From tea parties around the country:

Tea Party Photo Album

From the DC tea party:

Your mortgage is not my problem

Unless, of course, the Democrats are in power.

In Iowa, state officials banned tea from the tea party:

No tea at the tea party

The attendees were going to dump tea into the Cedar River. The state won't let them do that, because the tea would discolor the water.

Tea, although natural and quite tasty, is considered a pollutant that can’t go into a body of water without a permit, said Mike Wade, a senior environmental specialist at the DNR’s Manchester field office.

Sam Adams must be spinning in his grave.

As most of us are aware, the Democrats have tried to sneak in property tax hikes via SB199, or...the School Finance Act.

That Act has a provision that freezes the state's mill levy rates.

How does that hike property taxes? Well, here's the deal:

Before SB199, mill levy rates were rolled back. This made sure that as property values increased, property taxes stayed flat.

But when the rates are frozen, as we see with SB199, property tax revenue went up with property values. That violates the Colorado Constitution, specifically the TABOR provisions therein. Voter approval is required for any change in tax policy that results in a net increase of government tax revenues. A judge up in Denver, Her Honor Christina Habas, declared that mill levy freeze to be unconstitutional because...the voters had not approved the increase in net tax revenues, as is REQUIRED by the state constitution.

The Democrats at state level, as we are seeing with their brethren and sistren at the Federal level, are not overly concerned with constitutional niceties. So...we have SB199, an attempt to do an end run around the state constitution.

There is a provision within TABOR that requires TABOR matters going before the courts to be given priority.

Chief Justice Mary Mullarkey, who is so liberal as to see Nancy "The Mouse" Pelosi as a kindred soul, has been sitting on the case. Why?

"Something strange is going on over there," State Attorney JohnSuthers said Wednesday at a breakfast meeting with the Colorado Civil Justice League, "That decision should have been made five months ago." Sutherland went on to wonder openly if Mullarkey was sitting on the case, delaying it - in violation of the state Constitution - in order to try to convince other justices to rule in favor of SB199.

Bill Ritter and the State Board of Education are the plaintiffs in the case.

So we have school boards and administrators going on about not getting a big enough piece of the pork from Porculus Americanus, the Obama/Pelosi 'stimulus' bill which is raking larger and larger chunks of change out of your pockets - while "giving" you $400 per year as a pinhead prize...the government thinks you are enough of a pinhead to be happy with that. And we have school boards and administrators now whining about that pesky state constitution getting in the way of another way to get their hands in your pockets...for more money, to do who knows what with, as the Indians and the Chinese continue to kick America's academic backside. Perhaps it is to provide sensitivity training for other cultures? Who knows.

Mark Hillman gives an analysis of the situation here:

Why is the governor so sure of Supreme Court Ruling?

TABOR has taken a lot of heat in its time...but as the editorial in the Pueblo Chieftain notes regarding another Democratic attempt to do an end run around the constitution, it is TABOR that has kept the state government from spending us into oblivion in the same manner as the Democrats have done in California, Ohio, New York...all those states that are slavering at the chops over the idea of getting all that Free Federal Munny.

Wrong, wrong, wrong

An excerpt from that one:

SB228 would divert $385 million from highways and other construction and into the general fund by 2011, and even more in future years. This would give lawmakers new money to spend on social programs and also give them an excuse to seek more taxes for highways and capital construction.

In Colorado, more than a third of a billion in new play money is a big temptation for those lawmakers who have no problem spending other people’s taxes. But even if you agree with the proposition that the Legislature should not be limited by Arveschoug-Bird, simply passing legislation to change it when it is clearly protected in the State Constitution is wrong, wrong, wrong.

The state ledge is also looking for an opportunity to get its fingers into the state community colleges pie. Amendment 50 expanded casino gambling, with the additional intake to go to state colleges. That take is implemented through HB1272, which,"...allocates 78 percent of the additional state revenue from expanded casino gambling in Cripple Creek, Central City and Black Hawk to community and junior colleges. The rest will go 10 percent to the three casino mountain towns and 12 percent to Gilpin and Teller counties...".

The politicians being what they are, it's a sure bet that at least some of them are thinking that they can divert original funding from the community colleges to other 'projects', keeping up the swag levels to the colleges through 50 funds.

That is not what the voters intended, nor is it what they want.

Here is a Chieftain editorial on that:

Clear intent

Yes.

Tea parties.

Taxpayer tea parties, in the sense of the Boston tea party, when irate Americans, having had it right up to the gills with tax stupidities - and other governmental interferences - dumped bales of tea into Boston Harbor rather than buy it and pay the King's Tax in the process.

