After the November election, Democrats will push for a second economic stimulus package that includes money for the states' stalled infrastructure projects, along with help paying for healthcare expenses, food stamps and extended unemployment benefits, U.S. Rep. Barney Frank said Thursday.
In a meeting with the editorial board of The Standard-Times, Rep. Frank, D-Mass., also called for a 25 percent cut in military spending, saying the Pentagon has to start choosing from its many weapons programs, and that upper-income taxpayers are going to see an increase in what they are asked to pay.
The military cuts also mean getting out of Iraq sooner, he said.
"The people of Iraq want us out, and we want to stay over their objection," he said. "It's extraordinary." The Maliki government in Iraq "can't sell (the withdrawal deal with the U.S.) because it sounds like we're going to stay too long."
"I was teasing (U.S. Rep.) Jack Murtha (a key supporter of military budgets) and I said to him, 'For the first time, somebody else has got a bill that's almost as big as yours.' We don't need all these fancy new weapons. I think there needs to be additional review."
Rep. Frank called on President Bush to appoint a senior official to guide the economic stimulus packages through the transition to the Barack Obama or John McCain administration when it takes office in January. And he said that if the Democrats can't find an adequate agreement on a stimulus package in the lame-duck Congress, they would rather wait until the new Congress takes over -- likely with many more Democrats, if polling results bear fruit in the November voting.
The new package, he said, will be aimed at easing fears about lending and investing. "The psychological problem is even worse than the real problem," he said. "There is money to lend and projects worth borrowing money to do. But people are afraid to lend. That's what we're trying to unfreeze."
States have many infrastructure projects -- bridges, highways, etc. -- that have been shut down because of a cash-flow problems, he said. So it is not the case that a stimulus will take months or years to wait for design and approval, since projects are already in progress or ready to go.
Also, he said, "we'll increase the federal share of medical care so states won't have to lay off people." Unemployment insurance benefits won't increase, he said, but the period of collecting them will, and eligibility requirements might be relaxed.
And, ultimately, there will be tax increases on the upper brackets. "We'll have to raise taxes ultimately. Not now, but eventually," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/26/2008 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11130 views]
Top|| File under:
#4
Fat Ted's on his way out. When is this homo whoremonger going to get AIDS and die? It can't come soon enough. Assachusetts and its pols are a cancer on the national body politic. I'd be in favor of expelling them from the Union.
#5
I served through the last 'whipping boy' period the military went through just after Vietnam. Ghetto housing, substandard pay [most married enlisted stateside were qualified for food stamps - at the time those stuck overseas didn't even have access to them], no money for training and spare parts, only one battalion in the entire Army prepared to deployed within 24 hours, scraping the bottom of the employment pool for bodies resulting in high levels of disciplinary actions [art. 15s, courts martial], desertions and AWOL, and drug abuse. Congress never really getting around to approving a budget [two months with paydays delayed as they fumbled to get even continuing resolutions past which finally ended with a year's continuing resolution]. Consequently military families were authorized to use the mess halls so that they could get feed when the pay didn't show up. In the last 70s I watched good officers and NCO leave in painful numbers because they just wanted a future for their children and families. Too many careerists remained around. Just enough of us to hold it together with the proverbial 'bailing wire and chewing gum' till we got the leadership and the means to rebuild it all from the nadir we reached. Good luck people. You can only play these games so many times before History catches up with you.
#7
I was a military wife during those times P2k. And I know that nothing would please the Rieds, Pelosis and Obamas of the world more than if our military were hollowed out but a sham shell remained for appearances.
This is what is in store if McCain/Palin lose, folks. And it will have consequences that may never be repaired because, in addition to the hollowing, this time there will be a push to subordinate US military actions to the UN, build a variety of compliant NGOs and 'civil forces' and make sure we never can respond unilaterally again no matter what the attack or provocation.
