Promises Made, Promises Broken

Last year, Mayor Bart Peterson and the Democratic-controlled council said we needed a $90 million, 65% increase in the county option income tax to fund 100 more police officers on the street and to meet the city's unfunded public safety pension obligations. This year, the state picked up the pension obligation, removing approximately $1 billion in debt from the city's books to the state's. The Ballard administration claims the Peterson budget did not properly account for unavoidable costs in this year's budget. That means none of the 100 new police officers promised will be hired, even with the huge pension debt obligation being lifted. Mayor Ballard and the GOP council members opposed last year's income tax increase. Ballard and the Republicans now have no intention of rolling back the income tax increase they opposed at least in the near term, blaming the legislature's decision to cap property taxes. Meanwhile, Marion County taxpayers will continue their migration into the surrounding counties to escape the higher taxes, out of control crime and poor schools. Do you see how it works folks? It's been less than a year since the $90 million tax increase was approved. Much of the money derived from that increase is not being devoted to the purposes for which we were told it would be used by the Democrats. More politics as usual.

Keep An Eye On Joe

Sometimes in politics you just have a hunch about something. I'm feeling a strong hunch about Sen. Joe Biden and his future on the Democratic ticket with Sen. Barack Obama. Something isn't right about Joe and it's hard not to notice. Rudy Giuliani brilliantly deflated the Obama mantra at last night's Republican National Convention with his sharp New York sense of humor. After Giuliani ticked off a series of flip-flops by Obama, he made this crack. "Well, I'll tell you, if I were Joe Biden, I'd want to get that V.P. thing in writing." The quip quickly brought to my mind Jim Geraghty's "crazy prediction" from last Friday after McCain announced Sarah Palin as his choice for vice president:

Picture this scenario...

One month from now, the Palin pick has proven a bonanza for the McCain campaign. A large chunk of Hillary's 18 million voters have been won over. Conservatives are unified and energized, and the previously-undiscovered "Maxim magazine vote" is suddenly giving McCain large margins among young males.

Joe Biden will disappear from the campaign trail, and we will later learn it was to see a doctor. A previously-undiscovered, vaguely ominous health issue will be discovered, and Biden will sadly announce that he cannot continue as Obama's running mate. With a sudden need for a new one, Obama will turn... to Hillary Clinton.

Call it the Torricelli gambit.

Now, Biden has always had a reputation of being a one-man gaffe machine, but his public performance as of late suggests more than mere gaffes. Take this recent appearance in Pennsylvania with Sen. Barack Obama and both candidates' spouses. Some may attribute it to over-exuberance, but others who view this clip see someone more akin to the town drunk. In the video, Michelle Obama clearly is uncomfortable and whispers to her husband before taking a seat with Biden's wife, Jill. Barack reassures her but he soon starts shuffling his feet and looking down as Biden becomes increasingly goofy. By the time Biden starts wandering the front porch from where he is speaking in search of his old friend Bobby Casey, memories of James Stockdales' meltdown in the 1992 vice presidential debate were in full bloom. Saturday Night Live's parody of Ross Perot taking Stockdale for a long car ride and attempting to dump him along the roadside became permanently etched in Americans' minds in viewing the credibility of Perot's third party bid.

Let's not forget that Biden has survived two brain aneurysms. Many aren't so lucky and those who survive often suffer permanent damage. To my knowledge, none of Biden's medical records have been released. Obama released a mere one-page statement in contrast to the hundreds of pages McCain released right down to the Ambien prescription. Most of the media have been pretty mum to date on the Biden problem. Notably, however, ABC News' Jake Tapper remarked about the goofiness of Biden's comments during a West Palm Beach, Florida appearance as staff aides struggled to get him to end his remarks. More seriously, the Obama campaign furiously worked to put out a firestorm created by alleged comments Biden made to senior Israeli officials that "Israel [would] have to reconcile itself with the nuclearization of Iran." Yesterday, Biden told a campaign audience in response to a question that an Obama-Biden administration would pursue criminal charges against top members of the Bush administration if the Democratic ticket wins this November. The continuing popularity of a video showing a seemingly drunk Biden singing The Villages jingle isn't helping matters. Nor is his Michael Scott moment from his failed presidential campaign where he cluelessly slurs Indian-Americans.

