Final Tab for Pelosi’s Speakership: $5.34 Trillion in New Debt—Or $3.66 Billion Per Day | CNSnews.com

In the 1,461 days that Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D.-Calif.) served as speaker of the House, the national debt increased by a total of $5.343 trillion ($5,343,452,800,321.37) or $3.66 billion per day ($3.657,394,113.84), according to official debt numbers published by the U.S. Treasury."

Federal Agency's Claims of Jobs Saved by Stimulus Were 'Unclear and Misleading,' Says Inspector General | CNSnews.com

(CNSNews.com) - The Small Business Administration, which received $730 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to increase the availability of credit to small businesses, is making claims about the number of 'jobs saved' that are “unclear” and “misleading” and which cannot be verified, according to a report issued by the agency’s inspector general."

Pentagon to cut spending by $78 billion, reduce troop strength

The surprise announcement from Gates was a reminder for the military establishment - which has benefited from a gusher of new money over the past decade - that it will not remain exempt from painful austerity measures that federal lawmakers say will be necessary to control the soaring national debt.

In a news conference to announce what he described as efficiency measures, Gates said he hopes that 'what had been a culture of endless money . . . will become a culture of savings and restraint' at the Defense Department."

RealClearPolitics - Video - Dem Congresswoman: Afghanistan Is A "National Embarrassment"

WAY TO GO! That's the way to say THANK YOU to all those "Embarrassments" that fight and die for your BIG MOUTH!

Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) talks about the 'disastrous' war that is Afghanistan. 'This war represents an epic failure, a national embarrassment and a moral blight,' Rep. Woolsey said."

GOP Reps. Fitzpatrick, Dold Won’t Say if They Support Defunding Health Care Law | CNSnews.com

(CNSNews.com) - Reps. Mike Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Robert Dold (R-Ill.) have not committed to defunding the health care law, under a plan by Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), who supports putting specific language in every appropriations bill the House passes to prohibit the funding of the health care law."

White House Defends Obama’s Senate Vote against Raising Debt Ceiling But Warns of Catastrophe If GOP Doesn’t Raise Debt Ceiling | CNSnews.com

The Obama administration is warning of catastrophic consequences if Congress does not increase the debt ceiling, the legal limit on how much the federal government can borrow, but Barack Obama held a different view on the issue as a senator in 2006."

Constitutional Power Hour - WSJ.com

Of Washington's many scandals, nothing compares to the one perpetrated this week by House Republicans: They plan to have the Constitution read aloud on the House floor today, word for word if you can believe the effrontery, and yesterday they even passed a rule requiring that from now on Members must cite the constitutional authority for every piece of legislation they write.

How dare these rabble-rousers. Don't they understand the Constitution is ..."

Rove: ObamaCare Rewards Friends, Punishes Enemies - WSJ.com

A primary task for the new Republican House majority is to undo as many of the pernicious effects of ObamaCare that it can. One of these effects is the spectacle of employers going hat-in-hand to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for waivers from some of the law's more onerous provisions."

New York Times’ Self-Righteous Attempt to Label the Constitution As Irrelevant - Big Journalism

As the unofficial, official Newspaper of the progressive movement, the NY Times has a core audience to placate, but who would think that they would go out of their way to alienate the rest of their readership. But that’s exactly what they did in an editorial called “Pomp, and Little Circumstance”, which rebukes the GOP for the attempt to repeal Obamacare, allowing John Boehner to swear his staff in early and most startling, for wasting the people’s time by starting off the 112th Congress with a reading of the United States Constitution."

US Treasury asks Congress to lift debt ceiling

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner asked Congress to raise the US debt ceiling Thursday, firing the starting gun on a fresh political battle over the country's massive deficit.

In a letter the Senate's top legislator, Geithner asked for permission to increase the national debt from the 14.29 trillion dollar limit set last year."

Dem campaign chief: Goal is making Pelosi House Speaker again - The Hill's Blog Briefing Room

Nancy Pelosi will rise again....She IS a vampire!!

House Democrats' goal is to make Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) the Speaker of the House again, their campaign chairman said Wednesday evening.

Rep. Steve Israel (N.Y.), the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), set his goal as nothing short of winning back control of the House in the 2012 elections."

