Some Rule 5 appreciation
Barking Moonbat celebrates women with great hair
Donald Douglas Has a Lea Michele video
Bring the Heat has Leelee
Bob Belvedere, who never links me much anymore, has Kellie Krave and a fine collection of ladies
Jamie Jeffords features the fetching Emma Stone
Mike, of Fishersville, mourns the end of cheerleader season
Full Metal Patriot has a Gina Carano crush
Postal Dog has Vanessa Hudgens and her many bikinis
William Teach uses hot women to mock Warmists
Pitsnipes Gripes has Asian Fever
Proof Positive has Georgia Salpa on his mind
Randy has Yamila Diaz
Rio Norte has Poojahmania
Wyatt has Love on the brain
Mike has Rule 5 Tattoo
The Last Tradition has Demi Moore
Theo goes Kinky on us
Trog has Megan Fox
That is why I read Reaganite Republican
What a blog! Informative, and darned helpful too. It broadens your horizons, I mean I had never given any real thought to Finish ice skaters, until now!
Mitt Romney’s “Blind Trust” Excuse (Videos)
…………..
In 1994, Mitt Romney made several interesting statements concerning blind trusts. Here are three of them.
“A United States senator has an obligation to tell its blind trust what it cannot and can invest in.” – Associated Press 10/18/94
“The blind trust is an age-old ruse. You give a blind trust rules. You can say to a blind trust, don’t invest in properties which would be in conflict of interest or where the seller might think they’re going to get an advantage from me.” – Boston Globe 10/19/94
“It’s a conflict of interest pure and simple – and it’s wrong for a U.S. senator. The fact that it’s a blind trust does not hide it.” – Boston Herald 10/19/94
Fast-forward to January 26, 2012. In the final Florida GOP primary debate, Romney defended his investments in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac by saying, “First of all, my investments are not made by me. My investments for the last ten years have been with a blind trust, managed by a trustee.“
.
.
This is not the first time that Mitt has been exposed for his hypocrisy on this issue. When the media discovered that he had invested in embryonic stem cell research during his 2008 presidential run, he pleaded ignorance, employing the same “blind trust” defense as he did in Florida yesterday.
.
.
And just how blind is Mr. Romney’s blind trust anyway? According to ABC News, perhaps not as visually impaired as he’d like you to believe.
Mitt Romney’s Blind Trust Not So Blind – ABC News
When Mitt Romney faced questions on the campaign trail four years ago about investments in firms engaged in embryonic stem cell research, the presidential candidate had a ready explanation – he was unaware because his vast financial portfolio was under the control of an independent trustee. Last week, Romney’s campaign pulled out the same explanation when ABC News sought details about the candidate’s holdings in the Cayman Islands, a notorious offshore tax haven.
“We remind you that Gov. Romney does not choose anything; these are BLIND TRUSTS,” a campaign official wrote in an email.
But government ethics experts and election lawyers told ABC News that Romney’s trust might not be quite as blind as he has long maintained. That’s because Romney placed his quarter-billion dollar family fortune in the hands of his personal lawyer and longtime associate Bradford Malt.
Federal officeholders are required to either fully disclose all their financial holdings and any possible conflicts of interest, or place their holdings in a blind trust. Robert Kelner, a Republican election lawyer in Washington, D.C. with no ties to a current presidential campaign, explained the federal rules governing those blind trusts. “The Office of Government Ethics requires that a financial institution be appointed as the trustee and that the financial institution not be controlled by or have done business with the candidate,” said Kelner. “It would preclude you from hiring your favorite lawyer as the trustee.”
Romney was himself once skeptical of the notion that a politician could use a blind trust to preempt inevitable questions about his investment choices and potential conflicts. When he ran against Sen. Edward Kennedy in 1994, Romney spoke critically of Kennedy’s claim that he had no control over his investments. “The blind trust is an age-old ruse,” Romney told the Boston Globe at the time. But in 2003, as he prepared to take office as governor of Massachusetts, Romney placed his family’s funds in his own blind trust to avoid whatever accusations could surface.
Romney’s aides have referred to the blind trust in fending off political attacks about his investments ever since. In 2007, his GOP primary opponents took aim at several of his investments, including a stake in a firm that did business with Iran, shares of a Chinese oil company, and an interest in a company that engaged in embryonic stem cell research. Romney responded by announcing that Malt would take greater pains to insure Romney’s investments would not conflict with his political views.
Last week, the issue surfaced again when ABC News sent the campaign questions about offshore investments. The campaign responded to the questions by explaining the Romney always paid his taxes on earnings from his investments in funds that had located outside the U.S. The campaign also emphasized that, regardless of the tax question, it would be unfair to hold the candidate responsible for investment decisions made by Malt, the trustee overseeing Romney’s funds.