After Gov. Sarah Palin's spectacular performance in her introduction to the American people at the Republican National Convention, the Obama campaign may be looking towards the scheduled Biden-Palin debate with much trepidation. Media attention to Palin's candidacy drew a television audience last night of more than 37 million, only slightly less than the audience Obama drew during his acceptance speech last week in Denver and 13 million more than the audience Biden's speech drew. A new CBS poll, which had shown a significant 8-point lead for Obama-Biden last week, now shows the candidates tied at 42%. So the whispers are beginning. The news media is too much in bed with Obama's campaign to talk too loudly about the growing Biden problem. But keep a close eye on Biden. And don't be surprised if he exits stage left never to be heard from again. Hillary Clinton may not seem like such a bad choice for Obama after all.

Alaskans Getting $3,200 Rebate Checks Thanks To Palin

The Alaska legislature has approved Gov. Sarah Palin's proposal to rebate an additional $1,200 from the state's resource-rich surplus to Alaskans. That's on top of $2,000 rebate checks Alaskans were already scheduled to receive so Alaskans will have an extra $3,200 to pay their bills this year.

The Shame Of Paul Ricketts

Where's the outrage? For the second time this year, career government employee Paul Ricketts is seeking a $15,000 pay raise for serving as mayor of Lawrence, a job he has held for 8 months. The raise would boost his pay from $65,000 to $80,000. "I've never gotten a raise like that," Lawrence resident Bob Schussler is quoted as saying at a city council meeting in a Star report today. Instead of thinking of himself all the time, Mayor Ricketts should follow the advice of Gov. Sarah Palin. She cut her pay from $68,000 to $64,000 when she was mayor of Wasila, Alaska. Speaking of Palin, Ricketts missed the public hearing on his raise. He was attending the GOP convention in Minneapolis. What an embarrassment Ricketts has become for the Republican Party.

Palin Power

Move over Barack Obama. There's a new political star in America. And she's the real deal. Any doubts about John McCain's choice for vice president were pretty much laid to rest tonight as Gov. Sarah Palin stole the show and won over the hearts of millions of inspired Americans. Here's a gal who talks their talk and walks their walk. She speaks from the heart with conviction. Self-assured but not self-absorbed. Tender spoken but tough as nails. Thank you, John McCain for looking forward and not back.

Some of my favorite passages in her speech tonight:

On Family

Our family has the same ups and downs as any other ... the same challenges and the same joys. Sometimes even the greatest joys bring challenge.

On Her Experience

Before I became governor of the great state of Alaska, I was mayor of my hometown. And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves. I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a "community organizer," except that you have actual responsibilities. I might add that in small towns, we don't quite know what to make of a candidate who lavishes praise on working people when they are listening, and then talks about how bitterly they cling to their religion and guns when those people aren't listening. We tend to prefer candidates who don't talk about us one way in Scranton and another way in San Francisco.

Blasting The Media Elites

I'm not a member of the permanent political establishment. And I've learned quickly, these past few days, that if you're not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone. But here's a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I'm not going to Washington to seek their good opinion - I'm going to Washington to serve the people of this country. Americans expect us to go to Washington for the right reasons, and not just to mingle with the right people.

Ethics and Ending Business As Usual

Sudden and relentless reform never sits well with entrenched interests and power brokers. That's why true reform is so hard to achieve. But with the support of the citizens of Alaska, we shook things up. And in short order we put the government of our state back on the side of the people. I came to office promising major ethics reform, to end the culture of self-dealing. And today, that ethics reform is the law. While I was at it, I got rid of a few things in the governor's office that I didn't believe our citizens should have to pay for. That luxury jet was over the top. I put it on eBay. I also drive myself to work. And I thought we could muddle through without the governor's personal chef - although I've got to admit that sometimes my kids sure miss her. I came to office promising to control spending - by request if possible and by veto if necessary.

On The Hollow Obama

This is a man who can give an entire speech about the wars America is fighting, and never use the word "victory" except when he's talking about his own campaign. But when the cloud of rhetoric has passed ... when the roar of the crowd fades away ... when the stadium lights go out, and those Styrofoam Greek columns are hauled back to some studio lot - what exactly is our opponent's plan? What does he actually seek to accomplish, after he's done turning back the waters and healing the planet? The answer is to make government bigger ... take more of your money ... give you more orders from Washington ... and to reduce the strength of America in a dangerous world. America needs more energy ... our opponent is against producing it.

In politics, there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers. And then there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change. They're the ones whose names appear on laws and landmark reforms, not just on buttons and banners, or on self-designed presidential seals.

Thompson's Education Plan

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jill Long Thompson announced an education plan today. She wants:

• Free books, including a new one for every child, every month until they're five years old.
• Give high school students five years to graduate.
• Send more students to college by expanding the 21st Century Scholars program.

