All actions have consequences. Consumers living beyond their means, taking out loans for homes they couldn't possibly afford, resulted in the sub-prime crisis, Fanny and Freddie mess, and meltdown of the US economy.

The TARP bailout for $700-some billion has opened the door to every Tom, Dick and Harry industry standing in line for a bailout handout: the auto industry, rental car companies, ethanol industry, and credit card companies to name a few. States such as California and even Wisconsin might put their hands out as well. President elect Obama is talking about another bigger and better stimulus package too, asap.  

Our government acts like they can give out billions of bailout and stimulus money with no consequences.

But history tells us no economy can thrive by printing up and passing out dollars. It did not work for Germany, where you practically needed a wheelbarrow to hold your Marks to buy a loaf of bread. "In 1914 one egg cost less than one mark. Nine years later an egg was 80,000,000,000 (eighty billion marks)."*

To finance the new spending during Carter years, the joke was, Hey, Jimmy, just print up another roll of $20s! We know how well that worked.

So why do we think we can do what no other government could do in the past, by printing up new money to finance and shore up failing industries with no consequences? Arrogance maybe?

Money Morning sounded another warning today: With Billions in Bailout Funds Flowing, the "Peso-fication" of the Dollar Continues:  

The plethora of bank and corporate bailouts, stimulus plans and interest-rate cuts that the U.S. government has produced over the last three months can only lead to one outcome: The U.S. dollar has to decline.

During the crisis so far, the dollar in general, and U.S. Treasury bonds in particular, have been regarded as a “safe haven,” making the dollar strong and pushing long-term U.S. Treasury rates downward. In the New Year, however, this is likely to change – the weight of the added supply of dollars in circulation will be too great for the greenback to shrug off.

Much of that report makes my head spin, but I do understand the basic principle that you cannot increase the money supply so dramatically without inflationary consequences. The amount of deficit spending we have committed to so far is unprecedented.

Usually I check the stock market every day and look at how the dollar is trading too. Today, the US dollar was down in all trading: against the Canadian dollar - $1.23 vs $1.28 a few days ago, against the Euro, the dollar had fallen 4 cents to .76.  

If this trend continues, the dollar loses value, therefore, you need more of them to pay for purchases. Hence, the wheelbarrow will be needed to carry your cash to the store! On second thought, people will just use a credit card instead of cash, so no need for the wheelbarrows.

What we need is to tighten our belts and live within our means, be it at the local, state, or federal level of government. It is time to act like grownups and say NO to frivolous spending and bailouts. If we don't, the Carter years will look like the good old days for the dollar and us.

Did you contact Senators Kohl and Feingold about the auto bailout? Senator Kohl (Phone: (414) 297-4451, (202) 224-5653) and Senator  Feingold (Office of Senator Russ Feingold (202) 224-5323)

*From Richard Maybury's Whatever Happened to Penny Candy, Wallpaper, Wheelbarrows, and Recession, pp 52. 

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When I first heard about that McCain insider who told tales out of school about Sarah Palin, I immediately thought those criticisms smacked of sour grapes and jealousy. Imagine a true McCain, cross the isle, centrist campaign worker now having to help the novice, but igniter of the conservative base upstart. No matter that she was happily minding her own business in Alaska when she got the tap for VP. She clearly energized the McCain campaign, and that can create jealousy.

One of the more scathing comments was that Palin did not know Africa was a continent. I immediately thought, well, 52% of Americans just elected a president who does not know America has 50, not 57 states or that Pakistan is an ally. Besides that, it could just be a slip of the tongue--much like we say Iran when meaning Iraq. We know the difference but misstate it. 

Now it seems the "insider" M. Eisenstadt, who confessed to be the source for Carl Cameron's story, might not even exist. Martin Eisenstadt Tricks News Orgs On Being Source of Palin Dirt:

But it's not at all clear that Eisenstadt exists. William K. Wolfrum of Shakespeare's Sister, who was suckered by Eisenstadt during the campaign, did some digging and concluded, "There is no M. Thomas Eisenstadt. There is no Eisenstadt Group. There is no Harding Institute for Freedom and Democracy. M. Thomas Eisenstadt is a hoax."

