Category — Alaska

“It’s wonderful to be back in Oregon”. Obama said. Over the last fifteen months we’ve traveled to every corner of the United States. I’ve now been in 57 states? I think one left to go. Alaska and Hawaii, I was not allowed to go to, even though I really wanted to visit, but my staff would not justify it”.

Has this man lost his bearings? Or can we blame it on “Schoolhouse Rock” or that typical white grandmother?

Proposed SAT question: How many states compose the United States if politician (A) has visited 57 states and has one more state to visit which is actually two states? Show your work.

UPDATE: Isn’t capitalism wonderful? These available soon!

As Vermont dug out from the season’s first major winter snow storm and temperatures plunged below freezing, emergency legislation to provide $1 billion for home heating assistance was introduced today in the Senate by Senators Bernie Sanders and Patrick Leahy and in the House of Representatives by Congressman Peter Welch.

Showtime!

Stage far left is Rep. Clarabell, shooting himself with seltzer. In the harlequin suits, providing comic relief from that clown are Vermont Sens. Jester and Fool. This misbegotten trio now engages in hand wringing and teeth gnashing over the cost of oil, the effect on Vermonters and of course, Bush did it!

Some quotes:

Sanders–“Skyrocketing home heating bills already are stretching household budgets.”…”Congress must act now to deal with this national emergency.”
Leahy–“The Bush administration is turning a blind eye… His veto has contributed to the looming emergency that this bill addresses.”
Welch—“ It is critical that we provide this emergency assistance to Vermonters facing these exorbitant fuel costs.”

The usual gang of suspects signed on to Sanders bill, a total o 23 out of 100, 18 Donks and 5 RINOs. Out of 435 members, Welch lined up 12 cosponsors including Donna Christensen, D-Virgin Islands who thinks cold is in her refrigerator.

Worse, these fiscal hooligans are the ones who voted against any American self-sufficiency in oil and energy. On drilling for oil in the Gulf of Mexico, Alaska, or the coasts, each cast a NO vote; they have blocked new refineries. Furthermore, each wishes to tax Big Oil, which will raise your energy costs even higher than present.

Remember, corporations do not pay taxes. They pass all cost of business through to the consumer.

Given that most moonbat Vermonters believe in global warming/climate change perhaps they will explain why the cost of heating is going up. Perhaps they would explain why we shouldn’t drill of oil. Is coal the answer?

Finally, why should taxpayers in the rest of the country pay for their idiocy? Vermont moonbats voted for these misfits; let the moonbats pay for their votes.

 36 million drivers would flunk drivers tests

 Is it just your imagination, or do many of your fellow motorists lack even a rudimentary grasp of traffic laws?

Well, if a test administered by GMAC Insurance is any indication, one in six people cruising our highways and byways — roughly 36 million licensed drivers — would flunk their driver’s test if they had to take it today. Not only that, but based on the 2007 GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test data the state with the most road-going dummies is New York, while the most knowledgeable ones are out West to Idaho. [snip]

Also of interest from the GMAC Insurance test:

• Drivers 35 and older were more likely to pass
• Illinois, Georgia, Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Massachusetts were the least knowledgeable states overall, with average scores under 75 percent
• Fifty-five percent of the respondents didn’t know how many feet before making a left or right to signal. [snip]

The following state rankings were released for the 2007 GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test:

• 1. Idaho.
• 2. Alaska
• 21.Vermont
• 36. Maine
• 37. New Hampshire
• 40. Connecticut
• 46. Pennsylvania
• 47. Rhode Island
• 48. Massachusetts
• 48. New Jersey
• 51. New York

After analyzing the article, before glancing at the list, I thought population was the key. That would place Wyoming first and Vermont second. Not so.

Perhaps, I reflected, the political belief system of the states held a clue. That appears to work for the bottom states, but didn’t vindicate Wisconsin at 4, Washington at 6, Oregon at 9 or Iowa at 10.

Given that the 2007 failure rate doubled to 18% from 2006, a reason exists. Combining both posits advances one conclusion.

I’ll let the reader ponder the possibilities for others.

