Jesse Kremer Did Not Get The Memo

By Jeff Simpson 

A quick check of Representative Jesse Kremer's official facebook page and you run into this picture he posted.



As a Christian and practicing Lutheran/Catholic I appreciate that.  Then continuing to scroll up the page and in what seems like Bizarro Christianity, this comes up.

Ever wonder why we need a "Public Benefit Reform" committee?
This receipt, mailed to me by an observant Kewaskum voter, details nearly $500 in food stamp purchases just before Christmas... must have been quite a party!
Need I say more? (Last time I had lobster was in the sandbox of Kuwait, probably because it was plentiful in the mercury infested gulf.)
****
Two lobster at $21.99 ea.
Meat Dept. item for $70.70
Another Meat Dept. item for $33.38
Another Meat Dept. item for $67.56
3# Ground Round for $24.98
Beef Chuck Roast for $24.00
Total bill: $633.28. Total paid out of pocket? $36.77!

 

Wait wha???  One of these things is NOT like the other.   For one we do not even know if this receipt is real as fakes like this have been floating around forever trying to justify "public benefit reform".

The concept of the food-stamp queen was first proffered by Ronald Reagan during a 1976 campaign speech. "In Chicago, they found a woman who holds the record," he told the assembled crowd. "She used 80 names, 30 addresses, 15 telephone numbers to collect food stamps, Social Security, veterans’ benefits for four nonexistent deceased veteran husbands, as well as welfare. Her tax-free cash income alone has been running $150,000 a year." Reagan's story turned out to be a gross exaggeration of a minor case of welfare fraud, but since their patron saint conjured her up, conservatives have been unable to rid themselves of the image of the food-stamp queen. And despite her nonexistence, they've tried over and over again to stamp her out.

Putting aside what "saint" Ronnie (The patron Saint of racism) had to say, let's check what the Good Book has to say:

Matthew 25:37-40Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

Proverbs 14:31
Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him.

Proverbs 22:9Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor.

That has to be a typo....a mistake that didn't get caught by the editor and publisher right?   Well no,

Proverbs 19:17
Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.

Job 31:16-21
“If I have withheld anything that the poor desired, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail, or have eaten my morsel alone, and the fatherless has not eaten of it (for from my youth the fatherless grew up with me as with a father, and from my mother's womb I guided the widow), if I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing, or the needy without covering, if his body has not blessed me, and if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep, ...

Leviticus 19:10-11 

And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am theLord your God. “You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another.

Wow lots of focus on treating the poor and hungry well but I can not seem to find anything about judging people you know nothing of without any information.   I did find this one though:

1 John 3:17-18 

But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

Interesting reading the Bible can be!   Besides small Government Jesse Kremer did not tell us in his post what foods poor people should be allowed to eat and which ones they should not.  Who knows better what food you should buy and cook for your family than Jesse Kremer.   If people are poor its their own choice and the best way to deal with it is not legislatively but public shaming of course!

And that is what we are saying, when we talk disdainfully about poor people buying lobster and steak, or nice phones, or new clothes. We are saying, you are not sorry and ashamed enough. You do not hate your poor existence enough. Because when you are poor, you are supposed to take the help that is never enough and stretch it so you have just enough misery to get by. Because when you are poor you are supposed to eat ramen every day and you are supposed to know that every bite of that nutrition-less soup is your punishment for bad life decisions. Your kids are supposed to be mocked at school for their outdated clothes—how else will they know to not end up like you when they grow up?
And for heaven’s sake, the last thing you should be allowed to do is to take one evening with your kids to sit at a table and eat a dish of pure indulgence in the hopes that your children will have a few minutes to feel the same way you did when you were a kid and you weren’t ashamed to exist.

Jesus Trojan Lunch

By Jeff Simpson 

In Middleton, WI, a select group of parents have turned the local high school into a modern day City of Troy.  

Despite the seperation of church and state being the law of the land, since a January 1, 1802 letter by Thomas Jefferson, addressed to the Danbury Baptist Association inConnecticut, and published in a Massachusetts newspaper. Jefferson wrote,

“

"I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between Church & State."[1]

”

Jefferson was echoing the language of the founder of the first Baptist church in America, Roger Williams who had written in 1644 of "[A] hedge or wall of separation between the garden of the church and the wilderness of the world."Article Six of the United States Constitution also specifies that "no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States."

