Nothing could illustrate the real reason for the unemployment extension bill passage more than this article from the Columbia, SC Democrat PR rag.

More S.C. jobless to qualify for benefits

South Carolina will expand its jobless benefits to include part-time workers and those who are out of work because they are caring for a sick family member thanks to an infusion of $97 million in federal money.

“This money will be like a lifeline,” said U.S. Rep. John Spratt, D-S.C., who faces a bitter re-election campaign this fall against Republican state Sen. Mick Mulvaney, R-Lancaster. “We need it and need it badly.”

This makes it even more odious that Republicans like Scott Brown crossed over to vote for this bill. We have a “chance” of bouncing the asshole Spratt out this election and thanks to another bribe to the permanently unemployed around here he gets another boost.

And in the same vein we have the more recent 26B union bailout bill which the RINos traded places from Brown to the ME sisters.

Budget bill saves S.C. teacher jobs

U.S. Reps. Jim Clyburn and John Spratt hailed final passage of a bill Tuesday slated to bring South Carolina nearly $282 million in Medicaid and education funding, but U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson branded it a bailout built on more federal debt.

President Barack Obama signed the $26.1 billion appropriations measure hours after House members returned to Washington from their summer breaks for a one-day special session.

So the next time one of you anti-Tea Party bloviators get on the “you purist” kick, think about this kind of blow-back from RINOs like Brown and DIABLOs like the ME sisters. They do far more damage than just giving the Dems cover by crossing over and by breaking filibusters. They actually help kill us down the road as well.

Aug. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Stocks and U.S. index futures dropped and Treasuries rose, sending the two-year yield to a record low, after the Federal Reserve said the recovery is decelerating. The yen appreciated to a 15-year high per dollar.

But it's been so robust up till now.

“It is clear the Fed no longer sees the economy to be well on track,” Markus Ernst, a credit strategist at UniCredit SpA in Munich, wrote in a note to investors. “The move certainly will spur investor speculation on the danger of a double-dip recession in the U.S.”

A double dip during Recovery Summer? Must be Bush's fault

Aug. 11 (Bloomberg) -- A lack of jobs will shackle consumer spending and restrain the U.S. recovery more than previously estimated, according to economists polled by Bloomberg News.

“Simply put, job growth in the private sector hasn’t improved as we would’ve expected,” said John Silvia, chief economist at Wells Fargo Securities LLC in Charlotte, North Carolina. “The consumer continues to contribute to growth but at a subpar pace.”

Nonsense! Barry has saved or created 80 bazillion jobs. This is one hell of a RECOVERY SUMMER!

My top two names for his gay muzzie bar are:  Turban Cowboy and Grind Zero.

Brilliant!  I am partial to the name Sodomy and Gomorrah.

A double dip during Recovery Summer? Must be Bush's fault

Wow, completely unexpected!

 I love this.  Harry Reid's racism showing thru like his magic underwear. 

I am getting nervous that this douchebag is going to win his election.  He really needs to get the boot. 

Here is how it works on the tax increase crap folks, at least as it applies to SC.  First a little bit of history for those not in SC.

A few years back the SC legislature passed a law that would make it easier for local counties to raise sales tax in order to give them an option for revenue “enhancement” other than property tax.  At that time sales tax was 4% statewide, having been raised from 3% about 2 years previous. They first went for what they called the “Local Option Sales Tax” (LOST). It was advertised as a means to “reduce the property tax”.  Hahahaha, I knew that was a scam, as noting promised that it would stay reduced or by how much it would get reduced. Soon they had expanded this local option sales tax for all kinds of “purposes”.  So here is the news from North Myrtle Beach, one of the several communities that make up the Metropolitan Myrtle Beach area which has a total population of over 500K.  

North Myrtle Beach discusses potential sales tax

NORTH MYRTLE BEACH -- North Myrtle Beach is considering a one percent tourism tax.  However, not everyone thinks it's a good idea.  The North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce held a public meeting Tuesday, to clear up any confusion on the fee.

Its not a damn fee Mr. Asshole, itÂ’s a tax that everyone will pay.

"Eighty percent of this tax will be paid by visitors, twenty percent by local people," said Marc Jordan, President of North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce.

For once I would like to see how these lying weasels get their numbers, or at least see a reporter from all these Demonrat PR rags question them on their numbers.  I guess they assume that out of State tourists pay 80% of the sales tax in SC, or at least in Myrtle Beach. ThatÂ’s an awful lot of spending for a group of people who start arriving in March and are essentially gone in September. 

