The Patriot's Flag

Today I am flying the Navy Union Jack. I fly this flag when an action by the government threatens liberty and freedom. Today, its the First Amendment (Freedom of the Press).  If you differ from the views of the government and report those views, your ‘access’ to the White House will be threatened and limited.

1st Amendment Threatened

Basically, if you are not “loyal” to the administration’s point of view, then you are treated as an enemy of the administration, losing your access to the White House news.  Need proof?  Read John Semmen’s article below …

By John Semmens: Semi-News — A Satirical Look at Recent News

CBS News skepticism regarding the number of jobs saved by the Obama Administration’s stimulus legislation raised ire at the White House. CBS News reporter Chip Reid aired a report revealing that many of the Administration’s claimed “job saved or created” totals were either exaggerated or false.

Separately, CBS investigative reporter Stephen Stock worked undercover to expose a pattern of fraud at medical clinics operating in South Florida. This is part of an estimated annual $60 billion worth of fraud perpetrated in the government’s Medicare and Medicaid programs.

• “We’re putting CBS on notice,” said Barack Obama’s Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel. “It’s basically a question of loyalty. We expect this kind of nonsense from Fox News. By imitating Fox, though, CBS is undermining its credibility with the Administration. They need to know that no good can come of such behavior.”

Emanuel indicated that CBS, like Fox, might be put off limits for Administration officials. “Access to those inside the Obama Administration is by invitation and permission only,” Emanuel reminded. “We can’t stop our enemies from attending events open to the public, but we don’t have to let them into our own house.”

CBS, along with other recognized news outlets, recently thwarted Administration efforts to exclude Fox News from participating in a “pooled-media” interview with Obama’s “pay czar,” Kenneth Feinberg.

* * * * *

Maybe this is good news for CBS. And perhaps Emanuel is actually doing CBS a big favor suggesting they not use the White House propaganda, but go out and get the real news. You see, the news from “inside” the White House is all the same … and so all the “loyal” news organizations have that SAME news … which is actually boring, predictable and not worth watching or hearing … hence the ratings of  the media outlets reporting this “propaganda” as “news.”  People know the difference … and the ratings prove the point.

Propaganda: ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one’s cause or to damage an opposing cause; also : a public action having such an effect

Propaganda vs News: The “news” as reported by the Main Stream Media is basically the same “news” that is written on the President’s teleprompter every day. You don’t have to go out and “find” such news, its always written for you right HERE.  It is not “news” it is what the administration wants the “sheeple” to believe. Hopefully media outlets are not  going to continue to act like lemmings,  going over the cliff because they are being told it is the “loyal” thing to do.  Fox understands it, is CBS awakening? If CBS doesn’t use the White House  [false] news source, and if they go out and find the real “news” and report it, then they will once again becomes a “news source” not simply another media outlet for the administration’s propaganda. Ratings will rise, and with it profits and job security. But even more important, their credibility and self-pride will rise too … those little things that make a job and life itself worthwhile.

Truth is in the ratings: The greater the perception of “truth” the higher the ratings.  Why is Fox News #1, and why is CBS way down the page? It is the public’s perception of truth that drives the numbers. People want “news,” not propaganda. The ratings prove this … if you want propaganda, simply go read the White House news briefings and ask for copies of what the President is reading from the teleprompters (they have copies available).  But if you are a “news” organization and want ratings, you’re going to have to report “news.”  Fox does this, and that’s why people watch them and not CBS.  If they get “kicked out” of the White House … this may be the best thing that ever happened to them!

Hello Democrats?  Is this what you voted for?

An administration telling a news service to either report as they like or else?

1st Navy Union Jack - Liberty Threatened

Today I’m flying the Fort Moultrie flag. I fly this flag when discussion that risks liberty is in the news. Today, we got the final results on the Cash for Clunkers program, a “proven success” and also news of a GDP signaling the end of the recession. Sound good?  Listen more closely.

Cash for Clunkers Program: The program under Obama’s economic stimulus package pays people up to $4,500 for trading an older-model vehicle with low fuel efficiency for new vehicles that get better miles per gallon.

Obama @ CNN: “Cash for Clunkers’ has been a proven success. The initial transactions are generating a more than 50 percent increase in fuel economy; they are generating $700 to $1,000 in annual savings for consumers in reduced gas costs alone; and they are getting the oldest, dirtiest and most air polluting trucks and SUVs off the road for good.

