MM takes on Obama Culture of Corruption ... President Obama promised he would end “Washington games.” But his abrupt firing of the AmeriCorps inspector general is more of the same. The brewing scandal smells like the Beltway cronyism of the Bush years. And the apparent meddling of first lady Michelle Obama in the matter smacks of the corruption of the Clinton years. If Obama keeps up with this “change,” we’ll be back to the Watergate era by Christmas. News of AmeriCorps watchdog Gerald Walpin’s unceremonious dismissal first broke last week in Youth Today, an independent national publication focused on the volunteerism sector. Walpin was appointed by President George W. Bush in 2007 and has served well, honorably and effectively. Too effectively. His removal came a week after he “questioned the eligibility of the largest and most expensive AmeriCorps program, and while the IG was contesting the ‘propriety’ of a settlement made with a mayor for alleged misuse of AmeriCorps funds,” according to Youth Today. (cnsnews.com)Related video: Barack & Michelle's AmeriCorps scandal
First Lady swept up in AmeriFraud scandal ... A Democratic senator on Tuesday joined several Republicans in questioning President Obama's firing of the internal watchdog for the federal AmeriCorps program. Gerald Walpin, the national service agency's inspector general, was dismissed over his handling of an investigation of the mayor of Sacramento, Calif., Kevin Johnson. Sen. Claire McCaskill, Missouri Democrat, said the president failed to follow a law she sponsored, which requires that he give Congress 30 days' advance notice of an inspector general's dismissal, along with the cause for the firing. Mr. Obama merely said he lost confidence in Mr. Walpin. "Loss of confidence is not a sufficient reason," Mrs. McCaskill said. "I'm hopeful the White House will provide a more substantive rationale, in writing, as quickly as possible." Last week, Sen. Charles E. Grassley, Iowa Republican, asked for information on any role first lady Michelle Obama's office may have played in the decision. (washingtontimes.com)
Obama's $787 billion car wreck ... Economist Nouriel Roubini: The U.S. economy will not recover until the end of this year, and even then growth will remain meek and vulnerable to higher interest rates and commodity prices. The report by Reuters was amusing. Who could not see this coming? President Obama played up the recession in December, which undercut consumer confidence. Then he added $787 billion to the already too large deficit in the name of a stimulus, which undercut the confidence of foreign investors. Finally, he took over GM, which undercut confidence in property rights and the rule of law. If someone were planning to ruin the economy, he could not have done a better job. (blogs.dailymail.com)
Sotomayor takes on gender discrimination ... Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is defending her membership in an elite all-women's club, telling senators the group doesn't discriminate unfairly by gender and involves men in many of its activities. Her explanation came in a letter submitted Monday evening to the Senate Judiciary Committee, which also included copies of several rulings, briefs and speeches the judge had not previously given the panel. GOP senators had requested the material and questioned Sotomayor's membership in the Belizean Grove, a group of prominent professional women, because federal judges are bound by a code that says they shouldn't join any organization that discriminates by race, sex, religion, or nationality. "I do not believe that my membership in the Belizean Grove violates the Code of Judicial Conduct," Sotomayor wrote. She told senators that the group involves men some of its events and no man she knows of has ever tried to become a member. (washingtonexaminer.com)
Obama Dems level corporate America ... All those morons who are forever going on about the evil corporations never notice that it is corporations, great and small, that employ millions of Americans and the best of them do everything they can to ensure their workers are happy, if for no other reason than that it increases productivity. People don’t work just for money. They work for a sense of dignity and self-worth. The Obama administration appears to be intent on destroying or driving out one corporation after another by any means possible. This amounts to punishing success and crushing it in the meat-grinder of government regulation. The latest victim is Fedex. A June 9 Washington Times editorial noted that, “Led by Rep. James L. Oberstar, Minnesota Democrat, the House on May 21 passed legislation that contains an almost hidden provision—a mere 230 words—that would hobble FedEx Express. It would do so by completely changing the labor laws under which the company operates.” (canadafreepress.com)
Leftism is a mental disorder ... The question that's been preying on my mind is who is best suited to study those strange beings known as liberals. It strikes me that they'd be fit subjects for psychiatrists, who might be in a position to figure out why they revere the people they do – people such as Hugo Chávez, Fidel Castro, Al Gore and Ted Kennedy – men who haven't a single notable accomplishment to their name, aside from either winning elections or eliminating them altogether. Or perhaps it would be more appropriate for biologists to delve into the left-wing organism and determine how it is possible that creatures without brains could have survived so long in an often-hostile environment. If you don't believe that liberalism is a serious malady, consider that Paul Krugman of the New York Times, when addressing Sonia Sotomayor's remark about an Hispanic woman being better qualified than a white man to be a judge, said that she was merely being entertaining. (wnd.com)