Jefferson's metaphor of a wall of separation has been cited repeatedly by the U.S. Supreme Court. In Reynolds v. United States (1879) the Court wrote that Jefferson's comments "may be accepted almost as an authoritative declaration of the scope and effect of the [First] Amendment." In Everson v. Board of Education (1947), JusticeHugo Black wrote: "In the words of Thomas Jefferson, the clause against establishment of religion by law was intended to erect a wall of separation between church and state."^[2]

In the Middleton, WI school district just outside of Madison, WI, these parents have started baking brownies and bringing in food to entice young children to listen to their version of the Bible over the lunch hour.  

On one side is a group of Christian moms armed with Chick-fil-A sandwiches and 400 homemade brownies. On the other side are public school administrators who believe that Jesus and plump juicy chicken breasts are “divisive.”
The controversy surrounds an off-campus lunch event involving students at Middleton High School known as “Jesus Lunch.”  

The public park, across the street from the school is leased by the school district and the school correctly feels that these lunches should not be on campus and should stop immediately.

The school district leases the park during school hours, the email said, so policies that apply to the school campus extend to the park during that time. Those include rules about food safety and food preparation, food allergy procedures and visitor policies.
“We believe that religious or political events do not have a place in our school or on our campus, except when sponsored by a student group in accordance with our rules, which require prior approval,” the email said. “In addition, many students have conveyed to us their concern about a group offering free food to incentivize participation in a religious event on campus.”

Setting aside that it is creepy for a few parents to use brownies to lure kids into your trap, it is blatant illegal and goes against everything that we stand for in this country.  

This story has been getting some coverage locally and even nationally, but no one sees it for what it is.   There was a clue though that does(emphasis mine).

A statement from the organizers provided by parent Beth Williams asserted the group is legally allowed to hold the lunch at the park and said students aren’t required to participate in the religious message portion to partake in the food. “Fireman’s Park — a public park owned by the city of Middleton — remains accessible to everyone in the public for the purposes of assembly and free speech,” the statement said. “By law, the lease agreement between the city and the school district of Middleton does not privatize the park.”

Plank and Johnson said in the email to parents that the organizers have threatened legal action against the school district.

If you do not think that the dark money of Michael Grebe and the Bradley Foundation are not controlling every move of these "Christian" parents, just waiting for the School District to stop this so they can sue, then I have a Governor who cares about creating jobs to sell you.   

Here is what is planned.  They want these parents to be kicked off the school grounds so they can sue.  It will cost the Middleton Cross Plains School District tenss of thousands of dollars, to defend, while Mike G will send his gopher Rick Esenberg to defend these parents pro bono.   Esenberg will get shot down in all of the lower courts, but contnue appealing until he can get it in front of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. 

Then his cowaorkers on the Supreme Court of Wisconsin, will rule in his favor and open the floodgates for "Christianity" to take over our public schools.  

You heard it here first, watch and see how this plays out!  

"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. - Matthew 6:5. 

American Exceptionalism

By Jeff Simpson

Interesting report coming out for our friends on the right who keep defending torture.

“Debating about it, ummm … Some of the worst things that happened you don’t know about, okay? Videos, um, there are women there. Some of you may have read that they were passing letters out, communications out to their men. This is at Abu Ghraib … The women were passing messages out saying ‘Please come and kill me, because of what’s happened’ and basically what happened is that those women who were arrested with young boys, children in cases that have been recorded. The boys were sodomized with the cameras rolling. And the worst above all of that is the soundtrack of the boys shrieking that your government has. They are in total terror. It’s going to come out.”
“It’s impossible to say to yourself how did we get there? Who are we? Who are these people that sent us there? When I did My Lai I was very troubled like anybody in his right mind would be about what happened. I ended up in something I wrote saying in the end I said that the people who did the killing were as much victims as the people they killed because of the scars they had, I can tell you some of the personal stories by some of the people who were in these units witnessed this. I can also tell you written complaints were made to the highest officers and so we’re dealing with a enormous massive amount of criminal wrongdoing that was covered up at the highest command out there and higher, and we have to get to it and we will. We will. You know there’s enough out there, they can’t (Applause). …. So it’s going to be an interesting election year.”

