Surprise! Hurricane Sandy Relief Package Laden With Pork

Included in the relief package proposed by Democrats is dollars for some items close to home that had NOTHING to do with Superstorm Sandy.

Via ABC News

The Obama administration’s $60-billion emergency aid package for victims of superstorm Sandy is now caught in the crossfire over the “fiscal cliff,” with some critics questioning why millions of dollars are directed to areas far from the epicenter of the storm.

The request, which still needs the approval of Congress, includes billions in urgently needed aide. But it also features some surprising items: $23 million for tree plantings to “help reduce flood effects, protect water sources, decrease soil erosion and improve wildlife habitat” in forested areas touched by Sandy; $2 million to repair roof damage at Smithsonian buildings in Washington that pre-dates the storm; $4 million to repair sand berms and dunes at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida; and $41 million for clean-up and repairs at eight military bases along the storm’s path, including Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The FBI is seeking $4 million to replace “vehicles, laboratory and office equipment and furniture,” while Customs and Border Protection wants $2.4 million to replace “destroyed or damaged vehicles, including mobile X-Ray machines.”

The Small Business Administration is seeking a $50 million slice of the pie for its post-storm response efforts, including “Small Business Development Centers and Women’s Business Development Centers.”

The relief package also includes a whopping $13 billion request for “mitigation projects” to prepare for future storms.

These line items, and dozens more like them, have some Republicans balkingat the size of the relief request and calling for more time to review the deal. The $60 billion price tag, they say, represents nearly the entire amount of additional revenue the government would collect next year by raising rates on the top 2 percent of taxpayers, as Democrats desire.

Read more at this link.

Time to Stop Social Safety Net Child Abuse

Great piece by Ed Morrissey at The Fiscal Times on The Dependency Agenda. Click this link to read it. Our kids deserve better from our elected leaders.

Mayor Euille Today - TC Williams High School & Satellite Campus (Video)

From the video

In the latest episode of "Mayor Euille Today," Alexandria Mayor William D. Euille discusses the TC Williams High School transformation process with Principal Suzanne Maxey and Superintendent Dr. Morton Sherman; and talks with student Emma Canfield, Dr. Madye Henson, Deputy Superintendent, and Principal Dr. James Wilson about Alexandria's satellite high school initiative.

If Your TV Has Gotten Quieter Recently...

You can thank the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act passed by Congress in 2010. This legislation bans loud TV commercials.

Via The Hill

Federal regulations limiting the volume of television commercials went into effect on Thursday.

Congress passed the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act in 2010 to give the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) the authority to write and enforce the rules.

The FCC approved the regulations last year and gave the industry one year to comply.

The rules require broadcast, cable and satellite television providers to keep the average volume of commercials at the same level as the programming containing them.

"A commercial may have louder and quieter moments, but, overall ... should be no louder than the surrounding programming," the FCC explained in a consumer guide released Thursday.

Viewers can report suspected violations to the FCC.

Read more at this link.

Why President Obama's Fiscal Cliff Plan Won't Work (Infographic)

Keep in mind, 75% of the new revenue generated under President Obama's proposed fiscal cliff deal are going toward new spending.

Out of control Government spending is most definitely the problem.

Our kids are screwed.

(H/T Rory)

Tweet of the Day About Jim Moran

See this story for reference and this one too and you'll understand the tweet.

If Moran's son joined #MIUnion, he could smash apart a black man's hot dog cart with his girlfriend's face and win Democrat of the Year.
— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) December 13, 2012

Patrick Moran's War on Women

If you have ever wondered if the privileged 535 members of Congress and their families get leniency from law enforcement or the court system, look at the case of Patrick Moran. This is the same Patrick Moran who was caught on tape earlier this year as Field Director for his father Congressman Jim Moran's campaign discussing how to commit voter fraud.

Patrick Moran, the son of Democratic Virginia Rep. Jim Moran, is having a bad year. First, undercover video operative James O'Keefe caught him on tape half-heartedly discussing how to commit voter fraud . . . while acting as the field director for his dad's campaign. Now Moran's taken a more criminal turn, pleading guilty earlier today to beating up his girlfriend outside a Columbia Heights bar.