Edmunds.com: Cash for Clunkers cost taxpayers $24,000 per car, not $4,000! The Cash for Clunkers program gave car buyers rebates of up to $4,500 if they traded in less fuel-efficient vehicles for new vehicles that met certain fuel economy requirements. A total of $3 billion was allotted for those rebates. The average rebate was $4,000. But the overwhelming majority of sales would have taken place anyway at some time in the last half of 2009, according to Edmunds.com. That means the government ended up spending about $24,000 each for those 125,000 additional vehicle sales.

Game Over!

Edmunds.com: There is little doubt that Cash for Clunkers gave auto sales a big boost in late July and most of August, but there has been considerable debate as to how much help taxpayers’ $3 billion provided. Customers who purchased a new car or truck were rewarded in many ways, especially when you consider the U.S. government paid out a median price of about $4,000 per clunker. Those customers are also saving at the pump, as each car turned in was 4-10 mpg better than the vehicle it replaced. Dealers sold more cars. States received more tax dollars. So the program was a success, right?

If you believe the statistical analysis of Edmunds, perhaps the program wasn’t so terrific after all. The industry research juggernaut claims that of the 690,000 vehicles sold under the program, only 125,000 of those sales went to people who weren’t going to purchase a new car in 2009. The result, says Edmunds, is that the $3 billion spent for C4C ended up spurring only 125,000 sales at a cost of $24,000 per vehicle. Further, Edmunds claims that October’s sales would have ramped up even more than what current projections indicate.

Negative Stimulus for Bailed out Carmakers?

• Chrysler is giving a gloomy picture of auto sales with the government’s Cash for Clunkers program now just a fond memory. The Detroit automaker newly run by Fiat said U.S. sales industrywide are off 19% so far this month. “We are going to see harsh reality in September,” Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Fiat and Chrysler, said on Wednesday. He called the U.S. sales results a “disaster.” (From NYDailyNews)

• General Motors: The carmaker reported Thursday that U.S. sales dropped 44.9 percent in September from a year earlier. The company sold 156,673 vehicles last month, down from 284,300 in September 2008. “It was a more difficult month than we anticipated,” said Mark LaNeve, GM’s vice president of U.S. sales. “As expected, the market returned to pre-Cash for Clunkers levels in September,” said GM’s LaNeve. “Fortunately, the fourth quarter looks brighter.” (Lansing State Journal)

Cheering Over Ugly [GDP] Report (Global Economic Analysis Blog)

Today the market is cheering over what is actually an ugly [GDP] report. A misguided Cash-for-Clunkers added a one-time contribution of 1.66 percentage points to GDP.

• Auto sales have since collapsed so all the program did is move some demand forward.
• Government spending increased at 7.9 percent in the third quarter which is certainly nothing to cheer about.
• Personal income decreased $15.5 billion (0.5 percent), while real disposable personal income decreased 3.4 percent, in contrast to an increase of 3.8 percent last quarter.

Those are horrible numbers. The savings rate is down, which no doubt has misguided economists cheering, but people spending more than they make is one of the things that got us into trouble.

Stimulus Jobs (not!)

WASHINGTON (AP) — An early progress report on President Barack Obama’s economic recovery plan overstates by thousands the number of jobs created or saved through the stimulus program, a mistake that White House officials promise will be corrected in future reports.

They are still pushing  “HOPE”  (in a FALSE Economy)

• Money was printed, clunkers were purchased for $24,000 each (not $4,000) … all to save energy and give us a greener planet!  Car sales went up, the GDP went up … but car sales now are a disaster.
  

  Townhall.com Cartoon by Eric Allie

• This is a perfect example of a non-sustainable rising GDP based on government infusion of printed (not earned) dollars.  So you could say the stimulus worked based on the GDP, but an eventual disaster based on jobs (earned GDP!).
• Jobs reported by the White House at 30,000 is actually far less, (AP). But worse, we were promised 3,000,000 by now … this from the stimulus (that didn’t work!). Where are the jobs?
• The goal of the stimulus should not be to increase the GDP, it should be to increase JOBS, which will then increase the GDP in a sustained (earned, not printed) manner. And the job losses were again at an “unexpected” 535,000 this month … 9.8% for the nation.
• Today the Dow was up 199 points with the [false] GDP numbers and discussion of the recession being over. I fear for another stock bubble. People reacting to a good number that is actually a disaster when you strip away what made it happen. (Frightening!)
• The GDP today was not “good news” … it was “confirmation” that printing money works short term, and will be a disaster long-term.