It really shows you what a sick twisted person Dick Cheney(and the rest of the Bush Administration that condoned this) is.    Remember this when your Republican uncle tells you how necessary torture was, right after explaining that Jesus is the reason for the Season.

"A Person's A Person, No Matter How Small" Dr. Seuss

By Jeff Simpson

Some "highlights" from the republican platform:

Support voluntary student-initiated prayer in school

We will continue to work for the return of voluntary school prayer to our schools and will strongly enforce the Republican legislation that guarantees equal access to school facilities by student religious groups. We strongly support voluntary student-initiated prayer in school without governmental interference. We strongly disagree with the Supreme Court’s rulings against student-initiated prayer.
Source: 2004 Republican Party Platform, p. 84 , Sep 1, 2004

The Wisconsin Republican's in action:

Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, of Burlington, wrote to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson Thursday asking that Wisconsin not be considered a site to temporarily shelter unaccompanied immigrant children who are crossing the border, mostly from Central America.
The letter, posted on the Wheeler Report, was also signed by Republican Assembly members John Nygren, of Marinette; Joel Kleefisch, of Oconomowoc; and David Craig, of Big Bend...

The legislators ask if there's a limit on the number of immigrants that would be housed in the state and the liklihood the minors will be deemed refugees, which could mean getting public assistance.
They also express concern about the potential for the minors to permanently reside in Wisconsin.
Housing these minors will result in a "significant strain" on local and state budgets and impact both public education and health system, the letter said.
It asks that the decision to locate unaccompanied minors in Wisconsin be reconsidered.

Inscription on the Statue of Liberty:

 Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses, yearning to breath free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.

 


What Jesus had to say about the subject:

Matthew 18:1-35 ESV / 19 helpful votes

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me,

God Bless Us everyone.    

We believe the phrase- ‘One nation under God’- in the Pledge of Allegiance is perfectly harmonious with the United States Constitution, protected by the First Amendment.
We agree with the Founding Fathers that religion and morality were fundamentally important to creating and maintaining freedom in this country.
We believe the best way to ensure religious freedom is to protect all religious references and symbols; including those on public buildings, lands, or documents. This includes, but is not limited to, prayer in public schools, thanking God in a graduation speech, and religious symbols being placed on public property during the appropriate holiday season. We reject that such references violate the U.S. Constitution or discriminate against those who are of other faiths or are not religious.
- See more at: http://www.wisgop.org/our-party/republican-party-of-wisconsin-platform/#sthash.Wcn95DHn.dpuf

We believe the phrase- ‘One nation under God’- in the Pledge of Allegiance is perfectly harmonious with the United States Constitution, protected by the First Amendment.
We agree with the Founding Fathers that religion and morality were fundamentally important to creating and maintaining freedom in this country.
We believe the best way to ensure religious freedom is to protect all religious references and symbols; including those on public buildings, lands, or documents. This includes, but is not limited to, prayer in public schools, thanking God in a graduation speech, and religious symbols being placed on public property during the appropriate holiday season. We reject that such references violate the U.S. Constitution or discriminate against those who are of other faiths or are not religious.
- See more at: http://www.wisgop.org/our-party/republican-party-of-wisconsin-platform/#sthash.Wcn95DHn.dpuf

We believe the phrase- ‘One nation under God’- in the Pledge of Allegiance is perfectly harmonious with the United States Constitution, protected by the First Amendment.
We agree with the Founding Fathers that religion and morality were fundamentally important to creating and maintaining freedom in this country.
We believe the best way to ensure religious freedom is to protect all religious references and symbols; including those on public buildings, lands, or documents. This includes, but is not limited to, prayer in public schools, thanking God in a graduation speech, and religious symbols being placed on public property during the appropriate holiday season. We reject that such references violate the U.S. Constitution or discriminate against those who are of other faiths or are not religious.
- See more at: http://www.wisgop.org/our-party/republican-party-of-wisconsin-platform/#sthash.Wcn95DHn.dpuf

We believe the phrase- ‘One nation under God’- in the Pledge of Allegiance is perfectly harmonious with the United States Constitution, protected by the First Amendment.
We agree with the Founding Fathers that religion and morality were fundamentally important to creating and maintaining freedom in this country.
We believe the best way to ensure religious freedom is to protect all religious references and symbols; including those on public buildings, lands, or documents. This includes, but is not limited to, prayer in public schools, thanking God in a graduation speech, and religious symbols being placed on public property during the appropriate holiday season. We reject that such references violate the U.S. Constitution or discriminate against those who are of other faiths or are not religious.
- See more at: http://www.wisgop.org/our-party/republican-party-of-wisconsin-platform/#sthash.Wcn95DHn.dpuf

God Works in Mysterious Ways

 

By Jeff Simpson

That saying has never been more relevant than current day Wisconsin.  

