Friday, January 4, 2013

Obama will claim credit for this, but we can all thank fracking instead

US drilling boom for shale oil is remaking America’s energy picture and has brought net oil imports to a 20-year low
"As recently as 2006, domestic crude oil accounted for only about 40% of U.S. oil consumption and imports for 60%.  In only six years, those shares of U.S. oil consumption have almost reversed, with domestic crude oil supplying almost 60% of America’s oil consumption this year, as the share of foreign oil has fallen below 40% in recent months.  As the WSJ points out, the drilling boom in shale-rich states like North Dakota and Texas, thanks to advanced drilling technologies, is completely “remaking the U.S. energy picture,” and in the process remaking the U.S. economy."

And I'm sure that if the Matt Damon film, "Promised Land" does to the oil industry what "China Syndrome" did for nuclear, that will all come to an end.

Matt Damon’s Anti-Fracking Movie Seemingly On Its Way To A Flop  "Matt Damon has become something of an anti-fracking activist. His new movie, Promised Land, takes aim at oil and gas drilling technique, no doubt hoping to do for fracking what The China Syndrome did for nuclear energy.
"The movie is about an oil industry land man who is out to swindle property owners into letting oil companies “frack” (drill for oil”) on their land." This post then refers us to:...

Rotten Tomatoes says, "The earnest and well-intentioned Promised Land sports a likable cast, but it also suffers from oversimplified characterizations and a frustrating final act." 48% didn't like the movie and 40% did in this review.

CNN: Damon's film 'Promised Land' overlooks fracking's boon to U.S.  "Instead, the film falls back on many conventional anti-capitalist themes. The "only reason you're here is 'cause we're poor," declares a farmer to Butler at one point."
...."The energy boom is bringing jobs and increased tax revenues back to rural America and not just to the pockets of big energy companies, as Damon and his co-writers would have you believe."
William Bennett

The "Fair Share" Tax Calculator

"We always hear that the “rich” aren’t paying their “fair share”. This begs* the question: what amount constitutes this fair share? This graphic should clear things up:"

Say Anything Blog

Allow me to digress, please:  to"beg the question" is always used improperly; it should have said "prompts the question". To beg the question is to avoid answering it, much as Obama does on the few occasions when he is asked something by a real journalist. Here is an example of "begging a question" from the Biden-Ryan debate:
 
Moderator:...The State Department has now made clear there were no protesters there. It was a pre-planned assault by heavily armed men. Wasn't this a massive intelligence failure, Vice President Biden?

VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN: What it was, it was a tragedy, Martha. It — Chris Stevens was one of our best. We lost three other brave Americans.
And I can make absolutely two commitments to you and all of the American people tonight: One, we will find and bring to justice the men who did this.
 
Sorry to digress, but the opportunity presented itself. We will discuss "I could care less" some other time.
 

John Boehner approved by Republican House, but not triumphantly

Inside the Conservative Rebellion Against John Boehner " House Speaker John Boehner barely held onto his job atop Congress’ lower chamber on Thursday. Just how close a call Boehner had is now becoming clear.
"Nine House conservatives voted for somebody other than Boehner, two abstained from voting and one voted “present.” That total of 12 Republicans who didn’t support Boehner was a stone’s throw from the required 17 to force a second ballot election – at which point several more Republican members were slated to back a competitor to Boehner’s, who would unite the party behind him or her."
NRO: An attempted rebellion against the House speaker fails, but leaves him weakened.
..." Franks couldn’t believe that a small bloc of conservative House Republicans would haphazardly plot against the speaker, especially so close to the roll call. Franks ended the conversation and found a seat. Several other members who were approached, he says, did the same. “I’m one of the most conservative guys here and I find out about this thing 15 minutes before the vote?” Franks asks, in an interview at the Capitol. “To me, it was a ridiculous miscalculation by a sincere but inept group.”"

Taegan D. Goddard's Political Wire; The GOP's Geographical Divide  " ..."there is a regional division in the party between the deep South, which contains many of the diehard House Republicans, and the Republicans from the Northeast, industrial Midwest, and the Far West. In the House vote on the fiscal cliff, Republican House members from the deep South opposed it by 83 to 10, while Republicans from the Northeast favored it by 24 to one, and those from the Far West by 17 to eight.' "

Neal Boortz's speech: If I Were The Speaker Of The House  "The way things stand now the next Speaker is only going to serve two years.  That would be because when the next Congress convenes in 2015 the Speaker of the House is going to be (gaaackkkk) Nancy Pelosi.  The entitlement electorate is expanding and Democrats are poised to take even more power.
"OK … so let’s imagine that I had been the speaker for the last week while this absurdity over the so-called fiscal cliff was playing out.  If it had been in my power to prevent it, there would have been NO tax increase.  Instead, I would have released the following statement:"....
His dissertation is lengthy, but concludes with these words that I wanted you to see:

We’re not going to follow a president focused on revenge.  We are not going to get out of the way of a Democrat party dedicated to expanding government dependency.  We’re going to lead.  We’ll need your help.  Let’s get to work.
 Rick Moran at American Thinker agrees Boehner is weakened
Political Cartoons by Bob Gorrell

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Hagel, Obama, and the Israeli elections

Caroline Glick  "Today the National Journal reported that Obama is reconsidering his decision to appoint Chuck Hagel Secretary of Defense. As I wrote in my previous post, there is no chance that Obama will appoint a supporter of a strong Israel to any senior foreign policy post because he wouldn't appoint someone who doesn't share his basic animosity towards Israel. But in Hagel, he chose someone even more outspoken in his animus towards the Jewish state than Obama."
....
"If Obama indeed scuttles Hagel's elevation to Defense Secretary, it shows that it is possible to fight Obama on foreign policy even in his second term, and win, at least sometimes. This is important information for Republicans, American Jews, and the Israeli government."

What will Obama and his Democrats do to us next?

President Obama To Republicans – You Have Another Thing Coming!
 "First, he will expose himself as the class warfare warrior he really is. Second, he will show just how serious he really isn’t about the debt and the deficit. I have said it before, it’s the spending, stupid. Obama either doesn’t understand that or he just doesn’t care about reducing our debt and deficit and getting spending under control. I suspect it is probably the latter." Via CBC
Obama: We raised taxes, but the rich still aren’t paying their fair share   "President Obama cut a video, distributed by his reelection, to reiterate his belief that the wealthiest Americans still aren’t paying their “fair share” of taxes and to outline a second-term agenda ranging from environmental policy to gun control."

Boehner tells GOP he’s through negotiating one-on-one with Obama "The shift could have immediate ramifications as Congress heads into its next showdown over raising the debt ceiling and replacing steep automatic cuts to defense and domestic spending that are now set to take effect in March. It will also impact other presidential priorities like immigration reform and gun control."

Neal Boortz; What Did I Tell You?   "Dear Ruler is just getting started … BOHICA!   You just read a statement I would love to see the leaders of the Republican Party issue (yeah, I know … in my dreams).  Now take a look at what Obama had to say earlier this week:"...
Two of Mr. Boortz's points are:
  • Apparently the fiscal cliff agreement of a 41:1 ratio of tax increases to spending cuts is not “balanced” enough for Dear Ruler.
  • It’s odd that Obama expresses concern about economic growth when he just increased taxes on the very people who invest in our economy and create jobs.
Remember I told you what BOHICA means?

White House eases path to residency for some illegal immigrants  "The change is the latest move by the administration to use its executive powers to revise immigration procedures without Congress passing a law."  Notice the pro-amnesty propaganda in the wording of this article:
The new procedures could reduce a family's time apart to one week in some cases, officials said. In recent years a few relatives of U.S. citizens have been killed in foreign countries while waiting for their applications to be resolved.
You do remember we're discussing potential Democrat voters here, don't you?

Despite looming debt ceiling fight, gun control, immigration reform on Obama's agenda "For tactical reasons, he may wish to bring one or both of those pieces of legislation to the floor - especially if they would be doomed to go down to defeat. Neither measure would be popular with the voters and a GOP stance against them wouldn't hurt - and might help them - at the polls."

As 2d term looms, Obama's Hope and Change become Fear and Gloom  "By a nearly two-to-one margin Americans are certain that 2013 will see 12 months of economic troubles. That seems like a pretty safe expectation since that's what we've had for four years of this administration, despite $800 billion-plus in wasted economic stimulus. Call it Obama Continuity.
"The two-thirds (65%) who see a tough economic year ahead, despite Obama's improving golf game..."
Political Cartoons by Gary Varvel
Victor Davis Hanson; Americans can’t trust the government not to infringe on their traditional freedoms.  "The ability of citizens to protect their households, to keep at least half their earnings safe from various government taxes, and to use their own judgment in making health-care decisions is central to a free people. No wonder the fear that a radically growing government will infringe on such traditional freedoms is stampeding millions of panicky Americans in all directions."

Don't any of Obama's worshippers realize how their idol is viewed?

Political Cartoons by Larry Wright
Political Cartoons by Lisa Benson
Political Cartoons by Nate Beeler
Political Cartoons by Michael Ramirez
Political Cartoons by Chuck Asay
Political Cartoons by Chip Bok
 
 

The Miracle of Life

Conservative Daily News  "One amazing moment was caught by camera in Phoenix recently. Tiny and yet unborn Naveah Atkins reached out of her mother’s womb and held the finger of the doctor performing her C-section delivery. The story has gone viral as people across the world ponder and admire the miracle of life."
 
