Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Just Wondering...

How many of you still believe the government is here to save us? Locally, we have our own problems. A couple weeks ago we learned that former District Attorney Robert Hecht helped himself to an extra $480,000 because he knew nobody was watching. We have our county commissioners doing their best to blame this obvious oversight on anyone and everyone but themselves. Our city council in their infinite wisdom has now made the mayor’s position one of total and absolute power. I don’t think that’s what we thought we were getting when we voted for our current city manager form of government. But what do I know?
Have you been watching the Bologovich circus unfold in Illinois? I can hardly wait to see how this thing unfolds over the next few months. You have to wonder how more heads are going to roll once he starts talking and naming names.
How about Obama’s Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel’s now famous quote “ You don’t ever want a good crisis go to waste; it’s an opportunity to do important things that you would otherwise want to avoid.” You don’t suppose that’s why we’re heading full speed ahead with Obama’s $1 trillion emergency bailout plan, do you?
You know what I’m talking about.The stimulus package Obama’s pushing as the only way America can survive. The same package he promised would be free from pork filled, pet projects. Yeah right.
I did a little poking around on the internet last night to find out just how pork-free this whole thing’s going to be. Evidently, in order for us to survive as a nation and jump start the economy we have to provide $88 million for the Coast Guard to design a new polar icebreaker. We have to supply $448 million for a new Homeland Security building and another $248 million to furnish it. They threw in $600 million to purchase new hybrid vehicles for federal employees. We’re going to fork over $200 million to create public computer centers at our community colleges. The FBI wants $75 million to give their employees a raise. $25 million is earmarked to go towards tribal alcohol and substance abuse reduction. The Smithsonian Institute was thought of when it was decided they should get about $150 million to do with as they see fit. Evidently the headquarters of the Public Health Service is in pretty bad shape because they stand to get $88 million so they can have a little nicer place to work. There’s $412 million set aside for the CDC (whatever that is) buildings. And another $500 million for repairing and refurbishing the buildings of the National Institute of Health in Maryland. The list goes on and on but I think you get the point.
Is this the change you were expecting? Sorry, nothing new here. This is the exact same way Washington’s always operated. If these pet projects were so critical to our survival as a nation and would in fact put a significant number of people back to work, they should be able to stand on their own merits rather than being crammed into this stimulus package and hoping nobody will notice. Like Rahm Emanuel said; never let a good crisis go to waste. Whatever.
One thing really did change though. Once Obama’s cabinet appointees started dropping like flies because it came out they were tax cheats, he took a stand. He stood up and told the American people he screwed this up. Don’t get me wrong here. I still oppose almost everything Obama stands for but it is refreshing to know he’s willing to take responsibility when things do go wrong. And for that he's earned my respect.
But then he blew it by saying later the same day, he “just had to get out of the White House." So he and his wife visited a classroom full of second graders. Sorry Mr. President, I know it had to be a stressful day and all. But what's going to happen if something really bad happens? Where are you going to run to then? Just wondering.

I’d like to thank everyone who stopped by the blog last week and joined in on the conversation, it was the busiest week yet. According to your votes on the survey question, 55% of you thought Kim Borchers is on the right track by asking the Shawnee County Library to keep four sexually explicit books behind the counter and out of the reach of little kids. Stop on by: www.rm235.blogspot.com or e-mail me: www.kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net

10 comments:

  1. Right on comments about Obama's cabinet disaster. It is incredible that with the supposed "thorough" background checks done on appointees that Obama or no one doing the check discovered that certain of his appointees hadn't paid all their taxes. So much for a "new type" of politics. It is the same con job that the liberals always try to get the American people to swallow. I don't think any more of him for acknowledging his mistake, however. He really had no choice since it was two of his main appointees. I find it incredibly difficult to believe he knew absolutely nothing about either of them. If not then he has aides who may be keeping things from him. We'll see as time goes on

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  2. Good to hear from you Mark. The main reason I feel him admitting his mistakes is the fact that you almost never hear any politician do that.

    Maybe I'm just tired of the constant political crap we have coming out of Topeka. And here it's never anybody's fault.

    Stop by anytime it's good for you...

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  3. Kevin, you always put out so many topics, it's hard to choose, but I'll focus on the bailout. Conservative leadership screwed up by complaining about birth control and STD funding. If they wanted to make an ethical statement that would reach the opposition, they should have said "this is money we never intend to pay back." I know they said it, but it was swallowed up by the stupid birth control and STD stuff. When will they learn to get and effective message and stay on message? Sorry to ask a stupid question.

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  4. Sorry about the whole "so many topics" thing Fred. I guess there's just so many things going on that piss me off.
    You're exactly right about the birth control and STD stuff though. Compared to some of the other pork in this orgasmic spending bill it really is chump change.
    In fact, I believe conservatives need to drop the whole "family values" thing too. Personally, I'm not interested in our political leaders telling us how we should live our lives. And I'm really not interested in how they live theirs either.
    What conservatives need to do right now is to get back to being fiscally responsible. Anyway, that's how I see it...

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  5. It was you neo-con's hero, dubya that got us into the hole we find ourselves in today. And it's going to take these drastic measures to get us out of it. Every single one of the so-called "pet project" you poked fun at will at least put people back to work.
    Get over yourself. Obama won. Your side lost. Get used to it!

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  6. And by the way. Where was your hero dubya hiding on the morning of 9-11. Oh yeah, he was in a classroom full of school children.
    But was he hiding or was he using this for his alibi when his plan was put into place to draw us into an illegal war with Iraq?

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  7. Hey Anonymous, do you really believe that Bush was hiding out with school children so he could start an "illegal" war. If you buy into that kind of conspiracy theory B.S. it makes it hard to take anything you say seriously. And what would the difference between an "illegal" and "legal" war be?

    And to educate you a little more it was the relaxed credit requirements during the Clinton years that started the problems we currently face.

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  8. Ah, don't be hard on my anonymous buddy there Open Road. Sounds like maybe he/she just had their tin foil hat polished or something.

    Some of these wacked out conspiracy theory nut jobs really believe they have it all figured out. It's funny how every major news organization in the world missed this one though.

    Thanks for chiming in today...

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  9. No, no, the many topics to choose from make it a smorgasbord (I'm Swedish, but I'm not looking up the spelling to that one) so we can all expect something when we come here. Did you hear Newt today with Chris Wallace? The closest he came to saying the bill was too expensive was the wording "the right bill" as in "McCain could have gotten behind Obama with the right bill." That kind of talk is far too safe to make any impact. I have yet to be convinced of the need for any stimulus money to be spent. But if they want to put people to work, do a $250 billion package that goes out this year. Right away. Fine. Okay. I'll shut up and let some anonymous immolate himself at me.

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  10. Good morning Fred. I saw your comment last night before I went to bed lastnight and was hoping to see what my anonymous buddy had to say. Oh well.

    I didn't hear Newt's comments you spoke of. Normally I agree with about everything he has to say but you gotta remember, at the end of the day he's just another politician. They all tell us what we want to hear and if it's something they're not exactly sure about they'll dance around it.

    Personally, I don't try very hard to be that politically correct. Here goes. This whole thing disgusts me to the very core of my existance.

    And even the most die-hard Obama supporters out there should feel the same way. And now, I'll shut up...

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