Congress Votes to Purge Phrase "Mental Retardation"

According to this report:

Disabilities advocates are applauding Congress for passing legislation that eliminates the term "mental retardation" from federal laws.

The phrase can still be used on this blog according to the editor, especially as a synonym for "member of Congress," as in "A congressman who thinks an island can tip over if it gets too populated on one side of it is a mental retard."

Decline in Household Debt Due to Defaults, Not Deleveraging

So concludes Mark Whitehouse for The Wall Street Journal, here. Of a decline of $610 billion in debt, only $22 billion is due to deleveraging. The vast majority of the decline is due to default, over a half trillion dollars.

Michael Pento here apparently hasn't gotten the message, but points out that whatever else may be said about consumers not adding to their debt profile, the government has picked up the slack, and stratospherically so. For that reason he abjures all talk of debt deflation.

A.A.R.P.: Armed And Really Pissed

Up Yours, Obama, You Marxist Jackass

"Cool" (as in Deceiver)

An adjective of Dutch derivation,

signifying:

neither zealous, nor ardent;

neither angry, nor fond;

in short without passion,

a deceiver.

-- Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

THE ONE

What is a communist? The One who has yearnings
For equal division of unequal earnings.
Idler, or bungler, or both, he is willing
To fork over his penny and pocket your shilling.

- Ebenezer Elliott, son of "Devil Elliott", adapted

Our Banner

Liberty or Slavery? Which Will It Be?

"And whenever their constituents neglect to call [their representatives] to account for such their neglect and breach of trust, they are not worthy the name of the SONS OF LIBERTY, the name of slave is more suitable, for slaves they really are, and are fit for nothing else."

-- A Countryman, 1765

Fried Fruit Cocktail

"Politics is like a cookbook where the recipe for everything is to fry it."


-- PJ O'Rourke, here

Decades of Economic Shrinkage Ahead

"Just as the housing sector and the related debt was the driver of the US economy over the past several decades, I believe that the deflation of the housing market could spell an equally drastic period of shrinkage in economic activity in the US and around the world."

-- Chris Whalen, here.

Heard After the Colonoscopy

"Doc, would you write me a note for the wife stating that you checked twice and my head is most definitely not up there?"

h/t Theo

Army General Equates Christians With Bigots and Racists

Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Bostick, Army Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of personnel, quoted here:

"Unfortunately, we have a minority of service members who are still racists and bigoted and you will never be able to get rid of all of them. But these people opposing this new policy [repeal of DADT] will need to get with the program, and if they can't, they need to get out. No matter how much training and education of those in opposition, you're always going to have those that oppose this on moral and religious grounds just like you still have racists today."

Poverty Stats Worst Since 1960s

The Washington Post has the story:

The ranks of the working-age poor climbed to the highest level since the 1960s as the recession threw millions of people out of work last year, leaving one in seven Americans in poverty.

The overall poverty rate climbed to 14.3 percent, or 43.6 million people, the Census Bureau said Thursday in its annual report on the economic well-being of U.S. households. The report covers 2009, President Barack Obama's first year in office.

The poverty rate climbed from 13.2 percent, or 39.8 million people, in 2008.

According to the story, the rate of 14.3% would have been higher still had there not been an increase in Social Security and federal emergency unemployment outlays.

Read more here.

You Want Cheese With That?

h/t Theo

Liquidity Defined

"That's when you look at your investments and wet your pants."

-- Randy Glasbergen

The Change He Hoped For: Record Increase in Poverty Under Obama

As reported by Yahoo News (on Saturday, Sept. 11, when you weren't paying attention):

The number of people in the U.S. who are in poverty is on track for a record increase on President Barack Obama's watch, with the ranks of working-age poor approaching 1960s levels that led to the national war on poverty.

Census figures for 2009 — the recession-ravaged first year of the Democrat's presidency — are to be released in the coming week, and demographers expect grim findings.

It's unfortunate timing for Obama and his party just seven weeks before important elections when control of Congress is at stake. The anticipated poverty rate increase — from 13.2 percent to about 15 percent — would be another blow to Democrats struggling to persuade voters to keep them in power.

More government. More poverty. The change he hoped for.

Read the complete story here.

Freedom Absolutists

Birds of a feather flocked together:

Think of an economy where people could be an artist or a photographer, a writer without worrying about keeping their day job in order to have health insurance. Or that people could start a business and be entrepreneurial and take risks, but not be job-locked because a child has asthma or diabetes or someone in the family is bipolar. You name it, any condition is job-locking.

-- Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, dependent of the American people

[C]ommunist society ... regulates the general production and thus makes it possible for me to do one thing today and another tomorrow, to hunt in the morning, fish in the afternoon, rear cattle in the evening, criticize after dinner, as the spirit moves me ...

-- Karl Marx, unemployed academic and journalist, dependent of Friedrich Engels

Without the notion of patriotism and national borders, people would live wherever and however they prefer, practice the religions they want, marry whomever they desire, and produce, exchange, and prosper in whatever way they see fit.

-- Kel Kelly, libertarian author and ingrate, here

It should bother more Democrats and Republicans that their country and political parties have been invaded by people who all drink from the same well of failed utopianism, whether they be socialists in the Democrat party, or libertarians in the Republican. Vote for such at your peril.

Federal Reserve Given Until October 19 To Appeal To US Supreme Court

Bloomberg.com reported on August 27th that the Federal Reserve has won yet another reprieve as it seeks to escape rulings requiring it to comply with a Freedom of Information Act request for the names of firms receiving approximately $2 trillion in taxpayer loans:  

The Federal Reserve Board was given 60 days to decide whether to take a Freedom of Information Act case to the U.S. Supreme Court or disclose documents about loans it made to banks during the credit crisis.

The U.S. Court of Appeals in New York today acceded to the Fed’s request to delay implementation of a ruling that compels the central bank to release the reports, giving the bank until Oct. 19 to appeal. The clock began to run on Aug. 20 when the court refused to revisit its earlier ruling against the Fed.

At issue are 231 “term sheets” documenting Fed loans to financial firms during 2008. The records, which include the banks’ names and the amounts borrowed, were originally requested by the late Bloomberg News reporter Mark Pittman through the FOIA, which allows citizens access to government papers.

Expect an appeal to be filed by the Fed on the Oct. 19 deadline to avoid if at all possible having to disclose the explosive information before the Nov. 2 midterm elections.

The complete story is available here.

"I Am Totally Opposed to Burning the Koreans!"

Seen here.

Obama's Brain is Baked

"Boring. Obama. Presser. Is. A. Flop. If Reagan had stammered like this, the media would be talking dementia."

-- Rush Limbaugh, today

The reason the guy can't spit it out is long term exposure to THC. His head is a bakery, man. That's why he needs those teleprompters.