To be clear, none of this means the Africa story is false -- just that it didn't come from this source. Huffington Post has been told on background that Martin Eisenstadt was not one of Fox News correspondent Carl Cameron's sources.

Who knows who was the real source of Cameron's story. If we ever find him/her, there will probably be a bunch of sour grapes in their hand. But as for the confusion over Africa as a country or continent, was it just something like this? Chris Matthews Calls Africa a 'Country':

Matthews made his mistake in the course of posing a question to Larry Persily, a former member of Palin's gubernatorial staff. 

CHRIS MATTHEWS: I've got to go to Larry first. You've got to answer this question, sir.  Is this person unaware of basic grade-school information, like, Africa is a country of 57-or-so countries, it is not a country, it's a continent? South Africa is a country, not a region. 

Clearly, this was no more than a slip of the Matthews tongue [we wouldn't want to unfairly undermine Chris's incipient Senate run].  After calling Africa a country, he went on to call it a continent.  But it ironically illustrates how the alleged Palin knowledge gap might well have been nothing more than a similar slip. (My emphasis here)

Before the camera cuts away, Persily can be seen smiling wryly at Chris's miscue.  For the record, Persily answered that he didn't think it was plausible that Gov. Palin is unaware of the kind of information Matthews described.

Speaking of mistakes . . . note Matthews's reference to Africa's 57 countries.  Could that be what Barack Obama had in mind when he spoke of  having visited 57 states in the USA?

I had not thought of that 57 African country angle, but it fits. Should we make a big thing about that? (No)

It is a general principle of mine that insiders should not divulge confidences and things taken out of context--especially when it damages a greater cause: the Republican's future.

The candidates and staff are under tremendous pressure and grueling schedules during a campaign. If we want good people to run for office, they need to at least know they will not be attacked by their own before or after the campaign.

A Senior Fellow at the Institute of Nonexistence:  "...Martin Eisenstadt doesn't exist. His blog does, but it's a put-on." 

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It has become a family tradition to attended the Waukesha Republican's "Victory" party at the Country Springs Hotel.  Various local candidates stop in and give a pep talk along with Waukesha Republican leaders. This year most of us hoped for good news but were braced for the bad.

Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner addressed the crowd first. He quipped something to the effect that after 8 years of Democrats blaming President Bush for everything, with them in charge of the legislature and the White House, we'll be able to pin the tail on the donkey. (Donkey being the symbol for democratic party.)

I am not so sure anything will stick, but I enjoyed the imagery.

Next up was Congressman Paul Ryan. I think most Republicans in the room see Ryan as the future of the Conservative movement. Ryan outlined a path for the next few years that went something like this: Stand up for what you believe in. Work with Democrats when they are going in the right direction and when they're wrong, propose alternative solutions. (My emphasis) 

Congressman Ryan, if you recall, came up with a plan to reform the entitlement problem of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, called "A Roadmap for America's Future". The Democrats just ignore the impending insolvency of that costly trio.

Last to speak was Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker. He too urged that Republicans present clear, conservative alternatives to liberal tax and spend policy. He is living proof that conservatism, when properly communicated, will sell even in very Democratic territory!  The key was presenting that conservative message in a clear and concise way--something almost everyone in the room knew the McCain campaign never did. 

As John McCain gave his concession speech the room was quiet. Not much disagreement when McCain said "the failure is mine." There was cheering when he thanked Sarah Palin.

The road ahead is steep, very steep, for true conservatives. But Scott Walker is living proof that people will support the conservative message if it is presented clearly enough.

I fear most Republican politicians and party officials still don't get it.

These might be of interest: It was a great victory - but not for the Left and

It made me feel better: PALIN 2012 RYAN
 

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It is difficult for me to square last night's election results with the fact that when polled, more people consider themselves conservatives than the 1 in 5 who say they are liberal.  But the results are the results.

Senator Barack Obama won, but considering the amount of money he spent, it was not the huge landslide some expected in the popular vote.

