Fried Breakfast Is Good For Your Health. Really.

If you want to avoid ObamaCare, in addition to Bill Sardi's recommendation (natural medicine cabinet) the other day, eat fried breakfast.

Now that's more to my liking. I always liked solid English Breakfast whenever I stayed in England. I hope this is not a April Fool's joke...

Fried breakfast is healthiest start to day, say scientists (4/1/2010 Telegraph UK)

"A breakfast of bacon, sausages, eggs, and beans could be the healthiest start to the day, according to new research.

"Scientists believe that breakfast programmes the metabolism for the rest of the day, and a fatty meal will help the body break down fat later on.

"Carbohydrate rich foods in contrast appear mainly to prepare the body to break down only carbohydrates, the International Journal of Obesity reports.

"Dr Martin Young, of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said: “The first meal you have appears to programme your metabolism for the rest of the day.

"“This study suggests that if you ate a carbohydrate-rich breakfast it would promote carbohydrate utilisation throughout the rest of the day, whereas if you have a fat-rich breakfast, you (can) transfer your energy utilisation between carbohydrate and fat.”

"The team of researchers found there may be some truth in the old saying “'eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper' – may be the key to a healthy body and mind.”" [The article continues. Emphasis is mine.]


(Ohhhh Nooooo Google AdSense is feeding my site with Carly Fiorina's campaign banner. Ugghh.)

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OT: Congressman Fears 25,000 Marines Will Capsize Guam

Congressman Hank Johnson (D-Georgia) thinks additional 25,000 Marines will capsize the island of Guam. (If Youtube video below doesn't load, follow this link to watch it at Youtube site.)

His office said later that the Congressman was "obviously" joking.

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What Is the Federal Reserve Up To?

Something is brewing at the Federal Reserve, that much seems certain.

The Fed's buying of agency bonds and MBS backed by agencies was supposed to have ended as of March 31. Then, why does the Federal Reserve need money now, to the tune of $125 billion?

There were Treasury auctions in March whose only purpose was to raise necessary funds for the use by the Federal Reserve. (My other blog, treasuryauctionwatch.blogspot.com, tracks Treasury auctions. I noticed them as I created the posts. All in all, Treasury sold a boatload of short-term bills in March.)

In March, Treasury Department auctioned $125 billion worth of CMB (Cash Management Bill) specifically for SFP (Special Financing Program) for the Federal Reserve:

• March 3: 56-day CMB, $25 billion
• March 10: 56-day CMB, $25 billion
• March 17: 56-day CMB, $25 billion
• March 24: 56-day CMB, $25 billion
• March 31: 56-day CMB, $25 billion

Every single week in March, Treasury raised money for the Fed. The last time this happened was from March to August, but at most it was 3 special CMB auctions per month.

(Hmmm. March to August, 2009. Wasn't that when the stock market kept going up and up for no good fundamental reason, when every trader shorted or wanted to short the market and got burned?)

If the various lending programs at the Fed are winding down or have wound down already, why does Bernanke need $125 billion now?

In another peculiar movement, New York Fed decided yesterday to unilaterally disclose what was held in Maiden Lane (created to hold garbage from Bear Stearns), Maiden Lane II and III (created to hold garbage from AIG). These "investments" total about $65 billion.

The Fed also has about $81 billion in credit extended by NY Fed to "eligible borrowers" including AIG.

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Bill Sardi: How to Survive ObamaCare

is to practice self preventive care to stay healthy, and never have to go to the doctors.

In an article written exclusively for Lewrockwell.com, Bill Sardi shares his natural medicine chest.

How To Prepare For Obamacare: Create Your Own Natural Medicine Chest (Bill Sardi, 4/1/2010 Lewrockwell.com)

"This article provides a list of proven home remedies and self-help strategies that readers can begin utilizing today to maintain health while avoiding costly medical care.

"While I have written articles in the past at LR that have addressed heart disease, cancer and other maladies, I hadn’t yet addressed every-day and emergent health problems that cause Americans to run to the doctor.

