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Tamaulipas: Car Bomb Explodes at State Police HQ
Today's Headlines
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Page 6: Politix
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-Lurid Crime Tales-
LA city councilman indicted on felony voter fraud
A Los Angeles city councilman and his wife were indicted on a total of 24 felony counts stemming from allegations he lived outside his district, prosecutors said Wednesday.
"How far outside his district?"
"Tibet."

Richard Alarcon, 56, faces 18 charges of perjury, voter fraud and filing a false declaration of candidacy. His wife, Flora Montes De Oca Alarcon, is charged with six counts including perjury and voter fraud. They both pleaded not guilty and were released on their own recognizance.

It was not immediately clear how much prison time they would face if convicted but it could be "substantial," said Jennifer Lentz Snyder, a deputy district attorney.
... though it probably won't be...
The 24-page indictment was unsealed Wednesday following a 15-month investigation by the district attorney's office. Alarcon said nothing during the court hearing but later said that "the charges by the district attorney are baseless. My wife and I are innocent."
"Of course we live here. So do our yaks."
He said he did not plan to resign from the council.
"Why would I resign from the council when I'm under indictment?"
"The charges are related to my residence and not my work as a councilman," Alarcon said.
"I've regularly mailed in my votes, usually by airmail..."
He came under investigation after complaints that he did not live in a Panorama City home he used as his voting address. The Los Angeles Times reported earlier this year that neighbors had not seen him there for years. "The foundations of this indictment is the issue of where their domicile was," said his attorney Henry Salcido.
"It's pretty obvious it wasn't where he said it was. What's not clear is where it actually is. But we're working on that..."
"We are absolutely convinced that we know that they are innocent. And on this one, trust us, the government made a mistake."
"My yeti will vouch for me."
Salcido said the defense has not yet received a copy of the grand jury transcript.
"They're still taking the bad words out..."
Alarcon maintained he lived at that address until October but he and his family moved out after a homeless man broke in. He said in January that his daughter refused to sleep in the Panorama City home.
"She prefers that pure mountain air. Or lack thereof."
The former professional politician currently represents an area that includes Panorama City, Pacoima and other portions of the San Fernando Valley. In January, investigators searched the Panorama City home and another about a block away in Sun Valley, a neighboring district. Both of the homes are owned by his wife.
... and neither was occupied by him...
Last month, the councilman said six members of his staff were subpoenaed by a grand jury.
"Heads up, everybody! Subpoenas are in!"
The councilman was elected to the 7th District council seat in March 2007, and later that year unsuccessfully sought to have his district's boundaries redrawn to include his wife's Sun Valley home, prosecutors said. The indictment charged him with filing a false declaration of candidacy on Dec. 6, 2006, and Nov. 6, 2008. It alleged he fraudulently voted in elections in 2007, 2008 and 2009 The perjury counts include allegations the councilman filed false driver's license applications..
Posted by: Fred || 08/06/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Welcome to the next exciting episode of "Name That Party!"
Posted by: Raj || 08/06/2010 7:49 Comments || Top||

#2  Probably the same fool that worked the boycott of Arizona.
Posted by: 49 Pan in UAE || 08/06/2010 9:31 Comments || Top||

#3  Yep, yep. No voter fraud here. It's all a Trunk lie. /sarc off
Posted by: Procopius2k || 08/06/2010 12:16 Comments || Top||


Economy
COMPOSITE: Social Security in Red - Postal Service in Red - Fannie Mae in Red
USPS Liquidity Fears
"Given current trends, we will not be able to pay all 2011 obligations," said Joseph Corbett, the agency's chief financial officer.

Social Security in the Red First Time Ever
Social Security will pay out more this year than it gets in payroll taxes, marking the first time since the program will be in the red since it was overhauled in 1983, according to the annual authoritative report released Thursday by the program's actuary.

