Pomp and Circumstance Over, POTUS Obama Gets To Work

Now that Obama is officially President of the United States, it's time to get down to work.  He's already planning to call for closing Guantanamo Bay within one year, including already suspending war crimes trials currently taking place there.  There is still no public idea of what may happen to the Islamic terrorists at Guantanamo Bay, but Ireland says that they may accept some of them.

 

Obama's nominee for Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner, has apologized for not paying his taxes.  An apology shouldn't be enough, because he didn't just make a simple mistake; he cheated on his taxes.  Remember, the IRS will fall under his jurisdiction.  He also wants reform on the bailout plan.  As we've learned from Henry Paulson, he can pretty much do whatever he wants to do with the money.

 

The Obama Administration is also pushing to complete another financial rescue plan that may include the creation of a government bank to buy bad assets.

 

The new Administration is also pushing for transparency, as reflected by the new rules that Obama gave his White House staff today, which included pay freezes for any White House staffer making over $100,000 a year.  That makes you wonder whether or not the Obama administration will tell us who got our bailout money.

 

Obama will be able to keep his Blackberry.

 

GM is already saying that they could run out of cash by March 31.  That means they'll need another bailout from us, just as they are surpassed by Toyota as the biggest carmaker for the first time in history.  Chrysler also wants another $3 billion to complete their deal with Fiat, while they're helping to pay for a movie.

 

After the CBO report came out yesterday that showed that only a very small portion of the "stimulus" package would reach the economy this year, the Obama White House sent an aide out to criticize the CBO report.

 

Dutch politician Geert Wilders faces charges of "insulting groups of people" and "inciting hatred against people of a certain faith" for his movie, Fitna, which criticized Muslims.

 

A few members of the State Senate want to force the state Department of Transportation to give 10% of state transportation contracts to small businesses.  Also regarding transportation, some House Republicans are considering a state takeover of MARTA.

 

The Welcome Center in Plains will be closed due to budget cuts.

 

The General Assembly is back in session, and busy cutting the budget, especially because they want to save the homeowners property tax relief grants, which Perdue did not include in his budget.

 

The Houston County Commission voted last night to approve a contract to get the ball rolling on the early warning system.

 

The Stuckey's candy plant in Eastman will close in April.  Despite this, the economy throughout Middle Georgia is not as bad as in many places, especially for restaurants in Houston County.

 

In Jones, Oklahoma, a flaming squirrel caused a wildfire.  You can't make this stuff up.

Obama Presidency Begins

Barack Obama is now President of the United States.  His speech this afternoon was a typical Obama speech:  empty and without substance.  Here's the full text, which we'll break down today.

 

The benediction was given by the Rev. Joseph Lowery that was full of racial tensions.

 

Francis Cianfrocca says that Americans are losing the ideas of freedom today while we pick up a constitutional monarch.  Leon H. Wolf hopes that Obama is a failure.  I want him to succeed—but on my terms.

 

Obama said yesterday that "government can only do so much."

 

Now that he's President, Obama will actually have to tackle the job of foreign policy, which he plans to do tomorrow, including planning to withdraw troops from Iraq in 16 months.  He'll also have to deal with al Qaeda, which appears to have either chemical or biological weapons.  The Institute for Foreign Policy Analysis says that Iran will have a nuclear weapon this year.  This is the scary stuff, folks.

 

According to the Congressional Budget Office, most of the stuff in Obama's stimulus bill won't hit the economy soon.  Of course, it turns out that this recession isn't anywhere near as bad as they claim that it is.

Bill Ayers was turned away at the Canadian border last night.

 

The Washington Times' Wesley Pruden says that Obama's honeymoon is now over.

 

Chrysler got another bailout—this one from foreign automaker Fiat.

 

A businessman in Fairbanks, Alaska made an ice sculpture of a shivering Al Gore in honor of their cold winter. 

 

The AP had a story yesterday about the unequal spreading of the financial burden of homeownership.