What's behind the tea parties?

This set of guidelines helps explain it:

1. This is a non-partisan event — in fact, it’s critical of both parties — large-scale government interventions into the free market were kicked off under Bush, and Obama’s doing no better.

2. The American taxpayer is better at spending his money than the government. If you ask your average taxpayer if he wanted to spend millions of dollars on golf course renovations, you could be sure he’d say no.

3. Small business owners are the backbone of the economy, not large failing corporations. Amping up regulations only hurts these businesses.

4. It is our *optimism* that guides our frustration. We believe so strongly in the ingenuity and hard work of the American people, that we feel big government measures will only get in the way of their success.

The Democrats are raping the American taxpayer, and taking the fruits of the labors of American citizens and turning it over to freeloaders,moochers, and people too stupid to make sound, rational life decisions. In the process the Democrats are reinforcing and spreading the entitlement mindset, and castrating the American entrepreneurial spirit as well as America's small business owners...figuratively if not literally.

You can either sit there and take it, or you can, in whatever way works best for you, do something about it.

Here it is a nutshell:

Democratic Party operative Donna Brazile:

"We have a black president! It's FREE!"

Brazile, then realizing what she had said, changed it to "We have an American president..."

But it's still FREE! And you don't have to do anything at all to earn it, because the government is going to take it away from those who did, and give it to those who haven't.

Over on Smile Hi City: Tookie and the Third Circle of Hell

Leece has a new post up on YahBut:

Do women belong in the ministry?

That's what syndicated columnist Charles Krauthamer said about Obama's speech. He was referring specifically to Obama's claim that Porculus Americanus, aka The Generational Theft Act of 2009, had 'no earmarks'.

"Now, I'm proud that we passed a recovery plan free of earmarks, and I want to pass a budget next year that ensures that each dollar we spend reflects only our most important national priorities."

Yes, he did. Obama actually said that. The 'stimulus bill' has no earmarks.

And then Obama said the budget would reflect "only our most important national priorities".

Yup. There is a Department of Justice grant in there for $200,000 for gang tattoo removal. Maine lobstermen get $100,000 of their own special 'economic relief', along with $300,000 in emergency economic assistance for the Maine groundfish industry, and $150,000 for Maine lobster research, and $250,000 for the Maine/New Hampshire Inshore Trawl Survey, and $100,000 for the Maine 'Seals as Sentinels' project. In fact, there's something like 23 such earmarks for Maine alone. Hey. Maine. Who were two of Three Stooges, the Republican senators who voted for Porculus Americanus? The two Maine senators, Oly Snowe and Susan Collins. But that's really nothing. The $410 billion spending bill about to be unveiled has over 9,000 earmarks in it:

President Barack Obama should prepare to carve out a lot of free time and keep the coffee hot this week as Congress prepares to unveil a $410 billion omnibus spending bill that's riddled with thousands of earmarks, despite his calls for restraint and efforts on Capitol Hill to curtail the practice.

The bill will contain about 9,000 earmarks totaling $5 billion, congressional officials say. Many of the earmarks — loosely defined as local projects inserted by members of Congress — were inserted last year as the spending bills worked their way through various committees.

So while Obama and McCain were slamming earmarks on the campaign trail, House and Senate members — Democrats and Republicans — were slapping them into spending bills.

Chutzpah. There's no other word for it.

Constituents give Markey grief over stimulus package

Yep, they sure did.

An excerpt:

During Sunday’s forum, a number of Fort Collins residents expressed fear that the $787 billion stimulus bill will not have the desired effect of reinvigorating the nation’s struggling economy.

“I was adamantly against the current stimulus package that just passed because America has gotten completely out of control with spending,” said Kurt Kastein. “There is an (undying) appetite to spend more than we have, and it’s my opinion that the money the government is going to give us with this package just feeds that appetite. And I don’t see an end. I don’t see how we ever recover from that.”

The crowd of about 85 people cheered and clapped in response to Kastein’s comment.

Markey, however, steadfastly defended the package and her vote in favor of it, stressing the important role she believes it will play in America’s economic recovery.

“With this recovery package — I struggled with it,” she said.

“But when I talked to many economists, and they all said that we are in the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression in the 1930s, it was disheartening,” Markey said. “(The government) did not do anything when we were in recession in the 1920s, and we slipped into the Depression because of it. We cannot afford to let that happen again.”

Markey said that although she’s concerned about the deficit spending the bill promotes, she views it as a means to a more financially stable end.

