Even Rupert Murdoch's Wall Street Journal is now conceding that President Barack Obama's economic stimulus package is having a positive impact.
In an article today, WSJ quotes economists as saying the bill has boosted economic activity even though it has not taken full effect yet.
The article states:
Many forecasters say stimulus spending is adding two to three percentage points to economic growth in the second and third quarters, when measured at an annual rate. The impact in the second quarter…
Continue
Added by Jim Hand on September 2, 2009 at 9:06am —
No Comments
A few years back a public opinion poll found that viewers of Fox News believed the U.S. military had found weapons of mass destruction when it invaded Iraq.
Viewers of other news network knew the truth - that no WMDs had been found.
Now another poll once again shows how badly informed Fox News fans are.
The NBC-Wall Street Journal poll found that 45 percent of Fox viewers believe in Sara Palin's fantasy about Obama Death Panels in health care reform legislation.
The finding once again raises the…
Continue
Added by Jim Hand on August 24, 2009 at 2:57pm —
4 Comments
A new Rasmussen Reports poll found that only 6 percent of voters believe President Barack Obama is likely to cut taxes.
That is a shame because Congress and the president have already cut taxes for nearly every American.
The $770 billion economic stimulus package included $300 billion in tax cuts. It was the largest segment of the package.
Every working American making under $250,000 got an income tax break. That amounts to about 95 percent of all workers.
Social Security recipients got a $250 c…
Continue
Added by Jim Hand on August 18, 2009 at 3:03pm —
1 Comment
Conspiracy theorists have moved on from claiming that Page 16 of the health care bill outlaws private health insurance. They have a new straw man, Section 1233.
The conspiracy holds that Section 1233 would set up death panels and have doctors encourage elderly patients to submit to euthanasia.
The section - which originally had bipartisan support - actually allows for the reimbursement of services for doctors who counsel patients on "end of life" issues.
Many people like to set up a living will…
Continue
Added by Jim Hand on August 11, 2009 at 12:58pm —
No Comments
Page 16 of the health care reform bill has become the grassy knoll or Area 54 of health care for conspiracy buffs.
No matter what anyone tells them they are convinced that Page 16 outlaws all private health care plans.
It is not quite as facinating as Sara Palin's claim that her son Trig, with his Down Syndrome, would have to go before an Obama "death panel" to determine if he lives or not, but it is one of the more enduring myths of the health care debate.
(By the way, the National Down Syndrom…
Continue
Added by Jim Hand on August 10, 2009 at 1:14pm —
No Comments
President Barack Obama should stick to basketball.
The commander in chief showed off a pretty weak pitching arm when he threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Major League Baseball All Star game Tuesday night.
His soft, lolly pop of a pitch barely made it to home plate.
The lob was in stark contrast to his showing at a military base when he visited the troops before the election.
There he nailed a three-point shot on the first try at the base basketball court.
Continue
Added by Jim Hand on July 15, 2009 at 2:57pm —
No Comments
The head of Zoo New England apparently has been caught in a white lie for claiming that animals at the Franklin Park Zoo and Stone Zoo might be euthanized because of budget cuts.
The claims caused a uproar over the weekend and the Legislature is vowing to override the budget cuts.
But, when Gov. Deval Patrick called the zoo out on the false claims, zoo leaders went silent and referred questions to their public relations firm, which also refused to address the apparent falsehood.
The incident rai…
Continue
Added by Jim Hand on July 14, 2009 at 10:46am —
No Comments
City officials have tried to keep their plans for balancing the budget quiet, but sources say the city is seeking 10-day furloughs from its workers to save money.
Furthermore, Mayor Kevin Dumas may propose a city meals tax in his budget.
Continue
Added by Jim Hand on June 4, 2009 at 9:30am —
1 Comment
Sometimes the most effective lies have enough truth in them to make them credible to the gullible.
Take, for instance, right wing attacks on the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor for Supreme Court.
The Washington Times, Fox News and other conservative media outlets say she is unqualified for the Supreme Court because 60 percent of her lower court opinions were overturned by the high court.
The truth is that three of her five cases that were reviewed by the court were overturned. As the Washing…
Continue
Added by Jim Hand on May 28, 2009 at 9:18am —
2 Comments
It would be nice if something as important as a U.S. Supreme Court nomination was handle with solemn dignity void of crass politics, but that is never going to happen.
So, regardless of the merits or drawbacks to the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the court, politics is a prime consideration.