Navel-Gazers Working Overtime Before Coronation

Obama's $170 million inauguration/worship service will be tomorrow and I, for one, cannot wait for the worship to end.  The navel-gazers have been out in full force all weekend, and it really is getting old.  At least the Macon Telegraph calls it what it is:  a pilgrimage.  By the way, one of the girls featured has the American flag touching the ground.  Fully two-thirds of Americans plan to watch the inauguration, which means that workplace productivity will be thrown out the window tomorrow.  In Washington, DC, there is a larger security force in the city than there is in Afghanistan, which is necessary because there will be so many more biological weapons in the city than usual because everybody needs their Botox.

 

Over 2/3 of blacks believe that, thanks to the Messiah's election, MLK Jr.'s vision for race relations has been fulfilled.

 

The Democrats released their porked-up "stimulus" plan last week, and Amanda Carpenter and Robert Bluey quickly found their favorite pieces of pork in the bill.  Jason Pye also points out that a lot of money is going towards rail and local transit systems that are not cost-efficient or popular.  On the tax side of the "stimulus" package, tax breaks to big banks will be repealed, having the exact opposite effect of the bailouts.  At least the Republicans are coming up with a real alternative instead of just saying "no."

 

The Messiah wants a brand new Declaration of Independence.  I'm guessing that, instead of independence from tyranny, this time he wants independence from responsibility.

 

The Obama team is considering creating a government bank to buy bad assets.  Wasn't that the idea behind the original bailout, the Troubled Asset Relief Program?

 

Now the plane that crashed in the Hudson River is being blamed in global warming. Meanwhile, a columnist in Michigan is praying for global warming.  While it's horridly cold across the country, Al Gore's scientist, James Hanson, says that Obama has four years to save the world from global warming.  At least most of the American people are starting to get it:  only 41% of Americans believe that we humans are making the planet warmer.

 

Guess who have been best buddies since the election?  John McCain and Barack Obama.  In fact, McCain has made the comment in referring to some of Obama's Cabinet picks that he would have made the same choices.

 

Nancy Pelosi is open to the idea of prosecuting Bush Administration officials.  Go ahead, waste your time.  Please.  She also wants to go ahead and eliminate the Bush tax cuts now.  Like I said, please waste your time with prosecuting the Bush Administration instead.

 

Eighty-three of the 100 largest corporations in America have subsidiaries in offshore tax havens.  Under the FairTax, that would all come streaming back.

 

Despite the bad economy, companies are still shelling out $3 million per 30-second spot for the Super Bowl.

 

Governor Perdue got a $21 million loan with questionable terms in September that will have to be paid back on March 1.

 

Democrats in the General Assembly are already lining up to oppose allowing you to send your kids to a private school.

 

There is a new property tax bill being proposed that would limit the increase in assessed value to 3% in any given year.

 

Rep. Roger Bruce (D-Atlanta) wants to allow individual counties to choose whether or not gambling is legal in their county.

 

A UGA student was arrested for drunk driving after passing out at a stop sign with the car still running.

State Senate Unveils Transportation Plan

The United States Senate yesterday voted against refusing the second half of the TARP money to the incoming administration.  Senators Chambliss and Isakson both voted to refuse the money, as did most Republicans, as some conservatives consider a constitutional challenge to the bailout.  Here's the full roll call vote.

 

Chrysler Financial got a bailout today, costing us another $1.5 billion.

 

U.S. House members will get an average of an extra $90,000 in their office accounts this year so that they can hand out even more money with more efficiency.

 

House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D-WI) says that the $825 billion "stimulus" package might not be big enough.  The package may include price controls on milk.

 

The Obama transition team has already failed to lower expectations prior to the Messiah taking office.

 

The feds want to pay you to buy a new car in an effort to get gas-guzzlers off the road.

 

Yesterday we told you about the plane that landed on the Hudson River in New York City, with nobody being seriously injured or killed.  It turns out that a water landing is incredibly rare and difficult.  The pilot of that aircraft was Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger, III, a former Air Force fighter pilot.

 

Add another name to the list of people running for Governor.  Republican Ray McBerry has thrown his name into the ring.

