Since first reporting that Serve.gov was listing activist positions with ACORN it seems now that all ACORN listings have been scrubbed from the taxpayer-funded site without any explanation as to why they were on it in the first place. The government was using our taxpayer dollars to advertise for volunteer opportunities to promote the president's partisan agenda via a corrupt organization under investigation for voter registration fraud, among other things.
Initially you could type "ACORN" into the search field on Serve.gov and various listings from planting trees to volunteering to get out the vote in Ohio, for ACORN, would appear in the results. It's important to note that several ACORN positions were listed directly on the federally-funded Serve.gov -- not just on the AllforGood.org website.
The act of removing these listings indicates that Serve.gov knew it was a) wrong to use a federal website to funnel volunteers to campaign for the president and DNC and, 2) bad for them to be seen further associating with ACORN in light of the recently released videos combined with ongoing investigations.
I vote b. They don't see anything wrong at all. "It's just such a bore when those retarded righty wingnuts are led by Glenn Beck to have a temper tantrum. It gets in the way of getting things done!"
This doesn't necessarily mean, however, that the administration is finished with trying to recruit Americans for do-gooder volunteer opportunities that are subterfuge for unpaid political promotion; they've just realized that perhaps advertising it on a site for which we all pay perhaps isn't the slickest way to go about it.
We've heard the audio from the now-infamous NEA call that asks for sympathetic artists to allow their skills to be co-opted by the administration so that they may push their agenda in a subtler manner. On the call we heard people like Buffy Wicks and Nell Abernathy mention Serve.gov and United We Serve together when discussing the topic of volunteer recruitment.
The White House has not offered an apology nor explanation as to why taxpayers were paying for a federal website to push an agenda that half the country opposes.
This, coupled with the NEA scandal, shows that this administration hasn't abandoned its goal of using subterfuge to raise synthetic support for its agenda and will use any means possible.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2009 00:00 ||
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Don't worry Commies. ACORN and it's hydra affiliates can change names faster than a banned Pakistani jihad group.
Posted by: ed ||
09/24/2009 7:44 Comments ||
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Promise Grants, which provide up to $4,000 over four years for 96,000 Michigan College students, have been eliminated in the higher education budget approved in conference committee this afternoon.
The budget also eliminates $60 million from financial aid, including Michigan Competitive Scholarships, the work-study program and grants for nurses, graduate students, private college students and others.
Meanwhile, a separate panel restored 55 laid off-state police troopers and said funding may be there to bring back 18 to 25 more. And the committee directed the state to buy the controversial state police headquarters building rather than rent it. Also, the committee hammering out the community health budget is discussing taxing doctors to pay for growing Medicaid costs. Top lawmakers also expressed confidence that the budgets for 15 state departments will be hammered out and approved today.
The higher education conference committee chair, Rep. Joan Bauer, D-Lansing, in an unusual move voted against approving the conference report. Sen. Jim Barcia, D-Bay City, also opposed the plan, but it passed 4-2 and goes to the Legislature.
"We made a promise to students," Bauer said. "If we don't fund this in any way, those students who planned on this will not have the money and will have to come up with the money to pay that back."
George Cushingberry Jr., D-Detroit, said he voted in favor of the plan, saying it's time for lawmakers to "pay the piper."
"I need to cut 1.8 billion (out of the budget), and I need to do it now," Cushingberry said. "You can't have your cake and eat it, too. At some point, we have to come to some conclusion that you have to pay as you go."
Cushingberry said lawmakers will look to come up with a funding source for some form of scholarship to replace the Promise grant, but it may be need-based.
State Budget Director Robert Emerson said: "Clearly, the Promise Grant is one of the governor's highest priorities. We're extremely concerned they felt the lowest priority in the higher education budget was the students."
He said since the Promise Grant is not funded at all in the budget, Gov. Jennifer Granholm can't use a line-item veto to restore it.
Operating budgets for the state's 15 universities will be cut by 0.4 percent under this plan. Without an infusion of $67 million in federal stimulus money, the cut would have been steeper. The total cut to universities is $147 million.
Michael Boulus, executive director of the Presidents' Council of State Universities of Michigan, said the Promise Grant is now not a promise at all. He added that cuts in financial aid in this budget move Michigan from the top one-third in financial aid per student to the bottom one-third.