Oink! Oink! Senate Republicans still slobbering over earmarks

WASHINGTON (News) - Democrats might want to keep in mind the old rule in politics that you never stop an opponent while he’s committing suicide. They are about to have the distinct pleasure of watching a slew of Senate Republicans jump off a political cliff. [snip]

Take for example the roll call vote on Sen. Jim DeMint’s amendment to kill a provision in the Senate Commerce, Justice and Science appropriations bill directing $2 million to three construction projects for a college in Harlem.

The South Carolina Republican’s amendment would have struck the provision first inserted in the legislation by Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. All three projects are named for Rangel.

But when it came time to vote on this crude effort by Rangel to use tax dollars to promote himself, it was preserved on a 61-34 vote. Two Democrats — Sen. Evan Bayh, Ind., and Sen. Russ Feingold, Wis. — voted for the DeMint amendment…[snip]

16 GOP Senators voted for the pork: Alexander—Tennessee, Bond—Missouri, Cochran and Lott—Mississippi, Collins—Maine, Craig—Idaho, Domenici–New Mexico, Hagel–Nebraska, Hatch–Utah, Lugar–Indiana, Murkowski and Stevens–Alaska, Shelby–Alabama, Specter–Pennsylvania, Voinovich—Ohio, and Warner–Virginia.

No New England Donk Senator voted no; they spend everything and would print more money if they could get away with it.

Sanders-VT votes for all government spending, at least he is truthful about it. He a communist, prefers the tern Progressive, who wants government running everything. Leahy-VT on the other hand, says he wants a democratic form of government, but votes like Sanders every chance he gets.

Four of the 16 GOP senators are leaving the senate: Craig, Domenici, Hagel and Lugar. Craig’s seat will be filled by a Conservative. Domenici is a toss up. Hagel and Lugar found they would not get past a primary, so ta-ta.

Collins has a fight; MoveOn has targeted her re-election. Any change with Collins seat would be cosmetic. She is as liberal as Leahy is.

Unless there is a big change in the philosophical makeup of who’s running, expect more of the same. If the above gang of RINO’s quit, the GOP picks up a different look and clout.

While you’re here, say hello to Juan. They are voting tomorrow to let him and his extended family have amnesty. Why he may even move in next door and diversify your neighborhood, overnight!

 This is a political site for a candidate. However, I found this quite interesting with some items very much needed and appreciated at this intersection.

This line of thought is very important to the GOP (What’s left of it) Maybe this can start the Conservative party.

Gov. Palin has made it known that she wants former State Senate President Ben Stevens out of his position as Alaska’s representative to the Republican National Committee. Stevens, the son of U.S. Senator Ted Stevens, has been named by former VECO corporation executives as one of the legislators who had received bribes from that company, although he is not currently facing any charges.

Hollywood Pork: $4 Billion for a park in Beverly Hills

The California elite met to eat at a big pig roast this past week. America’s veterans hosted the party; $4 billion worth of pork was on the platter, earmarked for Hollywood’s wealthy and well connected. You are right if you believed pigs attended.

A spending bill for veterans was Feinstein’s vehicle of choice. When Sen. J Demint (R-SC)…

offered an amendment to strike this wasteful earmark so the funds could be used for VA healthcare, only 25 senators had the courage stand up for America’s veterans and say no to pork for Hollywood’s wealthy and well connected. Here is how the Beverly Hills earmark was described by the Wall Street Journal:

 Rambo’s View
Dianne Feinstein’s $4 billion earmark for Beverly Hills comes at the expense of America’s veterans.

 By Kimberly Strassel  September 7, 2007

 …It takes hard work to come up with an earmark more egregious than that infamous Alaskan bridge, but California’s Dianne Feinstein is an industrious gal. Her latest pork — let’s call it Rambo’s View — deserves to be the poster child for everything wrong with today’s greedy earmark process. The senator’s $4 billion handout (yes, you read that right) to wealthy West L.A. (yes, you read that right, too) is the ultimate example of how powerful members use earmarks to put their own parochial interests above national ones — in this case the needs of veterans…

The pork here revolves around the West Los Angeles Medical Center… 387 sprawling, prime real-estate acres in the middle of tony West L.A. More than twice the size of the National Mall, it is surrounded by the mansions and playgrounds of the city’s elite, including the Bel Air Country Club and the Beverly Hills estates of Sylvester Stallone, Barry Bonds and Tim McGraw (to name a few). Huge portions of the facility are also a veritable ghost town… According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Los Angeles County also falls on the lowest end in terms of the percentage of veterans living in the area…

It turns out the well-to-do in West L.A. consider the veteran’s center grounds their own little rolling, personal park, and they want it to stay that way — thank you very much.

