Via the Washington Post:

“PHILADELPHIA — Federal investigators are questioning a discontinued scholarship program founded by a Pennsylvania congressman.

“The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Sunday that investigators are asking about the use of federal grants given to College Opportunity Resources for Education, or CORE Philly.

“The program was set up by Rep. Chaka Fattah four years ago but is ending after next spring. He says the investigation was about a $700,000 grant from the Justice Department to cover staffing, computers and more.

“Fattah believes interest in the inquiry increased because of complaints from a disgruntled employee.

“He has said he’s ending the program because of a subsidy cut. ”

Nowhere is it disclosed in the article that Fattah is a Democrat.

Just because Obamessiah isn’t directly involved in the story doesn’t mean the Associated Press won’t hide the truth.

Check out this story about corruption in Ohio:

“Former Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann used his campaign account to bankroll home repairs and family vacations, according to a newspaper review of state investigative reports.

“The reports are part of a complaint filed last week with the Ohio Elections Commission by state Inspector General Tom Charles. Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner also filed an elections commission complaint against Dann last week alleging misuse of campaign funds.

“The Ohio Elections Commission will address both complaints Jan. 22. And state Auditor Mary Taylor plans Monday to release her own investigation into Dann’s spending.

“Dann resigned in May amid a sexual harassment scandal in his office that included his admission that he had an affair with an employee.”

But you have to Google “Marc Dann” to find out he’s a…DEMOCRAT!

Larry Kudlow is someone I really respect. So when I heard him say on CNBC today that Obama is selecting a center-right economic team, I wanted to do some research. He made it really easy for me in this piece from NRO:

But what’s especially encouraging is the appointment of Ms. [Christine] Romer, who easily could serve as CEA head in a Republican administration (just like Geithner could have been McCain’s Treasury man).

There’s good news and bad news contained in this analysis, and I’ll explore it in my next post.

Turns out John McCain wasn’t the only Republican Joe Liebermann supported this election cycle (from WashPost):

But no one in the room knew, as Merkley spoke, that Lieberman had supported Merkley’s opponent, Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.). Lieberman, through his Reuniting Our Country PAC, gave Smith’s reelection bid $5,000 on Oct. 10, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.

Lieberman’s support of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) for the presidency was well known, punctuated by his nationally televised speech at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul criticizing Obama as not prepared to be president. His endorsement of Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who has served as the top Republican beside him at the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, also was well known in Democratic circles.

But WAIT! There’s MORE!

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From tomorrow’s Washington Post Magazine: “A Hard Choice: A young medical student tries to decide if she has what it takes to join the diminishing ranks of abortion providers.”

Seems like learning to kill babies can be lots of fun:

There isn’t anything nice about abortion, Lesley said, but she does not equate it with murder. “I think it’s a necessary evil, no, unpleasant service, we have to provide for the sake of” women’s lives and health. But she wouldn’t call herself passionate or driven to provide abortions. “I don’t have a gut drive. It’s more like an intellectual drive {lcub}hellip{rcub} A woman’s control over her body is representative of her freedom. I feel the obligation to make sure that service is available and not stigmatized.”

It was Christina, the Students for Choice chapter president, who proposed holding a papaya workshop to expose more students to abortion. She’d heard about such a workshop at a national Students for Choice gathering. It was a hands-on opportunity for second-year medical students to learn how to perform an abortion, using a papaya as a stand-in for a woman’s uterus. Lesley thought it was a great idea.

The women enlisted doctors, residents and nurses from Maryland and Johns Hopkins to run the workshop and e-mailed an invitation to all second-year students. They promised dinner, a sure bet to lure medical students. This time, if the dean knew about their plans, he didn’t object. Soon the workshop, which could accommodate 20 students, had a waiting list — and the women organizing it had a small firestorm on their hands.

In her e-mail, Christina had hoped to attract participants by suggesting that they’d have fun learning the procedure: “You’ll get the opportunity to be shown how to use manual vacuum aspirators using papaya models (apparently papayas bear a striking resemblance to a uterus. Who knew?)”

Lesley’s eyes were drooping as she, Christina and Regina set out tortillas and taco fixings in a second-floor classroom and assembled papayas and abortion instruments at stations in a lab next door. Like the others, Lesley was recovering from a big test earlier in the week, but she also had overextended herself on the treadmill. Still, in a long-sleeve, black scoop-neck top, jeans, shiny black rain boots and a tan sweater vest tied lightly at her waist, she was a picture of elegance. Her chin-length blond-streaked hair was tied into a tiny pony tail, accenting her angular features.

