=== Todays Toon ===
The Sifter, 1920, Carrie Chapman Catt Papers“The Sifter” sorts Pro-suffrage and Anti-suffrage politicians through the sieve of the 19th Amendment. In this cartoon, the “Suffs” are doomed to political extinction. Tumbling to the ground are such famous men as President Woodrow Wilson, future President Warren G. Harding, former President William Howard Taft, and future Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes.
William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857 – March 8, 1930) was the 27th President of the United States and later the 10th Chief Justice of the United States. He is the only person to have served in both offices.
=== Bible Quote ===
“then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”- Acts 4:10,12=== Headlines ===
Affiliates of tarnished activist group ACORN are breaking away and reorganizing in an effort to restore federal funds that ran dry after hidden camera scandal — but are the new groups positioned to do any better?
White House Backs Out Of 'Sweetheart' Cuts
Deals like 'cornhusker kickback' could be extended to all states; House budget panel meets to craft 'fix-it' health bill
NYC Bank Chief in Alleged TARP Scam
Ex-president of NYC-based bank accused of using false info to drain $11M from the federal bank bailout program
Justice's Wife: Conservative to a Tea
Wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas raises public profile by jumping on the Tea Party bandwagon
Oscar-winning couple end their marriage after almost seven years but lawyers say the split is "amicable and by mutual agreement" and that the pair are committed to their kids.
Flood of boat people on the way
DARWIN has been put on alert as several hundred asylum seekers are expected to arrive within days
Kevin Rudd hits new low with voters
THE Prime Minister's personal approval rating is at its worst since he became the leader of Labor.
Caught cops let off with warnings
SCORES of police officers caught breaking traffic laws are being let off with just a warning.
Premier's alleged lover: I've no regrets
MICHELLE Chantelois says she went public with affair allegations to protect her husband, not to harm Labor's state election chances.
Plain talk, not spin, in big debate
PREMIER Kristina Keneally and Opposition Leader Barry O'Farrell will have to speak plainly in their televised debate next week, a business group said.
Mourners say farewell to little Gurshan
BODY of toddler found dead on Melbourne roadside has been cremated in an emotional ceremony in his native India.
=== Journalists Corner ===
All Hands on Deck!Obama wants all sides involved! But, which Dems are keeping the health care plan at arm's length ... and why?
===
Party On Oklahoma!
Sarah Palin's trip to the Tulsa Tea Party ... The 'Factor' has the details!
===
Pelosi's Latest Count!
As the Speaker continues her hunt for votes ... who's in, who's out, and how is she fighting to win them over?
=== Comments ===
Blaming Fox News for the Health Care MessBy Bill O'Reilly
Writing in Sunday's Washington Post, former New York Times editor Howell Raines accuses Fox News of sabotaging Obamacare and waging a jihad against the Obama administration. Raines writes:
"Why haven't America's old-school news organizations blown the whistle on [Fox News for conducting] a propaganda campaign against the Obama administration — a campaign without precedent in our modern political history? Through clever use of ... its cadre of raucous commentators, [FNC] has overturned standards of fairness and objectivity that have guided American print and broadcast journalists since World War II..."
Are you kidding me with this? Standards of fairness at The New York Times and other liberal media organizations? Come on.
Right now, liberal columnists at The New York Times outnumber conservatives 10 to one throughout the newspaper. That sounds fair, right?
Mr. Raines himself is a committed left-wing guy who surrounded himself with like-minded people in his short tenure as The Times editor.
But it is the journalism factor that is really hypocritical here.
Raines was forced to resign his position at The Times largely because of the Jayson Blair scandal, where a young reporter who benefited from affirmative action was found to be a plagiarist.
But far worse for Raines was the coverage of Iraq.
You may remember The New York Times ran a series of articles saying Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and was dodging U.N. inspectors. Largely because of that reportage, the WMD scenario that President Bush used to invade Iraq was accepted by the mainstream media. I mean, if the liberal Times was saying it...
But now, incredibly, Howell Raines has cast himself as the keeper of the journalistic flame, writing: "It is a matter of Fox turning reality on its head with ... endless repetition of its uber-lie: 'The American people do not want health care reform.'"
