Wingnutty Prediction of the Decade?

"If we do nothing, I can guarantee you that within a decade, a communist Chinese regime that hates democracy and sees America as its primary enemy will dominate the tiny country of Panama, and thus dominate the Panama Canal, one of the world's most important strategic points."

—Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), Dec. 7, 1999

So many enemies, so many threats, so much fear - it has got to be hard being a Wingnut.

From the department of No Shit Sherlock

Question of the Day: How do we stop the terrorists before they attack?

Answer: You know, the best way to understand what the terrorists are thinking and planning to do is to get inside their decision cycle. We've invested over the last eight years hundreds of millions of dollars in increasing our intelligence capability. We're collecting more.
Now, what we need to do is focus on what we do with that information that we collect and how do we get it -- as you point out, Kiran -- to the front end so we're anticipating what's going to happen next instead of just reacting.

Frances Townsend, Fmr Anti-Terrorism and Homeland Security Advisor for George W Bush.

The Goal to fighting the terrorists: First - find out what they are going to do. Second - implement measures to stop them. This sounds reasonable.

Now if only someone would have told George Bush about this approach before 9-11. Wait, someone did tell Bush what the terrorists were planning before 9-11. Hmm. So maybe stopping the terrorists is a bit more sophisticated than Townsend suggests.

This advice reminds me of a similar exchange about a year ago when everyone was afraid of Somali Pirates. Now apparently we are not concerned anymore because the Foxnews seems to have forgotten that we are supposed to be afraid of Somali Pirates.

Anyway, a talking head on television posed a question to a Spokesperson from the US Navy asking what could be done to stop a pirate attack. I believe her answer was that, perhaps, one option would be to sink the pirates’ boat.

They are in boats on the water and if they boat starts to sink, the Pirates will be twarted. That sounded reasonable to me, too. Yet, Somali Pirates still cause lots of problems.

If only real life were this simple.

Wingnut Dictionary - "Determinate Principles of Constitutional Interpretation"

Phrase of the Day:

Determinate Principles of Constitutional Interpretation

Definition:

(1) A system of principles utilized to interpret difficult questions of law arising under the Constitution of the United States. (2) The schools of Originalism and Textualism (or collectively referred to as “Strict Constructionism”) are the only schools believed to contain determinate principles of Constitutional Interpretation by some. (3) A phrase used as part of a logical fallacy to draw a conclusion from premises that does not support that conclusion by assuming Not P implies Not Q on the basis that P implies Q.

Used in Every Day Conversation:

“What I haven't seen by Judge Sotomayor is an embrace of determinate principles of constitutional interpretation. Without that, there are no bounds on the judicial role -- nothing to keep one from being a judicial activist."

Big Ed Whelan NRO Regular and Legal Expert

Translation (Wingnutese to English):

Some members of the Conserva-gencia do not believe that Justice Sotomayor possesses determinate principles of constitutional interpretation (thus is a Judicial Activist) because she is not of the Strict Constructionist School of Judicial Theory. This conclusion, that Justice Sotomayor is a potential Judicial Activist, is proven because Strict Constructionists are believed to adhere to a system of Determinate Principles of Constitutional Interpretation. Hence, because the Judge Sotomayor cannot be proven to possess so-called Determinate Principles of Constitutional Interpretation (i.e., is not a Strict Constructionist), then she should be deemed a Judicial Activist and not qualified to serve on the Supreme Court.

In other words just a more sophisticated form of heads I win, tails you lose.

Palinism of The Day:

A Blast from the Past. Side Show Sarah reflects on the Campaign that was (disastrous).

[Question] - One of the things that came up during the campaign is that you charge the state per diem for time spent here in Wasilla. Is that something you are going to continue to do?

[Sarah] - We've always followed the law and fully disclosed all that. The choice there in many months of the Juneau mansion being re-plumbed and all the improvements being made in the infrastructure of the Juneau house, where we weren't going to be there anyway. Knowing that in the end it would have cost the state more money to do what other governors had done and that is either charge the state for hotel rooms. Or the state rents you an apartment like they did for Governor Murkowski. We said no, we just won't sell our house, knowing that we're going to spend quite a bit of time here, especially those months where the remodels were taking place in the governor's mansion. And we would disclose my per diem, we wouldn't try to hide it ... trying to go above and beyond, not accepting any per diem for the kids or Todd at all, they've lived outside of the governor's house. Trying to follow the rules and doing what is legal and ethical and full disclosure.

