Rangel's Senseless Rant

No one understands why Charles Rangel stood before the House despite admonishments from both his counsel and friends not to take the floor. It seems as if he simply wanted to paint himself a martyr and attempt to force the ethics committee to hold his trial before the November elections despite the further damage it could do to his party in the elections. Most congressmen, after serving 40 years, would think of their party and duck away without a public trial, but not ego-bloated Charlie, who, like a five-year-old, used the word "me" at least five times in his speech.   

Another Democrat in Hot Waters

Rangel isn't the only House member in trouble of late. Today, the House ethics committee released three ethics charges against Democratic Representative Maxine Waters of California. The charges accuse Waters of aiding a bank with which she was personally connected in getting federal bailout assistance. Specifically, Waters organized a meeting between officials within the Treasury Department and executives from OneUnited Bank, where her husband was once a board member and had large investments. The bank then received a $12 million bailout from the federal government's Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP).  

Obviously, Waters should have recused herself from the treasury's dealings with OneUnited to avoid the appearance of impropriety. Instead, she and her staff remained intimately involved and took official action for her and her family's personal benefit. She was also charged with receiving compensation for exerting improper influence from her position as her husband's investments constituted compensation.

Waters, unsurprisingly, just as indignant as Rangel, defended her assistance to OneUnited as an effort on behalf of minority-owned businesses. She said she was innocent, and like Rangel, has vowed to face a public trial rather than settle and admit, at the least, an egregiously stupid lapse of judgment. 

I wonder if she'll be attending Rangel's 80th birthday party on Wednesday at the Plaza? 

Americans Vote Congressmen as Least Respected Professionals

Rasmussen found that Americans continue to view being a member of congress as the least favorable of nine professions as just 23% of adults share a favorable opinion and 72% an unfavorable opinion of members of congress. On the other hand, entrepreneurs are the most respected professionals in the country, gaining 89% favorability. Pastors enjoyed a 74% favorability rating and lawyers a 45% favorability showing, along with stock brokers and bankers, in terms of the most respected professions. Journalists were viewed 39% favorably (by people who must not watch MSNBC). 

Unemployment Expected to Remain Stable or Rise Slightly Tomorrow

Analysts are projecting that unemployment will remain flat this month at 9.5%, and may even rise slightly. The report will be revealed tomorrow but the government said today that first-time claims for unemployment benefits rose last week to their highest level in four months. Specifically, they rose by 19,000 to a seasonally adjusted 479,000 and did not drop slightly, as analysts expected. This is the first time experts have predicted a potential increase in the overall unemployment numbers since the crisis began, suggesting the possibility of a double dip situation. However, most economists are denying such a scenario, while still admitting that businesses are not hiring and the recovery is in serious jeopardy.

Democrats Admit that the Number of Agencies, Boards and Commissions Created Under Obamacare is "Unknowable"

A recent Congressional Research Service report admitted that it had no way of determining the number of agencies, boards and commissions created under the new health care law. "The law says a lot about some of them and a little about many, and merely mentions a few. Some have been authorized without any instructions on who is to appoint whom, when that might happen and who will pay." Republicans count at least 47 new bureaucratic entities in the hurried legislation, but the bill itself admits the precise number is "unknowable.” 

The bureaucratic morass boggles the mind and makes it more probable that this bill will either be repealed or starved of cash as the public opposition grows. 

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_c847dc7c-564c-5c70-8d90-dfd25ae6de56.html

Feds Release Illegal Immigrant After Two DUIs Who Kills Nun and Injures Two Others

Carlos Montano, an illegal alien, was charged with involuntary manslaughter and drunken driving for hitting and killing a nun and injuring two others critically this weekend. Montano was arrested two other times for DUIs, and the police reported him to federal authorities, namely, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), who were in the process of deporting him. Unfortunately for Sister Denise Mosier, the feds let this two-time offender out on his own recognizance after two major offenses. 

Not surprisingly, calls made to ICE and the Department of Homeland Security were not returned. It is this type of mishandling of  illegal immigrants by federal authorities that forced Jan Brewer and other governors to enact legislation to protect their populace. This story, and as many others as the Republicans can find, should be fodder for election commercials over the next few months. The GOP should fully expose the Obama administration's policy of failing to enforce the law and allowing "virtual amnesty" as it results in waste, abuse and even tragedy. 

58% Say Raising Taxes Damages the Economy

Forty-four percent of voters expect their taxes to eventually rise under President Obama, according to a Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey which also reported that 9% think their taxes will go down and 39% expect them to remain stable. That number has risen 8% since Obama took office and has been as high as 48% since polling began. Of those polled, 58% say an increase in taxes damages the economy while tax cuts help the economy compared to an average of 18% who disagree on both fronts.

Most interestingly, but not surprisingly, the survey also found a sharp difference between mainstream voters and what they deemed the "political class." "While 73% of mainstream voters think tax increases hurt the economy, 48% of the political class believe they are good for the economy."