just a housewife. I don’t have a job she can bump me out
of. I don’t belong to any organization that she can hurt. But, I am no
fool; she is immensely popular here, and it is likely that this will
cost me somehow in the future: that’s life.

Fourth, she has hated me since back in 1996, when I was one of the 100
or so people who rallied to support the City Librarian against Sarah’s
attempt at censorship.

Fifth, I looked around and realized that everybody else was afraid to
say anything because they were somehow vulnerable.

CAVEATS
I am not a statistician. I developed the numbers for the increase in
spending & taxation 2 years ago (when Palin was running for Governor)
from information supplied to me by the Finance Director of the City of
Wasilla, and I can’t recall exactly what I adjusted for: did I adjust
for inflation? for population increases? Right now, it is impossible
for a private person to get any info out of City Hall–they are
swamped. So I can’t verify my numbers.

You may have noticed that there are various numbers circulating for the
population of Wasilla, ranging from my “about 5,000”, up to 9,000. The
day Palin’s selection was announced a city official told me that the
current population is about 7,000. The official 2000 census count was
5,460. I have used about 5,000 because Palin was Mayor from 1996 to
2002, and the city was growing rapidly in the mid-90’s.

On the DNC’s political auctioneers

We will not take another dime from Washington lobbyists. They will not fund my party. — Barack Obama, June 5, 2008

For someone who has spoken out so strongly against lobbyists in the past, Barack Obama could have a east said something about members of his party going haywire in their own lavishness during the Democratic National Convention. As reported here:

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Conventions/Story?id=5648474&page=1

the scenes in Denver during that week were troubling, at best, and disgusting at worst. Now, I know why, perhaps, Obama may have shirked responsibility for speaking out against such foolishness. The convention was supposed to be about party unity and everyone “getting on the same page” once again to move the party, and Obama, forward through the general election. Had Obama publicly ramrodded Patrick Leahy, Carl Levin, Henry Waxman and Steve Farber, who heads one of the largest lobbying firms in Washington and who was also chosen by Howard Dean to serve as chief fund-raiser and co-chair of the committee that puts on the convention, he would have further fractured a party that was on the mend in the wake of en masse Clinton-Obama bloodletting.

But this time, I think silence was the wrong move for Obama, and that silence chipped away some credibility. For all the Democrats’ supposed champion causes, like the environment, meeting the needs of the poor and sick, etc., this was an rich-man’s about-face. Says the article:

Farber and his team have persuaded some 141 corporations to contribute more than $50 million to pay the costs of putting on the Democrats’ convention.

Outside an elaborate private party he hosted Sunday night at Denver’s Museum of Art, Farber told ABC News he does not agree with Obama’s attempt to exclude lobbyists and their money from the campaign.

“I respect the position that’s been taken by the Senator, but I don’t necessarily agree with it,” said Farber.

Farber said his efforts, and the corporate contributions, had less to do with access and influence and more to do with “democracy.”

According to the report, the companies’ referred to can help fund the convention because of a legal loophole.

This article from the Rocky Mountain News is just as telling: http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/May/12/dnc-sponsorships-raise-questions-on-motivations/

Everything is for sale, and this summer’s Democratic National Convention in Denver is no exception.

More than four dozen national corporations have signed up as sponsors of the convention – everyone from Allstate to Xerox. And almost all of them have the same thing in common: They either have business with the federal government or they lobby on pending issues.

And that prompts a myriad of questions.

Are the big companies simply being good corporate citizens? Or are they looking for access – maybe not to the presidential nominee, but to members of Congress and party officials who can help make sure their issues get heard? — Rocky Mountain News, May 12, 2008

Apparently, 141 companies wound up contributing an estimated $50 million to pay for the convention. Here is a brief list of companies to keep on your radar.

This year’s political conventions brought to you by . . .

