Thank you, Sheriff Joe Arpaio

Arizona Sherrif Joe Arpaio

We need more people like Sheriff Joe Arpaio:

PHOENIX – The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office in Arizona has launched a two-day, countywide crime and immigration sweep that authorities say will focus on drop houses, drug violators and human smuggling vehicles.

Four hundred deputies and volunteer posse members are taking part in the patrols. The sweep, which began Thursday, is Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s 14th since early 2008.

During the sweeps, deputies flood an area of a city — in some cases heavily Latino areas — to seek out traffic violators and arrest other alleged lawbreakers. » read more

Catholic bishops are right on abortion, wrong on illegal immigration

It isn’t often I agree with Catholic bishops, but we’re on the same page when it comes to the health care bill…sort of. In a letter to Congress, the bishops implored representatives not to support a bill that they say will allow public money to be used for abortions.

I’m strongly pro-choice, but I don’t want a dime of taxpayer money spent on abortions, except in the cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother. If one of these conditions doesn’t exist, then the abortion is an elective procedure used to remedy irresponsible behavior. What’s next, allowing people to get taxpayer funded liposuction because because they’re too lazy to exercise and eat right? » read more

When will Pope Benedict take responsibility for his actions?

Pope Benedict criticized Irish Bishops for doing wha the Vatican expected of them

Pope Benedict criticized Irish bishops for “grave errors in judgment,” which led to many children being abused by priests and nuns. Catholic Bishops in Ireland deserve the criticism, since they were complacent while priests and other members of the Church harmed young parishioners. Unfortunately, Pope Benedict glossed over the major cause: The Vatican.

The abuse allegations in Ireland are not confined to that country alone. Allegations came to light in the United States several years ago, along with Germany and many other European nations. It’s also likely that the number of allegations will increase as victims gain the courage to face the Catholic Church and their abusers. » read more

Barack Obama’s approval rating in limbo: How low will it go?

How low will Barack Obama's approval rating go?

The latest Rasmussen Poll finds that 23% of Americans strongly approve of the job Barack Obama is doing, while 44% strongly disapprove. Rasmussen also points out that the President’s approval rating drops when he pushes the health care bill. I’m not an expert, but do you think that means that most people are against the current health care reform bill? Not surprisingly, Rasmussen also found that 50% of Americans are less likely to vote for a Congressmen who supports health care reform.

It looks like conservatives won’t have to worry about throwing out the leftists in 2010 and 2012. They’re going to take care of that all by themselves. I just hope they don’t wreck the place too much before then.

So much for deficit reduction: CBO says health care bill will be $59 billion in the red

Do you remember how Democrats (rightly) criticized Republicans for passing a prescription drug plan that added to the deficit? Democrats criticized their irresponsible behavior and vowed that health care reform would not only be deficit neutral, but that it would also reduce the deficit. Well, now it looks like the Democrats are being exposed as the hypocrites they are. The Congressional Budget Office found that the proposal would be $59 billion in the red. I can’t to hear how Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Barack Obama will spin this latest piece of news.

Article 1, Section 7: Can Nancy Pelosi read?

Does Nancy Pelosi understand the Constitution?

If you’ve been following the health care debacle in Washington, then you’ve probably heard about how Nancy Pelosi and her henchmen are planning on using “deem and pass” to ram through health care reform. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this procedure, it will allow the House to pass the Senate version of the bill without actually having to vote on it. What if they don’t have the votes? No problem! Of course, this method could very well be ruled unconstitutional. Here’s Article 1, Section 7 of the United States Constitution:

All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills.

Every Bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it become a Law, be presented to the President of the United States: If he approve he shall sign it, but if not he shall return it, with his Objections to that House in which it shall have originated, who shall enter the Objections at large on their Journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If after such Reconsideration two thirds of that House shall agree to pass the Bill, it shall be sent, together with the Objections, to the other House, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if approved by two thirds of that House, it shall become a Law. But in all such Cases the Votes of both Houses shall be determined by yeas and Nays, and the Names of the Persons voting for and against the Bill shall be entered on the Journal of each House respectively. If any Bill shall not be returned by the President within ten Days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the Same shall be a Law, in like Manner as if he had signed it, unless the Congress by their Adjournment prevent its Return, in which Case it shall not be a Law. » read more

How do you feel about combining comprehensive immigration reform and an economic stimulus bill?