So the local polls come on and say tourists will pay 80% of this “fee”. That implies that you personally will get 20% lower rates. They actually think people are that stupid. Well, maybe some of them are. But even if this stupid 80% number were true it means that out of the total collected, 80% would come from tourists. Locals will still pay 100% of the tax on each purchase.

They also donÂ’t mention in any of this public Q&A that the Columbia tax commission is recommending a massive statewide sales tax increase as well. A recommendation which is likely to be implemented.

When I first moved to this State the sales tax was 3% and the property tax on my house was $200/year. The sales tax is now 8.5% in the county and 10.5% in the nearby town on prepared food of any kind. Meanwhile that LOST has resulted in reducing my property tax from $200/yr to about $1,000/yr for the same house.  

Oh, and I'm sticking with my original name for that gay muslim bar, "A La Cock Bar"

Posted by: MikeO at August 11, 2010 09:29 AM (lBmZl)

You're right, I was.

Cracks beginning to appear in the Dem strategy of refusing to be embarrassed by everything they have to be embarrassed about?

And not only their headlining Barry and Michelle comedy routine either.  Pelosi, Reid, and the rest of their corruption rotted dem brethren.

I am getting nervous that this douchebag is going to win his election.  He really needs to get the boot. 

Posted by: runningrn at August 11, 2010 09:34 AM (CfmlF)

For being outspent 11 to 1, Angle is holding her own so far.

Posted by: curious at August 11, 2010 09:22 AM (p302b)

So is herpes.

Tell me about it.

Anyone see the article of Iran digging mass graves?

It looks like they have their own shovel ready programs

But virtually all of the unemployed shovel their benefits back into the economy, just to pay for food and housing and so on. It is far more effective way to stimulate job creation.

Hence the term "funemployment."  We know what we're doing, people.  This isn't our first rodeo.

Posted by: Kratos (Ghost of Sparta) at August 11, 2010 09:36 AM (9hSKh)

That's the definition of the progessive ideology.

Aug. 11 (Bloomberg) -- The trade deficit in the U.S. unexpectedly widened in June to the highest level since October 2008 as consumer goods imports rose to a record and exports declined.

Nothing but good news that's always unexpected in RECOVERY SUMMER

Council on American Islamic Relations

Posted by: Vic at August 11, 2010 09:34 AM (/jbAw)

WTF Vic...Now where am I going to retire to?? I still have 25+ years of the grind and the future looks bleak for us generation X'ers. You had better put them pricks some fricken knowledge in SC or I'll be retiring to a fridge box with a view of RT80 in Hackensack, NJ!! There is simply no where to escape the Leviathon!

I have the perfect advertising line for the new gay bar

It's Just a Reach Around the Block from Ground Zero®

Posted by: eman at August 11, 2010 09:27 AM (aXxv1)

Excellent,

Al Jiz Era

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Wall Street and its financial allies did an about-face in political spending in June, giving Republicans over two-thirds of their campaign contributions as Democrats pushed financial reform forward in Congress, a report said on Tuesday.

The preliminary findings by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics suggest that a financial industry trend favoring Republican candidates, which began in late 2009, may have accelerated as reform legislation progressed in the run-up to November's congressional mid-term elections.

http://tinyurl.com/26cs45y

Allah's Ack Bar

Bill the Cat as spokeskitteh.  Burke Breathed as artistic director.

So'domi Arabia.

Posted by: LincolnTf at August 11, 2010 09:58 AM (w05/A)

Tossed Saladin!

 You owe me a monitor!

The Stockman article is beyond retarded. Someone might want to point out to him that the Dems had control of the House and mostly the Senate, and hence the pursestrings of the nation, for 40 years starting in 1954.

The one point he does have, is that there is a part of the republican party who think we can just have tax cuts and not reduce spending.

I understand that is was hard enough to get tax cuts, the republicans had to use reconciliation, so cutting spending wouldn't be easy without a super majority.

Think of the Tom Delays, the men who gave the base what they wanted tax cuts, and then increased spending.

While tax cuts do increase revenue, they don't increase it by enough to offset the loss of income to the government. Now if you're like me you don't see that as  being the governments money in the first place, however if you see the government like a business, which it is, you have to acknowledge that they either have to make enough money somewhere else to offset the loss of revenue or their outlays(spending) as to not run a deficit.

Personally, I think most people here would agree with me, we need tax cuts and reduced spending. I think that is the only legitimate point Stockman makes. The Sean Hannitys who think just cutting taxes is enough, when it isn't. It has to be in conjunction with spending cuts. Even Reagan wanted to have massive cuts in conjunction with his tax cuts, but couldn't get it through the democratic congress.

The rest of the article is junk.

