I heart Michele Bachmann.  More like her, please.

Yes, I’ve finally fallen victim to the siren calls of Twitter. 

Follow me here:  http://www.twitter.com/pheistyblog

You’ve gotta love it when even Chip Reid (CBS) and columnist Helen Thomas are starting to question the ‘transparency’ and ‘openness’ that the Obama Administration promised on the campaign trail.

My favorite statement from Helen Thomas:

“What the hell do they think we are, puppets?” Thomas said. “They’re supposed to stay out of our business. They are our public servants. We pay them.”

–  CNS News

I never thought I’d be cheering for Helen Thomas.

Maybe Obama will bring the American people together…they’ll all be against him.

From Politico:

For $25,000 to $250,000, The Washington Post is offering lobbyists and association executives off the record, non-confrontational access to “those powerful few” — Obama administration officials, members of Congress, and the paper’s own reporters and editors.

The astonishing offer is detailed in a flier circulated Wednesday to a health-care lobbyist, who provided it to a reporter because the lobbyist said he feels it’s a conflict for the paper to charge for access to, as the flier says, its “health care reporting and editorial staff.”

The offer—which essentially turns a news organization into a facilitator for private lobbyist-official encounters—is a new sign of the lengths to which news organizations will go to find revenue at a time when most newspapers are struggling for survival.

And it’s a turn of the times that a lobbyist is scolding The Washington Post for its ethical practices.

I’m not so sure that the Post is doing this for financial reasons, although it’s a nice added perk to charge up to $250,000 for ‘access’ to “the select few who will actually get [health care reform] done”.

We all know that the news business has stopped reporting on the things they should, and have instead turned into propaganda machines.  Rather than holding our elected leaders accountable, they’ve played a leading role in directing (and covering for) Washington’s elite.

But this?  This is reprehensible.

Here’s a few clips from the Post’s ‘ad’ for these expensive encounters:

“Underwriting Opportunity: An evening with the right people can alter the debate,” says the one-page flier. “Underwrite and participate in this intimate and exclusive Washington Post Salon, an off-the-record dinner and discussion at the home of CEO and Publisher Katharine Weymouth … Bring your organization’s CEO or executive director literally to the table. Interact with key Obama Administration and Congressional leaders …

“Spirited? Yes. Confrontational? No. The relaxed setting in the home of Katharine Weymouth assures it. What is guaranteed is a collegial evening, with Obama Administration officials, Congress members, business leaders, advocacy leaders and other select minds typically on the guest list of 20 or less. …

“Offered at $25,000 per sponsor, per Salon. Maximum of two sponsors per Salon. Underwriters’ CEO or Executive Director participates in the discussion. Underwriters appreciatively acknowledged in printed invitations and at the dinner. Annual series sponsorship of 11 Salons offered at $250,000 … Hosts and Discussion Leaders … Health-care reporting and editorial staff members of The Washington Post … An exclusive opportunity to participate in the health-care reform debate among the select few who will actually get it done. … A Washington Post Salon … July 21, 2009 6:30 p.m.”

The most troubling aspect of the new low that the Washington Post has chosen to stoop to is the fact that they have now unashamedly admitted that they don’t care about the average American, and are more interested in dishing out public policy to the highest bidder.  You and I can’t afford a $250,000 (or even $25,000) encounter with ‘those who get it done’.  So I guess we’re screwed, even though we’re the ones who are going to be impacted the most by health care ‘reform’.

As for the elected leaders who attend this Washington Post Salon on July 21; they should all be fired in 2010.  The idea that any elected leader would entertain this sort of unethical policy-making is disturbing and completely contrary to their job description, which includes this essential function:  To work for ‘The People’.  Not lobbyists and those who can afford a quarter-of-a-million dollar meeting with them.

Washington has forgotten that they work for us, not the lobbyists and special interests, and our news media has forgotten that they’re supposed to be the gate-keepers–to ensure that we the people have the information necessary to make an informed decision on those we choose to work for us. 

Call the Washington Post, and let them know that what they’re doing here is disgusting, disturbing, and completely contrary to the journalistic code of ethics.  Click here for their Contact Page, which includes phone numbers of various executives and editors.