 

The Georgia NAACP and the Chairman of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus think that the state of Georgia needs to apologize for slavery.

 

Governor Perdue's budget is probably going to cause a big fight in the legislature, especially on two issues:  the hospital fee and the homestead exemption, which is not included in the Governor's budget.

 

This morning the State Senate unveiled their version of a transportation bill, which would allow the creation of regions to establish a T-SPLOST.

 

State Senator David Shafer (R-Duluth) has introduced a zero-based budgeting bill.

Georgia House Republicans Push $25 Billion New Tax

Temperatures in Chicago are the coldest they've been in a decade, they've had the most consecutive days of snowfall since records began in 1884, and Flint, Michigan just broke a 95-year-old record low temperature.  Of course, the cold temperatures won't stop Henry Waxman, the new Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, from pushing for a cap-and-trade bill to stop the emission of carbon dioxide.

 

A bunch of protesters are going after Robert Redford because they claim that his anti-oil drilling stance is anti-poor and racist.  Why don't they go protest the Obama inauguration and the Democrat Party?

 

John McCain may be Barack Obama's secret weapon in the United States Senate, all because McCain wants to get back in the good graces of the mainstream, uppity, navel-gazing media.

 

Americans have very little faith in the federal government and think that debt is ruining the economy…until it comes time to "stimulate" the economy or provide for their health insurance.

 

Democrats unveiled their $825 billion stimulus package today, which had no input from Republicans.

 

Senators will probably vote today on the second half of the bailout money, while Republicans want to limit the money to financial firms only.

 

Democrat Congressman Charlie Rangel will reintroduce his bill calling for a military draft.

 

Obama will be on the cover of Time Magazine for the 13^th time in the last year.

 

Obama's $150,000,000 inauguration is also going to be shown in movie theaters and for all staff in New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal offices.  The inauguration will also be an environmental nightmare.

 

Timothy Geithner didn't just make a mistake on his taxes; he downright cheated on them by accepting a tax reimbursement for the taxes that he didn't pay.

 

For those of you interested, here is a rundown of the Governor's proposed budget cuts.  House Minority Leader DuBose Porter responded to yesterday's State of the State Address by claiming that Governor Perdue is an absentee Governor.

 

There is a bill in front of the General Assembly that would force any doctors who treat state employees to also treat Medicaid patients.

 

There's another bill that would ban police officers from racial profiling.

 

A federal appeals court upheld Georgia's voter ID law.

 

The state House made its transportation pitch today, for a one-cent, ten-year statewide sales tax increase that would generate about $25 billion.

 

With all of the proposed tax hikes, Jason Pye says that Republicans in Georgia are the pro-tax party now.

 

A feces-throwing monkey is on the loose in the Tampa Bay area.

WMAZ TalkBack Segment

Perdue Introduces Budget

Osama bin Laden has a new audio tape out, challenging Barack Obama's ability to confront the war and the economy.  Also from the world of radical Islam, a Saudi cleric says that it is okay for 10-year-old girls to be forced into marriage.

 

Faced with public opinion against them, the unions are rolling out a new ad campaign in support of their card-check bill.

 

Democrats are pushing their down payment on socialized medicine, the SCHIP bill, on the House floor now.  They want to pay for it by raising tobacco taxes, even though smokers are disproportionately poor.  Jeff Emanuel at RedState.com has the full rundown.

 

Hillary Clinton wants to use her position as Secretary of State to push for a new Kyoto-like treaty that the United States would be a part of.  Meanwhile, it's cold everywhere, including in the metro Atlanta area, which will see 12 degrees on Friday.

 

General Motors says that they are working on their overhaul required by the bailout, but they're still not sure that they will be able to survive long-term.  Wasn't that the point of giving them a bailout?

 

Despite voting for the original bailout, House Republicans will now vote against the second part of the bailout money.  Even if a few Senate Democrats vote against granting the money, Obama is threatening to veto the disapproval resolution, so he'll get the money either way.  Next up for a piece of the bailout, government schools.