Fannie Mae Seeks Another 1.5 Billion
Fannie Mae, the mortgage-finance company operating under federal conservatorship, is seeking $1.5 billion in aid from the U.S. Treasury Department after a 12th straight quarterly loss.
Posted by: Snusoter Fillmore9811 || 08/06/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [10 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Social Security in the Red First Time Ever

Whose brilliant idea was it to change this to a pay-as-you-go fund? Did this happen during the Reagan administration, or was it someone before him?
Posted by: gorb || 08/06/2010 1:53 Comments || Top||

#2  The USPO is obligated to PRE-PAY its retirees future health benefits, $5 billion this year, unlike every other governmental & private company. Something to do with making the federal deficit look smaller. This is a huge amount of money. Congress is opposed to the PO cutting its losses by ending Saturday deliveries although it does not provide any funding to the PO.
Fannie Mae was just delisted from the NYSE due to very low share values. Its basic reason for continuing is to support mortgage lending & to prop up inflated housing prices, a long-standing government goal.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 08/06/2010 2:48 Comments || Top||

#3  So THIS is what peak government looks like.
Posted by: no mo uro || 08/06/2010 6:00 Comments || Top||

#4  I'm very glad to see more people realising that low house affordability is not a sign of a strong economy.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 08/06/2010 7:15 Comments || Top||

#5  The decision to remove Social Security from it's protected status and move it to the general fund was made by the Democrats during the Lyndon Johnson administration. The decision to give Social Security bebefits to everyone, even if the person never paid in or just got here off the boat was made, again by the Democrats, during the Bill Clinton administration with Al Gore as President Pr-tem of the Senate casting the deciding vote.
Posted by: Deacon Blues || 08/06/2010 7:28 Comments || Top||

#6  It's starting.

Latin America North, here we come.
Posted by: lex || 08/06/2010 8:14 Comments || Top||

#7  I think Social Security has *always* been a pay-as-you-go Ponzi scheme.

It's just reaching the point where intake is less than the outflow. Look for it to 'reform' by refusing some of its obligations - probably by not paying out to anyone who has a certain amount of additional income (i.e. Anyone who planned ahead).
Posted by: CrazyFool || 08/06/2010 8:55 Comments || Top||

#8  I can't think of any government or state agency that isn't in the red right now.
Posted by: DarthVader || 08/06/2010 10:34 Comments || Top||

#9  But not as "Red" as our current president.

Al
Posted by: Frozen Al || 08/06/2010 11:17 Comments || Top||

#10  I think there is a difference between Social Security and a Ponzi scheme.

The Ponzi scheme relies on fraud to convince people to participate. Nobody holds a gun to your head, they just tell you all kinds of nonsense and if you are foolish enough to believe it then you have nobody to blame but yourself.

Social Security uses the coercive power of the federal government to separate you from your money. They tell you the lies too but, really, you have no choice. The gun that is pointed at your head is real.
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 || 08/06/2010 12:03 Comments || Top||

#11  Ebbang Uluque6305 That's a difference?
Posted by: Redneck Jim || 08/06/2010 12:33 Comments || Top||

#12  I can't think of any government or state agency that isn't in the red right now

Indiana (thanks to Gov. Mitch Daniels)
Posted by: lex || 08/06/2010 17:02 Comments || Top||

#13  "I can't think of any government or state agency that isn't in the red right now"

Virginia

Texas
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 08/06/2010 17:11 Comments || Top||

#14  And what is the common element in each of those three states?
Hint - look at which party holds the governor's seat.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia || 08/06/2010 20:40 Comments || Top||

#15  "look at which party holds the governor's seat"

Not sure about the other 2, Rambler, but in Virginia the House of Delegates (and therefore the Appropriations Committee) is also held by the same party. That matters.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 08/06/2010 21:59 Comments || Top||


More on Senate Dems' vote to let taxes increase
Dave already mentioned this, but here's some more detail on what happened with the votes to let tax rates rise in the Senate today. Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., put two amendments to a vote:
(1) a permanent extension of the current marginal income tax rates with instructions to offset as necessary through spending reduction

and

(2) a permanent extension of individual income tax rates for small businesses with instructions to offset as necessary through spending reductions.
Both amendments went down by a vote of 58-42 earlier today. A statement from DeMint's office notes how significant these impending tax increases are:
By defeating DeMint's amendments today, Democrats approved tax increases on all marginal tax brackets that will rise significantly on individuals, families, and small business to their pre-2001 levels, which were five tax rates of 15%, 28%, 31%, 36%, and 39.6%. According to analysis by the Wall Street Journal, an individual in South Carolina making $40,000 next year will pay about $400 more in federal income taxes. A South Carolina married couple earning a combined $80,000 will see their federal income tax rise by nearly $2,200. A married couple earning $160,000 next year could pay $5,500 more to Washington.

