At the same time Tiffany & Co. was extending Callista (Bisek) Gingrich a virtual interest-free loan of tens of thousands of dollars, the diamond and silverware firm was spending big bucks to influence mining policy in Congress and in agencies over which the House Agriculture Committee--where she worked--had jurisdiction, official records show.What I'm wondering is, what exactly is the benefit to taxpayers if Tiffany gets a break? Will I be able to buy this at a 20% discount now? Will an army of diamond-cutters be recruited for jobs? I don't even care if they offer a $3.99 breakfast at Tiffany, it's not worth it. Whatever their discounts, I'd rather spend my tax money on infrastructure.
Filings by Tiffany’s lobbyist, Cassidy & Co., and other government records show that the firm’s spending on “mining law and mine permitting-related issues” in Congress, as well as the Forest Service, the Interior Department, and Interior’s Bureau of Land Management shot up sharply between during the period when Callista Gingrich was chief clerk at the House Agriculture Committee.
Tiffany's annual lobbying expenditures rose from about $100,000 to $360,000 between 2005 and 2009, according to records assembled by the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan government watchdog organization.
The Forest Service, which comes under the committee’s jurisdiction, oversees mining, including silver mining, in federal forests.
The facts are startling. Almost 14 million Americans are unemployed. Oil prices are at an all-time high. Obamacare is bringing socialism to our doorstep, and the national debt is over $14.3 trillion. Yet, our President is too busy gallivanting around Europe with his Irish cousins, to focus on rebuilding our economy and strengthening our nation.-- Michele Bachman, via email
...Watch my video now and join my money bomb to ensure Barack Obama is a one-term President. I need your help right now to show Barack Obama that he is no match for our conservative base. We've set a goal to raise $240,000 in 24 hours, but we can only do this if you act now.
...My family and I are prayerfully considering what the next 18 months or so may bring. We've seen incredible support pouring in; the Team Bachmann momentum is building and very encouraging as we look to our next steps. With your generous support right now, we can continue this momentum and connect with conservatives nationwide.
"We don’t need to rewrite the Constitution of the United States of America, we need to reread the Constitution and enforce the Constitution. … And I know that there are some people that are not going to do that, so for the benefit of those who are not going to read it because they don’t want us to go by the Constitution, there’s a little section in there that talks about 'life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.'"-Republican Presidential Hopeful and Godfather's Pizza CEO Herman Cain
It turns out the six-month spending bill Congress passed in April increased discretionary outlays through the remainder of the fiscal year by a bit over $3 billion. In other words, total direct spending will be higher by the end of September than if Congress had just set spending on autopilot for the remainder of the fiscal year back in April.And after that, they should be able to keep the military costs down by keeping them out of the main budget and appropriating through emergency spending measures instead. Worked before! When it's emergency money, it's not from the budget! Just the taxpayers.
Total discretionary outlays in 2011 will be $3.2 billion higher as a result of the legislation, CBO estimates--an increase of $7.5 billion for defense programs, partially offset by a net reduction of $4.4 billion in other spending," reads a just-released report from the Congressional Budget Office -- Congress' non-partisan scorekeeper. Analysts there conclude that increase is due in large part to the fact that the six month spending bill shifted defense spending to more immediate activities, which means the bills will come due sooner than later."
The full consequences of a default — or even the serious prospect of default — by the United States are impossible to predict and awesome to contemplate. Denigration of the full faith and credit of the United States would have substantial effects on the domestic financial markets and the value of the dollar in exchange markets. The Nation can ill afford to allow such a result.-Ronald Reagan
"After considerable deliberation and reflection, I have decided not to pursue the office of the Presidency. This decision does not come easily or without regret; especially when my potential candidacy continues to be validated by ranking at the top of the Republican contenders in polls across the country. I maintain the strong conviction that if I were to run, I would be able to win the primary and ultimately, the general election".The statement coincided with an announcement he made from a podium at the NBC "Upfronts" presentation, suggesting that the choice was made to ensure another season of his top-rated (for NBC) reality show. You either run the country or you star in a reality show! The founding fathers won't let you do both!
Republican Federal Communications Commission commissioner Meredith Attwell Baker is planning to leave the agency for a job at Comcast Corp., according to people with knowledge of the matter.So on one hand, Obama appointed her in early 2009, so we should blame the Democrats for this startling display of graft. On the other hand, she's a Republican. There's nothing to be done about it either. You can refuse to give a lobbyist a government job, but you can't prevent an ex-politico from getting a job as a lobbyist.
Ms. Baker is expected to announce her departure as soon as this week for an unknown position at the Philadelphia-based cable giant. Comcast declined to comment, a company spokeswoman said.
...Baker’s move to Comcast comes just four months after she voted, along with three of the agency’s other FCC commissioners, to approve Comcast’s $13.75 billion deal to acquire control of NBC Universal from General Electric Co.
..the biggest factor holding him back from the race is actually Daniels' wife, Cheri Daniels, who does not want the media snooping into their marriage history....That's because in 1993, Cheri left Mitch with their four young kids to marry another man in California. Four years later, she came back to Indiana, and the Daniels' remarried. Cheri has never spoken about what happened, and Daniels has only said, "If you like happy endings, you’ll love our story."Certain people whose tweets I follow have used this as an occasion to snark, "Aren't families off-limits now?" Atta boy, Mitch. Don't reload - retreat! Still I wonder if Republicans learned anything from the Bush administration. When confronted with a threat of something that hasn't happened and you can't produce any evidence for, you don't quit. You attack the whole country that the "threat" is coming from.
In the wake of a spate of suicides at Foxconn factories last summer, workers were asked to sign a statement promising not to kill themselves and pledging to "treasure their lives".Hat tip BoingBoing. Just think how many lives would have been saved if this signing policy had gone in place earlier!
The administration said Wednesday they will not release a photo. McCain told reporters he did not think the photograph needed to be released. “My initial opinion is that it’s not necessary to do so. I think there’s ample proof that this was Osama bin Laden,” said McCain, a Vietnam War veteran.Via Politico, emphasis mine.
WASHINGTON — President Obama invited former President George W. Bush to join him at ground zero in New York City on Thursday to mark the killing of Osama bin Laden, but Mr. Bush declined, a spokesman for the former president confirmed on Tuesday.Which is very nice of the White House, but let's face, it, Bush is going out of the way to be conspicuously absent at this event. And it's not like he's a guy who is squeamish about executions. Bush will probably spend the day in prayer, on a mat facing Mecca.
“President Bush will not be in attendance on Thursday,” said his spokesman, David Sherzer. “He appreciated the invite, but has chosen in his post-presidency to remain largely out of the spotlight. He continues to celebrate with Americans this important victory in the war on terror.”
The White House did not confirm that the invitation had been made or comment on Mr. Bush’s decision.
I hope they mix his body parts with bacon and drop it over Mecca. But I guess since our President's middle name is Hussein that's not likely to happen.-commenter "Woody" at Where Are My Keys.
