And the Obamateurism of the Year is ….

Voters choose sick 'Shout Out' over weekly union thug pow-wow

As I wrote at the time:

It took Obama almost two full minutes from the time he began speaking until he got around to mentioning the shooting at Fort Hood — the reason everyone tuned into Obama’s speech. The nation wanted some leadership at a time when it appeared that a terrorist attack may have taken place on American soil — and Obama was apparently more concerned about giving a “shout out” to his friends at the Tribal Nations Conference. Indeed, he tells the audience above that he’s been inconvenienced out of delivering his lengthier remarks because the shooting has intruded itself on his daily business.

Well, being Commander in Chief is his daily business, not pandering to the Tribal Nations Conference — and he should have started out this little missive with his priorities in order.

And in a bonus Obamateurism, the President got Joe Medicine Crow’s award wrong, too. He won the Medal of Freedom, not the Medal of Honor, and Obama should have known the difference — especially since Obama awarded it to Medicine Crow himself three months earlier.

The choice of this entry as Obamateurism of the Year surprised me a little. I expected the bow to Saudi King Abdullah to win the top prize, but in the end, it only came in fourth. The silver medal went to Obama only talking to Stanley McChrystal once in 70 days while meeting with Andy Stern of the SEIU on a weekly basis, and the bronze went to reversing on missile defense in Poland on the 70th anniversary of the Soviet invasion in World War II.

This proves, I believe, the wisdom of having the readers of Hot Air select the winners. Great choice, and let’s look forward to 2010. May our President learn enough to stop making these rookie mistakes, but if not, let’s keep pointing them out and having fun while doing so!

Related video:


(from hotair.com)

Law based not on what is done, but upon who does it

Welcome to the New Progressive Era

Perhaps the greatest influence of communism in the United States is upon the political thinking of the American people. Many ideas that have achieved widespread acceptance in the United States on the part of people who have no sympathy with communism are derived directly from Marxist doctrine, but most people who hold those ideas are ignorant of their source.

Marxian communism, unlike traditional liberalism, is based on a materialistic concept of life. Liberalism looks upon life primarily in moral terms. The Marxian doctrine that "economics determines all human life" assumes that men act, not on a basis of principles or any standard of morality, but that their actions are determined solely by their material wants. It assumes that man is not interested in freedom but only in a full belly.

Under the New Deal cure, civil liberties are to be retained, but on a selective basis. They will depend, not upon the nature of the liberties, but upon whose liberty.

Laws will be applied more and more on a selective basis - the important question being the status of the individual involved. Thus, a union man has a right to strike but a nonunion man does not have a right to work. He cannot cross a picket line or remain out of a union if the closed shop is imposed upon his employer. A corporation is liable for the wrongful acts of its agent, but a union is relieved of such liability under the Norris-LaGuardia Act. The law is based, not on what is done, but upon who does it.

(from rightsidenews.com)

Obama sneaks in Big Labor political payback

We don't need no stinkin' financial disclosure

As 2009 fades away, President Obama has decided to let disclosure of hundreds of millions of dollars in forced-union-dues disclosure fade away too. Under current law and regulations valid until December 30th, union bosses were supposed to carefully document the billions of dollars they extract from workers as a condition of employment that they in turn pour into front groups and other “funds” each year.

A large part of the billions were about to be made public and reported on a Department of Labor disclosure form known as the Form T-1 Annual Report. But, that won’t happen now!

According to Bureau of National Affairs, Inc, “The Labor Department is issuing a final rule that extends for one year the deadlines for unions to file Form T-1 Trust Annual Report Reports.”

After allowing only 11 days of comments from the public, the Obama Administration postponed requiring reports for another year. During 2010, the Obama Administration states that it intends to completely eliminate the financial disclosure.

Again, the Obama Administration is blatantly paying back union bosses at the expense of rank-and-file workers.

(from nrtwc.org)

Cuba seeks sustainable socialism

Ideas sought to improve command-and-control economy

In 2010, Cuba marks the 51st anniversary of the revolution that transformed the Caribbean nation from a sleazy center of casinos run by U.S. gangsters, to the only outpost of socialism in the Americas - defying U.S. superpower only 90 miles from the shores of Florida.

That Cuba's defiant brand of socialism has survived so many upheavals in the world and a crippling U.S. trade embargo has surprised most observers.

During the last 50 years the small island nation has impressed with its achievements in education and in creating a comprehensive and free public health system staffed by excellent doctors.

But its citizens are growing increasingly impatient with hard times, suffocating bureaucracy and the badly-run state economy.

(from english.aljazeera.net)