It’s Wednesday, September 5th, 2012….and here’s The Gouge!

First up, courtesy of the WSJ, as the Department of Agriculture’s own figures detail, America truly is becoming a….

Food Stamp Nation

Uncle Sam’s free grocery rolls keep growing.

 

The Obama and Romney campaigns spent Tuesday sniping over whether the President deserves an “incomplete” grade, as Mr. Obama put it, for fixing the economy. The more revealing news was the Department of Agriculture report, released on the Friday before Labor Day weekend, that 46,670,373 Americans are now on food stamps.

That’s an all-time record, at an annual cost of $71.8 billion, $770 billion over a decade. Mull over that one for a minute. That’s nearly one of out every seven people—46 million citizens—who depend on taxpayers to buy one of life’s most basic responsibilities. It’s a good thing breathing air is free.

This isn’t to run down the poor, or those hurt by the recession that Mr. Obama didn’t cause or the recovery that he has done so much to enfeeble. Safety-net benefits and enrollment are supposed to expand or contract with the economy. But under this President there’s been no contraction, even though the recession ended three years ago.

The food-stamp rolls grew by 173,000 in the last month and use is 3.3% higher than a year ago. As recently as 2009 “only” 33 million people took food aid and the program cost $50.4 billion. The food-stamp boom began with the George W. Bush Republicans, who expanded benefits in the appalling 2002 farm bill.

But the supercharger was a 2008 bill out of the Pelosi Congress that goosed eligibility and rebranded the program as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, to reduce the stigma of being on the dole. Then there was the 2009 stimulus, which expanded the program again.

Liberals argued then and still do that food stamps are one of the most effective ways the government can juice the economy. Really, they claim to believe this. The USDA’s Economic Research Service estimates that food stamps have a “multiplier” of 1.79, meaning that every dollar in transfer payments boosts gross domestic product by $1.79. So why not have the feds put everyone on food stamps for three squares a day and really get the economy cooking?

The Romney camp won’t say this because they’ll be accused of being cruel, but having one in every seven Americans dependent on food stamps is not a sign of compassion. It is a sign of economic failure. Recall Paul Ryan’s great line from the GOP convention about “the best this Administration offers—a dull, adventureless journey from one entitlement to the next, a government-planned life, a country where everything is free but us.”

But besides signifying this Administration’s abysmal economic record, as this DNC video clip details, the food stamp fiasco also highlights the basic difference between the two candidates, and the choice America faces in November:

And here we thought it said, “We the People“, not, “We the Government“; silly us.

It’s a viewpoint not lost on Dimocrats unfortunate enough to be running for office in what the partiers in Charlotte would undoubtedly term the “less-enlightened” parts of the country, as the Journal‘s Allysia Finley reports:

The Democrats’ Truant List

 

It’s a good thing nobody’s taking roll in Charlotte, N.C., this week. Many of the party’s moderates are playing hookie, supposedly in order to stay home and campaign. Sure. But who can really blame them for wanting to avoid being seen hobnobbing with the party’s liberal standard bearers?

Sens. Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Jon Tester of Montana and Joe Manchin of West Virginia top the absent list. All three are up for re-election in red states. Mr. Manchin has gone to marathon-lengths to distance himself from President Obama, even refusing to endorse him. Mr. Tester regularly trumpets his independence on the stump. And while Ms. McCaskill is now well-positioned to win re-election, she was considered one of the most vulnerable Democrats when she announced in June that she’d skip the party.

Also missing are Blue Dog Congressmen John Barrow of Georgia and Jim Matheson of Utah. Mr. Barrow, who’s the last remaining white Democratic congressman from the South, is in the fight of his political life thanks to an unfavorable redistricting. His campaign is even running ads boasting that he’s voted with Majority Leader Eric Cantor 54% of the time. Mr. Matheson, who was redistricted out of his seat, faces a formidable challenge from the black conservative phenom Mia Love, mayor of Saratoga Springs.

Pennsylvania Rep. Mark Critz, West Virginia Rep. Nick Rahall and New York Reps. Bill Owens and Kathy Hochul also won’t be seen or heard from in Charlotte. All of them represent districts that are high on the GOP’s target list of pick-ups. Heidi Heitkamp, who’s vying to replace retiring North Dakota Sen. Kent Conrad’s seat, is staying home as well.