Republicans managed to keep Kentucky's Mitch McConnel and it looks like Democrats failed to obtain their Senate super filibuster proof majority.

Conservative Congressmen Sensenbrenner and Ryan easily won reelection to the US House of Representatives. Unfortunately, John Gard did not defeat Steven Kagen.

You can check for local results by selecting different categories here.  

California's Proposition 8 to ban gay marriage looks like it will pass: Yes - 52%, No 48%, with 95% precincts in. But it still has not been called. On the darker side, Washington State voted to approve Doctor Assisted Suicide.

The State Republicans failed to maintain the majority in the Assembly. So for the first time since Governor Tony Earl Democrats will control both houses in the state. Can you say higher taxes? Healthy Wisconsin and the hospital tax are just 2 that will be coming our way. There is some talk that President Obama might whisk Jim Doyle off to Washington, but then we are stuck with liberal Barbara Lawton.

State Assembly Representative Leah Vukmir and Rich Zipperer will go back to the Assembly. Republican Dan Knodl will go for the first time. Republican Yash Wadhwa did not make it for Democrat Wasserman's vacated seat.

The Alberta Darling (R) vs. Sheldon Wasserman (D) State Senate race is very close. Darling is leading but the absentee ballots have not been counted yet. 

Germantown voted down their referendums. It will be interesting to see what their school board does about all-day kindergarten now. 

Go figure, Milwaukee voted to increase their sales tax and provide mandatory sick days. What entrepreneur will want to stay there? Will that help Brookfield gain new businesses? Maybe. If the Milwaukee County sales tax increase is adopted, Brookfield Square shopping just became more appealing than Mayfair or Bay Shore's. 

I have a few more things to talk about regarding the election and then it's time to move on. I don't think any of us will be missing the robo-calls, TV, and radio ads!

Wisconsin Department of Transportation OPEN HOUSE: Proposed changes to Bluemound Road (east of Moorland Road, west of Sunnyslope Road), Thursday, Nov. 6th, 7-9pm
 

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Of course the BIG deal of the day is the presidential race and Electoral College count. Will Obama win big? McCain squeak by? Will we even know today or this week?

What will happen with the majorities in the House and Senate. It is difficult for me to understand how a Congress with the lowest approval rating can gain more seats for the party in power, but I have given up trying to understand people's irrational choices. 

If California's Proposition 8 passes, it would eliminate gay marriage. If it fails, gay marriage stays.

In Wisconsin I am watching the Assembly races. I think Leah Vukmir is safe. Hope Rich Zipperer does well too. Dan Knodl from the 24th Assembly District will attract my attention--remember the endorsement problems? Will Republicans still support him?

I'll also be watching Yash Wadhwa's race--not just because I want another Republican seat in the Assembly, but because I like his personal story.

In the State Senate, I am pulling for John Gard* and Alberta Darling. 

Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner should be a sure thing, but Paul Ryan? I hope voters have the good sense to send him back to Washington.

As for Germantown's $22.5 million Elementary School Referendum (some tech and safety upgrades included too?), will voters there buy the Brooklyn Bridge, oh, excuse me, the idea that a new school won't really cost them because the state aid will make up for the added bonding expense?

Supporters of Tuesday's main referendum measure argue that the increase in property taxes needed to pay for the borrowing would be offset by additional state aid collected as a result of higher enrollment.

Remember the Germantown School Board discontinued full-day kindergarten next year because of space constraints. If this referendum does not pass, what will they do then? Go to all half-day or work out some other solution?

It should be interesting!

*Correction, John Gard ran for Congress not State Senate 

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Obama's I'm against same-sex marriage but against ending it's practice via California's Proposition 8 rings about as true as Wisconsin State Senator Jim Sullivan saying, he is for Voter ID but not for a state constitutional amendment referendum question requiring Voter ID. It's doublespeak for I don't want the current situation to change, but don't want to be on the record as saying so.