Same with the family's travel. That's baffled me that all of a sudden two years later, again, never having tried to hide anything with either traveling back and forth to Juneau for first family events that were outside the capital city, in bringing Piper and, once in a while, Willow with me also, that anybody would think that I was trying to hide that they came with me ... just trying to do my job and part of my job is with the first family, having them with me at some of these events.

Don’t quite thinks she ever answer the question of whether of not she would keep charging the Taxpayers of Alaska for temporary living expenses due to work away from home while the Wasilla Wingnut was actually living in her own home. It is a pretty good gig to be compensated $17,000 in per diem payments for 312 nights sleeping in your own home. If you can get away with it, why not she says.

Eventually, Sarah did have to reimburse some of the loot she pulled in for non-existent travel costs related to her children.

K-Lo goes there….don’t blame Poor Tiger?

Apparently the indiscretions of one Eldrick Woods, aka “Tiger Woods” are now easier to understand. It was partially his dad’s fault, so speculates K-Lo.

I don't know about that. Tiger is a moral actor and is responsible for his own actions, but I suppose it is all relative to these guys at The Corner.

Since we are looking to excuse the personal responsibility of Tiger, I’ll throw my two cents in. I blame George Bush. If Bush hadn’t cut zillionaires taxes so much, they would have been financing the Iraq War and would have had less to spend on mistresses.

Preventive War still being pitched by the Fringe

Citizens increasingly understand that the last eight years of relative safety following 9/11 were due only to heightened security at home and proactive use of force abroad, that we should cease trying to appease radical Islam by dreaming up new euphemisms ("overseas contingency operations," "man made disasters," etc.), and that it is time to stop the apologetics and kowtowing, and grudgingly accept that thousands of radical Islamic fundamentalists worldwide want to kill Americans -- and dozens of governments, at least on the sly, hope that they do. Such venom has nothing to do with past American behavior or George Bush's strut, nor can it be ameliorated on the cheap by Barack Obama's Nobel Prize, middle name, or reset-button diplomacy.

VDH - the NRO.[em-mine]

Looks like VDH is still embracing preventive war as a means of beating “the terrorists.” It would seem that this line of thinking should be discredited by now by all but the Neo-con fringe, which is why VDH is still shilling for preventive war.

The preventive war approach misses the larger problem when the particular terrorist was nurtured in Hamburg, Virginia or London as the present terrorist was.

I say this because presumably VDH would not favor leveling London and Hamburg as well as large portions of the Old Dominion to get the terrorists before they can get us. But you never can tell with these guys. Perhaps this type of shock and awe would not be objectionable.

As far as VDH’s reference to “man made disasters” one can only presume that he is referring to the Bush Administration, because that reign of error was a serious man made disaster.

If I had a Brother in Jail and Another Brother in Georgia.... I'd bust the One Outta Georgia First

A provision in the Health Insurance Reform bill requires dependent coverage up to age 26 has outraged denizens of the Wingnut-O-sphere. Whoa really outrageous, right?

Case in point, here's R. Stacy McCain:

Twenty-six. Think about that. If you're 18 and really serious about getting health-care coverage, here's a suggestion: Join the Marine Corps.

Not only will the Marines provide you with health care, but you also get free food, free housing, free clothing and free travel to exotic countries where you can actually get paid to kill foreigners.

How cool is that, dude? Not to mention, chicks dig that whole muscular-guy-in-a-uniform thing.

So turn off your gaming console, get your lazy butt off the sofa, go to your nearest Marine Corps recruiting station and sign up today. If the taxpayers are going to give you slackers free health-care, at least you should earn it the old-fashioned way: Killing foreigners.

A real sweet heart ain’t he?

I tell you Georgia is known for some of your more unpleasant varieties of Wingnuttus-Americanus for a damn good reason. Example: Erick Erickson, Rep. Paul Broun, Rep Tom Price, Gingrich, that tea bag guy that may have accidentally taken down Senator Inhofe with theological friendly fire and now Stacy.

Hell for all we know, that Teabag Guy may actually be R Stacy McCain. Can't tell for sure.