Blue Shield of California rate increase prompts criticism | Money & Company | Los Angeles Times

Coming to a mailbox at your address.....

Another one of California’s largest health insurers has stunned individual policyholders with news of huge rate increases -- this time it’s Blue Shield of California seeking hikes of as much as 59% for tens of thousands of customers March 1.

[Update: To read an updated version of this report, go here.]

Blue Shield’s plan comes less than a year after Anthem Blue Cross tried and failed to raise rates as much as 39% for about 700,000 California customers."

Democrats now in minority looking a lot like old GOP as they harp on high unemployment | The Daily Caller - Breaking News, Opinion, Research, and Entertainment

Democratic staff passed out a press release to reporters on their way into a briefing with the new House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer Tuesday that read: “Meet the New Republicans – Same as the Old Republicans.”

But on Tuesday at least, House Democrats were the same as the old Republicans."

Judge orders U.S. to supply mentally deficient illegal immigrants with lawyers to fight deportation | The Daily Caller - Breaking News, Opinion, Research, and Entertainment

We have lost our collective minds..............

A federal judge’s ruling could pave the way for taxpayer-funded legal representation for immigrants facing deportation in cases of mental incapacity — a move praised by civil libertarians but opposed by advocates of stricter immigration enforcement."

Christie surges, Palin stumbles in new poll | The Daily Caller - Breaking News, Opinion, Research, and Entertainment

If you get an opportunity to see this man in person - GO! VERY impressive! Would love to see him in 2012!!!

According to a new Zogby poll, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie leads other possible Republican presidential candidates and would beat President Obama in a hypothetical matchup.

“Christie’s blunt talk about public employees and his aggressive actions on the New Jersey state budget have made him very popular both within the Republican Party and with independents,” said pollster John Zogby. “If he decided to run, Christie could quickly oust Romney as the favorite of establishment Republicans.”"

Bachmann for President in 2012? - Fox News Video - FoxNews.com

Interesting Debt comparison from GWB to Obama...

Bachmann for President in 2012?"

Glenn and the Judge on the debt ceiling – Glenn Beck

"Glenn and the Judge on the debt ceiling"

The Sinister Soros-ACORN Connections You Aren’t Supposed to Notice � Hot Air

Before the Tea Party movement and Glenn Beck, students earning “liberal arts” degrees across the country would hear their professor joke that according to the Right, George Soros was behind every liberal conspiracy out there. However, most Americans have only recently become aware of the man that is Soros."

Famous Drill Instructor Apologizes for Obama ‘Socialism’ Comments | The Blaze

Mediaite wonders if the apology is a move to appease the insurance company GEICO. As many know, Ermey has had a resurgence as a GEICO commercial star. But recently, another GEICO voice actor was fired for a foray into political talk:

A few months ago, GEICO fired voice actor Lance Baxter AKA D.C. Douglas for being critical of the Tea Party and Freedomworks. Not only did they fire him, they fired him for a political outburst on his own free time. Will they now fire Ermey?

That could be the reason. But some may just wonder if this is Ermey crossing into “mamby pamby land”:"

Muslim KFC Employee Suspended for Cursing at Customer’s Bacon Request | The Blaze

Yup......tolerant bunch - aren't they?

A worker at a Sydney Kentucky Fried Chicken has been suspended for going on a violent, curse-laden tirade after a customer asked for bacon."

The power of the Unions – Glenn Beck

“Stagehands, these are the guys who move the lights and the chairs for musicians at places like the Lincoln Center in New York, you will not believe what the average stagehand earns. Oh, the power of the unions, “ Glenn said.

While not trying to trivialize the hard work done by stagehands, but the average salary made by New York City stagehands blew Pat and Stu away.

“This is a hard job. I’m not saying they stand around and move chairs. They don’t. They’re hard-working people. How much do they make?”"

Ed Schultz: Republicans are 'Bastards Who Want to Destroy the American Dream' | NewsBusters.org

OK, Ed....now we've brought the battle of ideas to you.....Got any?

