Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Barker's Newsbites: Wednesday, February 1, 2012


As always... the actual "newsbites" are posted in the comments section.

(BTW... check out comment #1 for my take on last night's Florida primary results.)

10 comments:

William R. Barker said...

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/01/us/politics/romney-wins-big-in-florida-primary.html?_r=2&hp

Mitt Romney rolled to victory in the Florida primary on Tuesday, dispatching an insurgent threat from Newt Gingrich...

* HUH...??? "DISPATCHING AN INSURGENT THREAT FROM NEWT GINGRICH...?!?!" WOW...

(*JUST SHAKING MY HEAD IN AMUSEMENT*)

...and reclaiming his dominant position...

(*CHUCKLE*)

* "RECLAIMING," HUH? AS IF HE WERE THE... er... INEVITABLE CANDIDATE... AS IF THIS WERE AN OP-ED (OR A ROMNEY CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE) RATHER THAN WHAT IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE - NAMELY A STRAIGHT NEWS STORY.

(*SNORT*) (*SMIRK*)

Mr. Romney defeated Mr. Gingrich by a margin of 14 percentage points...

* TRUE! JUST AS IT'S TRUE THAT IN SOUTH CAROLINA GINGRICH DEFEATED ROMNEY BY 12 PERCENTAGE POINTS. (*GRIN*)

* FOLKS... THE BIG NEWS IS THAT GINGRICH SLAUGHTERED SANTORUM. GINGRICH BEAT SANTORUM BY 18 PERCENTAGE POINTS!

* OH... BUT FOLKS... YA GOTTA READ THIS... YOU GOTTA READ HOW THE TIMES SPINS IT...

Sensing a new opening in the race, Mr. Santorum said Tuesday night that he intended to emerge as the true conservative alternative over Mr. Gingrich.

(*SHRUG*)

* OH... AND ABOUT SANTORUM...

[Santorum] is running new commercials in Nevada and Colorado comparing Mr. Gingrich to Mr. Obama.

(*PURSED LIPS*)

* WHILE MANY CONSERVATIVES FEAR THAT RON PAUL HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE A SPOILER... ME... I WORRY MORE ABOUT SANTORUM.

* SANTORUM CLAIMS TO BE THE "TRUE" CONSERVATIVE, HOWEVER... I FEAR THAT SANTORUM - RATHER THAN BACKING NEWT IF NEWT CONTINUES TO GET THE MAJORITY OF CONSERVATIVE SUPPORT - WILL SUPPORT ROMNEY IN HOPES OF BEING ASKED TO BE HIS VP. (IN OTHER WORDS... IT'S SANTORUM'S "CHARACTER" I WORRY ABOUT MORE THAN NEWT'S.)

William R. Barker said...

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Welfare-Human-Resources-Administration-Food-Stamp-Rent-Assistance-New-York-City-138471289.html?dr

Economic woes have forced at least one NYC agency into a hiring spree - adding more workers to process the demand for food stamps and other assistance.

* OK... SO OBAMANOMICS HAS CREATED SOME JOBS... (*DARK CHUCKLE*)

The Human Resources Administration added more than 100 workers last July and plans to hire another 100 to serve the burgeoning number of New Yorkers applying for food stamps and rent assistance at their offices, according to the Daily News.

* TO "SERVE".... (*SMIRK*)

About 1.8 million New Yorkers are now on food stamps, which marks nearly a 65 percent increase from four years ago, according to city records.

(*SARCASTIC CLAP-CLAP-CLAP*-

* O-BAM-A! O-BAM-A! O-BAM-A!

William R. Barker said...

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2012/01/30/soaring-beef-prices-force-shoppers-to-find-other-foods/

Beef prices soared more than 10% last year according to the Department of Agriculture, and they will likely go up at least another 5% this year.

The Department of Agriculture says there are 91 million cattle nationally, the smallest herd since 1952.

* WHY?

A drought across Texas and Oklahoma has made food and water scarce for cattle, which has kept herds small.

* Hmm... SO WE'RE TO BELIEVE THAT THIS IS THE FIRST DROUGHT ACROSS TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA SINCE 1952...???

Add to that the rising cost of feed and rising beef exports, and the price of beef in the states is surging.

* I'M ALL FOR EXPORTS, BUT WHAT'S DIFFERENT NOW DURING THE AGE OF OBAMA THAN ANY TIME PREVIOUSLY WHEN THE U.S. WAS THE BREADBASKET TO THE WORLD WHILE STILL PROVIDING THE AVERAGE AMERICAN CONSUMER HIGH QUALITY INEXPENSIVE FOOD?

* BTW... ONCE CULPRIT IS THE DEVALUED DOLLAR OUR POLITICIANS HAVE DELIBERATELY GIVEN US.

William R. Barker said...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204740904577195352148844134.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEADTop

The political strategy behind Obamanomics was always simple: Call for "stimulus" to rescue the economy, run up the debt with the biggest spending blitz in 60 years, and then when the deficit explodes call for higher taxes.