The national media is reporting that the Obama administration is almost hoping that Senate Republicans oppose her nomination because it would hurt their already low standing with a growing Hispanic popula…
Continue
Added by Jim Hand on May 27, 2009 at 9:50am —
6 Comments
Don't bother trying to make sense of the following, just know:
1) A Massachusetts Democratic state senator said last night during the budget debate that he opposed raising the income tax because it would hurt taxpayers in the pocketbook. He then voted to raise the sales tax. Apparently sale taxes do not hurt taxpayers in the pocketbook.
2) The clerk's office at the Massachusetts state Senate is not allowed to give out the votes of individual senators on specific issues.
3) Republicans in Congres…
Continue
Added by Jim Hand on May 20, 2009 at 11:00am —
2 Comments
President Barack Obama has yet to name his nominee for a soon-to-be-vacant Supreme Court seat, but Republicans are already announcing their rationales for blocking the nomination.
It is ususally consider good manners to wait to find out who you are opposing before you begin opposing them, but the times they are a changing.
There was a time when the Senate would only block a Supreme Court nomination if there was a glaring problem with the person, such as a lapse of ethical conduct.
Things began t…
Continue
Added by Jim Hand on May 18, 2009 at 1:49pm —
3 Comments
Perhaps you have seen those television ads criticizing President Obama's attempts to reform health care.
You know the ones. They feature horror stories about the Canadian and British systems, even though Obama has no intention of imposing a government-run medical system such as those in Canada and England.
In any case, have you ever wondered who the spokesman in the ads are?
He is Texan Rick Scott and he knows a lot about what is wrong about the American health care system because he is the post…
Continue
Added by Jim Hand on May 12, 2009 at 9:30am —
1 Comment
A group is running television ads attempting to scare people into opposing President Barack Obama's health care reforms and a Republican consultant is urging GOP member of Congress to take a similar tact.
The ad quotes a Canadian and Englishman warning about the deadly impact of having bureaucrats ration health care and make medical decisions instead of doctors. Of course, they are talking about the systems in their countries, not the Obama plan.
They can't talk abotu the Obama plan because he h…
Continue
Added by Jim Hand on May 7, 2009 at 3:59pm —
2 Comments
Year after year polling finds a significant gender gap between Democrats and Republicans when it comes to women.
The Gallop Poll reported this week:
"Among women, Democrats maintain a solid double-digit advantage in party identification over Republicans, 41 percent to 27 percent."
Why is that?
George W. Bush reportedly won many women over in his 2004 re-election on security issues after the 9-11 attacks.
But why do women generally side with Democrats?
Common wisdom holds that women are more conc…
Continue
Added by Jim Hand on May 7, 2009 at 12:39pm —
No Comments
Folks, we have two wars, escalating unemployment, shaky banks, Iran, North Korea and pirates to worry about to name a few.
So, don't you think we could do without stories about the California beauty queen, John Edwards affair and Bristol Palin?
Continue
Added by Jim Hand on May 7, 2009 at 11:20am —
1 Comment
There is more evidence in that political discussion has gone over the edge and labels are becoming meaningless.
Republican National Chairman Michael Steele said the other day that U.S. Rep. Arlen Specter is a "leftist" with a "left wing record."
The comments were made in response to Specter's switch from the Republican to Democratic party.
Regardless of what you think of Specter and his switch, there is no way he is a leftist and he does not have a "left wing record."
Specter is firmly in the mi…
Continue
Added by Jim Hand on April 30, 2009 at 10:45am —
1 Comment
President Barack Obama has been handed a nearly unprecedented series of crises since moving into the White House and the American public seems to like the way he is handing things.
A series of polls out this week as Obama approaches his 100th day in office tells the tale.
ABC puts his job approval rating at 68 percent to 26 percent disapproving. Fox News puts the spread at 62-29.
Real Clear Politics averages seven major polls and comes up with a mark of 62 percent approval versus 30 percent disa…
Continue
Added by Jim Hand on April 28, 2009 at 12:33pm —
3 Comments
One of the great things about being a member of Congress is that you never have to live up to the expectations you have for others.
Take for example U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rogers, R-Washington.
She is vice chair of the Republican task force studying ways to eliminate the nasty earmarks in the budget that the GOP loved when it was in charge of Congress, but has been so upset about since Democrats took over.
Rogers, despite her campaign against earmarks, has requested a ton of them herself in th…
Continue
Added by Jim Hand on April 22, 2009 at 10:00am —
13 Comments
Protesters gathered at various sites across the country today to demonstrate against tax increases and assaults on freedom such as gun-owner rights by President Barack Obama.
Apparently the protesters never got word that Obama has not raised taxes. He has proposed some increases two years down the road, but for now he has cut the income tax rate on everyone making less than $250,000.
He has also not attacked gun rights and has said many times he has no intention to doing so.
Right wing bloggers…
Continue
Added by Jim Hand on April 15, 2009 at 6:30pm —
3 Comments
