WASHINGTON — Yesterday, Barack Obama was God. Today, he’s fallen from grace, the magic gone, his health care reform dead. If you believed the first idiocy — and half the mainstream media did — you’ll believe the second. Don’t believe either.
Conventional wisdom always makes straight-line projections. They are always wrong. Yes, Obama’s aura has diminished, in part because of overweening overexposure. But by year’s end he will emerge with something he can call health care reform. The Democrats in Congress will pass it because they must. Otherwise, they’ll have slain their own savior in his first year in office.
But that bill will look nothing like the massive reform Obama originally intended. The beginning of the retreat was signaled by Obama’s curious reference — made five times — to “health-insurance reform” in his July 22 news conference.
Reforming the health care system is dead. Cause of death? Blunt trauma administered not by Republicans, not even by Blue Dog Democrats, but by the green eyeshades at the Congressional Budget Office.
Three blows:
(1) On June 16, the CBO determined that the Senate Finance Committee bill would cost $1.6 trillion over 10 years, delivering a sticker shock that was near fatal.
(2) Five weeks later, the CBO gave its verdict on the Independent Medicare Advisory Council, Dr. Obama’s latest miracle cure, conjured up at the last minute to save Obamacare from fiscal ruin, and consisting of a committee of medical experts highly empowered to make Medicare cuts.
The CBO said that IMAC would do nothing, trimming costs by perhaps 0.2 percent. A 0.2 percent cut is not a solution; it’s a punch line.
(3) The final blow came last Sunday when the CBO euthanized the Obama “out years” myth. The administration’s argument had been: Sure, Obamacare will initially increase costs and deficits. But it pays for itself in the long run because it bends the curve downward in coming decades. (Read more.)
The latest US missile defence test, conducted last night in Hawaii waters, was deemed a success as tensions continue with North Korea over that country’s missile programme.
A short-range ballistic missile was fired from the Pacific Missile Range Facility on the island of Kauai and then was shot down by a three-stage interceptor missile from a destroyer, the USS Hopper.
An intercept missile is fired from the deck of the USS Hopper
The test, conducted by the Navy and the Department of Defense’s Missile Defence Agency, marked the 23rd firing by ships equipped with the Aegis ballistic missile defense system.
With the latest test, there have been 19 successes, including the shooting down of a dead US spy satellite last year.
On July 4, North Korea violated UN Security Council resolutions by sending seven ballistic missiles into waters off its east coast.
There had been speculation North Korea would launch a missile toward Hawaii – about 4,500 miles away – to coincide with the July 4 Independence Day holiday in the US.
Two other Navy ships participated in Thursday’s test, dubbed ‘Stellar Avenger’.
According to a Missile Defence Agency statement, the Hopper fired and guided an SM-3 Block IA missile that intercepted the target missile about 100 miles above the Pacific Ocean.
Meanwhile, the USS O’Kane simulated an engagement and the USS Lake Erie detected and tracked the target, the agency said.
The statement said the Hopper’s weapons system guided its missile to a ‘direct body to body hit, approximately two minutes after leaving the ship.’
The Lake Erie used an advanced version of the Aegis system in a simulation to evaluate how it would function with a SM-3 Block IB missile.
Next year, the ship is to use the system to fire a new SM-3 Block IB, which features an improved propulsion system, signal processor and warhead seeker. (Read more.)
Why does it always seem to be the imbeciles that spend the most time lecturing us?...
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday ramped up her criticism of insurance companies, accusing them of unethical behavior and working to kill a plan to create a new government-run health plan.
“It’s almost immoral what they are doing,” Pelosi said to reporters, referring to insurance companies. “Of course they’ve been immoral all along in how they have treated the people that they insure,” she said, adding, “They are the villains. They have been part of the problem in a major way. They are doing everything in their power to stop a public option from happening.”
B.S. Report–Is this woman insane? Insurance companies are businesses–and very difficult businesses at that. Unlike government, insurance companies must have some standards. Yes, there is a moral component to insurance but they can’t just simply insure everyone and pay off any claims that are made or they’ll quickly be bankrupt. Claims are paid by the premiums collected.
Pelosi talks as if insurance companies are like her and her congressional cohorts, and can simply spend however much money they want–and then steal more or print up more as they need it. And excuse me if I reach for a “barf bag” when Nancy Pelosi accuses others of unethical behavior or of acting “villainous.”