Which leaves us neutered and yet carrying major global burdens. And that's the desired end state. The main feature, not a bug.
#8
I truly hate to say it, but B. Frank might be righter than he knows. That is, with the current economic situation, Defense might *have* to be cut 25%. And Social Security might *have* to be cut 25%. And Medicare might *have* to be cut 25%. And Medicaid might *have* to be cut 25%.
And finally, discretionary spending, that is, everything else, which when lumped together is the 6th largest item, after interest on the national debt, which *cannot* be cut, will also *have* to be cut 25%.
Remember 1941 when Americans were beiong killed because they were amed with crap like Brewster Buffalos planes, Stuart and Lee/Grant tanks or teh marginally better P40s, Wildcat planes or Sharman tanks?
I suggest that any congressman telling thet "we"don't need such fancy new weapons gets to serve for a whole year in first line. Have a few congressmen returning in body bags and the others will no longer tell that "we" don't need such fancy weapons.
#14
JFM, in the old Roman Republic, when the Legions went to the field so too did a number of the Senators. When a Legion got destroyed, the Senators usually didn't return. It was an early version of quality control that promoted effectiveness over short term political gains.
#16
"it's not a tax increase, it's a toga party!investment in America"
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/26/2008 11:00 Comments ||
Top||
#17
Remember 1941 when Americans were beiong killed because they were amed with crap
In 1941 Americans were being dilled because they didn't have any weapons at all, a situation we are approaching now. How do the F-22, DDG-1000, et. al. help us in the next war if we don't have enough? Or even the war we're in, where they aren't used at all?
The Pentagon budget is full of weapons that are great on Powerpoint but don't get built in sufficient numbers to be useful in actual combat. Because they aren't weapons systems, they're Congressional pork fests.
I'd bet McCain would be an even bigger butcher on Blue service pork than The Messiah because he knows stupid spending kills servicemen in combat. But he'd cut it properly, not stupidly.
And he might even introduce a new weapon for the lowly grunt who is working with a 50 year old design.
#18
The Pentagon budget is full of weapons that are great on Powerpoint but don't get built in sufficient numbers to be useful in actual combat. Because they aren't weapons systems, they're Congressional pork fests.
Reading only casually about it, I can see why a cut in US spending may be just what the doctor ordered - that is, if it's to benchmark spendings, reduce the pork, and get better bang for the buck.
For example, while I have no real judgement to pass on the whole Stryker issue, past say Mike Sparks' somewhat insane rantings, one thing that still strikes me is how much the US Army pays, without getting an end-product significantly better than other armies.
What use in having a fighting vehicle that is on par to the ones of other countries? And may have to be face them in greater numbers because they're significantly cheaper to acquire and operate? This puts the pressure on the human element, which has to be way better the ennemy's, even while the USA enjoy a solid wealth & technology advance, which should empower them to overshadow rivals in the sheer quality of its equipments.
#19
Well, it is going to be interesting because many of the big defense contractors are in Deeep Blue states like California, Massachusetts, Illinois, and Michigan. The defense budget comes in three flavors, O&M (which includes salaries and things like bullets, beans, and JP8), Production (which is where you buy all the shiny toys) and R&D (research and development). The big dollars are in O&M and Production. Unless there is going to be a major reduction in the size of the force, the cuts have to come from production and R&D. A 25% cut there means massive unemployment in the defense industry.
You should take a look at how much the British pay because they are ordered to buy European so they end paying two or three times more for a weapon who is inferior to its US equivalent.
And how much you and I pay for the rafale and the Leclerc offspring of De Gaulle's ravings.
However, what is disturbing had been US weapons stagnation during Clinton and, to a lesser degree Bush watch.
The Reagan aera F14s, F1s, F16s and F18s were absolute masters of the air. The M1 was nearly unvulnerable to anything the soviets could throw at it. But the F14 has not had a successor who can take over its missions (please don't get me started about teh so-called Super Hornet). The F8 has only been marginally improved. And the F15s and F16s are only in the beginng of being replaced while in the meantime newer planes have emerged who are simply superior to them.
