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Monday, December 06, 2010

DREAM Act Likely Going Down In Flames

Conservatives who oppose the DREAM Act likely don’t have much to worry over it. The bill, which the White House and Democratic congressional leadership have made a top priority, looks like it’s headed down in flames during the lame-duck session.

Republicans and moderate Democrats are uniting against the bill, which sets a path to citizenship for illegal immigrant students. That represents a strong opposition as liberal Democrats mount an effort to push the bill forward this week.

The anti-Dream bill forces are particularly powerful in the Senate, given the GOP’s filibuster power.

More

Oppose DREAM Act Event Tuesday 11:30AM


Where:  Outside steps of Cannon Building - Independence and New Jersey Avenue Entrance.  USE  ORANGE/BLUE LINE METRO TO CAPITAL SOUTH STATION

Latino Leaders Meet to Oppose DREAM Act
 
Tuesday morning Latino leaders will join on Capitol Hill to oppose passage of the controversial measure, the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act of 2010 (DREAM Act).  The DREAM Act would provide certain minors who are illegal immigrants a path to citizenship if they attend college for two years or join the military.  There are an estimated 12-20 million illegal immigrants residing in the United States.  Proponents and Democratic leaders have pushed hard for the bill's passage and a House vote is expected later this week. 

According to Carmen Morales, Latino activist and a leader of the coalition, "Latino leaders are gathered today in solidarity.  We are here to send a strong message to Congress that as Latinos, we stand staunchly opposed to any measure that puts Americans at a disadvantage and rewards illegal behavior."
According to congressional statements and the Migration Policy Institute, if passed, the bill could potentially grant amnesty to as many as 2.1 million illegal immigrants. 

With unemployment officially at 9.8% this is a huge mistake.  "I think progressives and conservatives alike can agree on the need to support working and middle-class citizens during a depressed economy," said Leah Durant, Executive Director of Progressives for Immigration Reform.  "This bill would provide in-state tuition rates and residency benefits to illegal immigrant students when many Americans are hurting the most.  What makes sense is for America's jobs and tuition benefits to be reserved for people who are legally entitled to compete for them."  

Key provisions of the DREAM Act would:

  • Waive numerical limitations on green cards, and prohibit any numerical limitation on the number of persons eligible for citizenship under the bill's provisions. 
  • Allow certain aliens to qualify for in-state tuition rates, even while this benefit is denied to U.S. citizens and legally present aliens residing in other states.  
  •    
For more information about this press conference please contact:  (202) 543-5325 or info@pfirdc.org.

Howard Stern May Have To Take A Pay Cut


Sirius exec hints that radio host won't get another $100 million a year


Howard Stern could broadcast live on Sirius XM for the last time on Dec. 16.
After that, he heads for his annual end-of-year vacation and there still is no decision as to whether he'll renew his contract, which expires on Dec. 31 and sets Sirius XM back a hefty $100 million every year.
Speaking at a UBS investor conference in New York on Monday, Sirius XM CFO David Frear said he is "hopeful" that Stern sticks with the company, but hinted that if he does it would be for less money.
GO HERE to read more.

Good News From Giant Food!


We received word from the local Giant Food manager that Giant has amended its corporate policy to allow for more bell ringing.

The Salvation Army can now add Bell Ringers for four hours on Saturday, December 11 and Saturday, December 18. During Christmas week, Red Kettles can be placed in front of Giant Food from 9 to 9, December 20-23 and until 2PM Christmas eve.

We are grateful the corporate policy has been amended and wish to express appreciation to the management and staff for their support of individuals with needs in our community.

If you'd like to volunteer to ring the bell please call 410-749-7464.

Your friends at The Salvation Army

Toilet Paper Injury Lawsuit Can Go To Jury


Michigan woman can sue restaurant for 'bizarre' dispenser accident


A Michigan woman whose hand was broken while she was reaching for toilet paper can sue a restaurant over her injury.
The case is dividing the Michigan Supreme Court. The court's liberal majority says a jury should decide whether the dispenser created an unreasonable risk of harm at Texas Roadhouse in Taylor.
The court's three conservative justices say there should be no liability for ordinary accidents.
GO HERE to read more.
Sheri Schooley says it's a "bizarre story." She says the cover on the dispenser fell on her right hand, breaking it.