The full House passed its first funding bill this afternoon, voting to approve $299.4 million for community colleges. Negotiators had agreed to fund the colleges, considered to play a key role in training state workers for high-demand jobs, at the same level as this year.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2009 00:00 ||
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Sen. Arlen Specter isn't inconsistent -- he merely follows the political winds, no matter how they're blowing. His latest shift: He now wants to help labor bosses start more unions.
As a liberal Republican in 2007, Specter backed the Employee Free Choice Act, a cynically named bill labor was pushing because it would ban secret ballots, making it harder for coerced workers to resist organizing drives.
Then, feeling heat from the right -- in the form of a primary challenge -- Specter decided it best to oppose the bill, and quickly flip-flopped.
But then the winds shifted yet again: Having switched parties, Specter's now facing a challenge from his left -- from Democratic Rep. Joseph Sestak.
But, hey -- no problem for Specter. He's now back to pandering to the left -- to the very same labor bosses, in fact, whom he once betrayed on the "Free Choice" bill.
This time, Specter wouldn't ban secret ballots, but only require fast-track elections: If even a small group of workers petitions to unionize, an election would have to be scheduled within a week.
Labor bosses believe the short timetable would let them quickly ram through more votes in favor of organizing. Never mind any debate -- or even thoughtful consideration of the issue.
For Specter, it's the politics that count. If you want to know where he'll be on the issue next week, check with the weatherman.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2009 00:00 ||
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For Specter, it's the politics that count. This IDIOT is the POSTER CHILD for TERM LIMITS and those in Washington who should be VOTED OUT in 2010!!
#2
His Democrat primary challenger is way ahead of him, and even if he wins the primary, both Republican candidates are way ahead of him. Some wit even suggested that he should be welcomed to retirement by people mailing him packages of Depends.
#3
Specter is the human chameleon. He turns into the color of whatever his background is at the moment. He would become a Republican (?) again if that's where the power was at the time.
HOWIE CARR
This has got to be it for Mumbles - one more election, one more term.
Forget that yesterday they weren't counting his votes, they were weighing them. Yes, he's going to win one final four-year term on Nov. 3, his fifth. But it's over.
Mumbles looked exhausted yesterday. He looked old and fat, both of which he is. "One group sees a city that's broken," he said after voting. "I see a city that's, uh, makin' progress every day. I did those three debates with my col - my opponents and, uh, everything was bad about Boston."
Lucky for Mumbles, the hope-and-change mantra appears to be on the fritz this year. You can't fool all of the people all of the time, as Sam Yoon found out the hard way. Keep the change, Sam.
But Mumbles is 66 years old, and spending Sunday afternoon in his own neighborhood after another gruesome murder cannot be fun. Think how much worse it'll be - in every way - in four years.
He's turning into Dapper O'Neil. The Dap hung on to his Council slot for a decade, maybe longer, after he peaked, but after a while he was just managing his own decline. Ditto, Mumbles. Like Macbeth, those he commands move only in command, nothing in love.
"I feel great," he said, sounding not so great. "You know butter - a little butterflies you always do on election day, but we have a field organization that's ready to go to work to, uh, get the votes out. . . ."
Mumbles, you can go out on your own terms, like the last four mayors did, or you can hang on and get taken out by some "little clerk," the way Curley was. I know, they say an incumbent mayor in Boston can't lose. Yeah, just like they said nobody from Southie could ever win citywide, or that Boston would never elect a guy whose last name name ended in a vowel.
"I feel great," he said, sounding even less great than the last time he said was feeling great. "Uh, jus' continue work in the neighborhoods today. We're talkin' to the folks who do our recyclin' is the city o' Boston, creatin' jobs, sustainability in our city."
Recycling. Yes, that's what Mumbles is all about these days. He's recycling himself. "That's what we're tryin' to do all the time is make sure we have create more jobs in Boston as a 'stainable city."
Almost every single person Mumbles came up with in politics is gone - a few to the cemetery, most to the suburbs, or Florida. And by the end of the year, Yoon and Flaherty will be calling the moving trucks, too.
That's the 'stainable city.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2009 00:00 ||
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Mumbles for U.S. Senate! If that doesn't restore our claim as #1 state laughingstock, only Dukakis as interim U.S. Senator will.
Paul G. Kirk Jr., the former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, will replace the late Ted Kennedy in the Senate until a special election is held in January, sources told FOX News.
But a constitutional dispute is delaying final passage of a bill allowing Gov. Deval Patrick to name Kennedy's successor.