"Americans can begin to stock their home medicine chest with items that will avert or forestall a visit to the doctor. Many of the most common reasons to visit a doctor, stomach pains, chest pains, fever, cough, headaches, sore throats, infections, toothaches, back aches, can be handled with low-cost remedies at home." [The article continues.]

Here's part of his natural medicine chest. For more details, please visit the link above.

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Wheel of Fortune Host Ridicules Frank Rich, Theater Critic

Pat Sajak is best known as the host of long-running TV game show "Wheel of Fortune". In the article appeared in Human Events, he pokes fun at erstwhile Broadway theater critic turned political analyst Frank Rich.

Frank Rich's most recent Op-Ed column in New York Times smears anyone who opposes ObamaCare [that's more than half of Americans] as "right-wing extremist" [so anyone who opposes left-wing extremist policy must be right-wing extremist?], Glenn Beck's "tea party" [huh?], and of course racist who dare oppose a black president [never mind he's half white and was elected by whites] and a female speaker of the house. Oh and a Latina in Supreme Court.

And here's the host, Pat Sajak ...

Opposed to Obamacare? Then You Must Be a Racist
(3/29/2010 Pat Sajak, Human Events)

"Frank Rich spent many years as the theater critic for the New York Times, where, at worst, his venom could cause a Broadway production or two to close down.

"Now, however, Mr. Rich opines on political and social issues for the Times, and, while the results are usually mildly amusing (even if unintentionally so), his reach has grown a bit, so the damage he causes can travel beyond the footlights. I’m not sure why anyone turns to Rich for political analysis—heck, you might as well read the rantings of a TV game show host—but the Gray Lady continues to pay him for his weekly column, and, at the rate she’s bleeding money, that’s no small sacrifice.

"Anyway, Mr. Rich has apparently been able to get to the bottom of the vocal opposition to the “healthcare reform” bill that was recently gently shepherded through Congress.

"It turns out, according to his well-crafted analysis, that it’s not the bill that’s got people in an uproar; rather, what we’re facing is the death rattle of a dwindling cadre of white, racist, sexist, homophobic males terrified by the ascent of people of color, women and gays.

"As the ever-tolerant Rich reasons: “The conjunction of a black President and a female speaker of the House — topped off by a wise Latina on the Supreme Court and a powerful gay congressional committee chairman — would sow fears of disenfranchisement among a dwindling and threatened minority in the country no matter what policies were in play.”

"So that’s it. It’s just a bunch of scared, white males who would yelp about anything this gang came up with. As Rich makes clear, this is merely a replay of the opposition to the Voting Rights Act of 1964. You get it? If you express opposition to the bill, you’re a racist, sexist homophobe.

"Mr. Rich is shocked by the level of anger in the land, and he fears for the safety of our elected officials, much as I’m sure he did during the George W. Bush administration. He calls on Republican leaders to distance themselves from the more radical voices among them, echoing the demands I’m sure he made of the Democrats during the last campaign.

"Welcome to post-racial America, where those who oppose a piece of legislation must defend themselves against the scurrilous charges of a man who seems much better suited to reviewing “Cats”. (He liked it, by the way.) This was a particularly shameful column, and the millions of Americans who oppose this legislation are owed an apology. Are they right? Are they wrong? Let’s discuss it. Let’s debate it. Let’s yell and scream if we want to. But would it be too much to ask that we approach the matter based on its merits and leave the psychobabble to Dr. Phil?" [Emphasis is mine.]

Ouch.

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Student Loan Industry Nationalization Tacked onto Health Bill

Did you know that? I didn't, although I reported on the student loan nationalization in my past blog posts.

Starting July 1st, anyone who wants federal student loans will have to deal directly with the federal government. (Good luck with that.) It is of course touted as reducing deficit and wasteful subsidies. (Here I thought deficit and wasteful subsidies are two hallmarks of the government.)

Goodies buried in this government takeover includes:

"New borrowers who assume loans after July 1, 2014, will be able to cap their student loan repayments at 10 percent of their discretionary income and, if they keep up with their payments over time, will have the balance forgiven after 20 years."

