Bad Deeds for 2-18-2009

John Boehner Complains About Non-Existent Stimulus Bill Las Vegas High-Speed Rail Project – The madness continues on the right-wing’s crusade against a mythical high-speed rail to Las Vegas project that Harry Reid is alleged to have snuck into the stimulus bill. “Tell me how spending $8 billion,” asked House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) on the floor, “in this bill to have a high-speed rail line between Los Angeles and Las Vegas is going to help the construction worker in my district.” But there’s no special plan for Las Vegas. The money will be spread all across the country. The areas that will get a leg up should be the Federal Railroad Administration’s officially designated high-speed rail corridors. As it happens, LA-Vegas doesn’t make the cut. But guess who does have such a corridor? John Boehner’s Ohio! Long story short, John Boehner doesn’t know what he’s talking about and his position on this issue would imperil both short term jobs for Ohioans and an opportunity to substantially improve Ohio’s long-run capacity for economic growth.

 

Michele Bachmann Complains, “We’re Running Out Of Rich People In This Country” – Minnesota Republican Michele Bachmann told KLTK’s Chris Baker that she opposes she stimulus because we’re “running out of rich people in this country.”

She also said ACORN is “under federal indictment for voter fraud,” but the stimulus bill nevertheless gives ACORN “$5 billion.” (In reality, ACORN is not under federal indictment and isn’t mentioned in the stimulus bill at all.)
And she said the stimulus bill includes a measure to create a “rationing board” for health care, and after the bill becomes law, “your doctor will no longer be able to make your healthcare decisions with you.” But that has been widely de-bunked.

And just to be sure she gets committed to a small room in a big building, she said the “Community-Organizer-in-Chief” is also orchestrating a conspiracy involving the Census Bureau, which the president will use to redraw congressional lines to keep Democrats in power for up to “40 years.” When the host said he was confused, noting that congressional district lines are drawn at the state level, Bachmann said Obama’s non-existent plan is an “anti-constitutional move.”

 

Sarah Palin Owes Back Income Tax – Gov. Sarah Palin must pay income taxes on thousands of dollars in expense money she received while living at her Wasilla home, under a new determination by state officials. The governor’s office wouldn’t say this week how much she owes in back taxes for meal money, or whether she intends to continue to receive the per diem allowance. As of December, she was still charging the state for meals and incidentals.

 

Republicans Share Stage With Man Holding Anti-Obama Swastika Sign – Right wing virago Michelle Malkin appeared on stage at a Colorado anti-stimulus rally with Sate Senator Josh Penry, Congressman Mike Coffman, Colorado GOP Chairman Dick Wadhams, State Senator Dave Schultheis, former Congressman Tom Tancredo, and Independence Institute president Jon Caldara and this guy in the picture who carried a anti-Obama swastika sign. None of whom did anything about it, and in fact one person defended the guy saying that the swastika is not a Nazi symbol, but an honored Native American symbol.

 

Republicans Use Copyrighted Songs Without Permission Over and Over Again – Poor House Republicans. They were pretty psyched yesterday about that new troops-rallying video from Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) that used Aerosmith’s “Back in the Saddle” to declare that “The House GOP is back” thanks to the party’s unanimous opposition to the stimulus. But unfortunately, Aerosmith wasn’t feeling the love. Cantor’s clip has been pulled from YouTube after a copyright infringement claim made by Stage Three Music, which owns the rights to “Back in the Saddle.” Aerosmith did not approve of its use and also wanted to have it taken down.

Reagan uses “Born in the U.S.A.”; Springsteen says “Stop it!”
George H.W. Bush uses “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”; McFerrin says “Stop it!” Poppy Bush uses “This Land Is Your Land”; Woody Guthrie shakes an angry fist from Heaven, curses public domain laws. Arlo complains. Irony Meter explodes.

Bob Dole uses “Dole Man,” a brilliantly clever reworking of “Soul Man” sung by the only black Republican in Phoenix, Arizona, Mr. Sam Moore, of Sam and Dave; composer Isaac Hayes reportedly “upset.”

George W. Bush uses Orleans’ “Still The One”; composer/Rep. John Hall, D-NY, says “Stop it!”

McCain uses “Our Country”; Mellencamp says “Stop it!” McCain uses “Running On Empty”; Jackson Browne says “Stop it!”, sues. McCain uses “I Won’t Back Down”; Petty says “Stop it!”

Sarah Palin uses “Barracuda”; Heart says “Stop it!”

 

Republicans Say Obama is Off to a Bad Start Because He Wasn’t Able to Keep us From Acting Like Jerks – Top Republican lawmakers Sunday called on President Obama to change his political strategy, arguing that the passage of a massive stimulus bill on a party-line vote showed he has failed to deliver the “change” he promised. Even though Obama made an unprecedented effort to reach out to Republicans. Not just in meetings at the White House, but the president drove up to Capitol Hill to meet with Republicans where they work. Then the amendments asked for by House Republicans were put into the bill and the Republicans that asked for the amendments voted against the bill. The[n] we have the childish act of House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) actually throwing the stimulus bill on the floor, hamming it up for CSPAN.

 

Property Seizures Gone Wild in Tenaha, Texas – A two-decade-old state law that grants authorities the power to seize property used in a crime is wielded by some agencies against people who are never charged with, much less convicted, of a crime. Law enforcement authorities in this East Texas town (Tenaha) of 1,000 people seized property from at least 140 motorists between 2006 and 2008, and, to date, filed criminal charges against fewer than half, according to a San Antonio Express-News review of court documents. Virtually anything of value was up for grabs: cash, cell phones, personal jewelry, a pair of sneakers, and often, the very car that was being driven through town. Some affidavits filed by officers relied on the presence of seemingly innocuous property as the only evidence that a crime had occurred. Linda Dorman, a great-grandmother from Akron, Ohio, had $4,000 in cash taken from her by local authorities when she was stopped while driving through town after visiting Houston in April 2007. Court records make no mention that anything illegal was found in her van and show no criminal charges filed in the case. She is still waiting for the return of what she calls “her life savings.”

Regards,

Jim