Apparently, God has been having chats with our very own Scott Walker.    When Scott Walker took the phone call from (who he thought/hoped and prayed was David Koch), Scott Walker opened up like he never has before.  When your talking to your boss, its best to be honest and Scott finally was.  Walker let the fake Koch, know plenty but the biggest gem was that Scott Walker "had thought about" adding violence to what was an incredibly peaceful protest.  

Koch: We’ll back you any way we can. What we were thinking about the crowd was, uh, was planting some troublemakers.
Walker: You know, well, the only problem with that —because we thought about that. The problem—the, my only gut reaction to that is right now the lawmakers I’ve talked to have just completely had it with them, the public is not really fond of this…[explains that planting troublemakers may not work.] My only fear would be if there’s a ruckus caused is that maybe the governor has to settle to solve all these problems…[something about '60s liberals.]…Let ‘em protest all they want…Sooner or later the media stops finding it interesting.

We thought about that but we figured it would not help us politically so we passed. 

Well when planning violence against women and children, Scott Walker turned to the  person most people do in these situations.   Jesus the ultimate violent/political tactition:

 “I looked up and said, ‘I hear you, Lord,’” writes Walker. “God was sending me a clear message to not do things for personal glory or fame. It was a turning point that helped me in future challenges, helped me stay focused on the people I was elected to serve, and reminded me of God’s abundant grace and the paramount need to stay humble.”

Yes dear Servant do not attack women and children for personal glory and fame.....stay your veer humble self, was the message that Jesus sent!  

Hallelujah!  

Yes it is hard for some who is perfect in every way, like Scott Walker to be humble!  Luckily he has a pipeline to God to keep reminding him to be so.  

Let's hope that God calls Scott Walker in a John Denver Oh, God! kind of way and not in a BTK killer fashion!    Maybe its time we take a lesson from 70's Movie and lock all of these politicians who talk to God and have them answer some questions:

The question I want the Scott Walker / Jesus team to answer is:  Why did God direct you to cover up the death of 15 year old Jared Kellner? 

Fox News Exposes the Mooslems....

By Jeff Simpson

Watch this interview and tell me your not embarrassed at the stupidity of former beauty queen Lauren Green and anyone who works for Fox News:  I hope that Reza Aslan has the sense to never go on Fox News(term used loosely) again!  PS: His book looks pretty good!

Full Interview here!

 
I can just imagine the conversation right now:

Jesus:  You gave them free will and the best they could come up with was Fox News?

God:  Very disappointing isn't it!  

Jesus: Don't send me back there for a long time!

God:  Let's check and see how Tim Tebow is doing.  

Lauren Green gives Miss South Carolina hope!

Love, Hate or Satire?

By Jeff Simpson

I need a little help from our readers!   I recently posted this blog on Forward Lookout, another blog I use for more Dane County happenings.   Where I pointed out that this sums up why I left the Catholic church:



Like Clockwork, Dave Blaska came to Vicki Mckenna's defense(apparently she is unable too) and in our discussion,  I pointed out that when she organized her rabid supporters to show up in New Berlin and hand out pacifies to teachers who wanted a say in their workplace, that showed the hatred and vitriol that Vicki Mckenna(Pyzinski) exhibits on a daily basis.  Also that the Bishop of the Catholic church should follow Jesus's teachings and not support this kind of hatred. 

Mr. B said it was not hatred at all but "satire" 

I will let you decide  

Hatred or Satire?   

BillO Didn't Write That!

BY Jeff Simpson

H/T Media Matters.

Fox news blowhard and loofa lover Bill O'Reilly recent book called Killing Lincoln has been a best seller, Which led to BillO also writing Killing Kennedy and has just announced he is will be writing the third in his series called Killing Jesus.

As the right wing website - Newsmax points out, it seems that BillO is following in the footsteps of an actual author -  Jim Bishop, a veteran newspaperman who once reported for the New York Daily News and later was a syndicated columnist.