Obama Says He is Against Same-Sex Marriage But Also Against Ending Its Practice In Calif.:

Barack Obama's nuanced position on same-sex marriage is on full display in an MTV interview which is set to air on Monday.

Obama told MTV he believes marriage is "between a man and a woman" and that he is "not in favor of gay marriage." 

At the same time, Obama reiterated his opposition to Proposition 8, the California ballot measure which would eliminate a right to same-sex marriage that the state's Supreme Court recently recognized.

That's their Obama! Trying to be on both sides of the fence.

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I've been wondering about this for some time. Are some independents reluctant to voice support for John McCain because they don't want to take flack for supporting the Republicans? Democrats have incessantly talked against George Bush during this election cycle, as if they are running against him, even though George isn't running.

Amongst African Americans, I think there is a Bradley effect. Remember J.T. Harris telling McCain that he was taking a ...whipping for supporting McCain? J.T. continues to feel the heat.

The Investor's Business Daily poll isn't as hopeful for McCain today as it looked yesterday, but Obama still isn't 5% points ahead of McCain or above 50%. There are still 9.5% not sure. Are they really not sure or are they just not saying?

One interesting sidebar, there is another segment obsessed with George Bush. al Qaeda wants Republicans, Bush "humiliated": (Hmm, I wonder who they want to win?)

DUBAI (Reuters) - An al Qaeda leader has called for President George W. Bush and the Republicans to be "humiliated," without endorsing a party in the upcoming U.S. presidential election, according to an Internet video posting...

Terrorism monitor SITE Intelligence Group said in a report on Wednesday that militants on al Qaeda-linked websites have for months been debating the significance of Democratic presidential candidate Barak Obama or Republican John McCain.

...Others say his [Obama's] planned phased withdrawal from Iraq would be a boon to al Qaeda's affiliate and give it a base for Middle East expansion.

The only real poll that matters is the vote tally on election day. Go out and vote.

PS From Drudge: Interesting question: Can Obama win popular vote but lose election? And do remember that the early exit polls favored Kerry in 2004.

Sure, chances of Republicans retaining the White House are remote.

But some last-minute state polls show the GOP nominee closing the gap in key states — Republican turf of Virginia, Florida and Ohio among them, and Democratic-leaning Pennsylvania, too.

If the tightening polls are correct and undecided voters in those states break McCain's way — both big ifs — that could make for a repeat of the 2000 heartbreaker for Democrats that gave Republicans the White House.

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President Bill Clinton was known as the Teflon president. No accusations or even cold, hard facts stuck. Monica Lewinsky was not a fabrication of a vast right-wing conspiracy as Hillary claimed. No, Monica was real. She was an intern with whom the President committed unprecedented indiscretions with right in the Oval Office. But it did not stick. He was Teflon.

President Bush on the other hand, according to the left, is responsible for all the ills of the world. No matter that he has kept us safe for 7 years, he is the fall guy for every ill there is: Hurricane Katrina, the housing crisis, global warming...you get the idea. He isn't responsible for it, but he is Velcro--everything sticks.

Senator Barack Obama, however, takes Teflon to a new level. He is Teflon II. Nothing, and I mean nothing sticks to him. Democrats and the media have given him a free pass. Not his questionable associations with Communists, Socialists, and Terrorists, not his many ties to anti-Semites, and not his blatantly socialistic plans for the economy. Jay Weber made a list of all the things that don't stick to Obama. He called him Teflon Obama.   

A video from USA Wake up sums up how we got to this turning point in history. They call it, The Rise of the United Socialist States*. It not only illustrates the progression in creating a very liberal, radical congress that set the stage for an economic downturn, but it also lists Barack Obama's radical associates and friends. His many socialist tax plans are included too.

It's a good summation of the mess we are in. I do believe Obama is the candidate of CHANGE, and I believe he will change the US, possibly forever. The peasants during the Russian Revolution wanted change too. Unfortunately they got it.

Watch the video, send it to your friends. Clearly, Obama is made of Teflon II !