Organizations that have committed to sponsor both the Democratic National Convention in Denver and the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis and some of the issues they have lobbied on:

* QWEST

General business issues; rewrite of the 1996 Telecommunications Act; universal service reform; video franchise relief; broadband deployment; protection of records

* XCEL ENERGY

Climate change, renewable energy-related issues; Clean Energy Act of 2007; Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act of 2007; wind production tax credit; Climate Security Act

* SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION

Contracting out of security guard functions by federal agencies; National Defense Authorization Act

* AT&T

Telecom issues, including implementation of the 1996 Telecommunications Act; congressional oversight and video franchise reform; Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Amendments Act; cash balance issues in the Pension Protection Act

* ASTRAZENECA

Drug importation; foreign drug inspection program; Medicaid drug rebates; drug safety; pediatric drug provisions; compounding issues; Children’s Health Insurance Program

* TRAVELERS INSURANCE

Flood Insurance Reform and Modernization Act of 2007; Homeowners Defense Act of 2007; National Insurance Act of 2007; Nondiscriminatory Use of Consumer Reports and Consumer Information Act of 2008; Homeowners Insurance Protection Act of 2007

* 3M

Emissions control and safety systems; airline and baggage security issues; federal appropriations; science- based decision-making on water and air quality

* MERCK

Increased funding for National Immunization Program; funding for Food and Drug Administration; patent reform legislation; opposition to drug importation

* ALLSTATE INSURANCE

Legislation related to “black box” recorders on new automobiles; the Cameron Gulbransen Kids and Cars Safety Act of 2007; Damaged Vehicle Information Act; Passenger Vehicle Loss Disclosure Act

* VISA

Various legislation related to credit card issuer practices

* AMGEN

Drug safety; legislation related to pharmaceuticals, including the Patient Protection and Innovative Biologics Medicines Act of 2007

* NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF HOME BUILDERS

Bankruptcy reforms to prevent foreclosures; tax incentives for renewable energy

* LILLY

Drug-importation issues; Medicare and Medicaid coverage and reimbursement issues; pharmaceutical regulations; tax issues; patent issues

* BURLINGTON NORTHERN SANTA FE RAILWAY

Rail Antitrust Enforcement Act; tax credits, rail capacity, rail infrastructure; Railroad Competition Improvement and Reauthorization Act

* MEDTRONIC

Patent reform; health-care related bills, including legislation related to safety of advanced medical devices, promotion of health information technology systems

* US BANK

Legislation reauthorizing New Markets Tax Credit

* ARCHER DANIELS MIDLAND

Farm Bill provisions; other legislation affecting renewable fuels; freight rail issues

* FORD

Fuel-efficiency issues, climate-change issues; employee benefits, health care and pension issues; corporate governance and tax issues; arbitration rules

* ANHEUSER-BUSCH

Matters relating to the malt beverage industry; family entertainment; regulation of marine mammals, endangered species and wildlife; solid waste disposal issues; legislation affecting recycling deposits

* STATE FARM INSURANCE

Legislation that would remove antitrust exemptions and subject insurance industry to Federal Trade Commission regulation — Rocky Mountain News, May 12, 2008

As for Obama, his campaign said the primary season wrapped up too late for the campaign to make modifications to the convention plans. Thus, they claim the high-spending and political auctioneering could not be avoided this time. The campaign says it will work in the future to avoid such lobbyist influences. But I say: not as long as a guy like Farber is on the party’s clock. The first step is to give this cat the boot. But as that should have already happened, any hope I have that any of this subsiding is fading. Obama is the most inspirational speaker we have seen in decades, but if can’t — or simply won’t — right the ship and make good on his own rhetoric, we are in a political wasteland that will only steamroll on as before, with no change, continued big-money lobbying and selfish behavior from our public servants.

But it’s not too late. Hopefully, Obama will begin taking steps to stifle special interest groups and lobbying, at least in his own party, but we can only wait and see. One thing is for sure, guys like Farbar give us good reason to lose total faith in politics. But we shouldn’t. Without accountability, without the press and without stories that uncover Farber and the gang’s unchecked self-interests, we will continue sliding backward, not forward.

On McCain’s Sarah Palin VP choice

When I first heard that John McCain had picked Sarah Palin for the VP spot, I, like many, thought, “Who??”

When the initial shock wore off, I figure it’s probably the smartest thing politically that he could have done. I think it’s wily and down-right ruthless, but smart nonetheless. For all McCain’s talk about Obama’s lack of experience, and for him to up and pick a veep that is , not only decades his junior, but three year’s Obama’s junior and with less experience than Obama … well that’s plain hypocritical.