The indefatigable earmark warrior, South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint, offered an amendment this week to strip Ms. Feinstein’s earmark. California Sen. Barbara Boxer rose in righteous indignation on the Senate floor, and fizzed that she would never dream of leveling such a direct “attack” against South Carolina. The point of this speech was to remind her Senate colleagues that what’s hers is hers, and that the penalty for voting against her and Ms. Feinstein’s California pork would be the targeting of projects in their own states…[emphasis added]

Diverting $4 billion from the VA healthcare system to a park for the 90210 zip code is insulting to the sacrifices our courageous veterans have made for our country. Clearly, we have a long way to go in the battle to change the culture in Washington and close the earmark favor factory.

                                                   WHAT’S UPDOK?

If you can’t foil a deep-thinking, Green, Chris Dodd-admiring liberal anymore with “what’s a red henway?”, or “what’s a piecost?”, tell him you’re opposed to drilling in Anwar because the Alaskan Snowshoe Hare feeds on fields of Updok.  It works every time.  If he gets annoyed, show him your ticket stub from THIS PLACE!

www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/history.html

He’ll be eating out of your hand like Bessie, Dobbin, Curley Tail and Billy Gruff.

He calls himself a Republican. Can you spell RINO!

 After a satirical post about Peter Welch (D) VT saying it’s his money, life proves me right about politicians.  More earmarks produces loud oinking!

North to Alaska

Rep. Don Young attacked his fellow Republicans on the House floor Wednesday, as he defended education funds allocated to his home-state of Alaska.

“It’s my money,” Young stridently declared before warning conservatives that, “Those who bite me will be bitten back.”

Young took extreme exception to an amendment by Rep. Scott Garrett (R-N.J.) to strike money in a spending bill for native Alaskan and Hawaiian educational programs.

Conservatives have stoked the ire of their fellow Republicans for years by challenging federal spending, both broadly and on specific projects. But it’s rare that their GOP colleagues express that displeasure openly on the floor. [snip]

And lest we forget, Young, who used to chair the House Transportation Committee, is responsible for the so-called “Bridge to Nowhere,” a proposed span connecting Ketchikan, Alaska, with the tiny island of Gravina that would have cost $315 million – and eventually came to symbolize profligate spending under Republican rule.

Garrett refrained from asking for an official reprimand, but he and other conservative Republicans took after Young’s declaration that the funds in question represented his money. The assembled conservatives then launched into a general attack on earmarked spending. [snip]

Once more, we find the impudence of our elected gluttons rising to new heights. He’ll learn hubris has comeuppance attached, by definition.

Our nations leaders give us lot’s of lip service on the need to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. But, at every turn our leaders at the national level refuse to allow anything which will get the United States on track to lower that our dependence.

On Thursday, our not so esteemed United States House of Representitives voted to continue the 25 year old federal ban on off-shore drilling. Th story is reported here through the AP:

WASHINGTON (AP) — Despite talk of an energy crisis and the need for independence from foreign oil, Congress seems to be in no mood to open more of the country’s coastal waters to energy development.

The House late Thursday rejected an attempt to end the quarter-century ban on oil and natural gas drilling that has been in effect for 85 percent of the country’s coastal waters from Alaska to New England despite arguments that new supplies are needed to lower energy costs.

Couple the drilling ban with the windmill ban, which I’ve written about here, here, and here, and we will never make a dent in in our dependence on foreign (ie Saudi) oil.

Someday we’ll get a clue.

This Washington Times article is one of many on the Cape Cod windmill project. For the record, I am for windmills, and most any reasonable idea which will reduce our dependence on oil, particularly foreign oil. If I had the money, time, and will, I would put up my own personal windmill.