Unfortunately, Malarkey listened to the economists who were telling the Democrats what they wanted to hear. She should have done a bit of independent research. Maybe a bit of independent thinking. Government's failure to act caused the Great Depression? One bit of government action, the Smoot-Hawley Tariff, had a great deal to do with making it worse. The Agricultural Marketing Act was a lot like today's bailouts. And then there was the Reconstruction Finance Corporation. Take a look at those examples of "government action" and you will see why we took so long to come out of the Great Depression. You will also see some remarkable similarities between those cockamamy schemes and today's cockamamy schemes.

It's unfortunate that Malarkey, like so many other CongressCritters, seems so abysmally ignorant.

Her attempts at justifying her knee-jerk ignorance fall woefully short.

BTW...those three "government actions" listed above? Fine examples of monumental government ignorance and incompetence?

Republicans were responsible.

The lunatics occupy both sides of the aisle, and continue to run the asylum.

Well...not quite yet, but his foot is poised over the pie. Obama is reportedly about to nominate former Washington state governor Gary Locke to be our next Secretary of Commerce.

From the Washington Post, which obviously has not done its homework:
“Locke is regarded as a safe choice by senior officials in the Obama administration given his long history in public life, his strait-laced reputation and his bipartisan governing credentials.”

Does anyone remember ChinaGate?

Does anyone remember John Huang, the crooked-as-a-dog's-hind-leg campaign funds manipulator?

Does anyone remember the connection between Huang and Locke?

From the Seattle Times in 1999:

Will Governor Locke ever return his Huang-linked funds?

an excerpt:

Now John Huang, the Democratic fund-raiser who supported Locke's 1996 gubernatorial campaign at no less than eight political events across the country, has agreed to plead guilty to felony conspiracy to make illegal campaign contributions. When I asked what the governor had to say about Huang's guilty plea, Locke's spokesman, Keith Love, responded tersely: "He has no comment and no interest."

Same source, 1998:

It's not racist to question Locke's China-linked funds

an excerpt:

Given Locke's high threshold for proof of wrongdoing, it's no wonder he still refuses to return tens of thousands of dollars raised for his campaign by John Huang - the former DNC fund-raiser, ex-Commerce Department official, ex-V.P. of the infamous Indonesian Lippo Group, suspected Chinese agent, and close friend of the Sioengs (daughter Jessica refers to him as "Uncle Huang" in one internal Democratic document, according to the L.A. Times).

Huang and his wife gave token personal donations to Locke; staffers have emphasized that his finance role was minimal. Past news articles reported that Huang raised "a total of $19,000" for Locke. But last year, the campaign described to me no less than eight occasions on which Huang "coordinated," "attended," "organized" or "co-sponsored" political events attended by Locke. These include May 1996 galas at the Mayflower Hotel and Sheraton Carlton in D.C. (where Locke hobnobbed with Sioeng and President Clinton); three summer 1996 fund-raisers at Chinese restaurants in L.A.; and a cash-soaked California bash at the Universal City Hilton in October 1996 that raised upwards of $30,000.

China! Hey! Our Secretary of State, Hillary "Human rights are not an issue" Clinton was just in China, doing what amounted to a Hank Paulson 'down on bended knee' before the Chinese Communists.

And more from the Seattle Times:

Locke's money trail leads to Buddhist temple doors

an excerpt:

Already under investigation by the Public Disclosure Commission for mishandling cash contributions, Gov. Gary Locke's gubernatorial campaign must now contend with new revelations concerning two trips to a Buddhist temple last summer where campaign dollars changed hands.

On two separate occasions, Locke visited the Ling Shen Ching Tze Temple in Redmond at the invitation of the temple's founder, Grand Master Sheng-Yen Lu. Grand Master Lu, his wife, his son and several people self-described as church administrators and priests gave Locke about $13,100 in contributions.

Of the known temple donors identified by the Locke campaign, five gave $1,000 each on July 22, 1996. Two priests gave $1,000 and $1,100 respectively on Aug. 8, 1996. Three other temple adherents - Lin Wan Liu of Redmond, and Moon Chuen Lo and Shek Shuk Yee Lo of Renton - also gave $1,000 contributions on Aug. 8.

In all of these articles, we see the IRS mentioned. There are tax implications in all of it, as well as other ethical 'issues'.

This is what the Washington Post calls 'strait-laced'?

This is 'squeaky clean'?

Are they on drugs? Or are they just simple-minded? Or are they just lazy?

If Obama actually nominates this character, he will have to be confirmed by the United States Senate. One can only wonder what Udall and Bennet will do...but what the hey, what's a little campaign fraud and a few tax 'issues' among friends?