But it’s blatantly clear why McCain made the choice. A) Palin has a stronger conservative track record on the social issues that the evangelical base can rally around, while McCain slides more toward the center on certain issues and has, to some extent, made evangelicals a bit wary of throwing their vote into his hat. B) Palin is a woman and an attractive one at that (I didn’t know McCain was looking to one-up Cindy.) Regardless, Palin, for sure, will sway some women toward a McCain vote simply because of her gender. Since many were hanging their hopes on Hillary Clinton, McCain, at the least, gives woman who may not be too keep on Obama, an alternative.

Now, a word about Joe Biden. In many ways, Obama’s pick was for much the same reasons. Obama needed an experienced, white guy for counterbalance.

To say the McCain’s own VP pick was “brilliant,” however, as some have posited might be taking it too far. It was a smart move, no doubt, but not brilliant. I’m sure it has some staunch Republicans wondering about McCain’s decision-making and pure desire to do what is best for the party and the country. In my mind, the choice has nothing to do with who might be best suited for the job — even though that’s obviously the message McCain will tout. It has everything to do with simply trying to sway enough people his way. This decision was about votes, and if that’s not painfully clear to everyone keeping track of this election, including Palin herself, pull your head out of the sand.

2012 Olympics go intergalactic?

l apologize in advance for adding yet another opinion piece to the already over-loaded annuls of writing on the Olympics. But I’m egged on, however, by the sheer colossal nature in which the Games rocketed into our living rooms.

Rarely do I keep track of all the heart-tugging stories surrounding the athletes and their families. We’ve heard them all before: How Gustavo trained for the javelin throw by launching carved Brazil nut tree branches heavenward on some sun-soaked South American coast. How Ludwig worked on endurance by carrying his trusty Bavarian mountain scenthound backpack-style high into the Swedish mountains. How John from San Diego biked into the Nevada desert only to be greeted by a pack of unsympathetic wolves. How he slew them with a miniature pocketknife, carved out a souvenir from one of the beasts and appeared at the Games sporting a wolf fang necklace. How folks have sold off their own parents to afford the plane ride to the far reaches of the earth to compete.

I jest, but rarely do I get so enthralled that I pay much attention to stories like these. This year was no different. I was terribly unenthralled. I did, however, catch the occasional swim meet, volleyball match and track event. Michael Phelps? He made the case as the greatest Olympian ever, and the split-second win against Serbia’s Milorad Cavic was a site to behold. Usain Bolt? He crushed the 100- and 200-meter dashes.

But as this is not the sports section, I’ll move on.

Most of the opening and closing ceremonies, for me, were spent with my bottom lip somewhere between my mouth and the floor, which presented a problem as snacks were often present. “They are going to blow up the Bird’s Nest,” I thought to myself, as a seemingly endless train of snaps, crackles and pops enveloped the TV screen. During portions of the ceremony, we saw a giant, unfurling screen depicting various aspects of Chinese fine arts; a living representation of the movable type press and various performances geared toward presenting glimpses into traditional Chinese culture.

Forward 17 days. The closing ceremony, which was a depiction of where Chinese culture might be headed in the future, was equally as explosive. Hundreds proceeded to beat drums in perfect synchronization; ride glowing circular, bicycle-looking things; flip; dance; sing; and form symbolically poignant circles. There were more drummers dangling from the ceiling, glowing people, unearthly gadgets being wheeled all about, and of course, that eternally catchy song, “Beijing Beijing, I Love Beijing.”

Was it just me, or did anyone else think the Death Star was going to touch down at any minute during this wild, phantasmic hullabaloo? Given the enormity of the scenes and imagery presented, the Death Star would have fit right in. Darth Vader would have beamed down, choked out the overhead announcer with his mind, breathed heavily into the microphone and said, “Yao Ming, come join … (labored breathing) … the Dark Side.” Then, Luke Skywalker, Master Yoda, Mace Windu and the gang would envelope the Bird’s Nest, save the basketball star from certain peril and strike up another round of “Beijing Beijing, I Love Beijing,” as the whole galaxy celebrated, just like at the end of “Return of the Jedi.”

Or at least that’s how I imagined it. In all seriousness, the competition part was good, but “spellbinding” doesn’t quite describe the beginning and end. Was China trying too hard to impress during its galactic, $100 million show? To some degree, yes. Case in point: The country actually tried to manipulate the atmosphere to prevent rainfall during the ceremonies, firmly pushing weather patterns, God or what have you out of the way. Will merry ol’ London attempt to top it? Not a chance. If it does, the land venerated land of Shakespeare and Milton would have to go truly intergalactic. I’m thinking: London/Moon 2012: A Space Odyssey. But I don’t see tea-sipping, bookish gents summoning the cosmos any time soon.