CBO reports that annual spending over the Obama era has climbed to a projected $3.6 trillion this fiscal year from $2.98 trillion in fiscal 2008, or more than 20%.

The government spending burden has averaged 24% of GDP, up from an average of about 20%.

(This doesn't include the $2 trillion tab for ObamaCare.)

All of this has increased the federal debt by about $5 trillion in a mere four years.

[T]he federal deficit will [be] $1.08 trillion in 2012, or 7% of GDP.

[T]hat is...the highest deficit since 1946 — except for the previous three years.

(In other words, the four years of the Obama's Presidency will mark the four highest years in spending and deficits as a share of the economy since [the wind-down from WW2 spending].

On President Obama's watch, CBO says public debt will climb this year to 72.5% of the economy from 40.3% in 2008.

CBO estimates that overall federal spending in 2012 will grow by...$3 billion.

(*SARCASTIC CLAP-CLAP-CLAP*)

William R. Barker said...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/obama-to-announce-new-housing-refinance-plan/2012/02/01/gIQAw8YghQ_story.html?wpisrc=al_comboEP_p

President Obama on Wednesday rolled out new proposals aimed at helping troubled homeowners...

* THAT'S THE FIRST SENTENCE OF THE FIRST PARAGRAPH OF THE STORY. SETS THE TONE. SETS THE PRO-OBAMA TONE. (*SHRUG*)

* MORE BAILOUTS CERTAINLY HELP THOSE BEING BAILED OUT... BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THEY'RE GOOD FOR THE ECONOMY OR THE NATION.

Up to 3.5 million people who do not currently have federally backed loans might be eligible for the program...

* SO THE TAXPAYERS WILL BE ON THE HOOK FOR AN ADDITIONAL 3.5 MILLION MORTGAGE GUARANTEES... (*SIGH*)... SOUNDS LIKE COMPOUNDING RATHER THAN SOLVING THE ORIGINAL PROBLEM TO ME.

Another 11 million people who currently hold government-backed loans from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac also could potentially benefit.

* AND OF COURSE IT'S ENVISIONED THAT THESE PEOPLE WILL EXPRESS THEIR THANKS BY VOTING DEMOCRAT.

(*JUST SHAKING MY HEAD*)

* FOLKS... THE INMATES ARE RUNNING THE ASYLUM... THE FOX IS GUARDING THE HEN-HOUSE!

The renewed efforts, which the president announced late morning at the James Lee Community Center in Falls Church, were foreshadowed during Obama’s State of the Union address last week. They mark another of a series of initiatives aimed at lifting the nation’s ailing housing market...

* IN OTHER WORDS SPUR HOUSING INFLATION (TO BE BORNE BY FIRST TIME HOME BUYERS NOW AND IN THE FUTURE) WHILE REWARDING REALTORS AND OTHERS WHO SPURRED THE LAST HOUSING BOOM/BUST CYCLE.

(*SIGH*)

The cost of undertaking those refinancings, Obama said last week, would be paid for by a fee on large financial firms...

* SO MUCH FOR THE "TAKINGS CLAUSE" OF THE CONSTITUTION. BUT, HEY... THE BANKS WILL JUST PASS ALONG THE COSTS TO CONSUMERS BY JACKING UP FEES AND PENALTIES.

(*LITERALLY SICK TO MY STOMACH*)

Many troubled borrowers could benefit greatly from today’s low interest rates but have been unable to qualify for refinancing, either because their homes have lost so much value or their their credit ratings aren’t high enough. According to the proposal, borrowers would be eligible for refinancing if they have a minimum credit score of 580 and a loan that falls within the Federal Housing Administration’s limits, which range from $271,050 to $729,750.

* IN OTHER WORDS... TO HELL WITH MARKET DISCIPLINE... FORGET COLLATERAL AND CREDIT WORTHINESS... OH... AND AS A BONUS... HELP THOSE "POOR FOLK" WITH THEIR MCMANSION MORTGAGES - MCMANSION MORTGAGES UP TO $729,750.

(*HEADING TO THE TOILET*) (*GETTING DOWN ON MY KNEES*) (*PUKING MY GUTS OUT*)

The government also is willing to pay closing costs for those who agree to use their savings to pay down the principal of their mortgages rather than reducing their monthly payments, the administration official said.

* HEY... YA HEAR THAT, RESPONSIBLE AMERICANS! YOU GET TO PAY OTHER FOLKS CLOSING COSTS!

(*HYSTERICAL LAUGHTER*) (*FEELING AS IF I'M LOSING MY MIND*)

William R. Barker said...

http://spectator.org/archives/2012/02/01/romneys-cheap-and-empty-win

* I FEAR GEORGE NEUMAYR IS CORRECT.

William R. Barker said...

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/289859/re-what-wrong-guy-mark-steyn

* BY MARK STEYN

After half-a-century of evidence, what sort of “conservative” offers the poor the "Even Greater Society?"