The “HOPE” is from printing dollars, the “CHANGE” will be an economic disaster!

Ft Moultrie Flag - Liberty Risky Discussion

A quiet day, politically. I’m flying the South Carolina State Flag today. I’ll use the blog time to document the 2010 Census … many questions are being asked, here are some FAQs for your information and answers.

Politically Quiet

Here is the background on the Census, and many links to the information if you want to get more deeply into understand it and its importance and ramifications.

The Census: The code for the enumeration can be found in 13 USC 141. In this code, the census is directed to be taken in 1980 and every ten years thereafter, and that the count is to be taken on April 1. The returns must be completed within nine months for use in apportionment of representatives. The code also specifies a mid-decade census be taken in 1985 and every ten years thereafter. This count need not be a head count (sampling may be used) though the data cannot be used for apportionment.

2010 Census … how the process works:

The Short Form: (What we will all see)

• (PRB.com) The 2010 Census Questionnaire: Seven Questions for Everyone (April 2009) The 2010 Census questionnaire will be sent to every housing unit in the country. The person in who fills out the form (Person 1) will provide the household information, including whether the home is rented or owned, and will answer just seven questions about every household member, including himself or herself:

• 1. Name,  2. Sex,  3. Age/Birth Date,  4.  Hispanic ethnicity, 5. Race, 6. Relationship to person filling out  the form and  7. other residence (military, college, etc).

• Refusal to Answer (short form) If you refuse to give out the information or you deliberately give inaccurate information, you can be in legal trouble. According to United States Code, Title 13 (Census), Chapter 7 (Offenses and Penalties), SubChapter II, if you’re over 18 and refuse to answer all or part of the Census, you can be fined up to $100. If you give false answers, you’re subject to a fine of up to $500. If you offer suggestions or information with the “intent to cause inaccurate enumeration of population,” you are subject to a fine of up to $1,000, up to a year in prison, or both. (How Stuff Works)

• Here is a great “interactive” link explaining the questions: 2010 Census.gov

The Long Form: ACS (What only a few sample populations will see)

• The American Community Survey (ACS) is a project of the U.S. Census Bureau that replaces the long form in the decennial census. It is an ongoing statistical survey, sent to approximately 250,000 addresses monthly, and thus more current than information obtained by the long form. (Wikipedia)

• The planned sample will be 3 million housing units and group quarters in the U.S. Data will be collected primarily by mail, with Census Bureau follow up. These are the three methods they will use:
  • Mail: self-enumeration
  • Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI), approximately 3 weeks after mailout
  • Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) by Census Bureau field representatives.

• The Department of Commerce states  those who receive a survey form are required to provide answers to a long list of questions about themselves and their families, including their profession, how much money they earn, their source of health insurance, their preferred mode of transportation to and from work, and the amount of money they pay for housing and utilities.
  • Those who decline to answer these questions may receive follow-up phone calls and/or visits to their homes from Census Bureau personnel, and are threatened with prosecution and fines. No person has ever been charged with a crime for refusing to answer the ACS survey, which several US  Representatives have challenged as unauthorized by the census act and violative of the Right to Financial Privacy Act. The Department of Commerce states that it is “not an enforcement agency.”

• The processed information will provide annual estimates for all states, as well as all cities, counties, metropolitan areas, and population groups of 65,000 people or more. For smaller areas, the Census Bureau expects useful samples to develop over time: over 3 years in areas with 20,000 to 65,000 people, and 5 years in areas with fewer than 20,000 people. The quality of these samples is expected to match that of the decennial census.

• Opposition to Long Form: The surveys asks for more information, and at a higher frequency of polling, than the simple enumeration required by the U.S. Constitution Article I Section 2. Congressman Ron Paul of Texas, who opposes the ACS, said of it that the Founding Fathers of the United States “never authorized the federal government to continuously survey the American people. More importantly, they never envisioned a nation where the people would roll over and submit to every government demand.”

• Constituent FAQ: Here is an excellent link for details on the 2010 Census … (pdf file)

• Conspiracy Theories:

• • Snopes – Conspiracy Theories
  • FactCheck – Conspiracy Theories (ACORN)

Proposed White House Control of Census Data

Washington Post: President Obama has decided to have the director of the U.S. Census Bureau work directly with the White House, the administration said today, a move that comes as the Census Bureau prepares to conduct the 2010 census that will determine redistricting of congressional seats.

