TASS West

This goes beyond even the New York Times editorial page (but probably not MSNBC):

“On February 23, ABC TV Channel 7, WTRF News (Wheeling, West Virginia/ Steubenville, Ohio), posted on its website what was originally credited as a story ‘written by’ reporter Bob Westfall. Unfortunately, though, this posting was nothing but a word-for-word re-posting of Democrat Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown’s latest press release. There was little to no difference between Brown’s press release and the ’story’ as posted on the ABC 7 news site.”

Some Health Care Summit tweets

Tweets from the health care summit silliness that bear repeating, with some comments:

@Heritage: Want to talk Medicare? Obama's plan raises the Medicare payroll tax and extends it for the first time ever to investment income. [This is an incredibly disastrous, job-killing proposal - GMC]

@Heritage: The truth, Mr. President, is If govt controls both health benefits and pricing, healthcare is private in name only.

@CatoInstitute: Just because you SUBSIDIZE health care premiums does not make the premiums lower.

@Heritage: Obama's plan creates a govt-run market with price controls. That brings shortages and waiting lists.

@Heritage: President Obama isn't mentioning that putting young people in larger pool increases THEIR costs.

@philipaklein: Harkin compares insurance risk pooling to racial segregation!

@kararowland: Sen. Rockefeller: "You have to clip [the insurance companies'] wings every way you can." [What about government's much bigger wings, sir? - GMC]

@Heritage: Deficts: Obama plan costs $1+ trillion over 10 yrs, raises taxes $414 bill = $600 bill deficit [And the real cost looks more like $2.5 trillion - GMC]

@mkhammer: "Most cynical gimmick in the bill...is doc fix. Provision was taken out & it's been going along as stand-alone legislation."

@Heritage: Sen Coburn makes the salient point – benefits must be paid for with current or future taxes

Lots more good stuff, just look in my twitter feed in the politics list for the relevant time period (Feb 25th daytime).

An honest union boss

Have to give this guy credit for speaking the truth:

Albany Police Officers Union President Chris Mesley says that, regardless of the faltering economy, a no-raise new contract is unacceptable.

And to hell with the public.

"I'm not running a popularity contest here," Mesley said. "If I'm the bad guy to the average citizen . . . and their taxes have go up to cover my raise, I'm very sorry about that, but I have to look out for myself and my membership."

Mesley added: "As the president of the local, I will not accept 'zeroes.' If that means . . . ticking off some taxpayers, then so be it."

Point at foot, fire gun

An Instapundit reader on some of the silly attacks, based entirely on their own ignorance, emanating recently from the fever swamps:

Let’s see. ABC News didn’t know something like 2COR 4:6 refers to a bible quote. The YALE’s Daily News editorial staff likewise lacks anybody, besides the gent penning the screed about Palin, with recent exposure to anyone who has a child, wife, husband, parent or loved one in the war. And as a bonus apparently neither do any of the legions of other left wing sites jumping on the ‘bracelet scandal” bandwagon. If I were running an Information Operation (IO), say in support of an unconventional warfare campaign aimed at prompting a rebellion against an entrenched ruling class, I’d be looking to plant memes in the civilian population. Memes that suggest their rulers are detached from the population’s daily lives and concerns. Memes that make it obvious that despite an ongoing war most of the ruling class don’t have children in the military themselves and despite protestations to the contrary don’t share the population’s faith either.

If I were running an IO campaign myself, but I’m not. I’m having too much fun watching them run it against themselves.

Live in a bubble, die by the bubble.

Mainstreaming totalitarianism

A comment (fifth one down) from Reason's quick note on the despicable eco police state ad run by Audi nails it:

Imagine a Holocaust movie. Jews are in concentration camps. Regularly sent to gas chambers. Suddenly one man receives documents proving he is not a jew. He's set free. He walks away. Happy End.

This is what the ad is.

Why they think driving an Audi to save yourself from a fascist future will make people want to buy them is left as an exercise for mental health professionals.

Line of the week

It's only Monday, but this from John Stossel will be hard to beat:

"How many times does History need to bash the New York Times over the head with the failures of central planning before they understand?"

It fascinates me how many people continue to believe in collectivist fairy tales.