Oh yeah, well who's the real liar, Mr. Raines:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL O'REILLY: I believe that we do need health care reform in this country. I believe there are a lot of people who can't afford health insurance, and that the insurance companies — because I have to deal with them. I'm an employer.
ANN COULTER: Right.
O'REILLY: And I have — I'm self-insured. And it's a pain in the butt to deal with them sometimes. You know, they're trying to hose you.
COULTER: Absolutely.
O'REILLY: They're sending you all of this kind of crap that they don't have to, just to give you a hard time, wear you down.
COULTER: Right.
O'REILLY: So I think most Americans want health care reform.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
"The Factor" is the signature broadcast of the Fox News Channel, and we have covered the Obamacare debate carefully and with fairness.
As far as raucous commentators are concerned, the following FNC people support Obamacare: Alan Colmes, Juan Williams, Ellis Henican, Geraldo Rivera, Kirsten Powers, Joe Trippi, Bob Beckel and Susan Estrich. And that's just a partial list.
So what's really going on here?
Well, it's simple. Howell Raines is finished. The New York Times is bleeding, and the elite media in general has lost enormous power.
Meantime, Fox News continues to rise. There you go.
===
Manipulation, Payoffs and Lies -- The Democrats' Endgame On Health Care
By Andrea Tantaros
This week will reveal the harsh reality of corruption in the Democratic leadership. All of the Democrat’s lip service on “change you can believe in” (Obama) and “cleaning up the swamp” (Pelosi) will be exposed as hollow and untrue.
Democrats have convinced themselves that it would be far worse to do nothing on health care than listen to the concerns of the public. And they have demonstrated they will stop at nothing to get some form of legislation passed – even using the House Rules Committee to draft a new rule that would make it possible for Speaker Pelosi to pass the bill without an actual vote!
This jaw-dropping abuse of power has appropriately been labeled the “Slaughter Strategy” after Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) the tactic’s chief architect and a close Pelosi ally. It would give members of the Democratic Caucus cover. Why, you ask? Because it would skip the step that would force our lawmakers to place an “aye” vote next to a radioactive, unpopular piece of legislation that they will have to defend until Election Day in the fall.
This type of manipulation of government process might be the most perverse we’ve seen to date.
Why are they doing this, you might ask? Pelosi needs to employ any game plan she can to get her way since she’s poised to lose about a dozen members over the issue of federal funding of abortion. Though Bart Stupak, and others, will hold firm, there are members of Congress who will cave in to the Speaker’s wishes from pressure. Think of it this way: the vote on health care reform will be the defining moment that showcases who the true pro-life Democrats really are.
The White House will also help Speaker Pelosi any way it can to drag the bloody body that is the health care bill over the finish line. The Associated Press reported on Friday that though Obama has railed against the "ugly process" of cutting special deals, the president and his top advisers were prime time players in negotiations on the agreements to win votes and move the legislation forward.
So what exactly will they promise the members to get their way?
Answer: A lot. And a lot of those promises will include various ways to spend your money.
As of now, the votes for passage aren’t there. No less an expert than the House Democratic Whip revealed that the party is short of the votes on Sunday’s “Meet the Press.” This is despite Pelosi’s intentional deception to portray the picture as otherwise last Wednesday when she insisted she would have the 216 needed for victory if the bill was brought to the floor. But that was a lie; if she had the support necessary we would be watching a vote on C-SPAN. You’ve gotta believe that the second she hits the magic number, a vote will immediately be called.
This week will reveal the harsh reality of corruption in the Democratic leadership. All of the Democrat’s lip service on “change you can believe in” (Obama) and “cleaning up the swamp” (Pelosi) will be exposed as hollow and untrue. No matter the cost – financial or political – the left is prepared to do whatever it takes to score a win. But that’s the thing about cost, eventually you have to pay. And pay they will.
Sadly, so will we.
===
MICHAEL GOODWIN: Biden Tells the Truth In Israel
By Michael Goodwin
After declaring the U.S. intentions to stop Iran from getting nukes, Vice President Biden said in a speech in Israel: "I know that for Israel, there is no greater existential strategic threat. Trust me, we get that." Assuming Biden was not wandering off the White House reservation, he has rescued a policy that was drifting toward disaster
Finally someone said it. Now we must do something about it.
