Tag Archives: Liberal

News

How Barack Obama gave top campaign donors government jobs

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Left-leaning Politico reports on corruption, cronyism, nepotism and patronage appointments in the Obama administration.

Excerpt:

Telecom executive Donald H. Gips raised a big bundle of cash to help finance his friend Barack Obama’s run for the presidency.

Gips, a vice president of Colorado-based Level 3 Communications, delivered more than $500,000 in contributions for the Obama war chest, while two other company executives collected at least $150,000 more.

After the election, Gips was put in charge of hiring in the Obama White House, helping to place loyalists and fundraisers in many key positions. Then, in mid-2009, Obama named him ambassador to South Africa. Meanwhile, Level 3 Communications, in which Gips retained stock, received millions of dollars of government stimulus contracts for broadband projects in six states — though Gips said he had been “completely unaware” that the company had received the contracts.

More than two years after Obama took office vowing to banish “special interests” from his administration, nearly 200 of his biggest donors have landed plum government jobs and advisory posts, won federal contracts worth millions of dollars for their business interests or attended numerous elite White House meetings and social events, an investigation by iWatch News has found.

These “bundlers” raised at least $50,000 — and sometimes more than $500,000 — in campaign donations for Obama’s campaign. Many of those in the “Class of 2008” are now being asked to bundle contributions for Obama’s reelection, an effort that could cost $1 billion.

As a candidate, Obama spoke passionately about diminishing the clout of moneyed interests. Kicking off his presidential run on Feb. 10, 2007, he blasted “the cynics, the lobbyists, the special interests,” who had “turned our government into a game only they can afford to play.”

“We’re here today to take it back,” he said.

Say one thing in public, and do the opposite in private. Don’t believe the words of a candidate in their stump speeches. Look at their voting record, and their legislative initiatives, and their ratings from non-partisan organizations, such as the Club For Growth, Citizens Against Government Waste, and the National Taxpayer’s Union. Don’t vote based on pleasant sounding words and pleasant appearances, do the research.

News

Ben Shapiro interviews Hollywood producers about their liberal bias

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Ben Shapiro
Ben Shapiro

I spotted this book review of the new book “Primetime Propaganda, The True Hollywood Story Of How The Left Took Over Your  TV” by Ben Shapiro, posted on Newsbusters.

Excerpt:

[The book’s title] may sound like an overblown title, but if you read Ben Shapiro’s new book, “Primetime Propaganda, The True Hollywood Story Of How The Left Took Over Your  TV,” you will see it isn’t overblown in the least. Ben doesn’t just speculate here. He goes to the source.

He interviews the movers and the shakers of Hollywood who admit their own bias and their own agenda… this fascinating book takes us into the minds of the people who bring television into our home. They clearly state how they want to influence our kids with their political views.

I sat down to read Ben’s book thinking it wouldn’t really tell me anything I didn’t already know, but I was wrong. This book isn’t just about looking at the actual shows that are influencing our kids, it takes us backstage in the industry and gives us a glimpse of the people who create these shows and why. First and foremost, there is a blacklisting in Hollywood regarding conservatives. They as much as admit it in Ben’s interviews.

[…]Ben gives us all the details of the presidents of the networks, the producers, and  the writers, and how they were determined to systematically bring liberal views to television family shows. But most disturbing to me is Ben’s account of how they infused liberal messages into children’s television. Ben met with the producer of Captain Planet and The Planeteers, a cartoon with a far left environmental message. He asked the producer whether he thought Captain Planet promoted a politicized point of view. The producer responded by asking what other point of view would their be?

And I noticed that Ari has been posting some of the interviews on RuthBlog.

Here’s is the most popular one:

And another:

And this one has really bad language, so watch out for the F-word if you click the link.

Personal application

This book and these interviews confirm to me why I shouldn’t have a television in my apartment. I only watch Special Report with Bret Baier if I am in the gym, or Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace if I am at my parents’ house visiting. I would watch the Canadian Sun News Network if I were in Canada, because I hear that Theo Caldwell says very frank things like this and this. I am shocked that Canadians talk like that about moral issues.

I rarely watch movies at all, except maybe one a year.

Here’s my list of movies that I do find useful:

  • Rules of Engagement (Samuel L. Jackson)
  • Bella
  • Henry V (Kenneth Brannagh)
  • The Lives of Others
  • United 93
  • Taken (Liam Neeson)
  • Cinderella Man
  • The Blind Side
  • Cyrano de Bergerac (Gerard Depardieu)
  • Amazing Grace (Ioan Gruffudd)
  • Gettysburg
  • We Were Soldiers
  • Stand and Deliver
  • Blackhawk Down
  • The Pursuit of Happyness
  • High Noon (Gary Cooper)
  • The Long Walk

I also like older TV shows like Danger Man. Here is an episode on Youtube: clip1, clip2, clip3. And even some newer stuff like Band of Brothers is worth watching. (Check this out this well-known battle: clip1 and clip2 and you can read the history here. I would love it if there were more good television shows and movies, but there aren’t, and I’m not going to let my need to be entertained cause me to watch things that are designed to manipulate me.

News

NY state public schools spend the most money but get lousy results

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Eastern United States Map
Eastern United States Map

From the New York Post. (H/T Jammie Wearing Fool)

Excerpt:

New York state’s school systems deserve an F — in financial accountability.

State taxpayers spend substantially more money on education than any other state in the nation but get far less in return on their investment, according to a shocking new federal study released yesterday.

New York schools on average spent $18,126 per student in the 2008-2009 school year — tops in the nation, the Census Bureau reports.

That’s nearly $2,000 more than the $16,271 spent in neighboring New Jersey and 80 percent higher than the national average of $10,499.

But the Empire State’s four-year high-school graduation rate of 73.5 percent ranked a lowly 39th in the nation, two points below the national average, according to a separate analysis by the National Center for Education Statistics.

By comparison, Massachusetts — which spends $4,000 less per student — has an 83 percent graduation rate.

New York has doubled its per-student spending over 10 years. For five consecutive years the state has spent the most per student in the nation.

[…]One main reason for New York’s sky-high spending is it pays its teachers significantly more in salaries and benefits than any other state.

New York spent $12,524 per student to cover instructional salaries and benefits, nearly double the national average of $6,369. Even New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts spent $3,000 less per student than New York did on teacher pay and benefits.

Teacher unions are one of the main Democrat special interest groups. Teacher unions oppose being held accountable by parents. They don’t want to have their pay and benefits be conditional on producing quality educations for children. They just want to be able to collect exorbitant salaries and benefits while they indoctrinate your children with leftist politics and liberal values. They don’t care what parents want, and they don’t care about whether your children learn anything that will allow them to achieve independence and prosperity.

Must-see videos on education policy

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