 

I'm not the only one who says that Treasury Secretary-designate Timothy Geithner's tax problems should point towards a simplification of the tax system.

 

The Washington Post has a story today claiming that illegal immigrants are unlikely to leave the United States voluntarily despite the slowed economy.  That makes it the perfect time to start making them leave involuntarily.

 

Governor Perdue gave his State of the State address (here's the Reader's Digest version) this morning.  Part of that will include a $1.2 billion bonds package and a new plan for funding Medicare with new fees on hospitals.

 

The state of Georgia was graded as failing in a report on tobacco controls.

 

Georgia may have to limit enrollment at government colleges and universities due to budgetary constraints.

 

Remember the parents who named their kid "Adolf Hitler?"  They've now had their kids taken away from them.

 

A California man (I bet he was an illegal immigrant) tried to sell his 14-year-old daughter into marriage for beer, wine, soft drinks, and Gatorade.

 

Citizens of Notasulga, Alabama are trying to get a cat un-banned from their local post office.  He was originally banned because somebody wrote a letter saying that "this is a federal building and he doesn't pay federal taxes so he can't come in."  I kind of like that standard.  Can we apply it to polling places on election days too?

Trauma Care Map and Online Petition

Here's the link that one of the callers mentioned on today's show regarding trauma care:  Georgia It's About Time

Obama Might Close Guantanamo

Barack Obama might, within his first week or even his first day, issue an executive order to close Guantanamo Bay.  What happens to Islamic terrorists who were caught on the battlefield then?  Will they be released like 61 other ex-Gitmo inmates who returned to fighting against American troops?

 

South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford does not want "stimulus" money from the federal government.  Democrat Rep. James Clyburn is the Majority Whip, and he's from South Carolina.  He also happens to be black.  So what does Clyburn do in response to Sanford's refusal to accept "stimulus" money?  He plays the race and class cards (together!) against Gov. Sanford.  This really is getting old.

 

It keeps getting bigger:  the "stimulus" package now might include giving an increase in government benefits to old folks.

 

Speaking of playing the class card, Barney Frank wants to force any company that receives federal bailout money to give up their corporate jets.  On the other hand, he wants to get rid of regulations on labor unions that were part of the auto bailout when they come back for more money (just like I told you they would!).

 

After President Bush asked for the second $350 billion from the TARP fund, Republicans are already lining up to oppose giving the Treasury Department more money.  The Fox Business Network is already suing the Treasury Department over their lack of transparency on the bailout money, and now they're also suing the Federal Reserve for the same reason.  It's time that these bureaucrats were held accountable.

 

The Washington Post has a hit piece out on the Bush Administration, saying that they used ideology to hire people at the Justice Department.  How is it any different from any of Obama's Cabinet appointments (minus Robert Gates)?

 

I told you yesterday that President Bush's legacy would likely be judged (by conservatives) based on his growth of government over the last 8 years.  The Cato Institute's Michael Tanner itemizes the biggest increases in the size of government.

 

Democrat Senator Herb Kohl wants to place OPEC under American antitrust regulations.  I like the idea, but it's impossible to accomplish.

 

Here's a brilliant column on the root cause of American problems:  people having inherent faith in government.

 

The Messiah is not allowing journalists to ask him questions in press conferences unless they are pre-picked.

 

On the ridiculous side, the "Father of Potty Parity" wants more port-a-potties for Obama's inauguration.

 

Despite the budget shortfalls, Governor Perdue wants to spend more money on government education.

 

In addition to the budget as a whole, keep an eye on the transportation situation.

 

I like this idea:  State Rep. James Mills (R-Chestnut Mountain) has introduced a bill forcing anybody to bring a birth certificate to register to vote.

 

State Sen. Cecil Staton wants the state to spend $60 million on improving the trauma care network.  Why can't a private health care group do that?

 

The United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of Alabama and Florida on the water wars.

 

Eddie Wiggins is officially out of business.

Guard Your Wallets! The General Assembly is Back in Session!