It amazes me that renewable energy is being fought on the Cape, mostly by rich liberals. (though I heard Walter Cronkite has withdrawn his opposition this is not confirmed. I am diligently researching this). This is certainly a NIMBY deal led by Kennedy et al. Kennedy has a home on Nantucket Sound, as do most of the other opponents with most recommending other locations. The Berkshire region of Massachusetts is frequently mentioned as an alternative, though there are just as many rich liberals (and conservatives) who I am sure would oppose it just as much.

It is reported the sole power plant on the Cape, which is located in Sandwich, MA, burns 300 million gallons of heavy oil per year. One of the major concerns about the windmills is the oil tank located on the transformer. This transformer will have a 40,000 gallon oil tank which will use mineral oil. Mineral oil is safer on the environment if spilled or leaked into the ocean. A barge delivering oil to the Cape plant to the Sandwich plant ran aground a few years ago and spilled 40-50,000 gallons of oil into Buzzards Bay killing birds, fish, and closing shellfish beds.

The wind farm is expected to produce up to 75% of the power needed for the Cape. The difficulties in permitting and building a power plant would be immense, and I am sure the same people who are against windmills are going to be against a fossil fuel plant as well.

Rep. Young of Alaska has filed an amendment on behalf of Kennedy and other to require windmills to be located 1.5 nautical miles from shipping lanes. Kind of amazing since oil rigs are only required to be 500 feet from shipping lanes.

John Kerry supports windmills….just not within eyeshot of his wife’s dead husband’s mansion in Nantucket.

Also see PBS here.

Sen. John McCain is being very cute right now on Hannity and Colmes. He refuses to endorse Alito and he keeps saying he respects the opinions of his Democratic colleagues. He’s feeding right into the MSM’s hand by raising doubts about how he will vote. I dare him to vote with Democrats.

On the plus side, both Lindsey Graham and Mike DeWine have vowed to go nuclear if Democrats try to deny Alito a vote. This puts the count at 50 if we can hold all the “moderates” who were not party to the Gang - Ted Stevens and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, George Voinivich of Ohio, and of course Chairman Arlen…. At this point it’s close, but we have a clear advantage….

With North Korea in the news again, Democrats are already starting to pretend to care about foreign policy. Hillary, desperate to push her hawk credentials while appealing to the anti-Bush base, chimed in:

In an interview later that day, Sen. Hillary Clinton segued the news into a partisan attack, calling Admiral Jacoby’s statement “the first confirmation, publicly, by the administration that the North Koreans have the ability to arm a missile with a nuclear device that can reach the United States,” adding, “Put simply, they couldn’t do that when George Bush became president, and now they can.”

But, as the author points, Hillary better be careful what she wishes for on North Korea:

Nevertheless, to keep alive the “containment” myth, the Clinton’s military strategist Paul Begala testified in 1998 that North Korea did not have an active ballistic missile program. One week later the North Koreans launched a missile over Japan that landed off the Alaska coast. Such a faux pas would even cause Bhagdad Bob to blush.

I’m sure Paul Begala’s testimony was NOT partisan. It gets better:

So where does the blame lie? Was it George Bush’s fault that Bill Clinton was the primary underwriter and technology donor for North Korea’s now viable nuclear ICBM programs…one that now Kim Jong Il is promising to share and continue to develop with Iran? Sen. Clinton may have to look a little closer to home if she is looking for someone to blame.

HIllary is a smart woman. She knows she has to bridge the foreign policy gap to be nationally viable. However, she keeps the hateful left happy by trashing the President. That’s work until the Republicans start biting back - and they will. AND she can’t play victim if she wants to be President.

Johnny Paycheck over at The Northeast Dilemma (cool blog) breaks down the FACTS on the President’s big win today in the Senate. After ten years of battling, pro-energy forces finally prevailed over anti-solution enviro-Nazis.

SIDENOTE: Sen. John McCain (R-MSM) foolishly voted against ANWR drilling giving conservatives another rope to choke him with in the 2008 GOP primary. Should have done your homework John, I did…..

The Washington Post concedes that Republicans appear to have the votes needed to drill in ANWR. The issue was buried by the left during the campaign because Americans paying record prices at the pump would have little tolerance for the anti-production, tree hugging, gas guzzling, SUV driving, hypocrites in the Democratic Party.