Also, the Obama tax hikes are set to significantly increase taxes on small businesses earning more than $200,000. The IRS has noted that most small businesses file taxes as individuals making more than $200,000 per year, with around 30 million tax returns reporting small business income in 2008. According to the Small Business Administration, small businesses employ over half of the nation's private sector workforce, more than 60 million Americans. 21.6 million of those jobs are provided by small businesses with less than 20 employees.
Also worth mentioning here: Democrats already voted to raise the capital gains tax and the death tax in June and July, respectively.
Posted by: Fred || 08/06/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Obama will claim, "Those aren't new taxes on people making under $250,000. They are old taxes. Besides, you wouldn't be going through this pain if Bush hadn't stupidly cut the taxes in the first place. It's obviously Bush's fault, so stop whining. I'm doing the best that can be expected under the circumstances."
Posted by: KBK || 08/06/2010 21:07 Comments || Top||


Senate Dems vote to let tax rates rise
With these two identical 58-42 votes, all Senate Democrats except Sen. Ben Cornhusker Kickback Nelson, D-Neb., just voted to let rates rise for individuals and small businesses beginning next year. The vote, forced by Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., would have extended the current, lower rates for the two categories.
Posted by: Fred || 08/06/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [9 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Seems to me Sen. Ben "Cornhusker Kickback" Nelson, D-ouchebag is looking to save his sorry ass.
Posted by: NCMike || 08/06/2010 22:24 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Politix
Official apologizes for lemonade stand shutdown
Follow up from yesterday...
No need to jack up the price of a glass of lemonade. Turns out kids won't have to shell out $120 for a health permit to run their lemonade stands after all.

Multnomah County's top elected official apologized Thursday for health inspectors who forced a 7-year-old girl to shut down her stand last week because she didn't have a food-safety permit.

Continued on Page 49
Posted by: tu3031 || 08/06/2010 13:53 || Comments || Link || [11 views] Top|| File under:

#1  It's not to protect the people - it's to protect the regular food businesses - from the competition. Tell the little girl the truth, Ms Commissar.

Posted by: Goober Goobelopolous || 08/06/2010 15:48 Comments || Top||

#2  Professional and government employee don't exactly go together. There is a reason they made up the saying, "Good enough for governemnt work." The only professionals I've ever seen in the government are from the military.
Posted by: miscellaneous || 08/06/2010 15:58 Comments || Top||

#3  That's a little broad. There are plenty of professionals at NIH. I know them personally.
Posted by: Steve White || 08/06/2010 18:53 Comments || Top||

#4  Actually, I've found professionals in a number of government offices over the past 20 years. They're not anywhere near a majority, however. The REALLY professional ones don't stay on the government payroll very long, though. They figure out what the government is doing wrong, and open a private business to compete - or to offer suggestions (at a very steep price) that the majority of government employees ignore.
Posted by: Old Patriot || 08/06/2010 20:34 Comments || Top||

#5  Every organization has 2 basic types of people. The first type works to carry out the purpose of the organization. The other works to increase the size and power of the organization regardless of its purpose.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 08/06/2010 20:59 Comments || Top||

#6  Lets put people like this agency head on a list every year and pick 10 at random at years end for execution. I bet the frequency of these outrages would drop off to nearly nil...
Posted by: M. Murcek || 08/06/2010 21:15 Comments || Top||

#7  A century ago my great-grandmother tried to run a mini-grocery store out of her farmhouse for benefit of the Indian village she lived in. The county authorities used the same sort of crap to drive her out of business. SSDC -- C referring to century.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 08/06/2010 21:20 Comments || Top||

#8  Chairman Jeff Cogen also said he has directed county health department workers to use "professional discretion" in doing their jobs.

Ah, yes "discretion". Hayek had a whole chapter about "discretion" in bureaucratic, totalitarian states. How you get treated depends on who you know, what you can do in return, and who is looking at the time.

Rule of law, people! If this law is wrong, show some guts and change it! Otherwise, charge the kid the $120.
Posted by: KBK || 08/06/2010 22:39 Comments || Top||


Oh US Military? About your pay and benefits....
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski || 08/06/2010 12:04 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Cote and other members, including the commission's co-chair Alan Simpson, are focusing instead on "freezing military pay, making military people pay for their health care."
Posted by: No I am The Other Beldar || 08/06/2010 12:54 Comments || Top||

#2  There actually does need for some sense to be put back into military support mechanisms, for the simple reason that they are unsustainable at current levels.

