Palin's Move 'Totally Reasonable'

The political intelligentsia’s consensus on Alaska Republican Gov. Sarah Palin's resignation is wrong, according to veteran political analyst Charlie Cook.

Cook, creator of “The Cook Political Report,” says that Palin’s apparent strategy in resigning may be to build a major campaign organization for 2012 – a task that takes an enormous amount of time, energy and financial capital in the Lower 48 and would likely be impossible in Alaska.

Running for president is now a minimum two-year, full-time job, Cook reasons. Remaining in office for 18 more months as a lame-duck governor would only expose her to problems beyond her control and cripple her fundraising abilities. Read more @ NewMax.

KGB Defector: U.S. Still Target for Moscow

By: Rick Pedraza

As President Barack Obama embarked on his weeklong international trip Monday, the first stop and main focus of the journey took him to Moscow, where he hoped to “reset” tense U.S.-Russian relations on nuclear arms and other issues.

But a former Russian diplomat who defected to the United States in 2000 said on Fox News that Washington should not fall into the trap of thinking the Cold War is over and that Russia still is bent on destroying America.

“People ask me all the time, ‘What has happened after the Cold War?’ And I’m always asking them, ‘Who told you that the Cold War was ever over?’” said former KGB spy Sergi Tretyakov.

“It transforms; it’s like a virus,” Tretyakov, one of the highest KGB spies who ever defected, told Fox News. Read more @ Newsmax.com.

We Can Win on Healthcare

It’s Now or Never on Nationalized Health Care
by Rep. Tom Price

Few if any political proposals in our lifetime will impact our lives in such a personal way as the government takeover of health care sought by the President and Democrats in Washington. If health care reform is taken down the wrong path, it will end in nothing short of disaster.

This is a make-or-break moment for Americans and the history of our great nation. And it is a battle we can win. Read more.

Real businesspeople are really afraid of what the president is doing to free enterprise.

Obama's Climate of Fear
By Dan Kennedy
Business & Media Institute

Media Help Obama Gear Up for 'Stimulus, The Sequel'

It's beginning to sound like February, as political rhetoric and journalistic support suggest momentum for more spending.

By Jeff Poor
Business & Media Institute

Political rhetoric and journalistic support suggest building momentum for a second stimulus package, despite the previous $787 billion spending package’s failure to help the economy and stem job losses. Read more.

Emmett Tyrrell: Saving Liberty

One of the little-noted projects of the government health care reforms being considered on Capitol Hill today is the channeling of health care money away from the elderly and toward community services and drug and alcohol rehabilitation.

Cal Thomas: Government Care a Health Hazard

Most of us are familiar with the old expressions: Look before you leap; a stitch in time saves nine; if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. These phrases remind us to think before accepting anything as fact.

Larry Elder: Obamanomics Supporters - Cracks in the Dike

While the media stopped to cover Michael Jackson's death, several tremors rocked the foundation of something that actually affects us all -- Obamanomics.

COMMENTARY

BY ROBERT C. POZEN
Systemic Risk and the Fed

It is a mistake to give the central bank vast new regulatory powers.

Rove: Obama Can't Be Trusted With Numbers

So why should we trust him with health care?

"Nothing so strongly impels a man to regard the interest of his constituents, as the certainty of returning to the general mass of the people, from whence he was taken, where he must participate in their burdens."

--George Mason, 1788

Obama to get earful at G-8 on greenback's dwindling value

Bloated deficits endanger dollar's global status - Washington Times

Rifts threaten Obama deadline

Democrats shy away from health care tax - Washington Times

Ethnic unrest kills at least 156

Beijing threatens to execute 'key rioters' - Washington Times

EDITORIAL: Sotomayor plays the race card

'Inherent physiological differences' as a legal standard

A biased judge should not be promoted to a higher court. Yet the Obama administration has not been able to put to rest fears that Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor might let ethnic grievances sway her decisions on the bench.

That's exactly what it appears Judge Sotomayor did in the Ricci v. DeStefano case, in which she ruled that white firefighters could be denied promotions they clearly had earned. That's why it is worth revisiting the Supreme Court nominee's infamous "wise Latina" speech. The renewed focus on that speech should center on two highly objectionable lines that have not received enough attention.

EDITORIAL: Return of the Black Panther

Justice is stonewalling on voter intimidation

Rarely does the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights vote unanimously on anything.

A partisan divide has made the commission contentious in recent years. Yet the Department of Justice's decision to forfeit its voter-intimidation case against the New Black Panther Party and three individual defendants drew a 6-0 vote with one abstention by the commission. What unified the commission was outrage at the Justice Department for letting the Black Panthers off the hook.

EDITORIAL: Passing unread laws

Congress hides policy from the people

This weekend's Fourth of July festivities celebrated the birth of representative government in America. As the Declaration of Independence set forth 233 years ago, our government derives its power from the consent of the governed. Such consent does not exist when legislation is purposely rammed through Congress so quickly that congressmen -- let alone citizens -- do not have time even to read it.