Volunteers Needed To Ring The Bell Tomorrow

N. Walmart Grocery - 12 to 2 - recent cancellation
N. Walmart Retail - 9 to 12
Sears - 4 to 6 - Cancellation UPDATE: Covered
Fruitland Walmart Retail - 9 to 11 and 12 to 3
Fruitland Walmart Grocery - 11 to 4

Thieves Hit Food Bank


CROWNSVILLE, Md. - Thieves have broken into and stolen items from the Anne Arundel County Food and Resource Bank. It happened early Friday morning at the agency's headquarters in Crownsville, Md.
Gone are computers, printers, and a fax machine. The burglars tried to take a newly-donated snow blower, but it apparently was too heavy for them.
GO HERE to read more.

Man Kills Son To Stop Stabbing Spree


A Griswold, Conn., man shot and killed his son Saturday night after the son repeatedly stabbed the man and his wife, the Hartford Courant reported Sunday.
Police said David Gemeasky Jr., 24, entered the bedroom of a home in Griswold, about 50 miles east of Hartford, Conn., around 7:40 p.m. Saturday and began stabbing his father, David Gemeasky Sr. He then attacked his mother, Tamara Brennan, as she tried to run away.
David Gemeasky Sr. was able to get his shotgun and fatally shoot his son despite suffering from serious stab wounds. David Gemeasky Jr. was pronounced dead at the scene. 
GO HERE to read more.

'Monday Night Football' Icon Don Meredith Dies

Don Meredith, one of the most recognizable figures of the early Dallas Cowboys before jumping into the broadcast booth to call games with Howard Cosell, dies of a brain hemorrhage at 72

GO HERE to read more.

Pat Gillick Makes The Hall Of Fame; George Steinbrenner, Marvin Miller Denied!

The Veteran’s Committee has spoken and Pat Gillick is the only person who was elected to the Hall of Fame.
In addition to holding many other jobs in baseball, Pat Gillick built the Blue Jays from an expansion team into a World Series champ and did an excellent job in both Seattle — building the team that won 116 games in 2001 — and Philly, where he built the team that won the 2008 World Series and continues to dominate today.
But taking nothing away from Gillick, this vote is more notable for who was left off: George Steinbrenner and Marvin Miller. Each of whom belong in the Hall of Fame.
GO HERE to read more.

Drunk Driving Will Land You On The Naughty List

The Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office reminds you to be safe and use a Designated Driver when you go out this Holiday Season.

The Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office and other allied agencies will be conducting “Operation Santa’s Sleigh”, a countywide Impaired Driving Enforcement Initiative to keep drunk and drugged drivers off the road.

After hearing about the dangers of drinking and driving time after time, most people have gotten the message that if they’re planning on drinking, they should always plan a safe way home,” said Sheriff Mike Lewis.  “But sadly, millions of Americans still think they are invincible and regularly choose to get behind the wheel after having too much to drink.”

 Sheriff Lewis said parents should take note that young males were at particularly high risk, with nearly one-quarter admitting to riding with someone who should not have been behind the wheel in the past year.

“We know that the holiday season can be one of the deadliest and most dangerous times on America’s roadways due to an increase in drunk driving,” said Sheriff Lewis. “Don’t let your 2010 end in an arrest or worse, death.  Remember, whether you’ve had way too many or just one too many, it’s not worth the risk!”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, during the month of December 2009, 753 people were killed in crashes that involved a driver or motorcycle rider (operator) with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher.

The Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office recommends these simple tips for a safe holiday season:
Plan a safe way home before the festivities begin;

Before drinking, designate a sober driver;
If you’re impaired, use a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation;
If you happen to see a drunk driver on the road, don’t hesitate to contact your local law enforcement;

And remember, Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk.  If you know someone who is about to drive or ride while impaired, take their keys and help them make other arrangements to get to where they are going safely.

