Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) Pulls Race Card on Obamacare: "Why Do Black People Have to Bargain for What is Theirs?"

Here we go again, the two-bit shyster leading the House Ways and Means Committee is in the news again. This time he is joining New York Governor David Paterson in pulling the race card when it's convenient. As if anyone would take Rep. Charlie Rangel seriously since he is under fire for being a liar and a cheat, having amended his disclosure forms with "found money," he has entered the Obamacare fray. He said "bias" and "prejudice" are fueling opposition to health care reform. Hey Charlie, pulling the race card should be the least of your worries. Nancy Pelosi needs to get a backbone and kick you off the committee by any means necessary. Rangel said, "some Americans have not gotten over the fact that Obama is President of the United States. They go to sleep wondering, 'how did this happen?'" He also likened the fight to provide health care for the uninsured to the fight for civil rights? Really Charlie?

"Why do black people have to bargain for what is theirs? Why do we have to wait for the right to vote? Why can't we get what God has given us? And that is the right to live as human beings and not negotiate with white southerners and not court the votes. Just do the right thing," Rangel said. Source:  CBS News

I think it's time for Charlie Rangel to find another job. He is a disgrace to his constituency. He has lost his effectiveness. He has sullied his position as chairman of such a powerful committee that is charged with writing tax codes. How can we have a cheat in such a position? To add insult to injury, he has stooped even lower by pulling the race card. This has nothing to do with the civil rights fight and that is an insult to all the thousands of blacks and whites who gave their lives in the struggle for racial justice and equality, which I might add, has served Rep. Charlie Rangel well.

Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-Harlem) Gave Campaign Contributions To Three Democrats On Ethics Committee Charged With Investigating Him

It is high time that Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) be removed as the chairman of the House Ways & Means committee. The man is scumbag and he is a liar. Once again information is circulating about more alleged back-door dealings and other political whoring on Rangel's part. What's unconscionable is that Charlie Rangel heads Congress' tax committee and he is the biggest tax cheat of them all. He has been true to his name -- "wrangling" other politicos to get him out of his own financial and tax troubles. An investigator from the Internal Revenue Service ought to pay him a visit, in much the same way as they did to Rev. Al Sharpton. Why hasn't Nancy Pelosi sought to have him removed from his position?

The latest wheeling and dealing comes after Mr. Rangel's amended financial disclosure form came to light, which exposed questionable omissions from his 2002 through 2006 records. He neglected to report a checking account with the Congressional Federal Credit Union and one with Merrill Lynch, each valued between $250,000 and $500,000; the tens of thousands of dollars he's earning from dividends from a number of mutual funds and stocks; and the money made from the sale of a Harlem townhouse. As a result, his reported net worth doubled, from between $516,015 and $1,316,000 to between $1,028,024 and $2,495,000. How do you just forget to mention this money? Clang, clang. He should be hearing the sound of prison shackles for tax evasion.

Here's a look at Charlie Rangel's so-called "angels" involved in his ethics investigation, according to WCBS-TV:

Congressman Rangel has been arrogant in refusing to discuss how, as the man who writes this country's tax laws, he failed to report over $1 million in outside income and $3 million in business transactions as required by the House, lapses under investigation by the House Ethics Committee.

"I recognize that all of you have an obligation to ask questions knowing that there's none of you smart enough to frame it in such a way that I'm going to respond," Rangel said.

There may be a reason for Rangel's arrogance. CBS 2 HD has discovered that since ethics probes began last year the 79-year-old congressman has given campaign donations to 119 members of Congress, including three of the five Democrats on the House Ethics Committee who are charged with investigating him.

Charlie's "angels" on the committee include Congressmen Ben Chandler of Kentucky, G.K. Butterfield of North Carolina and Peter Welch of Vermont. All have received donations from Rangel. Source: WCBS-TV

Why hasn't this so-called ethics investigation been completed yet? Seems like Nancy Pelosi and company are deliberately protecting Charlie Rangel. It's time for his constituents to vote this two-bit shyster out of office. He is a disgrace to his office and to African Americans, including those who have faithfully voted for him in every election. The last committee he should be the chairman of is one having to do with setting the tax codes.

Glenn Beck Jokes About Putting Poison in Nancy Pelosi's Wine (VIDEO)

Fox News Channel's Glenn Beck is at it again. This time he jokes about adding poison to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's glass of wine on his show on yesterday. I am no fan of Nancy Pelosi, but suggesting to put poison in her wine is outrageous and Beck is continuing to incite the fringe in the Republican Party.