UPDATE: I just have to add Zellephant Miller and Three Commandments Westmoreland for good measure.

It is so bad in Georgia that Erick Erickson (on the list) is proposing to break out the guillotine to get rid of the GOP dead wood in Georgia. The suck factor is sky high.

DINO becomes RINO

Word has it that freshman Congressman Parker Griffin (D-AL) has switched party affiliation to the GOP. Good news for the GOP, and bad news for the Dems?

You betcha, but not the way you may suspect. Let’s hear from RedState Blog on the party switch.

That is a huge blow to Barack Obama. Griffith was an extremely endangered Democrat.

We should now hope him be an extremely endangered Republican in a primary. We will not fix the GOP’s problems if we keep allowing people who are not one of us to suddenly switch the letter next to their name and magically become one of us.

Being a Republican should be about more than just the letter next to a person’s name. We can improve that seat.

Here are Griffith’s earmark requests. He voted for Pelosi for Speaker. He’s actually been more regularly with Pelosi than Jim Marshall (D-GA). We can pick this guy off and get a real Republican in that seat.

Again, changing the letter next to your name does not magically make you one of us.

Whoa who would thunk it. The Democrat in Name Only is now a Republican in Name Only or the dreaded RINO. Sounds like these sweethearts are gonna primary him. Who knows they just may teabag him too.

Let’s hear what his new colleagues had to say about him about a year ago. Time to warm up this ad for the GOP Primary!

Yep. The new Republican Congressman blames America first and then coddles terrorists.

Quote of the Day:

“It is not innovative or particularly clever. In fact, it’s only eleven pages.”

Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) on the DeMint Alternative to stimulate the economy.

The DeMint Alternative to Stimulate the Economy (Sponsored by Jim DeMint) consisted making the Bush Tax Cuts Permanent (surprise) and more tax cuts for Corporations and high wage earners (double surprise). The price tag: $3 Trillion over the next decade and rising thereafter.

Of course when the economy was on the verge of collapse in October 2008, this type of an approach was scoffed at by economists of all stripes. Even GOP leaders such as Bush, Paulson, and Palin refused to jump off that cliff.

Now that fears of world-wide collapse has eased, the free-market-fundamentalism resumes to fool the masses by offering phony solutions to 21st century problems.

And yes those phony solutions are not innovative or particularly clever.

Another day in the office?

The Prayercast calling for the Lord to smite affordable health insurance was lame.

But this is taking the Power of Prayer just a bit too far.

At 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon -- nine hours before the 1 a.m. vote that would effectively clinch the legislation's passage -- Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) went to the Senate floor to propose a prayer. "What the American people ought to pray is that somebody can't make the vote tonight," he said. "That's what they ought to pray."

It was difficult to escape the conclusion that Coburn was referring to the 92-year-old, wheelchair-bound Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.V.) who has been in and out of hospitals and lay at home ailing. It would not be easy for Byrd to get out of bed in the wee hours with deep snow on the ground and ice on the roads -- but without his vote, Democrats wouldn't have the 60 they needed.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the number-two Democratic leader, went to the floor to complain about Coburn's unholy prayer, which followed an unsuccessful request from Democrats for an earlier vote because of Byrd's "significant health problems." Said Durbin: "When it reaches a point where we're praying, asking people to pray, that senators wouldn't be able to answer the roll call, I think it has crossed the line.

[…]

On Saturday, Coburn likened the current situation to the period preceding the Civil War. "The crisis of confidence in this country is now at an apex that has not seen in over 150 years, and that lack of confidence undermines the ability of legitimate governance," he said. "There's a lot of people out there today who...will say, 'I give up on my government,' and rightly so."

[…]

Coburn was wearing blue jeans, an argyle sweater and a tweed jacket with elbow patches when he walked back into the chamber a few minutes before 1 a.m. He watched without expression when Byrd was wheeled in, dabbing his eyes and nose with tissues, his complexion pale. When his name was called, Byrd shot his right index finger into the air as he shouted "aye," then pumped his left fist in defiance.

So what does it mean if the good Lord does not call Senator Byrd home?

It was the best of Wingnuttery. It was the worst of Wingnuttery and it was Lie of the Year……

…..or perhaps the Truth Has a Well Known Liberal Bias.

Word on the internets has it that Side Show Sarah’s “Death Panel” shtick has won her a prestigious award: the “Lie of the Year.”

