Good Morning

Think Congress does not have much to show for itself this year? Think again. A new report from Senator Tom Coburn’s office highlights dozens of examples of government waste in 2012. Included for the first time on this list: Congress. The very people looking into government waste find they themselves are wasteful. Coburn’s report estimates $132 million of taxpayers’ money was wasted on “the most unproductive and unpopular Congress in modern history.” “The waste is unbelievable,” says Coburn. “We’re bankrupt, this country is bankrupt, and people just don’t want to admit it.” “What was once a great country has been mortgaged and bankrupted by the egos and ethics of career politicians,” says Coburn, who adds the only way to change the system is to vote out all the incumbents. “If you want to change the trajectory of our country, if you want to get rid of the hundreds of billions of dollars of waste every year, you have to change who is there.” (h/t JH)  The following link is to the waste in pictures – you honestly will not believe it: http://www.coburn.senate.gov/mod_wowslider/

 

 

 

• Welfare government’s single LARGEST budget item in FY2011 at approx $1.03 TRILLION “No longer should we measure compassion by how much money the government spends, but by how many people we help to rise out of poverty,” Sessions continued. “Welfare assistance should be seen as temporary whenever possible, and the goal must be to help more of our fellow citizens attain gainful employment and financial independence. This is about more than rescuing our finances. It’s about creating a more optimistic future for millions of struggling Americans.” http://dailycaller.com/2012/10/18/report-welfare-governments-single-largest-budget-item-in-fy-2011-at-approx-1-03-trillion/#ixzz29eEzjsQ8

 

 

 

• Other things are UP too, not just welfare. The Blaze reports that:

Gasoline

2002 Average – $1.44
2012  Average- $3.73
Percent Increase:

Beer

2002 Average – $.99
2012 Average-$1.24
Percent Increase: 

Eggs, Grade A, Large Dozen

2002 Average – $1.03
2012 Average-$1.80
Percent Increase:

Coffee, Ground Roast, All Sizes:

2002 Average – $2.92
2012 Average-$5.58
Percent Increase:

Peanut Butter

2002 Average – $1.96
2012 Average-$2.75
Percent Increase:

Milk

2002 Average – $2.75
2012 Average-$3.47
Percent Increase:

Bread

2002 Average – $1.01
2012 Average-$1.41
Percent Increase:

Pasta

2002 Average – $0.91
2012 Average-$1.32
Percent Increase:

Orange Juice

2002 Average – $1.84
2012 Average-$2.69
Percent Increase:

Apples

2002 Average – $0.94
2012 Average-$1.35
Percent Increase:

Wine

2002 Average – $6.23 
2012 Average-$10.03
Percent Increase:

Electricity

2002 Average – $.091
2012 Average-$.130
Percent Increase:

Beef

2002 Average – $4.40
2012 Average-$6.22
Percent Increase: 

Margarine

2002 Average – $o.86
2012 Average-$2.09
Percent Increase:

Tomatoes

2002 Average – $1.18
2012 Average-$1.44
Percent Increase: 

Turkey

2002 Average – $1.05
2012 Average-$1.65
Percent Increase: 

Bacon

2002 Average – $3.23
2012 Average-$4.52
Percent Increase:

Ground Beef

2002 Average – $2.28
2012 Average-$3.69
Percent Increase:

Cookies

2002 Average – $2.59
2012 Average-$3.61
Percent Increase: 

 

 

 

• Recognize this company? Well President Obama gave them $249 million of your money to bail them out… and oh yeah… they’ve gone bankrupt. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-16/electric-car-battery-maker-a123-systems-files-bankruptcy.html?cmpid=yhoo

 

 

• The president went out of his way several times Tuesday night to mention Mr. Romney’s pledge to eliminate financing for Planned Parenthood. Mr. Obama argued that that would not only affect women’s health services but would be an economic burden on families during tough times. “Millions of women all across the country who rely on Planned Parenthood for not just contraceptive care,” Mr. Obama said. “They rely on it for mammograms, for cervical cancer screenings. That’s a pocketbook issue for women and families all across the country.” Ooops.. Here’s the link to the gov’t letter stating Planned Parenthood DOES NOT do mammograms!  Under the federal Mammogram Quality Standards Act, administered by HHS, “no facility may conduct an examination or procedure…involving mammography” without a certification from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. While a 2004 amendment to this law permits some states to also authorize mammography facilities, these certificates are still issued under the authority of the FDA, and the FDA records all certificates and investigates facilities holding such certifications. In short, there is no uncertainty: if Planned Parenthood could perform mammograms, the FDA (and HHS) would know it. http://www.adfmedia.org/files/DOC702.pdf

 

 

• Both Newt Gingrich and Liz Cheney were on Hannity tonight and both agreed that this is the end of the Obama regime.