But wait! There's more. If the borrowers find employment in the public sectors, the balance will be forgiven after only 10 years!

And of course there's much more for institutions that cater to "minorities" - $2.55 billion more.

You can read all about it in the White House statement. If you are brave, you can dig into the health care bill itself (H.R.3590). (Good luck.)

It looks to me like this is another job bill - take away the jobs from private industry and shift them to the government. The government only takes away, but gives you an illusion that it creates.

So, Americans who will be forced to buy health insurance and to pay added taxes for medical products and services with the threat of fine and jail time will also be paying for the student loans that will be forgiven by the government.

Do you wonder what else is buried in that monstrosity of the health care insurance "reform" bill? If you don't, you should.

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Capital Control Provisions Tacked on to the Job Bill

and no one in the mainstream media has reported on it. Now the U.S. is ever getting closer to Zimbabwe before everything collapsed.

It is buried under Title V (last one in the bill H.R. 2847 which has just been signed into law by Obama) Offset Provisions. It is stupid enough to think businesses will hire people just to get a puny tax credit. But what does capital control has to do with job creation?

(Oh I get it. Duh. More job creation at the federal government, of course, just like the recently-passed health care insurance "reform" bill is a huge job bill for foreign countries as well as for the feds.)

Here's from Zero Hedge:

It's Official - America Now Enforces Capital Controls
(3/28/2010 Tyler Durden, Zero Hedge)

"It couldn't have happened to a nicer country. On March 18, with very little pomp and circumstance, president Obama passed the most recent stimulus act, the $17.5 billion Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act (H.R. 2487 [it is 2847; Tyler might be dyslexic]), brilliantly goalseeked by the administration's millionaire cronies to abbreviate as HIRE. As it was merely the latest in an endless stream of acts destined to expand the government payroll to infinity, nobody cared about it, or actually read it. Because if anyone had read it, the act would have been known as the Capital Controls Act, as one of the lesser, but infinitely more important provisions on page 27, known as Offset Provisions - Subtitle A—Foreign Account Tax Compliance, institutes just that. In brief, the Provision requires that foreign banks not only withhold 30% of all outgoing capital flows (likely remitting the collection promptly back to the US Treasury) but also disclose the full details of non-exempt account-holders to the US and the IRS. And should this provision be deemed illegal by a given foreign nation's domestic laws (think Switzerland), well the foreign financial institution is required to close the account. It's the law. If you thought you could move your capital to the non-sequestration safety of non-US financial institutions, sorry you lose - the law now says so. Capital Controls are now here and are now fully enforced by the law." [The article continues. Emphasis is original.]

Please go read the whole article at Zero Hedge. It cites the actual sections in the bill. The Zero Hedge article ends with:

"And so the noose on capital mobility tightens, as very soon the only option US citizens have when it comes to investing their money, will be in government mandated retirement annuities, which will likely be the next step in the capital control escalation, which will culminate with every single free dollar required to be reinvested into the US, likely in the form of purchasing US Treasury emissions such as Treasuries, TIPS and other worthless pieces of paper.

"Congratulations bankrupt America - you are now one step closer to a thoroughly non-free market." [Emphasis is original.]

First they discourage the formation of capital by encouraging debt. Then they severely restrict the capital flow. In a free society, money (capital) and information flow freely.

At this point, I can only laugh. Under this bill, our tax-cheating Treasury Secretary can decide who is a low risk for tax evasion.

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Ron Paul on Health Care Insurance "Reform"

He continues to say health care is NOT a right, just like having a car or owning a home is NOT a right. He says the bill would drive the U.S. into bankruptcy.

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AT&T Joins Catapillar, Valero, Verizon to Reconsider Health Care Coverage

Oh what a surprise. So much for "If you like your health care coverage, you can keep it!"

(Liar, Liar, pants on fire...)

