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.

Looking back on 2008

On this cold an snowy New Years Eve here at the BCP Long Island bureau I thought I take a look back on what got my attention in 2008:

Well let's see there was a writers strike:


William F. Buckley dies

Jeremiah (Wright) was a bullfrog or was he just a good friend of Barack Obama who gave a speech on race in March

In New York City having three kids becomes a status symbol.

Barack Obama pulled some stats out of his butt but, most in the mainstream media never checked him on it.

Tim Russert died

Something was not kosher at a meat packing plant in Iowa and it concerned illegal immigrant workers.

My employer sent me out to Minneapolis to set up communications systems for the Republican convention. Loved that balloon drop


It was bailout mania in September Nancy Pelosi said "The Party is Over" looking back the party had just begun and the money has not stopped flowing since.

Obama downplays his involvement with ACORN and as usual the liberal media does a Sargent Schultz and sees nothing wrong with the connections.

Obama's tax cut plan is a good one

Hope is on the way if today's Washington Post article on how the Obama administration plans to give U.S. taxpayers an immediate tax cut is any indication. What is good to see is that it looks like a very efficient means to get money into the wallets of us taxpayers. Here is the money quote:

"Obama, in the second week of a vacation in Hawaii, continues to work on his economic plan, aides said. He is considering immediate tax cuts of $1,000 for couples and $500 for individuals, which would be delivered through reduced tax withholding from paychecks, a transition aide said. That plan could cost about $140 billion over the next two years, the aide said."

I think this plan is good for a number of reasons because it:

1)Can be implemented fast and with immediate results.

2)Can be implemented multiple times (if needed) without delay.

3)Would eliminate “pork” and costly bureaucratic delivery of checks (from the IRS) since the money will go directly and immediately to U.S. taxpayer’s wallets.

4)Would encourage people to be legally employed and not work “off the books”. Increasing tax revenues that would otherwise be lost.

It's this kind of thinking from the Obama administration that may help the middle class more than any Bush Administration or Pelosi/Reid left leaning Democratic proposals ever did. I say Obama should go for it.

War children is just a shot away....

We dined at a local Indian Restaurant here in northwest DC the other night. I overheard the Indian owner discussing world politics with some customers at another table. It was his view that there would soon be a war between Pakistan and India. This may not qualify as "actionable intelligence" here in Washington. But, you never know.

Christmas Greetings from AIG and the Federal Reserve

This time of year is particularly a dangerous time for us taxpayers. It is a time when those in Washington can slip out bad news but, chances are less people will notice it. The reason for this is because everyone is running around for the Christmas holidays. Even most of the media empties out of this town for the next week or so. Not me. I am looking for the bad news leaked out. I think I found it in today's Washington Post. It concerns AIG and how it was able to get some of those nasty credit default swaps off it's books. Here are the money quotes:"American International Group retired $16 billion in credit default swaps, the contracts that almost caused the company's collapse, after buying the underlying securities with help from the Federal Reserve."

"The fund created by the Fed and AIG to protect the insurer's customers from losses has now purchased collateralized debt obligations with a face value of about $62.1 billion, the firm said in a statement."

"The business guaranteed more than $70 billion in securities created by pools of different kinds of debt, including sub prime mortgages, that plunged in value. The federal government committed $150 billion to bail out AIG and prevent losses at investment banks that bought protection on fixed-income securities from the insurer."

Whoa! AIG only guaranteed $70 billion in securities. But, we taxpayers gave them $85 billion and then another $65 billion in loans? What wrong with this picture?

Merry Christmas: I got yer stimulus right here!

The lobbyist are lining up to get their hands on the next outflow of taxpayer dollars to come out of Washington. It is good to see that their are some people in Washington and I am happy to see that some are Democrats who know that just throwing money out is not the best way to stimulate the economy and be effective. Here is the money quote:"
If we're going to call it a stimulus package, it has to be stimulating and has to be stimulating now. I think there are members of our caucus who are trying to create a Christmas tree out of this," said Rep. Baron P. Hill (Ind.), incoming co-chairman of the Blue Dog Coalition, a caucus of 51 fiscally conservative House Democrats.
The Christmas tree is a good analogy. While it looks pretty for a while in the house. It eventually winds up on the street with all the other trash a symbol of wasted money. Let's hope Dems like Rep. Hill and the Obama administration keep their eye on the money and make sure we taxpayers get the most out of every dollar spent in the "stimulus" bill.