The National Journal has more on the subject.
FACT CHECK: Some Romney Housing Investments Were Not In Blind Trust – National Journal
In Thursday night’s CNN debate, Newt Gingrich accused Mitt Romney of making investments that fueled the housing crisis.
“He has an investment in Goldman Sachs, which is, today, foreclosing on Floridians,” Gingrich said. “Maybe he should tell us how much money he’s made off of how many households that have been foreclosed by his investments.”
Romney answered the charge this way: “First of all, my investments are not made by me. My investments for the last ten years have been in a blind trust, managed by a trustee. Secondly, the investments that they made, we learned about this, as we made our financial disclosure, had been in mutual funds and bonds. I don’t own stock in either. There are bonds that the investor has held through mutual funds.”
Yet, according to Romney’s financial disclosure forms, not all of his mutual funds were part of a blind trust. The Boston Globe reported in September that Romney owned between $250,001 and $500,000 in a mutual fund called the Government Obligation Fund that invests in debt notes of various government entities, including mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and he made between $15,001 and $50,000 in interest from those investments.
Since those assets were considered a charitable trust rather than a blind trust, Romney could have reviewed them himself.
Oh, and here’s one final tidbit for your edification.
Romney Backed By Goldman Sachs, Bailout Banks – News Max
The top donor to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign, investment banking and securities firm Goldman Sachs, received over $10 billion in emergency lending and bailouts from the Federal Reserve after the 2008 financial meltdown, according to public sources and published reports.
Goldman backed Obama for election in 2008, and the firm, like many Wall Street institutions, is now backing Mitt Romney for president.
Romney has long had a close relationship with Goldman Sachs. In 1999 Romney purchased initial IPO shares in Goldman that netted him $1.1 million in profits when he sold them in 2010. And The New York Times recently reported that “many of the assets in Romney’s blind trust” are managed by Goldman.
Today, Goldman is Romney’s largest donor. And nine of Romney’s top 20 campaign contributors are big Wall Street Banks like Goldman. But Goldman leads all Romney contributors, having donated $367,200 to his campaign, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. And six of those nine top contributors received over $161 billion in taxpayer bailouts, reports ProPublica, the independent, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative organization.
Stacy McCain is in Florida
And reporting on the looming Primary there, the one that will likely finish off the Sweater Vest for good, leaving us with Newt or Mitt. ICK! That is akin to picking between Roseanne or Rosie for a wife. ICK! Can we hit the rewind button now? Now that we know what we will be stuck with? Maybe we would not be so quick to dismiss candidates that are better qualified than these two?
Speaking of ICK, where the Hell did Stacy get this shirt?
Here We Go Again… Obama-Backed Electric Car Battery-Maker Files For Bankruptcy
Obama-Backed Electric Car Battery-Maker Files For Bankruptcy – The Hill
An Indiana-based energy-storage company, whose subsidiary received a $118.5 million stimulus grant from the Energy Department, filed for bankruptcy Thursday.
Ener1 is asking a federal bankruptcy court in New York to approve a plan to restructure the company’s debt and infuse $81 million in equity funding.
…………..
“This was a difficult, but necessary, decision for our company,” Ener1 CEO Alex Sorokin said in a news release. “We are extremely pleased to have the strong support of our primary investors and lenders to substantially reduce the company’s debt.”
The company said it hopes the plan will “support continued operation of Ener1’s subsidiaries and help ensure that the restructuring will not adversely impact their employees, customers and suppliers.”
The Energy Department in 2009 approved a $118.5 million stimulus grant for EnerDel, a subsidiary of the company that develops lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles. The company has so far spent $55 million of the federal funding.
“While it’s unfortunate that Ener1, the parent company, has entered a restructuring process, the new infusion of $80 million in private capital demonstrates that the technology has merit,” Energy Department spokeswoman Jen Stutsman said in a statement.
“The restructuring is not expected to impact EnerDel’s operations and the company has made clear that they do not expect to reduce employment at the site.”
EnerDel has received support from Republicans, including more than $4 million in federal grants under the George W. Bush administration.
The Obama administration’s grant was part of a broader program aimed at promoting the development of electric-vehicle battery technology.
President Obama touted the program in his State of the Union address this year.
“In three years, our partnership with the private sector has already positioned America to be the world’s leading manufacturer of high-tech batteries,” he said.
At the time, EnerDel said the grant would help the company double its production capacity and create 1,700 jobs. But the company has faced major financial problems in recent months.