Powell airs doubts on Obama agenda

Colin Powell, one of President Obama's most prominent Republican supporters, expressed concern Friday that the president's ambitious blitz of costly initiatives may be enlarging the size of government and the federal debt too much.

"I'm concerned at the number of programs that are being presented, the bills associated with these programs and the additional government that will be needed to execute them," Mr. Powell said in an excerpt of an interview with CNN's John King, released by the network Friday morning

Well. Welcome to reality. You're a little slow to the table - aren't you Mr. Powell?

NEW ADDITION TO THE FAMILY

MY DAUGHTER, MY GRANDSON, AND OUR NEWEST MEMBER OF THE FAMILY- MY THREE WEEK OLD GRANDDAUGHTER KENDALL MADISON

Government questions the dollar value of human life

Recently, a depressing story from England provided a glimpse into America's not-too-distant (and oh-so-grim) healthcare future as it could be in the looming Age of Obama. A cancer patient in Britain was denied the drug that could have held his kidney cancer at bay for six months, because treatment was deemed to be too expensive by British healthcare authorities. And you thought life was a priceless gift from God. Guess again. In Britain, at least, the "priceless gift" has a price tag.
Read the full story.

"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves."

-- William Pitt --

Straight talk about universal healthcare

Giving you complete coverage on all the dangers of universal healthcare coverage.
By William Campbell Douglass II, M.D.

"The Dems are doing their best to put a positive, humanitarian spin on the idea of universal health care, or what I call "socialized medicine", but the long-term ramifications would be devastating.

They would have you believe that conservatives who are against universal healthcare take this stance because they are mean-spirited and compassionless. Naturally, this isn't the case. And it's hardly how I feel.

I am against universal healthcare because I believe it will create one of the most intrusive government bureaucracies since the Internal Revenue Service, and it will impinge heavily on the individual freedoms of all American citizens.

Obama is attempting to achieve universal healthcare coverage by relying primarily on private insurance.

That's right - he is looking to solve our nation's health care problems by giving control of the system to the insurance companies. Wow.

One of the key misconceptions among Obama supporters is that a universal healthcare system would make healthcare more affordable. What delusional planet is he from? Under socialized medicine, the healthcare system may be perceived as being more fair, but it certainly won't be any cheaper. A better way to describe the program would be to call it "universal heath insurance." The idea is that by compelling everyone in the nation to participate in the insurance market, you'd cut down on what's known as the "free rider" syndrome. As the termsuggests, this would be people getting a "free ride" from the healthcare system by deciding not to get their own health insurance because they've been assured that in the case of an emergency or personal health catastrophe, inexpensive care will be guaranteed to them by the government. The theory is that mandated participation would help to drive down insurance costs.But any mandate requires an enforcement component. My fear is that a government branch with the kind of power to actually identify and penalize those seeking to avoid the insurance mandates of universal healthcare would be vast and all-powerful. The new healthcare arm of the government would likely have the same kind of power (and loathsome reputation) as the IRS.

I'm all about personal freedom and the rights of individuals. Universal healthcare is not only impractical, but costly - and not just for your pocketbook. It's handing over yet another right to the government, and allowing the government to decide and rule your fate.

I'm not compassionless-I'm just sensible. And universal healthcare as it's being proposed still doesn't make much sense to me. The disaster of the Massachusetts universal healthcare system should give you a preview of what life under a universal healthcare scheme could be like...

....A program of mandated health insurance is already in effect in Massachusetts. Under that system, subsidized insurance is made available to individuals earning up to $30,636 annually, and families of four earning up to $61,956 per year. The state government has begun to impose stiff fines on residents who fail to purchase health insurance - and the penalties can amount to as much as $912 a year!

And this place is already known as "Tax-achusetts!"

Even though this system is in its infancy, it already has many vocal opponents. Devon Herrick, a senior fellow at the National Center for Policy Analysis calls the Massachusetts universal coverage plan "overregulated and largely unworkable." Herrick explains that the least expensive health plan available through the program costs $196 a month, while the state fine for being uninsured is about half that cost -- $98 a month!

After just two years, Massachusetts' universal coverage program is running at a staggering $147 million deficit, and the four insurance carriers who provide the state- subsidized insurance estimated that costs will go up by 14 percent this year.

Even more shocking is the manner in which Massachusetts state officials have decided to deal with the out-of-control costs of their broken system: they've ordered the insurance companies to cut payments to doctors and hospitals, reduce choices for payments, and possibly increase how much patients will have to pay.

I only hope that Americans get a good, long look at the disaster that universal healthcare has wrought on the economy and people of Massachusetts before a similar catastrophe is unleashed on the whole country. The train wreck in New England is headed our way if the democrats get their way.

America: you have been warned."

