Not that it wasn’t impolite of her.
…Although you have to wonder if there was an error in translation there. Or whether it was faked, of course – although the guy did look like he blacked out there.
Here comes a VAT for health care?
Turning to domestic news for the moment (and as a distraction from my worries, frankly), I see via @mkhammer that a value-added tax is on the Democrats’ horizon, the better to pay for free health care*:
Unlike a sales tax that applies only to the point of purchase, a VAT taxes the value added at each stage of production. Thus, if the VAT rate is 5% and a producer of raw materials, a manufacturer and a retailer each add $1.00 of value to a product, then each owes the government five cents.
A source close to the Ways and Means Committee said House Democrats may be considering a VAT of 1% to 1.5%. That could raise $70 billion-$105 billion annually, based on calculations from a Con gressional Research Service report.
[snip]
A VAT would be a major headache for President Obama, who has consistently pledged not to raise taxes on 95% of Americans. Republicans are sure to portray a VAT as a violation of his vow.
Well… yes. That would be because it is a violation of his vow. It’s hardly the GOP’s fault if the President’s electoral strategy wrote checks that his governing methodology can’t cash… yes, yes, Top Gun
Moe Lane
*There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch.
Crossposted to RedState.
‘Don’t tell me words don’t matter.’ #iranelection
It’s not just us who listen to our broadcasts, you know.
President Obama argued yesterday that there is little difference between Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and challenger Mir-Hossein Mousavi on policies critical to the U.S.
“It’s important to understand that although there is amazing ferment taking place in Iran, that the difference between Ahmadinejad and Mousavi in terms of their actual policies may not be as great as has been advertised,” the president told CNBC.
Via @allahpundit.
Continue reading ‘Don’t tell me words don’t matter.’ #iranelection
The free ice cream may be a little sparse today.
This is promising to become a thoroughly rotten day in international affairs. See also. And here, of course.
At this point, I got nothing to suggest. Except prayer, of course.
“Objects In The Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are.”
Objects In The Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are
1993. It was not a time for subtlety in our music videos.
Reviewing the May fundraising numbers.
Yup, it’s that time again. Short version: the DNC beat the RNC last month, thanks to a Presidential fundraiser; but the NRSC actually raised more money last month than the DSCC; and the DCCC raised only about 200K more than the NRCC. While the cash-on-hand edge for the GOP is less than it was last month’s, it’s because the Democrats are still not retiring their debt, which is 4x the GOP’s.
| Group | Raised | CoH | Debt |
| RNC | 5.82 | 21.55 | 0.00 |
| DNC | 8.37 | 12.14 | 5.60 |
| NRSC | 3.50 | 3.70 | 0.00 |
| DSCC | 3.45 | 4.00 | 4.17 |
| NRCC | 3.24 | 3.73 | 4.00 |
| DCCC | 3.44 | 5.01 | 6.67 |
| GOP | 12.56 | 28.98 | 4.00 |
| Democrats | 15.26 | 21.15 | 16.44 |
Celebrity hires medium to contact deceased pig.
None of that is an euphemism, by the way.
George Clooney Hires A Psychic To Talk To His Departed Potbellied Pig
Los Angeles, CA (BANG) – George Clooney has hired to psychic to help him contact his dead pig. The “Leatherheads” star is still mourning the loss of his beloved potbellied pet Max, who died in 2006, and asked a medium to get in touch with the swine.
I’m not going to mock him for this, by the way. People get attached to their pets; potbellied pigs by all accounts make affectionate ones; and if he was trying to trying to make postmortem contact with his beloved, say, Golden Retriever about half of the story would be lost. There are folks out there who really do believe in this entire pet psychics
That being said, I think that you can take this sort of thing into account when judging them on their policy positions, so maybe Mr. Clooney might find it more profitable for everyone involved if he concentrated on things that he’s actually trained for in the future. Personally, I’d love to see something new in the vein of O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Did you know that Jews control the Washington Post?
No, really. Just ask Andrew Sullivan (see also The Weekly Standard and Legal Insurrection).
This is the curse of every person who enjoys conspiracy theories
It doesn’t always happen, thank God, but it happens too often.
Moe Lane Continue reading Did you know that Jews control the Washington Post?
Note that the eyepatch is *not* CGI…
(Via @CalebHowe) Chuck DeVore is having fun again:
Of course, when it comes to Senator Boxer*, it’s not precisely a target-poor environment. Background here, for the three people in the political blogosphere who haven’t heard about this one yet. Anyway, that guy with the eyepatch had it in the original video; I remember seeing it when I saw the original YouTube. Not that Chuck DeVore wouldn’t have matched it up more to Austin Powers
Moe Lane
*See? I understand that Senator Boxer’s thin-skinned and everything, what with the general consensus in Washingtonian circles that Senator Boxer’s as sharp as a sack of wet mice, so I was nice and used Senator Boxer’s title.
Crossposted to RedState.
Hollywood had ideas?
The Facebook Status Update That Could End Up a Movie
Agents from Beverly Hills’ United Talent Agency and literary shop Fletcher & Co. are shopping a book and film deal built around a Facebook update…
Said update involves Chinese takeout and a Pomeranian – no, it’s not going to revolve around that particular urban legend; apparently superpowers will be involved – and they’re apparently looking to option it. As Gawker notes, while this is silly, so was Beverly Hills Chihuahua
OK, bad example*. But the principle is sound.
Moe Lane
*It’s a bad movie. I’ve seen it a million times. I’ll watch it every time that it comes on. I love it. But it’s a bad movie.