My top two names for his gay muzzie bar are:  Turban Cowboy and Grind Zero.

Brilliant!  I am partial to the name Sodomy and Gomorrah.

Man Mecca--Everybody's required to come at least once!^TM

Morning.

Is anyone else having problems with ads loading slowly on different sites? I've seen people mention it about HA, but I'm having the same problem on PJM and other places. Very annoying.

Kratos,

read my post. I say it is the spending as well.

If the government spends 100 dollars a year and they take in 100 dollars a year, and you give tax cuts to the people which decreases the inlays to 80 dollars a year, you have to cut back spending to meet that.

That was my point.Tax cuts don't pay for themselves because the government doesn't reduce its rate of spending even though its income over the short term decreases.

Portrait of a bitter old man. 

_{I normally can't stomach anything to do with him, but there's something about this pix that I couldn't look away from.}

Posted by: Vic at August 11, 2010 10:02 AM (/jbAw)

I'm getting into the RV buisness, If we don't get this shit under control there will be a ever growing nomadic tribe of retired conservative RV'ers just trying to keep one step ahead of the man in their desperate search for liberty & freedom.

There are at least four ways it's worse (and probably about three ways it's better).

He is a damn Democrat, and you wasted a uniquely anti-Democrat election, along with millions upon millions of conservative dollars that could have gone to someone who's even vaguely conservative, setting him up to fuck you in the face. And you were happy about it. That's just embarrassing.

This encourages the GOP to fuck you in the face over and over again the same way, e.g., McMahon, Fiorina, ...

He's built-in anticonservative spin in news stories about close votes (on which he'll always side with the Democrats). "Once again the few reasonable New England Republicans went against the hardcore racist etc..."

If you ever want an actual non-Democrat in that seat, the effort required is equivalent to beating two incumbents.

Etc.

The one point he does have, is that there is a part of the republican party who think we can just have tax cuts and not reduce spending.

Yes, that's legitimate. Of course, Stockman appears to be operating under the premise that all government spending is sacrosanct, and a way must be found to pay for it.

i agree, the guys is a douche. most of the article is junk.

But as i said, he does have a legitimate point about a newer breed, or at least a section of republicans who think that ONLY tax cuts are the answer.

Look at the Reagan years, sure the Tax Cuts paid off big time, but they didn't make enough revenue to offset the massive increase in congressional spending.

While I would argue that the military spending was worth it during the 1980s, they should have cut some social programs or pet projects to offset the rise in military spending.

You should only be running deficits during a war.

Posted by: curious at August 11, 2010 10:15 AM (p302b)

Unfortunately no it doesn't.

Posted by: MikeO at August 11, 2010 10:19 AM (lBmZl)

Never heard of them. Is that some kind of secessionist movement?

He has cold, dead eyes.  Oh, and angry.

Not only that, is he doing a salute to the Texas Longhorns, or his Master?

Posted by: Jean at August 11, 2010 10:29 AM (WkuV6)

Stimulus!

Ben,

Small deficits with a growing robust economy are sustainable.  Therefore, your argument is a bit backwards.  If we are using the cuts to grow the economy (as in the 80s) then the short-term revenue cut, and it would be very short-term, is easy an easy problem with which to deal.

you're correct, i didn't specify what kind of deficits. There isn't anything wrong with a small deficit, but we are in the 1.3 trillion dollar range these days, even the deficits during the Bush years of 4-5 hundred billion were too much, granted they were trending downward until 2008.

However, i think part of what we are seeing now is different in the sense that we have the tax cuts and the economy isn't growing fast enough. 

 i am not blaming the current economy on tax cuts, nor am i saying we should let the Bush tax cuts expire, but I don't think tax cuts in conjunction with current government spending will get us out of this funk.  We can't increase spending exponentially and cut taxes.  Obviously I want to cut spending, but I think it is clear that we won't have any real spending cuts for the next 2 years, even if the republicans win. Obama will veto any bill they write that pertains to spending cuts. The only things he will sign are "spending cuts" that in reality move spending from one sector to another, a kind of shell game.

So we are in a position, where the government is in fact losing short term revenue from the taxes being cut, the economy not growing fast enough to offset the losses or even produce higher revenues as a result even in the long term due to spending increases that coulnd't be paid for even if we taxed people a 100 percent of income or cut the tax rate to 1%.

Dar al-Fabulous

Aside: If I get a "403" at Hot Air when I try to post, but can still preview, have I been banned?  If so I was banned while on a week-long vacation and not posting. 

Posted by: Wodeshed at August 11, 2010 10:31 AM (MFbfZ)

Can't decipher that one????