And the M1 is no longer invulnerable and probably no longer the number 1.
Compound this with the pitiful state of the bomber fleet whose core is formed by less than 100 B52s, and 67 B1Bs with no successor planned.
#21
JFM,
The Super Hornet is not a successor to the F-14. It is a bomber disguised as an F-18, and as such is more a successor to the A-6 Intruder. It is a good enough attack aircraft (just don't let it get in a dogfight).
The F-15s have a design weakness that causes the fuselage to crack, so we DESPERATELY need a successor.
As far as Barney Fwank is concerned, if you believe that the US is the font of all evil, then weakening the US is weakening evil and should be done as much as possible.
I just hope that enough of us are left alive after four years to vote BO and BF out of office.
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
10/26/2008 13:29 Comments ||
Top||
#22
Great another reason to not vote for the illuminati liberal party. Let make ourselves weak before sit across our enemies and negiotiate our retreat.
#24
I just hope that enough of us are left alive after four years to vote BO and BF out of office.
Remeber that "militia" Obalma want to create? Rememebers you nothing? Hint: Chavez own storm troopers. Iran revolutionary guards. Structures separated from the military. And the oath for members of Obama's jugends will not mention: "defending the Cponstitution and the laws of the United Sates".
#26
"Why not have a 25% 100% cut in the U.N. bill too?"
Fixed that for ya', BP. No extra charge.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
10/26/2008 18:31 Comments ||
Top||
#27
OK Frozen Al, I was going to just sit here and let JFM speak out about the one size fits all Lawn Dart, but yes the Hornet did replace the Tomcat. It was not originally intended to do so, but, the Light Fighter Mafia held the purse strings and saw to it that all Non Mickey D, now Boeing, tacair assets got shitcanned. The Hornet was originally to be the A-7 replacement, not the Intruder's. Now comes word that the A thru D models are suffering wing cracks at the aileron hinge, and are being inspected. Plastic wings take longer to fix than metal; remember the Intruder wing fatigue problem?? I do, I worked thru it for the last 7 years that bird was in service. it was a nightmare but metallic damage is easier to find and repair than composites.
Read the Pentagon Paradox for an interesting history of the Lawn Dart.
(out of print but should be available at the local library)
#28
I don't want to shock anyone but the base housing I saw looked substandard. We spend a lot on the military and the housing should be better than I saw. I don't see why the Army Corp of Engineers or Habitat for Humanity should be building some nice, new, base housing.
Thirteen campaign workers for Barack Obama yesterday yanked their voter registrations and ballots in Ohio after being warned by a prosecutor that temporary residents can't vote in the battleground state.
A dozen staffers - including Obama Ohio spokeswoman Olivia Alair and James Cadogan, who recently joined Team Obama - signed a form letter asking the Franklin County elections board to pull their names from the rolls. The letter - a copy of which was obtained by palestra.net, a Fox News affiliate - came a day after prosecutor Ron O'Brien publicly urged out-of-state campaign workers for both Obama and John McCain to "examine your conscience" before the elections board beings begins opening absentee ballots today.
Earlier in the week, O'Brien spoke with lawyers for both camps and urged them to make sure their staffs met permanent-residency rules, or face possible felony charges.
Also pulling his ballot yesterday was Hofstra University grad Jake Smith, an Obama volunteer who had voted in Knox County, Ohio.
On Thursday, O'Brien cut a deal with 13 out-of-staters, including four from New York, who tossed out their already-cast ballots and admitted they didn't meet residency requirements.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/26/2008 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11128 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
On Thursday, O'Brien cut a deal with 13 out-of-staters,
The deal should have been about in which penitentiary they would be jailed.