AT&T will take $1B non-cash charge for health care (3/26/2010 AP via Yahoo Finance)

"NEW YORK (AP) -- AT&T Inc. said Friday it will take a $1 billion non-cash charge in the first quarter related to the health care overhaul.

"AT&T's charge is the largest announced so far. Earlier this week, AK Steel Corp., Caterpillar Inc., Deere & Co. and Valero Energy announced similar accounting charges, saying the health care law that President Barack Obama signed Tuesday will raise their expenses.

"AT&T said the charge is to reflect the change of the tax treatment of Medicare subsidies. Companies say the health care overhaul will make a subsidy that companies receive for retiree drug coverage taxable in 2011.

"AT&T also said it is looking into changing the health care benefits it offers to active and retired workers because of the legislation. Analysts say retirees could lose the prescription drug coverage provided by their former employers." [Emphasis is mine. The article continues.]

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OT: Like A Rolling Stone

[Seems very appropriate for the times we have now...]

Once upon a time you dressed so fine
You threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn't you ?
People'd call, say, "Beware doll, you're bound to fall"
You thought they were all kiddin' you
You used to laugh about
Everybody that was hangin' out
Now you don't talk so loud
Now you don't seem so proud
About having to be scrounging for your next meal.

How does it feel
How does it feel
To be without a home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone ?

You've gone to the finest school all right, Miss Lonely
But you know you only used to get juiced in it
And nobody has ever taught you how to live on the street
And now you find out you're gonna have to get used to it
You said you'd never compromise
With the mystery tramp, but now you realize
He's not selling any alibis
As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes
And say do you want to make a deal?

How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone ?
You never turned around to see the frowns on the jugglers and the clowns
When they all come down and did tricks for you
You never understood that it ain't no good
You shouldn't let other people get your kicks for you
You used to ride on the chrome horse with your diplomat
Who carried on his shoulder a Siamese cat
Ain't it hard when you discover that
He really wasn't where it's at
After he took from you everything he could steal.

How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone ?

Princess on the steeple and all the pretty people
They're drinkin', thinkin' that they got it made
Exchanging all precious gifts
But you'd better take your diamond ring, you'd better pawn it babe
You used to be so amused
At Napoleon in rags and the language that he used
Go to him now, he calls you, you can't refuse
When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose
You're invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal.

How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone ?

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What's in Store for the Rest of Us after Health Care "Reform"

It just makes me sick to the stomach to see the stock market keeps going up after the passage of the health care insurance "reform" bill whose various programs will be paid for by reduced Medicare benefits, a whole bunch of new taxes for individuals and businesses on anything from tanning to prescription drugs to medical devices, and insurance premiums which are set to drastically increase (I've already seen the numbers like 40 to 50% increase). National ID cards, vastly expanded IRS power, national computerized database for everything about you including financial information (part of that was passed in the stimulus bill of February 2009, by the way), and who knows what else. They may have revived the "Q-tip tax".

All for covering, supposedly, uninsured Americans, though the number I've heard varies from 40-plus million to mere 8 million. In other words, no one knows for sure. But the government wants to extract $1 trillion from the economy anyway - that's over $3000 for every single American.

This particular government appears hell-bent to extinguish any feeble attempt by what remains of a free market economy to recover. Now that they dump this health care "reform" on the back of the productive segment of the economy, they are eyeing to cause further damage by passing the climate bill to fight the so-called "global warming" which may or may not be happening and which may not be anthropogenic at all.

As this blog reported in the past, the additional tax burden on an average family with the climate bill alone would amount to $1761, by the administration's own admission. (GOP puts the number much higher at $3000.)

CNN's latest poll shows Obama's approval rate hit the lowest. 46% approve his job performance, while 51% disapprove. But that's not all. On health care policy, 58% disapprove, and on federal deficit, 62% disapprove, according to the same CNN poll.

Alas, poll numbers mean nothing to the administration or Congress. They just keep on doing what they've been doing - to inflict pain and suffering.

After the climate bill, it will be immigration, then financial so-called "reform" which would put the Federal Reserve in charge of "protecting" the consumers (fox in a hen house is an understatement). Ducks are lining up.