In his major speech in Israel, Vice President Joe Biden was refreshingly direct and straightforward: "The United States is determined to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, period."
Even the "period" was important, for it eliminates wiggle room. There are no mushy "but" or "however" caveats.
Assuming Biden was not wandering off the White House reservation, he has rescued a policy that was drifting toward disaster. President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton caused enormous confusion and concern about whether the United States was ready to accept a nuclear-armed Iran.
Both talked tough previously, but had gone soft in their endless engagement efforts. They kept the world guessing about our bottom line, especially after Clinton suggested we were getting ready to live with Iranian nukes.
As I discovered on my recent trip to Israel, such talk led many Israelis to fear the United States had thrown in the towel. The result was a heightened expectation Israel would undertake a military strike of its own.
"What is happening is that Obama is forcing Israel to take action by not doing anything to stop Iran," one top political insider told me. It was a sentiment shared across the Israeli political spectrum, which is otherwise splintered.
Whether Biden changed the dynamics depends on what we do next. Our movement toward modest sanctions seems half-hearted, and there is no reason to think China will agree to those.
Even then, it's not likely any sanctions will stop the mad mullahs' march to Armageddon.
Biden, to his credit, spoke directly to those fears and the stakes. After declaring the U.S. intentions to stop Iran from getting nukes, he said: "I know that for Israel, there is no greater existential strategic threat. Trust me, we get that."
He went on to acknowledge that a nuclear Iran "is also a threat to the security -- short-term, mid-term and long-term -- [of] the United States of America" and would start a nuclear arms race in the Mideast.
All those statements are accepted as fact by nearly every major country in the world, and yet, by its behavior, the White House looked to be ducking them. Even French President Nicolas Sarkozy felt the need to scold Obama that his dreams of a nuclear-free world were daffy if we weren't going to confront Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Of course, it's easy for the French and our Arab allies to talk tough, knowing that the solution, if it involves the use of force, will come mostly from America. But such are the burdens of the world's lone superpower, whether we like it or not.
The rocky part of Biden's trip was about whether Israel and the Palestinians will start serious talks, especially after Israel embarrassed him with a plan to build 1,600 new homes in disputed East Jerusalem.
Biden was understandably livid, but he goes too far in continuing to link the Palestinian issue to Iran. The link buys into the radical Muslim claim that U.S. and Israeli policies are the root cause of Islamic terrorism and that if those policies were changed, terrorists would drop their weapons and pick up plowshares.
If only Iran and the terrorists were so rational. In truth, they are madmen bent on destruction.
They don't want a seat at the table. They want to blow up the table, and us with it. We forget that at our peril.
===
Flim-flannery to run new bureaucracy
Piers Akerman
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has named mammal palaeontologist Tim Flannery as the head of the federal government’s new bureaucracy, the Coasts and Climate Change Council. - I think it is wrong to say that Rudd is trying to destroy Australia or that he is dangerous and deranged. He is foolish, but not stupid. He has made the kinds of mistakes that populists have in the past. He is committed to his record at the expense of his present. The reason why it is wrong to put Flannery in charge of this is because we know Flannery is loose with the truth, and willing to inflate the Rudd line so as to achieve a historical record commensurate with what Rudd wishes to achieve. It is too late for Rudd to do anything worthwhile, so now Rudd has to create a situation which allow those that follow to claim he has been misrepresented by those whom he has hurt.
Already Flannery has claimed recent rises in water levels double that of published material. It isn’t a matter of believing what Flannery says, but having someone who is not Rudd spouting the falsehoods Rudd will need to justify his pathetic actions in office. - ed
Trader repliedJJ, Trader, you are correct in that his actions are that. His intentions are not. He is not a good christian (I’m not judging him, merely observing his expressed beliefs). The issue is one to do with reporting. There is no a difference between what a deranged person would do and what Rudd does. In fact, he is inept. Incompetent. Misguided. Foolish. And more besides. It is true that there will be a significant cost for voting him in that Australians should not have to bear. However, compare him to Mugabe, Pol Pot, Stalin, Chavez, Castro, Idi Amin and so on and you will see he is not dangerous like they were, or are. He is corrupt. He is a threat to the well being of Australians. He is probably responsible for many who have died during his term of office through negligence and over reaching. But he still has a way to fall. - ed.