#2
Who wants to bet they each and all get flown by the one - spit - to wherever they are legally registered to vote? After they're done helping others commit vote fraud in Ohio, of course.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
10/26/2008 8:28 Comments ||
Top||
#3
I swear JFM between yesterdays remarks on Midway and Samar and this.... you really ought to consider a move.
#5
Why put them in jail? THE ONE will just grant them amnesty next year anyway as he and Michelle declare Federal and State Penitentiaries...consentration camps of the former regime and "parole" or "work release" all the political prisoners. You've got to have somesone to man that new, road and bridge building CCC army.
#6
There are others who are not being given the option to cut a deal, here in Ohio. It's going to get interesting, even if Obama wins, between November 5th and January 20th.
#7
Oh please, Obama and his illuminati party will pardon anyone who made a "voting error." Obviously they didn't mean to break the rules. Duh! I love the bank illustration!
Posted by: Caesar Clereng8414 ||
10/26/2008 15:16 Comments ||
Top||
#8
Caesar -- we are more likely to read and listen to your words if you would pick one name and stick with it...
This always changing names, and I for one, just skip over everyone of them you post. You give me no reason to click on any of your names to read, since I find this as game playing rather than offering any words of wisdom and value.
You aren't being taken seriously when playing such games. Cute maybe, in other places, but not here.
Should have invoked "24 Hour Rule" yesterday
The order and memorandum came down at approximately 6:15 p.m. on Friday. Philip Berg's lawsuit challenging Illinois Sen. Barack Obama's constitutional eligibility to serve as president of the United States had been dismissed by the Hon. R. Barclay Surrick on grounds that the Philadelphia attorney and former Deputy Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania lacked standing.
Mr. Berg, besides being a Democratic gadfly and nutter, is also a Troofer. Because of that he's not welcome at Rantburg, and we'll not be publishing any more news about him and his whacko legal suits. We're known by the company we keep, and we won't be in league with people like him.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
10/26/2008 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11130 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
I would like to add on admin bit. The judge's order had an extra fax time/date stamp on it, which calculates out to Chicago. This implies the judge received the order, signed it, and reissued it as his order.
This is not improper, as within limits, judges will often sign orders written by the winning side, giving them the precise language they want as long as it does not vary from his decision.
#5
So basically anyone in the world can write a bogus fictitious biography, post a forged birth certificate on the net and then run for the presidency of the US.
As Ayers would say America is a great country
Anyone know what the pay rate and and benefits are?
Might have a go at it next time around
#6
I have to give the Democrats credit. This a brilliant play on their part and it seems to have worked like a charm. Berg is a lifelong DEMOCRAT! He is the perfect patsy to put forward the case and then have all of the reasonable people say - oh he's a kook there must be nothing too it. Very smooth indeed.
Forget Berg.
Here is where you need to be looking:
Obama refuses to show his birth certificate. He posted a forgery on his website. He can't tell us what hospital he was born in Hawaii. He could make all of this go away tomorrow by simply proving his eligibility. But he does not.
Just my opinion, but I think you need to keep you eye on the ball cause the democrats just pulled a play action fake.
#9
I don't find Philip Berg any more disgusting than the Westboro Baptists (my apologies to all real Baptists) or Cindy Sheehan or any other crackpots. Let's not get into censorship; let's just try to reduce the crackpot coverage to "Today's Idiot" levels.
#10
Look, kids, there's no magic bullet out there. Some gadfly's pro se lawsuit is not going to make Obama go away. We gotta beat him at the ballot box, and we're not gonna do that by hitching our wagons to a jackass like Berg.
Posted by: Mike ||
10/26/2008 12:31 Comments ||
Top||
#11
This isn't censorship, this is editorship. Mr. Berg is free to spout off his idiotic views. We're just not going to carry them on Rantburg.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/26/2008 12:48 Comments ||
Top||
#12
I certainly respect any decision you make. But please don't imply that I'm an idiot for pointing out that Obama, despite legitimate questions, is unwilling to produce his birth certificate and can't name which hospital he was born in. If he is not eligible, this is a formula for the biggest constitutional crisis of our lifetime.
