Actually, the program was already in place, but he's upping it.

Gov. Deval PatrickÂ’s free wheels for welfare recipients program is revving up despite the stalled economy, as the keys to donated cars loaded with state-funded insurance, repairs and even AAA membership are handed out to get them to work.

But the program - fueled by a funding boost despite the stateÂ’s fiscal crash - allows those who end up back on welfare to keep the cars anyway.

“It’s mind-boggling. You’ve got people out there saying, ‘I just lost my job. Hey, can I get a free car, too?’ ” said House Minority Leader Brad Jones (R-North Reading).

Posted by: Ace at 10:37 AM | Comments (102)
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The good parts begin at 2:00.

It's about a shady huckster selling an "Ism" formula to labor, farmers, industrialists, and politicians. The Ism will take care of you forever. You just have to sign over your freedom.

Heavy handed and corny -- it's an instructional cartoon, after all -- but pretty good.

Posted by: Ace at 09:52 AM | Comments (47)
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Stress:

The results of the stress test are due to be released at 5:00 PM to ensure minimum news cycle impact, and the Feds have released a statement on what to expect. By this point, there's been so much leaking and throat clearing, it almost seems like an old story at this point.

...

One very interesting note, which David Zaring picked up on, is that in this 30 day period "...firms will need to review their existing management and Board in order to assure that the leadership of the firm has sufficient expertise and ability to manage the risks presented by the current economic environment."

While no one should mourn the loss of these guys, we have an exceedingly dangerous precedent here. Obama is perfectly willing to punish those industry leaders and lenders who won't play ball with him, by which I mean "screw over their clients and shareholders to achieve Obama's political ends."

With his fingers now in so many private-enterprise pies, that gives him an awful lot of power to simply fire executives who won't kowtow to him, no?

Thanks to Anti-Harkonen Freedom Fighter Geoff.

Posted by: Ace at 09:28 AM | Comments (81)
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A family's right to mourn their lost loved one in private? Not important.

Obama's right to protect himself against political embarrassment? Critically important to this nation's security.

The Obama White House rushed to reverse an 18-year ban photographing the flag-draped coffins of troops arriving back on American soil. And at the behest of the American Civil Liberties Union, his administration is set to release at least 21 classified photographs by May 28 showing detainee abuse in prisons in Iraq and Afghanistan. Openness in government is fine if it hurts America's reputation, but not if it harms Obama's.

And she's filing FOIA demands:

Specifically, I requested all public records related to and including the flight manifests and related to the origin of the request for the mission. The second filing requests any and all photos taken during the planned federal aerial mission approved by the White House Military Office.

What rationale could they possibly use to stifle public disclosure? National security? These were glamour shots to enhance the Air Force One photo portfolio. That's no secret. The White House 'fessed up on that. Withholding the photos serves only one purpose: protecting the backsides of those involved in this botched PR mission.

How many members of the liberal media do you imagine filed FOIA requests?

Posted by: Ace at 09:23 AM | Comments (36)
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As I suspected: No fire in the belly. The question posed -- better a strong conservative with a small chance of winning or a conservative-ish candidate with a good chance of winning -- is mooted.

After careful consideration and many conversations with friends and family and the leadership of my party, I have decided not to seek the Republican nomination for Senate," Ridge said in a statement, adding later, "The 2010 race has significant implications for my party, and that required thoughtful reflection. All of the above made my decision a difficult and deeply personal conclusion to reach. ... To those who believe that the Republican Party is facing challenges; they are right. To those who believe the Democratic Party is without its own difficulties, they are wrong. No one party has a monopoly on all of the answers. ... And so my desire and intention is to help my party craft solutions that both sides of the aisle can embrace."

Meanwhile, Joe Sestak may challenge Specter in the Democratic primary.

Congressman Joe Sestak said that he will be taking at least a couple of months before deciding whether to challenge Sen. Arlen Specter in a Democratic primary.

But in an interview with POLITICO, he sounded as interested as ever in running for the Senate and said that he wouldnÂ’t be persuaded by any presidential phone call urging him to step aside for the good of the party.

...