Ener1’s decision to file for bankruptcy will likely draw the attention of House Republicans, who are investigating the bankruptcy of Solyndra, the solar panel maker that received a $535 million Energy Department loan guarantee in 2009.
The GOP has pummeled the White House over Solyndra, raising broader concerns about the administration’s investments in clean-energy companies.
Ed Shares A Few Thoughts About The Republican Primary Process (WARNING: PROFANITY)
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again now: It is next to impossible for a genuine conservative to win the GOP primaries when we allow leftists to run our debates! Why isn’t Rush Limbaugh moderating them? …or Mark Levin? …or Sean Hannity? How can we expect to remove the bullshit from these events when the people running them make their livings PEDDLING BULLSHIT?! It’s like asking Charley Manson to watch your kids for the weekend and then acting surprised when they end up attacking you with knives on Monday morning.
……..
Furthermore, allowing states to hold OPEN PRIMARIES that end up getting overrun by brain-dead leftists and radical libertarians is so fucking stupid that even Joe Biden looks marginally bright in comparison. This is supposed to be an internal Republican process, not some all-inclusive clusterfuck that encourages everyone BUT conservatives to vote. I say, either ban all open primaries from here on out or prepare to suffer the same sort of defeat in future presidential elections that we did in 2008.
By the way, caucuses suck too! Just let people go to the polls in their own towns like they do during the general election, walk into little booths and vote for the candidates of their choice… SIMPLE! Why do some states go out of their way to complicate the uncomplicated? Hell, half the people I know (and I live in a caucus state) couldn’t explain our delegate selection process if you promised them free blowjobs for life in exchange for the right answer!
In conclusion, it is truly a miracle that we ever managed to elect a man like Ronald Reagan to the highest office in the land, considering the fact that almost every card in the deck is routinely stacked against any conservative who throws his hat into the ring. It’s no mystery why this country ends up electing leftist presidents half the time. The GOP elite are – and have always been – inept at protecting the interests of their own party’s core supporters, and the latest primary debacle is perhaps the most glaring example of that ineptitude.
.
Okay, You Can Buy Two Egg McMuffins And A Medium Coffee, OR…
Woman Jailed After Performing Sex Act On Man For $6 – Weekly Vice
Misty Marie Kullman, a 25-year-old North Carolina woman was jailed Tuesday after she allegedly performed a sex act on the street for $6.
……………………………………
According to the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office, officers were dispatched on a report of a suspicious vehicle.
When officers arrived on the scene, Kullman was sitting in the passenger seat of the vehicle. She told officers that the man driving the car had picked her up from her apartment complex so they could “ride around and talk”.
Investigators say when police spoke to the man, he admitted that he had paid Kullman a $2 bill, three $1 bills, and some change to perform a sex act on him outside his vehicle, which was parked on the street.
Officers searched Kullman, and found the exact amount of money on her that the man had described. Kullman was apprehended, but the man was released without any charges after police took a written statement from him.
Kullman was booked into jail and charged with prostitution. According to court records, she has several felony charges for drug possession, as well as larceny and probation revocation charges. She was recently released from prison in September after serving 8 months for her fourth drug possession charge.
Report: Treasury Writes Off Billions In TARP Loans, Watchdog Discovers More Fraud
Report: Treasury Writes Off Billions In TARP Loans, Watchdog Discovers More Fraud – The Blaze
U.S. taxpayers are still owed nearly $133 billion that companies haven’t repaid from the financial bailout, according to a quarterly Special Inspector General Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP) report. The report also states that as of December 31, 2011, the Treasury has “written off $4.2 billion and realized losses of $7.8 billion that the taxpayer will never get back,“ and that it ”predicts losses on other TARP investments.”
But perhaps this shouldn’t come as a surprise. After all, some programs were designed as a “Government subsidy with no return to taxpayers,” according to the report.
…………..
Of the $700 billion Congress authorized for the bailout of financial companies and automakers, also known as the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), approximately $413 billion has been lent. Of the $413 billion, the government has allegedly recovered about $318 billion, or about 77 percent of it, according to the Associated Press.
However, although 77 percent sounds pretty good, keep in mind that the TARP bailouts, which were launched at the height of the financial crisis in September 2008, will continue to exist for years.
According to SIGTARP report:
TARP programs that support the housing market and certain securities markets are scheduled to last until as late as 2017, and Treasury can spend an additional $51 billion on these programs during those years.
“TARP is not over,” Christy Romero, the acting special inspector general for the $700 billion bailout, said in a recent statement.
But perhaps even more troubling than the prospect of the continuation of the bailouts or the massive amounts of taxpayer dollars being “written off” is the fact that SIGTARP continues to uncover TARP-related fraud.
