New York Times: Even if it does not bleed it leads!

Headline at the New York Times this morning:

"No Injuries Reported in Iraqi Elections "

What the F?
Here is the exhibit A, the lead paragraph:

"BAGHDAD — Voters turned out early and calmly on Saturday for Iraq’s provincial elections, the first in the country for four years. By noon, halfway through the voting, no one had been reported injured or killed."

Sounds like the editors were dissappointed that nobody was killed or even injured.

The stimulus bill for who?

As the House starts debate on the Stimulus Bill for the country. A group of corrupt business and immigration lawyers are lobbying to have the E-Verify provision stripped from the bill. Roy Beck explains:
"The lobbyists for a variety of industries that hire lots of illegal foreign workers are rallying their troops to phone U.S. House leaders; they hope to strip a provision of the giant stimulus bill that would require recipients to use E-Verify to keep illegal aliens from getting the new jobs."

Is it too much to ask that if we U.S. taxpayers are going to be providing money for a trillion dollar stimulus bill that efforts like using E-Verify be used to insure that the workers hired using that money be citizens and/or legally entitled to work here. You can call your U.S. Representative and tell them that you want to make sure that the E-Verify provision remain in the stimulus bill. The Capitol Switchboard number is: 202-224-3121 Let your own Representative know that his/her constituents expect this bill to explicitly require E-Verify to make sure all new jobs go to Americans and legal immigrants already here. I did!

They call this News?

Today's front page above the fold story in the Washington Post concerns the decline in U.S. womans figure skating. This is news? Or is it just a concern of some Washington Post editor whose daughter is an avid ice skater. Call me the ice man but, this story does not belong on the front page and the editor who approved it's placement does not deserve to be an editor of the front page.

Krazy Krugman/Washington economics

We are hearing a lot about how the Obama Administration and congress is going to an "economic stimulus" program. Which sounds all well and good considering how screwed up the economy is thanks to the sub prime debacle. Of course there are some detractors saying it is too expensive and is not worth it. I have not been following the details too closely what little there are. But, New York Times columnist/economist Paul Krugman tries to explain the costs and why it's worth it. He may have won a Nobel Prize in Economics but I am not impressed. here are the money quotes:

"First, there’s the bogus talking point that the Obama plan will cost $275,000 per job created. Why is it bogus? Because it involves taking the cost of a plan that will extend over several years, creating millions of jobs each year, and dividing it by the jobs created in just one of those years."

Okay so far. Of course opponents will try an exaggerate the cost of the program. So liberal Krugman has a point here. But, he then goes on:

"The true cost per job of the Obama plan will probably be closer to $100,000 than $275,000 — and the net cost will be as little as $60,000 once you take into account the fact that a stronger economy means higher tax receipts."

The true cost is closer to $100,000 per job? Even at a cost of $60,000 it's still an outrageous cost per job! He can't be serious can he? How about the government give say $10.000 to U.S. citizens who have owned our homes for x number of years. We'll create jobs by putting on new roofs, windows etc.. on our houses. I need to mount some solar panels on my roof that are currently taking up space in my living room. I'll spend money buying some solar frames to do that. That would be a better way to stimulate the economy than to spend $100,000 to create a $50,000 dollar job. Only in Washington D.C. and in the mind of a liberal economist does spending this kind of money make sense.

The Nueva York Times and Carlos Slim

I have been wondering about all the recent front page stories that have been appearing in the New York Times regarding illegal immigration recently. It appears the Grey Lady is going down on Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim who is giving the paper a $245 million dollar lifeline to stay afloat. Matt Welch at Reason.com has some interesting info on Mr. Slim and what it means for the coverage at the paper. Here are some of the money quotes:

"Let's face it. The New York Times would never strike a deal with a U.S. tycoon of a similar profile, for fear of triggering real or apparent conflicts between the newspaper's coverage and the investor's interests. Not that you could ever find such a U.S. tycoon: The conglomerate of Slim-controlled telecom, banking, tobacco, retailing, insurance, construction, and other interests has been estimated to add up to 7 percent of Mexico's GDP. Even in his heyday, John D. Rockefeller accounted for only about 2 percent of the U.S. economy."

Slims companies control 90% of Mexico's Telephone system and 70% of the wireless phones. I wonder how all the illegals here in the U.S. keep in touch with family in Mexico? Hmmm?

Say bye bye now Caroline.