Oliver North : Wrong Again

WASHINGTON -- It took the Obama administration eight days to figure out whether Iranians being gunned down for protesting a fraudulent election and demanding basic civil liberties deserved to be acknowledged by the president of the United States. It took the O-Team less than eight hours to side with Cuba's Fidel Castro, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega over the ouster of Manuel Zelaya in Honduras.

David Limbaugh : None Dare Call It Marxism

All right already. I won't call Obama a Marxist in this column. Instead, I'll point to some signs that indicate that Barack and Karl might well be soul mates. At least, they have similar attitudes about capital, labor and profits, er, surplus value.

David Satter: The President's Mission to Moscow

Obama doesn't need to engage Russia's leaders. He needs to deter them.

Obama and Putin's Russia

Retro agenda: Arms control and arm-chair Kremlinology.

O'Grady: Honduras at the Tipping Point

Why is the U.S. not supporting the rule of law?

Strassel: The EPA Silences a Climate Skeptic

The professional penalty for offering a contrary view to elites like Al Gore is a smear campaign.

Cap-and-Trade: What's Next?

How China will benefit from cap-and-trade, and more on the looming battle in the Senate...
by Sen. James Inhofe

EXCLUSIVE: Pakistan Nukes At Risk

by Rowan Scarborough

Taliban terrorists know where some of Pakistan's nuclear weapons are stored based on information from allies inside the country's national security forces.

"Don't put the key to your happiness in
someone else's pocket, but into your own."

ONLY IN AMERICA

ONLY IN AMERICA, MUST WE SPEND BILLIONS BECAUSE WE CAN'T LET CHRYSLER GO BANKRUPT, AND THEN, LET CHRYSLER GO BANKRUPT.

ONLY IN AMERICA, CAN CONGRESS FORCE FANNIE AND FREDDIE TO BUY SUB-PRIME LOANS, AND THEN BLAME FANNIE AND FREDDIE FOR BUYING SUB-PRIME LOANS.

ONLY IN AMERICA, A MAJOR CRISIS REQUIRES SWIFT ACTION TO PASS A BILL WITHOUT READING IT, THEN VACATION FOR THREE DAYS BEFORE THE PRESIDENT HAS TIME TO SIGN IT.

ONLY IN AMERICA, YOU CAN BE LEGALLY ILLEGAL.

ONLY IN AMERICA, THE CONGRESS MAKE LAWS THAT THEY DON'T HAVE TO FOLLOW.

ONLY IN AMERICA, WHERE YOUR VICE PRESIDENT DECLARES ‘JOBS’ A 3 LETTER WORD.

ONLY IN AMERICA.... DOES THE MILITARY GET INVESTIGATED BY HOMELAND SECURITY AS POSSIBLE TERRORISTS, WHILE OUR BORDERS ARE WIDE OPEN.

ONLY IN AMERICA.... CAN YOU GET A TAX REFUND ON TAXES YOU DIDN'T PAY

ONLY IN AMERICA, CAN YOU CAN BLAME OTHERS WHEN YOU DON'T PERFORM.

ONLY IN AMERICA, YOU HAVE MORE RIGHTS BEING ILLEGAL, THAN YOU DO LEGAL.

ONLY IN AMERICA.... CAN YOU BE 13 AND HAVE AN ABORTION WITHOUT TELLING YOUR PARENTS, BUT MUST HAVE A WRITTEN NOTE FROM YOUR PARENT WHY YOU MISSED SCHOOL.

ONLY IN AMERICA.... ARE YOU PUNISHED FOR GOOD PERFORMANCE AND REVERED FOR NONPERFORMANCE.

ONLY IN AMERICA, CAN YOU CALL LARGE CORPORATIONS EVIL, WHILE 99.9% OF THE AMERICANS WORK IN COMPANIES WITH LESS THAN 500 EMPLOYEES.

ONLY IN AMERICA.... CAN CHRYSLER GET 10 BILLION IN AID FOR THEIR COMPANY OF 30,000 EMPLOYEES. I GUESS IT IS DIFFICULT TO RUN A COMPANY FOR $333,333 PER EMPLOYEE.

ONLY IN AMERICA….WE CARE ABOUT 3 GUYS THAT GET WATER UP THE NOSE, WHILE OUR ENEMIES ARE BEHEADING US AND BLOWING CROWDS OF PEOPLE UP WITH SUICIDE BOMBINGS.

ONLY IN AMERICA, YOU CAN SAY OTHER INTERROGATION TECHNIQUES WORK, BUT YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THOSE TECHNIQUES ARE.

ONLY IN AMERICA….YOU CAN BE PRESIDENT WITHOUT A VALID BIRTH CERTIFICATE.

ONLY IN AMERICA.... WHATEVER GOES WRONG WILL ALWAYS BE BUSH'S FAULT.

LASTLY, HOWEVER, IN AMERICA, YOU CAN ONLY BE PRESIDENT WHEN THE TELEPROMPTER IS ON!