The greater context for this is likely that, with an economic collapse, Defense is going to be slashed by at least 50%, and for years there won't be any major system upgrades, and in many cases, replacements. So the military will have to make do with its current and reserve equipment, of which it has a lot, or has already procured.

This leaves military pay, which is going to take a huge hit. Programs like the G.I. Bill and home loans are out the window. There will probably be significant co-pays for Stateside family members medical, if they get any at all. And they will be Stateside, because there will be no family travel outside the US.

Overseas postings will probably be limited to four or five critical areas, and everybody else is pulled home unless there is a hot war. This means leaving about 90 countries where they are currently posted.

I wouldn't even be surprised if most of the VA hospitals are closed, their patients outsourced to HMOs, if it costs less.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 08/06/2010 18:49 Comments || Top||

#3  Thank you for that most encouraging analysis Anonymoose.
Posted by: Besoeker || 08/06/2010 19:20 Comments || Top||

#4  When I enlisted in the USMC in 1968, the promise was free healthcare for life if I did a career. Well, I did, with some truncation, but a full 20+ in the USMC and Army, the Active Duty Guard, title 10.

Now my wife and I get Medicare Part A and Part B for which we pay like everybody else, and whatever is left is Tricare for life after deductibles.
Gee, does that sound like they keep their promises?
Posted by: NoMoreBS || 08/06/2010 19:53 Comments || Top||

#5  If this happens, and I agree with Moose, I hope it happens right after the Congressional retirements are gutted.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble || 08/06/2010 20:10 Comments || Top||

#6  This is part of the upcoming larger battle: Battle Looms Over Huge Costs of Public Pensions
It's been easy up to now to promise future payments based on future revenues. The future is biting us on the a** now.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 08/06/2010 21:02 Comments || Top||

#7  But.... but... Illegal aliens will still get free healthcare and education right? Right?

And inconvenient pregnancies can still get -er- taken care of on the taxpayer's dime right?

Right?
Posted by: CrazyFool || 08/06/2010 23:03 Comments || Top||

#8  Not to mention political payback billions in financial aid for state teachers unions to cover state shortfalls.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 08/06/2010 23:26 Comments || Top||


EPA Starts Strong-Arming Infrastructure Businesses
Seven Valley sand and gravel companies, including Fisher Sand & Gravel, which was forced to shut down its south Phoenix asphalt plant, could be barred from bidding on federal projects or face fines because of dust-related violations found at their sites.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sent violation notices to each company in July after conducting several inspections at sand and gravel plants and has offered to talk about the violations before determining penalties.

State and county officials are battling with federal regulators who have threatened to withhold federal highway funds to force compliance with the Clean Air Act.

C. William Nichols, president of Kilauea Crushers, said his company tries to comply with the various regulations and curb problems with dust. He added, though, that he feels some of the rules are excessive, especially in a period of low construction when mills are sometimes dormant. "We will have meetings with them and we get everything worked out," he said. "We do the best we can."

"We take these violations very seriously," said Steve Trussell, executive director of the Arizona Rock Products Association trade group. "We'd only be hurting ourselves if we were to jeopardize that highway federal money."

Trussell said he has been meeting with company representatives to discuss enforcement and compliance issues. He said the industry group worked closely with the county for at least eight years on the "interpretation" of Rule 316, and now it will need to start such talks with the EPA.
Crap like this is why States are in near revolt against the feds. Just a decade ago, the EPA considered requiring AZ to "water down the desert" to reduce dust. Fortunately one of them had actually been out West and knew that this would be impractical. Though it took him a while to persuade his peers.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 08/06/2010 09:07 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Sounds like the Fed is continuing its assault on Arizona. Some brown nosing EPA official must be looking for a promotion. I have always likened the dust particle regulations to trying to regulate the fog in San Fran.
Posted by: 49 Pan in UAE || 08/06/2010 9:37 Comments || Top||

#2  Abuse of Power(c) will be one of the first criteria to do away with a department when the Big Crunch(tm) hits the national government. No lateral civil service transfers allowed. When you hang your hat in one department, you hang with it.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 08/06/2010 9:58 Comments || Top||

#3  If I were king, I'd regulate stupidity.
Posted by: gorb || 08/06/2010 12:37 Comments || Top||

#4  Farmers, being rugged and self sufficient are and Republican are targets of the same "dust" storm from the Obama EPA for political reasons. The Gangster government is our enemy.
Posted by: Hupoting Fillmore9546 || 08/06/2010 13:11 Comments || Top||


Waxman sees bright side to November: 'Difficult' Democrats won't be back
Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) believes the November elections will likely weed out some of the "most difficult Democrats" that leadership lawmakers have dealt with this Congress.