Sidenote: Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) should thank anti-drilling schill, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), for helping her defeat former Alaska Gov. Tony Knowles in a close race based almost solely on the ANWR issue. God forbid Boxer focus on a more constructive and “unifying” environmental initiative like cleaning up the toilet Californians call I-10!

I’ll be live blogging throughout the night so keep checking back to this post for updates.

7:21 - I find it hard to believe that South Carolina and Virginia are too close to call. I think it is more of a lack of data issue than anything to do with the closeness of the race.

7:24 - MSNBC shows Bush has a 51% approval rating in their exit polls.

7:30 - Fox News calls West Virginia for Bush. Not ready to call Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina or obviously Ohio. The states other than Ohio just don’t have enough tallies in but they should go to Bush soon. Current electoral count is Bush 39, Kerry 3. I will be checking the comments if anyone wants to chat.

7:37 - OK, Change of plans. I need to walk over with my wife for her to vote. I will be back in about 30 minutes or so depending on the lines.

8:06 - OK, I’m back. There was absolutely no line so it was quick. SC, TN, OK, AL and KY have gone for Bush. No surprises yet. Current count is Kerry 77, Bush 74.

8:31 - Fox has now called NC and VA for Bush. Some people were trying to hint that VA may go Kerry. Not! Current count is Bush 102, Kerry 77.

8:34 - CNN says Alleghany county in western PA has extended their voting hours by 1.5 hours. This may be good news for the president.

8:43 - I’m hearing Bush is beating his numbers in central and western Florida. Their are thousands still waiting to vote in the panhandle.

9:07 - Michael Barone is making me feel good about Florida. Bush outperforming his 2000 count in many counties. The exit polls were complete crap this year (again).

9:08 - Bush takes NB, WY, TX, ND, SD, and KS. Kerry takes NY, RI. Still no surprises although I’m disappointed about NJ. Current count is Bush 156, Kerry 112.

9:31 - LA goes to Bush. Current count is Bush 165, Kerry 112.

9:46 - NBC calls MS for Bush. Current count is Bush 171, Kerry 112. Still no surprises. None of the big battleground states have been called yet.

9:52 - CNN has a cool electoral map that drills down to the county level.

10:00 - Utah goes to Bush. Count is now Bush 176, Kerry 112. Bush needs 94 more votes to win.

10:06 - On the Senate side of things it looks like Bunning may pull it out but Spectre looks like he may be in trouble. That would be a shock.

10:18 - MO and AR go to Bush. Yahoo has a good map also that shows which way the states are leaning. Electoral count is Bush 193, Kerry 112. Also Bunning has pulled it out.

10:39 - Yahoo now has NH leaning Bush but tied at 50%.

10:47 - Check out this post at Kerry Spot about NH.

10:57 - PA has gone to Kerry, oh well! Coburn, DeMint, and Burr have all won Senate races for the GOP. Current electoral vote is Bush 193, Kerry 133. Kerry’s number will be shooting up with the West coast results coming in.

10:59 - ID goes to Bush. So far they are unable to call CA, OR, WA, or HI. Bush’s lead rises to 197-133. He only needs 73 more to win.

11:04 - Thune has a small lead with 42% reporting.

11:07 - WA goes to Kerry. Count now stands at Bush 197, Kerry 144. Spectre has pulled it out for the GOP and now the ACLU has filed a lawsuit in Florida over absentee ballots. This may mean Florida can’t be called tonight.

11:24 - AZ and MT go to Bush. Bush is up in Florida 52-47 with 94% reporting. He has a 300,000 vote lead. Electoral Count is Bush 210, Kerry 144. Still no surprises.

11:36 - Dan Rather doesn’t look happy. He keeps saying “it’s not over”. Yeah right Dan, keep telling yourself that.

11:38 - Lot of long faces on the local stations covering Kerry campaign HQ in Copley Square. 97% reporting in Florida, Bush still up 52-47.

11:40 - Anonymous Kerry sources are saying they have lost Florida. So much for revenge over 2000.

11:44 - Looks like the Guardian’s attempt to influence Clark county in Ohio has backfired!