As the Beck imagined what it would be like to go to a Pelosi fundraiser, a staffer sat across the table from him wearing a Pelosi mask.

As the staffer raised a glass of red wine to her lips, Beck demanded, "Drink it. Drink it. Drink it."

He then added, "I wanted to thank you for having me over here in wine country... By the way, I put poison in your... No. I look forward to all the policy discussions we're supposed to have. You know, on health care, energy reform, and the economy. Hey, is that Sean Penn over there?"

I don't mind the partisan muckraking, but to suggest bodily harm to any political official or anyone for that matter, is just plain wrong. When will News Corp.'s leadership do something about the outrageous behavior of Glenn Beck? Rupert Murdoch and Roger Ailes will only act when they are pressured to do so. Remember the gorilla cartoon that appeared in the New York Post? Well, Murdoch didn't issue a statement until it started to get really hot at News Corp. due to the fallout. The same thing needs to happen with Glenn Beck. This is ridiculous. For the record, if this was said by a Democrat against a Republican, I would have the same position -- it is just plain wrong.

Providence Holy Cross Medical Center Tattoo Removal Program to Get $200K in Earmarks from $787B Stimulus Bill

Photo: Ron Tarver/Philadelphia Inquirer

Did we really need an earmark for tattoo removal? This is really crazy and I am very disappointed that as we grapple with the effects of this economic quagmire, Congress could seek to justify appropriating $200,000 of the $410 billion spending bill it is sending to President Obama for a small California program that helps people get their unstained skin back. You have got to be kidding me!

According to experts, the average cost is $50 per square inch per treatment. Tattoos can be large, and it might take five to eight laser treatments to remove a black and white tattoo; color tattoos may require up to 12 treatments. Also, a lot of people who want to get rid of their tattoos might have several of them. McClatchy DC Bureau

Who cares? You shouldn't have had the tattoo put on in the first place. It is a colossal waste of money and it speaks to personal responsibility. You paid to put the tattoo on you, then you ought to pay to get it removed from your body. These pet projects that the congressional leaders have are a disgrace and President Obama needs to put his foot down and veto this stuff.

This year's twist, a fight over a tattoo-removal program that operates in a small clinic in North Hollywood, Calif., is prompted by California Democratic Rep. Howard Berman, the chief sponsor of the earmark. He said that the program, which is run by the Providence Holy Cross Medical Center, wasn't pork. "It's priceless," Berman said.

Since a nun opened the clinic in 1998, the program has helped nearly 12,000 clients remove their tattoos. Physicians donate their time every Saturday, the only day of the week that the clinic is open. Most of the program's funding comes from grants.

Dimitrios Alexiou, who ran the program for more than five years and now volunteers at the clinic, said the average age of clients was 30 and that most of them were in the job market and needed help getting their skin cleaned up. Source: McClatchy DC Bureau

The free spending ways of Congress needs to be nipped in the bud once and for all. The new spending bill comes on the heels of a $787 billion economic-stimulus plan that Congress approved just last month. Yes, and Nancy Pelosi, who has been itching to travel by military plane where ever she goes, has hinted at more stimulus money being a real possibility.

Here is a long list of questionable items that will be funded under the new bill: $1.9 million for the Pleasure Beach water taxi service in Connecticut, $300,000 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of John Brown's raid on the arsenal at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park in West Virginia and $238,000 for the Polynesian Voyaging Society of Honolulu, which runs sea voyages in ancient-style sailing canoes. Source: McClatchy DC Bureau.

The sooner the powers that be realize that the United States is in an economic tailspin and on the verge of bankrupting everything we ever stood for in the world, the quicker they would realize that these porkulus items need to be vetoed by the President. Sorry, Nancy Pelosi & Co., shame on you!

Providence Holy Cross Medical Center Tattoo Removal Program to Get $200K in Earmarks from $787B Stimulus Bill

Photo: Ron Tarver/Philadelphia Inquirer

Did we really need an earmark for tattoo removal? This is really crazy and I am very disappointed that as we grapple with the effects of this economic quagmire, Congress could seek to justify appropriating $200,000 of the $410 billion spending bill it is sending to President Obama for a small California program that helps people get their unstained skin back. You have got to be kidding me!