In fact, because the mainstream media has kept itself busy reporting that a large chunk of the TARP money has been returned, it has failed to report that the known instances of TARP-related fraud has increased since SIGTRAP’s January 2011 report.
Consider the following:
Jan. 2011: “As of December 31, 2010, SIGTARP had 142 ongoing criminal and civil investigations…”
Jan. 2012: “As of December 31, 2011, SIGTARP had more than 150 ongoing criminal and civil investigations…”
Jan. 2011: There were “criminal convictions of 13 defendants for fraud”
Jan. 2012: There were “criminal convictions of 31 defendants, of whom 22 have been sentenced to prison (others are awaiting sentencing)”
Jan. 2011: SIGTARP reported “civil or criminal actions against 45 individuals to date, including 22 senior officers (Chief Executive Officers, owners, founders, or senior executives)”
Jan. 2012: SIGTARP reported “criminal actions against 61 individuals, including 45 senior officers (CEOs, owners, founders, or senior executives) of their organizations)
Jan. 2011: There were 12 “civil cases naming… corporate entities as defendants”
Jan. 2012: There were 18 “civil cases naming… corporate or other legal entities as defendants…”
Now, to be clear, SIGTARP reports are released quarterly and the above is an annual comparison. However, whether it’s a matter of 4 or 12 months, the increase in known TARP fraud is still troublesome. And while it’s laudable that SIGTARP has prosecuted and convicted a good number of these financial thieves, it is unsettling to see that that number continues to grow with each report.
It would seem that FBI Director Robert Mueller was correct when he predicted that TARP fraud would become the “next wave of financial fraud cases.”
But before we get lost in these numbers, let’s revisit that part about companies who have yet to repay their debts. Who still owes?
“Among the largest bailed-out companies, American International Group Inc. [AIG] still owes taxpayers around $50 billion, General Motors Co. owes about $25 billion and Ally Financial Inc. about $12 billion,” the AP reports.
General Motors Co. still owes about $25 billion? That’s odd. It seems that just yesterday someone was touting the Detroit auto manufacturer as the very model of economic success.
Where does that put us? Billions of taxpayer dollars “written off” and increases in TARP fraud. Is there any other bad news in the SIGTARP report?
Actually, there is.
“Treasury bailed out companies in the form of loans. It converted its loans to some of the biggest recipients into common shares in those companies,” the AP reports. “Those shares are now trading below Treasury’s break-even prices.”
What does this mean?
“For Treasury to sell its stock in the largest recipients at the price where taxpayers would break even – $28.73 a share for AIG, $53.98 for GM – it could take years,” the AP reports.
Considering that AIG’s shares closed Thursday at $25.14 and GM ended at $24.72 (Ally isn’t publicly traded), the AP is probably correct.
“We’ll continue to balance the important goals of exiting our investments as soon as practicable and maximizing value for taxpayers,” Treasury spokesman Matt Anderson said.
While that’s supposed to sound reassuring, the bottom line is still this: billions of dollars have been “written off” by the Treasury, SIGTARP is uncovering more cases of TARP-related fraud, and it could take years for the Treasury to offload the stock from the biggest bailout recipients.
One of these years I am going to get to CPAC
But, not this year it seems, not quite enough of $$$$$$$$$$$, but maybe next year. One of the biggest reasons I would like to go is to get a picture with Michelle Malkin, my blogging role model, and to meet the likes of Bob Belvedere, Stacy McCain, and a host of other fellow bloggers.
Smitty, of The Other McCain is going, and I would love to have a beer, or three, with him. He is of like mind on many issues, and one of the very best bloggers out there. This morning Smitty offered up his thoughts on CPAC
I bring up Niklas because we’re planning to bring him down for at least a fly-by. Looking at the speaker list, I hope to get him a photo op with Sarah Palin. The other attendee that I’m looking forward to meeting is Daniel Hannan. I am jealous of Niklas already, as he is far better looking than I. No, I’m actually not jealous. Rather, I’m motivated to work hard at fixing the cesspool of American politics, so that, when he’s my age, he has no legitimate cause for anger at my for not trying harder.
Yep! Cesspool is the image I see when I think of American politics. And like Smitty, wanting to fix it for his young son, I would love my niece, Savannah Grace, to inherit an America which still honors our constitution. Yep, that is why I do this blog, because I think it the best way to have the biggest influence on taking America in the right direction.
*VIDEOS* Entire Florida Republican Primary Debate (CNN) – 01/26/12
….PART 1
….PART 2
….PART 3
….PART 4
….PART 5
….PART 6
….PART 7
….PART 8
Gatordoug
darcprynce
Dave C