What party poopers. Then again, the Democratic Party’s progressive base probably isn’t too disappointed by the no-shows.

In a related item, one Far Leftist in particular has been made aware his presence in Charlotte is no longer required:

Burton Suddenly Remembers He Had Dentist Appointment Back Home

 

John Burton — the chairman of the California Democratic Party who came under fire for comparing Paul Ryan to Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels — reportedly cut a quick exit from the Democratic National Convention last night for a “pre-scheduled root canal” back in California. Right.

While the procedure Burton needs to undergo involves a canal, it doesn’t involve his teeth.  As Sherlock Holmes might say, it’s….

….alimentary, Watson.

And the silver-tongued Burton isn’t the only prominent Dim changing their travel plans:

Emanuel Cutting Short Trip To Democratic National Convention

 

Mayor Rahm Emanuel will be spending a lot less time at the Democratic National Convention than he’d originally planned. Originally, the mayor had planned to be in Charlotte from Tuesday through Friday morning. Now, his Communications Director Sarah Hamilton tells Newsradio that Emanuel has changed his plans.

“It’s changed a bit. He’s still… the mayor’s going tomorrow (Tuesday) to Charlotte to speak to the Democratic National Convention and he will be returning Chicago late Wednesday evening,” Hamilton said. Hamilton said the Obama campaign has asked Emanuel to host a watch party on Thursday for campaign staffers who can’t go to Charlotte.

Hamilton insisted the mayor’s shortened trip to the convention doesn’t have anything to do with a possible teachers strike.

Or, heaven forbid, a skyrocketing homicide rate which threatens to vault Chicago ahead of Detroit in the race for the title “Murder Capital of the United States”!

Meanwhile, in other convention news, it appears the unborn aren’t the only group of innocent non-voters Dimocrats decline to defend:

Does DNC Platform Indicate Policy Shift on “Right of Return”?

 

In 2008, the DNC platform stated that “Jerusalem is and will remain the capital of Israel.” Apparently the DNC forgot to add: “until President Obama takes office.” That affirmation of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital was removed from this year’s platform:

For Jerusalem, the new platform has been brought into line with the Obama administration’s policy of not recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and supporting its division. Jerusalem is unmentioned in the 2012 document, whereas the 2008 and 2004 Democratic Party platforms declared “Jerusalem is and will remain the capital of Israel…It should remain an undivided city accessible to people of all faiths.”

It’s troubling that the administration would remove pro-Israel language from the platform, but it’s also not particularly surprising. The Obama administration has repeatedly refused to name Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, much to the dismay of Israel supporters.

But that’s not even the most disturbing omission in the latest DNC platform. The 2008 document included this strong objection to the Palestinian “right of return,” which would destroy Israel’s identity as a Jewish state:

All understand that it is unrealistic to expect the outcome of final status negotiations to be a full and complete return to the armistice lines of 1949. Jerusalem is and will remain the capital of Israel. The parties have agreed that Jerusalem is a matter for final status negotiations. It should remain an undivided city accessible to people of all faiths.

This language is nowhere to be found in the 2012 platform. While the RNC also removed references to the refugee issue in its platform this year, that’s actually an improvement from its vague 2008 stance, which called for the Israelis and Palestinians to settle the issue between themselves. The RNC platforms from 2008 and 2012 affirm Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The DNC, in contrast, weakened its positions on both the refugee issue and Jerusalem since 2008. Why did they water it down? Was it to conform with Obama administration stances that are less supportive of Israel?

While the DNC 2012 platform omitted these critical statements, it also made some additions since 2008: Roughly 178 words touting President Obama as a great friend to Israel. Apparently the DNC had to remove the parts about Jerusalem and the Palestinian right of return to make room for the paragraph telling us what a pro-Israel stalwart Obama is.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu famously lectured Obama about the right of return in 2011, indicating their disagreement on the issue. But until now, it was assumed that the Obama administration at least held the standard position that the Palestinian refugee situation would be settled within the confines of a future Palestinian state. Is the Obama administration now indicating that the refugee issue will be up for debate during negotiations? If not, why was the language removed?