President Bush had his last press conference this morning, and he spent most of it defending his Presidency.  He did have a few regrets, however, including his effort to reform Social Security immediately after the 2004 election.  In an interview that aired Sunday, though, he continued to push for amnesty.

 

Ohio RINO Senator George Voinovich won't run for re-election in 2010.  Good riddance.

 

Who would have thought that Pravda would be more reliable than anybody in the American mainstream media?  They're actually reporting that earth is on the brink of an ice age.  Of course, people in…

·         Tok, Alaska, where temperatures reached -78 degrees;

·         Slovenia, where people were warned not to wear earrings due to freeze warnings after temperatures reached -49 degrees;

·         and Wisconsin, where temperatures are at record lows amid record snowfalls

…already knew that.  Which leads us to the real motivation for "global warming," socialism and big government.

 

Obama's climate czar has a history of environmentalist activity in the name of socialism.

 

Producers of alternative energy want a bailout.  Luckily for them, The Messiah has already mentioned that he wants them to get some of the stimulus money.  There are also members of Congress (one a Republican) who want to subsidize people putting solar panels on their houses.

 

One physicist has quantified the environmental impact of Google searches.  Just wait until they try to ban computers, just like they're already trying to ban large plasma screen televisions.

 

The United Nations Security Council called last week for an immediate cease-fire between Israel and Gaza.  My favorite statement came from Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, when he said that Israel "never agreed that anyone would decide for us if it is permissible to strike at those who send bombs against our kindergartens and schools."

 

The Senate had its first vote yesterday, to pass an omnibus lands bill full of big government and earmarks.  This is not exactly a ringing endorsement of the leadership of Mitch McConnell.

 

President Elect Barack Obama says that "everybody" will have to give something in his economic plan.  By "everybody" he means taxpayers only.

 

Public radio and TV want a $550 million bailout.

 

Chrysler wants more of your money, and Obama asked Bush for the rest of the TARP money.  Surprised?

 

If the United States was an individual asking for a mortgage, it would be considered subprime.

 

The Washington Post writes on the use of the race card in the "Age of Obama."

 

Two Houston County gas stations were among those forced to make retribution over "price gouging" in September.

 

Warner Robins was one of the first cities in Middle Georgia to submit its wish list to Congressman Jim Marshall's office.

 

State lawmakers are meeting again (so watch your wallets!) starting today, and Democrats think having Democrats in charge in Washington will give them more influence in state politics this year.  As we've said before, the biggest issue will be the budget, but there are a few other issues that will come up over the course of the session.  Also, Sunday sales might become a reality this year.

 

Secretary of State Karen Handel has announced that she is running for Governor in 2010.  That brings up a question:  is (or should it be) necessary to have a college degree to be Governor?

 

A college student from San Diego sold her virginity for $3.7 million to pay for graduate school.

 

Anything Goes Friday

The big economic news coming out today is that the unemployment rate reached a 7.2%, the highest rate in 16 years, 40% of it from small businesses.  I know times are tough out there, folks, but this is not the time to panic, to get pessimistic, or to turn to the federal government for answers.  We'll have more about this on the program today.

 

The Treasury Department still hasn't responded to many of the questions asked about the bailout money.  Meanwhile, Obama's incoming Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner, is planning on overhauling and expanding the bailout.

 

Here's the full text of Obama's speech yesterday about the "stimulus" plan.  There's a reason for his clever wordsmithery:  he's using polling and focus groups to sell this thing to the American people and to Congress.

 

In what might be the first glimpse into what Obama would do in the Middle East, his team is already prepared to talk to Hamas.  Where do you go with talks after Hamas says "we want Israel gone?"

 

Sarah Palin is finally striking back against the mainstream, uppity, navel-gazing media.  Tavis Smiley, of said media, says that he is working for Obama.  That's not news.

 

Only five Democrats supported President Bush on over 30% of votes in the House.  One of them was Jim Marshall.