If you read this blog regularly, you might remember how I critiqued the immigration bill being sponsored by Lindsey Graham and Chuck Schumer. As you might recall, I didn’t like it, and I suggested some issues that need to be addressed in an effective immigration bill. Unfortunately, I don’t think my ideas went far enough.

The exact number of illegal aliens in the United States isn’t known, but I’ve heard estimates ranging between 12 million and 20 million. I also read that illegal aliens have around 8 million jobs. This made me think: What if we could combine a second economic stimulus that would put people to work, while addressing immigration reform? » read more

Impeach Barack Obama?

Barack Obama as The Joker. I'm not laughing.

Washington Times writer Jeffrey Kuhner has an interesting column, where he argues that Barack Obama and his gang of leftists should be impeached. Here is an excerpt from Mr. Kuhner’s column:

Mr. Obama is willing to devour his presidency, his party’s congressional majority and – most disturbing – our democratic institutional safeguards to enact it. He is a reckless ideologue who is willing to sacrifice the country’s stability in pursuit of a socialist utopia.

The Slaughter Solution is a poisoned chalice. By drinking from it, the Democrats would not only commit political suicide. They would guarantee that any bill signed by Mr. Obama is illegitimate, illegal and blatantly unconstitutional. It would be worse than a strategic blunder; it would be a crime – a moral crime against the American people and a direct abrogation of the Constitution and our very democracy. » read more

Thank you Mark Levin

Mark Levin on the cover of his latest book.

I’d like to thank talk show host Mark Levin and the Landmark Legal Foundation, who are working hard to ensure that Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Barack Obama don’t trample over the constitution any more than they already have. If the House uses the “Slaugher Rule” to pass the health care bill this weekend, it will be facing a serious court challenge. To read more about the potential lawsuit, go to Mark Levin’s website.

Chuck Schumer and Lindsey Graham offer an immigration reform plan that will be a miserable failure

Dumb and Dumber: Senators Chuck Schumer and Lindsey Graham

Barack Obama announced his support for a comprehensive immigration reform bill being sponsored by Senators Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. and Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. Here are some details of the bill:

* Illegal aliens must admit they broke the law
* Pay a fine and back taxes
* Perform community service
* Pass background checks
* Be proficient in English
* Grant legal status to those who receive a masters degree or doctorate from a U.S. university
* Zero tolerance for illegal aliens who commit crimes
* Flexible system which bring in more immigrants when the economy is strong, and fewer during a recession
* Require all U.S. citizens to get a new Social Security card with built in biometrics » read more

Rush Limbaugh mobilizes the troops

Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh

It looks like Rush Limbaugh has mobilized his listeners, and jammed Congressional phone lines and e-mails in the process. For the life of me, I don’t know why Rush Limbaugh doesn’t do this sort of thing more often. With his large, dedicated fan base, his suggestions could make a meaningful difference.

New Gallup poll is bad news for Barack Obama

Barack Obama's approval rating continues to drop.

The latest Gallup Poll shows that more Americans disapprove of Barack Obama’s performance than approve. The poll shows that 47% of Americans disapprove of his performance, while just 46% approve. This is just the latest sign of the slow erosion of the President’s support.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Barack Obama’s approval rating drop into the high 30% range. If the health care bill passes, especially without being voted on by the House, his approval rating will take a massive hit. This will only be compounded once debates start on immigration reform. » read more

Charging for content will be a huge failure for the media

More and more news sites are thinking about charging for content. The newspaper industry is looking at dwindling circulation and assuming that their growing online readership will provide the path to profitability. They might be right, but they are heading in the wrong direction.

Online news sites benefit from type-in traffic and links from sites like Yahoo, Google, and the Drudge Report. Once sites require subscriptions, those links will disappear, along with the resulting traffic. What they’ll be left with is a small group of loyal readers willing to pay a reasonable fee for news that they could readily read at one of several free web sites. Let’s also remember that those links provided by news aggregators brought in visitors who clicked ads. When the traffic goes down, the ad revenue will probably follow. After all, do you want to advertise on a site that isn’t viewed much in comparison to its peers? » read more

David Axelrod seems fine with illegal aliens receiving health care

In yet another bit of hypocrisy, Barack Obama’s senior adviser, David Axelrod went on CNN’s “State of the Union” to discuss the health care bill. During his appearance, he criticized addressing illegal immigration and abortion in the health care bill:

“The president’s view is that this is not the vehicle to address immigration issues…this is not the place for this, this is not the place to resolve disputes over abortion,” he said. “I believe that as the week goes on, these issues will clarify themselves…We have to resolve the larger questions, which is the status of undocumented workers…we can’t resolve it within the context of this debate.”

