Obama Blows It In Russia

The Swiss government is protecting Swiss bank UBS and their clients from the Obama Administration's attempts to tax Americans' money that they send overseas.

 

There is a lot of buzz in Washington over the idea of a second "stimulus" package.  This may just be a diversionary tactic as they take up cap-and-tax in the Senate and socialized medicine.

 

Speaking of socialized medicine, the Senate may not tax individual health care benefits to pay for their plan because they don't have the support to do it.  They worry that the CBO might issue another cost estimate of around $1.5 trillion that the American people won't like, and those supposed "cost cutting" deals that the administration is negotiating might only cover up some hidden costs.  Some are also wondering who will say no to patient requests for care after we start rationing, but I think it might be the insurance czar that Obama would name.  Members of the House, of course, won't read this bill either.

 

Republicans are still trying to use the firefighters' case to attack Sonia Sotomayor.  Senate Committee hearings start next week, and this is the best chance Republicans have to keep her off the Supreme Court.

 

President Obama continued the ineptitude of his foreign policy by thanking Russia for Alaska and giving Russia credit for ending the Cold War.

 

Jamie Dupree found more bureaucracy that will be created by the cap-and-trade bill.  Maybe if members of Congress had read the bill they would have seen some of this.  Meanwhile, small businesses are angry over the cap-and-trade bill passing the House because they know it will harm them.

 

Union leaders will meet with Obama next week.  They'll talk about card check, but I have a feeling the fact that the SEIU wouldn't allow a competing union to organize won't be a major topic of conversation.

 

Here's a novel idea:  treat borrowers like adults.

 

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff says that time is running out for a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear situation.

 

Obama's Assistant Attorney General told the Senate that Islamic terrorists captured on the battlefields have Constitutional rights.  Meanwhile, the Obama administration has decided that detainees may not be set free if they are acquitted, but held indefinitely.

 

In response to American policies meant to cut the number of civilian casualties in Afghanistan, Taliban members now cross-dress to escape American soldiers.

 

I love this line about the Obama administration's response to the Honduran situation:  "Never has the U.S. bent over so far backwards to accommodate a tyrant."  The State Department meddled in the situation by getting the President of Costa Rica to mediate talks between would-be dictator Manuel Zelaya and the legitimate government of Honduras.

 

I hadn't planned on talking about the campaign finance reports from the candidates for Governor, but the numbers that came in were so interesting that I just can't help myself.  On the Republican side, Nathan Deal led, followed by Eric Johnson, with John Oxendine and Karen Handel running a distant third and fourth.  On the Democrat side, Thurbert Baker took a big lead, even beating the bottom four Republicans, but remember that Roy Barnes hasn't officially started his campaign.

 

The Houston County Commission is starting to implement the emergency alert system that we voted for in November.  So far, consider me underwhelmed.

 

Former Warner Robins City Councilman Doug McDowell will run for election again after losing in 2007.