I think he is dangerous. Dangerous to the Australian economy and way of life. He is deranged because he is throwing the country into disorder and as you say, is appointing people that will lie in order to make him look good.
By all measures, he is not suitable for office.
John Jay replied
“I think it is wrong to say that Rudd is trying to destroy Australia or that he is dangerous and deranged.”
There are spiritual forces in this world.
Those who are more aligned to the dark side are aligned to a force that is hostile to humanity.
A leader who is aligned thus, and Rudd is, is extremely dangerous.
Whether he knows it or not (and this is not the point), he is a person who can easily be influenced inwardly, by virtue of where he is on the spiritual spectrum, by forces hostile to humanity.
This has already occurred many, many times.
===
What warnings did Rudd get of this disaster, and when?
Andrew Bolt
Kevin Rudd is only one serious fire from political meltdown:
The federal government’s botched insulation program has created a minefield of potential firetraps, a senior Victorian fire investigator has warned.
Metropolitan Fire Brigade Commander Ian Hunter spoke out today after a roof fire caused by poorly installed insulation in Melbourne - the 18th of its type this year.
“My gut feeling is that what we’re seeing is a bit like a war zone - the war might be over but all the mines are still there,” Mr Hunter said.
Mr Hunter heads the MFB’s fire investigation unit and said it was lucky no one had been killed or seriously injured from fires caused by dodgy insulation.
===
Lovelock: sceptics “kept us sane”
Andrew Bolt
Green guru James Lovelock, father of the Gaia theory, praises climate sceptics:
I think you have to accept that the sceptics have kept us sane — some of them, anyway… They have been a breath of fresh air. They have kept us from regarding the science of climate change as a religion. It had gone too far that way. There is a role for sceptics in science. They shouldn’t be brushed aside. It is clear that the angel side wasn’t without sin.(Thanks to reader Matthew.)
===
The barbarian of our Age
Andrew Bolt
Another example of how atheists seem to be walking, ranting evidence of the need for Christianity’s civilising influence. This time it’s Age writer Catherine Deveny, who last night tweeted this about fellow Q&A panellist Peter Dutton:
Had nightmare they sat me next to a chinless, ex QLD cop with a face of a rapist who refused to go to the stolen generation apology #qandaThen there’s this defamatory lie:
Peter Dutton in the green room, ”I don’t like those abos. They come to our country, steal our jobs, marry our women.” #qandaWhat puzzles me is that a Deveny is so sure of her superior virtue that she feels free to act like a monster. She is the vileness she damns.
(Thanks to reader Ben.)
===
Selling out Israel
Andrew Bolt
American Jews are right to worry about Barack Obama’s hostility to Israel, and weakness to its enemies. As the American Israel Public Affairs Committee puts it:
The Administration should make a conscious effort to move away from public demands and unilateral deadlines directed at Israel, with whom the United States shares basic, fundamental, and strategic interests. The escalated rhetoric of recent days only serves as a distraction from the substantive work that needs to be done with regard to the urgent issue of Iran’s rapid pursuit of nuclear weapons, and the pursuit of peace between Israel and all her Arab neighbors.I understand from excellent sources that Israel is also alarmed by Kevin Rudd’s increasingly hostile comments (esepcially these) and policies, and major Labor donors among the Jewish Left are finding it much harder to reach for their wallets.
We strongly urge the Administration to work closely and privately with our partner Israel, in a manner befitting strategic allies, to address any issues between the two governments.
===
Quiggin’s second effort is still a slime
Andrew Bolt
[UPDATE: Quiggin offers a partial and unsatisfactory apology to me (not yet to McIntyre) in comments below.]
