The Brian Griffiths Minute: 09-30-2009

Borrowing Other People's Posts

H/T Erick Erickson....too good not to share:

Obama Worship comes to Howard County

Well, it looks like the worship of his holiness Barack Obama has infected Longfellow Elementary in Howard County. See this email below, and get ready to be disgusted. Because no President, Republican or Democrat, should be glorified like this.

* * * * *

From: (Removed)

Sent: Tuesday, September 29, 2009 1:30 PM
To: (Removed)
Subject: Song

Hi everyone, below is the email that our son’s Assistant Principal sent us to let us know the wording of the Obama song that our son told us his class was instructed to sing last week…the teacher is part of the first grade team of teachers and is really nice, but this is not what we want our son doing at school or anywhere!

Any advice?

Sent: Tuesday, September 29, 2009 11:33 AM
To: (Removed)

Subject: Song

Hello Mr. (REMOVED),

The words to the song are below.

Thank you!

Laurel Marsh

Obama,

President Obama,

President Obama,

President Obama,

President Obama--He says

Yes we can!

President Obama--We say

Yes we can!

President Obama--I say

Yes I can!

President Obama--He says

Yes we can!

Barack Obama--Oh yes he rates,

The first Black President in the United States!

He's smart and he's--so so good!

He'll lead this country as he should!

He wants us all to work together,

To make this country even better!

Prez' Obama says--"Yes We Can!"

Make the US better--hand in hand!

Obama,

President Obama,

President Obama,

President Obama

President!

-------------------------------------------------

Laurel Marsh

Assistant Principal

Longfellow Elementary

410-313-6879

(Crossposted)

Sin Wagon

Once again it looks like some Democrats are going to go into the 2010 General Assembly session hellbent on raising your taxes. And once again these Democrats are going to try to take their pound of fresh from the poor:

Legislators are not ruling out increases in so-called sin taxes on alcohol and tobacco to prop up programs that have suffered during the state's ongoing budget crunch.

Such taxes have been at the heart of attempts in recent years to fund services for the developmentally disabled and to expand health care coverage for the needy.

Now, with services for the disabled sustaining $24 million in cuts, as part of the $735 million in budget reductions by the state Board of Public Works this summer, and with health care advocates looking to restart a stymied expansion of Medicaid, legislators say they are not ruling out raising taxes on alcohol and tobacco.

Cognizant of the 2010 elections, legislative leaders have said no to new taxes. And rank-and-file members agree that taxes are unpalatable.

"However, that being said, there may be a few targeted revenue increase measures that we may be able to take," said Sen. Mike G. Lenett (D-Dist. 19) of Silver Spring.

Of course sin taxes on alcohol and smokes disproportionately take their toll on the poor, since it is lower income Marylanders who use these products at a higher per capita rate than middle and upper class Marylanders do. And, of course, this is the kind of regressive tax that Democrats love to pretend to hate precisely because it is a tax that is aimed at those Marylanders who are least able to mount a credible response against them. Of course, calls for higher sin taxes are nothing new to Annapolis liberals, and still reeks of attempts at social engineering with a tax theoretically designed to bring diminishing returns.

Sen. Richard Madeleno of Neptune Kensington chimes in with this productive train of thought:

Madaleno expects an "uphill battle" when he introduces the bill again in 2010. Given the bleak fiscal outlook, a sin tax "might be more palatable to some of my colleagues who are prone to support them," he said.

But he doesn't expect to get the support of anti-tax conservatives. "To those who want to run on a mindless anti-tax platform, one tax is just as evil as the next," Madaleno said.

Wow, that added a lot to the debate. But I'm not exactly sure that Madaleno should be throwing stones when he and his leftist colleague in Annapolis run on a mindless platform to constantly screw Maryland's middle and working class families.

Either way, the politics of sin taxes are going to be on everybody's mind until the General Assembly gets to Annapolis January 13th...

Rumor: Mike Busch, Democratic Establishment Tried to Force Pierre from Mayoral Race

Rumor has it that the relationship between liberal factions in Annapolis may be completely breaking down over the Zina Pierre fiasco. A well-placed anonymous source sent me this note about the situation:

We are hearing that zina was strongarmed by Mike Busch and and DCC, and that’s why she backed down so quickly.

There was no “miscommunication”, but her spokeswoman Michael is a loudmouth anyway and zina took the opportunity to throw her under the bus.

Zina was convinced to stay in the race by Robert eades (a local activist) and carl snowden, telling her that she doesn’t owe anything to her party but owes it to the black community to finish the race.

Incidentally, speaking of party, the black community has vowed not to forget this, and the Busch crowd will have a hard time keeping that faction of the party in line when he runs for reelection

This Zina Pierre story just keeps getting stranger and stranger....