“From the first days of the transition the Census has been a priority for the president, and a process he wanted to reevaluate,” LaBolt said in a statement this afternoon. “There is historic precedent for the director of the Census, who works for the commerce secretary and the president, to work closely with White House senior management, given the number of decisions that will have to be put before the president. We plan to return to that model in this administration.”

Opposition: A group in opposition to this is ready to file in court to block the move. Document HERE.

Precautions while working with the Census Takers:  (Email by Susan Johnson)

With the U.S. Census process beginning, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) advises people to be cooperative, but  cautious, so as not to become a victim of fraud or identity theft. The first phase of the 2010 U.S. Census is under way as workers have begun verifying the addresses of households across the country. Eventually, more than 140,000 U.S. Census workers will count every person in the United States and will gather information about every person living at each address including name, age, gender, race, and other relevant data.

The big question is – how do you tell the difference between a U.S. Census worker and a con artist? BBB offers the following advice:

If a U.S. Census worker knocks on your door, they will have a badge, a handheld device, a Census Bureau canvas bag, and a confidentiality notice. Ask to see their identification and their badge before answering their questions. However, you should never invite anyone you don’t know into your home.

Census workers are currently only knocking on doors to verify address information. Do not give your Social Security number, credit card or banking information to anyone, even if they claim they need it for the U.S.  Census.

• REMEMBER, NO MATTER WHAT THEY ASK, YOU REALLY ONLY NEED TO TELL THEM HOW MANY PEOPLE LIVE AT YOUR ADDRESS.

While the Census Bureau might ask for basic financial information, such as a salary range, YOU DON’T HAVE TO  ANSWER ANYTHING AT ALL ABOUT YOUR FINANCIAL SITUATION. The Census Bureau will not ask for Social Security, bank account, or credit card numbers, nor will employees solicit donations. Any one asking for that information is NOT with the Census Bureau.

AND REMEMBER, THE CENSUS BUREAU HAS DECIDED NOT TO WORK WITH ACORN ON GATHERING THIS INFORMATION.. No Acorn worker should approach you saying he/she is with the Census Bureau. Eventually, Census workers may contact you by telephone, mail, or in person at home. However, the Census Bureau will not contact you by Email, so be on the lookout for Email scams impersonating the Census.

Never click on a link or open any attachments in an Email that are supposedly from the U.S. Census Bureau.

1. Short form – no problem: Answering the short form seems to be no real problem. Accurate (basic) demographic information is needed by our government to make sure it is representative of the people.  If you wonder about any of the (rather straight-forward) questions, you can go to: 2010 Census.gov and each question is explained interactively.

2. Long form – potential problem: The Long Form (ACS) may cause some other problems and I don’t think the jury has decided on how to respond and answer to this form. Basically the law says you answer all the questions or you are fined.  It is widely believed that the law requesting information like this is unconstitutional. It is not the business of this government to know our financial status and what bus we ride to work. This is beyond the scope of the the law’s intent and is an invasion of privacy.

3. White House Controlled Data – BIG problem: White House Controlled dataThe president, in deciding the data should be controlled by the White House, is employing  another attempt at a government takeover by the socialist-leaning administration. If you look at the (now broken) connection to ACORN, then see the data going directly to the White House, you can see that this cabal could have decided representative redistricting and kept this administration in power forever. (This is not a conspiracy theory, look at the  facts!). The ACORN connection was broken, and the lawsuit is pending to block the White House from controlling the data.

1. KWQC: Scam Artists Posing as Census Workers (Nov 27, 2009)
2. OnMilwaukee: Be cautious about giving info to census workers (01.09.09)

S.C. Flag - Relatively Calm

I’m flying the South Carolina Flag today. Politics are “relatively calm” so I’m focusing on a particularly interesting Resolution before the House of Representatives. Resolution #615.  Basically, this resolution asks congress to give up its congressional health care for whatever plan is established for “normal” citizens, (that is if you consider you and me normal).

Politically Quiet

Dr. John Fleming

Who: Mr. John Fleming,  (for himself, Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, Mr. Burton of Indiana, Mr.  Bartlett, Mr. Linder, Mr. Garrett of New Jersey, Mr. Blunt, Mr. Scalise, and Mr. Alexander.

What: Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Members who vote in favor of the establishment of a public, federal government run health insurance option are urged to forgo their right to participate in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) and agree to enroll under that public option.