"Yikes!...Uh, Mr. President, maybe I'll just have the $9.00 water with a lemon"...
Four of the most powerful business leaders in America arrived at the White House one day last month for lunch with President Barack Obama, sitting down in his private dining room just steps from the Oval Office.
But even for powerful CEOs, there’s no such thing as a free lunch: White House staffers collected credit card numbers for each executive and carefully billed them for the cost of the meal with the president.
The White House defended the unusual move as a way to avoid conflicts of interest. But the Bush administration didn’t charge presidential guests for meals, one former official said, and at least one etiquette expert found the whole thing unseemly – suggesting it was a serious breach of protocol.
“I’m sure they have their political reasons for doing that, but I think it’s not what quote, hospitality, unquote is all about,” said Letitia Baldrige, who headed Jacqueline Kennedy’s White House staff in the early 1960s. “We’ve got to relax about this. To have people to the White House and worry about the price of things is laughable.”
“I don’t know what the menu was, but I’m sure it wasn’t braised pheasant,” she said.
The White House did not say what was served for lunch or how much the attendees were charged. A spokeswoman said White House staff collected the credit card numbers separately from the event.
Around the table with Barack Obama that afternoon were Ursula Burns, CEO of Xerox Corporation; Muhtar Kent, CEO of The Coca-Cola Company; AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson; and Honeywell International CEO Dave Cote.
“From time to time, White House guests are asked to reimburse for their meals, the reasons include ensuring there is no conflict or appearance of a conflict,” said White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki. “That is consistent with our tough ethics rules and we will continue the practice when appropriate.”
B.S. Report–It is kind of laughable. Do you charge people for food at your home when you’ve invited them over? It seems tacky and not the usual White House protocol.
It’s even funnier that President Obama is making a “show” of how honest and fiscally responsible his administration is, but remember, he’s only pretending. This is the same guy who’s pissing away $250,000 for date nights with the “missus.”
My feeling is that he can give away all the free meals at the White House that he wants to give–just lower taxes, repeal the “stimulus” fraud and stop confiscating trillions of dollars from future generations of Americans. Oh, and give up on the socialist health care scheme as well.
Some ousted season 8 American Idol top 36 semi-finalists–including Felicia Barton, Kendall Beard, and Ju’Not Joyner–participated in an online chat with the Idol website AI Now today. And during his frank online conversation with fans, Ju’Not came right out and said that the TV talent show is in fact rigged, and that its contracts are unfair to contestants.
Ju'Not Joyner claims "Idol" is fixed
“It’s a fixed thing if I ever saw one,” he boldly declared–much to the shock of many naive chatters, who responded with capslocked interjections and frowny-faced emoticons.
It was hardly the first time that AmIdol had been accused of wrongdoing. A book loosely based on anonymous former Idol employees’ experiences with the show, Stage 46, made similar allegations last year. But few detractors have ever been as brutally honest as Ju’Not was today.
Ju’Not–who by his own account was labeled a “troublemaker” by Idol producers for questioning the contract (which he dubbed a “slavetract”) that all auditioners are required by Fox/19 to sign, and was allegedly told by Idol bigwig Ken Warwick, “You’re not going to ruin my show”–explained that he wanted to set the record straight today. He stated that he wanted to reveal “truth of Idol” because “Idol ain’t all it is cracked up to be…It’s certainly not the fairytale most think it is.” (Read more.)
B.S. Report–Sounds like someone has a serious case of sour grapes. I haven’t seen the show in a few seasons so I don’t know who this guy is or if he’s as scary talented as he seems to think he is.
What I do know is they selected this guy and he’s been given a chance to showcase his talent. If he has the “package,”–meaning he can not only sing but he also has the intangibles that count towards record sales, I’m sure someone will want to sign him.
The point is that nobody is going to leave money sitting on the table if this guy is that good. Idol is a TV show so of course the producers need to make it as appealing to the viewer as possible. Ju’Not may have legitimate questions as to which way they wanted to “steer” his character–but if you make a deal with the devil…
As for the allegations that the show is fixed and not just that the producers of the show have their “favorites” and want particular contestants to progress towards the finale, well, I’ll wait for Ju’Not’s evidence before I comment on that.
Finally, they are not going to give you a contract as if you’re already Stevie Wonder or Neil Diamond. The contract may not even be all that favorable but it’s better than you were doing before you were on the show. Most people are happy just to be given a shot at their “dream.”