EDIT: Eye on Annapolis is reporting that a quote from Mike Busch critical of Pierre was scrubbed from the original Sun story yesterday.

You Make the Call

Now it's your turn to decided who should be the next Maryland Republican Party Chairman:

What....the....Hell?

So apparently that whole Zina Pierre withdrawing from the Annapolis Mayoral Election? Well......nevermind:

The Annapolis mayoral candidate, whose spokesperson announced her withdrawal from the race Friday amid revelations of personal financial problems, said Saturday that she is staying in the contest.

Zina C. Pierre won the Democratic nomination last Tuesday, putting her on track to become Annapolis' first African-American mayor. Her campaign on Friday abruptly announced her withdrawal amid questions about her foreclosed home, bounced checks, state liens for unpaid income taxes and other problems. But less than 24 hours later, Pierre said she was staying in to "continue to fight for all residents, many of whom are calling, texting and e-mailing me with extraordinary support."

So in the last 24 hours, Zina Pierre has established herself as a fantastic joke. The fact that her campaign operation managed to bungle the story, announcing her withdrawal as a sure fact only to have the story revert itself, should show her inability to lead even the most basic of organizations.

Her campaign statement printed by the Capital is even weirder:

“I am running for Mayor of Annapolis and will continue to fight for all residents, many of whom are calling, texting and e-mailing me with extraordinary support. The same support I am getting from the chair of the Annapolis Democratic Central Committee. I will continue to be accountable, transparent and a strong leader. Misinformation led to the confusion of the last two days. We will hold a news conference on Wednesday to address issues in detail.”

I'm not exactly sure how Zina Pierre will continue to be accountable, transparent, and a strong leader when it is apparent that she intends to not be held accountable, be far from transparent, and so far seems to be one of the weakest leaders I have ever seen.

When you combine her inability to keep her campaign on the same page with what seems to be a lengthy history of questionable financial and legal decisions (I mean really, what kind of idiot lets their car insurance lapse twice?) , it makes you wonder how Zina Pierre could ever hope to lead the city of Annapolis.

I think it is time that bloggers, community leaders, and the local media to really do some soul searching and fully investigate what Zina Pierre has been up to.

Hope and Shame

If as to prove that most local Democrats do in fact make up the gang that couldn't shoot straight, Annapolis Democrats lost their Mayoral nominee tonight:

Zina C. Pierre, a virtual unknown in Annapolis politics whose primary victory this week put her on track to become the city's first African-American mayor, dropped out of the race Friday evening in the wake of revelations of personal financial problems.

Pierre was besieged with questions about the foreclosure of her Bowie home and several state tax liens.

"Zina Pierre has decided that for personal reasons she will withdraw from the race for the city of Annapolis," said her spokeswoman, Michael Matthews, who declined to comment further.

According to city code, the Annapolis Democratic Central Committee must choose a replacement nominee by early October. Nick Berry, the chair, said the group will move "expeditiously" to appoint a nominee.

Go figure...a Clinton Administration figure with character issues. Who'd have thunk it?

To his credit, our sometimes nemesis Paul Foer broke the story this afternoon:

Zina Celestine Pierre, the recent upset winner in the Democratic Primary for Mayor, has a lengthy history of legal troubles that have repeatedly landed her in court for issues such as mortgage foreclosure, tax lien and a credit union judgment.

According to state records easily available online, Zina C. Pierre is listed as a defendant in 18 civil lawsuits and 3 traffic cases in Prince Georges County, the earliest being 1990 and the most recent two being filed in March of 2009. In all cases she is the defendant.

Five of the civil lawsuits are listed as still active and involve a mortgage foreclosure, a credit union judgment against her (over $6,000), a State of Maryland tax lien ($653), another approximate $6,000 judgment against her and what looks like her company, and another lien. These are just the active and open lawsuits. Among those listed as closed are lawsuits involving Hecht's and Jaguar Land Rover of Annapolis.

managed to not see any reporting, any campaigning, or any discussion of this issue until three days after the Democratic primary. I am completely flabbergasted that a mayoral primary that seemed to have lasted almost a yearEspecially when you consider all of these records were easily accessible via computer.

Looks like Annapolis Democrats were incredibly under served, not just by the other six Democrats who ran for Mayor, but also by local media. The Sun and The Capital managed to completely fumble this story and run no stories about Pierre's background until after her withdrawal from the race. Given how much ink was (rightfully) given to the Sam Shropshire sexual assault allegations, you would have thought that somebody in these journalistic institutions would have thought to sit at the computer and do this basic research.

Score one for the blogosphere, but what a complete embarrassment for the city of Annapolis...