According to experts, the average cost is $50 per square inch per treatment. Tattoos can be large, and it might take five to eight laser treatments to remove a black and white tattoo; color tattoos may require up to 12 treatments. Also, a lot of people who want to get rid of their tattoos might have several of them. McClatchy DC Bureau

Who cares? You shouldn't have had the tattoo put on in the first place. It is a colossal waste of money and it speaks to personal responsibility. You paid to put the tattoo on you, then you ought to pay to get it removed from your body. These pet projects that the congressional leaders have are a disgrace and President Obama needs to put his foot down and veto this stuff.

This year's twist, a fight over a tattoo-removal program that operates in a small clinic in North Hollywood, Calif., is prompted by California Democratic Rep. Howard Berman, the chief sponsor of the earmark. He said that the program, which is run by the Providence Holy Cross Medical Center, wasn't pork. "It's priceless," Berman said.

Since a nun opened the clinic in 1998, the program has helped nearly 12,000 clients remove their tattoos. Physicians donate their time every Saturday, the only day of the week that the clinic is open. Most of the program's funding comes from grants.

Dimitrios Alexiou, who ran the program for more than five years and now volunteers at the clinic, said the average age of clients was 30 and that most of them were in the job market and needed help getting their skin cleaned up. Source: McClatchy DC Bureau

The free spending ways of Congress needs to be nipped in the bud once and for all. The new spending bill comes on the heels of a $787 billion economic-stimulus plan that Congress approved just last month. Yes, and Nancy Pelosi, who has been itching to travel by military plane where ever she goes, has hinted at more stimulus money being a real possibility.

Here is a long list of questionable items that will be funded under the new bill: $1.9 million for the Pleasure Beach water taxi service in Connecticut, $300,000 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of John Brown's raid on the arsenal at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park in West Virginia and $238,000 for the Polynesian Voyaging Society of Honolulu, which runs sea voyages in ancient-style sailing canoes. Source: McClatchy DC Bureau.

The sooner the powers that be realize that the United States is in an economic tailspin and on the verge of bankrupting everything we ever stood for in the world, the quicker they would realize that these porkulus items need to be vetoed by the President. Sorry, Nancy Pelosi & Co., shame on you!

Congress Gets Pay Raises, Despite Economic Turmoil, Massive Jobs Losses, Frozen Credit Markets

Aren't our politicians great? As the economy crumbles around us and as millions lose their jobs, and with Congress urging more oversight on company executives, the last thing I would expect to hear is that they are giving themselves a raise. According the The Hill, they will get a $4,700 pay increase, amounting to an additional $2.5 million that taxpayers will spend on congressional salaries, and watchdog groups are not happy about it.

“As lawmakers make a big show of forcing auto executives to accept just $1 a year in salary, they are quietly raiding the vault for their own personal gain,” said Daniel O’Connell, chairman of The Senior Citizens League (TSCL), a non-partisan group. “This money would be much better spent helping the millions of seniors who are living below the poverty line and struggling to keep their heat on this winter.” However, at 2.8 percent, the automatic raise that lawmakers receive is only half as large as the 2009 cost of living adjustment of Social Security recipients.

Still, Steve Ellis, vice president of the budget watchdog Taxpayers for Common Sense, said Congress should have taken the rare step of freezing its pay, as lawmakers did in 2000. “Look at the way the economy is and how most people aren’t counting on a holiday bonus or a pay raise — they’re just happy to have gainful employment,” said Ellis. “But you have the lawmakers who are set up and ready to get their next installment of a pay raise and go happily along their way.” Member raises are often characterized as examples of wasteful spending, especially when many constituents and businesses in members’ districts are in financial despair.

Rep. Harry Mitchell, a first-term Democrat from Arizona, sponsored legislation earlier this year that would have prevented the automatic pay adjustments from kicking in for members next year. But the bill, which attracted 34 cosponsors, failed to make it out of committee. “They don’t even go through the front door. They have it set up so that it’s wired so that you actually have to undo the pay raise rather than vote for a pay raise,” Ellis said. Source: The Hill

The bottom line is that since the economy is in shambles, the last thing Congress needs to give itself is a raise. They need to freeze congressional salaries this time around. The idea has been floated before, but never gained enough traction to stick. Well, necessity is the mother of invention and this is one time where fiscal responsibility needs to be practiced. Yes, that includes the Congress as well. The average lawmaker makes $169,300 yearly, with the leadership making slightly more. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reportedly makes $217,400, while the minority and majority leaders in the House and Senate make $188,100. These people aren't exactly hurting for money.