Regardless, NBC currently has DVDs of the opening ceremonies available, and my wife and I are actually considering coughing up the $30 in the near future. That way, we can visit Ming, Phelps, Usain, Gustavo, Lugwig, Luke, Yoda and the gang any time I like.

For many immigrants, it’s a rigged game

We don’t know much about Armando Ojeda-Jimenez.

We know he was a 32-year-old illegal immigrant probably working in Oconee County, South Carolina in some capacity. According to his sister-in-law, he “drank a lot” and had been arrested numerous times on disorderly conduct and open container charges. We know he had a heart condition and died in jail recently after a period of nausea and vomiting. Most important of all, we know he had a family and was loved.

“He is a person, and he does belong to a family,” his sister-in-law said. “He’s been here for 10 years.”

Yes, he was probably not a saint, but viewing his disheveled countenance in the newspaper, one can’t help but feel a certain level of sympathy for the man. Let’s outline briefly the exceedingly steep ascent folks like him — immigrants seeking a better life in this country — face to get a small peek at the opportunities afforded legal Americans.

Born into poverty and into a country whose government fails to sustain its own people, there are often only two options. No. 1: Work your bones off to afford your children perhaps one toy per year for Christmas. Scratch and claw, live and die, with dirt under your fingernails, with little to show for it and little to pass on to your family. No. 2: Risk death and risk having your children grow up fatherless for the chance to create something better for them.

For those who choose the second option, jail, deportation and death aren’t the only risks involved. Couple those with challenges everyday Americans face, like a sour economy and high gas prices, and the mountain becomes nearly insurmountable. There’s no question immigrants know the risks involved. So, why do they take their chances? Because, despite the attempts of some politicians and talking heads to dehumanize them and present a purely legal, “Deport, deport, deport” stance, their humanness inescapably drives them. Human nature seeks betterment, and our government can’t build a high or thick enough wall to keep them from attempting to clamber from their dire situation.

Thus, when hard-liners — failed solicitor candidate Sarah Drawdy’s recent and ridiculous “Deport Illegals” campaign comes to mind — treat the mass of illegals as some faceless monolith void of individual feelings, it’s both offensive and repugnant. One can’t deny that, yes, undocumented workers are here illegally, and they are breaking the law. But while laws help keep society civil, they are not handed down from God. They are often imperfect, and one only has to look at our own sundry history of Jim Crow, school segregation and slavery to confirm as much.

The Associated Press this weekend (Aug. 24) ran a story about numerous deported individuals, prisoners, women and children who not only face uncertainty on the other side, but separation from their families and acute danger once back across. Women are routinely released at night in dangerous locations with no one to call. Family men take final calls from their sons and daughters in California and elsewhere, and once in Mexico, have no recourse, their entire lives having been built on this side of the river.

And what if Mexicans and others do attempt to come here legally? The process of obtaining a legal entrance into the country is like walking a high-wire act, much more so for someone in Mexico with little resources to learn how. For instance, with an able Internet connection and a decent grasp of the English language, I searched the U.S. Citizenship and Naturalization Services Web site for an hour and found cumbersome language, legal-speak and awkwardly placed links. Three levels deep into the site did I finally come across a naturalization guide. Once applicants have filed with the office, some, like one illegal I have spoken with, wait years while governmental wranglings take place. Others have to hire translators to attend office visits with them and are forced to forego a day’s pay just to undergo shotty customer service and terse government workers.

Thus, immigrants’ entire existence becomes a catch-22, and the deck is heavily stacked against them. They can’t stay in Mexico, and while they can come here legally, we might as well ask them to turn cartwheels while riding a unicycle. The story of Ojeda-Jimenez, like so many, was a tragic one. His sister-in-law reminded us, however, that he wasn’t just another number. Hard-liners want us to strip these people of their individuality and humanity so that when deportation time comes, we will shrug our shoulders and pride ourselves on our own blue-blooded Americanism. But I can’t take pride in destroyed lives. Ojeda-Jimenez was clearly troubled and had some demons to slay. But staring down the odds of millions like him, I can’t say that I would be in any better shape.