Friday, February 6, 2009

Newest National Debt Statistics posted February 2009

The following information was compiled through statistics found at www.TreasuryDirect.gov

National Debt (as of Feb. 5, 2009)
Held by the Public: $6,410,020,402,165.47
Intragovernmental: $4,307,977,718,122.23
Total: $10,717,998,123,287.70

Interest:
January 2009: $3,132,139,257.38
Fiscal Year 2009: $138,450,208.820.69

Gifts to reduce the Public Debt
December 2008: $56,102.15
Fiscal Year 2009: $512,826.72

Increase in Debt this fiscal year:
$693,273,226,375.21

Increase in Debt since Obama Adminstration took office:
$89,116,637,777.47

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Club for Growth Announces First "Comrade of the Month" Winner

Barney Frank Takes Prize in a Landslide

From a Press Release from "Club for Growth"

Washington – The Club for Growth’s award to the first Comrade of the Month goes to...Democratic Rep. Barney Frank (MA-04).

As Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, Rep. Frank won the award for his instrumental role in shepherding the $700 billion TARP plan through Congress. This program marked a massive expansion of government and intrusion into the free market. By rewarding irresponsible actors, it sets a dangerous precedent that will have negative effects for years to come. Rep. Frank’s role in this process is all the more offensive, considering his persistent opposition to serious reform of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae over the past couple of years.
The Comrade of the Month award will be awarded at the end every month to the public official or figure who best lives up to the policies of big government and favors restrictions on economic freedom.

Throughout the month of January, the Club for Growth received nominations from people all across the country. At the end of the month, the Club selected five nominees for Club for Growth members to vote on. Barney Frank won January’s title by an overwhelming margin.
“Barney Frank has certainly done his fair share to grow the size and power of the federal government at the expense of hard-working taxpayers,” said Club for Growth President Pat Toomey. “We hope this award will shine an even brighter light on the most egregious policies that seek to limit economic freedom.”

Minnesota's 4th Congressional District Representative Betty McCollum (D) and Florida Governor Charlie Crist were also nominated.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Club for Growth 'Comrade of the Month' nominations Jan 2009

From the Club for Growth website:

January's 'Comrade of the Month' Finalists

The Club just announced the finalists for our first ever "Comrade of the Month" award. An email was sent to Club members today to let them vote on the overall winner, which will be announced on Monday.

So here are finalists for January:

FLORIDA GOV. CHARLIE CRIST: State Farm Insurance recently announced that it would stop selling property insurance in the Sunshine State due to overly punitive government regulations. In response, Crist was unremorseful. He said, ""Well, they probably charge the highest rates in the state anyway. I think Floridians will be much better off without them." Crist now wants to punish State Farm by kicking their auto insurance business out of Florida as well. Crist tries to pass himself off as a fiscal conservative, but his actions as governor contradict his rhetoric.

REP. BARNEY FRANK (D-MA): As head of the House Financial Services Committee, Frank was instrumental in shepherding the $700 billion TARP plan through Congress. This new program did something that was unthinkable only a few years ago -- government ownership of the nation's largest banks. This has set a dangerous precedent that will have long-lasting negative effects for years to come. What's particularly offensive is that Frank routinely defended Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae when both companies were taking on more and more bad loans, which led to the current economic crisis.

CHICAGO MAYOR RICHARD DALEY: Townhall's Amanda Carpenter recently wrote, "Chicago Mayor Richard Daley has kicked hundreds of families out of their homes and relocated a cemetery full of buried bodies to build a whopping $15 billion airport expansion Chicago residents oppose, airlines don't want and he doesn't have the money to build. The kicker is that Daley stands a solid chance of getting a good chunk of the boondoggle funded in Washington's forthcoming stimulus bill under Barack Obama's pledge to dramatically increase infrastructure spending." It's almost too unbelievable to be true, but it is. Here's the underlying legislation.

REP. BETTY MCCOLLUM (D-MN): From a Club member: "I'd like to nominate Rep. Betty McCollum of Minnesota's 4th District. Fortunately she's not my Congressman, but last week she introduced H.J. Res. 4, which proposes a Constitutional Amendment decreeing health care is a Constitutional right" It's clear that McCollum doesn't understand economic liberty. Nothing can be considered a "right" when obtaining that right strips the rights from someone else. The text of her resolution can be found here.

BOB BECKEL: This nominee actually makes his own case for the award. The liberal pundit (and former manager for the Mondale campaign) asked a conservative pundit on TV, "What's wrong with some form of socialism in certain areas?" You can watch the video here (at 3m50s mark).

Crist, McCollum up for 'Comrade of the Month' award

Charlie Crist up for supply-siders’ ‘Comrade of the Month’ award
by Wayne Garcia

The Club for Growth, Grover Norquist’s supply-side neocon outpost, puts a boot into Florida’s governor this week as it institutes its first Comrade of the Month award:

FLORIDA GOV. CHARLIE CRIST: State Farm Insurance recently announced that it would stop selling property insurance in the Sunshine State due to overly punitive government regulations. In response, Crist was unremorseful.

He said, “”Well, they probably charge the highest rates in the state anyway. I think Floridians will be much better off without them.” Crist now wants to punish State Farm by kicking their auto insurance business out of Florida as well. Crist tries to pass himself off as a fiscal conservative, but his actions as governor contradict his rhetoric.

Crist is up against Congressman Barney Frank, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, Congresswoman Betty McCollum and liberal pundit Bob Beckel. All Democrats

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