 

There will be a vote on Sunday (over Sen. Tom Coburn's opposition) on a $10 billion omnibus lands bill that is full of pork.  This spells trouble for Republicans, with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell refusing to stand up and support Coburn.  McConnell really is showing incompetence as a Minority Leader, isn't he?  I guess that all started when he decided to work with the Democrats on the massive "stimulus" package, which now Saxby Chambliss is saying he could support.

 

The Illinois State House voted 114-1 to impeach Blago.  By the way, his pick for Obama's Senate seat, Roland Burris, who did lobby for the job, might be crazy.  He's certainly egotistical.

 

You can thank Al Gore for this:  the market for "carbon offsets" is worth up to $118 billion.

 

I'm not alone in thinking that Sanjay Gupta isn't qualified to be Surgeon General.

 

Warner Robins might be worse than San Francisco, but we don't hold a candle to the begging coming from Edwardsville, Alabama.

 

A band from Michigan that will perform at the Inaugural Parade has to drop their Chiefs mascot because it might offend somebody.

 

PETA wants to start calling fish "sea kittens" so nobody will want to eat fish anymore.

 

The state of Georgia is investigating 200 gas stations for price gouging last year.  They've already fined a few stations.

 

Atlanta hospitals are refusing to send money to Grady.  Remember that Grady's problem is that they need more paying customers.

 

Check out the details of this robbery that happened in Macon.  Sucks for that guy, but it sure makes for an entertaining story for us.

Obama: Government Is the Solution

The Messiah might have a fight on his hands after all over the "stimulus" package.  There are plenty of people on Capitol Hill who are less than thrilled about adding to the already $1.2 trillion budget deficit.  We did get a glimpse into the mind of the Messiah today, when he said that "only government" can fix the economy.  He's also playing the fear card, saying that there could be a generation of lost earnings without his "stimulus" plan.  With his plan, there will be multiple generations of earnings seized by government to pay for it.

 

Mark Impomeni makes the political case for Republicans to oppose the "stimulus" package, but Mitch McConnell doesn't seem to be listening.

 

The Federal Reserve is trying to figure out how to end the emergency support loans they gave to the financial sector.

 

Guess who wants a bailout now?  The porn industry.

 

Obama also says that he plans on looking at Social Security and Medicare spending as part of a deficit reduction plan.  Either he'll turn them both into pure welfare programs via means testing or he'll do nothing.  Taking bets?

 

A sled dog race in Minnesota was cancelled because there was too much snow.

 

Senate Democrats are admitting that they made mistakes in their handling of the Roland Burris situation.  They didn't realize how bad it would look for them to keep a black guy out of the Senate.  Of course, they also probably didn't realize that Burris isn't as innocent as they originally thought.  These little details might come out later.

 

A new report shows that taxpayers spend about $200 billion a year complying with the tax code.  That money would stay with the taxpayers under the FairTax.

 

The U.S. House will vote next week on an extension of the SCHIP program, which Henry Waxman says is a "down payment on national health insurance."  Just wait—they want socialized medicine, they might just get it.  After all, they've already proven themselves apathetic to deficit spending.

 

San Francisco wants almost $2.2 billion in federal "stimulus" funds.  We'll compare that to Warner Robins' request today.

 

Five members of the Georgia Congressional delegation have cosponsored the federal balanced budget amendment.  Now they have to act responsibly.

 

Conservative actor Gary Graham writes on the new Big Hollywood blog that he is one pissed off dude.  This is a must-read.

 

Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel is warning lawmakers against shortening the early voting period.  It might be perceived as racist.

 

74% of Georgians want to vote on a penny sales tax for local transportation issues.

Pelosi: Republicans Don't Matter

Senate Democrats may actually seat Roland Burris, but they don't have a final deal yet.  They're waiting on litigation to be decided upon.  Burris might not be as clean and innocent as he's been portrayed, either; he's had a few fundraisers for Blago and might have been engaged in pay-for-pay.

 

House Democrats passed the new rules package that effectively shuts out Republican influence.