ED SCHULTZ: It’s all about taking down President Obama. They don’t want to create jobs. They’re not about that at all. And I’ll guarantee you, if you do see the numbers change, which I believe they will, you won’t hear Boehner or any of these new righties give one ounce of credit to the last Congress for fighting like hell for a jobs bill. This is an ideological war. I say it on camera tonight here on MSNBC. I will fight these bastards every night at 6 o’clock because I know what they’re up against. I know what they want to do. They want to take down American workers. They want to outsource jobs. They want to destroy the American dream. Concentrate the wealth to the top, and control minorities. That’s what they’re about."

‘No Labels’ Nonsense - Big Government

So now a new group has appeared claiming to eschew all political labels. Appropriately, they have taken the moniker “No Labels.” A closer examination of this group, however, seems to indicate that this is about as artificial as artificial can get."

Breitbart.tv - Howard Dean: Tea Party ‘Last Gasp of Generation Who Has Trouble With Diversity’

These guys in Washington just can't accept the fact "We the People" may be more informed than the "Chosen Ones"....

Former Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean characterizes the tea party as 'almost entirely over 55 and white.' He says tea partyers are driven by the economy but also discomfort about the nation's demographic changes."

CNNMoney Misrepresents Rep. Mike Pence's Opposition to Tax Cut Deal

If you only read CNNMoney.com's attack on the tax cut deal you might think that Congressman Mike Pence, R-Ind., opposed extending the Bush-era tax cuts because of the cost. But that's not the case.

CNNMoney senior writer Chris Isidore wrote the article: 'Costliest stimulus, weakest payoff' attacking the tax deal Congress passed. Using the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) figures, Isidore complained that it would cost $858 billion - accepting the liberal assumption that tax cuts are a 'cost.'"

Gas Prices Back Above $3, Networks Don't Question Obama Policies

More utter hypocrisy from our "Media".

Conversely, as prices fell throughout the summer of 2007, the network news media ignored gas price declines emphasizing 'skyrocketing,' 'soaring,' and 'painfully high' prices over the drop.

What's the difference between then and now? The president has changed from Bush to Obama, and with it the media's attitude toward gas prices has shifted."

Sign the Petition! Stop Obamacare!

The American people will not allow a corrupt machine to dictate their future. Together we will pledge to repeal this bill and start over. Together we will prove that this will not stand. Please join me in signing your name."

Networks Out of Step with Public, Ignore Majority Support for ObamaCare Repeal

The 112th Congress took office Jan. 5 and the new Republican majority in the House of Representatives planned to immediately tackle the unpopular health care legislation signed into law in 2010.

The Washington Post reported that House Republicans intend to vote on a repeal of ObamaCare Jan. 12, just one week into the new congressional session."

Investigate This! | FrontPage Magazine

The Republicans are back in charge in the House of Representatives this week, and not a moment too soon!

Forget “stimulus” bills and “shovel-ready” bailouts (for public school teachers, who need shovels for what they’re teaching), the current financial crisis, which is the second Great Depression, was created slowly and methodically by Democrat hacks running Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac over the past 18 years."

Victoria river mysteriously turns bright green | Posted | National Post

OK....Dead Birds, Dead Crabs, Dead fish....rivers of green....this is a case just made for Walter & Peter from Fringe and Mulder and Skulley from X-Files...I think we could REALLY use their help right now!

VICTORIA — Horrified nature-lovers at Goldstream Provincial Park watched as the Goldstream River turned bright green late Wednesday afternoon.

The fluorescent green colouring appeared to start about 500 metres on the Victoria side of the entrance to the park and, over the course of an hour, the substance flowed down into the environmentally sensitive estuary.

By 5:30 p.m. the river, known for its dramatic salmon runs, eagles and other wildlife, was back to its normal colour."

My Way News - Navy firing over videos raises questions of timing

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Navy brusquely fired the captain of the USS Enterprise on Tuesday, more than three years after he made lewd videos to boost morale for his crew, timing that put the military under pressure to explain why it acted only after the videos became public.

Senior military officials said they were trying to determine who among Navy leaders knew about the videos when they were shown repeatedly in 2006 and 2007 to thousands of crew members aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier."

FCC challenges app makers to protect open Internet - Yahoo! News

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. regulators are asking software developers in an 'Open Internet Challenge' to create apps that let Internet users know when their service provider -- fixed or mobile -- is interfering with content.

