“You may have heard the UPS is in quite the political fight with FEDEX. Though both are package-delivery companies, they’re governed by totally different federal labor rules. As a result, UPS’s workforce is much more heavily unionized than FEDEX’s—and more than twice as expensive.

So now UPS is trying to get FEDEX reclassified under federal law as a way of screwing a competitor. That’s horrendous, but it also makes a sick kind of business sense. And it also reveals the real villain: A government that is big enough to absolutely, positively guarantee it can screw any business. Overnight.

“UPS Vs. FEDEX” was produced by Meredith Bragg and Nick Gillespie (who also hosts). Approximately two minutes long.

This video is based on “Using Unions as Weapons,” by Mercatus Center economist Veronique de Rugy, which appeared in the October 2009 print edition of Reason. Read that article at http://reason.com/archives/2009/09/28…

For downloadable version of this and all other Reason.tv videos go to http://reason.tv“

Click here to view the embedded video.

Rep. Kenneth Dunkin (D-Chicago)

If you’re an Illinois resident, you didn’t read that wrong.

Should a bill that was recently introduced by State Representative Kenneth Dunkin, a Chicago Democrat, be passed, all gun owners in the state of Illinois would be required to maintain a liability insurance policy of at least $1,000,000.

Here is the synopsis of this ridiculous piece of legislation from the Illinois General Assembly website:

Amends the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act. Provides that any person who owns a firearm in this State shall maintain a policy of liability insurance in the amount of at least $1,000,000 specifically covering any damages resulting from negligent or willful acts involving the use of such firearm while it is owned by such person. Provides that a person shall be deemed the owner of a firearm after the firearm is lost or stolen until such loss or theft is reported to the police department or sheriff of the jurisdiction in which the owner resides. Provides that the Department of State Police shall revoke and seize a Firearm Owner’s Identification Card previously issued under this Act if the Department finds that the person to whom such card was issued possesses or acquires a firearm and does not submit evidence to the Department of State Police that he or she has been issued in his or her name a liability insurance policy in the amount of at least $1,000,000 specifically covering any damages resulting from negligent or willful acts involving the use of such firearm while it is owned by such person. Effective January 1, 2010.

While my first instinct is to say that it’s safe to assume that this bill will be killed by the Republicans in the legislature, this is Illinois, so you can never be too sure.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Obama’s winning line up:

First was Bill Richardson who had been nominated as Commerce Secretary but pulled out because he is facing a grand jury investigation (remember when he was running for President? Oh how things can change…)

Next up was Tim Geithner for Treasury Secretary. He wants to lead the United States out of its overwhelming economic crisis, but he can’t figure out how to pay his taxes. He paid $34,000 in back income taxes and we confirmed him because his late payment gave our economy a boost – thank you Mr. Secretary!

In the middle we have Nancy Killefer who wanted to be Obama’s Chief Performance Officer, or “Performance Czar” as the Obama Administration likes to call the position. The Performance Czar does not require a Senate Confirmation, but Deputy Director of the OBM does, and when everyone discovered that Nancy doesn’t pay her “help” at home, she withdrew her name and crawled back to McKinsey & Co.

Batting clean up was the left’s shinning star Tom Daschle. Daschle had lost his South Dakota Senate seat to John Thune in 2004 (49% to 51%) and was looking for a way to redeem himself in national politics, his plan was to hand out “free” health care to everyone and just charge the bill to America’s credit card. How hard is it to take a former Senate Majority Leader down? Apparently it’s pretty easy, especially when he doesn’t pay $130,000+ in taxes. My question is what is Daschle so afraid of? Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said that “[Daschle] is like a brother to me,” and Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee Max Baucus said he was “shocked” to hear that Daschle was dropping out.

Apparently there is more to the story because with Reid and Baucus backing him, Daschle should have been confirmed despite his tax blunder. Senator Ensign has said Daschle’s situation “doesn’t pass a smell test,” and I agree. Senator Thune’s seat is up for re-election in 2010 – maybe Daschle will get back in the race then.

And wait, we just went into extra innings – pinch hitter Judd Gregg maybe in trouble. Senator Obama’s pick to replace Richardson as the Commerce Secretary, has some trouble brewing of his own.

A former congressional aide to Commerce Secretary-nominee Judd Gregg, Kevin Koonce, is now caught up in an investigation into a Capitol Hill lobbying scandal involving notorious lobbyist Jack Abramoff. How close was Koonce to Senator Gregg? He was his Legislative Director (that’s the #2 job) for Gregg’s Senate office from 2002-2004. Koonce is accused of taking tickets to hockey and baseball games from Abramoff’s former deputy Todd Boulanger in exchange for “received favors” in spending legislation. Now it’s up to Obama to ask Gregg if he’s a sports fan.