Nullification, anyone?

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Health Care Deform Bill Passes House

What a hard-working Congress we have. Sunday night, no less. It must be triple-overtime with extra donuts.

As always, Drudge Report has a caustic headline. The link goes to an article by AP about the so-called historic vote on health care "reform" which is really an insurance "reform" which is not really a reform but what the heck that's what this administration and its supporters want to call it but in reality it is a huge burden on Americans who will be taxed to death (literally, maybe) to feed the new federal and state bureaucracy with a threat of penalty and jail time and IRS breathing down their neck. (OK let me take a breath.)

Medicare benefits will be reduced (new taxes and benefit reduction are the two sources of "money" to pay for this monstrosity of a reform). People with investment income will be forced to pay Medicare tax on their passive income. Private businesses, big and small, will have hardly any incentive to hire a new employee in the US.

Oh I get it. This is not the health care bill. It is another job bill, albeit a huge (almost $1 trillion) one, except the jobs it will create will be located outside the US, just as the cash for clunkers program boosted foreign auto sales and the so-called stimulus package stimulated employment in China. Domestic job creation resulting from this bill will likely be confined to government jobs, and private sector jobs that deal with the government. What a productive economy we will have.

By the way, the above-linked AP article says "Obama's young presidency received a badly needed boost as a deeply divided Congress passed legislation touching the lives of nearly every American." Why does the writer of the article think it is a boost? Much of the country is still in severe economic recession, and the tone-deaf Congress and the administration pass a legislation that will force people and private businesses to cough up more hard-earned money for the government, the money that could be deployed for more productive use.

Maybe we should start printing our own fiat money, backed by absolutely nothing, just like the Federal Reserve does. And pay to the federal and state governments with that fiat money

The U.S. stock market futures are negative, as you would expect. We'll see if some mysterious buyer(s) appear early in the morning tomorrow. They (Obama and his Plunge Protection Team) had better be propping up the stock market, for it is about the only cheerful thing that has been happening ever since March last year.

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Approval Rate New Low for Obama

Rasmussen's Presidential Tracking Poll, which surveys likely voters and which is calculated as difference between "Strongly Approve" and "Strongly Disapprove", is -21 today, tying the all-time low for this president.

Even the more mainstream Gallup's Obama Job Approval shows a clear crossover: 48% Disapprove, 46% Approve.


TA (technical analysis) on Rasmussen's "Strongly Disapprove": it looks like it is about to break to the upside, after several months of basing and forming "a cup". We will see if it forms "a handle" part. The cup with handle is a bullish, continuation formation, and it could happen without a handle. The target would be the depth of the cup, so it would be about 50%.

What could trigger the upside breakout? The health care "reform" bill passed without even a vote on the bill would be a good candidate, among so many others...

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US, UK Move Closer to Losing AAA Credit Rating

says Moody's Investors Service, and the stock market swooned just for the show I guess, and reversed back to end up in green (except for Nasdaq). "What's the big deal?" the market seems to be saying.

U.S., U.K. Move Closer to Losing Rating, Moody’s Says
(3/15/2010 Bloomberg)

"March 15 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. and the U.K. have moved “substantially” closer to losing their AAA credit ratings as the cost of servicing their debt rose, according to Moody’s Investors Service.

"The governments of the two economies must balance bringing down their debt burdens without damaging growth by removing fiscal stimulus too quickly, Pierre Cailleteau, managing director of sovereign risk at Moody’s in London, said in a telephone interview.

"Under the ratings company’s so-called baseline scenario, the U.S. will spend more on debt service as a percentage of revenue this year than any other top-rated country except the U.K., and will be the biggest spender from 2011 to 2013, Moody’s said today in a report.

"“We expect the situation to further deteriorate in terms of the key ratings metrics before they start stabilizing,” Cailleteau said. “This story is not going to stop at the end of the year. There is inertia in the deterioration of credit metrics.”