The late Jim Bishop, a veteran newspaperman who once reported for the New York Daily News and later was a syndicated columnist, saw his book "The Day Lincoln Was Shot" become a runaway best-seller in 1955.
A series of similar-themed books followed, with Bishop penning "The Day Christ Died" in 1957 and then in 1968 "The Day Kennedy Was Shot" — a minute-by-minute account of JFK's 1963 shooting in Dallas.
Perhaps his most critically acclaimed book, "FDR'S Last Year," came out in 1984.
The parallels with O'Reilly are uncanny.
In 2011 O'Reilly penned a book about Lincoln, "Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever." The book, co-authored with Martin Dugard, became a New York Times best-seller with more than 5 million copies sold.
Last October, O'Reilly and Dugard followed up with "Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot," which debunks many of the conspiracy myths holding that Lee Harvey Oswald did not act alone in the assassination of the president.
It too became an instant best-seller, and in fact remains No. 1 on Amazon.com in several categories.
Now O'Reilly has announced that, like Bishop, he will write a book about Jesus Christ. Titled "Killing Jesus," it will recount the life and times of Jesus and the Christian legacy he left behind.

 

No word yet on when Billo will be penning a series of novels that he has come up with about the adventures of an orphaned boy wizard who goes off to Wizard school.    

In a side note, it seems that the Ford's Theatre gift shop will NOT be selling BillO's book, due to "lack of documentation and factual errors".   

Who knew?  

Keeping the Atheist in Christmas!

By Jeff Simpson

A lot has been said and written about the following clip, how Senator Ron Johnson (R-class rings) said that Obamacare " was the greatest assault on freedom" . Well RoJo said that when he was running for office and still was elected.  Besides, he was correct anyway.  Thanks to Obamacare, millions of Americans are no longer "free" to die a slow horrible painful death because they do not have insurance. 

However there is a better quote I would like to point out:

"A friend of mine, Ben Ganther, who is a small business owner and owner of a construction company, called me up one day and said there is this bid ole statue on the side of the road for sale. It was Atlas and he had the world and it was obviously the Atlas shrugged symbol, and said you know he was thinking about buying it.  I said absolutely, I will pay for half.  So he bought it up right away because he is a contractor, put it up in front of his business, you know in a really nice stand with a nice little patio around it lights and he puts Christmas lights on it in the winter time.  So I was proud to actually participate in that project."

Yes Ron nothing celebrates the birth of Jesus, like a bunch of commercial lights on a statue of a false deity who represents a bad book written by a devout Atheist.   Way to understand the true meaning of Christmas guys!    

Unfortunately Linus Van Pelt is smarter than our Senator:

Jesus and Guns Don't Mix

"The only way you can cling to guns and your Bible is to ignore Jesus"

Better Re-read The Bible!

The right wing extremist owners of Hobby Lobby(The Greens) are willing to be fined rather than give their hardworking employees healthcare! 

Today Hobby Lobby announced that they will not comply with this mandate to become complicit in abortion, which the Greens believe ends an innocent human life. Given Hobby Lobby’s size (it has 572 stores employing more than 13,000 people), by violating the HHS Mandate, it will be subject to over $1.3 million in fines per day. That means over $40 million in fines in January alone. If their case takes another ten months to get before the Supreme Court—which would be the earliest it could get there under the normal order of business—the company would incur almost a half-billion dollars in fines. And then of course the Supreme Court would have to write an opinion in what would likely be a split decision with dissenters, which could easily take four or six months and include hundreds of millions of dollars in additional penalties.

This is civil disobedience, consistent with America’s highest traditions when moral issues are at stake. The Greens are a law-abiding family. They have no desire to defy their own government. But as the Founders launched the American Revolution because they believed the British government was violating their rights, the Greens believe that President Barack Obama and Secretary Kathleen Sebelius are commanding the Greens to sin against God, and that no government has the lawful authority to do so.

When the Greens pay their employees who build their business $8.36/hr and their best paid employees $11/hr and still whine about providing them with health care...then maybe they should re-read the Bible or at least have someone who understands it explain it to them!  

Here is a start Matthew 25:36

 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' 37 "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' 40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' 41 "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' 44 "They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' 45 "He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' 46 "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

The Greens seem to think that giving their employees healthcare, will force abortions.  They are wrong!  