For more information, please visit www.StopImpairedDriving.org      

Wicomico County Sheriff's Department Press Releases

Incident: Possession of Fraudulent Government Identification
Date of Incident: 5 December 2010
Location: Keene Avenue, Salisbury, MD

Suspect:
1. Jose Dominguez, 20, Salisbury, MD
2. Arturo Dominguez, 19, Salisbury, MD
              
Narrative: On 5 December 2010 at 11:56 PM, a deputy stopped a vehicle operated by Jose Dominguez for an equipment violation on Keene Avenue in Salisbury. While speaking with Jose and his passenger Arturo Dominguez, the deputy learned that neither of them had a driver’s license. During the encounter, the deputy discovered that both of the subjects had fraudulent driver’s license in their possession, Jose Dominquez’ was from North Carolina while Arturo Dominguez was from Texas. Upon verification with the Motor Vehicle Administrations of both states, the deputy discerned that both fake.


Both were placed under arrest and transported to the Central Booking Unit for processing and an initial appearance before a District Court Commissioner. The Commissioner decided to detain both in the Detention Center in lieu of $5,000.00 bond each.


Charges: 
Possession of Fraudulent Government Issued Identification
Driving Without a License (Jose Dominguez only)



Incident: Assault
Date of Incident: 4 December 2010
Location: 7500 block of Carmen Court, Parsonsburg, MD
Suspect: Terri L. Moss, 47, Parsonsburg, MD
                
Narrative: On 4 December 2010 at 5:11 AM, a deputy investigated an altercation that reportedly occurred at a residence in the 7500 block of Carmen Ct in Parsonsburg. The deputy met with a female victim who advised that she was involved in a verbal altercation with a woman she resides with, Terri Moss, when Moss allegedly bit the victim on her forearm. During the investigation, the deputy saw physical injury on the victim’s forearm that corroborated her account.

The deputy placed Moss under arrest and transported her to the Central Booking Unit for processing and an initial appearance before a District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner detained Moss in the Detention Center in lieu of $20,000.00 bond.

Charges: Assault 2nd Degree


Incident: Possession of Marijuana
Date of Incident: 5 December 2010
Location: Ocean Gateway E/B, Hebron, MD
Suspect: Lynde B. Jordon, 19, Owings Mill, MD
                
Narrative: On 5 December 2010 at 4:32 PM, a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office stopped a vehicle on Ocean Gateway for an equipment violation. Upon approaching the driver, Lynde Jordan, the deputy detected the odor of marijuana emanating from within the vehicle. While the deputy was inquiring from Jordan about the source of the odor, Jordan admitted to being in possession of marijuana and removed it from its hiding place in his right sneaker.

The deputy placed Jordon under arrest and transported him to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner released Jordon on Personal Recognizance.

Charges: Possession of Marijuana


Incident: Vandalism Investigation
Date of Incident: 1-4 December 2010
Location: 27588 Pemberton Drive, Salisbury, MD
Suspect: Pending
                
Narrative: During the week of 1-4 December 2010, the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation into a series of vandalisms on the property of Chesapeake Nurseries on Pemberton Drive. Investigation has revealed damage to several pieces of equipment used at the nursery. Also damaged in these incidents were the greenhouses themselves.

The Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office is actively investigating these incidents. Anyone who may have any information as to the identity of the perpetrators is asked to contact the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office at 410-548-4890.

Information may also be reported anonymously to Crime Solvers at 410-548-1776. Those that call Crime Solvers with information that leads to an arrest may be eligible for a cash reward.

Charges: Malicious Destruction of Property

L. Wolfe's Article On The Federal Reserve Bank


Wolfe makes the argument that the Fed has usurped authority of the United States Government and now conrols our economy totally.  They also have enslaved Americans to pay for the "bailout" of foreign national debt.

TSA-Style Pat Downs Hit The Streets

In Philadelphia, you don’t have to visit the airport to have the government molest you, TSA-style “stop, question and frisk” pat downs are already being conducted by police on the streets targeting people who act suspicious, by doing things like putting their hands in their coat pocket.


GO HERE to read more.

Short Goodnight Expected For The DREAM Ac

The DREAM Act — a priority of Democrats in both Congress and the White House — faces a difficult future in the lame duck.

Even as Democrats in both chambers prepare to consider the measure this week, Republicans and centrist Democrats are already lining up to shoot it down.