Read more about the possible Gregg scandal here: http://www.koat.com/politics/18640535/detail.html

Let’s hope Gregg didn’t resign that Senate seat just yet.

Photo of yesterday's snow - Washington Post

As a native Wisconsinite, I’ve always found the reaction of those in DC to insignificant amounts of snow humorous, and sometimes even pitiful.

However, this morning was a bit different. After a few inches of nice snow, followed by a few hours of sleet, capped off with an overnight shower of freezing-rain, the entire DC-metro area is now one giant sheet of ice.

While ice storms aren’t new winter occurrences, I couldn’t help but chuckle at the timing of this storm.

Not only will thousands of DC-metro area residents face near-death experiences while slipping on their walks to the Metro, but today is also the day that the House is to vote on the $825 billion stimulus package:

From this morning’s Huffington Post:

President Barack Obama’s expansive and expensive plan to jump-start the economy is all but certain to clear its first hurdle when the Democratic-controlled House votes on a $825 billion version that melds new spending and tax cuts.

While I do find it funny that DC has literally become a “slippery slope” on the day that the Democrats are going to exhibit their biggest usage of political capital since they took control a few weeks ago, this is even better:

From this morning’s Politico:

Former Vice President Al Gore is joining President Obama’s push for a $900 billion economic stimulus, heading to Capitol Hill on Wednesday and e-mailing his list of more than 2 million to urge pressure on Congress.

The former vice president arrived by Amtrak in the icy, snowy capital to testify on the topic of, “Addressing Global Climate Change.”

That’s right! The same day that Al Gore throws his support behind this massive package, citing the need to address climate change, DC is hit by a significant (yet common) winter storm.

Furthermore, if you live or work in Northwest DC, it’s impossible to drive or walk anywhere without seeing marked roads, street vendors, advertisements and Secret Service barricades.

While things have been chaotic in the weeks leading up to the inauguration, a significant portion of the city will essentially be locked down by the United States Secret Service, and a variety of other agencies, making entering the Distinct of Columbia by car (especially from Virginia) nearly impossible.

Here is a map showing the closures for the Inauguration of Barack Obama:

While to many, this might seem like standard protocol for the United States Secret Service, the reality is that when it comes to inaugurations, there hasn’t been one that has required such heightened security.

This map isn’t all that unusual in terms of road closures, but when you add that to the additional closures for the other inauguration related events, it makes DC become a nightmare:

For comparisons purposes, I tracked down a map from 2005, highlighting the road closures and security barriers set for the inauguration of President George W. Bush. Remember, this was also during a time of war, with a highly controversial President:

Not only will DC become a city of chaos for the next few days, but it will also become a federal emergency area. That’s right, this event is as big, if not bigger than natural disasters such as hurricanes and tornado’s.

It’s not really all that surprising, but it’s interesting, nonetheless. This should definitely be a long weekend for the residents of Washington, DC.

]]> http://dcrepublican.com/2009/01/15/inaugural-security-review-2009-v-2005-obama-v-bush/feed/ 1 http://dcrepublican.com/2009/01/13/obama-water-hydration-you-can-believe-in/ http://dcrepublican.com/2009/01/13/obama-water-hydration-you-can-believe-in/#comments Tue, 13 Jan 2009 14:19:42 +0000 DC Republican http://dcrepublican.com/?p=594 Maybe it’ll be the retail-Obamagazm the nation seems to having that will stimulate the economy. After seeing Obama Condoms, Obama Thongs, and even Obama Sex Toys (nsfw), the next natural progression (aside from his own brand of after-sex cigarettes) would be bottled water.

America, Obama Water is now here.

From MediaBistro.com:

We went into Whitley Market on the corner of Highland and Franklin on Saturday to buy some over-priced breath mints and there across from the Marilyn Monroe wine and the Elvis lighters was Obama Water.

The water could go nicely with the George Bush toilet paper our cousin sent us for Christmas. Which besides the fact that it’s just screaming ‘health care-less rash’ – was a very thoughtful gift.

Anyway, this is not exactly a political town – but we do like to capitalize on images of stars. Clearly.

To be honest, I find all of this fascinating and humorous at the same time. It’s fascinating to see so many people actually interested in American Politics, but it’s also extremely funny to see some of the cult-like products being developed to pay homage to our new leader.