I agree Berg is a fraud. As I said, I think he is the democrat's distraction. Berg is irrelevant to the obvious issue at hand. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. This one is VERY important.
#13
The important thing is for McCain to beat Obama on election day. Then everything else is moot, and the Democrats will have the opportunity to learn to vet their candidates more carefully in the future. Perhaps they'll even learn to make sure their candidates earn their votes in the primary honestly, instead of by community organizer style gamesmanship and intimidation.
The Cincinnati Enquirer endorsed John McCain in today's paper, the national polls are as likely to be wrong about the Democrats winning as they have been the last two presidential elections, and here in Cincinnati it's a crisp and sunny day.
Even if you believe Obama's official explanations, there are still way too many questions that he hasn't even tried to address here and I suspect that he must have a damn good reason to avoid them. He also hides the documents from the college etc. Now, the population may be insufficiently mature to swallow some additional problematic things written in all these documents. But if there is nothing genuinely morally bad about them, Obama should realize that he is the person most vigorously protected by the media and others - in the history of America - and he should release all these documents, at least to some authorities.
So why doesn't he just release the damn birth certificate? Lubos points out that "Caucasian" and "African" on the short form we've all seen are "bizarre" for a birth document from the '60s.
Lubos offers a speculation on why Obama's holding out. Enjoy.
#15
Listen the Appointed One was not born, Obama descended down to the earth to save us. His troops, the illuminati media, have paved his way to the first part of his world conquest. Anyone want to buy a bridge?!?
Posted by: Angeaque Prince of the Weak5335 ||
10/26/2008 15:22 Comments ||
Top||
#16
Read recently that a local report in Honolulu researched back issues and did find a birth announcement for him at the right time. Don't know if it's true but that was the gist of it.
#17
KBK - the blog did a good job of explaining why Obama would not be a natural born citizen if his mother gave birth outside the US. The law is very specific that he is not a citizen were that the case. You can look it up for yourself on the official websites shoould you doubt it. It is not AT ALL like McCain's situation for those who think that this is what this is about. Remember, Kenya was under British rule at the time he was born and so there are lots of records about births and marriages available in both Kenya and Britain so it's not a wish it away type situation. And there is the issue of him being a dual citizen of indonesia making him ineligible as well.
Look, I hate to be such an alarmist but this is no small deal. I agree with TW that the best scenario is to beat him at the ballot box. But OBAMA COULD WIN! There are legitimate questions about his eligibilty and if he wins, you can expect 50 lawsuits in 50 states with possibly different results in all 50 states. It's a fricking nightmare scenario!
I don't know what to do other than to just say it is just amazing that this has flown under the radar for so long. It's easy for Obama to make this go away - but he seems unable to do so.
#20
KBK - it just seems so strange to me that LGF and Hot Air have disowned it, unless they know some insider information. But what I fear is that the democrats out-played them (and others) by having Berg (a sleeze democrat) pose as a anti-Obama person to get the information they wanted before a judge who they knew would dismiss so that most good people would say - oh...Berg's a nutter there is nothing too this. We've already moved beyond this.
If so, it was a brilliant move and right out of the Clinton/dem playbook. I noticed the guy who also brought the case up in Hawaii was a Chicago muckracker and he seems likewise unsavory.
But none of this changes where our focus should be: Why won't Obama simply provide an official copy of his COLB? Why won't he say which hospital he was born at? It would just make it all go away.
Here's another fear for everyone's fear closet. Suppose Obama gets elected and then it becomes proven (at any point in his presidency) that he is not eligible? Every member of the military is sworn to uphold the constitution. The constitution is clear.
Some say that the dems with their supermajority will simply change the constitution. I seriously doubt they will be able to do it.
