Noonan: They're Paying Attention Now

Why is it a real race now, with John McCain rising in the polls and Barack Obama falling? There are many answers, but here I think is an essential one: The American people have begun paying attention.

It's hard for our political class to remember that Mr. Obama has been famous in America only since the winter of '08. America met him barely six months ago! The political class first interviewed him, or read the interview, in 2003 or '04, when he was a rising star. They know him. Everyone else is still absorbing.

This is what they see:

An attractive, intelligent man, interesting, but—he's hard to categorize. Is he Gen. Obama? No, no military background. Brilliant Businessman Obama? No, he never worked in business. Famous Name Obama? No, it's a new name, an unusual one. Longtime Southern Governor Obama? No. He's a community organizer (what's that?), then a lawyer (boo), then a state legislator (so what, so's my cousin), then U.S. senator (less than four years!).

There is no pre-existing category for him. [READ MORE]

Republicans see Obama coronation postponed

Just a few weeks ago, John McCain's critics were carping at his stuttering, off-message White House campaign, warning it could be steamrolled as Democrat Barack Obama took Europe by storm.

But McCain is back, just in time, with party nominating conventions and vice presidential picks looming. The Republican is sharper on the stump, firing off hard-nosed attacks and on a roll in the polls.

"We don't know who is going to win," said Republican pollster Brian Nienaber.

"But we certainly know that the myth that Obama is going to ascend uncontested to the presidency through adulation and grace and successful oratory is certainly not the case." [READ MORE]

After Russia's invasion of Georgia, what now for the West?

By John R Bolton 15 Aug 2008

Russia’s invasion across an internationally recognised border, its thrashing of the Georgian military, and its smug satisfaction in humbling one of its former fiefdoms represents only the visible damage. [READ MORE]

Barack Obama blinks in Hillary face-off

Obama blinked and stands guilty of appeasing Clinton by agreeing to a roll call vote for her nomination. That he might not have had much choice if he wanted peace only proves the point that he's playing defense at his own convention. [READ MORE]

Obama vs McCain on Experience

John McCain
Congress 26 Years
Military 22 Years

Barrack Obama
Congress 143 days
Military 0

Just think how great a professional of any kind you could
be with only 143 days of experience!!!

People want change so badly? . . . . maybe we should
lower the experience requirement for doctors, lawyers,
airline pilots, etc. This would cause some change!

Obama's 143 Days of Senate Experience

Just how much Senate experience does Barack Obama
have in terms of actual work days? Not much.

From the time Barack Obama was sworn in as a United
States Senator, to the time he announced he was forming
a Presidential exploratory Committee, he logged 143 days
of experience in the Senate.

That's how many days the Senate was actually in session
and working.

The one single Senate committee that he headed never
even met -- once.

After 143 days of work experience, Obama believed he
was ready to be Commander In Chief, Leader of the
Free World, and fill the shoes of Abraham Lincoln, FDR,
JFK and Ronald Reagan.

Think about it.......143 days -- 20.4 weeks -- 4.7 months ...


Our children spend more time in pre-school getting ready
for kindergarten.

New digital camera? Know how, where you can use it

Digital cameras were one of the hot gifts these holidays — the first one for some people, an upgrade for others. Cell-phone cameras are everywhere too, and sites like Flickr and Buzznet — not to mention photoblogs — make it easy for anyone to share the zillions of photos they're taking.

With all these cameras snapping around us, I started to wonder about the laws regarding using them. Where can you shoot? What can you shoot?

A blogger I know shot a picture in an office building. One of the tenants had boxes of medical records sitting around in an unlocked office, visible from the hall. He published a picture of the boxes, which started a little brouhaha: He didn't have permission from the building's landlord, someone said, so he wasn't allowed to take or publish the photos.

That turns out not to be the case. [READ MORE]

Salaries and Benefits of U.S. Congress Members

Congress: Rank-and-File Members' Salary

The current salary (2008) for rank-and-file members of the House and Senate is $169,300 per year.

* Members are free to turn down pay increase and some choose to do so.