Moran and his girlfriend were fighting outside 14th Street bar The Getaway around 1:23 a.m. on Dec. 1, according to a police report, over Moran talking to another woman at the bar. Suddenly, Moran allegedly slammed his girlfriend's head into the bar's metal trash can cage.

After the attack, police described Moran's girlfriend as "bleeding heavily from her nose and also observed that her nose and right eye were extremely swollen." One of the ambulance technicians who transported her to Howard University Hospital told police that Moran appeared to have broken her nose and given her a skull fracture under her right eye.

Moran was arrested for felony domestic violence assault, but pleaded the charge down to simple assault today. He was sentenced to probation.

Read more at this link. Jason Linkins at the Huffington Post points out that the Moran's, as Democrats always do, blame the victim.

Yes, you read that right. Patrick Moran got probation for giving a woman a SKULL FRACTURE. As the old saying goes, like Father, like son. Flashback to the story of how Congressman Moran beat his first wife Mary and the Alexandria Police did nothing

In June 1999, his wife called the cops on him during an argument in which she claims the former boxer grabbed her. Moran, who told police he was only trying to restrain his wife, avoided arrest and no charges were ultimately filed in criminal court. But his wife filed for divorce the following day. That’s when the real trouble began.

[...]

Majority Of Fiscal Cliff Tax Hikes To Go Toward New Spending

This is why Republicans should listen to Marc Theissen (see below) and let President Obama own the 'Fiscal Cliff' since he proposed it and signed it into law. As John Boehner said today, President Obama just isn't serious about his promise of a balanced approach moving forward.

You see, 75% of the tax hikes President Obama has proposed in a fiscal cliff deal, are planned to go toward new spending.

Our kids are screwed as many more years of multi-trillion dollar a year deficits are planned. Marc Theissen is 100% right about the stance the GOP should take in the fiscal cliff talks.

Via The Weekly Standard

According to the minority side of the Senate Budget Committee, $1.2 trillion of the proposed $1.6 trillion in tax hikes would go toward new spending, while only $400 billion would go toward deficit reduction.

"The [president's] plan called for $1.6 trillion in new taxes, twice what the president asked for in the campaign. He asked for $800 billion during the campaign. Now he wants $1.6 trillion in new taxes," said Senator Jeff Sessions, the ranking member on the Senate Budget Committee, last week on the floor.

"Spending under that plan would increase $1 trillion above the levels agreed to in the Budget Control Act, as signed into law. We agreed to the Budget Control Act 16 months ago, in August 2011, and we raised the debt ceiling and agreed to reduce spending. We raised the debt ceiling $2.1 trillion and agreed to reduce spending $2.1 trillion. The President's plan would take out over $1.1 trillion of those spending limitations that are in current law. I repeat, spending will increase more than $1 trillion above the already projected growth in spending," Sessions added.

"Our spending is growing. It is not decreasing. It is already projected to grow, but the President's proposal is to have it grow even faster than the law currently calls for."

Read more at this link.



Union Thugs Brutally Attack Conservative Reporter (Video)

The most unbelieveable part of the story is, the union goons attacked the tent with women and children inside it. Do statists have no shame?

AFP tent torn down with women and children in it. Was punched in the face four times. RT and await the video.

— Steven Crowder (@scrowder) December 11, 2012

All because today Michigan became the 24th Right-To-Work state. This is good news for the residents of Michigan as studies have shown that right-to-work states are MUCH better off economically.

Why Is Higher Education So Expensive? (Video)

Via Learn Liberty, Professor Daniel Lin explains why higher education is getting so expensive. Part of understanding the problem is to understand the 'College Administration Bubble.' This link is a good place to start.

From the video

It's no secret that U.S. college tuition costs are rising dramatically, and the high cost of a college education burdens young people and their families. How can we make college more affordable?

Many suggest that the best way to keep tuition affordable is by increasing government assistance through student loans, grants, and tax credits for education. Professor Daniel Lin shows that doing so will actually lead to higher college costs, because loans/grants/tax credits are directly related to the increasing cost of education.

Before we can find any solution, it is important to understand the root cause of the rising prices. Professor Lin finds that increased demand—fueled by improved job prospects for graduates and increased government assistance—is to blame for soaring tuition prices. Knowing the cause should inform our search for a solution.

(H/T Instapundit)