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is trying to get consumers to help police Internet service providers for network management abuses such as slowing bandwidth-hogging content from movies."

Out With the Old | FrontPage Magazine

With trademark lachrymosity, Congressman John A. Boehner accepted the gavel of the House of Representatives Wednesday from outgoing Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Presiding over his maiden session in the “people’s House,” Boehner aptly expounded on “the people’s” will and the urgency of enacting it during the already-fleeting tenure of the 112th Congress. “The people voted to end business as usual,” the speaker said, “and today we begin carrying out their instructions.”"

A Reversal on End-of-Life Planning Under Medicare - NYTimes.com

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration, reversing course, will revise a Medicare regulation to delete references to end-of-life planning as part of the annual physical examinations covered under the new health care law, administration officials said Tuesday."

Bachmann considering White House bid, aides say | StarTribune.com

VERY interesting!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WASHINGTON - Fresh off winning re-election and proving she can raise massive amounts of campaign cash, Rep. Michele Bachmann is beginning to consider a presidential run, according to close congressional aides.

As part of that effort, the Minnesota Republican is traveling to the early caucus state of Iowa on Jan. 21 to confer with state GOP leaders and address a group of conservative tax activists."

19 Democrats vote against Nancy Pelosi - John Bresnahan and Jonathan Allen - POLITICO.com

Nearly 20 Democrats abandoned their party’s pick for speaker of the House, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), a sign of their concerns about supporting the unpopular former speaker and of the difficulty she will have in marshaling her forces in legislative battles to come in the next two years."

Ruth Marcus - Be careful what you wish for on filibusters, Democrats

The junior Democratic senators are fed up, understandably so, with the institution's glacial pace. Liberal activists are demanding filibuster reform - now"

Mitch McConnell - A power grab Democrats should avoid

When the 112th Congress convenes Wednesday, some of us will be thinking back to a vote that occurred 16 years earlier to the day. Just two months after securing a congressional majority for the first time in 40 years, Republicans strode into the Senate chamber on Jan. 5, 1995, to cast the first vote of the 104th Congress - a vote to limit their own power."

Hoyer Blames Reagan and Bushes for Deficits, Says Policies Did Nothing to Grow Economy | CNSnews.com

I wonder what it's like....?....ya know....the fantasy world they live in?

(CNSNews.com) - In his last day as House Majority Leader, Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) put much of the blame for America’s growing debt on past Republican administrations, including former President Ronald Reagan."

Baldwin 'interested' in political run - PATRICK GAVIN | POLITICO CLICK

God save us...............

So unfolds the latest chapter in Alec Baldwin’s ongoing flirtation with public office: The “30 Rock” actor told CNN’s Eliot Spitzer that he’s “very interested” in a political run.

Of course, Baldwin knows there are plenty of obstacles in his way: He loves acting and his current state of New York is flooded with established political players."

The American Spectator : AmSpecBlog : Gift Cards for New Jersey

I love Chris Christie...I understand his budget dilemma...but you don't steal from the taxpayers who elected you. At least not in this open fashion!

In perhaps the first major gaffe I'm aware of by Chris Christie, the fire-breathing budget-cutting Republican Governor of New Jersey, or more precisely by his administration, the state's Treasurer has announced that the state will appeal a court ruling striking down a new law which allows the government to steal private property in order to help balance its budget."

The American Spectator : Boehner Takes On Radical-In-Chief

Within hours, John Boehner, a son of the Ohio working class, will become Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.

Just in time."

Now Is The Time. Today Is The Day. Let’s Have a Coup. | RedState

It is abundantly clear as we head toward finding a new chairman for the Republican National Committee that the committeemen of the RNC have grown out of touch with the Republican activists they rely on each year to give money, knock on doors, and vote."

Rep. Eric Cantor submits a health care bill every member of Congress will be able to read | RedState

It’s not on the calendar for consideration until January 12, but House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) has drawn up a nice, short, easy-to-read bill that would do something very important for the nation’s fiscal and physical health: repeal Obamacare. A pdf of the bill can be accessed here; its full text is also included in this post below the fold."