* In a complex system of calculations, administered by the Office of Personnel Management, congressional pay rates also affect the salaries for federal judges and other senior government executives.

* During the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin considered proposing that elected government officials not be paid for their service. Other Founding Fathers, however, decided otherwise.

* From 1789 to 1815, members of Congress received only a per diem (daily payment) of $6.00 while in session. Members began receiving an annual salary in 1815, when they were paid $1,500 per year.

Congress: Leadership Members' Salary (110th Congress)
Leaders of the House and Senate are paid a higher salary than rank-and-file members.
Senate Leadership
Majority Leader - $188,100
Minority Leader - $188,100

House Leadership
Speaker of the House - $217,400
Majority Leader - $188,100
Minority Leader - $188,100

A cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA) increase takes effect annually unless Congress votes to not accept it.

Congress: Benefits

You may have read that Members of Congress do not pay into Social Security. Well, that's a myth.

Prior to 1984, neither Members of Congress nor any other federal civil service employee paid Social Security taxes. Of course, the were also not eligible to receive Social Security benefits. Members of Congress and other federal employees were instead covered by a separate pension plan called the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). The 1983 amendments to the Social Security Act required federal employees first hired after 1983 to participate in Social Security. These amendments also required all Members of Congress to participate in Social Security as of January 1, 1984, regardless of when they first entered Congress. Because the CSRS was not designed to coordinate with Social Security, Congress directed the development of a new retirement plan for federal workers. The result was the Federal Employees' Retirement System Act of 1986.

Members of Congress receive retirement and health benefits under the same plans available to other federal employees. They become vested after five years of full participation.

Members elected since 1984 are covered by the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS). Those elected prior to 1984 were covered by the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). In 1984 all members were given the option of remaining with CSRS or switching to FERS.

As it is for all other federal employees, congressional retirement is funded through taxes and the participants' contributions. Members of Congress under FERS contribute 1.3 percent of their salary into the FERS retirement plan and pay 6.2 percent of their salary in Social Security taxes.

Members of Congress are not eligible for a pension until they reach the age of 50, but only if they've completed 20 years of service. Members are eligible at any age after completing 25 years of service or after they reach the age of 62. Please also note that Member's of Congress have to serve at least 5 years to even receive a pension.

The amount of a Congressperson's pension depends on the years of service and the average of the highest 3 years of his or her salary. By law, the starting amount of a Member's retirement annuity may not exceed 80% of his or her final salary.

According to the Congressional Research Service, 413 retired Members of Congress were receiving federal pensions based fully or in part on their congressional service as of Oct. 1, 2006. Of this number, 290 had retired under CSRS and were receiving an average annual pension of $60,972. A total of 123 Members had retired with service under both CSRS and FERS or with service under FERS only. Their average annual pension was $35,952 in 2006.

CASH OF CAMPAIGNS CAN GO ELSEWHERE

By RICHARD L. BERKE, SPECIAL TO THE NEW YORK TIMES
Published: January 22, 1989

LEAD: Nearly 200 House members have stockpiled $39.2 million in campaign funds that they could use as retirement cushions because of a provision of the Federal election law, a new study reports.

Nearly 200 House members have stockpiled $39.2 million in campaign funds that they could use as retirement cushions because of a provision of the Federal election law, a new study reports.

The study, released this week by Public Citizen's Congress Watch, a research and lobby group here, found that lawmakers are increasingly raising money that they do not spend on their campaigns but are saving for their personal use or to deter potential challengers. [READ FULL ARTICLE]

Learning to Read Democrat

By MICHAEL KINSLEY
Published: August 9, 2008

Seattle

THE purpose of a party platform is pandering, but it is pandering of a particular sort. The Democratic Party’s platform committee has produced its 2008 edition, and now this draft awaits approval at the Democratic National Convention later this month. Like all platforms, it is not an outreach document. It is aimed at the faithful, under the assumption that only they will read it.

The platform is Democrats’ assurance that the party still loves them, their reward for supporting a candidate who may not have been their first choice and their consolation for betrayals yet to come. Much of it is written in code, lest it fall into the wrong hands.

