That’s right, comrade! The future is brighter for the disabled people in the People’s Republic of Detroit! Either that, or Detroit’s curbs should have been curbed in the first place. Motor City Times has a hilariously typical example of big government at work… Friend of MCT, T Shelton sent a link to a very interesting post @ Motor City Muckraker. MCM has a post giving us a small glimpse into the absurdity that is government bureaucracy run wild (at the local and federal level): Two years after the city dished out the tax dollars to install the ramps, the Motor City Muckraker examined the whereabouts of [...]
waste
Cash for Clunkers Revisited: More Damage Done
For those of you that have been here since almost the beginning, you know that we pegged “Cash for Clunkers” as the huge failure that it was. Here is what we wrote while the program was ongoing… The cars traded in on the program are to be destroyed. Now, in normal situations, a trade in will either go on the dealer lot, go to auction, or go to the junkyard. In any of those situations, others will have the opportunity to benefit from this car, either by driving it, or by purchasing the usable parts from it. When the car [...]
Government Spent Enough on Welfare in 2011 to Give Each Family in Poverty Over $59,000 Each
A long term criticism of social programs, especially the entitlements, has been the massive waste associated with them. Recently, a report was released that shows that if Welfare spending was concentrated, each family in poverty over $59,000 each. CNS News has more… According to a report from the CRS produced for Sen. Jeff Sessions(R-Ala.), $1 trillion was spent on federal welfare programs during fiscal year 2011 – with $746 billion in federal funds and $254 in state matching funds. The U.S. Census Bureau reported that there were approximately 16.8 million households living below the federal poverty level of $23,000 per year for a family of [...]
ObamaPhone Hilarity: Over 250,000 Have More Than One
When you give away free stuff things that other people are paying for, you have to expect some fraud and abuse along the way. For a great example, we need to look no further than the infamous ObamaPhone. But, it seems that people are loving their free paid for by us phones so much, they can’t stop at just one. Liberty News has the story… Note that Obama’s own minions found that more than 250,000 people have more than one ObamaPhone. I guess it’s probably racist to point that out, right? To lighten the mood a bit, All American Blogger has [...]
If Teachers Were Paid Minimum Wage to Babysit Students They Would Make $189K/year?
Some people claim that teachers’ are overpaid- they argue that teachers’ only work 9 or 10 months a year and basically most teachers simply babysit kids today. And for that they should be paid a minimum wage. That’s right- people claim that we should pay teachers $7.50 (roughly the minimum wage in most states) an hour and only pay them for the hours they worked (not any of that silly planning time or any time they spend before or after school). That would be $48.75 a day (7:45 to 3:00 PM with 45 min. off for lunch and plan– that [...]
$16 to Serve Hamburgers on Amtrak Trains?
Yes, you read the title correctly. It costs our government $16 to serve crappy quality, microwavable hamburgers on Amtrak. However, to make up for it, they sell them for $9.50! Bloomberg has more… I live in New York City, so I’ve eaten my share of $16 hamburgers. If a hamburger costs that much, it’s usually pretty good. It had better be! But that’s not true if you’re on Amtrak. At a congressional hearing yesterday, we learned that the agency’s on-board, microwave-in-bag hamburgers cost $16 to serve, even though the agency only charges travelers $9.50 to buy one. The purpose of the hearing was [...]
Shovel Ready? $11,000,000 Spent-two People Helped!
For government work, that’s a bargain, apparently. We said that when the porkulus passed, that there would be tremendous waste and corruption. So, when the following came to light, I was not surprised. Michelle Malkin has more on the shenanigans in Detroit. Part of an $11 million grant intended to provide business attire to 400 low-income job-seekers instead helped only two people, an audit of the city’s Department of Human Services has found. The audit, conducted by the city’s auditor general for the period from July 2009 to September 2011, found the department failed to control the operations and [...]
New Chevy Volt Commercial
With Volt sales lagging far below expectations, or should we say “unexpectedly,” GM and their union masters are going to great lengths to get buyers. Here is the latest effort. Of course, it’s a parody. But, how close to reality is it? Pretty close, if you ask me! H/T: Nebraska Energy Observer Related posts: This Ford Commercial Kicks! "Owner" States that he Bought a Ford Because They Didn't Take Government Bailout Money Sunday Links: Chevy Edition Chevy Volts are Recalled (Kind of): All of Them Conservative Hideout Video: Occupy Wall Street Commercial was all Wrong, so I Fixed it Sunday [...]
Nanny State Alert: LA Unified School District’s Healthy Meals Make Students ill, Cause them to eat more Junk Food
Here’s the scenario; government identifies an invented problem, or creates one via nonsensical policies. Then, they propose to solve the problem with even more government. Since government is force, and totally inept at solving problems, they tend to create even more problems. Sometimes, it’s tragic. Other times, its hilarious. This is one of those hilarious situations. It seems that the LA Unified School District discovered that their school lunches were not healthy enough. So, in typical nanny fashion, they likely hired experts, held meetings, and decided that they would be the agents of change to save the youth from a lifetime of obesity, high [...]
And we need another Porkulus? To fund more cars from Finland?
If you’ve been following the current debate over Porkulus 1000.0, you’ve heard a lot rehashed rhetoric from the original effort back in 2009. Of course, we all know how that worked out… Turtle Tunnels Billions in funds going to Congressional Districts and Zip Codes that do not exist. Solyndra Fish Sperm Curb cuts in places where there are no sidewalks Increased unemployment Lib organizations that claimed more jobs saved than their total number of employees More money going to districts that voted for Obama, only to see their unemployment rates increase even more. “Shovel ready” projects that were apparently not [...]
There Will Be No Instant Gratification
Nile Gardiner, based in Washington and writing for The Telegraph, has analysed current polls and believes that end of big nanny government may be in sight. Here are some of the poll results that he sites: 81 percent of Americans dissatisfied with the way the country is being governed, which comes from 65% Democrats and 92% Republicans. And from a Gallop poll, he reports 57% have little or no confidence in the federal government to solve domestic problems, exceeding the previous high of 53% recorded in 2010. And Americans believe, on average, that the federal government wastes 51 cents of every [...]
Graph: Unemployment Rates Projected with and without the Passage of Stimulus Bill II
Stimulus I not only didn’t work, it probably made the unemployment rate go higher by transferring available funds from private investment and savings to spending by government, making the marketplace more uncertain, preventing the free markets from self-correcting on bad investments, and discouraging savings and efficiency gains. Democrats promised that if this one-time only trillion dollars in spending was enacted, it would prevent unemployment from going above 9% and would shorten the length of time of recovery. But the spending was permanent and unemployment went above 10%, sharply increasing shortly after the passage of Stimulus Bill 1, and has now [...]
How to Discover the Identity of a Visitor
Here is an email I received from a friend… A cowboy named Bud was overseeing his herd in a remote mountainous pasture in California when suddenly a brand-new BMW advanced toward him out of a cloud of dust. The driver, a young man in a Brioni® suit, Gucci® shoes, RayBan® sunglasses and YSL® tie, leaned out the window and asked the cowboy, “If I tell you exactly how many cows and calves you have in your herd, will you give me a calf?” Bud looks at the man, who obviously is a yuppie, then looks at his peacefully grazing herd and calmly [...]
Cuts in Obamacare
Scores of US corporations are announcing that Obamacare is going to be very, very costly and force changes in what they are able to provide to their employees and retirees. “When Congress created the Medicare prescription drug benefit in 2003, it included a modest tax subsidy to encourage employers to keep drug plans for retirees, rather than dumping them on the government. The Employee Benefit Research Institute says this exclusion—equal to 28% of the cost of a drug plan—will run taxpayers $665 per person next year, while the same Medicare coverage would cost $1,209. In a $5.4 billion revenue grab, [...]
When Pigs Fly!
If you would have asked me when New Jersey was going to elect a conservative I would have told you “when pigs fly”. No this is not a reference to Chris Christie’s size though Corzine alluded to Christie’s girth. Now I find that as I watch the election returns some flying pigs are giving me hope. Virginia has already had a triple header with 3 conservative republicans elected and now it appears that New Jersey will surely have one also. I am sure to have to go to bed before the NY23rd race ends. I think I will go to [...]
Irony That the Media Misses
Remember when folks on the right were telling everyone that the messiah was using the porkulus to pay back his supporters? Remember that no one listened? Well, the pork has returned to the stimulus. This from the USA Today: WASHINGTON — Billions of dollars in federal aid delivered directly to the local level to help revive the economy have gone overwhelmingly to places that supported President Obama in last year’s presidential election. That aid — about $17 billion — is the first piece of the administration’s massive stimulus package that can be tracked locally. Much of it has followed a [...]
Waste in the Porkulus?
NEWSFLASH! In a completely UNEXPECTED and totally UNPREDICTABLE development, it has been discovered that there is WASTE IN THE PORKULUS!!!!! Film at 11:00! The very first post of this Blog was regarding the porkulus. That wondrous assembly of pet projects and “make work” programs was sooooo critical and had to be passed without anyone ACTUALLY READING IT! After all, we had to “get er done” to keep unemployment under 9%… DOH!!! It would seem that the chickens have come home to roost. As predicted, by anyone with a FUNCTIONING BRAIN, the Porkulus seems to be riddled with waste and unnecessary [...]
Rationing Your Life Away
Remember when we discussed the fact that the minions of the messiah were mentioning rationing of health care services? Well, here’s an example of that in a country that has had socialized medicine for decades. Thousands of patients with terminal cancer were dealt a blow last night after a decision was made to deny them life prolonging drugs. The Government’s rationing body said two drugs for advanced breast cancer and a rare form of stomach cancer were too expensive for the NHS. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is expected to confirm guidance in the next few weeks [...]
Revenge of the Porkulus
In the Liberal Zone, there are priorities. These priorities are sometimes strange and twisted, but what else would you expect from the libs? The messiah SPENDULUS MAXIMUS talked about the Porkulus being for “vital infrastruture.” He talked about transparency and accountability. What have we gotten in exchange for those words? A FREAKIN SKATE PARK!!!! Yes folks, the “vital infrastructure” that we all heard so much about includes the following… In this city burdened with one of Rhode Island’s highest home foreclosure rates and a $10-million current-year budget deficit, $550,000 in federal stimulus money is coming to build a skateboarding park [...]
Spendulus Maximus
With the release of the budget, the messiah has earned a new title, “SPENDULUS MAXIMUS.” The sheeple were promised “change,” and what they have received is an orgy of liberal styled spending and tax increases. I think what I might do is just highlight a few of the spending and tax items, and give them the Conservative Hideout treatment. For your convenience, the Conservative Hideout has constructed what we refer to as the “CALL IT SOMETHING ELSE” translation matrix. With assistance from he greatest minds in abnormal psychology, linguistics, a fine cigar, and a large Dunkin Donuts coffee, we have [...]
Porkulus Passes, Pigs Offended
With the recent passing of the Porkulus package, and the impending signing by the messiah, there are rumblings from the agricultural community. The civil rights organization, Porcine Beasts Against Defamation (PBAD), were the first to speak out via their spokespig, Porky We at the Pppppppporcine Bbbbbeasttttttsssss…..PBAD, are outraged against this “ppppppork” spending by theggggggoverrrrnment. This act of wasteful spppppending makes our members look wwwwwwwasteful and un….un…un…Just look bad. The fallout expands beyond just barnyard animals, farmers too are concerned that the recent release of free “pork” will have a negative impact on pork futures. This from Cletus Threeteeth.. This pork [...]
The Piggly Wiggly and the Porkulus
Recent news gave me a cause to reminisce. Nearly six years ago, my company sent me to North Carolina for training. My wife was able to come along, so we set off on our twelve hour drive to the south. After ten hours of the drive, we were both tired and suffering from “highway hypnosis.” I was driving the last leg, and we were winding through a rural area when the following exchange occurred. Wife: Piggly Wiggly. Me: Whaaaaat??? Wife: Piggly Wiggly! Me: (The poor woman has finally lost her mind, but I had been married long enough at that [...]