The climb is particularly steep in the Senate, where Republicans will filibuster the hot-button bill, and even former sponsors now stand in opposition.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, for instance, was the lead sponsor of the original DREAM Act when it emerged nine years ago. But already facing pressure from conservatives surrounding his 2012 reelection bid, the six-term Utah Republican is "sprinting to the right" away from the proposal, according to Frank Sharry, executive director of America's Voice, an advocacy group lobbying for the bill.

Hatch spokeswoman Antonia Ferrier declined to comment Friday on whether Hatch supports the underlying policy. She said Hatch's opposition — at least in the near term — stems from the recent vow among Senate Republicans to deny everything that hits the floor before the Bush tax cuts and government funding issues are settled.

"Everything's a 'no' until the tax issue is resolved," Ferrier said.                            

More

WikiLeaks SOLD Classified Intel, Says Co-Founder

One of the early members and co-founders of the tight-knit, secretive WikiLeaks operation charged today that the website and its co-founder, Julian Assange, sold intelligence information the site had obtained.

John Young, whose name was listed as the public face of WikiLeaks in the site's original domain registration, also alleged that the website is a lucrative business.

Young said he left the site in 2007 due to concerns over its finances and that WikiLeaks was engaged in the selling of documents.

Young was speaking to WND senior reporter Aaron Klein on Klein's radio program on New York's WABC Radio.

"I think it is a money-making operation, no doubt," Young said of WikiLeaks.

"It follows the model of a number of other business intelligence operations. Selling intelligence information is a very lucrative field, and so they are following that model, usually cloaked in some kind of public benefit," he told Klein.

"But they are far from being the only one that does that," Young added. "It's a well-known business model.

Asked specifically whether he was charging WikiLeaks with selling classified information and documents, Young replied, "Yes."

Klein then asked, "When you were at WikiLeaks initially, was your impression they were trying to sell information?"

Young responded, "Well, it only came up in the topic of raising $5 million the first year. That was the first red flag that I heard about. I thought that they were actually a public interest group up until then, but as soon as I heard that, I know that they were a criminal organization."                      

More from WND

Net Job Impact Of Stimulus: Zero.

A study by Daniel J. Wilson of the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank, suggests that the net job creation from the $814 billion stimulus bill passed in February, 2009, was zero by August 2010.

In the first year,  the stimulus "saved or created" 2 million jobs (not 4 million as repeatedly claimed by the Administration), but this number proved to be short lived, paying for temporary jobs, at a very high cost of $400,000 per job "saved or created."

By August, 2010, the impact of the stimulus on net job creation had disappeared.

This is an astounding result, which destroys the Paul Krugman argument that the economy would be so much better right now, if only Congress had approved much more spending in February 2009.  Double the initial spending,  double the number of temporary jobs, with likely the same net result by this point in time, or a trivial number of "permanent  jobs created . 

In fact, the unemployment rate is at a substantially higher percentage rate today at 9.8% than when the stimulus bill was passed.

More here

The Salisbury Christmas Parade A Huge Success










Even thought it was bitter cold yesterday, thousands of people showed up for the Salisbury Christmas Parade hosted by the Salisbury Jaycees.

Folks, 10 minutes before the Parade started it looked as if no one was going to be watching. However, everyone must have been sitting in their cars waiting for it to begin because out of nowhere, once things started, the streets were lined with people and it was very enjoyable.

Even though Councilman Gary Comegys wasn't feeling well enough to participate, it was nice to see they recognized him in this event.

Major Storm Next Week?






A storm that will take shape by the middle of December will cross the country and could end up developing into a major snowstorm for portions of the mid-Atlantic and New England.

There are different storm track scenarios at this point that mean the difference between mostly rain or a potential blizzard along the Interstate 95 corridor from Washington, D.C., to Boston.

So far, Chief Long Range Forecaster Joe Bastardi has been correct with the Winter Forecast for the Northeast with his prediction that late November to December would be cold and stormy for many.

According to Bastardi, "Repetitive cold waves and the threats of storms will keep hitting parts of the East in the weeks leading up to Christmas."

"One or two of these storms has the potential to become a major snowstorm for portions of the mid-Atlantic and New England, including the storm that may hit the East from December 12-14."
Expert Senior Meteorologist Henry Margusity has also been warning about how the cold pattern in the East could soon yield the season's first major snowstorm.