Translating the document is no simple task. First, an alarmist note. Democrats favor “tough, practical and humane immigration reform.” And, “We will provide immediate relief to working people who have lost their jobs, families who have lost their homes and people who have lost their way.” It’s not clear what that third item refers to. Tax credits for G.P.S. devices? Presumably, “people who have lost their way” doesn’t mean illegal immigrants trying to find the border.

As a general rule, platforms of both parties avoid the word “people” in favor of “the American people” or “families” or “American families.” And platforms traditionally follow the rhetorical rule that there are three of everything. This year, though (in a development that will, I fear, reinforce prejudices about liberal profligacy), the Democrats have replaced the Rule of Threes with a Rule of Fours: “policies that are smart and right and fair and good for America,” or “a government as decent, candid, purposeful and compassionate as the American people themselves.” Or sometimes even Fives or Sixes (I’ll spare you).

Sometimes there are only two. Usually this means that some difficult trade-off has been resolved by the simple expedient of promising both alternatives. “We will ensure that our patent laws protect legitimate rights while not stifling innovation and creativity” — an excellent summary of the dilemma of patents since this nation’s founding. Or how about a promise of more research money for “common and rare diseases”? That about covers it.

Then there are the mystery phrases that suggest a triumph for one side in some obscure policy battle. In the midst of a frenzy of health care promises — basically, after the plan is fully implemented in 2050, no one will be permitted to get sick — the Democrats advocate “creating a generic pathway for biologic drugs.” Whether this is a triumph for health and common sense or the miserable handiwork of a drug industry lobbyist (or both!), I have no idea.

And speaking of health care, ordinarily it is not possible to overuse the word “American” or to overpraise this great country and its magnificent people. But the Democrats may have found a way in promising a health care system that is “uniquely American.” A uniquely American health care system is what we’ve got.

Capital Letters can be important clues, suggesting hidden motives and broken promises. “Our Children’s First Agenda” sounds more like a toy for future bureaucrats than a government policy. And a “Presidential Early Learning Council” sounds like what these kids will do when they grow up. “We ... will help Limited English Proficient students get ahead by supporting and funding English Language Learner classes.” This obviously has something to do with bilingual education (or “transitional bilingual education,” as the platform carefully calls it).

A promise to create a “Military Families Advisory Board” sounds as though the military families sold out cheap. On the other hand, a promise to “create an Advanced Manufacturing Fund” and to “expand the Manufacturing Extension Partnerships” sounds expensive and stupid. But that’s just a guess. I could be wrong.

The platform’s most bizarre promise is a tax break for fathers “who are responsibly supporting their children.” The best-hidden boondoggle is dropped into the second half of a sentence in a general passage about women. “We will invest in women-owned small businesses and remove the capital gains tax on start-up small businesses.” (Attention all conservatives: Do not panic! This passage does not mean that Democrats favor government investments in businesses, even small businesses, even small businesses owned by women. That would be socialism. It is a convention of platform-writing that all government spending is referred to as “investment.” The Republicans do it, too. That doesn’t make it right.)

The most shameless promise is one to “eliminate all income taxes for seniors making less than $50,000 per year.” These seniors “should not have to worry about tax burdens,” the document says. Who should? Working people making less than $50,000?

“Some of” the cost of catastrophic illness will be taken off the backs of “employers and employees.” And borne by? Who’s left? I guess the unemployed.

As the end approaches, the issues start to blur. Is there really no “White House advisor on Indian Affairs” already? The “self-determination and sovereignty of Native Hawaiians?” Fine with me. The last paragraph is entitled, “Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands.” Translation: “Let’s wrap this up and go have a drink.”

Michael Kinsley is a columnist for Time magazine.

He ventured forth to bring light to the world

From The Times
July 25, 2008
He ventured forth to bring light to the world
The anointed one's pilgrimage to the Holy Land is a miracle in action - and a blessing to all his faithful followers.