 

Yesterday I told you that CNN's celebrity doctor Sanjay Gupta is a possible pick for Surgeon General.  Given that the job is just to be the nation's health nag, he's certainly qualified.  In fact, considering that he's a celebrity journalist, he's especially qualified in the Obama administration.  I like the input of one of Michelle Malkin's commenters:  why do we have a Surgeon General at all?

 

The federal budget deficit will reach $1.2 trillion this year, before any "stimulus" package.  Nancy Pelosi wants everybody to just ignore the cost of this "stimulus" plan.

 

Speaking of the "stimulus" package, The Messiah says that there will be no earmarks in the stimulus package.  He also wants it to be used to cover unemployment benefits.

 

You wealth envy types will like this:  the combined wealth of millionaires in the United States has dropped by 30%.  As soon as you're done celebrating, read this column by Dr. Walter E. Williams, in which he tells you the difference between rich people and politicians.  Then hear from a politician, Sen. Tom Coburn, criticize his own kind by calling them power addicts.

 

It has cost the Treasury Department $26.55 million to spend the $350 million TARP fund.

 

"Crazy Aunt" Cynthia McKinney told her story about what happened on her aid-the-Islamic-terrorists mission to a newspaper in Cyprus.  We find out today, though, that even if they had arrived in Gaza, Hamas would have taken the aid supplies and sold them to buy more weapons.  On the anti-Semitic side (beyond McKinney), a protestor in Fort Lauderdale, Florida told the Jews to "go back to the oven."

 

Republicans are launching a preemptive strike against the Fairness Doctrine.

 

Obama's new Presidential ride was released yesterday, and it's far from green.

 

Mississippi ranks highest in the country in teen pregnancy rates.  Georgia is 10^th.

Georgia Congressman Tom Price might be leading the opposition to the Democrats' health care plans.

 

The Georgia Senate's Rules Committee Chairman is cosponsoring the Sunday alcohol sales bill.  Here's the text.

 

It turns out that having some "junk in the trunk" is good for your health.

Congress Is Back--Guard Your Wallets!

Neither Roland Burris nor Al Franken was sworn in today in the Senate.

 

Joe Biden compared the economy to 9/11, saying "we're at war."  Keep it up, Joe.

 

Barack Obama is remarkably relaxed about his projection that the federal government will have trillion-dollar budget deficits for years to come.  Of course, why bother with that when you won't be around to bear the consequences of the spending?

 

The Republicans are already coming out against Obama's "tax cuts."  They have to be very careful with the PR here, but they're on the right track.  Meanwhile, Democrats might fight too much amongst themselves to get anything accomplished.

 

The Messiah yesterday tapped Leon Panetta to head the CIA, despite the fact that he has no intelligence experience.

 

European automakers are moving into the United States to compete for market share, especially in non-union states.

 

Blago's staffers will be speaking at an "Ethics in the Workplace" seminar tomorrow.

 

Newark, New Jersey has banned the use of barbed wire inside city limits because it looks bad.

 

The conflict in Gaza is spreading to Europe, where Jews are being attacked across the continent.

 

Here's a brilliant column on Israel's response to the Gaza situation.

 

70,000 Iranian suicide bombers are ready to go fight Israel.  We're supposed to believe that we can talk to these people?

 

The DTV converter coupon program is out of money.  Honestly, who still uses rabbit ears anyway?

 

Despite the state's budget shortfall this year, top legislators say that they will not raise taxes.  Casey Cagle also says that he won't get in the way of Sunday alcohol sales.

 

Warner Robins' City Council met last night and appointed a new city attorney.  He's the same guy who has been there for the last 24 years.  They decided to keep Jim Elliott for at least one more year, now on a part time basis.  Also last night, the City Council decided to ask the federal government for $217 million from the Obama "stimulus" package.

Congress Opens Tomorrow

Harry Reid, always a fan of kicking a man while he's down, says that President Bush is the worst President we've ever had.  To justify his statement, he pointed to Bush's failed plan to privatize Social Security and claims that Bush has tried to destroy Medicare.  I can only assume that he was referring to the prescription drug program; in which case, Reid is right, but that was a Democrat bill.