No solace in Solis

President elect Obama has announced Hilda Solis as Secretary of Labor. The daughter of Mexican and Nicaraguan immigrants her past record shows she is very pro union. Here are some of the money quotes:

"Solis is viewed as quite liberal and has sometimes been criticized as inflexible in advancing her causes."

"The business community's concern over the appointment is especially great because of a fight coming up next year over efforts to pass the Employee Free Choice Act, the top priority for labor unions. The measure is designed to boost union membership by having employees sign union cards to form unions instead of holding secret ballot elections."

As a union member nobody asked me whether I am in favor of the "Employee Free Choice Act" which basically does away with a secret ballot in union organizing elections. So workers will be at the mercy of strong arm tactics of Union thugs working for unionization votes. With a secret ballot the wishes of workers are protected. I hope Obama and Hilda Solis understand that.

My car is died and Detriot is not looking too healthy either.

Since 1988 I have been driving a 1986 Mazda subcompact. It was a hatxhback, not flashy but, reliable transportation and very good on gas. One August night in 2007 I was driving it home from the Ronkonkoma train station. I turned a corner and the car died. It cranked fine but, just never started again. Since it had only 66,000 original miles on the odometer I knew it still had some life in it even if the body was starting to show it's age. I was planning on buying a new car anyway but, I thought I try and use it for one more year. I had it towed to my house thinking I would try and revive it. I never did make much progress or really spend much time on it. This week I donated it to a children's charity. It was sad to see it being towed off. I knew it still had a few miles in it. But, the reality is I did not have the time to work on it like I thought I would. I had bought a new car brand new which if my driving remains the same may last me until I die. Only a few months before I had spent $600 for a new muffler system for it to keep it going. It nows looks like that was money that was wasted. Meanwhile in Washington the Federal Government has granted billions of dollars in loans to the big three U.S. car makers to keep them going. I just hope that will not be money that was wasted too.

George Bush's Guava moment

At a press conference in Iraq yesterday President George Bush had two shoes thrown at him by an Iraqi journalist. This reminded me of the time of the time th locals in South America pelted Richard Nixon's limo with Guava fruit back in the fifties when he toured there. While the Iraqi man throwing the shoes had pretty good aim I was pretty impressed with George Bush. He may not have a quick mind but, his reflexes were pretty fast as he avoided being hit.

"Stopping" illegal immigration Mexican style

Perhaps the U.S. Government could learn a thing or two from the Mexican Government on how to find illegal immigrants within a country's borders. Here are the money quotes from the New York Times:

"Between January and September, the National Migration Institute, Mexico’s immigration service, deported 350 Americans, some of them lawbreakers who had finished prison sentences in the country, but others merely travelers who were found to be without proper paperwork.
One of them was the scruffy wanderer in his early 40s who goes by the name Crash, eschews regular employment and racks up stories of his adventures.
“I didn’t know you could be deported from Mexico,” he said, requesting that his full name not be used to avoid running further afoul of the law. “I didn’t know it was possible. Now I know.”
He said he had been riding in the back of a pickup truck from Huatulco, a popular vacation spot in the southern state of Oaxaca, to the resort city of Acapulco several weeks ago when the vehicle approached a checkpoint. The authorities asked Crash for his passport. He did not have one.
He said he was taken away and later found himself in a police lineup. He said he had been told that a woman had been robbed in Acapulco by a blond man with a goatee. Looking at the other men in the lineup, Crash said they could have been his brothers, all of them blond and with goatees.
He was not chosen as the robber but said he was sent to jail nonetheless, which was not an altogether unpleasant experience for Crash. “The cell was better than some of the 300-peso hotel rooms I’ve stayed in,” he said. “The only thing was that it had bars.”
He said he spent about a week there while the American Consulate prepared travel documents for him. When informed that he was going to be deported to the United States, he said he initially could not believe it. “I thought to myself, ‘You’ve got to be kidding. This is a joke. You’re deporting me from Mexico?’ "

See how easily it's done? Perhaps someone at Homeland Security would take note of this.

Obama forgot something

From today's Washington Post:
"On the heels of more grim unemployment news, President-elect Barack Obama yesterday offered the first glimpse of what would be the largest public works program since President Dwight D. Eisenhower created the federal interstate system in the 1950s.
Obama said the massive government spending program he proposes to lift the country out of economic recession will include a renewed effort to make public buildings energy-efficient, rebuild the nation's highways, renovate aging schools and install computers in classrooms, extend high-speed Internet to underserved areas and modernize hospitals by giving them access to electronic medical records."