 

 

 

LOCAL

• There is a VERY UGLY SIDE to politics – the following is beyond devious:

My Fellow Patriots writes Frank Morganthaler,

I was notified recently that the NYS Board of Elections had printed the Absentee Ballots for our race and that they were mailed to residents of the District who had requested them.  A number of supporters contacted me with a very troubling message.  My name is listed on the Ballot, on line 6G, which is titled “Socialism and  Lib”.  Imagine, me a Socialist!!!  Now, the fact is that the State Board of Elections has the discretion of where to place an Independent candidate on the Ballot.  Normally, my name would not be positioned on any of the top five lines (major parties), but, could be placed on any of the lines below.  Since “We the People” is not an organized party, but, rather an Independent party, it does not get to have a listing of its own in the first column.  Accordingly, my name could have been placed under Column 6, in rows F (Green Party), G (Socialism and Lib Party), H (Libertarian Party), or, I (Constitution Party).  The BOE could have placed me in any one of those unoccupied rows other than G.  But, they did not; and, I believe the action was taken intentionally.  Out of all those row choices, the one that would least represent me and the substance of my campaign, is G (Socialism and Lib Party).  But, that is what theBoard selected for me.  I would think that I would be a better fit with the “I” Row (Constitution Party), since my campaign is based on the Constitution and preserving our Freedoms.  This listing has been damaging.  Some on-line publications have already listed me as the “Socialism and Lib” Candidate, with no mention of the ”We the People” Party.

I have written a letter to the State Board of Elections that they immediately revise my position on the Ballot.  If you would like to help, calling the BOE office would be the best way to do so.  The numbers to call are: Administrative Office (518) 474-6336; and, Election Operations Office (518) 473-5086.  After all of the hard work that we all have put in on this campaign, I will not allow the BOE to take the election away from us now.  In my letter to the Board, I informed them that depending on their response, I will be prepared to go to Federal Court to seek an injunction against these ballots and if necessary to cause the BOE to reprint them. Frank C.D. 17 2012 Absentee Ballot

 

 

 

• State regulations to allow natural gas hydrofracking in New York’s depressed Southern Tier region are being held up by Governor Cuomo, who says he wants more study of the health effects of fracking. However, writes Robert Bryce of the Manhattan Institute in today’s New York Post, “if he’s truly interested in public health, the governor must also put a freeze on wind-energy projects in New York until their health impact can be gauged.”

From Bryce:

To date, the state has assumed that oil and gas drilling is “guilty (dirty) until proven innocent” but wind-energy development is “clean.” Indeed, if New York is to meet its renewable-energy target — to obtain 30 percent of all electricity from renewables by 2015 — several thousand new wind turbines will be needed.

But about two dozen New York towns have already passed rules banning or restricting wind-energy development, and more will come if turbine construction takes off.

It’s not simply that wind projects can be ugly. Health officials from Canada to Australia and the UK to New Zealand are seriously examining the effect that wind-turbine noise has on humans.

Meanwhile, another report today suggests that New York’s wind bubble may have burst.

http://www.timesunion.com/business/article/Push-toward-wind-power-deflating-3954756.php

 

 

 

• Recap of Wendy Long/Kirsten Gillibrand debate last evening:

NYDN: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/gillibrand-criticizes-silver-senate-debate-article-1.1186248

WSJ: http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2012/10/17/in-debate-gillibrand-long-tackle-jobs-economy-and-50-shades-of-grey/

NYT: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/18/nyregion/gillibrand-and-long-clash-in-debate-for-us-senate.html?_r=0

Enjoy your day,

Lisa