by Alex Gimarc                                Mon., February 9, 2009

Interesting Items 2/09 -

Howdy all, a few Interesting Items for your information. Enjoy -

In this issue:

1. Stimulus
2. Budget
3. Nome
4. Fairness
5. Executive Pay
6. Goons
7. Kahn
8. Iranians

1. Stimulus. Pelosi, Reid and Obama’s spending bill is moving through the senate with a vote scheduled for passage this week. Our newly elected Boy Senator, Mark Begich (D, AK), fresh off blowing a hole in the Municipal budget is busily engaged in blowing a hole in the federal budget with his support of this legislation. He was all over the talk shows late last week, defending his support for the legislation. Calls from the state have been running strongly against its passage; however he has answered few, if any phone calls or e-mails in opposition. Begich is a very sm art, very crafty democrat. He is very good at what he does. But his support for this legislation may paint him into a corner that he will not be able to escape from. And votes for this abomination will not be forgotten any time soon.

2. Budget. The announced budget deficit here in Alaska is $1.65 billion this year. This is based on a projected price per barrel of oil of $62. Today, that price is running in the low $40s, which will blow an even larger hole in the budget next year – perhaps three times as large. The state of Alaska with its governing democrat majority in the state senate has not been fiscally conservative over the last few years. Some are blaming in on Governor Palin. Some are blaming it on the democrats. I blame it on the unions, the education establishment and the greens, which have been doing their level best to spend every single dollar that comes into the state treasury while doing their level best to chase every single money making enterprise out of the state. Governor Palin has a real opportunity here to establish and demonstrate her fiscally conservative credentials. If she is able to slice state spending while getting things done and growing business and industry here in Alaska, she will be well situated for bigger and better things in 2012. If she chooses not to embrace the opportunity, she will not be a national player.

3. Nome. Governor Sarah Palin proposed construction of a 500 mile road from Fairbanks to Nome in her State of the State speech a couple weeks ago. As you may or may not know, Alaska is a very large state with very few roads. As I wrote in 2005, Alaska has just over 14,100 miles of roads. Only Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island and Washington DC have fewer miles. Do the math and we have 45 square miles of area per linear mile of road. The next closest state is Wyoming, with 3.5 square miles per linear mile of road. The stats come from the NHTSA. There is a very clear need for new highways and roadways here in the state. A proposed road to Nome has been on the back burner for a number of years. Congratulations to the governor for dusting off the proposal and getting it in the discussion.

4. Fairness. Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow (D) made her initial push for bringing back the Fairness Doctrine last week during an appearance on Bill Press’ radio show. Press broadcasts as p art of Air America, so if you aren’t in a heavily unionized location, you probably aren’t hearing the live feed. She wants to bring accountability to talk radio and wants the hearings to happen Real Soon Now. Although they probably won’t be successful in brining back the Fairness Doctrine, they will use something similar called localism, which can be implemented without congressional action. Localism will turn over broadcast businesses to a bunch of local boards empowered to determine if there is sufficient local content on the radio stations. This will in turn, shut down the large national programs like Limbaugh, Hannity and Ingraham. Interestingly, Stabenow appears to have a personal interest in shutting down conservative talk radio. She is married to an Air America executive, who has presided over not one but two failed leftist attempts at creating successful talk radio businesses. This is so like a democrat, so like a leftist, so like a fascist. When you are unsuccessful at your chosen business enterprise, you go to your very well connected spouse and get her to change the rules so that your competition is put out of business. You get her to select winners and losers, for if your competition is no longer in operation, how can you possibly fail? The husband is named Tom Athans, and was arrested in April 2008 for p articipation in a prostitution ring in Michigan. Sweetness and Light, Fri.

5. Executive Pay. President Obama announced the nationalization of executive pay last week. The administration is going to put a $500,000 cap on executive pay for anyone that works for a company receiving federal funds as p art of the TARP / bailout. This fascist action has long been a favorite goal of democrats. It represents a hideous intrusion of the federal government into the workplace and into the marketplace. This unwarranted and unconstitutional expansion of federal power and micromanagement will do little except ensure mediocrity in the very companies that are covered, ensuring their continued failure in the marketplace. Congressional busybodies like Barney Frank (D, MA) are vigorously trying to push this pay cap to all businesses in all secrets nationwide. Note that the limitation specifically exempts non-profit, government, university and entertainment paychecks. It is being pushed as a class warfare vehicle that will work for a little while. Best response? Never, ever take the federal dime and use every opportunity to tell the feds to go straight to Hell when they show up at your door bearing free money.

6. Goons. In this new era of Hope and Change, responding to reporters’ questions appears to work a lot like paying taxes. Only the change p art seems to be to get a bodyguard to grab the reporter and shove him out of the way. Out of sight, out of mind. Hope and Change. What a concept. The incident took place inside the Capitol building last Thursday following Leon Panetta’s questioning by a senate confirmation committee. A reporter approached Panetta with a question during his way down the hall. One of Panetta’s bodyguards grabbed the reporter and shoved him out of the way. So far, there appears to be no outrage among the reporting cheerleaders for the new administration. Hot Air, Sat.

7. Kahn. With President Bush safely away in Crawford, the Pakistani government released A.Q. Kahn from prison. He was the fall guy for their nuclear technology distribution network. Islamists in the Pakistani government had set up a network to distribute their nuclear technology to like minded, radical Islamist governments and terrorist groups. The Bush administration busted the distribution ring and the Pakistanis jumped on board, “discovered” Kahn, and took him into custody. They dribbled out sufficient information to keep most of the direct suspicion away from them, but were not viewed by those in the community as having clean hands. Once Obama takes office, they figure the heat is off, that they have a friendly administration in charge, and no longer need the charade of having Kahn in custody. It won’t be long before the distribution ring is in full operation once again, I expect. Sleep well.

8. Iranians. The Mullahs in Iran managed to launch an e arth orbiting satellite last week. It made at least one orbit and was tracked, so we know it was a successful flight. It appears the Iranians and NORKs have managed to bring a delivery system for their nukes far enough along to successfully fly at least one time. Expect the Obama administration to make disapproving clucking sounds and see the back of the Iranian hand in response to those soft, mewling noises of disapproval.

More later –

           - AG

"If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen."
- Samuel Adams, speech at the Philadelphia State House, August 1, 1776.