I recommend giving your business to Michael's!

Obamacare V Christianity!

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Jesus Said "I Got Mine!"

As you are watching the national train wreck that is Mitt Romney, and closer to home the two way battle between long past his prime Washington DC insider Tommy Thompson and Washington DC resident and inherited millionaire Eric Hovde? As you do, keep this in mind!  

"If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to."  Dorothy Parker

On that same topic, here is our friend Lee Camp's thoughts:

Speaking of that, did you see in the news recently that Eric Hovde has spent $4 million dollars of his own money on TV ads?  To be fair, why would anyone in this tough economy give Washington DC resident and multi millionaire Eric Hovde any of their hard earned money?

Eric Hovde is Scared of the Boogeyman...

Yesterday we brought you the story of how Eric Hovde is sick and tired of reading stories about poor people in America.  He prays that these incessant stories stop, because Jesus also was sick and tired of hearing about poor people. 

Lets refresh our memory:




Now let's look at this a little deeper than what we did yesterday.   First of all he is dead wrong on media coverage as the debt gets tremendously more coverage than the unemployment crisis.  That is a minor problem with Hovde's ramblings.  The major problem is the end where he says this:

 He also implored the people who were at this Q & A to read "the best book ever written on the debt issue" - This Time Is Different: Eight Centuries of Financial Folly by "two of the greatest economists of our time" Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff.  

Hovde said that they found out "empirically" that if a government gets more than 90% debt to their economy, and it stays that way for 3 years, you are left with only two choices, both utterly disasterous - 1. default or 2. major debasement of the currency which causes hyper inflation. 
Hovde then went on to say "folks we are at 100% and its scary.  It scares the heck out of me. I am 6' 3" and not much scares me."  

This was followed up with NO questions, just a quick laugh line where the reporter wanted it be known he did not write the sob story about the person who could not get food stamps.   Since no state reporter would do a follow up to this I thought I would.  

I contacted one of the nation's leading economists, Dean Baker,  to see if Hovde has a legitimate fear about our debt crisis. Here is his answer in full:

Japan has had a debt to GDP ratio of over 100 percent for more than a decade. It is not in any danger of default (at least the financial markets don't think so -- they are lending it money for 10-years at less than 1.0 percent interest) and it has deflation. Obviously this is not some sort of law of nature.

Furthermore, Hovde obviously does not even understand what debt means. Much of the debt we owe to ourselves -- literally. The Fed holds more than $3 trillion in government debt. The Fed is part of the government. We pay interest to the Fed, which then refunds the interest to the Treasury. Is that going to bankrupt us? Not where I learned my economics.

Also, debt itself is an incredibly arbitrary measure. Suppose we sold off assets to reduce the debt -- then is everything cool? It would be according to your hedge fund friend's logic.

In short, Reinhart and Rogoff are both good economists, but they end up being really sloppy here. Nations usually run-up large debt because they faced serious economic problems -- as was the case with us in the last 5 years. However, they have confused the trouble caused by these economic problems with troubles caused by the debt. If an otherwise healthy economy suddenly finds itself with large amount of debt, as the U.S. did after WWII, when its debt to GDP ratio was 116 percent, the debt will not be a big issue. That is what history teaches us.

So Mr. 6 foot 3, Washington DC resident, who wants to be our Senator, is scared of the 'debt crisis", but he might as well be scared of the boogey man or the dark for all of the good it does him.

How can someone who understands so little about our economy actually seriously run for a position as important as United States Senator?  An even better question is why would a room full of reporters NOT do a follow up story? 

PS:  Again please give some support to Tammy Baldwin so we do not let another empty suit buy one of our Senate Seats!

Also, if you have had too much lately of Paul Ryan ( R - Wall St) lies and Ron Johnson's flat out idiocy, then go buy Dean Baker's books and learn some actual economics!  I recently read "Plunder and Blunder" and highly recommend it.  

Erik Hovde's $400,000 Gaffe!

We saw recently that with enough advertising the people of Wisconsin will believe anything. We found out that as the saying goes, for $30,000,000 the republican party can sell ice to an eskimo.   With enough commercials on TV, the republican party of WI was able to trick the people of WI into thinking that Scott Walker has actually created jobs. 