Kennedy's sons had urged the governor to pick Kirk, a former aide to the late Massachusetts Democrat. A family confidant told The Associated Press Wednesday both Edward Kennedy Jr. and Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., had endorsed Kirk in separate phone calls.
A top aide to Massachusetts Patrick confirmed the contacts but added, "No decision has been made yet." A spokeswoman in Patrick Kennedy's congressional office declined to comment.
"Sober up, sir! I need a statement for the press!"
Massachusetts lawmakers are expected Wednesday to give final approval to a change in the Senate succession law so the governor can temporarily fill Senate vacancies. The interim senator would serve until the seat is filled permanently through a special election on Jan. 19.
Patrick could announce his pick as early as Thursday.
But under the Massachusetts Constitution, laws enacted by the Legislature and signed by the governor become law after 90 days. For laws to take effect immediately, lawmakers must attach a so-called "emergency preamble," which requires a two-thirds vote in each chamber.
Republicans, who oppose the bill, say they'll fight any attempt to have the law take effect without an emergency preamble. The bill won initial approval in both chambers, but fell far short of a two-thirds majority.
Senate President Therese Murray said the law could still take effect if Patrick signed a letter declaring an emergency.
The 71-year-old Kirk, a Boston attorney, was close friends with the senator. He and his wife, Gail, live on Cape Cod, and he was among the few people allowed to regularly visit Kennedy at his Hyannis Port home before he died there of brain cancer on Aug. 25. Kirk also knows the senator's staff intimately and would likely be assured of their loyalty given his relationship with Kennedy.
As a senior statesmen who has never served in political office, he would pose no threat to any of the candidates competing in the special election. The Democratic field includes Attorney General Martha Coakley, vying to be the state's first female senator, and U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano, the lone member of the state's congressional delegation in the race.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2009 00:00 ||
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Doesn't one have to knighted (or marry into the "family") before being allowed to take the bastard prince's demi throne?
Posted by: ed ||
09/24/2009 7:50 Comments ||
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Some of the Caesars 'adopted' their successor to maintain a social legitimacy. No need for a marriage, though Massachusetts now allows for that too.
#3
No need for a marriage, though Massachusetts now allows for that too.
Hah.
Posted by: ed ||
09/24/2009 8:25 Comments ||
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I think some of the little pinces appointed him protector (of the seat) until of one of them is out of rehab long enough to run for the seat. Sad that Mass people don't wake up and notice the Kennedy's have no clothes.
House Minority Whip Eric Cantor thinks House Speaker Nancy Pelosi "is in another world" if she believes raucous anti-health-reform demonstrations could lead to violence -- and he says he hasn't personally witnessed racist comments during a summer of passionate town hall demonstrations.
The Virginia Republican, speaking to POLITICO on a day when President Barack Obama was meeting with Israeli and Palestinian leaders in New York, expressed a dim view of the White House's Middle East policy, saying Obama doesn't seem to be a "true friend" of the Jewish state.
Cantor, who hasn't met with senior administration officials for months, also criticized Obama for failing to coordinate Afghanistan policy with congressional Republicans, who he believes are key to overcoming Democratic opposition to troop buildups.
The House GOP's No. 2 man -- labeled "Dr. No" by Democrats for opposing the stimulus package and other Obama initiatives -- expressed frustration with Pelosi's suggestion last week that the vitriol injected into the health reform debate could end in violence akin to the assassination of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone in the 1970s.
"I think she's living in another world -- I really do," Cantor said of the California Democrat. "I'm not condoning any of the things that, you know, the media may catch in terms of messages on the signs and what have you. But I have not run into any violence. I have not run into crowds running over people. We should want spirited debate, although civil, ... and I've not been anywhere over the last several months where I would even think such a situation where violence is in the offing exists."
Cantor shook his head from side to side and pointed to the flat-screen TV in his office on the third floor of the Capitol when asked if he personally heard any racist remarks about Obama during several public meetings he held in the Richmond area in the past two months -- which included a health care forum he held with Rep. Bobby Scott, an African-American Democrat from Virginia.
"I've certainly seen it on the television screens -- but I have not personally run into it," he said. "Certainly, if I did, I would be as turned off as you would be -- it's abhorrent and it has no role in this discussion. ... That's why when Jimmy Carter stepped out and said this about the president's race, ... my comment was, 'That's abhorrent, that's living in another world, another time.'"