"The U.S. government will spend about 7 percent of its revenue servicing debt in 2010 and almost 11 percent in 2013, according to the baseline scenario of moderate economic recovery, fiscal adjustments in line with government plans and a gradual increase in interest rates, Moody’s said. [emphasis is mine]

"Under its adverse scenario, which assumes 0.5 percent lower growth each year, less fiscal adjustment and a stronger interest-rate shock, the U.S. will be paying about 15 percent of revenue in interest payments, more than the 14 percent limit that would lead to a downgrade to AA, Moody’s said." [The article continues.]

The baseline debt service scenario is still assuming moderate economic recovery which may or may not happen, and fiscal adjustment in line with government plans (when is the last time things happened in line with government plans?). In other words, Moody's' baseline scenario is the best case scenario, and the more likely scenario may be the adverse one.

One thing is already happening right now: gradual increase in interest rates. Interest rates of Treasury bills, notes and bonds across the board have been creeping up. (For details, go to my other blog, treasuryauctionwatch.blogspot.com.)

We don't actually need the Federal Reserves' declaration that the fed funds rate will be raised (it's a guidance anyway, not that the Fed actually set the rate); the market is setting the Treasury rates higher, despite all the efforts by the concerned parties (the Federal Reserve, certain primary dealers - Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan Chase come to mind) to supress the rates and support the price (which amount to the same thing).

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi claims she has the votes to pass the health care "reform" that will burden the already over-burdened taxpayers. The administration claims the "reform" is budget-neutral, meaning it won't add to the deficit. It may be true, because all the cost is to be borne by the taxpayers out of their ever-shrinking pockets. If they dare pass the climate bill on top of the health care bill, there may be no recovery for the US economy, ever.

When the government butts in on the national economy like it has, it is a zero-sum game: the government takes away from the productive sector of the economy - private businesses and taxpayers - and distributes the loot among themselves under the pretence of giving it to the "poor", of creating "jobs".

"Each according to his ability, each according to his needs"? It may be a noble sentiment. But like the pilgrims found out the hard way, IT DOES NOT WORK. At all.

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Homeless Exec Living Off Reward Points

One good thing (I think) about a severe recession is that people gets really creative and entrepreneurial.

Homeless Executive Lives Off of Rewards Points
(3/12/2010 CNBC via Yahoo Finance)

"Here's proof that all those frequent-flier miles and rewards points you've racked up are good for more than a subscription to Golf Digest.

"Jim Kennedy, a 46-year-old executive in Southern California, went from six figures to homeless in less than two years after he lost his job as a corporate-development manager, had to file for bankruptcy and then lost his Newport Beach condo to foreclosure, the OC Register reports.

"Now, he's using the more than one million frequent-flier miles and rewards points he accrued in his career to survive and help stretch the few dollars he has.

"He's not your typical homeless guy: He drives around in a leased BMW, but hops from hotel to hotel, including a stay at the Motel 6, and tries to keep his food budget to $5 a day. He looks for places with free Internet to to facilitate his job search.

"He's found that mixing cash and points gives you the best value. This week, he's at a Holiday Inn in San Clemente Calif., paying $25 a night, after cashing in 5,000 United Airlines (NASDAQ: UAUA) miles. Bonus: Free breakfast!" [The article continues.]

One million frequent-flier miles should keep him on his feet and roof over his head for about 5 months, he estimates.

His Twitter shows he's now getting a lot of publicity. Hats off to him, and best of luck.

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Madoff and Stanford "Victims" Want Government to "Make Them Whole"

Jewish and Christian coalition of the (once-)wealthy to make the rest of us pay, ultimately. Can you spell C-H-U-T-Z-P-A-H?

Investors Who Lost In Madoff and Stanford Schemes Want Government to "Make Them Whole" (3/10/2010 Jesse's Café Américain)

Citing the Business Week article, the post informs us that the Madoff and Stanford victims have banded together and have been lobbying Congress for a law that could require Wall Street firms to pay billions of dollars to cover some of the losses they suffered.

"Revenue neutral" solution to so that this wealthy group of investors are made "whole". RRIIGGHHTT.