Now and Then

Remember the good old days, say about 2006, when Bob Ehrlich was in the process of leaving Maryland with a $1.2 billion budget surplus at the end of his term? You're right, it wasn't that long ago, and it really just emphasizes how bad of a steward Martin O'Malley is with your money when a $2 billion budget shortfall is staring us in the face.

We as conservatives and Republicans can jump up and down in the face and say I told you so. We told you that the Democrats spending plans were going to bankrupt the state. We told you that the historic and immoral tax hikes from the 2007 Special Session were going to dry up revenues. And now it seems like every day we are being proven right.

But none of that is going to provide responsible fiscal leadership here in Maryland. Martin O'Malley has shown time and time again that he does not care about the interests of Maryland's middle and working class families. Nor has Governor O'Malley shown the ability to learn from his mistakes.

Unfortunately, just being right on the issues isn't enough in a state like Maryland. So what you need to do is to go ask your friends, your neighbors, your colleagues, one simple question.

Is Maryland better off now than it was three years ago?

If you build it, they won't come

For all of the people who seem to think that all of our nation's health care problems will magically disappear once socialized medicine is on the scene, I give you this:

Two of every three practicing physicians oppose the medical overhaul plan under consideration in Washington, and hundreds of thousands would think about shutting down their practices or retiring early if it were adopted, a new IBD/TIPP Poll has found.

The poll contradicts the claims of not only the White House, but also doctors' own lobby — the powerful American Medical Association — both of which suggest the medical profession is behind the proposed overhaul.

It also calls into question whether an overhaul is even doable; 72% of the doctors polled disagree with the administration's claim that the government can cover 47 million more people with better-quality care at lower cost.

Here is a graph for those of you who might not grok it otherwise:


So riddle me this; if we know that the passage of Obamacare means that we will artificially limit the number of practicing doctors in this country, and we know that through the artificial limit on practicing physicians that the quality of care will be significantly diminished and more expensive due to scarcity.....then what is the value-added to passing this boondoggle at all?

Looks like we might be going towards the DIY work ethic practiced by the British. Somebody get me some pliers....

Get Ready for Silly Season

I'll post more thoughts about the upcoming GOP Chairman's election later but it looks like silly season is upon us. And the first candidate officially into the pool is......

BETHESDA, MARYLAND ­ Historically, Maryland has had three governors and
seven senators who were members of the Whig Party, with the last serving in
1858. Following the surprise resignation of Maryland Republican Chairman
James Pelura, the Whigs should return to Maryland, though with a 2009 twist.

On Tuesday, Daniel "The Whig Man" Vovak, of Bethesda, announced that he is
seeking to become the next chairman of the Maryland Republican Party. A
movie producer and ghostwriter, Vovak is known for occasionally wearing a
distinguished powdered wig when he speaks at formal events. In August, Vovak
announced that the Young Republicans of Montgomery County were co-hosting an
upcoming fundraiser with the famous Paula Jones, of Arkansas. Proceeds of
the event will also benefit the Maryland Republican Party. Vovak is the
producer of The Blue Dress, a comedy movie about Bill Clinton and Monica.

Like I said, more comments later...

Hope and Change Pain

It is obvious to everybody that President Obama's handling of the economy leaves much to be desired. With monetary giveaways to any company with their handout, our "investment" in the auto industry, and record deficits on the way, Obama's fiscal policy seems more like a call for the limbo than it is a plan for fiscal recovery.

And apparently, as I have noted before.....we've seen this movie:

Barack Obama is committing the same mistakes made by policymakers during the Great Depression, according to a new study endorsed by Nobel laureate James Buchanan.

His policies even have the potential to consign the US to a similar fate as Argentina, which suffered a painful and humiliating slide from first to Third World status last century, the paper says.

There are "troubling similarities" between the US President's actions since taking office and those which in the 1930s sent the US and much of the world spiralling into the worst economic collapse in recorded history, says the new pamphlet, published by the Institute of Economic Affairs.

In particular, the authors, economists Charles Rowley of George Mason University and Nathanael Smith of the Locke Institute, claim that the White House's plans to pour hundreds of billions of dollars of cash into the economy will undermine it in the long run. They say that by employing deficit spending and increased state intervention President Obama will ultimately hamper the long-term growth potential of the US economy and may risk delaying full economic recovery by several years.

The study represents a challenge to the widely held view that Keynesian fiscal policies helped the US recover from the Depression which started in the early 1930s. The authors say: "[Franklin D Roosevelt's] interventionist policies and draconian tax increases delayed full economic recovery by several years by exacerbating a climate of pessimistic expectations that drove down private capital formation and household consumption to unprecedented lows."