Pelosi spokesman Brendan Daly didn't respond to Cantor directly but referred to the speaker's emotional remarks from last Thursday.
"Our country is great because people can say what they think and they believe," Pelosi said. "But I also think that they have to take responsibility for any incitement that they may cause."
One senior Democratic aide was more blunt, asking, "What about hanging [Maryland Democratic Rep. Frank] Kratovil in effigy, death threats against members or the signs at the tea party rally on Sept. 12 saying, 'Bury Obamacare With Kennedy'?"
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2009 00:00 ||
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"But I also think that they have to take responsibility for any incitement that they may cause."
Liberals are way more violent than conservatives. What do you plan to do about that, Nancy?
When you're dealing with a firestorm of criticism there's no time to Tweet.
News of the ACORN scandal has spread wildly on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube in recent weeks and now it appears that Chief Executive Officer Bertha Lewis is ready to fight back.
According to an ad posted today in the Washington Post job section, Lewis is looking to hire a personal tailor for her social media profiles. Duties include "Helping to create or upgrade a presence for Bertha Lewis, ACORNs Chief Organizer, on various social media, including: Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, etc."
Don't quit your day job yet, however, it appears that the job only offers 0-20K. You get what you pay for, Bertha... It's more than ACORN pays for voter registration ...
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2009 00:00 ||
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How difficult could it be to send out a message like "WTF, Barack? Seriously, you POS, return my calls! K, THX." Are blackberries really that complicated?
I mean, hell, she probably thinks Sarah Palin is a moron, but at least Sarah can manage her own Facebook page and tweet no matter how much the Legacy Media and outlets like the HuffPo dump on her. Wuss!
By Philip Klein One of the subplots to the health care debate I've been following is the cozy relationship between AARP and the Obama administration, as the group has thrown its full-throated support behind the Democrats' health care push even though their membership comes from the age group most opposed to Democratic health care proposals. Today, House Republicans have issued a report providing evidence that AARP is in a position to recieve tens of millions of dollars in "kickbacks" if Democratic health care legislation becomes law.
President Obama and Democrats have proposed saving money to pay for health care legislation, in part, by cutting $162 billion in payments to Medicare Advantage, which allows Medicare recipients to choose privately-administered coverage. If these changes go through, millions of seniors who have chosen Medicare Advantage would lose their current coverage, forcing them into government-administered plans with less generous benefits. As a result, many of them would have to purchase policies to supplement traditional Medicare. Enter AARP.
In 2008, AARP generated $652.7 million in revenue by selling products like Medigap supplemental Medicare insurance, accounting for over 60 percent of the group's revenue, according to an analysis of its financial statements cited in the report released by the House Republican Conference.
If the House Democrats health care bill becomes law, the report argues, it would be a boon to AARP, because while Medicare Advantage plans will be required to pay out 85 percent of the money collected in premiums to claims made by policy holders, the requirement would only be 65 percent for the kind of Medigap policies sold by AARP.
"In other words, under the Democrat bill, seniors could pay as much as 20 cents more out of every premium dollar to fund 'kickbacks' to AARP-sponsored Medigap plans than Medicare Advantage plans," the GOP report charges.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2009 00:00 ||
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American Medical Association, another "Kickback"?????
It's complicated but in essence the Feds give the AMA the rresponsibilty for setting the procedure coding scheme (CPT-4) and the franchise to sell the coding books. This represents a sizable chunk of the AMA's income.
Note: The AMA represents less than 20% of the nations Physicians.
2. HCFA shall: (a) publicly endorse the use of CPT-4 based HCPCS for the purpose set forth in paragraph 1; (b) where permitted by HCFA's statutory authority and budgetary constraints, require the use of CPT-4 based HCPCS in programs administered by HCFA by its agents and other entities participating in those programs; and (c) encourage the voluntary use of CPT-4 based HCPCS by others.(10)
There it is: the AMA imposes its onerous coding regulations on physicians in the name of HCFA.
Virtually every crime has a motive, and the motive here money. Lots of it. The AMA declares on its Web site that the AMA "generates approximately two-thirds of its annual $200 million operating budget from non-dues sources."(11) Of that $133 million in non-dues revenue, the AMA's publication revenue, including sales of those expensive CPT code books, is its most prominent source.(12) The victims of these endlessly complicated revisions to codings are physicians rendering private medical care. Each year physicians pay substantial costs and expend precious hours trying to keep up with the rules imposed by the AMA's CPT money-making machine. The time and money lost by physicians due to the AMA could be far better spent in the service of patients.