Resolution #615

House of Reps

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that members who vote in favor of the establishment of a public, federal government run health insurance option are urged to forgo their right to participate in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) and agree to enroll under that public option. Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of representatives that Members who vote in favor of the establishment of a public, federal government run health insurance option are urged to forgo their right to participate in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program  and agree to enroll under that public option.

Mr. Fleming is asking congress to resolve to use THE SAME PLAN that would be forced upon all of us.  IT seems reasonable to me … if it is good enough for me, then I’m sure it is good enough for the congress … (my employees!). Take a good look at the bio on Dr. John Fleming … he knows what he’s talking about!

You can take action and support this resolution by submitting your opinion at Mr. Fleming’s web site, giving your information, then clicking on the button that says you support this resolution.  You will receive no spam or email unless you also click the “Please Subscribe me to your Newsletter”.

CLICK ON THIS LINK TO SUBMIT YOUR OPINION.

Good eough for us? Then good enough for THEM!

S.C. Flag - Relatively Calm

I’m flying the South Carolina flag today. Although there’s a lot of talk about health care and the up-coming elections, not much is actually happening. It is interesting to watch the ongoing “war” Obama has started with Fox News … almost as much fun as watching a sporting event and with about as much historical significance!

Politically Quiet

Mediaite.com: We’ve written a lot about Fox News’ ratings. Here’s the deal – they’re on pace for their best year of all time in total viewers during prime time and total day. CNN and MSNBC, on the other hand, are headed the opposite direction. Here’s a look at the ratings from October, which officially came to an end yesterday.

Townhall - Cartoon by Glenn McCoy

Anita Dunn seems to have fired the first shot:

“The reality of it is that Fox News often operates almost as either the research arm or the communications arm of the Republican Party. And it is not ideological… what I think is fair to say about Fox, and the way we view it, is that it is more of a wing of the Republican Party. [Fox is] widely viewed as a part of the Republican Party: take their talking points and put them on the air, take their opposition research and put it on the air. And that’s fine. But let’s not pretend they’re a news organization like CNN is.”

Others piling on … of course, the usual suspects piled on right behind her opening shot, but we’ve come to expect this from Emanual, Axelrod, Gibbs and the rest of Obama’s merry band … who talked on every talk show except Fox about this.

And the result…HotAir

It’s a nine-percent bump [for Fox] in the two weeks since Anita Dunn’s whine heard ’round the world — in terms of overall audience. Among the coveted 25-54 demographic? A 14-percent bump. Good work, Barry. People keep telling me that this PR offensive by the White House benefits both sides but I don’t see how that’s true. If the goal is to contain Fox by framing the stories it breaks — Van Jones, ACORN, etc — as somehow illegitimate, then every tenth of a point that Fox’s ratings go up undermines that goal.

In August, Fox News was again in the top three for primetime in all of cable, which is seven of eight months this year. FNC was also in the top five in total day.

This is almost fun to watch. The more the White House goes after Fox, the higher the Fox ratings go. Also, this week, CNN finally went to the total bottom of the media barrel … 4th out of 4 in viewers.  When you see something like this happening, along with the extremely high ratings of Glenn Beck … you no long “wonder” if something is happening out there in the rest of the country.  We felt it on 9-12 in Washington … an event the administration “hadn’t noticed.”

Townhall.com Cartoon by Chip Bok

“Watchdogs?” The sad part of this is the “rest” of the news media.  The so called “watchdogs” … are sleeping!  Looking back at the Van Jones affair (documented here on this blog) … note that only one outlet was covering the problem. The New York Times later admitted they were “behind the times” on getting on this story.

It is little wonder that Fox is so far ahead of the other news mediums. They are the ones carrying the stories … the only ones with real “breaking news.”

As we watch the circulation rate of major newspapers continue to fall, and coinciding with them the ratings of CNN and MSNBC, it is little wonder. Who cares about news that “isn’t?” All that you see in the “rest” (not Fox) of them is the same news the “left” has been preaching for years.  There’s frankly nothing new there, its not interesting and people aren’t watching it.

Pulitzers Lost: It has been sad to watch the watchdogs sleeping as major stories pass them by. (Also covered HERE on this blog). There are Pulitzers waiting to be claimed. The American people are waking up … but the media still sleeps, (slowly going bankrupt between the snores).

S.C. Flag - Relatively Calm