In an interview with The Hill, the Energy and Commerce Committee chairman expressed confidence that Democrats will retain the House, and suggested he won't miss some of the Democrats who won't be back next year.

"I think a lot of the House seats we're going to lose are those who have been the toughest for the Democrats to pull into line -- the Democrats that have been the most difficult," Waxman said.

Waxman, one of the Democratic Party's stalwarts, is simply voicing publicly what many in his party have said privately as the reality of the looming November elections sets in. If Democrats retain a majority, it will be smaller but more cohesive.

As Waxman sees it, the fractious coalition of Democrats that House leaders have cobbled together to pass sweeping healthcare and energy bills is not markedly different from the bipartisanship of the past, when Democrats partnered with centrist and liberal Republicans, whom Waxman says are "practically nonexistent at the moment."

"We've been trying to get the Democratic conservatives together with the rest of the Democratic Party, so in effect we've gotten bipartisan support among Democrats in the House," the chairman said with a laugh. "Now we'll have to work on genuine bipartisanship in the future."

For much of the early part of his career, the liberal Waxman battled conservative Democrats from the South on the direction of the party. Years later, Waxman is still waging that fight, but now he wields the gavel of one of the most powerful panels in Congress. Waxman became chairman after successfully challenging Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), the former chairman, in 2008.

Waxman has rewarded loyalty to the Democratic agenda through his leadership political action committee, L.A. PAC. Each of the 14 donations of $5,000 the committee made after the final healthcare vote in March went to Democrats who voted yes.

A single contribution of a lesser amount, $3,000, was sent in April to Rep. Walt Minnick (D-Idaho), one of the party's most vulnerable members, who voted against the bill. In January, Waxman gave $10,000 to Rep. Zack Space (D-Ohio), a month after he voted for the initial House version of healthcare reform. Two months later, Space voted against the final bill.

Democratic conservatives serve little purpose for Waxman, who seemed to relish the thought that a strengthened GOP would mean that the minority party would have to play ball.
Posted by: Fred || 08/06/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Nuthin like a good purge, eh Henry? Cleans out the "ideologically impure"...
Posted by: tu3031 || 08/06/2010 0:11 Comments || Top||

#2  You ain't seen difficult yet Waxman.



Don't tread on me.
Posted by: Snusoter Fillmore9811 || 08/06/2010 0:21 Comments || Top||

#3  Does Waxman ever think how much easier he could make things for the USA if HE resigned?
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 08/06/2010 2:59 Comments || Top||

#4  What the man is telling the fools is that those in safe districts who accumulate seniority are more than happy to toss your sorry asses after using them to gain points with their factions. You were all expendable fools.

Note to the new class of 2011, kill seniority for your own self preservation. They play the game on both sides of the aisle.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 08/06/2010 9:08 Comments || Top||

#5  Most of the libs don't see it this way.

To them, the moderate Dems are vital to disguising the nature of the Dem party (e.g., all the American Flags and a few token and/or temporary pro-life speakers at the Dem convention) and without the disguise, the Dems are toast in middle America.
Posted by: lord garth || 08/06/2010 9:59 Comments || Top||

#6  It's more fun for the ideologically pure (of all flavors) to be in the minority where they don't have to take responsibility for their cockamanie ideas being put into actual practice.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble || 08/06/2010 11:52 Comments || Top||

#7  What a leader he is! You can see why the intelligentsia in Beverly Hills keep re-electing him, can't you?
Posted by: mojo || 08/06/2010 12:29 Comments || Top||

#8  I really really want to hit Waxman in the face with an aluminum baseball bat.

(no threat implied)[sarc]
Posted by: Mike Hunt || 08/06/2010 16:10 Comments || Top||

#9  With your permission Mike, I'd like to watch.
Posted by: Besoeker || 08/06/2010 16:12 Comments || Top||

#10  I'd think a Louisville Slugger would be more effective, Mike.

Wouldn't wood be heavier than aluminum?

I'll hold you coat in either case.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 08/06/2010 17:06 Comments || Top||

#11  Pay-per-view.