The Department of Education says it will cost taxpayers an additional $10,000 for each student who spends 5 years rather than the traditional 4-year period to complete high school. Last week, the National Education Association contributed $100,000 to Thompson's campaign. Does anyone think there is anything in Thompson's proposal that is not supported by the teacher's union?

Lynch Mob Descends On Palin

Hat tip to Atlas Shrugs.

Washington Post Lies About Palin Slashing Teen Pregnancy Program

Frothing at the mouth over the selection of the GOP's rising star Gov. Sarah Palin as Sen. John McCain's vice presidential choice, the mainstream media has thrown in with the Daily Kos and decided it can write or say anything it wants about Palin as long as it serves the end of destroying her. Today, the Washington Post's Paul Kane writes a story about Palin slashing funding for a teen-age pregnancy program, which was quickly picked up by every McCain-hating, pro Obama blog in the country:

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican vice-presidential nominee who revealed Monday that her 17-year-old daughter is pregnant, earlier this year used her line-item veto to slash funding for a state program benefiting teen mothers in need of a place to live.

After the legislature passed a spending bill in April, Palin went through the measure reducing and eliminating funds for programs she opposed. Inking her initials on the legislation -- "SP" -- Palin reduced funding for Covenant House Alaska by more than 20 percent, cutting funds from $5 million to $3.9 million. Covenant House is a mix of programs and shelters for troubled youths, including Passage House, which is a transitional home for teenage mothers.

A good reporter would have done more than just quote the numbers. There's always a story behind the numbers if you bother to do your homework, which Kane obviously did not do. What Kane fails to disclose is that the program had experienced a three-fold increase in funding in the prior budget year to allow for an expansion in the facilities used to operate the program. He also failed to report that the Catholic charity which operates the program receives 90% of its funding from private donations and other sources. Kane apparently didn't even bother to contact the McCain-Palin campaign to get their reaction to the claimed slash in funding before he ran with his story.

This is a case where the reporter decided he wanted to stoke the revelation of Palin's 17-year-old daughter being pregnant for all it was worth without any regard to the truth. This has happened all across the mainstream media since McCain made his announcement last Friday. Reporters from so-called reputable news organizations have completely thrown all caution to the wind to rush to print with any news story which negatively impacts Palin's selection. The end justifies the means. The effect of the slash and burn reporting against Palin by the mainstream media will have the exact opposite result than what it is intended. John McCain and Sarah Palin will become the next president and vice president of the United States, the news media be damned.

Joe Biden Talking Disease

ABC News' Jake Tapper has some great quotes from Sen. Joe Biden when he fell victim to his own "Joe Biden Talking Disease" at a West Palm Beach event and ignored pleas from staff to stop talking. There was the Obama/Osama slip-up:

[W]hen Biden was discussing the mountainous Afghanistan-Pakistan border "where Obama, Osama Bin Laden lives, and Obama wants to go to get him."

Joe discussing the campaign's response to Swiftboat-like attacks:

[T]hey would respond with "a straight left and a right hook. Hey baby, I want to tell ya, we ain't laying down, We are not going to lay down. Period. If you know anything about me, that's what worries people. We are not going to lay down."

Joe trying to assure the audience Obama is just another "average Joe" like him:

[W]hen I hear people say, ‘Hey Joe, geez, I understand your values. I connect with you. But I don’t know about that other guy.’ Let me tell you something. Let me tell you something. If Barack Obama grew up in my neighborhood in Scranton or Claymont or Wilmington, Delaware, he would have been the guy who had my back. If Barack Obama had grown up in my neighborhood, he would have been the same guy he is now.

"I’ve got to tell you, I’m tired," Biden continued. "Let me tell you. If you’re looking for a very sophisticated, Harvard graduate who went to Columbia undergrad and was president of the Law Review, he’s totally intellectual. Baby, you ain’t seen nothing yet. This guy is steel. This guy is steel, and I assure you that."

A Harvard graduate who is steel? Okay, Joe. Not that Biden's meanderings hadn't already reminded his audience of his age, he had to share this little bit about being "rolled out":

But I watched when they, when Barack, as they say, 'rolled out,' his, his, Vice President nominee. Half of the people in America thought I was going to get 'rolled out.' I don’t know.

And then there was this one out of left field where Biden assured the audience he wasn't into young guys anymore:

"So, you know, I don’t like young guys anymore."

Now, this is just what Biden said at one event. This guy talks like this daily. Have you heard anything quite as silly from Gov. Palin? On that note, let's see an encore performance of Joe singing The Villages by clicking here. There must be some members of Obama's campaign staff who wish Joe were at that retirement community in Florida right now instead of the number two guy on the ticket.