Would Obama meet a conservative without preconditions? ... The leader of genius must have the ability to make different opponents appear as if they belong to one category.” - Adolf Hitler. “At this point, whatever dividing line there was between mainstream conservatism and the black-helicopter crowd seems to have been virtually erased.” - NY Times columnist Paul Krugman.Really sucks to be a conservative these days. I feel like I’m walking around with a big bulls-eye on my back. I know many of the Left, especially Keith Olbermann, Frank Rich, Paul Krugman, the New York Times editorial staff and all the pundits at HuffPo and KOS would find that statement hilariously ironic, given the recent shooting deaths of Dr. George Tiller in Kansas and security guard Steven T. Johns at the Holocaust Museum. Then again, they’re not the ones being branded en masse as co-conspirators in those murders. Conservatives are. (bighollywood.breitbart.com)
Obama commits $100 billion scheme to replace U.S. dollar ... he bill also includes eight billion dollars for the International Monetary Fund and a 100-billion-dollar US line of credit for the IMF to help developing countries combat the impact of the global recession. House Democrat David Obey, a key figure during negotiations on the spending measure talks in that chamber, acknowledged resistance among Republican lawmakers to the IMF funding, but said the monies were necessary to bolster a still-sagging global economy. "You know, this is a tough reality. We have to participate in the world, and when the world economy becomes shaky, we have a responsibility to ourselves to try to stabilize that world economic situation," he said. Republicans argued against the funds, which they said could be used to provide financial aid to countries at odds with the United States. But House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer on the floor of the chamber called the IMF line of credit "an insurance policy for the global economy." (google.com)
Labor-state adds more punishment for non-union workers ... Non-union contractors opposed to a draft county policy on project labor agreements won some concessions from Ingham County commissioners Tuesday but remain unhappy the policy moved closer to enactment. The six-member county services committee on Tuesday voted 4-2 in favor of proposed policy on project labor agreements, or PLAs. PLAs are pre-hire collective bargaining agreements that set wages and other workplace rules for county-funded construction projects. (lansingstatejournal.com)
Militant Fog City Firefighters act up ... Are all of your electrical outlets in good working order, is your chimney clean and free of obstruction and are all open flames away from flammable material? If not, now would be a good time to fireproof your own home, as several hundred firefighters (off-duty, of course) have taken a page from the SEIU's book and packed City Hall to protest last week's move by the Board of Supervisors to trim their payroll in the Mayor's Interim Budget. (sfappeal.com)
Jumbo gov't union insists on labor-state tax hike ... Quinn spokeswoman Katie Ridgway said the administration and AFSCME had a "good meeting" Tuesday. However, Ridgway said no agreement was reached on any concessions and no further meetings have been scheduled. “We all agree that the legislature needs to pass additional revenue," Ridgway said. "The union said it is going to continue advocating for a tax increase.” Ridgway said because the budget approved by lawmakers is far short of the money needed to fund government programs, state agencies will continue working on preliminary layoff plans. She said she didn't know when layoff notices might go out to union workers. (galesburg.com)
Trumka-in-waiting to replace Socialist Sweeney ... he United Steelworkers (USW) International Executive Board has unanimously endorsed Richard Trumka as the next president of the AFL-CIO. Trumka, the federation's current secretary-treasurer, is looking to succeed retiring AFL-CIO President John Sweeney at its convention in Pittsburgh this September. Trumka was first elected AFL-CIO secretary-treasurer in 1995. "Not only does Richard have the experience and the intellectual capacity to do the job, he brings great heart and passion to the fight for issues that matter to America's working families," said USW International President Leo W. Gerard. (news.yahoo.com)International Collectivism
Chávez backs Ahmadinejad ... Venezuela is siding with Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad following the country's disputed presidential election. Mr Ahmadinejad's top rival, pro-reform candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, alleged that last Friday's election was marred by fraud. Venezuela's foreign ministry issued a statement condemning what it called "a terrible and unfounded smear campaign" aimed at discrediting Iran's institutions and "stir up the political climate". Prior to Friday's vote, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez praised Mr Ahmadinejad for defending the Islamic Revolution while boldly standing up to the United States. The two leaders are close allies. (google.com)
Chávez vows to keep pace with Obama ... Venezuela is interested in buying a minority stake in the Venalum aluminum smelter that six Japanese companies want to sell, Venalum's president said on Tuesday. The Japanese firms led by chemical maker Showa Denko said last week they wanted to sell their stake after a dispute with the government, which controls Venalum, over prices and shipments. Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez has nationalized large swathes of the economy and has stepped up pressure on the private sector in recent months with a new wave of takeovers and by exerting authority over companies. The moves are part of a push to build a socialist society where all key industries are controlled by the state and focused on domestic consumption rather than exports. (reuters.com)
A collectivist gold mine ... Although the Venezuelan government has not officially decided which mining company will be its partner in the Las Cristinas gold project, a senior sector executive told BNamericas that this partnership would not be with Rusoro Mining, but with a 100% state-owned Russian company. The Las Cristinas gold project is to be handed over to the state, which will then create a joint venture to manage the project. "But the partner company has not been announced yet; this is something that is being decided by the President [Hugo Chávez]," said Luis Herrera, finance director with the basic industries and mining ministry (Mibam). (vheadline.com)