But as Jesse's Cafe says, "What about the rest of us?":

What about the many who have lost, on a percentage basis, equally if not more devastating amounts of their retirement savings in the tech, housing and credit bubbles? Their only fault is that they lack the political connections and high powered lawyers to make the case for them to the Congress, and the influence to get their way from pliable Congressmen.

...To take the losses of wealthier investors from hedge funds and other high risk investments having no productive benefit or socially redeeming value, and socialize them to the many is almost unbelievable.

This holy coalition even has Federal Reserve Dallas's spokeswoman as one of the lobbyists, and influential Senators are already quite sympathetic to their "plight".

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The End of the End of the End of the .....

"Endgame" or the health care "reform" itself (hopefully for the majority of Americans).

Another sarcastic entry today from Drudge Report, which was briefly banned by the Senate Sergeant at Arms for supposed "virus" attack, which coincided with the government's Cybersecurity agenda, which Obama may simply sign into law by his fiat (executive order), which is .... (you get the idea, don't you?):

'END' OF THE 'END GAME' OR 'THE END'?

TODAY: Obama pushing on health
care end game (AP)

Last year:

July 28: Healthcare endgame on
Capitol Hill (Reuters)

August 21: Analysis: Health care endgame near but
uncertain (AP)

October 14: Senate, administration begin healthcare
endgame as Dem leaders express unity (Hill)

October 25: Senators say
health care bill endgame is in sight (Politico)

October 27: End Game: So
When Will Health Care Really Happen? (TPM)

October 30: Health reform
inches closer to endgame (WaPo)

November 23: The Health Care Endgame
(NPR)

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OT: Pictures on Drudge Report

Drudge Report is always so good at picking the most horrendous pictures of political leaders, here and abroad. But this one is so bad I almost feel sorry for Nancy. (Did she forget her hourly botox injection?)

The link goes to a Politico story (3/9/2010) on how Nancy's grip on House is slipping

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Obama May Limit Fishing Access

Isn't there anything left that he doesn't limit?

Oh I forgot. Plenty, now I think about it: The size of the federal government, the size of federal deficit, the size of his convoy, the size of bonus for Fannie, Freddie, AIG top execs, Wall Street execs, the trading practices of big financial institutions, use of OTC derivatives, power of the Federal Reserve, to name a few...

But the president, presiding over the deep recession triggered by the financial crisis, is busy limiting fishing.

Culled out: Obama administration will accept no more public input for federal fishery strategy (Robert Montgomery, 3/9/2010 ESPN)

"The Obama administration will accept no more public input for a federal strategy that could prohibit U.S. citizens from fishing the nation's oceans, coastal areas, Great Lakes, and even inland waters.

"This announcement comes at the time when the situation supposedly still is "fluid" and the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force still hasn't issued its final report on zoning uses of these waters.

"That's a disappointment, but not really a surprise for fishing industry insiders who have negotiated for months with officials at the Council on Environmental Quality and bureaucrats on the task force. These angling advocates have come to suspect that public input into the process was a charade from the beginning.

""When the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) completed their successful campaign to convince the Ontario government to end one of the best scientifically managed big game hunts in North America (spring bear), the results of their agenda had severe economic impacts on small family businesses and the tourism economy of communities across northern and central Ontario," said Phil Morlock, director of environmental affairs for Shimano.

""Now we see NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and the administration planning the future of recreational fishing access in America based on a similar agenda of these same groups and other Big Green anti-use organizations, through an Executive Order by the President. The current U.S. direction with fishing is a direct parallel to what happened in Canada with hunting: The negative economic impacts on hard working American families and small businesses are being ignored.

""In spite of what we hear daily in the press about the President's concern for jobs and the economy and contrary to what he stated in the June order creating this process, we have seen no evidence from NOAA or the task force that recreational fishing and related jobs are receiving any priority."

"... Perhaps not so coincidentally, the New York Times reported on Feb. 12 that "President Obama and his team are preparing an array of actions using his executive power to advance energy, environmental, fiscal and other domestic policy priorities."