A commenter on Watts Up With That notes Professor John Quiggin’s efforts to cover his tracks after sliming gentlemanly sceptic Steve McIntyre as a thief and liar:
Quiggin has been altering his post in what looks like an attempt to make it less defamatory. Quiggin already shut down comments after it was pointed out in his thread that his post was likely defamatory.Well, no. I should add that I last night sent an email to Quiggin (UPDATE: who has form for this) after reading a defamatory email he’d circulated to leading alarmists:
Google’s cached version of the page from March 13th is here (I have this saved in case google updates their cache).. Quiggin’s current version of the post is here…
Some differences. The latest version adds the following sentence to the first paragraph:“It seems unlikely at this point that the hacker/leaker wll be identified, so as far as criminal liability is concerned, we will probably never know.”In the original version Quiggin stated:“there is enough to point to Steven McIntyre as the person, along with the actual hacker or leaker, who bears primary moral responsibility for the crime.”Which he subsequently changed to:“there is enough to point to Steven McIntyre as the person (along with the actual hacker or leaker of course) who bears primary moral responsibility for the crime.”("of course” is new).
In the original version Quiggin stated:“Whether or not he [McIntyre] was directly involved in the theft, or merely created the opportunity and benefited from the proceeds is impossible to determine, and essentially irrelevant.”Which has been changed to:
“Whether or not he [McIntyre] was directly involved in the theft, or merely created the opportunity and benefited from the proceeds is impossible to determine, and essentially irrelevant in moral terms.”
("in moral terms” is new).
In the current post he states“Note: I’ve updated this to correct some errors.”I don’t think these changes constitute error-correction.
===
Why Dawkins is what he opposes
Andrew Bolt
Melanie Phillips on the totalitarian mindset of professional atheist and slimer Richard Dawkins:
Indeed, he seems almost to believe that, since everyone who believes in God is stupid or evil and Christians are stupid and evil because they believe in God, those who oppose him must be Christian and can be treated with contempt.UPDATE
I had first-hand experience of this when, addressing an audience of US atheists, he accused me of “lying for Jesus” by misquoting him. This came as something of a surprise since I am a Jew…
This anecdote raises in turn the most intriguing question of all about Dawkins. Just why is he so angry and why does he hate religion so much? ...
An illuminating example was provided by an atheists summer camp for children last year in Britain that Dawkins backed. The children who took part were to be taught to be critical thinkers, yet all discussion of religion was ruthlessly excluded. Far from opening young minds, this was shutting them in the ostensible cause of reason.
Such indoctrination is a hallmark of the fundamentalist who knows he is not just right but righteous. So all who oppose him are by definition not just wrong but evil. Which is why alternative views must be howled down or suppressed.
This is, of course, the characteristic of all totalitarian regimes, including religious inquisitions.
Nice comment on last night’s Q&A from Bill Shorten:
The atheists are just another bunch of people looking for someone to believe in. You know, they just don’t like the current choices.
===
Labor on precipice, but Rudd falling, falling
Andrew Bolt
There’s been a profound shift in the way voters view Kevin Rudd, and I suspect things will only get worse for him:
KEVIN Rudd’s personal approval is at its worst since he became opposition leader in December 2006, and the Coalition is in its best position on primary votes since John Howard was prime minister and Kim Beazley was Labor leader.UPDATE
Despite the unveiling of the Rudd government’s $50 billion plan to fix public hospitals, and the Prime Minister’s frenetic media appearances and meetings with premiers over his health plan in the past two weeks, satisfaction with Mr Rudd has hit a new low of 48 per cent and dissatisfaction is at a new high of 41 per cent.
This is his worst approval rating since he replaced Mr Beazley as Labor leader....
Based on the distribution of preferences at the last election and a rise in the Greens’ support, the Rudd government still has an election-winning lead on a two-party-preferred basis of 52 per cent to 48 per cent.
Dennis Shanahan:
Rudd still has a 48 per cent satisfaction rating… This is not too bad, but it’s a long way from his record-high satisfaction rating of 71 per cent in early 2008, and comes at the end of a trend of decline since the end of September last year of 19 percentage points.UPDATE 2
During a similar period, Labor’s primary vote has fallen nine percentage points, from 48 per cent to 39 per cent last weekend.