Having been reasonably successful on Idol, many former contestants can now get gigs and build a career for themselves. Just one more thing: there’s always the possibility that Ju’Not is, in fact, a troublemaker…
1867 – S.S. (Sebastian Spering) Kresge
merchant: S.S. Kresge’s five & dime stores [now Kmart]; died in 1966
1911 – George Liberace
musician: violinist, conductor; administrator of Liberace Museum; brother of pianist/entertainer Liberace; died Oct 16, 1983
1918 – Hank Jones
pianist: accompanied Billy Eckstine, Ella Fitzgerald; led Hank Jones Trio
1918 – Bill (William) Todman
game show producer: Goodson-Todman Productions: The Price is Right, To Tell the Truth, Beat the Clock, I’ve Got a Secret, What’s My Line; ; died Jul 29, 1979
1919 – Curt Gowdy
sports commentator: ABC, CBS, NBC, HBO; voice of NY Yankees, Boston Red Sox [1949-1966]; TV play-by-play: AFL, NFL, major league baseball, World Series, All-Star Games, Rose Bowls, Super Bowls, Olympics, NCAA Final Fours; host: The American Sportsman; radio station owner: WCGY-FM, Lawrence [Boston] MA; recipient of George Foster Peabody Award for achievement in radio and TV [1970]; Curt Gowdy Award presented by Hall of Fame Board of Trustees for meritorious contributions by the media; Curt Gowdy State Park [Wyoming] named after him [1971]; died Feb 20, 2006
1929 – Don Murray
actor: Bus Stop, Knots Landing, The Outcasts, Baby the Rain Must Fall, Peggy Sue Got Married, Advice and Consent
1931 – Kenny Burrell
guitarist: played with Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Goodman; own combos
1937 – John Sellers
jockey: winner: Kentucky Derby [1961: on Carry Back], Belmont Stakes [1965: on Hail To All], Brooklyn Handicap [1965: on Pia Star]
1939 – France Nuyen (Vannga)
actress: The Joy Luck Club, South Pacific, Diamond Head, St. Elsewhere
1939 – John West
musician: keyboards: group: Gary Lewis and the Playboys: This Diamond Ring
1943 – Susan Flannery
Daytime Emmy Award-winning actress: Days of Our Lives [1975], The Bold and the Beautiful [2000, 2002]; Dallas, Anatomy of a Seduction
1944 – Geraldine Chaplin
actress: Nashville, Rosalind, Chaplin, Dr. Zhivago, The Wedding; daughter of comedian Charlie Chaplin
1945 – Gary Lewis (Levitch)
singer: group: Gary Lewis and the Playboys: This Diamond Ring; entertainer Jerry Lewis’ son
1946 – Bob Welch
guitarist, singer: group: Fleetwood Mac; solo: Sentimental Lady
1947 – Karl Green
musician: guitar, harmonica: group: Herman’s Hermits: I’m into Something Good, Mrs. Brown You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter, I’m Henry VIII, I Am, Listen People, A Must to Avoid, Leaning on the Lamp Post
1951 – Evonne Goolagong
tennis champion: Australian Open [1974, 1975, 1976, 1977]; Wimbledon [1971, 1980]; French Open [1971]
1951 – Barry Van Dyke
actor: Diagnosis Murder, The Van Dyke Show, Foxfire Light, It Happened at Lakewood Manor, Casino; son of actor Dick Van Dyke
1952 – Alan Autry
actor: In the Heat of the Night, Proud Men, Blue De Ville, At Close Range; mayor of Fresno California
1956 – Michael Biehn
actor: The Rock, Breach of Trust, Blood of the Hunter, Tombstone, A Taste for Killing, Timebomb, Aliens, The Terminator, The Fan, Coach, The Runaways
1957 – Daniel Ash
musician: guitar, singer: groups: Bauhaus, Love and Rockets
1957 – Leon Durham
baseball: St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs [all-star: 1982, 1983], Cincinnati Reds
1958 – Bill Berry
musician: drums: group: R.E.M.: Radio Free Europe, Talk about the Passion, So Central Rain, [Don’t Go Back To] Rockville, Seven Chinese Brothers
1962 – Wesley Snipes
actor: Demolition Man, Rising Sun, Major League, Sugar Hill, White Men Can’t Jump, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar, One Night Stand, U.S. Marshals
1963 – Norman (Quentin) Cook
singer: groups: The Housemartins: Caravan of Love; Beats International: Dub Be Good To Me; Freakpower: Tune In, Turn On, Drop Out; Mighty Dub Katz, Pizzaman, Norman Cook Presents Wildski, Fried Funk Food; Fatboy Slim: Better Living through Chemistry, The Rockafeller Skank, You’ve Come A Long Way, Baby
1966 – Dean Cain
actor: Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
“It is the eternal struggle between these two principles – right and wrong – throughout the world. They are two principles that have stood face to face from the beginning of time; and will ever continue to struggle. The one is the common right of humanity, and the other the divine right of kings. It is the same principle in whatever shape it develops itself. It is the same spirit that says, ‘You toil and work and earn bread, and I’ll eat it.”