And it came to pass, in the eighth year of the reign of the evil Bush the Younger (The Ignorant), when the whole land from the Arabian desert to the shores of the Great Lakes had been laid barren, that a Child appeared in the wilderness.

The Child was blessed in looks and intellect. Scion of a simple family, offspring of a miraculous union, grandson of a typical white person and an African peasant. And yea, as he grew, the Child walked in the path of righteousness, with only the occasional detour into the odd weed and a little blow.

When he was twelve years old, they found him in the temple in the City of Chicago, arguing the finer points of community organisation with the Prophet Jeremiah and the Elders. And the Elders were astonished at what they heard and said among themselves: “Verily, who is this Child that he opens our hearts and minds to the audacity of hope?”

In the great Battles of Caucus and Primary he smote the conniving Hillary, wife of the deposed King Bill the Priapic and their barbarian hordes of Working Class Whites.

And so it was, in the fullness of time, before the harvest month of the appointed year, the Child ventured forth - for the first time - to bring the light unto all the world.

He travelled fleet of foot and light of camel, with a small retinue that consisted only of his loyal disciples from the tribe of the Media. He ventured first to the land of the Hindu Kush, where the

Taleban had harboured the viper of al-Qaeda in their bosom, raining terror on all the world.

And the Child spake and the tribes of Nato immediately loosed the Caveats that had previously bound them. And in the great battle that ensued the forces of the light were triumphant. For as long as the Child stood with his arms raised aloft, the enemy suffered great blows and the threat of terror was no more.

From there he went forth to Mesopotamia where he was received by the great ruler al-Maliki, and al-Maliki spake unto him and blessed his Sixteen Month Troop Withdrawal Plan even as the imperial warrior Petraeus tried to destroy it.

And lo, in Mesopotamia, a miracle occurred. Even though the Great Surge of Armour that the evil Bush had ordered had been a terrible mistake, a waste of vital military resources and doomed to end in disaster, the Child's very presence suddenly brought forth a great victory for the forces of the light.

And the Persians, who saw all this and were greatly fearful, longed to speak with the Child and saw that the Child was the bringer of peace. At the mention of his name they quickly laid aside their intrigues and beat their uranium swords into civil nuclear energy ploughshares.

From there the Child went up to the city of Jerusalem, and entered through the gate seated on an ass. The crowds of network anchors who had followed him from afar cheered “Hosanna” and waved great palm fronds and strewed them at his feet.

In Jerusalem and in surrounding Palestine, the Child spake to the Hebrews and the Arabs, as the Scripture had foretold. And in an instant, the lion lay down with the lamb, and the Israelites and Ishmaelites ended their long enmity and lived for ever after in peace.

As word spread throughout the land about the Child's wondrous works, peoples from all over flocked to hear him; Hittites and Abbasids; Obamacons and McCainiacs; Cameroonians and Blairites.

And they told of strange and wondrous things that greeted the news of the Child's journey. Around the world, global temperatures began to decline, and the ocean levels fell and the great warming was over.

The Great Prophet Algore of Nobel and Oscar, who many had believed was the anointed one, smiled and told his followers that the Child was the one generations had been waiting for.

And there were other wonderful signs. In the city of the Street at the Wall, spreads on interbank interest rates dropped like manna from Heaven and rates on credit default swaps fell to the ground as dead birds from the almond tree, and the people who had lived in foreclosure were able to borrow again.

Black gold gushed from the ground at prices well below $140 per barrel. In hospitals across the land the sick were cured even though they were uninsured. And all because the Child had pronounced it.

And this is the testimony of one who speaks the truth and bears witness to the truth so that you might believe. And he knows it is the truth for he saw it all on CNN and the BBC and in the pages of The New York Times.

Then the Child ventured forth from Israel and Palestine and stepped onto the shores of the Old Continent. In the land of Queen Angela of Merkel, vast multitudes gathered to hear his voice, and he preached to them at length.

But when he had finished speaking his disciples told him the crowd was hungry, for they had had nothing to eat all the hours they had waited for him.