Posted by: curious at August 11, 2010 10:31 AM (p302b)

Unfortunately the current leadership only does that to conservative Republicans who wander off the RINO platform.

Thousands of British online banking customers have fallen victim to a sophisticated attack by cyber criminals who have stolen thousands of pounds from their accounts.

About 3,000 online banking customers have been victims of a computer virus attack that empties their accounts while showing them fake statements so the scam goes undetected.

Experts have described the attack using a 'trojan' virus as the most sophisticated and dangerous malware program ever created.

per drudge

If you can stomach it, head on over to NPR and listen to the cheers and snickering of The Late Ted Stevens.

It can't be any worse than this.

The first step in these circumstances is to at least hold the line on spending to creat some breathing space for the private sector.  If we do not do that...and soon....game over.  And I really mean it.

yeah, its pissing me off. over the past few years my assets have been increasing, and now the whole thing might fall apart.

I have no idea where to put my money.

Stocks are manipulated, has anyone been able to explain why Proctor and Gamble stock went from 60 to 40 in a few seconds. I haven't heard a definative answer.

The government buying our own debt. Municipal Bonds, once the most safe investment are extremely risky.

I don't believe my retirement account is safe. I don't put it beyond the government to seize IRAs or 401Ks in an emergency, and retroactively, so even if i pull the money out, it is still theirs.

CDs and Money Market accounts pay 1 percent or under.

And even if i put the cash in my mattress, it may be devalued paper in a few years.

Our "dollars" only have value when the full faith of the people is invested in them. I can't say for certainty that i still have faith that that piece of paper has any value.

Posted by: Charles Martel at August 11, 2010 10:35 AM (NvFZs)

...and yet, they called me the bad guy...

Ben put on Beck, he has just started talking about the monetizing of our debt.

yeah, i just turned it on. I think they've been doing this since 2008 or 2009

Posted by: curious at August 11, 2010 09:51 AM (p302b)

I think we were beat to the punch by one of I Own the World's infamous contests.  They had a couple hundred entries when this story broke.  One of their commeners tweeted "Suspicious Packages," the one Beck picked as his favorite, to Gutfeld early on.

Posted by: curious at August 11, 2010 10:48 AM (p302b)

The bright side of monetizing the debt is that the Dow could easily hit 10,000,000.  Weee!

taliwhackerban?

Al Qacka?

Alisha's Safe House?

1001 Arabian Dykes. Can't forget the, um, ladies.

Abdul in Wonderland. There used to be a joint called Alex in Wonderland near the west 12th Street meat wholesalers in lower Manhatten.

Queen of the Desert

Brucie of Arabia

They would never use mine which was Tossed Saladin.

Though I'm thinking of opening a bar for conservative ex pats from Iraq.  I'm going to call it Tea Baghdadders.

Posted by: polynikes at August 11, 2010 09:53 AM (m2CN7)

+ 2

Re gay bar names:  You Mecca Me Hot  was another contendah on Beck's show.

Posted by: Circa (Insert Year Here) at August 11, 2010 10:52 AM (NvFZs)

Heh.  It's the bear in me

Alisha'sAisha's Safe House?

Posted by: todler

FIFM

the 12th Imam?

Posted by: Jean at August 11, 2010 10:52 AM (WkuV6)

What they tend to leave out in their analysis is that monetizing the debt will literally destroy the dollar - i.e. render it unusable.  That is the great risk of monetization.  Now, most people you tell this to will point out other countries that had monetized their debt, or otherwise had collapses in their monetary systems, like Weimar, Iceland, Albania, Argentina, Mexico, ... and they will act as if the US dollar is just like all the other currencies that have been through this.  Unfortunately, that is as wrong as wrong can be.  No other currency has ever been in the position of the US dollar, which is just far too large and used by too many people and institutions to be bailed out by anyone or replaced by anything.  When the US dollar disintegrates, it leaves nothing but a huge, gaping hole that cannot be filled - and there is no escape. 

That is the really serious risk of monetizing our debt and why the only rational move, if needed, is to default on the debt and save our dollar - but no politician has the brains or balls to default.  Printing cash is too easy and the immediate effects of printing are stimulative, so that is the way politicians go.  That is the way of death.

Posted by: Something Wicked This Way Comes... at August 11, 2010 10:21 AM (IZpzv)

It's the same problem as everywhere else -- not enough (or sometimes any!) people willing to run.  Brown lucked out with that "It's the people's seat" quip coming into his head fast enough and his looks.

Queer for Q'uran.

 They want to open a strip club on the other side that serves alcohol?

Well now that's just silly. No way that these young, pure Muslim men would EVER patronize an establishment like that!