Overflowing With Joy

The first attempt at collecting toys for the Foxwell Children as well as donating toys to the Salvation Army was a huge success this past weekend.

The image above is from the event I spoke of last week. Guests were very generous and my hat is tipped to the Host for also "Paying It Forward" to give back to our community.

Folks, if you're hosting a Christmas Party this year, please consider doing the same by asking each person to bring a small gift on behalf of those children in need this Holiday Season. You can donate to our cause for the Foxwell Children, the Salvation Army or any other organization of your choosing.

Together we CAN make a difference.

Remember Folks, if you'd like to drop off a Gift for the Foxwell Children you may do so every Saturday before Christmas, (the 11th or 18th) at 300 W. Main Street at the end of the Downtown Plaza from 10:00 AM to Noon.

Salisbury News Advertisers Pay It Forward Again

Last week I received an e-mail and then a phone call referencing a fundraiser for Bill Bozman. Bill has stage 3 cancer and the Fraternal Order of Eagles were hosting a fundraiser dinner on Bill's behalf.

I asked how many people they thought might be attending and they said they ordered 100 meals and backordered another hundred. He went on to tell me they printed 200 tickets for the event.

I stated Salisbury News would like to order 100 tickets/meals, but there's a catch. We wanted to be able to make this work for everyone. One, help make a donation for Bill Bozman but we also wanted to be able to provide 100 meals for the homeless.

The Fraternal Order of Eagles said, no problem. They packaged up each meal and we were able to provide 100 hot meals for two homeless shelters here in Salisbury.

Advertising on Salisbury News allows us to give back to our community in many very special ways, some of which we do not express to the general public but we can assure you, it would touch your heart in a very special way if you knew ALL of the things we are able to do on behalf of our advertisers. So I thank each and every advertiser for helping to "Pay It Forward" and make a positive difference in our community.

Today's Wildlife Photos



All taken at the Albero Ranch.

NYT: As Bullies Go Digital, Parents Play Catch-Up


Ninth grade was supposed to be a fresh start for Marie’s son: new school, new children. Yet by last October, he had become withdrawn. Marie prodded. And prodded again. Finally, he told her.

"The kids say I’m saying all these nasty things about them on Facebook,” he said. “They don’t believe me when I tell them I’m not on Facebook."
But apparently, he was.
Marie, a medical technologist and single mother who lives in Newburyport, Mass., searched Facebook. There she found what seemed to be her son’s page: his name, a photo of him grinning while running — and, on his public wall, sneering comments about teenagers he scarcely knew.
Someone had forged his identity online and was bullying others in his name.
Students began to shun him. Furious and frightened, Marie contacted school officials. After expressing their concern, they told her they could do nothing. It was an off-campus matter.
But Marie was determined to find out who was making her son miserable and to get them to stop. In choosing that course, she would become a target herself. When she and her son learned who was behind the scheme, they would both feel the sharp sting of betrayal. Undeterred, she would insist that the culprits be punished.
GO HERE to read more.

Would You Pay To Park?


Does every city neighborhood need to have green space? Most urban planners and design experts seem to think so. But when neighborhoods are close together and a city has an abundance of parks, it is always necessary?
I found myself pondering this recently when I saw a poster protesting the lack of green space in one Northwest neighborhood. It was true -- that neighborhood did not have many parks. But I knew of several parks within walking distance -- D.C., after all, has 127 named neighborhoods within its 61.4 square miles of land. They were not in that “neighborhood,” but they were certainly close by.
The issue came to mind again when I came across a Washington Business Journal piece on the transformation of the NoMA (north of Massachusetts Avenue) neighborhood. Michael Neibauer writes that NoMA “went from industrial no man’s land to burgeoning neighborhood in less than a decade, but District planners and developers omitted a critical piece of any mixed-use neighborhood: parks. There’s not a single one” amid all the new retail, business, and residential space.
GO HERE to read more.