Or one would think that winning the “Lie of the Year” for concocting bullshit that was repeated over the internets, the Foxnews and eventually the MSM would be a great badge of honor amongst the Wingers.

Think about it.

Say your political opponent is trying to pass a key policy initiative. You can’t stop policy initiative through democratic means. You have to go outside the box. So you cook up some truly batshit crazy meme that casts doubt on the key policy initiative. Eventually the batshit crazy meme is proven to be false, but the damage has already been done and the Wingnuttariat is one step closer to reaching cultural consciousness at the SAME TIME!

You would think the hardest core wingnuttery of the year would draw some praise from the Conserva-gencia. Oddly enough, there is nary a post at the NRO praising Sarah Palin for her awesome award.

It almost looks as if the nutters on The Corner actually believed in Death Panels. But we all know that the Conserva-gencia can’t be that stupid, right?

Strange world.

Anyway, Congrats go out to Side Show Sarah. Enjoy it. You’ve earned it!

Lindsey Grahamnesty thinks he can sell Global Warming to the unwashed, unhinged and unreconstructed.

Question of the Day II: After alienating Republicans with immigration related heresies, why does Lindsey (a boys name, too) think he can convince Republicans to believe in clean energy and carbon pricing:

Answer:

I can convince Republicans pretty quickly of (oil and gas) drilling, nuclear power and alternative energy. This is not about polar bears for me, it's about jobs, cleaner air and purer water.

Cap-and-trade has been a tainted term. The bills that exist today have not been able to gather moderate Democratic support, they have not been able to gather Republican support. The cap-and-trade system has been called cap-and-tax and I think for some good reasons. So what I have to convince Republicans of is that you know as well as I do this is the best way for us to create new jobs in the future, that you know the green economy is coming worldwide and the only way we are going to get there is to lead, not follow.

He sounds kinda like a 1990s version of Al Gore.

Good Luck with this. Watchout for teabaggers, Flat Earthers and Foxnews.

Question of the Day:

“If this bill is killed, will there be some sort of reform made to health care so that we can afford it? I don’t have health care.”

A Health Insurance Reform Protester poses a question to Senator Johnny Isaakson (R-GA) earlier this week. Link.

Answer: If the bill is killed, don’t count on reform happening anytime soon.

You just gotta to love those Teabaggers

Wingnut Dictionary – DEFICIT HAWK and DEFICIT HYPOCRITE

Compare Contrast:

DEFICIT HAWK

Defintion:

(1) An individual concerned about the potential presence of structural budget deficits. (2) One who is concerned that the Budget Deficits have grown too large and is willing to make unpopular spending cuts to lower the deficit.

Example:

This Chart (Heritage Foundation via American Power Blog) projects the Budget Deficit Over the Next 10 years. A Deficit Hawk is concerned about the large Budget Deficits over the next 10 Years.

Usage:

Donald is a neo-conservative and is concerned about growing deficits. The projected deficits shown in the chart above are too high and threaten the country’s fiscal well being. Donald believes if we don’t reduce the budget deficit, future generations will suffer in terms of higher taxes and / or a lower standard of living. Donald desires to fight the growing budget deficits because he is a Deficit Hawk.

Compare Contrast:

DEFICIT HYPOCRITE

Definition:

(1) An individual concerned about the Budget Deficit only when the other political party in control of the presidency or the congress. (2) An opportunist who uses seemingly sincere concern over growing budget deficits to score political points against the other party while disclaiming any responsible for his political party’s complicity in the Growing Budget Deficit. (3) Deficit Hypocrites are usually either shameless opportunists or are startlingly uninformed about the causes of the Budget Deficits.

Example:

This Chart Shows the Sources of the Budget Deficit over the next 10 years. The light yellow line indicates current spending priorities of the current administration. The light blue area show the effects on the deficit form the Great Bush Bust and the mishandling of the economy. The remaining sections of the chart show spending priorities of the previous administration. The Red Section of the Chart represents the Bailout which was favored by leaders such as George Bush, Sarah Palin and Barack Obama.