Recently, Washington DC resident Eric Hovde who is running for a Wisconsin Senate Seat actually took time away from sucking taxpayer dollars out of our government to actually visit Wisconsin, now probably wishes he hadn't.  The problem was he spoke his truth, which never goes well for the republican party(FF to 13:45):




H/T Huffington Post:

Then, pointing to a reporter in the audience, Hovde said he would love to see the press stop covering sad stories about low-income individuals who can't get benefits and start covering issues like the deficit more frequently.

"I see a reporter here," he said. "I just pray that you start writing about these issues. I just pray. Stop always writing about, 'Oh, the person couldn't get, you know, their food stamps or this or that.' You know, I saw something the other day -- it's like, another sob story, and I'm like, 'But what about what's happening to the country and the country as a whole?' That's going to devastate everybody."

This was followed by an announcement by the Koch Brothers Front Group,  American for Middle Class Poverty , that they would immediately be spending $400,000 in ads for the Senate seat which will not be up for vote until November. 

This is what the call damage control.  Since there is a chance that Eric Hovde will win the republican nomination, they need to overwhelm the message and change the topic, ASAP. 

Just some quick advice to AFP:  It took $30 million dollars, 70 paid field organizers and busloads of paid looneys from Illinois to come up and make sure Scott Walker won his recall, and he is a professional politician who is actually from WI.   I think estimating this gaffe at only $400,000 is a pretty low estimate.  

Finally, one question I just can not figure out.  What is the Prayer that Eric Hovde Prays to end these "sob stories"  

Dear Jesus please make the stories of the poor disappear who cares about them anyway?  Its the rich who might lose 3% of their income that you and I both know are the true Christians in this world?  

Dear Jesus, why do my rich ears and eyes need to keep being exposed to boring stories of people not being able to eat?   I had a Filet yesterday that was amazing but a little small, I was hungry an hour later and no reporter wrote a story about that

Dear Jesus, I know all of that talk about the poor in the New Testament was all just parables and code words.  I know that the richest people on earth are the one who you love the most.  Please make those annoying reporters stop wasting time on stories about the poor in this country.  They live in America where a guy who lives in Washington DC can run for Senate in Wisconsin, so if i can overcome those odds, than those poor lazy people can go eat at McDonalds and stop bothering me. 

 Leave us a better prayer to stop the "sob stories" of the poor people in this country so we can start praying for Eric Hovde immediately!  

Finally if this sickens you(like it should) please go here and give Tammy a little bit of support!   

Scott Walker - Disgraced Televangelist

What is the difference between Scott Walker & this guy?

Not much it turns out.....Scott Walker recently met with Disgraced lobbyist/fake Christian Ralph Reed and the Christian wrong.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker spoke to a crowd of political and spiritual true believers Wednesday night — seeking to mobilize support from a national tele-town hall hosted by Ralph Reed’s Faith and Freedom Coalition.
For a reporter listening in, the call provided a good example of the messages, both positive and negative, that Walker has put to his deep base supporters. He spoke of his religious background as a pastor’s son, how both of his own children have accepted Christ as their savior, and how much he appreciates the prayers that people have offered for him as he faces a recall election on June 5.
Walker also spoke of the issues at hand — how his potential victory or perhaps defeat in the election would send a huge message to other governors who might be thinking of taking on entrenched public employee unions, and saving money for the taxpayers. And in response to one question from a ten-year old boy, Walker said that he’ll work to make sure that his family can keep more of their own money, so the boy can grow up and keep the family business.

Yes what else to talk about with the religious wrong but Jesus and money......But wait there is more, Walker doubled down on his love of Jesus:

“In so many ways, in so many instances, God has affirmed how good his grace is. And whether it’s politics, or in business, or your home life, He calls us to follow Him, not the other way around. And you stay true to that in life, it’s all going to work out.”

 Yes Jesus would want Scott Walker to raise multi millions of $$$ from all over the country(mostly out of state), to fund a record setting negative campaign spend...

Finally after talking money enough, the religious wrong were smitten with him.   So they asked him one final question.   What can we do to help.

“Well first off, pray for me — pray for my family, and particularly for the next four weeks,” Walker said. “But beyond that I call it the three ‘M’s: The message, manpower, and money. Any one of those will help out.”

 God Bless you all, but most of all send your money.    Yes Scott Walker is a Jesus Warrior!

Amen