While you’re at it, contact the White House, and ask them if this is the ‘change’ that was Obama’s campaign promise.  He told us that he wouldn’t allow ’special interests’ to dictate policy.  Their involvement in this Washington Post Salon only proves what a bunch of complete BS that promise was.

UPDATE:  WaPo Editor says that newsroom won’t join in ‘Salons’ – Washington Post

From Ann Althouse:

At Whole Foods in Madison, not only is there a hybrid car parking space, but it is closer to the entrance than the spaces for disabled people!

Check this out:

NEW YORK – Repaying a student loan could soon be a little less painful.

Starting this week, anyone with a federal student loan can apply for a program, run by the Department of Education, that caps monthly payments based on income, and forgives remaining balances after 25 years. Those choosing to work in public service could have their loans forgiven after just 10 years.

Eligibility for income-based repayment (IBR) is determined by a person’s income and loan size. A calculator at http://www.ibrinfo.org can help borrowers determine their eligibility for the plan, which becomes available Wednesday.

“It’s a way to borrow for college without going to the poor house,” said Lauren Asher, president of the Institute for College Access & Success, a California-based nonprofit that runs the Project on Student Debt.

(h/t Boots and Sabers)

This is wrong on so many levels. 

My first question, of course, is how they plan on paying for this massive new welfare program.

Secondly, why is it that only people who choose to become government employees get their loans forgiven?

And why does someone like me, who was a single mother and paid off my student loan on my own by working hard in the private sector, not get any ‘reduction’ in my federal income taxes for doing what I was supposed to do?   Don’t I get a break?  I suppose not, since I’ve actually become self-sufficient and haven’t ‘earned’ my welfare badge of honor as a government-dependent slug.  Besides, they need me to keep paying more so that programs like these can be funded. 

This infuriates me, but I’m not at all surprised.  Congress and Obama has to continue to pay off those who got them elected, and colleges and universities provided them with a nice chunk of their campaign cash (not to mention the convenient leftist indoctrination of millions of college students).  Big College can’t possibly reduce the cost of tuition because they’ve become so accustomed to living beyond their means, and because they provide a nice insurance policy for leftist politicians that ensures their reelections.  They must be propped up.  Quid pro quo. 

Since the rest of us are experiencing trouble financially, less of us are going to be able to spend tens of thousands of dollars on our children’s college education.  Instead of telling Big College that they need to tighten their belts so that they can make college more affordable in an economic recession, our government has decided that Big College shouldn’t suffer along with the rest of us.

I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again:  I don’t want my children to go to a four-year college or university.  I don’t see the value in it anymore, especially if jobs continue to hemorrhage from the private sector due to the unfriendly economic atmosphere that is being perpetrated by the Obama Administration.  As it stands right now, my son, who graduates from High School in three years, would have to pay upwards of $80,000 for a college education.  This would all be fine and dandy if there were a multitude of high-paying jobs awaiting him after he receives his degree, but that possibility is looking more and more unlikely with every vote in Congress. 

I suppose if my son wanted to work for the government (I cringe at the prospect), all of this would benefit him (although it would be an evil benefit that would make him dependent on Big Government).  Unfortunately, this is how Obama is smoothing over his growth of the public sector.  There will be more government jobs for college graduates, and now they have a greater incentive to work for government–they get their loans forgiven after ten years.

But again, how are we going to continue to sustain all of this government growth if the Administration continues to be unfriendly towards private sector growth? 

As Margaret Thatcher eluded, “The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money.”

Indeed.

UPDATE:  Here’s the link to the original document on the WISGOP website:  http://www.wisgop.org/NewsBack.aspx?guid=326cfe38-6b3e-4f0e-9572-0e88d6719e8b

*************************************************************************

A friend sent the below information to me this evening.  Please read it.  It details what exactly was in the Wisconsin budget that Doyle signed yesterday.

Nothing like getting kicked when you’re down, eh?  These elitist scumbags (and I DO MEAN scumbags) are robbing us blind, my fellow Wisconsinites.

When 2010 rolls around, remember what they did in this budget, and then FIRE THEM.

(Note:  I believe that there were initially links in this document, but I don’t have time to track them down, now.  I’ll try to get to it tomorrow night.)

