"Barack's now the last brother"

More Hypocrisy

From Rollcall.

Remember back a few months ago when members of Congress were chastising the big 3 auto executives for arriving at the congressional hearings in private jets? Well it appears that they personally consider themselves above the common CEOs. They have recently approved nearly $200 million for the Air Force to buy three elite Gulfstream jets for ferrying top government officials and members of Congress.

The Air Force had asked for one Gulfstream 550 jet (price tag: about $65 million) as part of an ongoing upgrade of its passenger air service.

But the House Appropriations Committee, at its own initiative, added to the 2010 Defense appropriations bill another $132 million for two more airplanes and specified that they be assigned to the D.C.-area units that carry Members of Congress, military brass and top government officials.

The Gulfstream G550 is a luxury business jet, which the company advertises as featuring long-range flight capacity that “easily links Washington, D.C., with Dubai, London with Singapore and Tokyo with Paris.” The company’s promotional materials say, “The cabin aboard the G550 combines productivity with exceptional comfort. It features up to four distinct living areas, three temperature zones, a choice of 12 floor plan configurations with seating for up to 18 passengers.”

Steve Ellis, vice president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, said if Congress wants to buy new jets for the comfort of top government officials, “I think that all needs to be justified on the merits. ... Certainly, lawmakers can fly — and many do fly — coach and business class.” While there may be reasons for flying on top-notch private jets, “it shouldn’t just be squeezed into the bill.”

Ellis said the airplanes are also part of a larger trend for the Appropriations Committee to simply decide that big-ticket items are program increases, not earmarks, so they require less public disclosure.

“The more that you push for transparency, the more of this stuff goes underneath the carpet,” Ellis said. While Congress has established new rules requiring greater transparency for earmarks, the Appropriations Committee is “the judge, jury and executioner over what is an earmark and what isn’t and how much information we get.”

Interesting

From the Pakistan Daily:



Reports circulating in the Kremlin today are stating that President Medvedev expressed “shock” to President Obama during an emergency phone conference over the United States backing of a coup to overthrow the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Even more shocking, these reports continue, was when Medvedev pressed Obama on why Iran had “suddenly” transferred over $18 Billion to the American President’s “personal account”, Obama was said to have replied, “You’ll find out soon enough”.

In Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, the situation remains tense over the aborted coup-attempt, and as we can read as reported by Iran’s National News Service:

“Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan[photo 2nd left], the kingdom’s former ambassador to the United States, is reportedly under house arrest over a conspiracy against the monarch.

He added that after Saudi officials discovered that he had provoked 200 agents working for the Saudi security service to stage a coup against King Abdullah, he was put under house arrest.”

FSB reports contained in these files further state that the over $18 Billion in gold and US Dollars transferred to Obama’s personal account in October, 2008, was the “crucial factor” in his winning the American Presidential contest as it was used to payoff the Bush-Cheney Drug Cartel who in turn allowed the “electronic” US election to swing in his, Obama’s, favor.

It is interesting to note about this vast fortune that Iran’s Central Bank is now openly questioning the transfer of the estimated $18.5 Billion ($7.5 billion in cash and 20 metric tons of gold) from their Nation to Turkey by Iranian arms dealer, Esmael Safarian-Nasab, and who, Russian Intelligence reports state, was the “facilitator” of the “arms for hostages” deal between the United States and Iran who met with former US President George Bush upon his secret arrival in the Persian Nation prior to President Ronald Reagan’s election and is known as the “October Surprise”.

Hang up and drive

Do you talk on the phone while you drive?
Do you think that you are a careful driver?

Well, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Board (NHTSA) you about as safe as a drunk driver. Yeah that's right. According to the hundreds of pages of research and warnings that they have kept hidden since 2003 they have come to that conclusion.
If you think that a hands free set is the safe way to go, think again. In a letter to then commissioner Norman Mineta the board stated: "A significant body of research worldwide indicates that both hand-held and hands-free cell phones increase the risk of a crash. Indeed, research has demonstrated that there is little, if any, difference between the use of hand-held phones in contributing to the risk of driving while distracted."

Why do you think that the information was suppressed for 6 years? My guess is that no one in the government has the balls to tell the public to give up their obsession with being in contact every minute of the day. What do you think?

Nation Health Care?

The following was pinched from ZZMike @ MaxRedline Blog.

Do you really want the government managing your healthcare?
Many people extol the virtues of health care in Socialist countries like England and Canada but there are many examples of how this system can be found to be less than ideal.
One example from England is the following:
The Government's drug rationing watchdog says "therapeutic" injections of steroids, such as cortisone, which are used to reduce inflammation, should no longer be offered to patients suffering from persistent lower back pain when the cause is not known.

The NHS currently issues more than 60,000 treatments of steroid injections every year. NICE said in its guidance it wants to cut this to just 3,000 treatments a year, a move which would save the NHS £33 million.

Instead the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is ordering doctors to offer patients remedies like acupuncture and osteopathy.

Dr Jonathan Richardson, a consultant pain specialist from Bradford Hospitals Trust, is among more than 50 medics who have written to NICE urging the body to reconsider its decision, which was taken in May.

He said: "The consequences of the NICE decision will be devastating for thousands of patients. It will mean more people on opiates, which are addictive, and kill 2,000 a year. It will mean more people having spinal surgery, which is incredibly risky, and has a 50 per cent failure rate."

Iris Watkins, 80 from Appleton, in Cheshire said her life had been "transformed" by the use of therapeutic injections every two years. The pensioner began to suffer back pain in her 70s. Four years ago, despite physiotherapy treatment and the use of medication, she had reached a stage where she could barely walk.

"It was horrendous, I was spending hours lying on the sofa, or in bed, I couldn't spend a whole evening out. I was referred to a specialist, who decided to give me a set of injections. The difference was tremendous",

Within days, she was able to return to her old life, gardening, caring for her husband Herbert, and enjoying social occasions.

"I just felt fabulous – almost immediately, there was not a twinge. I only had an injection every two years, but it really has transformed my life; if I couldn't have them I would be in despair".

Blacks, Whites, Italians Need Not Apply.

I'm sorry but isn't it discriminating to place an employment ad that specifies Latina women between 18 and 27.
It's pretty good pay though $75 dollars for 2 hours of discussion.
Seems to me that they could find people interested in the health care discussion for nothing.
Of course everyone knows that smart Latino women have better judgment.


THE FOLLOWING AD APPEARED IN CRAIGSLIST.

http://eugene.craigslist.org/etc/1296129054.html

Latina Healthcare Study (U of O (Lane County))
Date: 2009-07-29, 6:18PM PDT
Reply to: julianglobal@gmail.com [Errors when replying to ads?]

The Office of Family Health is looking for Latina women between the ages of 18 and 27 who do not currently have children, to participate in a 2 hour discussion about health care issues.

If you are interested, please email me with your name, phone number and email address and I will provide additional information.

It will be held at the U of O on Wednesday August 5th in the evening.

Thanks!

* Location: U of O (Lane County)
* Compensation: $75 cash plus snack
* This is a part-time job.
* Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
* Phone calls about this job are ok.
* Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.

First there was Billy Beer, then...