The voting has already begun in some states. I honestly don't know what could be done at this point. But none of that changes the fact that, if Obama wins, this seems to be a train heading full speed over a cliff and we are all on board.
#21
Betty Grater - there has been much discussion about the birth announcement - too lengthy to discuss here. Again, why not just have Obama provide the official copy. BTW - Factcheck.org is an Annenberg Foundation creation. It's not up to us to follow the clues - it is up to all 50 states and the DNC to assure he is eligible. So far, they have not done so. That should concern us all.
This comes on top of the Susquehanna poll showing Murtha ahead of Russell by 4 points, within the margin of error. The new poll is from Dane and Associates, which surveyed over 800 probable voters, randomly selected to reflect the district makeup, on Wednesday night.
Posted by: Mike ||
10/26/2008 14:56 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11136 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Now if we could just get rid of Bawny Fwanks and Nancy Pants...
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
10/26/2008 16:01 Comments ||
Top||
Hattip DrudgeReport. From Orlando: WFTV-Channel 9's Barbara West conducted a satellite interview with Sen. Joe Biden on Thursday.The Obama campaign is not at all pleased, and cancelled an interview scheduled the next day with Mrs. Biden. "This cancellation is non-negotiable, and further opportunities for your station to interview with this campaign are unlikely, at best for the duration of the remaining days until the election," wrote Laura K. McGinnis, Central Florida communications director for the Obama campaign. It appears there remain real journalists, and they're speaking up.
The article title above is a hotlink, per Rantburg convention. Enjoy!
The US government is currently studying the salient features of Islamic banking to ascertain how far it could be useful in fighting the ongoing world economic crisis, Robert M. Kimmitt, US deputy secretary of the Treasury, said at a press conference held at the US Embassy here yesterday.
Kimmitt, who is on an official visit to the Kingdom, also held discussions with Finance Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf. Today, he is scheduled to meet Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) Gov. Hamad Al-Sayari, Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) Gov. Amr Al-Dabbagh, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, chairman of the Kingdom Holding Company, and Saudi investors and bankers. He said that the agenda for the G-20 summit to be held in Washington on Nov. 15, has to be carefully prepared since important topics are to be discussed in just one day. I am not sure that Islamic banking will also be itemized in the agenda, but it is a subject that is often dwelt in the public and private sectors, he noted. He said that experts in the US Treasury Department are currently learning the important features of Islamic banking.
However, he added that his country is focusing on activities of various governments and central banks in tackling the economic issues. He pointed out that the member countries in the G-20 also includes Islamic countries such as Indonesia and Turkey, besides the Kingdom which has been a member for the past 10 years. Representatives from these countries could present their experiences of Islamic banking in the light of the prevailing situation.
He hoped the G-20 summit will provide an effective platform for the member countries to exchange their views on the current economic problem and lay out a plan for the countries to draw out their respective national plans to ease the situation.
Commenting on his meeting with Al-Assaf, Kimmitt said the items that could be included in the agenda were also discussed. The geographical representation from member countries would provide a broader view of the crisis and would also benefit the non-member countries through their experiments, he added.
The G-20 summit, said Kimmitt, was proposed by Europeans which was readily accepted by President George W. Bush, who is seeking a common response to the global crisis.
Spelling out the purpose of his visit to Saudi Arabia, Kimmitt said that he has been associating with the Kingdom for more than two decades, but this is a significant visit since he was coming to the Kingdom at a time when there is a threat to the global financial market. Its an opportunity for me to present the US perspective ... and hear from the Saudi leadership on the current situation in the Kingdom and in the region, he said, adding that even at a time of crisis, US wants to stress its commitment to tell the countries in the region of the US open investment policies.
Pointing out that a good number of American investors are coming to the Kingdom, Kimmitt said the US government expects reciprocation in the same manner. The deputy secretary is slated to visit the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait and Iraq where he would meet the leadership and investors on similar lines.
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.