Rudd’s stocks are falling inside the party, too. Simon Benson reports:
KEVIN Rudd was “white hot” with anger… As the PM prepared to deliver an important power point presentation on his health reforms to his MPs at a caucus meeting last week, (Fixit Minister Greg) Combet ... jumped up and proceeded to tell the Labor party room how buggered the home insulation scheme was…
By the time Mr Combet had finished, 45 minutes later, the PM was out of time and had to cancel his presentation…
Mr Combet, who was once spoken of as a future leader and clearly still thinks of himself that way, was also said to have told dinner guests he had advised the PM two weeks ago he was happy to take on the task of fixing insulation, as long as he could do it his way.
“If any of your staffers come near my office, I’ll throw them out myself,” Mr Combet had reportedly told the PM.
Mr Combet’s boldness has surprised many in the party room, and has resonated with what a growing group of Mr Rudd’s right-wing MPs are now thinking.
===
Rudd’s women problem
Andrew Bolt
Niki Savva, in writing on sex and the politician, adds this by-the-way gossip:
Rudd did not seem to have the same carefree time as a student. We know he cleaned Laurie Oakes’s house and met Rein, but around Canberra Rudd is remembered less flatteringly as a dobber and a wowser. Fairly or not, fingers were pointed at him when a fellow Australian National University student was expelled from the campus residence after authorities were told he was living with a woman who later became his wife. Years later, as Prime Minister, Rudd stripped the respected public servant Hugh Borrowman of a decent diplomatic posting.As for women trouble:
There are those who say there is a connection between these two events, decades apart. I couldn’t possibly comment on that, but simply ask whether it is conceivable Rudd would carry a grudge for so long.
Although we keep hearing about how women feel threatened by Abbott, and there is a bit of truth to that, it is Rudd who comes across as the one who has trouble dealing with women. Rudd has gone through more than half a dozen female personal assistants since he became Prime Minister. He reduced a female flight attendant to tears, allegedly disparaged a woman working on her PhD, and was overheard abusing Keneally over hospital funding.Oh, and there was this:
===
Hello goodbye
Andrew Bolt
What’s the point of this fleeting afterthought of a visit?
BARACK Obama’s trip to Australia is going ahead but his 24-hour visit will be contained to Canberra… Mr Obama’s shortened itinerary - which allows him to spend more time in Indonesia - will include a meeting with Governor-General Quentin Bryce and a range of events to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Australia-US alliance.
===
Rather revealing
Andrew Bolt
Aah, the internalised racism of the patronising Left. Example: Dan Rather.
Oh, and Chris Matthews? The man Rather is talking to? Here’s his own effort:
===
Why isn’t the ABC’s Media Watch as fair as Fox’s?
Andrew Bolt
Gerard Henderson says no more than the truth:
The ABC does not like hearing this. But there is more diversity on Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News than can be found on most ABC programs. Such left-of-centre commentators as Alan Colmes, Kirsten Powers, Joe Trippi and Juan Williams are regular Fox commentators. What’s more, the Fox program News Watch hears the views of two conservatives and two liberals (in the American sense of the term) each week. There is no debate on Media Watch.Newman is correct in drawing the ABC’s attention to the need of a spirit of genuine inquiry. This will not occur until the ABC becomes genuinely pluralistic and junks fashionable group-think. Let’s drink to that tonight.
===
Yes, I agree with Bob Brown
Andrew Bolt
Bob Brown is right:
CONCERN about rapid population growth is likely to become a potential election issue after the opposition indicated it would support a Greens proposal for an inquiry into the prospect of a bigger Australia.Where the Liberals and Greens would tend to differ is that one would think the infrastructure worth building, the other that we should go without.
The Greens leader, Bob Brown, said yesterday that the inquiry would hold hearings in every capital city, asking whether Australia had the environmental, housing and transport capacity to meet a predicted increase in population to 36 million by mid-century.
‘’We don’t have the infrastructure to deal with 21 million people at the moment - for example, public transport and water infrastructure - let alone the estimated 35 million people by mid-century,’’ Senator Brown said.
But just importing hundreds of thousands of new Australians each year without building what they’d need is folly.
PS
A tip: this inquiry will not dare consider one of the key concerns many Australians would have. Is importing so many immigrants now adding to our cohesiveness, or dissolving our already weakening glue? - I disagree with both of them, but support the Liberal party. I want more migrants, and more infrastructure to be built. - ed.