KSLA News 12 Shreveport, Louisiana News Weather

Al Jazeera Buys Al Gore's Current TV

Big Journalism   "Al Jazeera is finalizing a deal to take over Current TV, the low-rated cable channel that was founded by Al Gore and his business partners seven years ago.
"If the deal is completed, Current will provide the pan-Arab news giant with something it has sought for years: a pathway into American living rooms. Current is available in about 60 million of the 100 million homes in the United States with cable or satellite service."
...."The plan will bring Al Jazeera, which is financed by the government of Qatar, into closer competition with CNN and other news channels in the United States"  Full story here. 
Hat tip to Rick Bulow at Conservative Bloggers on Facebook



Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Ann Coulter on BAD INVENTIONS

Ann Coulter  "I am bored with politics, refuse to pay attention to the news and am watching only True Crime TV shows and Turner Classic Movies these days. With the Democrats controlling the Senate and presidency, nothing good can possibly come out of Washington for at least another two years. So I thought I’d start the new year with something useful, like a short list of bad inventions."
And of course, this one.
And this one:

50 Reasons Why It Rocks to Be a Progressive in 2013

Kyle Becker 

"The New Year has arrived, and along with it, an epiphany of sorts. After struggling for years to be an advocate of free enterprise and limited government, it’s finally time to concede to leftists. It would be so much easier that way — just become a lefty, and instantly have positive reinforcement all around you confirming your every thought!
"Why not? It seems like a great time to be a radical leftist, looking down on conservatives and calling them names without any concern for the truth. The following is a list of 50 reasons why it surely rocks to be a progressive in 2013."For example:...
2 Whatever your heart desires, it’s a “right.”
8. Debt ceases to exist if you stop believing in it.
36. Whatever left-wing radicals believe is “moderate,” and conservatives who believe in maintaining our relatively free society and prosperous economy are “extremists.”
40. Don’t worry about making intellectual arguments to the masses, just buy them off with other people’s money.
Hat tip to Becca Lower at  Conservative Bloggers on Facebook

DEBT LIMIT - A GUIDE TO AMERICAN FEDERAL DEBT MADE EASY.


Commentary on the fiscal deal of Jan 1, 2013

Surprise! Republican Leaders Have No Backbone  "On January 1, 2012 the Republican leadership broke their promise about not raising taxes on the rich. "The deal passed by the Senate early this morning, with the endorsement of all but seven of the 47 Republicans, would raise $620 billion in new revenue, hiking tax rates on households earning more than $450,000 a year." "  More...
The End of the GOP?   "Conservatives may at last be faced with their only alternative--a third party.  They have threatened to form one time and again, but have been persuaded for the sake of the country and party unity to put their concerns and even their principles on the back burner."

Editors at National Review Online say the deal was worth passing
"In our judgment, though, the deal was worth passing. It will result in less economic damage than either doing nothing (and thus letting all the tax cuts expire) or adopting Obama’s initial position would have. It will also give the federal government less revenue to spend than either of those alternatives. Conservatives who judge these matters differently should make their case without suggesting, falsely, that taxes would have stayed down if only McConnell, Boehner, et al. had not “caved.” Republicans who supported the deal, meanwhile, should not oversell it. Political parties and movements sometimes have to limit the damage that a different course of action would entail; they cannot make “limit the damage” their slogan and battle cry".

Our long national nightmare is over — for two months.

Thomas Sowell; Republicans Deserved to Lose "But, to this day, the Republican establishment still goes for pragmatic moderates who feed pablum to the public, instead of treating them like adults.
"It is not just Republican presidential candidates who cannot be bothered to articulate a coherent argument, instead of ad hoc talking points. Have you yet heard House Speaker John Boehner take the time to spell out why Barack Obama’s argument for taxing “millionaires and billionaires” is wrong?"
Why must it all be left to talk show hosts and columnists?
Political Cartoons by Glenn Foden
Dingy Harry wouldn't do the job so Senator McConnell turned to Crazy Joe to get it done
"The critical conversation between the offices of Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell came early Sunday afternoon, about 36 hours before Congress was set to teeter over the fiscal cliff. Reid, the majority leader, had been negotiating and trading ideas with McConnell, his minority counterpart, since Friday evening. But the soft-spoken Nevada Democrat drew a bold line in the sand midday Sunday: he had no more counter-offers to give. Suddenly and irreversibly, the talks veered into a new direction. Within minutes, the Kentucky Republican was dialing up Vice President Joe Biden..."
lucianne.com/

Bill Kristol says, Say Yes to the Mess  "So, enough House Republicans should vote yes to get the bill passed. And then immediately move on. For Republicans and conservatives need to get serious about what, substantively, they want to stand for over the next few years; about what, practically, they think they can accomplish during Obama's second term; and about what, politically, their strategy and tactics are for dealing with President Obama and for laying the groundwork for victories in 2014 and 2016". It's time for Republicans to show anger toward Obama, the Democrats and the media. Anger works for the left.