Marathon Pundit

Friday, July 31, 2009

North Side Chicago's Obama stimulus "campaign sign"

Earlier today AP issued a report that little of Barack Obamas's $787 billion ~~economic stimulus~~ boondoggle has been spent on fixing old bridges. The poor condition of many of our bridges was used to panic-peddle the stimulus bill during the early days of the Obama presidency.

Tens of thousands of unsafe or decaying bridges carrying 100 million drivers a day must wait for repairs because states are spending stimulus money on spans that are already in good shape or on easier projects like repaving roads, an Associated Press analysis shows.

President Barack Obama urged Congress last winter to pass his $787 billion stimulus package so some of the economic recovery money could be used to rebuild what he called America's "crumbling bridges." Lawmakers said it was a historic chance to chip away at the $65 billion backlog of deficient structures, often neglected until a catastrophe like the Minneapolis bridge that collapsed two years ago this Saturday.

States, however, have other plans. Of the 2,476 bridges scheduled to receive stimulus money so far, nearly half have passed inspections with high marks, according to federal data. Those 1,123 sound bridges received such high inspection ratings that they normally would not qualify for federal bridge money, yet they will share in more than $1.2 billion in stimulus money.

Obama

The latest episode of The Senate Doctors

Although there are five Democratic doctors in the House of Representatives, as opposed to ten Republicans, there are only two MDs in the Senate, Tom Coburn (R-OK) and John Barrasso (R-WY).

That's right, there are no Democrats who are doctors in the upper chamber.

Coburn and Barrasso host a weekly internet video program, The Senate Doctors. Below you'll find the latest episode:

Hat tip to Midnight Blue.

Related posts:

Illinois "Obama campaign signs" make Sen. Coburn's waste list

Stimulus funds lost in the Oklahoma panhandle

Sen. Coburn to propose amendment to ban Obama stimulus "campaign" signs

Senate needs more Coburns

Report from the bloggers' conference call on the Patients Choice Act

Technorati tags:

universal health care

Chicago considering affirmative action for gays: Why stop there?

Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley is considering adding to the gays to the city's affirmative action program. In its current form, set-asides are rife with fraud; gay preferences, if enacted, promise to be no different. In fact, this one could be worse. Will someone claim they're gay just to get more city business?

Crain's Chicago Business' Greg Hinz thinks this parade shouldn't get started.

Mayor Richard M. Daley may have thought he was doing gay men and lesbians a favor when he pretty much endorsed a proposal by Ald. Tom Tunney (44th), the city's first openly gay alderman, to set aside a certain share of city contracts for firms owned by homosexuals.

On behalf of what I suspect is a pretty big share of the community, I want to thank both for their gesture. I also want to suggest that this bad idea be filed right back in whatever drawer it came out of, 'cause this is not something Chicago needs, for straight or gay people.

Most gay and lesbian people just want what everybody else wants, to be treated the same as everyone else. That means no nasty names — I'll allow an exception if the queen next to me won't shut up when I finally get around to seeing Bruno — no discrimination and, yes, indeed, the right to be just as miserable in marriage as most straight couples pretend to be.

"Equality" doesn't mix with "preference." And that's what's wrong with this proposal.

But if the gay set-aside does go through, I have another group that is commonly discrimated against in Chicago that the mayor should consider helping out: Republicans.

When is our parade?

Related post:

California Collision: Harvey Milk's Camera Shop

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Obama attacks insurance companies

President Obama traveled to North Carolina to plug his government-run health care plan, where he attacked insurance companies.

"The truth is, we have a system today that works well for the insurance industry," Obama said, "but it doesn't always work well for you. So what we need, and what we will have when we pass these reforms, are health-insurance consumer protections to make sure that those who have insurance are treated fairly and insurance companies are held accountable."

That drew a quick reaction from Bob Greczyn, CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, the state's largest insurer.

"It was disappointing that President Obama used so much of his time in North Carolina bashing insurance companies," Greczyn said in a statement. "We don't believe a government-run plan is necessary to achieve the reform Americans need."

Greczyn said the president was wrong to say that insurance companies don't cover routine care such as mammograms and colonoscopies.

Government-run health care programs in socialist countries are plagued with long wait-times and rationing of care, among other things.

UPDATE 3:00pm CDT: Pelosi is denouncing insurance companies too. Looks like a premeditated attack by the Dems.

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Rep. Kevin McCarthy appears on MSNBC's "The Ed Show"

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) appeared on MSNBC's "The Ed Show," where he talks about the Pelosi House of Representatives, the proposal for government-run health care, jobs, and the 2010 elections.

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California Collision: Harvey Milk's Camera Shop

Yesterday afternoon the White House announced that 16 people, including the late Jack Kemp, will be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Gay rights activist and San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk, who along with Mayor George Moscone was assassinated in 1978 by Dan White, will also posthumously receive a Presidential Medal.

I was planning to write about Milk a little bit later in my California Collision series, but I think the timing is better today.

On my last evening in the City by the Bay, I journeyed to the Castro District, which is synonymous with gay San Francisco.

Pictured on top is a painting of Milk on the second story of of his old store, Castro Camera. It's now a gift store. His shop doubled as a political headquarters for Milk's numerous political campaigns and rights' initiatives.

Next: Fisherman's Wharf

Related post:

Jack Kemp, RIP

Earlier California Collision posts:

San Francisco's Union Square
The Painted Ladies
San Francisco and the military
Haight-Ashbury
Mission San Francisco de Asís
San Francisco's sea lions
San Francisco's blues mural
San Francisco: Cable cars

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