===
If it’s good for poor Aborigines, it’s good for poor whites
Andrew Bolt
Good in principle:
IN a policy reversal by the Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott, the shadow cabinet decided yesterday to support the Rudd government’s embrace of the principle of income management on a national basis…The argument against, though? According to opposition spokesman for indigenous affairs, Kevin Andrews:
The bill, sponsored by Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin, departs from a century of Labor Party social welfare policy. It is under attack from many of Australia’s welfare groups.
Ms Macklin’s bill softens the Howard income-management system but extends the principle to indigenous and white communities across the entire Territory and creates a mechanism to extend the principle nationally.
In reversing the shadow cabinet rejection of the bill, Mr Abbott told colleagues his change of mind mainly arose because of Labor’s plan to extend income management…
Ms Macklin’s bill provides for the compulsory quarantining of 50 per cent of welfare payments for disadvantaged people in certain categories to ensure money is spent on essentials and children - not grog and drugs.
(This is) an extension that amounts to a watering down of income management in the indigenous communities.Andrews also doubts the Government really will extend the scheme nationally.
===
Too much like pay to play. Out with him
Andrew Bolt
Throw him out:
FEDERAL Liberal MP Michael Johnson has admitted seeking and receiving commissions for introducing foreign and Australian business leaders.Charging a fee for doing the kind of thing taxpayers have already paid you for may be legal but looks to me too close to corruption. That, or it’s moonlighting. The screams of “racism” make me trust Johnson even less.
The embattled three-term politician last night defended the practice as “unorthodox, but legal”, as his Queensland party bosses demanded he hand over more of his fundraising records before they decide whether to endorse him to contest the seat of Ryan.
Mr Johnson has claimed racism within the ranks of the Queensland Liberals is behind allegations of personal fraud, misappropriation and corruption now being probed by party officials and which have delayed his pre-selection for the once blue-ribbon, now marginal, seat of Ryan in Brisbane. Mr Johnson denies all of these allegations.
Sources have told The Australian that part of the investigation centres on the activities of the Australia-China Development Association, a not-for-profit company he set up five years ago that has helped sponsor his extensive overseas travel.
Mr Johnson said yesterday he had sought and received payments—made to the association—for introducing business leaders.
“I have made introductions to Australian business people, for them to negotiate deals, and some have shown their appreciation by making donations to the association,” he said. “I have asked in the past and I would ask again.”
Out.
UPDATE
In Johnson’s defence.
===
Rudd tries to insulate us from the facts
Andrew Bolt
What did Kevin Rudd know about the $1.5 billion insulation disaster he was unleashing, and when did he know it:
(Opposition Leader Tony) Abbott focused on the scheme in question time on Monday, claiming Mr Rudd had failed to disclose four “personal briefings” he received from bureaucrats on the insulation scheme, from last August.Why this secrecy?
Information made public by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet shows the insulation briefings took place - but doesn’t reveal what was said.
UPDATE
Melbourne radio is reporting this morning that two house fires overnight - at Doncaster and East Malvern - are suspected of being caused by insulation.
(Thanks to readers Case and John of Bundoora.)
===
Can’t beat Rudd’s installation art
Andrew Bolt
Big deal, Kevin Rudd paid $1.5 billion to do the same trick with the insulation he’s now spending $50 million to remove:
TWO women paid thousands of dollars to stack and unstack piles of house bricks in Melbourne’s CBD are among artists collecting ratepayer funds for bizarre projects.(Thanks to reader Case.)
The city council has awarded Sydney artists Michaela Gleave and Kate Mitchell $5500 to build and immediately take down five 1.5m walls over five days in May.
===
Abbott cruises through Four Corners
Andrew Bolt
Yes, Liz Jackson is of the Left and has an agenda. Her heckling of Tony Abbott over his abortion views was evidence of that.
But on the whole I thought her portrayal of the new Oppostion Leader on Four Corners tonight was as fair as Abbott could have expected. Certainly her choice of critical voices, notably Tim Costello, turned out to damage Abbott less than themselves. But there were rather a lot of critics chosen, weren’t there? It’s to articulate Abbott’s credit that he made their criticism seem so weak.
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