Usage:

Unsurprisingly, Neo-conservatives, such as Donald, are concerned about Budget Deficits now that the President is from the other political party. A Deficit Hawk would be concerned about the overall budget deficits represented in the chart above but Donald is not. A Deficit Hypocrite is outraged only by the light yellow line and the red line because these spending priorities can be attributed in whole or in part to the current President despite the fact the the overwhelming preponderance of the Budget Deficits are attributable to decisions made by leaders of his political party.

Donald is a Deficit Hypocrite because it appears that he is trying to score political points against the other political party while ignoring any responsibility for his political party’s complicity in the Growing Budget Deficit.

WINGNUT DICTIONARY - Translation of the Day

Quote of the Day Part II:

“Rubio will win. The Establishment will be defeated. Conservatives will advance and with them freedom.” [em-mine]

~ Erick Erickson, proprietor RedState Blog reacting to news that the Rasmussen Polling Service reports that the Race for GOP Florida Senate primary is currently tied.

Context:

Within the Conservative Movement (members of which are sometimes referred to as Teabaggers or collectively as "The Wingnutariat"), it is believed that the GOP has not adhered to true party ideology. This is primarily because this ideology, Free Market Fundamentalism, is phony and has been designed to fool voters into believing there is a simple solution for every complex problem. The Teabaggers seek to implement true party ideology by overthrowing the Establishment Wing of the Party. Defeat of the GOP establishment candidate and the election of Rubio to the Florida Senate are seen as a steps toward this goal.

Translation (from Wingnutese into English):

The Freedom of Mankind, according to tenets of the Teabagger Movement, will come following the creation of cultural consciousness within the Wingnutariat. Once cultural consciousness has been obtained, the Wingnutariat will rise up in revolution against the Establishment and cast off the chains of oppression moderation.

After the destruction of the Establishment, the Wingnutariat will take control of the party apparatus. With control of the GOP, a Wingnutopian cultural paradise will be created. And thus, the Freedom of Mankind can be achieved, Allah willing of course.

Teabaggery is on the MARCH!

An intra-party WAR is brewing Florida between the GOP old guard, represented by Charlie “Rhino in Name Only” Crist and the Teabagger Rump represented by some guy named Rubio.

The Future of the GOP is at stake we are told. One represents the way in which the GOP governs while in Power. The other represents what the GOP says it believes in when it has no responsibility to govern.

Quote of the Day:

So we're basically going to watch a politician without a core (witness the brazen flip-flop on stimulus and the appointment of a placeholder friend to the Senate seat) trash a politician who has the qualities to become a national star (young, dynamic, Latino, and conservative). Crist will have to stand in the way of the GOP future, yelling "Stop"!

~ Rich Lowry [em-mine]

The wingnutopian radicals are championing vile, perverse, debauched teabaggery as the GOP’s future. To each his own.

This should get interesting. I expect full-metal-wingnut on this Senate Race complete with gay baiting and immigrant bashing.

I don't know if Crist goes to church regularly, but my advice is to flank this Rubio character on the right and learn how to speak in tongues pronto. Just a suggestion.

Prayercast to be held to Protest Affordable Health Care for the Working Poor

Say it ain’t so.

A Group of Teabaggers, Family Values Types and Zany Congressmen like Jim DeMint and Michele Bachman are holding a prayer event via the internet tomorrow.

Specifically they will pray against:

"the threats to the God-given right to human life through government funding of abortions, our health from rationing, our family finances from higher taxes, and our general freedom posed by the government plan to take over healthcare."

This should be a real winner. Here is my suggestion: to improve the chances that the Lord will smite healthcare reform, they should quote the bible and read the free-market, Anti-Tax and Anti-healing of the sick verses.

But if the real bible doesn't quite cut it these days with enough free-market fun, they could always try the Conservapedia Bible Project. The Conservapedia Bible is the new and improved Bible without all the liberal bias! This project is probably way overdue since all the apostles and such all looked liked a bunch of sandal wearing hippies and used words like comrade and other commie type terminology.

Did Jesus preach about the double-taxation of dividends as a moral issue? Or was it just George Bush who led the mighty call against the immorality of the double taxation of dividends? I know that Bush was leader in this struggle, but I don't remember if there is anything in the Gospels about it.

Probably doesn’t matter to this crowd.

A Mad ACORN frenzy hits the Wingnut-O-Sphere (again) and the Perils of Wingnut Welfare

Last week, Judge Nina Gershon judge granted a preliminary injunction prohibiting enforcement of a recently enacted provision of law that cuts funding to ACORN and its community outreach programs. A temporary freeze on enforcement of the Ant-ACORN law - The Horror!!!!