And what's wrong with good-old american steel?
Posted by: CrazyFool || 08/06/2010 18:02 Comments || Top||

#12  I thought somebody already did that -- I mean, isn't that why he looks like the Phantom of the Opera?
Posted by: Gabby || 08/06/2010 18:07 Comments || Top||

#13  A solid-hickory axehandle right across the bridge of the nose, as hard as I can swing. The list of people I'd love to do that to is growing longer every day. It's absolutely amazing that our country functions at all with all the idiots in government - at most levels and in most offices, including the military. With pay-per-view, or selling tickets, we could wipe out the national debt by Christmas.
Posted by: Old Patriot || 08/06/2010 22:33 Comments || Top||


Jeff Kottkamp Crosses the Boss: Supports Marco Rubio, Drops Charlie Crist
Even though Gov. Charlie Crist hand-picked him to serve as his running mate in 2006, Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp on Wednesday endorsed Crist's chief opponent in the U.S. Senate race, former House Speaker Marco Rubio.

Rubio is running as a Republican, while Crist left the GOP back in April to continue his campaign as an independent. Kottkamp is running against former Assistant State Attorney Pam Bondi and former Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Holly Benson in a close battle for the Republican nomination for attorney general.

"Today I announce my endorsement of Marco Rubio to be Florida's next United States senator," said Kottkamp.

Using the endorsement to reinforce his conservative credentials, Kottkamp made a pitch to Republican primary voters who remain largely undecided in the attorney general contest.

"This endorsement should not be a surprise to anyone," said Kottkamp. "As conservative Republicans, Marco and I share the same principles -- faith, family and freedom. Never before have those beliefs meant so much."

Kottkamp, who served with Rubio in the House, used the opportunity to attack Crist for backing President Barack Obama.

"I cannot in good conscience support a candidate who will go to Washington and push for passage of the Obama agenda," said Kottkamp, who has criticized the Obama administration on a number of issues, ranging from new federal health-care laws to budget cuts to NASA . "Too much is at stake in this election and I'm proud to say I support Marco Rubio."
Posted by: Fred || 08/06/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:


Obama to raise $1 million for Giannoulias
President Obama will speak at a Chicago fundraiser on Thursday for Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias (D).

The event at the Palmer House Hilton is expected to raise a much-needed $1 million for Giannoulias's campaign. Moreover, it will likely provide the video and images the Democrat needs to showcase his relationship with Obama down the stretch.

Obama's appearance with the Democrat who hopes to win the president's former Senate seat comes the same week that new records emerged showing jailed developer Tony Rezko received a previously undisclosed loan from the Giannoulias family's Broadway Bank.

Fundraising has been a problem for Giannoulias since Broadway Bank collapsed in April. He raised less than $900,000 last quarter while his Republican rival, Mark Kirk, pulled in $2.25 million during the same period.

Both candidates have been dogged by controversies, and their race is tight.

Obama will also deliver a speech at a Ford plant in Chicago on Thursday. The president will later participate in two other fundraisers for the Democratic National Committee.

Sources told the Chicago Sun-Times that the Giannoulias camp and the DNC were initially having trouble filling the rooms for the events. The DNC expects to raise $2.5 million from Obama's appearances.
Posted by: Fred || 08/06/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  The original estimate was $2 million for Alexi alone. The reported total from three events was $2.5 million with only $1 million going to Alexi. Easiest way to tell an Illinois candidate who is going to lose is he can't raise money. Alexi can't raise money.
Posted by: Ebbese Ebbump8799 || 08/06/2010 1:08 Comments || Top||


Housing grants go to board affiliates
The Tennessee Housing Development Agency has awarded at least $28 million in competitive grants and allocations to organizations associated with its own board members since 2007, according to a review by The Tennessean.

Four members of the 19-member board head local nonprofit or government housing agencies that receive THDA funds.

Some outside the agency have raised questions about the board structure and whether it creates an unfair advantage for organizations affiliated with board members.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred || 08/06/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:


Rowland officially launches bid for House seat held by Slaughter
Rep. Louise M. Slaughter never has had much problem fending off challengers during her almost 24 years in Congress.

But Dr. Jill Rowland, a Buffalo dentist, vowed Tuesday to change that as she officially announced her Republican candidacy against the Fairport Democrat.

"I'm running because, like you, I'm concerned about the direction this country is taking," Rowland told a small group of supporters gathered in an Elmwood Avenue office building. "Judging by the current administration, we are headed for very big problems."