*I watched it a few times. The only stretches I saw were a statement that Obama lied when he "insists that he has never prayed in a mosque and was never a Muslim." Obama did attend a Muslim school in Indonesia for 4 years as a child. Muslims pray several times a day. I can't imagine they let him exercise freedom of religion there! (I've even seen them do it at Fun World in Brookfield in the middle of a children's birthday party.)  It also asks if he was born in Hawaii or Kenya. This one is a stretch too, but since he is so secretive about all of his background information, why was his birth certificate sealed?

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Are you ready for this? "If elected president, the Illinois senator would require women to register for the military draft. As commander in chief, he would also consider assigning women to roles in close combat, also know as 'the point of the spear,'" according to World magazine:

"Women are already serving in combat [in Iraq and Afghanistan], and the current policy should be updated to reflect realities on the ground," Obama spokeswoman Wendy Morigi told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Oct. 13. "Barack Obama would consult with military commanders to review the constraints that remain."

...During a CNN/YouTube debate last year, Obama compared the role of women in today's armed forces to that of black soldiers and airmen in World War II.

"There was a time when African Americans weren't allowed to serve in combat," Obama said. "And yet, when they did, not only did they perform brilliantly, but what also happened is they helped to change America, and they helped to underscore that we're equal."

What about this: A Civilian National Security Force?  Obama's militia? Waffen-SS:

Obama said, "We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we set. We've got to have a Civilian National Security Force that is just as powerful, just as strong,  just as well funded."

Is this new Civilian National Security Force and registering women for the draft what Sen. Joe Biden warned about? Is this the something their supporters wouldn't like in conjunction with that "major international challenge" if Obama was elected? Sen. Joe Biden said,

And he's [Obama] gonna need help. And the kind of help he's gonna need is, he's gonna need you - not financially to help him - we're gonna need you to use your influence, your influence within the community, to stand with him. Because it's not gonna be apparent initially, it's not gonna be apparent that we're right."

We do not have the military capacity, nor have we ever, quite frankly, in the last 20 years, to dictate outcomes. It's so much more important than that. It's so much more complicated than that. And Barack gets it.

Is Obama planning on a draft for both our regular military and his new civilian force?

How is Obama going to pay for this new Civilian National Security Force that is "just as powerful, just as strong, just as well funded? Pretty ironic coming from a guy who begrudged all the money we spend on Iraq.

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Another interesting turn on the road of politics. We just learned that Sen. Barack Obama's Aunt Zeituni lived in a Boston tenement.

Now we learn she isn't an American citizen: Obama has aunt living in US illegally:

Barack Obama's aunt, a Kenyan woman who has been living in public housing in Boston, is in the United States illegally after an immigration judge rejected her request for asylum four years ago, The Associated Press has learned.

Of course the first thing that comes to my mind is, was she planning on voting for him? She did send him a campaign contribution of $260*. Pretty rich for a woman living in less than stellar circumstances.

"Aunt Zeituni is now also living in Boston, and recently made a $260 campaign contribution to her nephew's presidential bid from a work address in the city."

Obama isn't responsible for his aunt's citizenship. It is pretty clear he doesn't have much to do with her.

His campaign should be responsible for checking if contributions are valid. but then, Obama isn't troubled with illegals getting drivers licenses or Social Security either.

*Foreign citizens who have a green card are allowed to contribute, foreign nationals are not. 

Fairly Conservative reports: Auntie's contribution will be returned. 

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Just a thought...If Obama is indeed such a shoe-in, especially in states like Wisconsin, why all the Obama radio and TV ads and mailings? Why the 30 minute infomercial?

On Mark Levin the other day, he discussed how Obama polled 5% higher during the primary than the actual vote tally. Dick Morris said Thursday night on Sean Hannity that unless Obama is above 48% in the polls, even if he is ahead of McCain, Dick didn't think Obama could win.

Even if Wisconsin goes for Obama, we all still need to vote. Not only for the other Republicans on the ballot, but also to send the message that Obama does NOT have a mandate for his socialist plans. My vote in Wisconsin still adds to the total vote count for McCain. It is on that total vote count the mandate is calculated.