* I KNOW! I KNOW! (*WAVING MY RAISED HAND*)

Mitt Romney: "We will hear from the Democrat party, 'the plight of the poor,' and there’s no question, it’s not good being poor. . . . We have a very ample safety net and we can talk about whether it needs to be strengthened or whether there are holes in it, but we have food stamps, we have Medicaid, we have housing vouchers, we have programs to help the poor.

* WHETHER IT NEEDS TO BE "STRENGTHENED...???" AS IN EXPANDED...?!?!

[A]bout the underlying worldview that "I’m not concerned about the very poor" [the actual Romney quote in question] betrays. ... Romney’s is a benevolent patrician’s view of society: The poor are incorrigible, but let’s add a couple more groats to their food stamps and housing vouchers, and they’ll stay quiet.

Aside from the fact that that kind of thinking has led the western world to near terminal insolvency, for a candidate whose platitudinous balderdash of a stump speech purports to believe in the most Americanly American America that any American has ever Americanized over, it’s as dismal a vision of permanent trans-generational poverty as any Marxist community organizer with a cozy sinecure on the Acorn board would come up with.

(*SIGH*) (*NOD*)

* SEE ALSO: http://www.punditandpundette.com/2012/02/mr-electable-hones-his-message-im-not.html

William R. Barker said...

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/289740/newt-s-unorthodox-attacks-patrick-brennan

Newt Gingrich...unveiled another line of attack in Florida — accusing Mitt Romney of having deprived elderly Jewish Massachusetts residents of kosher food.

[H]is campaign robo-call across Florida [claimed]:

"As governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney vetoed a bill paying for kosher food for our seniors in nursing homes. Holocaust survivors, who for the first time, were forced to eat non-kosher, because Romney thought $5 was too much to pay for our grandparents to eat kosher. Where is Mitt Romney’s compassion for our seniors? Tuesday you can end Mitt Romney’s hypocrisy on religious freedom, with a vote for Newt Gingrich. Paid for by Newt 2012."

Unfortunately...this is a blatant distortion of the facts.

In 2003, amid a budget crisis and rapidly rising Medicare costs, several nursing homes in Massachusetts considered cutting costs by closing their kosher kitchens and instead providing catered or prepackaged kosher food.

The state legislature proposed an additional $600,000 in spending to prevent this from happening, but Romney vetoed it, due to state budget constraints.

The legislature, as was their wont, overrode him anyway, and the kitchens, let alonE the kosher food supply, were never cut.

In no sense could Romney be said to have tried to “eliminate” kosher meals or their funding.

* SHAME ON NEWT FOR TAKING A PAGE OUT OF THE ROMNEY PLAYBOOK.

* TWO WRONGS DON'T MAKE A RIGHT, AND THIS AD BY NEWT WAS WRONG.

* I CAN'T DEFEND NEWT ON THIS. HE SHOULD APOLOGIZE.

William R. Barker said...

http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/business/AA-to-Cut-Up-to-15000-Jobs-138477399.html?dr

Fort Worth-based AMR, the parent company of American Airlines, said Wednesday they will cut 13,000 jobs and close the Fort Worth Alliance maintenance hub.

* AND THE OBAMA RECOVERY CONTINUES... (*SMIRK*)

Those cuts include 1,400 management and support staff, 400 pilots, 2,300 flight attendants, 4,600 maintenance and related and 4,200 fleet service and other TWU employees.

* O-BAM-A! O-BAM-A! O-BAM-A!

No decision has been made on agents, representatives or planners.

(*SIGH*)

William R. Barker said...

http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/01/31/administration_briefs_senate_leaders_on_taliban_transfer

Top Obama administration officials briefed eight senior Senate leaders Tuesday on a pending deal to transfer as many as five Taliban prisoners from the U.S. detention facility at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, to Qatar.

Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) told reporters Tuesday that the briefing was "about the ongoing Taliban reconciliation efforts."

Levin is open to the idea of transferring Taliban members to Qatar, but said the devil was in the details.

"It depends on what assurances we have from the [Qatari] government that they are not going to be released," Levin said. ... "We're not releasing them. As I understand it they will be imprisoned in Qatar," Levin continued. But can the Qataris be trusted to keep them behind bars? "That's the question," Levin said.

* GOTTA LUV THE "AS I UNDERSTAND IT" AND "CAN THE QATARIS BE TRUSTED TO KEEP THEM BEHIND BARS - THAT'S THE QUESTION."

(*JUST SHAKING MY HEAD*)

* LIKE I'VE BEEN SAYING FOR YEARS... BLOOD AND TREASURE SQUANDERED... FOR NOTHING. OF COURSE THIS IS THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS FREEING THE TERRORISTS AND ULTIMATELY FOR THE TALIBAN GAINING "OFFICIAL" POWERS WITHIN THE AFGHAN GOVERNMENT OR WITHIN "THEIR OWN" REGIONS OF AFGHANISTAN. (MARK MY WORDS!)

Levin said he didn't know what the United States was getting in exchange for transferring the prisoners to Qatar...

(*SMIRK*)