Text of the Repeal Bill | The Weekly Standard

"They" talk about how this monstrosity - the Obamanation.....this ridiculous seizure of our economy is going to make the delivery of health Care most cost effective....what??? Just the hiring of what....15000 new IRS agents to follow up on the punitive FINES that "don't exist" have a cost....and that just scratches the surface....WHO are they kidding? Read the two page REPEAL!

Deaf to the American people's wishes, and speaking mostly in a uniform voice, the chorus of mainstream media insists on calling this a 'symbolic' vote. But when the most representative chamber of the United States Congress reflects the desires of the vast majority of Americans and passes formal legislation to do something – or to undo something – such action is the opposite of symbolic. In fact, nothing could be much more substantive."

The Myth of the Government Shut Down | RedState

There is a lot of talk these days about how the GOP cannot afford to shut down the government like they did in 1995. “Remember,” they the chattering class say, “the GOP got destroyed at the polls in 1996.”

That talk has everything to do with the Democrats winning the message battle in the media, but has nothing to do with anything else. Let’s roll the tape, shall we?"

Shattering Leftist Myths | FrontPage Magazine

So many statements we accept as true, plausible or beyond question; but are they? Let’s look at a couple of important ones: global warming and U.S. manufacturing decline.

In 2000, Dr. David Viner of University of East Anglia’s disgraced Climatic Research Unit advised, “Within a few years winter snowfall will become a very rare and exciting event.” “Children just aren’t going to know what snow is.” Britain’s Meteorological Office said this December was “almost certain” to become the coldest since records began in 1910. Paul Michaelwaite, forecaster for NetWeather.tv, said, “It is looking like this winter could be in the top 20 cold winters in the last 100 years.”"

Statue to Stalin | FrontPage Magazine

Of course, it’s customary at year’s end to share our favorite news items from the year past. As someone who teaches and writes about history, I tend to focus on historical things I fear are lost to American education.

So, my enduring “news item” of 2010 falls under the category of historical outrage, though it is redeemed somewhat by another item considerably more positive. I’d like to link them here as a teachable moment."

Ending ObamaCare | FrontPage Magazine

The knives—and scalpels—are out to cut ObamaCare to ribbons or administer beneficial plastic surgery. Here are developments that can accomplish a coup d’etat or probably bring more rational health care to America."

Pelosi, Obama Hawaiian Vacations Come to an End, But Taxpayers Left with the Bill | Hawaii Reporter

It must be nice. I do not begrudge a vacation...but remember when GWB would go to Crawford - where they had a working version of the WH set up....he would be DESTROYED. These guys fly all over the world - top of the line everything...and nobody blinks. It's THAT hypocrisy that drives me nuts!

Nancy Pelosi’s final days as Speaker of the House were spent at the exotic Four Seasons Resort Hualalai at Historic Ka’upulehu in Kona on the island of Hawaii."

FT.com / Companies / Oil & Gas - Rising oil price threatens fragile recovery

High oil prices threaten to derail the fragile economic recovery among developed nations this year, the leading energy watchdog has warned, putting pressure on the Opec oil cartel to increase production.

Over the past year the oil import costs for the 34 mostly rich countries that make up the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development have soared by $200bn to $790bn at the end of 2010, according to an analysis by the International Energy Agency."

Missouri Ahead of the Game in Dealing with Illegal Immigrants

I don't think asking visitors to respect our culture and laws is such an awful thing...do you? Missouri has it all over most of us....especially Massachusetts where they give everything away if your illegal. And it's NOT undocumented - it's ILLEGAL!

In 2007, the Missouri General Assembly approved HJR 7 to place on the ballot a proposed constitutional amendment designating English as the official language of Missouri. Voters then went to the polls and approved the measure with nearly 90 percent voting in favor. With that, English became the official language for all governmental proceedings in Missouri. It also means no individual has the right to demand government services in a language other than English. A common language is the cornerstone of a cohesive and united state and country. Ensuring that English is our official language is simply common sense."

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell: Two Pros and an Idiot Respond - HUMAN EVENTS

Nicely said....Except #3.....that one is typical....

I enlisted in 1964 and retired in 2006. This gives me a fair amount of exposure to military life including multiple tours in RVN, Korea, Japan and the Philippines.(Purple Hearts included) Having gays in the military is something that has always been and has never been a problem to anyone but the political. All of us knew who was gay and who wasn’t and as long as there was no intrusion on our beliefs and practices there was no problem with something that was done privately."