This one is only $900 million, however. A mere pittance.

It's going to go to the Palestinians in Gaza. Yup. That's on top of the $20 million President Obama has authorized in Presidential Determination 2009-15.

It isn't a done deal, not quite yet. It has to be approved by Congress. Excuse me while I go puke in one of the potted plants over that one.

President Obama's Secretary of State, Hillary "Let's not worry about human rights" Clinton, is off to Egypt for a meeting of Palestinian "donors".

The worst part of it is that there are no assurances of any consequence that your tax dollars and mine won't end up in Hamas' pockets.

On second thought, it's unlikely that it will end up in Hamas' pockets. That's because the money would be routed through "nongovernmental and UN organisations, with some going to the Palestinian Authority".

Yep. The UN, arguably and demonstrably the front runner among the world's most fiscally and morally corrupt organizations.

More on the Palestinian giveaway:

US to donate $900 million in Gaza aid

Do you think that Betsy Malarkey and the Bobsey Twins in the Senate will read the fine print on this one before voting for it? What about Brother John?

Is there any toilet into which the Democrats will not shovel our tax dollars?

As for corruption and the UN...just Google the two terms together. You'll be reading for the next 20 years.

AIG Seeks to Ease Its Bailout Terms

Having lost $60 billion last quarter, after having received over $150 billion from you and me, the Fiscal Thugs running that lashup at AIG now want their terms 'eased'.

And they want another $60 billion. They have a report on their status coming due:

The earnings report is expected to underscore AIG's worsening condition with its total loss for the quarter likely to top $60 billion, these people said.

There is really no end to it. Why not let them die a natural death, due to rampant greed and incompetence, and have done with it. Why are we continuing to 'save' them? Could AIG's demise be any worse than this? Does Little Timmy Geithner, Eunuch of the Treasury, have a Plan that won't, as soon as he utters it, send the DOW into another tailspin?

Chris Dodd is chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. He, like his House counterpart Barney Frank, oversaw the nation's finances and had their fingers deep into Fannie Mae's pockets. They are part and parcel of the reason for why we are in such a mess today.

Now, Dodd, a Democrat and famous for his conniving sweetheart deal with Countrywide Financial, is stabbing Obama in the back over the banking industry. He is trying to distance himself from the mess and from the banking industry. By shooting off his face last Friday, he contributed a great deal to the panic that lead to the market dropping spectacularly.

Dodd was posturing and pandering on Al Hunt's "Political Capital" last Friday. He said, in reference to nationalizing the banks,“...it’s possible it may happen”.

He did this while Obama's press secretary was trying to cool things down. He cut Obama's legs right out from under him. Because of Dodd's mouth, CitiGroup went down another 20% and Bank of American slid 12%. The market closed at its lowest level since 2002.

This buffoon is up for re-election, you see, and he is not doing well. Over half of those polled say they will not vote for him. I wouldn't either. I'd love to see Dodd run out of the Capitol Building covered with tar and feathers.

We should also keep in mind that Obama has brought a lot of this on himself, with his continual doom-saying and fear-mongering. Far from spreading hope, Obama has continually harped about how bad things are. He has harped about job losses and compared things to the Great Depression...yet here is how it really shakes out:


So it's tending to backfire on Obama. Dodd's stupidity emphasizes this.

Obama is no Franklin Roosevelt. He is not that "...leadership of frankness and vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory" of which Roosevelt spoke in his First Inaugural. Obama and his accomplices like Dodd and Frank are the ones who spread "...nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance."

Obama is showing himself to be just another Chicago political hack, no matter that a good percentage of his followers still see him as some kind of messiah.

As for Dodd...he is nothing more than an opportunistic weasel, another example of the moral cowardice of the Democratic Party of today.

Betsey Malarkey is the CongressCritter from the Colorado 4th.

When the voters kicked the Republicans to the curb...and deservedly so, or at least it seemed so before The Generational Theft Act of 2009...Betsey Malarkey, a Democrat, was elected to the Colorado 4th.

Malarkey is another one of those Democrats who voted for the Generational Theft Act without reading it, and as we saw from her recent visit, she remained clueless as to its contents.

Malarkey, like David Obey (D-WI), one of our most liberal Congresscritters, was and is an insistent defender of Nancy "The Mouse" Pelosi. That centers on the controversy over the $30 million in the Generational Theft Act of 2009 that is a sow's earmark for Pelosi's championing of the Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse. Malarkey, like Obey, tells us that the Theft Act has no references to the Harvest Mouse, so the controversy is just a Republican plot.