I wont lie, the Obama sex-toy is probably the most mind boggling, but I guess some ladies want to feel change instead of just believing in it.

Maybe I’ll make my own line of Obama hand sanitizer or something.

From CNN’s Political Ticker:

WASHINGTON (CNN) –- Obama popped in for lunch Saturday at Ben’s Chili Bowl, the 50-year-old Washington fast food institution famous for its “half-smokes” –- sausages smothered in spicy homemade chili sauce, mustard, and onions.

The visit came as a complete surprise to Sonya Ali, one of the owners of the family-run business.

And of course, there is also some video:

Click here to view the embedded video.

First, here is a quick rundown of the political experience that Leon Panetta has:

• In 1971, Leon Panetta switched parties, officially becoming a Democrat
• In 1976, Leon Panetta was elected to the United States House of Representatives, representing California’s 16th congressional district
• In 1994, Leon Panetta was appointed as the White House Chief of Staff by former President Bill Clinton.

Based on political positions alone, it’s quite obvious that he doesn’t have the credentials to serve in such a capacity. Even looking back at his committee assignments, the only one he held any leadership on was the House Committee on the Budget. Again, by no means a post that qualifies someone to lead the one of the worlds foremost advanced intelligence gathering agencies.

However, some may find rationale for this appointment by citing his military qualifications. While Leon Panetta did receive the Commendation Medal, his tenure in the United States Military only lasted from 1964 to 1966.

Even looking at his more recent accomplishments, it’s quite evident that he has done very little in the intelligence field. Here is a profile from his organization’s website regarding his activities since he left public life:

Panetta is currently co-directs with his wife Sylvia the Leon & Sylvia Panetta Institute for Public Policy, based at California State University, Monterey Bay – a university he helped establish on the site of the former U.S. Army base, Fort Ord. The Institute serves as a nonpartisan, not-for-profit study center for the advancement public policy, seeking in particular to attract thoughtful men and women to lives of public service.

In addition, Mr. Panetta serves as Distinguished Scholar to the Chancellor of the California State University system. He advises the Chancellor on national issues affecting higher education and teaches a Master’s course in Public Policy at the Panetta Institute.

In 1997, he was also appointed Presidential Professor at Santa Clara University, teaching a course called Studies in Public Policy

Mr. Panetta has served as a leader in numerous community and national public policy organizations throughout his career. In March 2006, he was chosen to serve on the Iraq Study Group, a bi-partisan committee established at the urging of Congress and organized by the U.S. Institute of Peace, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Center for the Study of the Presidency and the James A. Baker III Institute. Since 2005, he has served as member of the Independent Task Force on Immigration and America’s Future. In November 2004, Governor Schwarzenegger appointed him co-chair of the Council on Base Support and Retention.

While I understand why President-elect Barack Obama tapped Retired Admiral Dennis Blair to serve as the Director of National Intelligence, I can’t find anything in Leon Panetta’s past that makes him even remotely qualified for this position.

I’m going to keep looking for things that might qualify him for this position, but it appears that this might be nothing more than an attempt by Barack Obama to satisfy his supporters on the far-Left, while still being able to maintain more moderate foreign policies.

One major change that will definitely be noticed shortly after President Obama takes his seat as the leader of the free world is the major ideological shift that Washington, D.C. will undergo.

For the last eight years, while the city politics of Washington have been consistently liberal, the demographic that works in Washington and makes up the surrounding metro areas has maintained a fairly moderate lean.

With that being said, it’s important to note that this lean that I’m speaking of has primarily been kept in check by conservative Hill staffers and political appointees. As for the liberals in the DC metro area, many are non-political (job security) bureaucrats, and/or think-tank employees.

However, with a new liberal Congress and President, Washington D.C. is going to see a flood of new people coming into the city to fill these various appointments and Hill positions.

This means that at least for the next four years, the DC metro area can expect to see a dramatic shift even further to the left, and this could be seen in some key elections in 2010, particularly the Virginia Governors race (which I plan on covering more), and some Congressional seats outside of the traditional NOVA (Northern Virginia).

I’m sure for many conservatives living in Washington, this is a scary prospect that some might want to ignore. However in my opinion, I think it’s going to be exciting to see this shift happen.

While the unfortunate reality is that D.C. is always going to be run by political and economic elites from both sides of the aisle, I truly believe that for every pair of Vineyard Vines club shorts that we can get out of Washington, the better America will be.

Note: If you’re interested in seeing the salary and details of some of President Bush’s appointees (on all levels), click here to view the 2008 Plum Book.