Filmed on June, 2009 at B. Bernice Young Elementary School in Burlington, NJ. I sent a note to the principal giving him a heads up -- I'll let y'all know if I get a response. Not that I expect one, the poor man will no doubt be swamped for the near future.
Breitbart has the school's response. They link to the school's website, but it's very slow to load:
Response to Unauthorized Video of Class Activity
September 24, 2009
Today we became aware of a video that was placed on the internet which has been reported in the media. The video is of a class of students singing a song about President Obama. The activity took place during Black History Month in 2009, which is recognized each February to honor the contributions of African Americans to our country. Our curriculum studies, honors and recognizes those who serve our country. The recording and distribution of the class activity were unauthorized.
Posted by: ed ||
09/24/2009 10:12 ||
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So the Stalinist praising of Dear Leader was just fine and dandy. Only the videoing and releasing it was unauthorized. It seems the miseducational system in that state needs to be torn down and rebuilt from scratch and the educators go into journalism or prostitution where that behavior is accepted.
Posted by: ed ||
09/24/2009 16:35 Comments ||
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#4
The activity took place during Black History Month in 2009, which is recognized each February to honor the contributions of African Americans to our country.
It's also the month of President's Day. So, like, you had similar programs for President Bush during his tenure too? /sarc off
BALTIMORE (AP) - Community activist group ACORN is suing the makers of a hidden-camera video that showed employees of its Baltimore office giving tax advice to a man posing as a pimp and a woman posing as a prostitute.
The liberal group contends that the audio portion of the video was obtained illegally because Maryland requires two-party consent to create sound recordings.
The two employees seen in the video were fired after it was posted online. The lawsuit says the employees, Tonja Thompson and Shera Williams, suffered "extreme emotional distress."
The legal theory being that if you prevent people from helping prostitutes evade taxes and set up a slavery ring, well that hurts their feelings soooo much
The multimillion-dollar lawsuit seeks damages from James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles, who played the pimp and prostitute in the videos, and from conservative columnist Andrew Breitbart, who posted the videos on his Web site.
Posted by: lord garth ||
09/24/2009 08:44 ||
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Won't make it to the courthouse steps. Another "all wow, no sham" production.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
09/24/2009 12:14 Comments ||
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Interesting question of standing - how does ACORN have it if they fired the two employees in the tape? I'd love to see their argument on that.
Breitbart's in the clear, according to the Supremes (no, I don't remember the case name off the top of my head).
IANAL (Gott sei Dank!).
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
09/24/2009 13:55 Comments ||
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Last I heard, acorn claimed those agents wee fired, but they're still at work, so it's a straight lie.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
09/24/2009 14:07 Comments ||
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#7
redneck
maybe the Acorn folks were fired from their jobs are office director and assistant office director and then hired to be office manager and assistant office manager (or some similar change)
that change would certainly have caused a huge amount of emotional distress
Posted by: lord garth ||
09/24/2009 14:41 Comments ||
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#8
Needless point to make in this forum, but it all once again points to the phueching overarching problem, and that would be LAWYERS!
#10
It'll be the icing in the cake if someone found an actual underage brothel operating with the advice and support of ACORN. (Of course not for the poor girls involved...).
Like someone above said - discovery is going to be a real bitch for ACORN.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Promise Grants, which provide up to $4,000 over four years for 96,000 Michigan College students, have been eliminated in the higher education budget approved in conference committee this afternoon.
Sen. Arlen Specter isn't inconsistent -- he merely follows the political winds, no matter how they're blowing. His latest shift: He now wants to help labor bosses start more unions.
Paul G. Kirk Jr., the former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, will replace the late Ted Kennedy in the Senate until a special election is held in January, sources told FOX News.
House Minority Whip Eric Cantor thinks House Speaker Nancy Pelosi "is in another world" if she believes raucous anti-health-reform demonstrations could lead to violence -- and he says he hasn't personally witnessed racist comments during a summer of passionate town hall demonstrations.
One of the subplots to the health care debate I've been following is the cozy relationship between AARP and the Obama administration, as the group has thrown its full-throated support behind the Democrats' health care push even though their membership comes from the age group most opposed to Democratic health care proposals. Today, House Republicans have issued a report providing evidence that AARP is in a position to recieve tens of millions of dollars in "kickbacks" if Democratic health care legislation becomes law.