Seems Obama forgot about one public works project already underway that would not only provide jobs but, would also help secure the nation as well. Hey Obama how about finishing the border fence!

No more Kennedys!

Word of the street that another member of the elites is sniffing around for a government job. This time it's Caroline Kennedy daughter of President John F. Kennedy trying to put her butt down into the soon to be vacant Hillary Clinton Senate seat. ENOUGH already! It's time this country moved on and stop putting anymore Kennedy's into office. Though sometimes the policies they come up like Ted Kennedy's positions on illegal immigration are good for a laugh they tend to hurt middle class taxpayers in the long run. So I say no more Kennedys in government please and while we are at it the same goes for the Bushes.

Death of two liberals

There was a double homicide that occurred just before Thanksgiving near the BCP Washington Bureau that I have been following. It is the the gruesome stabbing death of of Michael and Virginia Spevak. Their death was not on the front page of the liberal papers like the Washington Post and the story has pretty much faded from news coverage in DC. However, it is a cautionary tale of how being too liberal can get a person killed in today's world. Despite the best of intentions. The Spevaks were liberal "community activists" who opened their home to people. One of these people remembered their hospitality and help repay them by allegedly sending killers into their home. Here is the some of the details:


"A young woman who had once stayed overnight at the Chevy Chase home of a couple who were killed there last week led two fellow attackers to the house, according to police charging documents released yesterday after her initial court appearance.

Angela Hernandez, 20, told D.C. homicide detectives that she and two friends were riding in a white Toyota on Nov. 20 when she pointed out the home of Michael Spevak, 68, and his wife Virginia, 67, according to the charging papers. One of her companions said, "Let's rob it," the documents state."

Hernandez is charged with first-degree murder and felony murder, federal prosecutors said.

The Spevaks' bodies were found Saturday in their home in the 5300 block of Belt Road NW. Hernandez, arrested late Wednesday, is the second suspect charged in the killings. On Tuesday, police arrested Piero Fuentes Hernandez, 21, of Capitol Heights in connection with the case. He is not related to Angela Hernandez.

The Spevaks were well-regarded in their neighborhood. Michael Spevak, a psychiatrist, saw patients in the family home. Virginia Spevak devoted time to helping youths in the District's foster care system. It was the Spevaks' commitment to foster care that provided the nexus with their killers, the charging documents allege.

Initially, police said, Hernandez said she knew the names of the people who might have stolen the Toyota Scion but denied any knowledge of the killings. She then admitted that she knew the victims, had visited her friend "Anna," the couple's former foster child, at the Spevak home several times and had spent the night there, although she had not been at the home in two years, according to the charging document.

Eventually, the court document states, Hernandez admitting pointing out the home to her two companions, one of whom was armed with a metal "pole type weapon," the other a gun.

According to the account provided by the charging document, Hernandez said she told Fuentes Hernandez to ring the doorbell and ask for Anna. Hernandez said Michael Spevak opened the door, and her two companions forced their way in and dragged Spevak into the house. Hernandez said she left the house and waited in the Toyota. Minutes later, her two companions came out carrying computers, which they put in the trunk before driving away.

"Fuentes Hernandez told police that he is a member of the MC Gang, or Master Criminals, which is an affiliate of STC, or Street Thug Criminals, according to the charging documents filed in support of his arrest. Hernandez told detectives that she has not been initiated into a gang but has friends who are with the MC Gang, STC, and MS-13, according to charging documents in her case."

Three days after the killings, Hernandez and Fuentes Hernandez posed for photographs in a photo booth, copies of which federal prosecutors attached to the Hernandez charging documents.

A legend above the series of photos proclaims "WANTED For Just About Everything." The two are kissing in one photo and sticking their tongues out in another."

How charming! I wonder if they used any of the money from the home of the Spevaks to take those pictures.

Black Friday turns red with blood.