The matchup represents the first all-female contest for the House of Representatives in area memory.

Rowland, 40, kicked off her candidacy with a strong endorsement from Nicholas A. Langworthy, chairman of the Erie County Republican Party, and echoed several "tea party" movement themes as she listed problems she sees stemming from the Obama administration. She seemed most opposed to the new health care plan passed last year.

"When the Democrats go against the will of the American people and remove peoples' choices in health care and centralize it in a bureaucracy in Washington, we have problems," she said.

She said it will force consumers to buy insurance plans they may not want and adheres to principles that government -- and not voters--want.

"And this does nothing to protect the sacred doctor-patient relationship," she said.

Rowland acknowledged the current health care system is "not perfect," but seeks reforms centered around plans that increase choice and put decisions "back in the hands of patients." She also proposes allowing patients to shop for insurance across state lines and enacting tort reform to eliminate frivolous lawsuits.

Rowland said other problems lie ahead as a result of policies favored by Slaughter, whom she took care to link to President Obama. She cited a growing debt concentrated in Chinese hands and spending patterns that she said will invite more debt and might put the country on the road to severe economic problems, like those confronting Greece and Spain.

"President Obama, with the help of Louise Slaughter, wants to bring the same spending model to the United States," she said.

Rowland was born on an Air Force base in Germany, where her father was stationed. She said she was a single mother just entering dental school when she was diagnosed with cancer, but completed her studies and went on to become a dentist.

She lives in Buffalo with her husband, Timothy Votta -- also a dentist -- and their children. She also will run on the Conservative Party line.

Slaughter would not respond directly to any of her opponent's charges.

"It is a great honor to serve the people of Western New York," is all she would say. "I look forward to continuing my conversation with my constituents so together we can rebuild our local economy, protect jobs from going overseas and make the American dream accessible to all Americans."
Posted by: Fred || 08/06/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:


Home Front: Culture Wars
Deval Patrick backs NYC mosque plan
Governor Deval Patrick, who this spring became the state's first sitting governor to visit a mosque, lent his support yesterday to an Islamic Center proposed near ground zero, stepping into the middle of a growing national furor over locating a Muslim house of worship so near the site of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

When asked about the controversy during a radio appearance, Patrick turned to the words of President George W. Bush, a Republican, to express the need to make a clear distinction between terrorists and practitioners of the Muslim faith.

"The sooner we separate the peaceful teaching of Islam from the behavior of terrorists, the better for all of us,'' Patrick said on WTKK-FM 96.9.

The issue has caused bitter divisions in New York and has provoked strong emotions in Massachusetts, where the two planes involved in the attacks took off. Some local families of victims of the attacks have embraced the proposal for a mosque in Lower Manhattan as a symbol of religious tolerance, while others consider it unthinkably insensitive.

"It's poor taste to put it where they're putting it,'' said C. Lee Hanson of Easton, Conn., whose son, Peter, daughter-in-law, Sue Kim, and 2-year-old granddaughter, Christine Lee, all of Groton, died on United Airlines Flight 175. "They should just build it a mile away. There would be no problems.''

The 15-story mosque and cultural center are poised for approval after the New York City Landmarks Commission refused Tuesday to block redevelopment of the site.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg supports the proposed mosque and urged the families of Sept. 11 victims to embrace it as a symbol of the nation's freedoms.

"We do not honor their lives by denying the very constitutional rights they died protecting,'' Bloomberg said Tuesday. "We honor their lives by defending those rights and the freedoms the terrorists attacked.''

The proposal has sparked indignation from national Republican leaders, including former House speaker Newt Gingrich and former vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, and became part of the New York governor's race when Republican candidate Rick Lazio pressed Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, the Democratic contender, to investigate the project's funding.

The families of 9/11 victims have been divided. Some believe the mosque will serve as a tribute to the perpetrators of the attacks rather than its victims, whose own below-ground memorial has yet to be built.

"I think it's a tragedy for the United States,'' Hanson said. "It's another sign of weakness that we'd allow a victory mosque to be built next to what most of us is holy ground.''