I found this passage in a piece at the ever charming National Review Online quite amusing.

Ed Whelan’s analysis of Judge Nina Gershon’s pernicious opinion in the ACORN funding case -- Gershon granted an injunction -- is right on the money (pun intended). Gershon’s opinion -- that not receiving discretionary federal funding fits the definition of “punishment” as a prohibited Bill of Attainder -- would be laughable if there were not such serious issues at stake. Of course, that probably does seem like punishment to someone who has never, ever had a job in the private sector and has spent her entire legal career working for the government or as a law professor.

~ The NRO [em-mine]

A Bill of Attainder is expressly prohibited by the Constitution. This is a prohibition against punishment by the legislative act instead of by judicial trial. Basically the Congress can’t pass a law which punishes George and Dick for implementing torture. Advice to Dick and George you may be safe here but avoid vacations in Spain. Especially you, Dick. However if you want to go Dick, I am sure we could pass the hat around to raise the cash for airfare.

Back to the passage, above. I haven’t read much about the decision. I have not even read Big Ed Whelan’s condemnation of the opinion, but the odds are fair to middling that there is a basis for concern. At this point, I really don’t care because a decision on the merits is to come later.

The amusing part is the outrage directed at the Judge for not having held a job in the private sector. Talk about pots and kettles!

No writer at a wingnut welfare operation such as the NRO or at the Think Tanks of the DC swamps should condemn another person’s way of earning a living as being outside of the free market.

Does anyone really think an operation like the unprofitable Washington Times competes freely in the marketplace when it is funded by a Korean Mega-Church Leader who has proclaimed himself to be the second coming of Christ? Not a chance. How about the Heartland Institute which turns tricks in the climate denial circuit while being in bed with Exxon --- would it fare well in the private sector? Doubtfully. These operations are funded through rightwing charity and corporate sponsorship and not by the contributions made to the free market.

I think kicking these wingnut welfare recipients off the dole would be the best thing in the world for them (and us).

Think about it.

They could get to know the dignity of hard work under the conditions of the free market. As it is, these wingnut welfare recipients are trapped in a cycle of dependency. They are rewarded when they are shrill and punished if inconveniently truthful. This is terribly debilitating for the human soul.

Someday we will end wingnut welfare as we know it and set these poor souls free to enjoy the magic of the marketplace. Someday, my Friend. Someday.

Footnote: Gershon’s previous brush with fame came in 2006, when she was the judge during the trial of a Pakistani-American would be terrorist, Shahawar Matin Siraj. Siraj was convicted of plotting to blow up a New York subway station and received 30 years in the big house for his part in the plot.

Looks like all is well that ends well --- a plot prevented, a terrorist off the street and locked, right? WRONG!!!!

The outrageous part of this tale (that nobody knows about, YET) is that Judge Gershon used the Good Ol’ American Legal System during the trial of Siraj. She didn’t use a tribunal or send him to Guantanamo. She presided over the trial right here in America.

Oddly unlike today, when the thought of trying a terrorist in an actual court sends many rightwingers shrieking in anguish, there was no rightwing outrage at time Siraj’s trial. Odd. Very odd.

Maybe it’s like the old timers often tell you. Back in the good ol’days, we were a braver people. Today, the notion of trials for the accused and application of the rule of AMERICAN law frightens some. Would they rather use International law or effete European law? Doubtfully.

It is an odd world.

Kicking Poor George When He’s Down….It Continues….

"Hey, last night I watched Oprah's White House Christmas special. President Obama told Oprah he deserves a 'solid B-plus' for his first year in office. That's a big improvement from our last president, who for the last eight years received a 'WTF.'"

~ Jimmy Fallon

I don't think WTF is and actual grade. And I don't think we are supposed to grade Poor George for another 49 years. At lease that is what I heard.

The Federal Government is not in-efficient enough?

Word on the Street has it that there is growing concern that Federal Employees are over compensated earning 100% more than their private sector counterparts, or so suggests Rep Jason Chaffetz (R-UT).

Chaffetz a rising star in the GOP anti-anti-anti-war wing, most recently made a name for himself for his advocacy Militant Quasi-Noninterventionism, i.e., turning Afghanistan into a shooting gallery and calling it peace so we can then, presumably, invade Iran.