George Soros’ 8 Most Despicable Acts (UPDATED AFTER THREAT BY SOROS’ LAWYERS) | NewsReal Blog

"Spooky Dude" is INDEED Spooky....

Editor’s Note: This post has been revised since it was first published. Because its author, Kathy Shaidle, is Canadian she is not protected by the same first amendment and libel laws that Americans are. Thus despite the fact that the information she presented has floated around the American blogosphere for years and was published in David Horowitz and Richard Poe’s The Shadow Party, because of where she lives Soros’ goons were able to target her with legal threats. That is the nature of the totalitarian personality we’re dealing with here.

Update 9/23/10: Read Joseph Klein’s legal analysis of this story here."

In the Reagan Mold: 10 Conservative Men in Hollywood | NewsReal Blog

I couldn't agree with this list more!

Hollywood has a well deserved reputation for so-called liberalism. As frustrating as it may be for mainstream America to cope with an entertainment industry which is often fundamentally opposed to its traditions and values, it is not difficult to understand why leftist thought is so attractive to entertainers.

Several years ago, my family celebrated a special occasion by taking a Caribbean cruise. Over the course of the five day journey, I noted a revealing change among my fellow passengers. On the first day, travelers accepted the royal treatment with grace and gratitude. It didn’t take long, however, for people to get used to having their way. As the trip wound down to the last couple of nights, what had earlier been gracious acceptance among the passengers turned into impatient demanding. The threshold for satisfaction had risen significantly."

The Left Continues To Smear Glenn Beck & the Tea Party with its Skousen Shellgame | NewsReal Blog

I’d hope that by now everyone understands how a shell game works.

The charlatan has three shells and a pea. He hides the pea under a shell and invites his mark to keep an eye on it. Then he shifts around the shells slowly in a way in which it’s easy to keep track of the shell that supposedly hides the pea. His innocent Mark points to the shell only to be stunned when the pea isn’t there."

Congress vs. Obamacare | FrontPage Magazine

I am curious as to whether these guys have an actual backbone....or they are going to try something "symbolic" thinking the rest of us are too stupid to notice. Man....I hope some backbone shows itself!

When the 112th Congress convenes on Wednesday, the first thing that the new Republican leadership in the House plans to do is to read the text of the Constitution aloud. Following that, the first bill that the GOP expects to vote on in the House will be on repealing Obamacare. Both moves are equally symbolic, as Republicans try to convince voters that the message delivered on November 2, 2010 has been received loud and clear. The House vote to repeal the healthcare bill should take place next Wednesday, January 12, if everything goes according to plan."

Obama: Not always a fan of upping debt ceiling | The Daily Caller - Breaking News, Opinion, Research, and Entertainment

While President Obama’s economic advisor Austin Goolsbee argued Sunday that a refusal by the Senate to increase the government’s debt ceiling (currently $14.3 trillion) would be “catastrophic” and a sign of “insanity,” that’s not the position the president has held in the past."

George Will: Palin ‘cannot be elected’ | The Daily Caller - Breaking News, Opinion, Research, and Entertainment

To many, the biggest question surrounding the 2012 presidential election remains: Will Sarah Palin run?

Regardless of the answer, conservative columnist George Will believes Palin “cannot be elected president because she cannot compete where elections are decided.”

On ABC’s “This Week” Sunday, Will explained that Palin will have trouble getting votes in specific parts of the country."

Minn. Educators Hoping for More Muslim Books in Public Schools | The Blaze

Poor grades. Loneliness. Alienation. Feeling worthless. Can’t relate. Those are just some of the reasons why educators in Minnesota are fighting for more Muslim-oriented books in public school libraries.

“There wasn‘t a whole lot in our library that provided a sense of ’this is what’s normal,’” Julie Scullen, a reading intervention specialist at Northdale Middle School in Coon Rapids, MN, told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune regarding literature for young Muslims."

Caught on Tape: Proof the NYC Blizzard Response Was Sabotaged? | The Blaze

Criminal investigations have been launched to find out why workers from the New York City Sanitation Department were reportedly hanging out at Dunkin Donuts for 11 straight hours and some drinking beer for six or seven hours instead of working to clear the city‘s streets of snow that had fallen in last week’s massive snowstorm."