"Morlock fears that "what we're seeing coming at us is an attempted dismantling of the science-based fish and wildlife model that has served us so well. There's no basis in science for the agendas of these groups who are trying to push the public out of being able to fish and recreate.

""Conflicts (user) are overstated and problems are manufactured. It's all just an excuse to put us off the water."" [Emphasis is mine. The article continues.]

Sounds all too familiar. Climategate, anyone?

So this president, who accused his predecessor of using the executive fiat too often, is using the same executive fiat to create this "task force", make a token gesture of "accepting public input", and will sign into a new law by the executive fiat the recommendations offered by the task force that was created by the executive fiat.

Toward the end of the article, Chris Horton, national conservation director for BASS says the following:

"With what's being created, the same principles could apply inland as apply to the oceans," he said. "Under the guise of 'marine spatial planning' entire watersheds could be shut down, even 2,000 miles up a river drainage from the ocean."

Pretty soon, no one will be able to fish, because the president will have so decreed. Commercial fishing has been already made a villain. Now recreational fishing.

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Obama Signs Bill to Boost US Tourism Promotion

Obama is now Travel-Agent-In-Chief.

Obama signs bill to boost US tourism promotion (3/4/2010 Breitbart)

"Looking for an edge in the global war for tourism dollars, US President Barack Obama Thursday signed into law moves to attract more overseas travelers.

"Obama signed the act "which establishes a corporation for travel promotion to encourage international travel to the United States," the White House said in a statement.

"The effort is to be funded through a matching program featuring up to 100 million dollars in private sector contributions and a 10-dollar fee on foreign travelers who do not pay for a visa, with no money from US taxpayers.

"Supporters of the law highlighted a forecast by the impartial Congressional Budget Office that it would create some 40,000 US jobs -- and cut the ballooning US deficit by some 425 million dollars." [The article continues.]

Charging 10-dollar fees for travelers from countries with the visa waiver program is supposed to encourage international travel?

Huh?

What am I missing? Visa waiver program participants include most of Europe and wealthier countries in Asia/Pacific (Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Brunei, Australia, New Zealand). The travelers from these countries already suffer a newly added inconvenience of having to register online with the U.S. embassies before they travel to the U.S. and obtain approval.

The bill the president signed was H.R. 1299 "United States Capitol Police Administrative Technical Corrections Act of 2009", "which establishes a Corporation for Travel Promotion to encourage international travel to the United States; and makes miscellaneous amendments to authorities of the United States Capitol Police" according to the White House statement.

What a joke. How things have NOT changed. Capitol Police administrative amendments and a creation of a government-sponsored travel promotion scheme on the same bill.

Section 9 of the bill, TRAVEL PROMOTION ACT OF 2009, details out the plan.

The Corporation for Travel Promotion is to be a non-government, non-profit corporation receiving the money from the government and supported by the Department of Commerce. (How could that be a non-government corporation?) The government will give $10 million seed money, and $100 million per fiscal year for which the Corporation will have to raise the matching fund.

Breitbart's article says "no cost to taxpayers", but it sure looks to me that it will cost taxpayers.

In addition, the Department of Commerce will create the Office of Travel Promotion to act as a liaison with the Corporation and do some research on tourism promotion. Hey more new jobs will be created in the federal government, making the government even bigger, and we should all cheer.

It looks like a win scored by the travel industry. Instead of trying to do the tourism promotion on their own, they have managed to get the government to match the fund for promotion. They'd better hope that wealthier travelers from Europe and Asia wouldn't mind being assessed a $10 fee each time they come to the U.S with a threat of penalty for not paying, and wouldn't mind the hassle of having to obtain a pre-approval for their trips.

If the industry and the Obama government believe all this will boost tourism, they are delusional.

Oh by the way, did you know that the Patriot Act's extension was recently approved, without any debate, with all the abusive spying program intact, as it was attached to the bill that deals with medicare reform? What else has snuck in in disguise these days?

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