2009 – 2011 Wisconsin State Budget Summary

This document provides a brief overview of the 2009-2011 Wisconsin State Budget, which was signed into law on June 29, 2009 by Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle. The budget received no Republican support, and two Democratic state Representatives and one Democratic state Senator
joined Republicans in rejecting the proposal.

Numbers Overview

• Total new budget = $62.24 billion dollars
• $4 billion in new spending (~6.2% increase)
• $2.1 billion in new taxes and fees
• $1.5 billion in property tax hikes
• $3.58 billion in borrowing
• $2.3 billion structural deficit remaining
• $3.45 billion in “federal stimulus funds”
o $2.2 billion of the federal dollars went to replace general purpose state revenue dollars in this budget Process

• At each step of the budget process – Joint Finance Committee Review, Assembly, Senate, and Conference Committee – Democrats negotiated out of the public view and behind closed doors, eroding taxpayer confidence.

- Wisconsin State Journal – Don’t go back to the bad old days at the state capitol
-  Hudson Star Observer – Government watch dogs not happy that state budget might be drafted in secret.
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Who did what? Shhh. It’s a secret
- Eau Claire Leader Telegram Budget secrecy, haste moving state backward
- The Janesville Gazette Call lawmakers today and demand open budget process

Tax Increases

Despite eliminating an oil company gross-revenue tax in the final version of the budget, many taxes are increasing significantly, including:
- Capital Gains – Individual income taxes will increase by $242.5 million under the proposal to lower the capital gains exclusion from 60% to 30%. Wisconsin’s 60% capital gains exclusion is one of the few investment advantages Wisconsin offers. Even the Governor’s Forward Wisconsin web site to promote business investment in the state lists the 60% capital gains exclusion as a reason to bring jobs to Wisconsin. (Maybe that’s why the Democrats eliminated funding for Forward Wisconsin in the budget)
- Individual Income Tax – The budget increases taxes on individual income by $287 million, which includes taxes on many small business owners that file quarterly. Earnings over $225,000 for an individual and $300,000 for a married couple are subject to the higher tax bracket.
- Property Taxes – Property taxes will go up by $1.5 billion under the state budget plan. Average homeowners will see a $90 increase in the first year of the biennium and $130 in the second year of the biennium. Additional budget provisions that could impact property taxes include the repeal of the QEO which keeps teacher salary increases in check, and other revenue limit exclusions for school transportation costs, school nurse costs, school safety costs, and school energy efficiency costs.
- Garbage Tax – The cost to dispose waste at landfills is increasing, and municipal governments will see a doubling of waste disposal costs from $5.90 per ton to $13 per ton of disposal. Businesses will also shoulder the burden, increasing their overhead costs and prices and passing the cost on to consumers, just as local governments will be forced to pass the increased costs on to property taxpayers. Wisconsin’s garbage tax will become the highest in the nation.
- Sick Tax – Democrats are once again charging hospital patients for their hospital visits in order to bring in more federal dollars for Medicaid, resulting in winners and losers across the state.
- Nursing Home Bed Tax – The state budget doubles the nursing home bed tax from $75 to $150 per month per licensed bed, driving up the cost of nursing home stays.
- Telephone Taxes – Telephone taxes are going up in the budget, and that will include more than just 75 cents for the so-called police and fire protection fee. In addition to a raid of $20 million that cell phone customers should have been refunded for 911 technology upgrades, the budget hikes the current Universal Service Fund surcharge on landlines, and extends it to cell phones for the first time.
- It has been estimated that the average wireless customer will see a $1.31 increase in government taxes per month on their phone bill.
- Cigarette Tax – The 2007-09 budget increased the tax per pack by $1, this budget hikes it an additional 75 cents. The Democrats rely on this declining revenue stream to fill the budget hole, but cut funding for tobacco prevention programs.

Editorial: Keep puffing, to pay taxes.

