Sunday, February 14, 2010

Just When You Think You Know A Guy...

Remember this guy?   




Alan Grayson.  What a jerk.  Or at least that's what I thought until today.  I was reading some stuff about investigations into central banks' manipulation of gold prices (Whole different subject.  Don't get me started).  His name was mentioned in the list of link tags.  I recognized the name, and I said to myself, "What's this clown got to do with investigations of central banks?"  Well imagine my surprise when I discovered that this first term, progressive Democrat from Central Florida is a vocal critic of bailouts,  bonuses to banksters, and shenanigans at the Federal Reserve.  He is a co sponsor of Ron Paul's legislation to audit the Federal Reserve.  People sure can surprise you.  Now I know that I disagree with this guy on a lot of things, but we sure share some common ground on a few economic issues.  As a Tea Party sympathizer, I'm quick to disparage the actions of both Democrats and Republicans when they exhibit a total absence of fiscal responsibility.  But deep down inside, I always felt that our salvation in this country would come from a chastised and repentant Republican Party that had rediscovered its core principles.  I never thought any politician with a D after his name could ever contribute anything but opposition to the true path to saving this country.  I was wrong.  And Alan Grayson is the reason I know I was wrong.  First, look at the guy's bio.

From Wikipedia - Read the whole entry at this link:

Grayson was born in the Bronx, New York and grew up in the tenements. He graduated from Bronx High School of Science and worked his way through Harvard University graduating summa cum laude in three years. He was also a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He worked as an economist for two years and returned to Harvard for graduate studies. Within four years, he earned a law degree with honors from Harvard Law School, a masters in public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government and completed the course work and passed the general exams for a Ph.D. in government.

Pretty impressive credentials right?  But so what.  Harvard credentials were never a guarantee of any kind of common sense.  But listen to this pit bull go after these witnesses at a series of Congressional hearings.  We may not agree on Health Care reform, but I'm sure glad to have this guy on our side in the battle to rein in the financial industry.
















All I can say in summary is that we are fortunate to have someone with a sophisticated financial and economic background in a position to ask important questions of these officials and not be snowed by evasive answers.  Can you imagine our predicament if instead of Alan Grayson on these panels, we had someone like Maxine Waters or Charlie Rangel asking questions?

Also, when we talk about "audit the fed", did you really understand what that meant before listening to the questions Grayson asked?  It means, who did you lend money to, how much, and is the collateral upon which you lent it any good.  In other words, will we ever see that money again?  It means were there sound purposes for loaning the money, or did politics play a role?  And to reference the comment I made in the first paragraph, how much gold is actually present in the vaults of the Federal Reserve, as compared to the amount we are told is there?  I'm not sure I know what I'm talking about on that score.  Maybe more on that later.

Jess

Monday, February 1, 2010

Obama Flies Too Close to the Sun

Martin Kozlowski

Good article in The Wall Street Journal by Fouad Ajami.  It's about Obama losing his mystique with the public.  Read it if you have the time.  But the cartoon by Martin Kozlowski that accompanies the article is fantastic.  It really tells the story.

Jess

Friday, January 29, 2010

Ellie Light has a Facebook Page

Hey guess what. Ellie Light, the now famous writer of a multitude of pro Obama letters to the editor, turns out to have a Facebook page. Ellie , you may recall, got her letters published in 42 different papers in 18 different states and claimed to be from dozens of different hometowns. She had nothing but wonderful things to say about our president. Congratulations to the Classical Values website for making the find. The website includes a charming picture of Ellie seen on the left (how appropriate). I can't help but feel there's something familiar about that face. What do you think?

Jess

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Dear Abby: What Should I Do? My Senator is a Tool

I got this pathetic e-mail today from my senator's press office.  It's just awful.  I sent them the following  response to tell them so.

Who writes this crap?  It's insulting.  Does anybody proof read this nonsense?  Whoever wrote this must think we are a bunch of kindergarteners.  Senator Carper should read this stuff before it goes out to the public.  It's not like it's two thousand pages or anything.  We know he doesn't bother to read that stuff.  But this is just one page.  And it is Sooooo terrible.  What a disgrace.


Jess

January 2010


Dear Fellow Delawarean,
Happy New Year! Like you, I am looking forward to the many important challenges and opportunities we will face in 2010. In the Senate, these will include continuing to debate health care reform, as well as focusing on job creation and the economy, strengthening our national security measures, confronting the increasing effects of global climate change, working to ensure the stability of our banking system and many more. Needless to say, it will be a busy year.
Earlier this month, I sat down to discuss some of my personal priorities for this upcoming year. Listen here.

I am also looking forward to an upcoming hearing I am hosting as chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security on "greening the government."
Federal agencies use an enormous amount of electricity and fuel in their operations whether to heat a government building or to deliver the mail, so President Obama issued an Executive Order last year calling for a reduction in energy use. My January 27 hearing will discuss how the federal government can save energy – and save taxpayer dollars. In addition, I will be holding a similar field hearing in Delaware in February with Governor Markell.
You can watch the hearing live at 2:30 p.m. on January 27 here.




CLIMATE CHANGE

Last month, Copenhagen, Denmark hosted a global conference on climate change attended by 192 countries. The goal of the event was to reach a new international agreement on how to fight climate change that would include commitments to lower greenhouse gas emissions from all countries – especially from the world’s biggest emitters like the United States and China. The conference was successful in producing a voluntary framework, called the Copenhagen Accord, to start reducing global greenhouse gas pollution.
Back at home, my colleagues and I in the Senate continue to debate ways to slow the dangerous effects of climate change, like rising sea levels threatening our coastal communities both in Delaware and around the country.
Learn more about the Copenhagen conference and the upcoming climate change debate…

TEACHING KIDS ABOUT THE CENSUS



The 2010 Census is less than three months away. So earlier this month, I hosted a kickoff event for the "Census In Schools" program in Delaware. This program aims to provide educators with the resources they need to teach students about the importance of the census, so they in turn can help deliver this message to their families and improve the response rate.
See pictures and read more about the event here...




KEEPING KIDS FIT AND HEALTHY

Another event I hosted this month celebrated the start of the Nemours Health and Prevention Services "Make School a Moving Experience" program, which is designed to get kids off the couch and increase their physical activity. This is an exciting program that I know will improve the lives of Delaware children. As a strong advocate of physical activity and Nemours' "5-2-1-Almost None" healthy living program, I look forward to seeing the "Make School a Moving Experience" program in our local schools.
Learn more about my trips around the state…


STAYING IN TOUCH

Please continue to stay in touch with me when you have questions, concerns or comments about issues that are important to you. And as always, you can find the most up to date information on issues and ways in which my office can be of service on my website.
Sincerely,
Tom Carper