Today, Zogby reports that McCain is ahead in one day polling, 48% to Obama's 47%. That news does warm my conservative heart.

Obama seems to be a little less...um...friendly? He kicked the 3 reporters from the 3 papers that endorsed McCain off his campaign plane.    

It is not over. Don't sit this one out!

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Remember when John McCain suspended his campaign and went to Washington to work on the economic crisis?

Obama just said, if you need me, call me. 

Turns out, Obama was making a few calls during that time--at least according to former president Bill Clinton.

In a Fox News piece yesterday, Bill Clinton: Obama Got Lots of Help on Economic Crisis Response, Bill Clinton says at a rally that Barack Obama called a round of advisers during the height of the economic crisis and said, "tell me what...to do." In it, Clinton tells a few tales out of school on Barack Obama: (My emphasis)

"I haven't cleared this with him and he may even be mad at me for saying this so close to the election, but I know what else he said to his economic advisers (during the crisis)," Clinton told the crowd at a Wednesday night rally with Obama in Florida. "He said, 'Tell me what the right thing to do is. What's the right thing for America? Don't tell me what's popular. You tell me what's right -- I'll figure out how to sell it.'" 

Clinton said when the crisis broke, Obama called his own advisers as well as those of the former two-term president, Hillary Clinton, Warren Buffet and others.

Clinton's comments might give some insight into why Obama didn't want to go to Washington--he didn't know what to do. Who does? We still don't know what the right thing to do was.

The disturbing part of Clinton's insights is the idea that Obama doesn't know what the right thing to do is, but if he is told, he believes he can "sell it."

And I think selling it is what Obama has been doing this entire campaign. He is packaging up his socialist ideas of spreading the wealth around and selling them as something that will help the middle class.

Obama is a master salesman. Some people are buying the idea that 95% of workers can get a tax break. They are buying the idea that Obama can take his scalpel and cut from our existing budget enough extra money to fund his billions of dollars worth of promises. Never mind there isn't enough surplus to fund even part of his wish list. 

Like most sales pitches, once the contract is signed, there is no opportunity for buyer's remorse. You get the chance to buy in or pass on November 4th. Let's hope most aren't buying.

H/T  Fairly Conservative

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Obama wants you to spread your wealth around, but doesn't do it himself. His charitable donations are abysmal, amounting to less than 2% on average.

He wants you to contribute $845 billion to his Global Poverty Act, but he doesn't even help his own half-brother in Kenya. Guess he has no responsibility to half-brothers?

At the convention he summed up the ability to prosper in America, "Born into poverty? Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps, even if you don't have boots. You are on your own." He then contrasted that cynical view with his ideals: (My emphasis)

Our government should work for us, not against us.  It should help us, not hurt us.  It should ensure opportunity not just for those with the most money and influence, but for every American who's willing to work.

That's the promise of America - the idea that we are responsible for ourselves, but that we also rise or fall as one nation; the fundamental belief that I am my brother's keeper; I am my sister's keeper.

That's the promise we need to keep.  That's the change we need right now.  So let me spell out exactly what that change would mean if I am President.

Obama repeated his "I am my brother's keeper; I am my sister's keeper" clip in last night's infomercial.

Well, Obama isn't president yet, but we can see how much he believes in his own words: His own Aunt Zeituni lives in a rundown tenement in Boston. Guess being your sister's keeper doesn't apply to aunties either.

Last night Obama also appeared on Jon Sewart's show. He tried to diffuse the Socialist label by quipping,

"That whole socialism argument, that doesn't fly too well,'' Obama said. "The evidence of this seems pretty thin. I said today that I think they found proof that when I was in kindergarten I shared some toys with my friends and that's clearly a sign of subversive activity. 

But there is a big difference between sharing, which is voluntary, and being coerced to share, which is involuntary. Plus, sharing toys in kindergarten doesn't even count. The toys in kindergarten were not personally owned by Obama; they belonged to the school system

When we share our own assets, that is charity. When we share our own assets with friends, that is called friendship. When we are coerced to share our bounty through taxation--to spread the wealth around--that is called socialism! 