I actually participated in some Black Friday shopping. I rise early and so I decided that I might as well head over to a nearby Office Depot store here in Washington D.C. that was opening at 6 AM. I need a new printer that would work with a new HP laptop I had purchased a few weeks ago. They had a great deal on one multifunction unit for twenty five bucks. I arrived at the store about five minutes before 6AM and there were about thirty people already on line. A store employee came out a few minutes before and handed out papers for some of the sale items like laptops etc. If he had one to give you were guaranteed the item when the store opened. I got my HP printer and was out of the store in about 45 minutes. It was nice and orderly.
Others where not so lucky:

"A stampede of shoppers in a Valley Stream Wal-Mart on Friday morning left one worker dead and at least three patrons injured after an impatient crowd broke down the store doors and trampled the seasonal employee, Nassau police said.
Jdimytai Damour of Jamaica, Queens, was pushed to the ground by the 2,000-plus crowd just before 5 a.m. as management was preparing to open the store, which is located across from the main Green Acres Mall building. Hundreds stepped over, around and on the 34-year-old worker as they rushed into the store."-Newsday

Even worse is what transpired in a Toys R Us store in Palm Desert California:

"Two men pulled guns and shot each other to death in a crowded toy store Friday after women they were with got into a bloody brawl for unknown reasons, witnesses said. Scared shoppers fled but no one else was hurt.
The violence erupted on Black Friday, the traditional post-Thanksgiving start of the holiday shopping surge, but authorities indicated the shooting shortly after 11:30 a.m. was not prompted by shopping frenzy.
Riverside County sheriff's Sgt. Dennis Gutierrez said the fight was not over a toy. He said handguns were found by the men's bodies. He would not answer a question about whether the shooting was gang-related."
The victims were identified as Alejandro Moreno, 39, of Desert Hot Springs, and Juan Meza, 28, of Cathedral City."

I wonder if we will ever get the full story of what happened here. At least these two only shot themselves. But, it gives new meaning to the term shop til you drop.

A few seconds of Nature

Thanksgiving

Well there may be some things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving Day.

1)That John (Juan) McCain is not President.

2) That Obama seems to be taking a more centrist position in setting up his administration.

3) That things may be improving in the housing market according to a story in today's Washington Post:

Would-be mortgage borrowers have rushed to refinance their loans and even weighed plans to buy homes following the government's move this week to loosen consumer lending.
With interest rates suddenly plummeting, "the phone is ringing, the e-mails keep coming," said Jennifer Du Plessis, a mortgage adviser at Prosperity Mortgage, the lending arm of Long & Foster. "Real estate agents are hovering outside our office saying: 'I've got another client who wants to refinance.' "

Now if we can only keep Congress and whatever administration from doing something stupid like buying up "toxic assets" aka sub prime loans with good taxpayer money we may actually be seeing light at the end of the tunnel in this economic downturn. This is certainly something to be thankful for.

Song for Citibank with the Paulson Subprime singers

From today's Washington Post:


"The Treasury Department, Federal Reserve and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. announced just before midnight Monday that they will protect Citigroup, one of the nation's largest banks, against potential losses on a $306 billion pool of troubled assets. "


How are we to account for this turn of events? The answer is in this video.

Taking the profit out of Non Profit.

The Washington Post has an article about how the current economic downturn is affecting "non profit" organizations. Here are some of the money quotes:

"After nearly a decade of record growth, U.S. nonprofits are getting hit from all directions. Some foundations are scaling back on awarding grants as endowments shrink in the stock market meltdown. State and local governments -- facing falling tax revenue -- are slashing budgets and cutting back on funding."

"Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The mortgage finance giants have long been the Washington region's biggest corporate benefactors and gave a combined $47 million to charities last year. As a result of the federal takeover, Fannie and Freddie could decrease or halt their giving altogether, reshaping the area's philanthropic landscape. "

It's about time somebody looked at the money trail in the non profit sector. Non profits have been under the radar for so long just like the sub prime problems at Fannie Mae. It's time to take a good look at them and see who deserves to survive and is cost effective in providing needed services and who is just providing a "feel good" job for some liberal elites at taxpayer and donor expense.

Obama picks Napolitano for Homeland Security

Janet Napolitano has been mentioned to head Homeland Security. I am cautiously optimistic about her appointment. She comes from a border state that has more than it's share of illegal immigration problems . So She knows the issue first hand . She was one of the first Governors to declare a state of emergency and put National Guard troops on the border. She was a Federal prosecutor so she respects the law and will make sure they are enforced. Of course she may not be up to speed on the security needs of our coastal ports being from land locked Arizona. But, overall I think it is a good pick for this important office. I guess the only thing now is to complete the vetting process and see who she hangs around with:

Say isn't that Janet Napolitano with Eliot Spitzer? Uh Oh!