“This is so cool,” said Lesley, who believed she was doing something important to address the shortage of abortion doctors. After years of defending abortion rights, she would finally learn how the procedure is done.

Seems it’s not as much fun when you get down to business though.

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1) The US Postal Service
2) The Big 3 automakers
3) Public schools

What do they have in common? They are three of the most heavily unionized (if not THE most heavily unionized) industries in the United States. And they are all financial failures. They are all also in line for Federal bailouts. The Postal Service has received, and will continue to receive, subsidies to stay afloat, and state and local jurisdictions are jumping on the bailout bandwagon because property tax revenues are shrinking due to the housing crisis.

This is another reason card check should be portrayed as un-patriotic (along with that whole killing-the-secret-ballot thing). The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over again and expecting a different result. If there is any doubt that unions are job-killers and business-killers, the above list and their records of success should put those doubts to rest.

The MSM has been successful in making mainstream America think conservatives are mindless ninnies. But we have one resource the MSM and liberals don’t have.

YOU.

In my last post I talked about getting out from behind your computer and doing some heavy lifting. The more I think about this, the more committed I am that we MUST do this. The RNC can’t or won’t do it, the state and even local parties won’t or can’t. So here is the homework.

1) Identify the service opportunities in your area. Think small. Homeowners Associations, PTAs, local jurisdiction committees, whatever. They are out there. If you have a local Republican or conservative elected official, call him or her and ask them. Any elected official who’s been in office more than one or two terms knows where these positions are, and may even help you get on them. WARNING: they are volunteer, and they take time away from your family, friends, football games, internet chat rooms, etc. Be prepared to sacrifice.

2) Once you’ve made a list, choose two or three to focus on that match up well with your skills and/or interests. If you’re a teacher, your knowledge base on some education advisory committee will be extremely valuable. Even if it’s not a politically oriented group, ESPECIALLY if it’s not a politically oriented group, you should be there.

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With all the fuss over the presidential election, and the House and Senate, I think we are losing sight of the reality that Sarah Palin should have called to our attention.

All over the country, in EVERY SINGLE jurisdiction in America, there are places to serve. Not just volunteer, not just talk, stuff envelopes, SERVE.

Some examples: for two years, I was on the Economic Development Committee in my city of about 50 thousand people. Many of these committees and boards have open slots. You can join almost just by having a pulse and a willingness to show up and contribute.

These are the kinds of positions in which you build a record. You will have a chance to get exposure standing up for the things you believe in, and you will gain valuable experience really doing something, instead of just talking about it. You’ll also meet people who can help you take the next step–getting elected to an entry-level office.

My city’s council is non-partisan and City Council members serve four-year terms. In the last election cycle, the top three vote-getters won election. The third-highest vote total was about 2800 votes. The MOST any member spent getting elected was $4000. Shoe leather and a little bit of network building can put that kind of money and vote total together–and before you know it, you are an elected official.

YOU can do it. The resources, like GOPAC and others, are out there to help you win. You will have to sacrifice, and you will have to put your butt on the line. But it’s worth it…and Sarah Palin should have taught us all that you NEVER know where it might lead.

Via Face The State, hat tip Michael Brown’s blog (yes, THAT Michael Brown):

Sheila Glanville-Conlee, owner and curator of Amoré Antiques on Union Ave., says a Secret Service agent came into her store Thursday morning and told her she had to close her business on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. for security reasons.

The Obama event is not scheduled to begin until 3 p.m. at the intersection of South Union Avenue and D Street. The Obama camp announced the visit on Wednesday but did not release details until the next day.

Glanville-Conlee questioned why Obama couldn’t hold the event somewhere else and feels that her rights as a business owner have been trampled.

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If Barack Obama wins:

1) God still loves me and I am still forgiven.
2) My wife and son still love me.

Many other things may go wrong in this country starting tomorrow, but don’t forget to keep your priorities straight. They will ground you, and keep you focused on doing the things that will bring about the change we really need.

VOTE!!!!

This guy is throwing John McCain under the bus to cover up for his failure to recruit capable candidates and raise enough money to support them. For his failure and disloyalty, he deserves to have his career ended.

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