Obama summed it up best himself when he was asked about the greatest moral failure in his life and of America at the Saddleback Forum: (My emphasis)

...And what I traced this to [his wild living] is a certain selfishness on my part. I was so obsessed with me and, you know, the reasons that I might be dissatisfied that I couldn't focus on other people. And I think the process for me of growing up was to recognize that it's not about me. It's about --

WARREN: I like that. I like that.

OBAMA: Absolutely. So -- but look, you know, when I -- when I find myself taking the wrong step, I think a lot of times it's because I'm trying to protect myself instead of trying to do god's work.

WARREN: Yeah, fundamental selfishness.

OBAMA: So that, I think, is my own failure.

WARREN: What about America?

OBAMA:: I think America's greatest moral failure in my lifetime has been that we still don't abide by that basic precept in Matthew that whatever you do for the least of my brothers, you do for me, and that notion of -- that basic principle applies to poverty... There's a pervasive sense, I think, that this country, as wealthy and powerful as we are, still don't spend enough time thinking about "the least of these."

Obama's selfishness and socialism is showing. If he does not do for the least of these in his own family, what makes you think he will do for you?

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The world must not have gotten Al Gore's memo that the earth is warming. Yesterday Record cold swept over the region Wednesday in Ocala, Florida. (My emphasis throughout)

Twice the temperature dipped to freezing at the Ocala International Airport early Wednesday before it began making a gradual climb to the mid-60s.

Though there was a reading of freezing or below throughout northwest Marion County, Wednesday morning's official low temperature was 33 degrees.

It was a record for Oct. 29 and the second lowest temperature ever recorded in October since 1850...

...In almost every area of the county at daybreak Wednesday, frost - which came six weeks early - glistened on grass and rooftops.

On the other side of the pond, the Gore Effect has gone into full swing even without Mr. Gore's presence. Just discussing Global Warming legislation prompted the earliest snowfall in 86 years:  Snow blankets London for Global Warming debate, How Parliament passed the Climate Bill:

Snow fell as the House of Commons debated Global Warming yesterday - the first October fall in the metropolis since 1922. The Mother of Parliaments was discussing the Mother of All Bills for the last time, in a marathon six hour session.

In order to combat a projected two degree centigrade rise in global temperature, the Climate Change Bill pledges the UK to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 80 per cent by 2050. The bill was receiving a third reading, which means both the last chance for both democratic scrutiny and consent.

The bill creates an enormous bureaucratic apparatus for monitoring and reporting, which was expanded at the last minute...

Recently the American media has begun to notice the odd incongruity of saturation media coverage here which insists that global warming is both man-made and urgent, and a British public which increasingly doubts either to be true. 60 per cent of the British population now doubt the influence of humans on climate change, and more people than not think Global Warming won't be as bad "as people say".

Both figures are higher than a year ago - and the poll was taken before the non-summer of 2008, and the (latest) credit crisis.

No need to worry about American jobs being outsourced to the UK after that bill!

Will our congress follow suit? Blindly following Al Gore, our Pied Piper of Global Warming, marching down the road through early freezes and snow storms to Carbon Capping economic ruin? 

Guess it depends on who is in charge: The Triumvirate of Obama,  Pelosi, and Reid or McCain balancing that Democrat controlled Congress?

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I am almost afraid to ask, what else don't we know about Barack Obama?

How about another friend,  "Ex-PLO operative" Rashid Khalidi? Obama characterized Khalidi as just someone who sent his children to the same school as the Obama's did. But like William Ayers, it was a little more than that. (Ayers by the way is a friend of Khalidi.) Looking at the April 9th LA Times article about Obama at the 2003 farewell party for Khalidi, Obama himself said there was more,

A special tribute came from Khalidi's friend and frequent dinner companion, the young state Sen. Barack Obama. Speaking to the crowd, Obama reminisced about meals prepared by Khalidi's wife, Mona, and conversations that had challenged his thinking.

