George Rebane

Isn’t the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office wonderful the way it diplomatically exposes the lies of Obamacare.  Team Obama and the congressional Dems keep rolling out the bull pucky on how national healthcare will not increase deficits and actually be a “stimulus” (Pelosi) to the economy.  Then the CBO sits down in front of the microphone and presents some eye-popping numbers that quietly say ‘No it won’t.’  And then the liars turn up the volume and scream even louder into the Sunday talk shows, and today the CBO again said, ‘No it won’t.’  Your move el Presidente.

Didn’t we all get good grades in our high school civics class?  Don’t they teach that stuff any more where they tell you what our Constitution says about our three branches of government and their separation of powers?  If memory serves, Congress as the legislative branch has the power to decide what laws the country needs and write them; the President in the executive branch is charged with enforcing the laws; and the Supreme Court as the judicial branch is supposed to interpret the laws and make sure that they and their execution are cool with what is called for by the Constitution.  Where does the President come off telling Congress what laws to pass, and how fast it has to get the job done?  Doesn’t anyone inside the Beltway read that hallowed founding document any more; the document which is supposed to be the basis on which our civil society rests?  Maybe the last question has its own answer – civil society?

Every jurisdiction is cutting back spending today.  And the spending cuts are most visible in areas where the public comes in contact with government provided services.  A reader noticed that the Nevada City Post Office parking lot (probably not city property) is not up to snuff and wrote “While I don’t live in Nevada City, I do visit the Post Office once a day. I don’t know who has the responsibility for the up-keep of the parking lot, but no matter it’s a blight on the City. There is always some pretty horrible trash in and around the hedge that borders the parking lot and the sidewalk, and the vegetation needs a good trim job. This does not present a pretty picture of the City. As a thought, some one of your future articles in The Union might suggest that a couple of the people that hang out at Callahan Park could make a positive contribution by frequently policing the place and even the Park itself.  Is this asking too much of them? Of course, how to get them to do it is another matter. Thoughts?”  Good idea, but the vision of old snowballs in Hell comes to mind when I think about when this will come to pass.

The clamor for Obama to make his birth, school, and public service records available continues on a number of fronts (for example, here).  Since we know so little about him, it sure is puzzling why the man doesn’t just do what the other Presidents have done before him.  If there’s nothing to hide, why continue paying hundreds of thousands to lawyers to file denial petitions across the land.  If there’s a reasonable answer for this secrecy, I haven’t heard it, and would sure like for someone to point it out.  Mighty strange that he’s making it seem like there’s a big dark revelation hiding somewhere under a rock.