Policy Items

- Auto Insurance Mandates – The auto insurance mandates included in the budget represent just a few of the almost one hundred non-fiscal policy changes that have been snuck in the budget at one stage or another. Despite some veto changes to the auto insurance mandates included in the budget, the changes are still estimated to increase insurance premiums and drive up the number of uninsured (even if insurance is mandatory, which is included in the final version of the budget).
- GOP Legislators: Letter to Governor regarding auto insurance mandates
- Racine Journal Times: Budget proposal may cause your auto insurance to rise
- Domestic Partner Registry and Benefits – At a time when government employees are being laid-off and furloughed to balance the books, the Governor and Legislative Democrats are expanding benefits for domestic partners of state employees. The cost to taxpayers is estimated to be around $10 million dollars per year, and the registry itself is another example of non-fiscal policy that deserves its own public hearing and debate.
- Collective Bargaining for UW Faculty and Staff – The cost of education is rising, but Democrats are giving faculty and staff at the UW collective bargaining rights, which will presumably increase salaries and the cost of education even further.
- Prevailing Wage Changes –Job-killing cost increases for private construction projects, and increased penalties for even inadvertent non-compliance are the centerpiece of prevailing wage law changes.
- Regional Transit Authorities – Doyle’s veto pen robbed thousands of voters the opportunity to weigh in on a new “Regional Taxing Authority” when he deleted binding referenda requirements for the Chippewa Valley Regional Transit Authority, the Chequamegon Bay Regional Transit Authority, and the Dane County Regional Transit Authority.
- Doyle signs budget, vetoes binding referendum on RTA tax
- Early Release Provisions – In Doyle’s original budget proposal, he proposed and his administration vigorously defended the early release of criminals authorized by unelected bureaucrats. While the Legislature made some changes to this proposal to exclude sex offenders and other violent criminals, Doyle’s vetoes have reversed the legislative intent and will allow early release for violent criminals.
- School Choice Changes – The budget contains significant changes to the Milwaukee School Choice program aimed at more government-mandated reporting and testing requirements that require the School Choice program to operate more like the Milwaukee Public School System…not the type of changes that will benefit the kids participating in this innovative and cost-saving program.

Location-Specific Provisions or “Earmarks”

Despite touting “painful” cuts, Doyle protected funding for the following pet projects:

- $46,000 for recycling bins in the Town of Wrightstown (Represented by Democratic Rep. Ted Zigmunt from Francis Creek)
- $500,000 to restore the Opera House in Oshkosh (Represented by Rep. Gordon Hintz, Democrat from Oshkosh)
- $500,000 for an environmental center in Madison (Represented by Rep. Mark Pocan, a Madison Democrat, and Senator Mark Miller, a Monona Democrat)
- $2 million in state dollars to plan a UW Madison School of Nursing that the school didn’t request or express a need for (Represented by Pocan and Miller)
- -$1.5 million for four-year old Kindergarten grants for the Madison School District, at a time other school districts are taking cuts
$100,000 for a Lake Koshkonong management study (Represented by Rep. Andy Jorgenson, a Democrat from Fort Atkinson)

- $400,000 for bicycle lanes in Douglas County (Represented by Democratic Rep. Nick Milroy and Democratic Sen. Bob Jauch)
- $108,000 for Plum City/Union Fire Department equipment and $60,000 for the Plum City School District while others take cuts (Represented by Democratic Rep. Chris Danou and Democratic Sen. Kathleen Vinehout)
- $50,000 for Barron County Restorative Justice Programs (Represented by Democratic Rep. Mary Hubler and Democratic Rep. Bob Jauch)
…and the list goes on and on, totaling close to $35 million.

I believe that the WISGOP wrote this document, but for some reason, I can’t find it anywhere on their website.  It should be plastered on the front page, for the love.

That aside…

We need to get real with these robbers.  While your district is experiencing layoffs and business closures, and while you continue to watch your taxes, fees, and price of goods go up, THEIVES like Kathleen Vinehout and Bob Jauch are securing pork with YOUR MONEY for their little pet projects just to keep their local ’sheeple’ returning to the voting booth.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.  Doyle needs to GO in 2010, as do the rest of these creeps.

I was going to check out the Cap and Trade Bill on GovTrack’s website, but before I did, I found this warning :

This bill is very large, and loading it may cause your web browser to perform sluggishly, or even freeze.

I think what they really meant was…

This bill is ginormous and overreaching, and passing it  will cause your economy to perform sluggishly, or most likely collapse completely.  At that point, CTRL/ALT/DELETE will be your only option. 

Anyway, here’s the link to the monstrosity–if your PC doesn’t freeze up, that is.