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE......

Congress Gets Pay Raises, Despite Economic Turmoil, Massive Jobs Losses, Frozen Credit Markets

Aren't our politicians great? As the economy crumbles around us and as millions lose their jobs, and with Congress urging more oversight on company executives, the last thing I would expect to hear is that they are giving themselves a raise. According the The Hill, they will get a $4,700 pay increase, amounting to an additional $2.5 million that taxpayers will spend on congressional salaries, and watchdog groups are not happy about it.

“As lawmakers make a big show of forcing auto executives to accept just $1 a year in salary, they are quietly raiding the vault for their own personal gain,” said Daniel O’Connell, chairman of The Senior Citizens League (TSCL), a non-partisan group. “This money would be much better spent helping the millions of seniors who are living below the poverty line and struggling to keep their heat on this winter.” However, at 2.8 percent, the automatic raise that lawmakers receive is only half as large as the 2009 cost of living adjustment of Social Security recipients.

Still, Steve Ellis, vice president of the budget watchdog Taxpayers for Common Sense, said Congress should have taken the rare step of freezing its pay, as lawmakers did in 2000. “Look at the way the economy is and how most people aren’t counting on a holiday bonus or a pay raise — they’re just happy to have gainful employment,” said Ellis. “But you have the lawmakers who are set up and ready to get their next installment of a pay raise and go happily along their way.” Member raises are often characterized as examples of wasteful spending, especially when many constituents and businesses in members’ districts are in financial despair.

Rep. Harry Mitchell, a first-term Democrat from Arizona, sponsored legislation earlier this year that would have prevented the automatic pay adjustments from kicking in for members next year. But the bill, which attracted 34 cosponsors, failed to make it out of committee. “They don’t even go through the front door. They have it set up so that it’s wired so that you actually have to undo the pay raise rather than vote for a pay raise,” Ellis said. Source: The Hill

The bottom line is that since the economy is in shambles, the last thing Congress needs to give itself is a raise. They need to freeze congressional salaries this time around. The idea has been floated before, but never gained enough traction to stick. Well, necessity is the mother of invention and this is one time where fiscal responsibility needs to be practiced. Yes, that includes the Congress as well. The average lawmaker makes $169,300 yearly, with the leadership making slightly more. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reportedly makes $217,400, while the minority and majority leaders in the House and Senate make $188,100. These people aren't exactly hurting for money.

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE......

President Bush Purchases Home in Racist Dallas Community Preston Hollow

I am extremely happy that President Bush's term in office is coming to an end rapidly. As far as I am concerned, if I never see him or hear about him again, I would be perfectly happy. Well, unless they brought him up on war crimes, which I cannot understand why Nancy Pelosi is tap dancing around the issue. In any case, there is some more drama about President Bush and the history surrounding the community of Preston Hollow in which he just purchased a home.

As he prepares to fade into the sunset, neighbors in his new community are worried about having him as their neighbor. According to Raw Story, one woman said "I am afraid with all the negative press the president has been getting, the whole neighborhood is going to be a target." Traffic has already begun to clog the narrow streets around the home, causing neighbors to call the police -- who expect the hullabaloo to continue.

But that's not the only problem. The exclusive Dallas community has a troubled history of its own. Until 2000, the neighborhood association's covenant said only white people were allowed to live there, though an exception was made for servants.

Enacted in 1956, part of the original document reads: "Said property shall be used and occupied by white persons except those shall not prevent occupancy by domestic servants of different race or nationality in the employ of a tenant." The entire covenant can be seen here. Source: Raw Story

The neighborhood is home to many famous people, including former presidential candidate Ross Perot and Mark Cuban, the billionaire businessman and Dallas Mavericks owner. President Bush's new house abuts the 14-acre lair of real-estate investor Gene Phillips, who just had a trout-filled lake installed on his property. Of course, I am not surprised that the history of the community doesn't faze President Bush one bit. After all, look at the trail of disaster he is about to leave behind? The man ought to be brought up on war crimes for invading Iraq on a lie, among other things. I wonder how he sleeps at night knowing so many soldiers died fighting a war in Iraq that was started on a major lie.