Evidently there is a video of Obama toasting Khalidi, but the LA Times won't release it. The B-Cast talked about this yesterday on their program: The B-Cast: L A Times Refuses to Release Video of Obama Toasting Ex-PLO Operative 

It's rather long but included video clips of why Khalidi's relationship with Obama matters. They also talk about the woman who uncovered that 2001 radio interview of Obama's regarding the redistribution of wealth not pursued by Supreme Court.

Gateway Pundit posted about this too: Confirmed: MSM Holds Video of Barack Obama Attending Jew-Bash & Toasting a Former PLO Operative...Refuse to Release the Video! :

...So, there you have it.
The LA Times has video of Obama toasting a former PLO operative at a Jew-bash but will not release the video.
This is outrageous.
Obviously, this video would do great damage to Obama who struggles with Jewish voters due to his circle of close anti-Semitic friends.
Maybe this is the reason it is not being released?

More on Khalidi---
Not only does Barack Obama's church of 20 years support Hamas and Hezbollah but Barack Obama also has a longtime close friendship and financial association with suspected former PLO operative and Israel hater Rashid Khalidi.
Earlier this month Sean Hannity dared to report on Barack and Michelle Obama's radical associate and friend, Rashid Khalidi:

I guess it is too much to ask of the mainstream media to interrupt their important coverage of Sarah Palin's wardrobe or Joe the Plumber's lack of plumbing license to report on something like this.

Please, comment content should relate to the subject of the post. Although I try to respond to many, do not interpret my lack of a response as agreement.

Links: 

When Dan Rather notes the media is biased in favor of the Obama campaign, how can you continue to deny it? (My emphasis throughout)

Former CBS anchorman Dan Rather says there is a huge double-standard in the media when it comes to coverage the Barack Obama campaign receives, which is clearly made evident in the lack of scrutiny given to comments Obama’s vice presidential running mate Sen. Joe Biden made earlier this week. [Re: international crisis]

...  if Sarah Palin had said this, the newspapers would have jumped all over it, and so would the major television outlets.”

Journalist Michael Malone wrote a great piece about this subject in Media's Presidential Bias and Decline, Columnist Michael Malone Looks at Slanted Election Coverage and the Reasons Why. It is long, 5 pages, but very much worth the read. Here are a few highlights:

The traditional media are playing a very, very dangerous game -- with their readers, with the Constitution and with their own fates.

The sheer bias in the print and television coverage of this election campaign is not just bewildering, but appalling. And over the last few months I've found myself slowly moving from shaking my head at the obvious one-sided reporting, to actually shouting at the screen of my television and my laptop computer.

Reporting bias, pg 2: 

But my complacent faith in my peers first began to be shaken when some of the most admired journalists in the country were exposed as plagiarists, or worse, accused of making up stories from whole cloth...

Meanwhile, I watched with disbelief as the nation's leading newspapers, many of whom I'd written for in the past, slowly let opinion pieces creep into the news section, and from there onto the front page. Personal opinions and comments... were now standard operating procedure at the New York Times, the Washington Post, and soon after in almost every small town paper in the U.S.

The Presidential Campaign, pg 3:

But nothing, nothing I've seen has matched the media bias on display in the current presidential campaign.

Republicans are justifiably foaming at the mouth over the sheer one-sidedness of the press coverage of the two candidates and their running mates. But in the last few days, even Democrats, who have been gloating over the pass -- no, make that shameless support -- they've gotten from the press, are starting to get uncomfortable as they realize that no one wins in the long run when we don't have a free and fair press.

...If the current polls are correct, we are about to elect as president of the United States a man who is essentially a cipher, who has left almost no paper trail, seems to have few friends (that at least will talk) and has entire years missing out of his biography.

That isn't Sen. Obama's fault: His job is to put his best face forward. No, it is the traditional media's fault, for it alone (unlike the alternative media) has had the resources to cover this story properly, and has systematically refused to do so.

Joe the Plumber, pg 4: 

The absolute nadir (though I hate to commit to that, as we still have two weeks before the election) came with Joe the Plumber.

Middle America, even when they didn't agree with Joe,