Axelrod’s words might have had some credibility if the health care bill weren’t being used to expand the federal government’s role in higher education. Student loans have nothing to do with health care, yet they are part of the debate. On the other hand, the debates surrounding illegal immigration and abortion concern who is eligible for benefits and what procedures are covered. The last time I checked, those were both central issues that would need to be discussed in any reform plan.

In regards to the undocumented workers illegal aliens David Axelrod referred to, his position is a harbinger of things to come. By ignoring any prohibition on illegal aliens, he’s essentially hoping to extend benefits to the law-breakers. Maybe I’m wrong, but wouldn’t health care costs be reduced if we deported the 12 million or so illegal aliens who burden the United states financially?

Patrick Kennedy critiques the media

Let’s get this straight: Patrick Kennedy thinks the United States should leave Afghanistan and allow it to sink into even greater chaos? Sharp guy.

Child abuse in the Catholic Church…again

Many European Catholics are coming forward with allegations of abuse against priests and other members of the Church. So far, the most allegations have come from Ireland, with a growing number in Germany. Strangely, it seems like some people are surprised by the number of children abused in Europe. I guess they believe these types of things only happened in the United States. The only thing that surprised me is that these allegations weren’t made sooner.

As in cases in the United States, priests and other members of the church are being accused of abusing children, while the Catholic Church kept everything quiet, while offending priests were moved to other parishes to harm a new community of children. If that wasn’t bad enough, it appears that Pope Benedict might have also shuffled pedophile priests from one parish to another. » read more

Health care vote coming next week

The health care bill is on pace to have a vote in the House by next week. Until this point, debate has focused on a public option, the Stupak Amendment, and bribes favors given to certain Senators to secure their vote. Now, it looks like the latest disagreement might revolve around student loans. Yes, you read correctly, student loans.

You might be wondering what student loans have to do with the health care bill. If you can’t figure out how they are related, don’t feel bad, they have nothing to do with each other. Democrats are simply trying to tack on changes to the student loan program which would cut out the banks, have the government originate the loans, then use the savings to increase Pell Grants. » read more

Don’t cut taxes, eliminate them

We need to eliminate taxes. At first glance, you might think this is a ridiculous statement. After all, how do you eliminate taxes without compromising necessary government services? Government bureaucracy can be excessive and wasteful, but there are necessary services and functions that would need to be preserved. Therefore, you don’t eliminate all taxes, you eliminate most taxes.

As citizens, one of the big problems we face is excessive taxation. If you think about it, these taxes and fees come from a myriad of places and can be tough to follow. You might have heard local or state politicians brag when they “cut” taxes. What they didn’t tell you is that they reduced one tax, but likely increased a few other taxes and fees. Sure, you won’t be paying as much in one particular tax, but make no mistake, you will pay. » read more

Will Patrick Kennedy Challenge Scott Brown?

It looks like Patrick Kennedy’s decision to leave politics is a sabatical, not a retirement. In a recent interview with the Washington Post, Kennedy discussed the possibility of running for a Senate seat and mentioned plans to keep $500,000 in a campaign account. Here are the two big questions: When will he run, and which seat will he pursue?
» read more

Fighting the BCS: Bipartisan stupidity

Anyone with a passing knowledge of college football knows that the BCS is ridiculous. Think about this: Some undefeated teams don’t get a shot at the Championship. It’s a disgrace, and all football fans should voice their displeasure. Unfortunately, some of those fans are elected officials.

Both Barack Obama and Utah Senator Orrin Hatch are football fans upset with the current playoff system. As a result, they’ve used their position to bring about change. Hatch has requested that the Department of Justice perform an antitrust review, and they have agreed. Not surprising, since Barack Obama complained about the playoff structure just after his election. » read more