And so the Child told his disciples to fetch some food but all they had was five loaves and a couple of frankfurters. So he took the bread and the frankfurters and blessed them and told his disciples to feed the multitudes. And when all had eaten their fill, the scraps filled twelve baskets.

Thence he travelled west to Mount Sarkozy. Even the beauteous Princess Carla of the tribe of the Bruni was struck by awe and she was great in love with the Child, but he was tempted not.

On the Seventh Day he walked across the Channel of the Angles to the ancient land of the hooligans. There he was welcomed with open arms by the once great prophet Blair and his successor, Gordon the Leper, and his successor, David the Golden One.

And suddenly, with the men appeared the archangel Gabriel and the whole host of the heavenly choir, ranks of cherubim and seraphim, all praising God and singing: “Yes, We Can.”

Link to [original article]

INTERESTING DATA ON TAXES

Proposed changes in taxes after the 2008 General election:

CAPITAL GAINS TAX

MCCAIN
0% on home sales up to $500,000 per home (couples). McCain does not propose any change in existing home sales income tax.



OBAMA
28% on profit from ALL home sales

How does this affect you? If you sell your home and make a profit, you will pay 28% of your gain on taxes. If you are heading toward retirement and would like to down-size your home or move into a retirement community, 28% of the money you make from your home will go to taxes. This proposal will adversely affect the elderly who are counting on the income from their homes as part of their retirement income.

DIVIDEND TAX


MCCAIN 15% (no change)

OBAMA 39.6%

How will this affect you? If you have any money invested in stock market, IRA, mutual funds, college funds, life insurance, retirement accounts, or anything that pays or reinvests dividends, you will now be paying nearly 40% of the money earned on taxes if Obama becomes president. The experts predict that 'Higher tax rates on dividends and capital gains would crash the stock market, yet do absolutely nothing to cut the deficit.'

INCOME TAX


MCCAIN (no changes)

Single making 30K - tax $4,500
Single making 50K - tax $12,500
Single making 75K - tax $18,750
Married making 60K- tax $9,000
Married making 75K - tax $18,750
Married making 125K - tax $31,250

OBAMA (reversion to pre-Bush tax cuts)

Single making 30K - tax $8,400
Single making 50K - tax $14,000
Single making 75K - tax $23,250
Married making 60K - tax $16,800
Married making 75K - tax $21,000
Married making 125K - tax $38,750

Under Obama, your taxes could almost double!

INHERITANCE TAX< /U>

MCCAIN 0% (No change, Bush repealed this tax)

OBAMA Restore the inheritance tax

Many families have lost businesses, farms, ranches, and homes that have been in their families for generations because they could not afford the inheritance tax. Those willing their assets to loved ones will only lose them to these taxes.


NEW TAXES PROPOSED BY OBAMA

New government taxes proposed on homes that are more than 2400 square feet.

New gasoline taxes (as if gas weren't high enough already)

New taxes on natural resources consumption (heating gas, water, electricity)

New taxes on retirement accounts, and last but not least....

New taxes to pay for socialized medicine so we can receive the same level of medical care as other third-world countries!!!

You can verify a lot of the above at the following web sites:


http://money.cnn.com/news/specials/election/2008/index.html



http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/issues/issues.taxes.html



http://elections.foxnews.com/?s=proposed+taxes



http://bulletinaarp.org/yourworld/politics/articles/mccain_obama_offer_different_visions_on_taxes.html



http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/candidates/barack_obama/



http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/candidates/john_mccain/

World Landmark Buildings Size Comparison

Click on image to zoom in.

Big Brother: We know what you watched

Google Told to Turn Over User Data of YouTube by Judge

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge has ordered Google to turn over to Viacom its records of which users watched which videos on YouTube, the Web’s largest video site by far.

Complaint: Viacom v. YouTube

The order raised concerns among YouTube users and privacy advocates that the video viewing habits of tens of millions of people could be exposed. But Google and Viacom said they were hoping to come up with a way to protect the anonymity of the site’s visitors.