1790 – The first U.S. patent was issued to Samuel Hopkins of Vermont. Mr. Hopkins did not get Patent #1 as thousands of patents were issued before someone came up with the bright idea to number them. The inventor patented a process for making potash and pearl ashes.
Hopkins patent signed by President George Washington
1792 – Construction started with the laying of the cornerstone in the first building to be used solely as a U.S. Government building. It was the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia.
1845 – The French Army introduced the saxophone to its military band. The musical instrument was the invention of Adolphe Sax of Belgium.
That led to this:
Which ultimately led to this:
1928 – MGM’s Leo the lion roared for the first time. He introduced MGM’s first talking picture, White Shadows on the South Seas. Leo’s dialogue was more extensive than the film’s, whose only spoken word was, “Hello.”
1942 – Harry James and his band recorded the classic I’ve Heard that Song Before, for Columbia Records. Helen Forrest sang on the million-seller.
1948 – New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport wasn’t always named that. In fact, on this day, U.S. President Harry S Truman dedicated the airport as International Airport at Idlewild Field.
1955 – Marilyn Bell of Toronto, Canada, at age 17, became the youngest person to swim the English Channel.
1964 – Country Music Hall of Famer Jim Reeves died when his single-engine Beechcraft crashed near Nashville, TN. Gentleman Jim started as a DJ, first at KGRI in Henderson, Texas; then at KWKH in Shreveport, LA (the home of the Louisiana Hayride in the early 1950s). His first hit was Mexican Joe in 1953. Reeves became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1955. He had his own TV series on ABC in 1957. He was in the 1963 film, Kimberley Jim. Reeves bought a radio station in Henderson, Texas, which became very successful. Hits by Jim Reeves include Four Walls, He’ll Have to Go, I’m Getting Better, Am I Losing You, Welcome to My World and I Guess I’m Crazy.
1970 – The Houston Astros sent ex-New York Yankee pitcher Jim Bouton down to the minor leagues. Ten days after joining the Oklahoma City farm team, Bouton retired from baseball. He authored several baseball books including Ball Four. Bouton also became a sportscaster in New York City for WABC and WCBS-TV.
1971 – The first men to ride in a vehicle on the moon did so on this day in the LRV (lunar rover vehicle). This example of a lunar dune buggy carried Apollo 15 astronauts David R. Scott and James B. Irwin for five miles on the lunar surface. Their first stop at the rim of Elbow Crater was televised back to Earth to millions of viewers. The moon ride lasted two hours and the astronauts were heard to exclaim, “There’s some beautiful geology out there!”
1985 – Prince was big at the box office with the autobiographical story of the Minneapolis rock star, Purple Rain. The flick grossed $7.7 million in its first three days of release on 917 movie screens. The album of the same name was the top LP in the U.S., as well.
1988 – Willie Stargell became 200th man inducted into Baseball’s Hall of Fame. Stargell had 475 career homers, twice leading the NL (48 in 1971, 44 in 1973). He drove in 1540 runs, scored 1195 and had 2232 hits with a lifetime batting average of .282. His inspirational leadership contributed greatly to Pittsburgh Pirate world championships in 1971 and 1979, when he shared NL MVP honors. His #8 was retired by the Pirates in 1982.
1996 – Alanis Morissette, born in Ottawa, kicked off her first big-time Canadian tour with a show before 15,000 at General Motors Place, Vancouver. The concert had sold out in less than an hour two months earlier.
1999 – The U.S. heat wave — linked to at least 94 deaths — continued. As Chicago baked in 100-degree weather, thousands of hot and sweaty residents were forced to endure the heat without air conditioning or fans, due to sporadic power outages and brownouts.