Neighbor Comes To Rescue As Panicked Deer Ransacks House


The house on Manning Road in Accokeek looks like a crime scene. There’s broken glass and blood everywhere. Potted plants are overturned. Everything is in disarray from the kitchen to the dining room to the living room.
But the mess wasn’t caused by a violent crime. It was caused by a panicked deer that crashed through the home’s picture window and thrashed about before being shot and killed by a neighbor.
“He tore the house up,” said Richard DePhillip, who eventually shot the animal. “You’d think a demolition derby went through the house. Their house is destroyed.”
DePhillip’s wife, Carolyn, said she apparently spooked the deer about 4 p.m. Saturday while gathering wood in her yard. She said the deer ran across the street and straight into the neighbor’s kitchen window. She said it sounded like “a huge loud boom, like a bomb going off or a major car accident.”
She called her husband and he took action out of concern for a paralyzed man who lives in the home with his elderly wife.
“I come into the house,” DePhillip said. “It was a mess. The deer was tearing everything up.”
DePhillip first tried to wrestle the deer, but the buck hit him in the stomach where he recently had surgery. The deer was too quick and too powerful. “I was surprised,” he said. “He couldn’t grip the floor, but he jumped up to the ceiling and hit his horns.”
The bizarre encounter lasted about 15 minutes.
GO HERE to read more.

Salvation Army Angel Tree Program


The Salvation Army's Angel Tree Program is bringing Christmas to more than 13,000 local kids whose families have been hit hardest by recent tough times.
Needy kids will receive presents and have a Merry Christmas, thanks to generous donations from area residents. More help is needed, especially in Fairfax County, where 500 kids still need sponsors and the Salvation Army is also looking for corporate sponsors to lend a hand. If you want to leave a Christmas present for a child who has nothing under the tree this year, then stop by a participating location and drop off a cool new toy.
GO HERE to read more.

Senate Republican To Push States' Rights In Response To Healthcare Law

A Republican senator is planning on introducing legislation this week that would allow state officials to challenge federal regulations before they go into effect.

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) told The Hill that his states' rights bill is in large part a reaction to Democrats' healthcare reform law, which Republicans claim would create 159 "boards, commissions, bureaus, programs and offices of the federal government." That figure may be open to debate, but states have certainly raised concerns with the law, with 43 so far joining in legal challenges or taking other action to prevent certain provisions from taking effect.

"That's certainly a statute that invites a lot of regulatory overreach, which could be reviewed and challenged on an expedited basis with this legislation," Wicker told The Hill.

The proposed law could also be used to challenge other regulations, such as those from the Environmental Protection Agency, he added.

The legislation, called the 10th Amendment Regulatory Reform Act, mirrors a bill introduced by Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) on March 25, two days after the president signed healthcare reform into law. It would allow designated state officials to file a legal brief challenging the constitutionality of proposed regulations during the time when they're open for comment.

The head of the federal agency whose regulation is challenged would then have 30 days to certify that the regulation doesn't violate the 10th Amendment. That certification, and a link to the state's legal brief, would have to be displayed prominently on the agency's primary Web page.

State officials could also challenge the regulation in district court and get expedited review at the appeals level. It would be up to a judge to decide whether to freeze the regulatory process as a challenge makes its way through the courts.                                

More

Democrats Mount Last-Ditch Push Of Costly DREAM Act

Apparently undeterred by Friday’s 9.8 percent unemployment shocker, Democrats in both the House and the Senate say they will push for floor votes this week on a DREAM Act that opponents warn will add untold billions to the federal deficit.

Republicans aiming to keep the focus on cutting taxes and boosting employment are expected to oppose the measure.

Majority Senate Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois predicts the Act will come up for a vote this week.

“Sen. [Harry] Reid is going to call it,” he told The Hill. 

Asked if he had the 60 votes needed to invoke cloture and shut-off debate on the bill, Durbin hedged: “I’m working on it, talking to members.”
House Democrats, meanwhile, are launching their own plans this week for the DREAM Act legislation.

Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., said House Democrats, who spent much of last week debating a symbolic vote against extending the Bush tax cuts that they knew was dead-on-arrival in the Senate, “ran out of time” to hold a vote on the DREAM Act.

But he told The Hill that lame-duck Democrats will bring the bill up for a vote in the week ahead.

Several Blue Dog Democrats in the House say they will oppose the measure, which provides a pathway to citizenship for young undocumented workers who either attend college or serve in the military.

The White House is urging Congress to pass the bill.