Well there was good news that Caroline Kennedy has withdrawn her name to get Hillary Clinton's New York Senate seat. Good riddance too!. Here are some of the money quotes from today's Washington Post:

"after first avoiding the press, then holding a series of halting interviews and giving vague answers, Kennedy's front-runner status diminished somewhat. She also appeared resistant to opening her finances to scrutiny, lending to the view that after largely avoiding the spotlight for most of her life, she was only a reluctant candidate for public life."

It must have come as a shock to her that there would be such scrutiny. I mean she is a Kennedy aren't they entitled to government positions.

"I'm sure her uncle Ted would want nothing more than to see her in his brother's seat in the United States Senate."

I'm sure he does. But, we in New York State do not. It's time that people in the political dynesties like the Kennedy's and the Bushes understrand that the U.S. Government is not an employment agency set up just for them

Inauguration Day: The end of the "just words" era.

I arrived back in Washington late Sunday night on a packed flight. The city is filled with the Obamaites are here to see the "messiah" and the Red line Metro trains are already packed at this early hour. I will have to drive back to Long Island early tomorrow because the Amtrak trains leaving the city are sold out beyond Wednesday. You can sense the excitement in the city. Even Cafe Ole one of our favorite restaurants here in northwest DC was packed on the usual quiet Monday night. Today is the day when hope crashes head on to the reality. Today is the day when Barack Obama becomes our President and the speeches he gave have to become something more than just words. At least that is my hope.

Hats off to Homeland Security

When going through security at National Airport here in DC I forgot to put my multi tool knife in my checked baggage. It was a good news bad news situation. On one hand I was not able to take my multi tool on vacation. Though they did offer a Fed Ex envelope to let me send it back home. It was a cheap tool and shipping would have cost more than a new one. The good news is the TSA screeners did catch to knife in my bag. So the system is working. That to me is worth more than having the cheap multi tool knife in my possession. Hats off to the screeners and TSA.

Leaving mysterious DC

My gal and I are off to Central America for about ten days. So I will not be blogging for that time as I am not one who needs a keyboard in front of me every minute of the day. We will be returning to the BCP Washington bureau two days before the inauguration. We hope. If just one of our flights has problems I doubt we will be able to get back to DC before Tuesday's inauguration. One thing we are curious about is the apartment across the hall. In the fifteen years in the building no one has lived in it. It is supposed to be owned by someone in Brooklyn New York. Maybe once or twice a year someone comes in and checks up on it and gets into car with New York plates. It will be interesting to see if it is occupied for the inauguration. Until then I hope to be out of range of wifi, keyboards, and computer screens and have the night stars as my entertainment.

City of Barack

I'm currently working out of the BCP Washington Bureau as the city awaits for a flood of millions of Obamaites for the inauguration. They have already loaded up the Metro Card machines with Obama's image:
It's 12 days until the era of "just words" ends. At least I hope so.

Money, money, money

I am hopeful that the Obama administration is on the right track with the stimulus package. There are hopeful signs that they will not repeat the mistakes of the Bush administration and the dumbocratic Congress that just seem to throw money at the problem. Here is the money quote from today's Washington Post:"In the meantime, Obama said he will incorporate a trio of provisions in the nearly $800 billion stimulus package under review by Congress -- dubbed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act -- to ensure that the money is not wasted. The provisions include establishing a special panel to monitor use of the money; a Web site that will allow taxpayers to monitor use of the money; and a ban on lawmakers' pet projects, known as earmarks."
To me this is a good policy let's hope it's not "just words".

Bill Richardson portrait heading for the dumbocratic hall of shame?

Looks like somebody may need to get another portrait ready for the Dumbocratic Hall of Shame. Bill Richardson may be the next one to be hung up. I'm glad to see Richardson leave the scene. I've always questioned his judgement on a number of issues. Like his support for keeping Alberto Gonzales as Attorney General just because he was "Hispanic".
Then there was his call to give the illegal immigrant fugitive Elvira Arellano a pardon.
Actually Richardson's troubles do not surprise me. I had a friend who worked on one of the morning TV shows. Whenever Bill Richardson appeared. I think he was Energy Secretary at the time. He would take the coffee/water cup that the show provided on the set so the guest would have something to drink if they needed it. Since my friend was responsible for these mugs he would ask Richardson for the mug back. Richardson just looked at him and said "nope". It's not that the show could not afford to lose the coffee mug it's that Richardson just thought that he was entitled to take it. He's just the kind of creep that we are better off not having in office especially as Commerce Secretary.