While it is true that the Act does not specifically reference the Harvest Mouse, the $30 million is going into the mouse's habitat. It's kind of like what we refer to as "Harry Reid's choo-choo train". You won't find a single reference to Reid in the bill, yet he is the one who put that sow's ear in. That one is $2.5 billion (sometimes $8 billion, but who really knows and who is really counting) for the train from Anaheim to Las Vegas. But we wander...the point is, Malarkey has not read the bill, yet is willing to defend it though she is pretty much ignorant of its contents. What a great way to run a country!

The GOP is spinning up to challenge Malarkey next time around. The latest is Steve Johnson, former state senator who is now a Larimer county commissioner. Johnson received the most Republican votes in the last Larimer primaries. Other GOP candidates include Tom Lucero, a CU regent, who filed for the next primary last December.

Then we have as potentials Cory Gardner of Yuma, Ken Buck, the DA from Weld County, and Diggs Brown of Fort Collins' city council. Like Johnson, none of them have yet committed to running. Mark Hillman says he won't run, but we at Blogger Central would like to see him change his mind on that.

We were sitting on the rail of the Holy Land Bridge over the Arkansas. We were simply contemplating The Whichness of What and The Thisness of That.

"So...how 'bout that Bobby Jindal dude?" asked DinkyDau Billy.

"Interesting fellow," said Tookie, who was picking at the bandaids over her knuckles. She had 'handled' her problem at school. We had stopped by the house to congratulate her, and Lola had given her a 'Kick ButtRose'. The rose was in a vase in Tookie's dining room.

"How so?"

"Well, he is very well thought of in Louisiana, and by the GOP. He's one to watch for the GOP presidential nomination in 2012. He isn't like that whining entitlement-minded bloodsucker who preceded him," Toot Sweet advised.

"Ah, he's just another one, just like the other ones," scoffed Billy, who had really had his fill of politicians.

"Oh, that's quite true," Tootie agreed, "he even drops the buzz phrase so favored by politicians who are clueless that it is meaningless to all but the most brain-dead of the electorate."

"What phrase is that?" asked Leece.

"The one where he tells us that he is 'reform-minded' or a 'reformer'. You know. Like Obama. A variation on 'Hope and Change'," Toots explained.

"Yes. I see. I also agree. But Americans do want reform, they do want change. But what kind of change?" Leece asked.

"Huh. Well. You're the reporter," Tookie pointed out, "why don't you organize a panel of local citizens and see what they have to say, and write a series of articles about it?"

"Hmmmmm..." Leece ruminated.

"You wouldn't want any politicians on the board. We don't want sound bytes. We don't want to hear more meaningless buzz phrases about 'primary jobs' and all that, phrases that sound good but never go anywhere," Tookie went on.

"Let's kick this around some more," Leece said, thoughtfully, "I think you're on to something, Toots."

"We could host it over at the church some evening. It could even be a series for three or four weeks, addressing different 'issues'," Tookie expanded.

"Yeah! I could get the kids together while the brains a the outfit are thinking and we'd do the snacks and refreshments," I added.

We sat there watching the river flow by.

Just in from one of Blogger Central's local readers:

Shortly after class, an economics student approaches his economics professor and says, "I don't understand this stimulus bill. Can you explain it to me?" The professor replied, "I don't have any time to explain it at my office, but if you come over to my house on Saturday and help me with my weekend project, I'll be glad to explain it to you."

The student agreed. At the agreed-upon time, the student showed up at the professor's house. The professor stated that the weekend project involved his backyard pool. They both went out back to the pool, and the professor handed the student a bucket.

Demonstrating with his own bucket,the professor said, "First, go over to the deep end, and fill your bucket with as much water as you can."

The student did as he was instructed. The professor then continued, "Follow me over to the shallow end, and then dump all the water from your bucket into it." The student was naturally confused, but did as he was told. The professor then explained they were going to do this many more times, and began walking back to the deep end of the pool.The confused student asked, "Excuse me, but why are we doing this?"

The professor matter-of-factly stated that he was trying to make the shallow end much deeper. The student didn't think the economics professor was serious, but figured that he would find out the real story soon enough. However, after the 6th trip between the shallow end and the deep end, the student began to become worried that his economics professor had gone mad. The student finally replied, "All we're doing is wasting valuable time and effort on unproductive pursuits. Even worse, when this process is all over, everything will be at the same level it was before, so all you'll really have accomplished is the destruction of what could have been truly productive action!" The professor put down his bucket and replied with a smile, "Congratulations. You now understand the stimulus bill."