11:45 - Everyone other than Fox has called CA for Kerry. This moves the electoral vote to Bush 210, Kerry 199.

11:57 - Retread points out in the comments that ABC has called Florida for Bush So far no other network has followed suit. I’ll go with it, that puts Bush up 237-199. Everything is riding on Ohio and the other midwest states.

12:13 - Bush campaign says they feel confident about Ohio. I hope they are right because Bush is currently down in all the midwest Gore states and NH. Still to early to call them though.

12:15 - The Kerry campaign won’t let the media film him watching the results. Gee, wonder why?

12:18 - Kerry only won NJ by 4 points. Fox now says OR goes to Kerry which leaves Bush up 237-206. Still no surprises yet.

12:24 - Bush takes CO. He now leads 246-206. He only needs 24 more to win! Go Ohio!!!

12:27 - Polipundit point out that Kerry’s lead in Massachusetts is less than Al Gore had.

12:37 - Bummer, Fox has given NH to Kerry. It is the first flipped state of the night but not much of a surprise. Bush still leads 246-211. The popular vote nationwide stands at Bush 51, Kerry 48 with 71% reporting. Bush may be the first President to break 50% since 1988.

12:41 - WOO HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fox has called Ohio for Bush. No other network has followed suit yet. That puts Bush at 266-206. AK will make it a tie and NV or NM will put him over the top. So basically BUSH WINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

12:44 - Dan Rather is still holding out hope for Kerry. Give it up Dan. All of you attempts to help Kerry have failed.

12:51 - Vitter wins in LA, no runoff needed!

12:53 - CNN gives MN to Kerry and Fox gives the 1 vote from the 2nd district in Maine to Bush. Ohio is tightening, no other network has called it yet. Bush leads 266-217. WI and IA are very tight right now.

12:58 - James Carville is on CNN saying if Kerry loses, the Democrats will need to do some serious soul searching. I agree, they can start by kicking Michael Moore in the ass!

1:00 - Alaska goes to Bush, now leads 269-217. As long as OH holds Bush has won!

1:03 - MSNBC has now given OH to Bush! The question now is will Kerry concede or turn to the lawyers in Ohio.

1:12 - There are a lot of long faces on the networks, especially Dan Rather. Someone better put a suicide watch on him! Got anymore documents Dan?

1:18 - There is only one thing that will make this night better and that is a Thune win over Daschle! Thune is currently leading

1:19 - The biggest losers tonight are the mainstream media, Michael Moore, Hollywood, George Soros, the terrorists, pollsters (especially Zogby) and whoever did that exit polling! The winners are Hillary Clinton, the people of Iraq, the military and Vietnam Veterans.

1:29 - Deja Vu, Fox says Kerry is refusing to concede. I will lose what little respect I have left for him if he drags this country through another mess like 2000. Do the right thing Senator like Nixon did against your idol JFK!

1:33 - Bush now leads in Iowa and Wisconsin is very close.

2:11 - Fox reports that Ted Kennedy is visiting John Kerry’s townhouse. Maybe he is slapping Kerry upside the head and telling him to concede but I doubt it.

2:19 - Mort Kondracke just said on Fox that the Red Sox owner is chartering planes to ferry lawyers to Ohio. Here we go again. This is ridiculous, when Gore challenged he at least had the popular vote. Kerry is losing that it 3%. If he drags this on he has no shame.

2:28 - John Edwards has just made it clear that they are not going to concede. Assholes!

2:34 - Kathryn Jean Lopez at NRO nails it: “IS THERE NOT A GENTLEMAN IN THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY?”

2:44 - Fox called Michigan for Kerry. That puts it at Bush 269, Kerry 238.

2:47 - Fox calls Hawaii for Kerry. Bush still leads 269-242.

2:55 - Bush’s lead has increased in Ohio to over 130,000 votes. Give it up and be a man Kerry!

3:00 - Thune, Martinez, and Murkowski are all leading in their Senate races that are still too close to call. If they all win, the Rebublicans will have a 5 seat majority. Overall a great night for the Republicans. Nobody on TV seems to think that Kerry can overcome the deficit in Ohio. Hopefully he will concede tomorrow. It is 3AM and I giving up for the night. Good night!