I want to be half as smart as Hans Von Spakovsky

When my brain grows up I'll be happy if it's half as smart as Hans Von Spakovsky. I was privileged to get to know Hans when he was in Atlanta going through the Coverdell Institute. I had no idea that this fun-loving, sharp talking guy was anywhere near as brilliant as I've since discovered. Since he left us for Washington D.C., I've kept up with him via his writings, the Institute and his appearances on various shows.

Why am I writing about Hans? He is a "Visiting Legal Scholar" at the Heritage Foundation. Every day I get an update from the Foundation and occasionally he is quoted or writes. Even when he doesn't write, seeing the update makes me think of him, however fleetingly.

He isn't mentioned in the article below, nor does he probably have anything to do with it. But I have long neglected giving him a shout out and kudos for doing so much to help the conservative cause. We in the conservative side of the political spectrum are blessed to have people like Hans on our side.

Now, on to why I thought of Hans, the Morning Bell.

Today's Morning Bell from the Heritage Foundation focuses on Omnibus package and its impact on some students. Something you may or may not hear about in the mainstream media is the fact that by signing the $410 Omnibus package (you know, the one with thousands of, gasp, earmarks) Obama is kicking two kids out of his daughter's school. The two students are only able to attend the school due to a scholarship that Obama kills with the stroke of a pen.

It seems to me that if he cared as much about the children as he says he does, if all the "regular" people were at least as important in his estimation as the unions, he'd veto the bill and make them bring him one that was earmark free.

Instead he is countering his so-called principles by tossing underprivileged students out of schools and signing a bill with un-needed earmarks. Then, to add more poop to his mud-pie, he's going to tell us about earmark reform.

The other day he treated us to his view of education. It includes fun things like increased time in school, also known as the babysitting and daycare killing provision.

Here's the Morning Bell from the Heritage Foundation which sparked all of the thoughts above... whew. As always, the Bell is chocked full of information that I wish I had written or thought of myself:

The “Same Chance” Obama Had

Outlining his educational policy yesterday, President Barack Obama said: “And I want every child in this country to have the same chance that my mother gave me, that my teachers gave me, that my college professors gave me, that America gave me.” These are wonderful words, but unless President Obama vetoes the $410 billion omnibus spending bill heading towards his desk, he will fall far short of living up to them.

Inserted into the omnibus’ 1,132 pages is language dictated to Congress by teachers’ unions killing 1,700 scholarships that enable kindergarten through 12th grade students from low-income families in the District of Columbia to attend private schools. Conservatives in the Senate fought to strip the provision from the bill last night, but were defeated by the liberal majority.

The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program was passed by Congress in January 2004 and approximately 7,200 children have applied for the 1,700 spots in the program. A 2008 Department of Education study found that after just 19 months of instruction, scholarship students realized slightly higher academic achievement than those students who applied but were not lucky enough to secure a spot in the program. A more recent University of Arkansas study has shown that parents are overwhelmingly satisfied with their children’s experience in the program. Common reasons for this higher level of satisfaction included appreciation for the ability to choose their child’s school and the success their children are having in their new school environments.

President Obama and his administration are very familiar with the empowering benefits school choice brings to families struggling to educate their children. Growing up in Chicago, Obama’s Secretary of Education Arne Duncan attended a private school. Growing up in Hawaii, President Obama attended a private school. Growing up first in Chicago, and now in Washington, Obama’s two daughters attended and still attend private schools. In fact, two of Obama’s daughter’s classmates are able to attend Sidwell Friends thanks to the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program. By signing the omnibus spending bill, Obama will be denying these children the “same chance” he had as a child.

Some in the media are portraying Obama’s speech as “tough talk on teachers” since the president said he wanted to spend additional money on “effective” teachers. But the teachers unions were in no way disappointed with what Obama actually said. National Education Association president Dennis Van Roekel said: “I think people are putting words in his mouth and jumping to conclusions about what he supports.” American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten added: “The devil is in the details, and it is important that teachers’ voices are heard when we implement the president’s vision.”

Well, the voices of teachers unions are already being heard, and unless President Obama does something about it, those voices will cost 1,700 children the “same chance” President Obama had to school choice.

If it weren't for the rest of the stuff, I'd be laughing

Most Democrats, many Independents, and even a few Republicans flocked to Obama because he promised "Change" with a capital C. War on terror? Gone. Excess spending? Gone. Huge government, excesses? Gone. Earmarks? Gone. The schism between the two Parties? Gone.

Everyone from the media to the mindless masses swallowed his lines and gulped the kool-aide.

Now we're living with the reality of Obamavision.

War? Shift the troops to Afghanistan and pull 'em back from Iraq. When are the troops coming home? Roughly the same time President Bush said they'd be coming home and a bit further out than Obama originally promised.

Excess spending? Without the stimulus-porkulus-scamulus package Obama's budget still, especially coupled with the $410 billion Omnibus package and all the other bits he's doling out, makes Bush look like Ebenezer Scrooge.

Cutting back on government? Hold on, I am having to laugh at this one... picture busy little bees building glorious hives, ever expanding hives, bzzzzz, bzzzz... except the end result sure isn't going to be sweet. Maybe a better analogy would have been the killer ants that sweep through areas decimating them.

Earmarks? He stood strong on that one for all of about ten seconds didn't he? Have you ever heard such a lame excuse as the one he is using to justify the signing of the killer Omnibus (if it gets through, when it gets through). He's not going to veto the bill that President Bush said he'd veto because it was something that got started during the "I'll veto it" Bush administration. Wouldn't it make a bit more sense to say, well, President Bush wouldn't approve it during his administration, and I don't believe in earmarks, so I will veto it unless you strip the earmarks?

I wish every Republican who had an earmark in the Omnibus would stand up and ask to have it dropped from the bill. Wouldn't that say something? It would also take "true grit" and we know that's something many of our Republicans haven't got. Yet.

Kumbaya, love and happiness between the Republicans and Democrats? Sure, Obama said he was a miracle worker. Then he starts pumping out advanced socialism (as opposed to socialism 101), starts printing money like it's not real, raids the kids piggy banks for generations to come, ignores the Republicans, goes on a rampage to reverse every good thing President Bush and / or the Republicans ever did and then invites everyone to share a group hug. Kind of hard to hug someone who's slapping and kicking you.

So now Obama is channeling Cheney in regards to wire-tapping according to the Wall Street Journal. Anyone surprised?

You know, if he weren't destroying the country with all his actions, I'd be laughing at the fools who voted for this man. I'd be saying "I told you so." You wanted change? However, while he may not be keeping those campaign promises that drew the crowds, he's making other changes that are bad-news serious. Seems he's managing to alienate people on both sides of the aisle. An equal opportunity destructo machine.

Based on the poll numbers it appears that many are still in la-la land when it comes to seeing the reality of what's going on. Obama is out there campaigning and selling his wares just as successfully it seems. I pray our fellow citizens wake up before his actions take us too far over the brink.

Obama Channels Cheney
The Obama Administration this week released its predecessor's post-9/11 legal memoranda in the name of "transparency," producing another round of feel-good Bush criticism. Anyone interested in President Obama's actual executive-power policies, however, should look at his position on warrantless wiretapping. Dick Cheney must be smiling.

In a federal lawsuit, the Obama legal team is arguing that judges lack the authority to enforce their own rulings in classified matters of national security. The standoff concerns the Oregon chapter of the Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation, a Saudi Arabian charity that was shut down in 2004 on evidence that it was financing al Qaeda. Al-Haramain sued the Bush Administration in 2005, claiming it had been illegally wiretapped.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123638765474658467.html?mod=djemEditorialPage