"What makes sense is to allow these young people a way to adjust their immigration status that is firm but fair," Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano told reporters last week.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., has said Democrats have the votes they need to pass the legislation. But some members of Congress are worried the Act would aggravate the already serious budget deficit.     

On Thursday, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released an analysis showing that over the next 10 years, the DREAM Act would reduce the deficit by $1.4 billion. It would do so by adding authorized workers to the tax rolls.

A report published last week by the Center for Immigration Studies, however, projects a much different impact.

The study anticipates a cost to taxpayers of $6.2 billion a year. It predicts The Act will spur over 1 million youths will enroll in state universities and community colleges, where they would receive an average tuition assistance of $6,000 annually.

“Many of these institutions are already under enormous fiscal strain,” the report notes, adding that the DREAM Act makes no provision for the additional costs.

Indeed, the CBO report concedes that after 2020, when DREAM Act beneficiaries become eligible for Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and federal health programs, the red ink will begin to spill.

Between 2021 and 2061, according to CBO estimates, the Act would increase projected deficits by $5 billion to $20 billion.                                    

More here

Virginia Legislative Proposal Exempts 'All Goods' From Oversight By Feds

A state lawmaker in Virginia is proposing that his state adopt a plan that would exempt products made in the state from the federal government's authority under the Commerce Clause to limit, restrict and regulate.

The plan by Delegate Mark Cole is House Bill 1438, which the Tenth Amendment Center explains is one – large – step beyond what several states already have done in adopting Firearms Freedom Act provisions.

Those plans, which were started in Montana and now have been adopted in seven other states, too, specify that firearms made, sold and kept inside a state's boundaries are not subject to federal rules because those are supposed to apply to commerce "among the states."

Cole's plan specifically expands on that idea.

His plan states, "All goods produced or manufactured, whether commercially or privately, within the boundaries of the Commonwealth that are held, maintained, or retained within the boundaries of the Commonwealth shall not be deemed to have traveled in interstate commerce and shall not be subject to federal law, federal regulation, or the authority of the Congress of the United States under its constitutional power to regulate commerce."                                 

More details

U.S. Paying Libya For WMD?

Joe....


I have been reading wikileaks and just found this interesting bit of info. I don't think anyone at all has put it out there. In November of last year, the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli, Libya sent an urgent message to Hillary Clinton, Sec. of State, idicating that Libya was halting it's last shipment of Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) to Russia because the U.S. had not provided the "compensation" it was promised to dismantle it's WMD programs. I don't know about you but I never knew ANYTHING about paying Libya to dismantle WMD programs. Also...who ever knew that Libya even HAD highly enriched uranium.  Anyway....read it yourself...interesting reading. Here's the link.


http://213.251.145.96/cable/2009/11/09TRIPOLI941.html

Tears Your Heart Out

Goodbye-Pelosi copy

Since Nancy Pelosi is no longer Speaker of the House, she must give up her private jet.  She'll be flying Southwest from now on because "Bags fly free"!

Great Tee Shirt

NICE SHOES

These shoes are worth $635?? I wouldn't pay that if I was a millionaire!!!  
            

         

Photo: Huffington Post.





    

Photo: New York Magazine.

   
  Barack Obama enjoys living like a king, so why shouldn't Michelle Obama live like a queen?

    
The First Lady was photographed last night in Hawaii wearing $635 per pair designer shoes by Maison Martin Margiela.

    
A woman lucky enough to have a job in this economy and working for the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour would have to work 88 hours (without taxes taken out) to make enough to pay for Michelle Obama's shoes. 
     The Obama's are staying at an $8.9 million estate for an estimated $4000 per night. To cover the Obama's ten night stay, the minimum wage worker would have to work two-and-a-half years (before taxes) to come up with the $40,000 Obama is reportedly laying out.

    
Obama has lectured Americans about how they can not expect to live their lives as indulgently as they have in the past. He has lectured businesses about their travel and pay. Yet Obama and his wife live like kings and queens.

    
The news media has yet to call him out on his extravagance when there is 10% unemployment with no sign of the employment picture improving this coming year. 
The way they spend OUR MONEY is an insult to every hard working citizen of this country.   GREED is their CREED!
     

Please send this to everyone, including Politicians, to see if any of them has the guts to start an investigation into the extravagance they show daily. 
Do it before this gets pulled off the internet.