President Bush Purchases Home in Racist Dallas Community Preston Hollow

I am extremely happy that President Bush's term in office is coming to an end rapidly. As far as I am concerned, if I never see him or hear about him again, I would be perfectly happy. Well, unless they brought him up on war crimes, which I cannot understand why Nancy Pelosi is tap dancing around the issue. In any case, there is some more drama about President Bush and the history surrounding the community of Preston Hollow in which he just purchased a home.

As he prepares to fade into the sunset, neighbors in his new community are worried about having him as their neighbor. According to Raw Story, one woman said "I am afraid with all the negative press the president has been getting, the whole neighborhood is going to be a target." Traffic has already begun to clog the narrow streets around the home, causing neighbors to call the police -- who expect the hullabaloo to continue.

But that's not the only problem. The exclusive Dallas community has a troubled history of its own. Until 2000, the neighborhood association's covenant said only white people were allowed to live there, though an exception was made for servants.

Enacted in 1956, part of the original document reads: "Said property shall be used and occupied by white persons except those shall not prevent occupancy by domestic servants of different race or nationality in the employ of a tenant." The entire covenant can be seen here. Source: Raw Story

The neighborhood is home to many famous people, including former presidential candidate Ross Perot and Mark Cuban, the billionaire businessman and Dallas Mavericks owner. President Bush's new house abuts the 14-acre lair of real-estate investor Gene Phillips, who just had a trout-filled lake installed on his property. Of course, I am not surprised that the history of the community doesn't faze President Bush one bit. After all, look at the trail of disaster he is about to leave behind? The man ought to be brought up on war crimes for invading Iraq on a lie, among other things. I wonder how he sleeps at night knowing so many soldiers died fighting a war in Iraq that was started on a major lie.

Ken Germana Installs Sign Calling for a Public Hanging of Barack Obama, John Kerry, Nancy Pelosi, Al Sharpton, Feds Investigating

Well, the racist behavior continues. According to the Bonner County Daily Bee, the U.S. Secret Service has been asked to review a sign a Bonner County landowner put up which suggests a "free public hanging" of President-elect Barack Obama and several other political figures. According to the newspaper, the handmade cardboard sign also features a noose fashioned from a length of nylon rope.

"That's a political statement. They can call it whatever they want, a threat or whatever," said Ken Germana, who installed the sign on his property off Golden Gate Road in southwestern Bonner County.

Obama's name is the most prominent on the sign, although it also bears the names of former Democrat presidential nominee John Kerry, current U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and civil rights activist and former presidential candidate Al Sharpton.

Germana said he poses absolutely no threat to Obama, but admits he would not lose any sleep if harm did come the president-elect's way. He said he made the sign to protest hypocrisy in two high-profile incidents involving effigies of Republican vice president nominee Sarah Palin and Obama.

Of course, he says that there is no racial tone in his sign.

"If these Katzenjammer cops want to pursue it, God bless 'em. But I've got my rights just like everybody else does," he said.

Wow, what a hypocrite. If I hung a picture similar to that in my front yard with President Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, Condi Rice, then I am sure someone would have called the cops. That's not the way to make a political statement.

Ken Germana Installs Sign Calling for a Public Hanging of Barack Obama, John Kerry, Nancy Pelosi, Al Sharpton, Feds Investigating

Well, the racist behavior continues. According to the Bonner County Daily Bee, the U.S. Secret Service has been asked to review a sign a Bonner County landowner put up which suggests a "free public hanging" of President-elect Barack Obama and several other political figures. According to the newspaper, the handmade cardboard sign also features a noose fashioned from a length of nylon rope.

"That's a political statement. They can call it whatever they want, a threat or whatever," said Ken Germana, who installed the sign on his property off Golden Gate Road in southwestern Bonner County.

Obama's name is the most prominent on the sign, although it also bears the names of former Democrat presidential nominee John Kerry, current U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and civil rights activist and former presidential candidate Al Sharpton.

Germana said he poses absolutely no threat to Obama, but admits he would not lose any sleep if harm did come the president-elect's way. He said he made the sign to protest hypocrisy in two high-profile incidents involving effigies of Republican vice president nominee Sarah Palin and Obama.

Of course, he says that there is no racial tone in his sign.

"If these Katzenjammer cops want to pursue it, God bless 'em. But I've got my rights just like everybody else does," he said.

Wow, what a hypocrite. If I hung a picture similar to that in my front yard with President Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, Condi Rice, then I am sure someone would have called the cops. That's not the way to make a political statement.