Obama and McCain

I was feeling rather good after Obama's 60 minutes interview Sunday night. I went to sleep thinking that Obama would "do the right thing" for the country after the Steve Kroft softball interview. But, my concern was raised on Monday as Obama met with the defeated Juan McCain in Chicago. Even though it was hardly mentioned during the campaign illegal immigration was mentioned in news reports following the Obama/McCain meeting. This is not a good thing. Especially considering that McCain led the charge on amnesty for illegal immigration. As we we found out through the faulty reporting of the New York Times McCain had a financial reason for backing illegal immigration amnesty. Because it involved money for his friends and backers like the Spanish language Univision TV network. Let's hope Obama understands this special interest connection of McCain's.

Meanwhile the Washington Post reports on a new poll regarding illegal immigration. Here are some of the money quotes:
"Americans and Europeans share deep concerns about immigration, with a large percentage worrying that it can bring crime and displace workers "

People on both sides of the Atlantic express sharply negative views of illegal immigration, and roughly half of respondents said they think immigration in general is "more of a problem" than an opportunity for their societies.

"Real anxiety about legal immigration exists, but it is dwarfed by concerns about illegal immigration," the fund said in a statement yesterday. At least 80 percent of respondents in all surveyed countries called for stronger border controls, and more than 73 percent in all the countries called for tougher sanctions on those who hire illegal immigrants.

I hope Obama listens to the numbers in this poll and less to John McCain.

Obama may pick Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State?

As the saying goes "keep your friends close and your enemies closer". I think that is what is going on here with all the rumors of Obama picking Hillary Clinton for his Secretary of State. I think this is a pretty shrewd move on his part.This gets her out of the Senate and makes it less likely she could mount a primary challenge should the Obama administration start to go down in flames. Since she would be part of it she will have to defend it. Another good thing he could be sending her off to who knows where and keep her out of Washington for four years. Just like this:

The TARP plan was always a turd

I guess the good news for us hard working middle class U.S. taxpayers who pay our bills and debts is that Henry Paulson and the Treasury Department are no longer going to be buying the sub prime crap loans under the Toxic Asset Reduction Program. Which in my book should have been called TURD loans because that is what they are. The idea of using our good tax dollars to buy crap loans from the banks who gave them out does not sit well with this and many other taxpayers. I think Hockeymike 374 speaks for many of us taxpayers:


"How can people be so stupid. Does anyone in congress understand that if you reward irresponsible behavior you will get more of it? I feel like an idiot for paying my bills and living within my means. I would say write your representatives but the last time we did that we were punished by making a 700B dollar bill an 850B dollar bill. This is beyond outrageous. The worst part is this will do nothing to solve the problem. NO more bailouts for corporations or the greedy and irresponsible people who bought homes they could never afford."

Sounds like good advice.

Dumbocratic teachers for Obama

Wups there it is. Stupid is not the word for this idiot teacher caught on tape in this European documentary indoctrinating her students about virtues of Obama "change messiah" Obama. This woman does not belong in a classroom.

News media quote of the day or now they tell us!

Just as many of us had suspected one of the more blatant failures of this passed election is that of American Journalism in covering the Presidential campaign fairly or in depth. Washington Post's Ombudsman Deborah Howell has today's quote of the day:

"The Post provided a lot of good campaign coverage, but readers have been consistently critical of the lack of probing issues coverage and what they saw as a tilt toward Democrat Barack Obama. My surveys, which ended on Election Day, show that they are right on both counts. "

Looks like someone will have to break the news to MSNBC's Keith Obamamann and Chris (tingle in the legs ) Matthews that they were not the only Obama butt boys. Now about that coverage or lack of coverage of Ron Paul in the primaries...

Obama gets it wrong. Is he channeling Joe Biden?

President Elect Obama stuck his foot in his mouth during his first press conference following his historic election victory. Here are some of Obama's erroneous money quotes:

"At a news conference in Chicago, Obama said he had spoken with all the living presidents as he prepares to take office in January. Then he smiled and said, "I didn't want to get into a Nancy Reagan thing about doing any seances."The 87-year-old former first lady had consulted with astrologers during her husband's presidency. But she did not hold conversations with the dead."

Obama got this wrong. What was he thinking? Maybe about that other first lady Hillary Clinton?

"In his book "The Choice," Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward described how Clinton consulted with a spiritual adviser who led her through imaginary conversations with her personal hero, Eleanor Roosevelt. Newsweek magazine, which was promoting the book, characterized the visits as "seances," a term that White House officials quickly tried to squelch."These were people who were helping her laugh, helping her think," said Neel Lattimore, Clinton's spokeswoman. "

Perhaps we should chalk this faux paus by Obama to the Biden Effect.

ELECTION DAY