Is Mass Bird and Fish Die Off Connected to Government Testing?

A mass die off of birds and fish in Arkansas which prompted a response by U.S. Environmental Services has residents asking questions about the cause – could secret government testing be responsible for the carnage?"

Republicans may starve financial reform of cash | Reuters

A Democratic-controlled Congress pushed through the Dodd-Frank bank reform laws last year and regulators were counting on a big budget boost to police the $600 trillion over-the-counter derivatives market -- blamed for much of the excess behind the 2007-2009 financial crisis.

But the last Congress failed to deliver on the funding, and that will be even harder to obtain with Republicans vowing to cut spending as they take control of the House of Representatives and boost their rolls in the Senate."

WARNING: Upton's Light Bulb Ban Poses Health Risks - HUMAN EVENTS

On Wednesday, January 5, a moment will come to fruition that the majority of Americans have been waiting for since the nightmare of the 111th Congress first crawled out of the swamp. The Era of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi mercifully comes to an end as Pelosi is forced to surrender the gavel.

C-SPAN could have its highest viewership in history.

Also set to take the gavel at the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee will be Rep. Fred Upton (RINO-Mich.), a man the new Republican leadership is trying to pass off as a born-again conservative."

DeMint Demands Showdown On Increasing Debt Ceiling - HUMAN EVENTS

In an exclusive interview with HUMAN EVENTS, Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina emphatically said that he believes Republicans should “resist” a vote to enlarge the top limit on the nation’s debt.

'We need to have a showdown at this point that we are not going to increase our debt ceiling anymore. We are going to cut [spending] necessary to stay within the current levels, which is over $14 trillion. This needs to be a big showdown.'"

Senator Jim DeMint: Conservative Of The Year - HUMAN EVENTS

I want to sincerely congratulate Senator DeMint on this award. Fully aware that Human Events cannot give the award to me every year, Human Events has made the only other choice they could make. Tough, courageous, rock-solid and unflinching, Jim DeMint charts the way for all of us in truly historic times.”

— Rush Limbaugh
Conservative of the Year, 2007"

'Atlas Shrugged': From Fiction to Fact in 52 Years - WSJ.com

Some years ago when I worked at the libertarian Cato Institute, we used to label any new hire who had not yet read 'Atlas Shrugged' a 'virgin.' Being conversant in Ayn Rand's classic novel about the economic carnage caused by big government run amok was practically a job requirement. If only 'Atlas' were required reading for every member of Congress and political appointee in the Obama administration. I'm confident that we'd get out of the current financial mess a lot faster."

Shariah Adoption Laws: Incompatible with American Law and Society

Yesterday’s Washington Post’s feature story, “Muslim orphans caught between Islam and the West“– about Muslim orphans who cannot find adoptive homes because of Islamic law– highlights once again the incompatibility of shariah with U.S. law and societal norms. The heart-wrenching story explained the tragedy of Muslim children from war zones like Afghanistan and Iraq who cannot be permanently placed with American families, even if they are lucky enough to be resettled in the U.S. as refugees."

Sound Bite For the Day: Bush’s Book Sold Because People Hated Him - Big Journalism

Whatever insane, drunken reasoning they can employ to come to terms with why Bush’s book sold so well, I guess."

Five Things We Should Worry about in 2011 � International Liberty

The mid-term elections were a rejection of President Obama’s big-government agenda, but those results don’t necessarily mean better policy. We should not forget, after all, that Democrats rammed through Obamacare even after losing the special election to replace Ted Kennedy in Massachusetts (much to my dismay, my prediction from last January was correct).

Similarly, GOP control of the House of Representatives does not automatically mean less government and more freedom. Heck, it doesn’t even guarantee that things won’t continue to move in the wrong direction. Here are five possible bad policies for 2011, most of which the Obama White House can implement by using executive power."

Obama's 2010: By the Numbers - Political Hotsheet - CBS News

WASHINGTON - No numbers in the year just ending are more consequential for President Obama than the results of the midterm elections. His party lost seats in the Senate and its majority in the House. The full impact of those numbers will only start to be felt when the 112th Congress convenes next Wednesday."