 

The Treasury Department is considering another idea for using our $700 billion from the bailout.  They still haven't figured out what they're doing.  By the way, 99.65% of banks didn't fail in 2008.

 

President-Elect Obama is trying to scare the hell out of us again by threatening the possibility of 10%+ unemployment rates if he doesn't get a stimulus package.  Meanwhile, House Democrats want to get the "stimulus" package from draft to final passage in just one week.  In that kind of time frame, there's not time for proper vetting (which is the point).  Democrat Governors are also pushing, hoping for a $1 trillion "stimulus" bailout because they've spent too much money.  Part of Obama's idea for the "stimulus" is his "Making Work Pay" tax cut for people who don't pay taxes, but the idea of "tax cuts" could get Republicans to support the bill, according to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

 

IRS asininity:  A Detroit lawyer got a 5-cent bill from the IRS, then was told that he got a 4-cent refund.  He had to submit a written request if he wanted his 4 cents back.

 

Remember when Nancy Pelosi said that this Congress was going to be more bipartisan?  Apparently she changed her mind, because now she's writing new House rules that would prevent Republicans from having any influence on legislation.  She also admitted that she would be little more than a rubber stamp for Obama's agenda.

 

Foreign money might be leaving the United States, but at least they're still funding our government!

 

Harry Reid talked to Blagojevich to tell him who he didn't want in the Senate—any of the three top blacks then being considered for the position.  The Lieutenant Governor of Illinois is ashamed that his state has become a "laughingstock."

 

Al Franken currently leads in the race for Minnesota's Senate seat, thanks to what the Wall Street Journal calls "funny business."

 

Barack Obama's kids started school at Sidwell Friends today.  So school choice is good for his kids, but not for yours.

 

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson has withdrawn his nomination for Commerce Secretary amid an investigation into his own pay-for-play scandal.

 

A Republican lawmaker from Cumming wants to impose a fee on strip clubs.

 

Here is a look at some of the pre-filed bills going into the 2009 session of the General Assembly.  One idea that won't go anywhere, according to Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, is the idea of extending where people with concealed-carry permits can carry their weapons.

 

Even the Wall Street Journal is criticizing Governor Perdue's "Go Fish" initiative, and they don't have to.

 

Good news for state lawmakers:  state agencies had $203 million left over from last year's operations.

 

Houston County was rated a tier 4 county economically, which could mean that the county could lose some state tax incentives.

The Media is Bad for the Economy

Here is a lesson to be learned by local and state officials:  even if you pass a cell phone driving ban, after a while people will start to ignore it.

 

Along with the New Year came some new snowfall records and sea ice at the same level as in 1979.

 

If Roland Burris shows up to claim "his" Senate seat, Democrats will use force, if necessary, to keep him off the Senate floor.  We also have now a solid verdict:  the signature of the Secretary of State of Illinois is necessary for Burris to be formally appointed, which is why Burris is suing Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White for his signature.

 

Seventy seven percent of Americans blame the mainstream, uppity, navel-gazing media for making the economy worse.

 

Now the steel industry is looking for a bailout, in the form of the massive new federal "stimulus" package.  The "stimulus" will be decided on by a bunch of Democrats on a committee.  It'll be nothing but a bunch of pork, and G-RAMP could be one of the pet projects that would get funded by the Obama "stimulus" package.

 

The Los Angeles Times points out that moderate (liberal) Republicans in the Senate will be in demand.

 

A 14-year-old who would have been a suicide bomber said he was tricked by the radical madrassa that trained him in Islam and told him that he had to be a suicide bomber.  Have you ever noticed that the people telling others to kill themselves never do it themselves?  Well Israel managed to kill one of those pieces of scum yesterday.

 

The United States gave 3,400 visas to immigrants from state sponsors of terror last year.  So now we might be letting terrorists come to the United States legally now?  Wonderful.

 

Happy New Year!  Georgia gas taxes dropped by four cents yesterday.  Enjoy it while you can, because a federal commission wants to raise the federal gas tax.