/sarc

Posted by: Wodeshed at August 11, 2010 10:53 AM (MFbfZ)

Thanks!  I bookmarked that one.

O/T: Is it possible to zero out federal tax withholding?

I'm currently all paid up for the year on my federal income tax but they are still witholding about $90 a week. I already maxed out my exemptions. I'm an employee of a large corporation.

I don't want the Feds to steal my money for the next 4 months.

Curious

At the risk of aging myself, camping out in D.C. may or may  not be legal, but about 15 years ago when the Dead played, we did camp out.

Posted by: maverick muse at August 11, 2010 11:41 AM (H+LJc)"

That is not the way to say it.  If you say it like the dems would say (if it were the republicans who did this) you would be saying:  "OMG< OMG!  The republicans voted to make the teachers keep their jobs but they are taking food out of the mouths of babies to do it, how could they?"

I've long had a nagging suspicion that Obama and his administration cronies are doing just that in a huge smash-and-grab out of the treasury.  What if they are using the large sums and lousy accountability of the stimulus to stockpile hard commodities somewhere outside of this country's reach for their lives in exile once the house of cards comes crashing down?

If they do that they can expect a MOAB on their asses. Therefore, they won't do that. They'll stay here because we aren't going to drop a MOAB on ourselves. And there will be plenty of supporters still in the government to keep the heat of their backs.

However, i think part of what we are seeing now is different in the sense that we have the tax cuts and the economy isn't growing fast enough.

Here is the very bad place we are in:

1.  Because of the enormous deficits, the government is already killing the economy by soaking up all the credit.

2.  With the tax cut expiration, the government takes even more money out of the economy.

3.  Growth continues to suffer and revenues as well.

4.  Vicious cycle.

The first step in these circumstances is to at least hold the line on spending to creat some breathing space for the private sector.  If we do not do that...and soon....game over.  And I really mean it

I get the feeling that the US is like a car on a winding mountain road that has hit some black ice and no amount of steering, braking, and accelerating is going to work to keep from crashing off the side.

 @ 121 Re Slow Page loading

YES  I thought it might have been something I did to the PC (unknowingly)  I think it's a specific advert domain having huge issues.  I kept getting stuck on  "Waiting for .....CD4NM.com" or some such BS. 

There's definitely something going on -- and not just Ace's.  I thought I had a virus until I noticed the problem on two different computers.  My problem sounds far worse than you guys.  The three main sites that seemed sabotaged were Ace, C4P and Gateway Pundit.  IF I could get Gateway to load,  the body copy wouldn't load even though the  masthead and side columns came up.  On C4P, if I clicked on "comments," it would disconnect and I'd get the "IE Explorer can't connect."  On Ace, I couldn't access comments.  The arrow/hourglass just kept flickering and locked up until I did the "control, alt, delete" and sign out of the whole thing.

This was on Drudge yesterday, but it's gone now and I apologize if someone has already linked to to it but...

I am repulsed, yet can't stop laughing.

_{I am so confused.}

Monitoring enemy broadcasts last night. This time NBC with Ann Curry anchoring. [one of Brian Williams parents passed away].

The fun story was the govt findings on the suddenly accelerating Toyotas. NBC reported that the study didn't find an electronic/computer problem. The story left the impression that the gas pedal/mat was the problem.

Later in the evening read a NYT story and got the part of the story NBC left out. NYT reported that the study found out of 58 incidents only one was caused by a sticky pedal or floor mat. The others were driver initiated.

In other words, the unprecedented recall was bullshit and NBC distorts the conclusion of the study.

Hell, I will probably need to read the study myself to see what the NYT left out and distorted.

MFM

Well now that's just silly. No way that these young, pure Muslim men would EVER patronize an establishment like that!

/sarc

Posted by: HH at August 11, 2010 11:32 AM (6oDXl)

Oh, hellz yeah.  They've already got the name:  Heaven & Halal.

Can I ask why we haven't been getting wall-to-wall coverage on Steven's death yesterday?  I believe I heard he was the longest-serving Republican in history.

We got DAYS ON END when Byrd and Kennedy passed.

Where is the mind-numbingly boring video footage of closed wrought-iron gates and the occassional person slipping out for a cigarette from outside the Stevens Family Compound?

Where are the rambling phone-call interviews with everyone who ever worked for him?

A NATIONAL SHAME:

http://tinyurl.com/32hbj9t

The widow of a Medal of Honor awardee can't afford to go to Arlington to bury her husband. Michelle Antionette should get on Foxtrot 1 and pick her up herself. 

Donation link in the article.