[READ MORE]

Oil prices: Wall Street's game

Big fund money is flowing into oil markets sending prices to levels never seen before. Is it profiteering or an essential way to ensure supply? [READ MORE]

The OPEC minister may look you in the eye and say

The OPEC minister may look you in the eye and say,
"We are at war with you infidels and have been since
the embargo in the 1970s. You are so arrogant you
haven't even recognized it. You have more missiles,
bombs, and technology; so we are fighting with the
best weapon we have and extracting on a net basis
about $700 billion/year out of your economy. We will
destroy you! Death to the infidels!
While I am here I would like to thank you for the
following: Not developing your 250-300 year supply of oil
shale and tar sands. we know if you did this, it
would create thousands of jobs for U.S. citizens,
expand your engineering capabilities, and keep the
wealth in the U.S. instead of sending it to us to
finance our war against you infidels.

Thanks for limiting defense dept. purchases of
oil sands from your neighbors to the north. We love
it when you confuse your allies.

Thanks for over regulating every segment of your
economy and thus delaying, by decades, the
development of alternate fuel technologies.

Thanks for limiting drilling off your coasts, in
Alaska, and anywhere there is an insect, bird, fish, or
plant that might be inconvenienced. Better that your
people suffer. Glad to see our lobbying efforts have
been so effective.

Corn based Ethanol. Praise Allah for this sham
program! Perhaps you will destroy yourself from the
inside with theses types of policies. This is a gift
from Allah, praise his name! We never would have
thought of this one! This is better than when you
pay your farmers NOT TO GROW FOOD. Have them use
more energy to create less energy, and
simultaneously drive up food prices.
Thank you U.S. Congress!

And finally, we appreciate you letting us fleece
you without end. You will be glad to know we have
been accumulating shares in your banks, real estate,
and publicly held companies. We also finance a good
portion of your debt and now manipulate your
markets, currency, and economies for our benefit.

THANK YOU AMERICA!"

Are we living in the last century of our civilization?

Is it possible that all of our technology, knowledge and wealth cannot save us from ourselves? Could our society actually be heading towards collapse?
A dramatic preview of an unprecedented ABC News event called "Earth 2100."

According to many of the world's top scientists, the answer is yes, unless we take action now. [READ MORE]

A DAILY COMMUTE WITHOUT USING A DROP OF GAS. -THE CHEVY "VOLT"

The extended-range electric vehicle is no longer just a rumor. We have put tremendous design and engineering resources in place to make this vehicle a reality.

The Concept Chevy Volt, with its revolutionary E-Flex Propulsion System will be different than any previous electric vehicle because it will use a lithium-ion battery with a variety of range-extending onboard power sources, including gas and, in some vehicles, E85
ethanol(1) to recharge the battery while driving.

When it comes to plugging in, the Volt will be designed to use a common 110–volt household plug. For someone who drives less than 40 miles a day, Chevy Volt will use zero gasoline and produce zero emissions.(2) For longer trips, Chevy Volt's range-extending power source kicks in to recharge the lithium-ion battery pack as required. We expect a driving range of an estimated 640 miles. [READ MORE]

Lab drives car to 100 mpg

If a car that gets 100 miles per gallon of gasoline sounds like a driver's futile fantasy, think again.

Scientists at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden are testing a spruced-up Toyota Prius, a plug-in hybrid sedan complete with a solar panel attached to its oval roof and a bigger battery in the trunk to supply power in lieu of the gasoline-fueled engine. [READ MORE]

Analysis: Why Clinton's bid failed

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In politics, as in life, there are no sure bets. But Sen. Hillary Clinton came close.


Sen. Hillary Clinton, once the "inevitable" Democratic nominee, will formally end her presidential bid Saturday.

Her official announcement to run for president was a formality on the way to a nomination that seemed so certain Republicans spent much of 2007 publicly debating which candidate was best-equipped to run against the senator from New York.
[READ MORE]

Apple's New Generation iPhone

Apple (AAPL) will launch its newest version of the iPhone in the next few days or weeks. Nobody knows exactly when, but the best guess is somewhere between June 9 and July 15. [READ MORE]