Well, that's a cheery way to spend your Labor Day. But I think it is incredibly illustrative of the arguments being put forth not just in Washington but also in Annapolis. Both Obama and O'Malley are hellbent on trying to spend our way to fiscal prosperity while, at the same time, making it harder and harder for middle and working class families to compete on a level paying field. Both the President and the Governor are taking us on a reckless fiscal course that will lead to higher deficits at the national level, long-term inflation, and a reduction in earnings and income for most Marylanders.

At the Maryland level, this is a particularly damning problem. With our state Constitution requiring balanced budgets, it is painfully obvious to everybody the danger that comes with proposed overspending. When you combine liberal belief in the myth that Maryland has a recession proof economy with a senseless devotion to Keynes, you wind up with a hyper-bloated state budget that requires piecemeal cuts. And Governor O'Malley, instead of showing leadership and reducing state spending and the size of state government, instead tries to finagle his way out of it.

In short, the fiscal policies of Barack Obama and Martin O'Malley are not sustainable, will cause more and more pain for middle and working class Marylanders and are designed to avoid the tough choices that these leaders need to be making.

On this Labor Day, I challenge Maryland's leaders at the federal and state level to figure out how exactly they are going to make life more affordable for Maryland's middle and working class families. Your reckless fiscal positions have gotten us to this point; so how do you plan on fixing it?

2009 NFL Predictions

Every year I come back for more, knowing damn well that I really have no prayer of even being close in predicting the right outcome (hey, a Patriots/Cowboys Super Bowl seemed plausible at the time).

Nevertheless.....

AFC East: New England, Miami, NY Jets, Buffalo,
AFC North: Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati,Cleveland
AFC South: Indianapolis, Houston, Tennessee, Jacksonville
AFC West: San Diego, Denver, Oakland, Kansas City
NFC East: NY Giants, Philadelphia, Dallas, Washington
NFC North: Green Bay, Chicago, Minnesota, Detroit
NFC South: Atlanta, Carolina, New Orleans, Tampa Bay
NFC West: Seattle, Arizona, St. Louis, San Francisco

AFC 1st Round:
(5) Pittsburgh def. (4) Indianapolis
(3) San Diego def. (6) Houston

NFC 1st Round::
(5) Philadelphia def. (4) Seattle
(3) Green Bay def. (6) Chicago

AFC Divisional:
(1) Baltimore def. (5) Pittsburgh
(2) New England def. (3) San Diego

NFC Divisional:
(1) NY Giants def. (5) Philadelphia
(2) Atlanta def. (3) NY Giants

AFC Championship:
(1) Baltimore def. (2) New England

NFC Championship:
(2) Atlanta def. (2) NY Giants

Super Bowl XLIV:
Baltimore def. Atlanta

Memo to Governor O'Malley

Your counterpart in Indiana, Mitch Daniels is a pretty smart guy. Read this. You might learn something.

Never Ceasing to Amaze

This is not the first time we have heard Democrats float this idea, but it never ceases to amaze me that in the middle of a recession that has seen Democrats continue to put the financial hammer to middle and working class families, they want to tax us some more:

A Montgomery County delegate says that legislators should consider new taxes after revenue shortfalls forced Maryland to slash $736 million from its fiscal 2010 budget this summer.

"If our guiding principle is to protect those vulnerable among us, we need to look at revenue, because clearly our problem is a revenue problem," said Del. Roger Manno, who added that the legislature should "as soon as possible, take another look at revenue as opposed to cuts."

Yes, clearly what is called for right now when families are suffering is to make more families suffer, and to make families suffer more.

What is amazing about Del. Manno's attitude is the fact that we need to tax more in order to protect the vulnerable. What that assumes is that anybody who makes even a reasonable middle class living should be forced to subsidize not just the needs of the poor, but also the needs of the special interest groups that bend over backwards to support Democrats during election season. If Manno was not so oblivious to the needs of his constituents, he would do something constructive in order to "protect those vulnerable among us" by sticking to basic good government principles. And a good start to enact those good government principles would be to fight for smaller taxes and to eliminate the very same wasteful government spending that Manno belives we need to raise taxes in order to afford.

Yes, the likelihood of a tax increase during the 2010 General Assembly session is slim to none. But remember that the small minority of Democrats who are willing to admit that they want to raise taxes in the year before an eletion will become a thundering cacophony of tax-hiking Democrats come 2011.

We owe it to our neightbors to make sure that these slicksters don't deceive the electorate into thinking they are against tax hikes, and the electorate needs to be reminded that the historic O'Malley tax hikes and O'Malley deficit will be child's play compared to what will come in 2011 if Democrats are kept in control of our state through another election cycle.