Now Chaffetz is targeting Federal Employees, responsible for Homeland Security, FEMA, Border Security, The Defense Department, the FBI and the EPA.

These Bastards make too much money:

Defenders of excessive federal employee compensation argue that federal workers are older and have achieved higher levels of education than private-sector employees. To a certain extent this is true, but it does not justify federal employees making double in salaries and benefits compared to private sector.

When determining appropriate levels of compensation, management must determine if the employee turnover rate is too low, too high, or just right. If turnover rate is high enough to adversely impact the entity’s performance, then employee compensation is probably too low. However, if turnover rate is too low, then employee compensation is probably too high. Also, a low turnover rate means that fewer people from outside government are contributing with new ideas and perspectives based on experience in other workplaces.

Wage rates are up, by the way. I wonder what the explanation is.

Key reasons for the boom in six-figure salaries:

• Pay hikes. Then-president Bush recommended — and Congress approved — across-the-board raises of 3% in January 2008 and 3.9% in January 2009. President Obama has recommended 2% pay raises in January 2010, the smallest since 1975. Most federal workers also get longevity pay hikes — called steps — that average 1.5% per year.

•New pay system. Congress created a new National Security Pay Scale for the Defense Department to reward merit, in addition to the across-the-board increases. The merit raises, which started in January 2008, were larger than expected and rewarded high-ranking employees. In October, Congress voted to end the new pay scale by 2012.

• Paycaps eased. Many top civil servants are prohibited from making more than an agency's leader. But if Congress lifts the boss' salary, others get raises, too. When the Federal Aviation Administration chief's salary rose, nearly 1,700 employees' had their salaries lifted above $170,000, too.

That figures. It is all George Bush’s fault. Who woulda thunk it?

Seriously, I 'll defend the bureaucrats. Is it a bad thing that the Scientists at the EPA and Researchers at NASA Climate Center are making more money these days than the out of work ex-tobacco industry researchers? Some probably think so. Chaffetz is that you?

The trend of outsourcing lower wage, lower skill jobs while retaining scientists, accountants, and lawyers has something to do with this one would surely think.

But if you are concerned whether or not the government works, you probably aren’t interested in implementing any Chaffetz-inspired workplace experiments.

I think Congressman Joe Barton (R-TX) may be crazy

Quotes for the Day:

Question:

“What causes, in your perspective, global warming?”

Congressman Barton (R-TX):

“Well, the short answer would be God…….. It is a, we are in a natural cycle and it appears that the Earth is in a slight cooling period for the next thirty to fifty years and the dominant cause of that are the oceans. The Atlantic and the Pacific are in a little cooling period….But the Co2 concentrations going up don’t seem to be doing what the IPCC model says it should...”

Barton is the former chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee. He doesn’t believe that that dramatic increase in carbon levels is one of the reasons that the earth is warming. In fact, he thinks it is cooling.

So carbon has nothing to do with it according to Rep. Barton. What about all the scientists and the peer reviewed scientific papers that indicate other wise?

Question (paraphrased):

…. The IPCC panel of about 2000 scientists and experts representing different governments from a variety of institutions from around the world, with a wide variety of perspectives as a group have not been persuaded by Anti-Global Warming advocates like yourself, why and how can you change their consensus on global warming now?

Congressman Barton (R-TX) (at 18:30):

“…….When you talk about thousands of scientist most of those are not original creator (sic) thinkers. They are implementers. They are facilitators. There are … only fifty to one hundred in the world that are in that are in the top tier and more and more it is appearing that they have engaged in either a conscious, uh, effort to withhold the truth from the world …. uh or maybe…. or maybe, maybe …. they’ve decided, uh, without realizing it that they have become so …ideology committed that they lost sight, lost track of the true scientific method… I don’t know, but its something that really does need to be investigated and I don’t make any apologies for trying to get that investigation started.”

Shorter Joe Barton:

• There is a cabal of 50 to 100 scientists who really understand climate change.
• This Cabal of Scientists is responsible for the global warming hoax.
• They have brainwashed other scientists and are trying to brainwash America (See 12:30)
• The hoax is being perpetrated due to religious or ideological belief.

Longer Joe Barton: