- Speechless Over Proposed Funding Cuts

Public support for tax payor funding of mimes vanishes.

In a subcommittee hearing Republican congressman Jeff Flake closely questioned National Endowment for the Arts chairman Rocco Landesman over Federal grants for such items as a San Francisco mime troupe, stating that making grants like these “feeds the cynicism out there about everything we do."

"Landesman responded that many of the programs that win NEA support could not exist without the help.

“The marketplace shouldn’t be the sole determinant of what is allowed to flourish,” Landesman said, adding that the renowned San Francisco Mime Troupe would likely not be able to survive solely on ticket sales.

Tax grubbing low life.

That's a real tear jerker.

Landesman said that NEA needs more staff in order to conduct field visits to ensure quality arts programs.

Yes, by all means, hire more staff. By the looks of it, you may very soon find a whole new pool of available talent to draw from. They could evaluate the merits of international accordion festivals and the like... though they generally don't say much.



With a hat tip to Jill over at Pundit and Pundette

The Day After Tomorrow?

Disaster headed our way? Perhaps, but certainly not from changes in the global weather. No, the storm brewing up is more of a financial nature, and a quick report from Ireland shows temperatures cooling precipitously. The government of Ireland apparently has taken the step of raiding private retirement pensions to fuel its ongoing government spending. Stating that they need the money, the government of Ireland has panned the piracy off as a jobs program strategy:

"Without the ability sell debt due to soaring interest rates, and with severe spending rules in place due to its EU-IMF bailout, Ireland has few ways of spending to stimulate the economy. Today's jobs program includes specific tax increases, including the tax on pensions, aimed at keeping government jobs spending from adding to the national debt."

We've been a poor people for as long as I can remember, but we were always an honest people.

No longer.

"Ireland's ability to levy further taxes on other parts of the economy is restricted because its economic growth has been inhibited in the wake of a financial crisis that crippled its banking sector and decimated its public finances."

And who's to blame for that one, would you ever know?

And Therein Lies The Problem

Another bank closing.

The devastation that was our mortgage and securities market is showing little signs of recovery, despite massive Federal borrowing and money printing. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac continue to be the anchors that drag our financial ship to the bottom. By October of 2010 the two were sucking down 135 billion in Federal funds. That amount ballooned to 154 billion by the end of 2010, and 2011 looks to carry on in the same tradition, with losses of over 200 billion:

Fannie Mae asked the government Friday for an additional $8.5 billion in aid after declining home prices caused more defaults on loans guaranteed by the mortgage giant.

The company said it lost $8.7 billion in the first three months of the year. Those losses led Fannie to request more than three times the federal aid it sought in the previous quarter. The total cost of rescuing the government-controlled mortgage buyer is nearing $100 billion - the most expensive bailout of a single company.

 ... even though I haven't earned it.

!00 billion. Not so bad, eh? Yeah, well that's only one of them:

Combined with the bailout of sibling company Freddie Mac, the government expects their rescue to cost taxpayers about $259 billion. That money will cover the mortgage giants' losses on soured loans made in the midst of the housing bubble.

Oops.

The companies nearly toppled because of losses on risky mortgages that they purchased between 2005 and 2008. They tightened their lending standards after those loans started to go bad.

Nice.

Mr. President, We Are Americans

Roxeanne de Luca is crediting Peggy Noonan for making a good case to release the photos of bin Laden. Noonan is a day late and a dollar short as far as I'm concerned. Nice to see she is thinking a tad more critically these days.

But now Roxeanne is another story all together. Clearly never taken in by the likes of Barry O, she chaffs at his dismissive attitude toward the people of the United States. In her recent piece she points out that many of those suspicious of whether or not the president was a natural born citizen had a good reason to be suspicious. The attitude is a reflection of our independent spirit. This being so, the bin Laden photos should be released. In failing to do so, Mr. Obama mistakes American pragmatism for a desire to gloat:

"Given that context, it makes sense for the American government to disclose as much as it can without compromising human dignity, the safety of our military, and intel gathering – not so that we can “spike the ball”, but because we are Americans, not sheep."

You gotta love that Roxeanne de Luca. Read the whole thing.

They Make A Good Point

Tramped out to drive her point home.

A series of protests have arisen over the careless remarks of one of Toronto's finest. Apparently the officer had been giving a talk to college students at York University on how to avoid rape and assault, and while doing so the officer offered the comment that women could help avoid getting themselves raped if they would avoid dressing like "sluts".

The protests, which have been come to be known as SlutWalks, have now crossed the international border and entered the home of the free and the brave.

"It was taking the blame off the rapist and on the victim," said Nicole Sullivan, 21, a student at the University of Massachusetts-Boston and an organizer of the SlutWalk planned Saturday in that city.

The idea of dressing cheaply and provocatively is something I am against, without question, but the greater evil here is the natural tendency for people to blame the victims for the crimes that befall them. Though such a dismissive attitude seemingly insulates the speaker from the fear of harm, it is a crime in itself which I find absolutely infuriating.

Kelly Osbourne

Aimee Osbourne

For me, I'm with the slutwalkers, heart and soul.

Washing, Burial of bin Laden Engenders No Good Will For US

Faithful followers of the religion of peace.

The Islamic community in Britain have gathered to show their defiance over the killing of terrorist mastermind, extremist and wanton murderer of the helpless. bin Laden supporters gathered today to chant and rage, vowing death to the Western world in which they have chosen to live. Islamic cleric preacher Anjem Choudary organized the event:

"There will be one million Osamas. Muslims will remember Osama as a great man who stood up against Satan. Many will want to emulate his acts."

Why not start with his last act, getting one of his wives to run cover for him as a US armed forces team puts two rounds into his head?

"In Britain we have other options - like political action, but in other countries if your land is attacked or your family are put at risk you must defend yourself. We believe in the covenant of security that we must attack those we live with, but many do not."

And what do the assembled brother Muslims think the future holds for you and I?

"It is only a matter of time before another atrocity - the West is the enemy.”

Not all were in agreement with Mr. Choudray and his band. A man who left the Mosque said the group were a dangerous minority.

"They are crazy. They all benefit from UK education and UK benefits. They get everything for free and yet they still complain."

Is there anything so sad as unrequited love?

"You see the people walking past and ignoring them. Most Muslims have better things to do then this."

Most Muslims? Most anybody would have better things to do than what these clowns were up to.

The pro-bin Laden 'funeral' demonstration took place as relatives of the 7/7 London terror attack wept at the inquest into the atrocity just three miles away. The 7/7 attack had claimed 52 more innocent lives. Choudray and his ilk have no shame for the brutal missdeeds of their twisted fellow islamists.

Let's Roll

Todd Beamer

The father of Todd Beamer, one of the hijacked Americans that began the fight against al Queada by joining with his cabin mates and contesting control of their airplane, has grown weary of hearing the things the president has to say:

"I feel some chagrin now, though, about how the rest of it has been handled. And frankly it started May Day, 2011 when the president announced what had happened. The excessive use of the personal pronoun that he used in his remarks, I really felt that was the beginning of the Commander-in-Chief putting too much spotlight on himself, taking too much credit for what these remarkable Americans had done. And of course it's only now accelerated to a greater degree in the media. It's being hailed as one of the greatest war time decisions, bold and gutsy, and quite frankly, under the facts and circumstances, I think it was anything but that. I think this decision had an inexorable conclusion. As the information unfolded, they were straight forward and easy, and he really had no other choice."

Well said.

On the one hand is Todd Beamer, an average American, a regular guy who loved his family, his wife, his children, but they were all taken from him, essentially for no reason. Caught in that terrible situation, he did what was needed, what he felt was required of him. He did not aspire to be a hero, and yet he became one.

Gutsy national hero.

On the other hand is a politician from Chicago.