“For the average voter, it’s going to matter more whether they determine if [Specter is] reliable in the long haul. They’re going to look at his past voting record — for Bush’s tax cuts, for the Iraq war, and then they’ll look to the future and asks what his recent actions suggest,” Sestak said.

“You’ve got to ask, 'How reliable will he be?'”

But a poll by Public Opinion Strategies (a Republican firm) says Sestak is far behind:

Democrats
Specter 57
Sestak 20
Undecided 22

Thanks to DrewM.

Posted by: Ace at 09:00 AM | Comments (42)
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Boycotting through theft.

In a sickeningly appropriate twist, this little display of hate is right around the corner from a Nazi era deportation depot for Jews. Never again or something.

This incident reminds me...it's almost time for Youths of Undetermined Ethnic and Religious Origin Car Burning season.

Posted by: DrewM at 07:55 AM | Comments (102)
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I was promised there would be no math on this blog but $17 Billion on a $3.1 Trillion Budget is, add this, carry that and it totals....not a whole hell of a lot (actually, it's 1/2 of 1%).

Of course these aren't really cuts in the overall budget at all.

About half of the trims would come from curbing defense programs that have been identified by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates as expendable. They include ending production of the F-22 fighter plane and canceling a new presidential helicopter fleet.

...The proposed cuts, if adopted by Congress, would not actually reduce government spending. Obama's budget would increase overall spending; any savings from the program terminations and reductions would be shifted to the president's priorities.

But the more likely outcome, budget analysts said, is that few to none of the programs targeted by Obama will be terminated. Presidents from both parties have routinely rolled out long lists of spending cuts -- and lawmakers from both parties routinely ignore them."

In other words there's a good chance that the Kings of Pork on Capitol Hill will just stick 'em back in later. Well played Mr. President.

Listening to Obama sell this, he's not really focusing on the dollar amount but the 'over one hundred programs cut' part. Clever marketing.

If nothing else this lame effort shows there's still power in the budget as an issue. It's telling that Obama feels he has to pay lip service to cutting spending even as he raises it through the roof. The challenge for Republicans is that everyone loves to hear about budget cutting right up until it's there pet program that takes the hit.

Heh...What $17 billion will buy you.

Below, a reminder of when Obama thought $18 billion wasn't all that important. more...

Posted by: DrewM at 06:24 AM | Comments (97)
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It goes without saying that I will be seeing Star Trek sometime this weekend and I'm encouraged by the very strong reviews it has received so far. (Wolverine, by contrast, has not been as favorably received and I haven't bothered to see it yet.)

For me the new film is going to come down to two things: did they get the characters right? And did they get the Enterprise right. The "reboot", which is explained in-universe as a separate timeline from the existing continuity, doesn't bother me.

I understand that this is supposed to be the characters meeting each other, so obviously they won't have that charm and camaraderie that we're used to. Still, they better have at least nodded in that direction by the end of the film. I think the actors have it in them, particularly Karl Urban's McCoy and Chris Pine's Kirk.

As far as the ship goes, look, the Enterprise was always majestic and graceful. It's not a zoomy ship (think Star Wars). I'll be watching to see if Abrams pulled a Lucas in favor of CGI-heavy zoominess. 'Cause that will be distracting as hell.

To illustrate both the camaraderie and the grandeur of the ship, I considered posting the Stealing the Enterprise portion of Star Trek III. But then I thought of the trap and sacrifice that Kirk leaves the Klingons later in the flick. Watch 'em both to relive the good old days, I've embedded the second below the fold. more...

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 04:13 AM | Comments (117)
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How much money did the government loan them? I forget.

Oh wait. 15.4 billion.

G.M. has borrowed $15.4 billion from the federal government since December to stay afloat, and the company says it needs $11.6 billion more. But the chances that it will end up in bankruptcy court at the end of this month are growing, particularly after ChryslerÂ’s Chapter 11 filing last week.

I'm sure the problem here is more of those recalcitrant "speculators".

Posted by: Dave in Texas at 04:13 AM | Comments (51)
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Big day.

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 03:54 AM | Comments (26)
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