Monday, July 9, 2012

Obama’s Lowlights (7/9/12)

Freedom of Information Act - “Obama is the sixth administration that’s been in office since I’ve been doing Freedom of Information Act work. … It’s kind of shocking to me to say this, but of the six, this administration is the worst on FOIA issues. The worst. There’s just no question about it,” said Katherine Meyer, a Washington lawyer who’s been filing FOIA cases since 1978. “This administration is raising one barrier after another. … It’s gotten to the point where I’m stunned — I’m really stunned.”

Green Jobs - We can now add Mascoma Corporation to the long list of underachieving ‘green’ companies being propped up by a wasteful government bureaucracy. Mascoma has received 120 million in government funding and added only 3 new jobs over the past 3 years. In other news, Abound Solar, a solar panel maker that received a $400 million loan guarantee from the federal government, announced this past week that it would file for bankruptcy amid plummeting prices and intense competition from Chinese manufacturers in the solar equipment market.

Judicial Activism - Law professor Jonathan Adler writes that a New York Times analysis showed "the Roberts Court has overturned prior precedents and invalidates federal at a significantly lower rate than its predecessors." The ObamaCare decision reinforces this view.

Eric Holder – The House passed a bipartisan contempt (civil and criminal) vote on Eric Holder for his withholding of documents over the Fast and Furious program. The final vote was 255 to 67 with 110 people not voting. Twenty-one Democrats voted for the contempt charge on Holder. However, in a predictable move the Justice Department moved to shield Attorney General Eric Holder from prosecution after the House voted to hold him in contempt of Congress. The House plans to file a civil suit against Holder in a Federal Court.

ObamaCare = On twitter President Obama tweets – Healthcare “is still a BFD” after the Supreme Court decision in reference to Joe Biden’s comments when Obama signed the legislation into law. A DNC executive tweeted “its legal, bitc#$s”. According to a recent study ObamaCare will introduce more than two dozen new taxes on hospitals, doctors, insurers, and other providers. Interestingly, the White House continues to vehemently deny that the mandate is a tax, but if it is not a tax according to the Supreme Court it is unconstitutional. Also, the Romney campaign has been raking in donations after ObamaCare was ruled Constitutional. Romney received over 5.5 million dollars in contributions the 24 hours following the Supreme Court decision.

Student Loans - The House of Representatives passed a transportation bill that included an extension of the low interest rate (3.4%) on government-subsidized student loans, just days before the rate would have doubled.

Border Patrol – The Department of Homeland Security’s latest advisory document tells border agents to “run away” if they confront any gunmen.

Unions – New York City unionized utility workers have gone on strike in the middle of a heat wave. New Yorkers can always seem to count on union utility workers to go on strike whenever the weather becomes extreme.

Syria - A United Nations-brokered peace plan for Syria is a victory for Russia because it lacks clear wording that bars Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from taking part in a transition of power, analysts in London and Washington said.

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