If, like many Liberals, you’re inclined to swallow the “poor, poor, pitiful Palestinian” line, consider this:

The Arab world encompasses just under 13.5 million square kilometers to Israel’s 20,770; 300,000,000 inhabitants to Israel’s 6,000,000; a combined GDP of well over $1.2 trillion versus Israel’s $115 billion.

The Arabs have initiated four wars against Israel; in ’48, ’56, ’67 and ’73.  Most importantly, contemplate the following:

“If the Arabs put down their weapons today there would be no more violence. If the Israelis put down their weapons today there would be no more Israel.“

Any questions?

And since we’ve mentioned the unborn, John McCormack, writing at The Weekly Standard and courtesy of Conn Carroll, describes another moment of uncharacteristic candor in Charlotte, as the….

Democratic Platform Endorses Taxpayer-Funded Abortions

And the Democratic party doesn’t want to make abortions “rare.”

 

The 2012 Democratic party will officially adopt an extreme position on the issue of abortion on Tuesday. According to a copy of the party platform, which was released online just before midnight on Monday, “The Democratic Party strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade and a woman’s right to make decisions regarding her pregnancy, including a safe and legal abortion, regardless of ability to pay.”

That last part–“regardless of ability to pay”–is an endorsement of taxpayer-funded abortions, a policy that President Obama has personally endorsed. Obama wants Medicaid to pay directly for elective abortions, and Obamacare will allow beneficiaries to use federal subsidies to purchase health care plans that cover elective abortions. According to a 2009 Quinnipiac poll, 72 percent of voters oppose public funding of abortion and 23 percent support it. In other words, public funding of abortion–a policy President Obama actively supports—is as unpopular as banning abortion in the case of rape, a policy on which the media have focused much attention over the past two weeks despite the fact that neither presidential candidate supports it.

The 2012 Democratic party also endorses an unrestricted right to abortion-on-demand. According to the platform, on the issue of abortion “there is no place for politicians or government to get in the way.” In 2003, Obama was asked if he was pro-choice on abortion “in all situations including the late-term thing.” Obama replied: “I’m pro-choice.”

In 1992, then-Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton tried to soften the party’s image on abortion by expressing his desire to make abortion “safe, legal, and rare.” Although the Democratic party platforms in 2000 and 2004 stated the party’s goal is to make abortion “rare,” the 2012 platform makes no such claim. “In 2000, the Democratic platform said the party’s goal was ‘to make abortion less necessary and more rare,’ Jeff Jacoby wrote in the Boston Globe last week. “The 2004 platform declared, ‘Abortion should be safe, legal, and rare.’ But even calling for abortion to be ‘rare’ is now too much for the Democrats’ platform committee, which deleted the word in 2008.” The word “rare” did not make a comeback in 2012.

One day, they’ll understand; if not in this life, then….

….the next.

Moving on to the Miseducation Section, the NewMediaJournal.us relates the latest effort of the Left’s Edutocracy to brainwash America’s youth:

Denver Public Schools to Push ‘Social Action,’ ‘Social Justice’

 

In addition to reading, writing, and arithmetic, the Denver public schools system are adding a fourth ‘R’ to the curriculum: rebellion. According to NBC affiliate KUSA, Denver Public Schools is implementing a new system to evaluate teachers. In order to achieve a coveted “distinguished” rating, teachers at each grade level must show that they “encourage” students to “challenge and question the dominant culture” and “take social action to change/improve society or work for social justice.”

The new DPS teacher assessment system, called LEAP (Leading Effective Academic Practice), stems from state legislation passed in 2010 and is overwhelmingly funded by a $10M grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Debbie Hearty, executive director of the Office of Teacher Learning and Leadership at DPS, told KUSA that she wants kids as young as first graders to emulate Martin Luther King, Jr., Mohandas Gandhi, Rosa Parks and others. “Education that causes action is really important,” Hearty said. “It’s what our kids do with what they learn and apply in the real world.”

John Peterson, a history teacher at Denver’s East High School, was less enthusiastic about the new metric. “I really don’t think it’s the right place for the school district to expect teachers to push students to become activists,” Peterson said.