Goolsbee Says Failure to Raise U.S. Debt Ceiling Would Be `Catastrophic' - Bloomberg

“I don’t see why anybody’s playing chicken with the debt ceiling,” Goolsbee said today on ABC’s “This Week” program. “If we get to the point where we damage the full faith and credit of the United States, that would be the first default in history caused purely by insanity.”

The government is slated to hit the legal limit on borrowing, $14.3 trillion, early this year. Congress must agree to raise that ceiling or the U.S. could be forced to default on its obligations."

American Thinker: Bush Derangement Syndrome vs. the Obama Hate Machine

In a recent column, David Corn bemoans what his friend Jonathan Alter refers to as the 'Obama Hate Machine (OHM).' Corn concludes, 'That's an appropriate name for the right-wing attack network that will throw any charge it can concoct -- regardless of the facts -- at the president.'

This from the man who, in 2004, penned The Lies of George W. Bush, where, in the introduction, he declares, 'George W. Bush is a liar. He has lied large and small, directly and by omission. He has mugged the truth-not merely in honest error, but deliberately, consistently, and repeatedly.'"

IT’S JOBS, STUPID: DNC Chair Kaine Admits Obama Was Too Busy With Wars and ObamaCare to Care About American Jobs | The Blaze

IT’S JOBS, STUPID: DNC Chair Kaine Admits Obama Was Too Busy With Wars and ObamaCare to Care About American Jobs"

Anthony Weiner Mocks Michelle Bachmann and Rep. Kelly During ‘Face the Nation’ | The Blaze

Anthony Weiner pulled an Anthony Weiner.

On a CBS “Face the Nation” segment on Sunday, the fiery Democratic Rep. from New York known for his lapses in decorum lived up to his reputation while talking opposite Republican Reps. Michelle Bachmann (MN) and Mike Kelly (PA). Besides yelling and talking over others, Wiener even took some pot shots at his colleagues."

Chris Christie says he was away from New Jersey during blizzard because he promised his children a trip to Disney World | The Daily Caller - Breaking News, Opinion, Research, and Entertainment

Family comes first to N.J. Governor Chris Christie, at least during the holidays. Both Christie and Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno were out of state during “Snowpocalypse 2010,” the winter storm that blasted the East Coast in the days after Christmas.

In an interview Friday, Christie explained that he went to Florida during the blizzard because of a commitment he’d made to his children."

Drilling is stalled even after ban is lifted | The Daily Caller - Breaking News, Opinion, Research, and Entertainment

More than two months after the Obama administration lifted its ban on drilling in the deep-water Gulf of Mexico, oil companies are still waiting for approval to drill the first new oil well there. Experts now expect the wait to continue until the second half of 2011, and perhaps into 2012."

Breitbart.tv - Valerie Jarrett: Obama Regrets Spending ‘Almost Every Waking Hour in Washington’, Did He?

I beg your pardon? This man was the Vacationer-in-Chief.....

Valerie Jarrett: Obama Regrets Spending ‘Almost Every Waking Hour in Washington’, Did He?"

Healthcare repeal bill coming before Obama's annual address - The Hill's Blog Briefing Room

The incoming chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee said Sunday that Republicans will bring up a healthcare repeal measure before President Obama even delivers his annual address to Congress this month.

'As part of our pledge, we said that we would bring up a vote to repeal healthcare early,' Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) said on 'Fox News Sunday.' 'That will happen before the president's State of the Union address.'"

House Republicans eye quick repeal of healthcare law | Reuters

(Reuters) - Republicans in the House of Representatives plan to hold a vote in January to repeal President Barack Obama's healthcare overhaul and say they have nearly enough support to override a presidential veto of the repeal, a top lawmaker said on Sunday."

50 million itemizers can't file taxes before mid-February - Dec. 31, 2010

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Itemize your tax deductions? Itching for a refund? You're going to have to wait.

The IRS said that it needs until mid- to late-February to reprogram its processing systems because Congress acted so late this year cleaning up the tax code. The bill, which includes deductions for state and local sales taxes, college tuition and teacher expenses, wasn't signed into law until Dec. 17."