Cindy McGinty -- whose husband, Michael McGinty of Foxborough, was killed while attending a meeting in the World Trade Center -- expressed weary resignation to the plan. She said she just hopes it is done tastefully and that officials keep an eye on the proponents of the mosque and their sources of money.
Posted by: Fred || 08/06/2010 00:00 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:

#1  That's good, Deval. One more nail. Best part is, you're doing all the hammering.
Posted by: tu3031 || 08/06/2010 0:05 Comments || Top||

#2 
Statue of Abd Al-Rahman 1
He only survivor of the Umayyad dynasty and brought Islam to Spain.
Landed in Almunecar Aug 15, 755
Later founded Emirate of Cordoba.
The NYC Mosque is named Cordoba.

Colonization symbol!
Posted by: 3dc || 08/06/2010 11:07 Comments || Top||

#3  Seriously, what is wrong with these people?
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 || 08/06/2010 11:40 Comments || Top||

#4  I mean, they're just about as deluded and self destructive as the suicide bombers themselves.
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 || 08/06/2010 11:41 Comments || Top||

#5  "We do not honor their lives by denying the very constitutional rights they died protecting,'' Bloomberg said Tuesday. "We honor their lives by defending those rights and the freedoms the terrorists attacked.''


Which floor of the WTC was defending freedom of religion?
Posted by: flash91 || 08/06/2010 11:58 Comments || Top||

#6  "Yeah, ya can do it, but that don't make it a good F%@#in' idea!"
-- Chris Rock
Posted by: mojo || 08/06/2010 12:31 Comments || Top||

#7  Seriously, what is wrong with these people?

I mean, they're just about as deluded and self destructive as the suicide bombers themselves.


Are you referring to the muslims who want to build a mosque on top of the temple mount ground zero, or the politicians allowing this $hit to even be considered?
Posted by: gorb || 08/06/2010 12:41 Comments || Top||

#8  I think this far from a done deal. You'll need traffic details for the demolition and construction from the NYPD. "Sorry, nobody's available today. Maybe tomorrow." You'll need fire inspections from the FDNY. "Awwww, geez. Ya got a milk carton propping open that fire door. Gonna have to shut you down. Rectify that. We'll be back in a month, when we'll find out your fire extinguishers are a day over their expiration date." Who do they plan on having rig their steel? A lotta steel workers and crane operators worked that pile two blocks down. Who's your architect? Your construction company? Your subcontracters? I wonder how long they could survive if nobody in NYC ever hired them again?
And then there's the financing. 100 million? Where do you think they're getting it? 5 bucks here and there from some Somalian cab drivers?
Posted by: tu3031 || 08/06/2010 12:50 Comments || Top||

#9  gorb, the politicians, of course.

And then there's the financing. 100 million? Where do you think they're getting it?

Soddy Arabia?
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 || 08/06/2010 14:10 Comments || Top||

#10  "Are you referring to the muslims who want to build a mosque on top of the temple mount ground zero, or the politicians allowing this $hit to even be considered?"

Yes.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 08/06/2010 16:01 Comments || Top||

#11  Deval, you idiot - you think if you just kiss the crocodiles' asses enough, they'll eat you last. But rest assured, they will eat you. And sooner rather than later.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 08/06/2010 17:15 Comments || Top||

#12  Honds always lift a leg and mark their territory.
Posted by: Besoeker || 08/06/2010 18:22 Comments || Top||



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Two weeks of WOT
Fri 2010-08-06
  Tamaulipas: Car Bomb Explodes at State Police HQ
Thu 2010-08-05
  Chief of Frontier Constabulary rubbed out in suicide attack
Wed 2010-08-04
  Hezbollah accuses Israel of killing Rafik Hariri
Tue 2010-08-03
  Two Lebanese soldiers killed in clash with IDF on northern border
Mon 2010-08-02
  Five rockets slam into Israeli resort
Sun 2010-08-01
  Assad wants Hariri tribunal closed
Sat 2010-07-31
  Three Kenyans charged over Kampala bomb attacks
Fri 2010-07-30
  20 Bad Guys Die in Gun Battle in Sonora
Thu 2010-07-29
  Federal judge guts Arizona immigration law
Wed 2010-07-28
  Houthis capture 200 Yemeni soldiers: Official
Tue 2010-07-27
  Afghan Forces Re-capture Barg-e-Matal District
Mon 2010-07-26
  Taliban Capture Barg-e-Matal District in Nooristan
Sun 2010-07-25
  N Korea declares 'sacred war' on US, South
Sat 2010-07-24
  US missile strike kills 11 militants in Pakistan
Fri 2010-07-23
  Venezuela severs ties with Colombia


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