After all, who cares if Little Johnny can’t reed, wright or do arifmutic; an uneducated voter is a life-long Dimocratic!  Besides, if Little Johnny is unemployed and hasn’t a clue….

….it’ll be that much easier to bribe him to attend pro-union teacher rallies!

On the Lighter Side….

Then there’s this, courtesy of Jim Crilley and a conservative Cajun:

And in Entertainment News, if you think you’ve got problems….

Australia’s ‘Top Model’ judge hospitalized after suicide attempt following Twitter abuse

 

“Twitter abuse”….suicide?  Seriously?  No, SERIOUSLY?!?

Turning now to another sordid story ripped from the pages of the Crime Blotter, meet an old dog who knows only one trick:

82-year-old burglar with over 50 year-long rap sheet arrested again

 

An elderly California burglar whose crime career dates back over 50 years may face fresh charges in a string of recent burglaries. KTLA reports the Torrance Police Department is submitting evidence in eight burglaries to bring possible charges against 82-year-old Doris Thompson, who is currently being held on $80,000 bail.

Thompson has at least 25 aliases and a rap sheet dating back to 1955, KTLA reports. She has been imprisoned for burglary at least nine times in Los Angeles and Orange counties.

In the latest incident, Thompson is accused of targeting doctors’ offices. Torrance Police Sgt. Robert Watt tells KTLA she allegedly would enter an office, hide until closing and search for keys to the cash box. She is accused of stealing about $17,000, and allegedly was identified by security footage.

Thompson last ran into trouble with the law two years ago, when she was accused of stealing from a children’s hospital. Though she told the court at the time it would be her last crime, authorities were skeptical. “I don’t think this will stop her from doing this again,” Los Angeles County Deputy Dist. Atty. Paulette Paccione said at the time according to KTLA. “She’s not really apologetic about it. This is her thing.”

It’s like the Isley Brothers sang….

….though we’re relatively certain, even at 82, Miss Doris can cut a much meaner rug than Elaine.

And since we’re on the subject of Motown, this just in from the Murder Capital of the United States:

Detroit Police Too Busy to Arrest Man in Killings

 

A man suspected of fatally shooting two men and seriously wounding two others had to turn himself in twice before Detroit police would arrest him, authorities said. Detroit police said the 36-year-old man got into an argument at a party on Saturday, retrieved a gun and opened fire. Four people were shot, and two died. The man turned himself in at a fire station about two hours later, and fire officials called police, but no officers turned up.

The suspect later turned himself in at a police precinct. Detroit police say patrol unites were busy with “high priority” runs.

C’mon….after all, this is DEtroit; it’s like the guy killed three or four people!

Finally, in the Sociology Section, this fact-free headline notwithstanding….

Salon: ‘Gay Couples Have Happier Kids’ – Traditional Family ‘A Dying Model’

 

….at least for now, the….

U. of Texas backs professor in battle with gay blogger

 

The University of Texas-Austin is backing a sociology professor who came under withering attack for a study that found children of same-sex parents are more likely to be depressed or on welfare than kids raised by heterosexual couples.

The school launched an inquiry into Professor Mark Regnerus’ peer-reviewed work last month after a New York-based blogger attacked him for a controversial paper which compared the adult lives of people raised by parents in same-sex relationships to those raised by parents in traditional marriages. The study found several differences, including some that were potentially negative. But an inquiry by the school found Regnerus used sufficiently scholarly methods, university officials announced this week….

The study asked thousands of adult children of straight, lesbian and homosexual parents dozens of questions and compared the results. While many questions did not produce statistically-significant differences, the study found major differences in a few categories. Adult children of gay couples were two to four times as likely to be on public assistance, more than twice as likely to be unemployed and more than twice as likely to have contemplated suicide.

After it was published, blogger Scott Rose accused Regnerus of scientific misconduct in two letters to the school, first charging Regnerus with deviating from “ethical standards” for research and later accusing him of “possible falsification” of research. Rose, who is gay, claimed the study was compromised because it was funded by the conservative Witherspoon Institute and that Regnerus was unable to be impartial because he is Catholic.

It’s the quintessential argument of the Left perfectly displayed: raw, unbridled emotion versus cold, dispassionate fact.  It’s all they’ve got.

Magoo