Newspeak illustrated

I have an AT&T Internet service, which gives me a YAHOO! portal to retrieve my sbcglobal e-mails.  (My, that's a interesting road, but not today.)

At any rate, YAHOO! has some of the lamest news stories.  Like the Top 10 cities for (fill in the blank).  You click on the story and it teases you to no end before it finally allows you to look at the Top 10 one at a time.  I've learned not to click on such stories.

Well, YAHOO! has a feature called Shine.  And the latest Shine story was about how the rumor that the incandescent light bulb is going away is FALSE.  (How green of YAHOO! to post a story like that.  The Gen Xers will love it.)  The intent is to calm our fears.  The government is not changing anything, they say.  Sort of.  Like FactCheck or MediaMatters or AttackWatch, they got it wrong.

As the story unfolds I get confused.  Actually, the 100W light bulb really is going away.  They've got a 72W that costs more but seems brighter.  And they don't even say anything about the CFL that most people will buy to replace the 100W incandescent that really isn't going away according to the story because you're supposed to buy the more expensive, new and improved 72W, because the government is forcing the 100W off the market.

Link here:
http://shine.yahoo.com/green/truth-light-bulb-law-200200491.html

Now, I don't think YAHOO! got the message yet that Congress pulled the enforcement funding from the New Years Day law, so the new law is DOA for now.

But this last minute courage isn't anything but election year fluff.  Companies that sell bulbs have been making plans for this change for months.  I really doubt they'll go all out to retool for the old 100W bulb just for a few months.

Ya gotta love Congress.  ...and YAHOO! for trying to spin the liberal agenda into gold.

PS- This super-secret new technology is called...Valdemort...I mean halogen.  But if the reporter had journalistic integrity she would have owned up to the fact that the manufacture of incandescent 100W bulbs was outlawed by Congress and you will need to buy 72W halogen bulbs (some of which look like the old incandescent) in the future.  But that would make it sound like government is telling us what to do with our lives.

The White House Position - December 2011

I recently received a form letter from The White House on immigration.  This is apparently the latest authoritative position of Obama himself:

December 9, 2011

Dear Friend:

Thank you for writing.  I have heard from many Americans concerned about immigration, and I appreciate your perspective.

Americans are rightly frustrated with our Nation's broken immigration system, and I share that frustration.  We need an immigration system that meets America's 21st century economic and security needs, and that can only be achieved by putting politics aside and coming together to develop a comprehensive solution that continues to secure our borders, holds businesses responsible for who they hire, strengthens our economic competitiveness, and requires undocumented immigrants to get right with the law.  That is how we can reaffirm our heritage as a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws.

My Administration has invested an unprecedented amount of resources, technology, and manpower to secure our borders, and our efforts are producing real results.  Today, our Southern border is more secure than ever with more law enforcement personnel working along it than at any time in American history.  Along with significant reductions in the number of people trying to cross the border illegally, crime rates along the border are down, and we have seized more illegal guns, cash, and drugs than in years past.  In addition to doing what is necessary to secure our borders, my Administration is taking action against employers who knowingly exploit people and break the law, and criminal immigrants who pose a threat to the safety of American communities. 

I remain deeply committed to working in a bipartisan way to enact immigration reform that restores accountability and responsibility to our broken immigration system.  The Federal Government has the responsibility to continue to secure our borders.  Those immigrants who are here illegally have a responsibility to pay taxes, pay a fine, learn English, and undergo background checks before they can be considered for legalization.  At the same time, we need to provide businesses a legal way to hire the workers they rely on, and a path for those workers to earn legal status.  Stopping illegal immigration also depends upon reforming our outdated system of legal immigration.  We should make it easier for the best and brightest immigrants to stay here and help create jobs in America.  The law should also stop punishing young people who were brought to this country illegally as children by giving them a chance to stay and earn a legal status if they pursue higher education or serve in our military. 

By creating a 21st century immigration system that is true to our principles, our Nation will remain a land of opportunity, prosperity, and freedom for all.  To learn more about my Administration's efforts regarding immigration, or to read our Blueprint for Immigration Reform, please visit:  www.WhiteHouse.gov/issues/immigration.

For additional information and resources on current immigration and enforcement efforts, I encourage you to visit www.dhs.gov or call 1-800-375-5283.

Sincerely,

Barack Obama

Why we like Gingrich and Cain

It is fascinating to watch the GOP presidential candidates.  The flavor-of-the-month theory sure is playing out.  Perry has a couple of weeks of fame, then Cain, followed by Gingrich.  All the while Romney keeps coming back as the choice for those of us willing to "settle" for a ho-hum candidate.

With all the TV exposure (I'm suffering from debate fatigue myself) and all the media hyping, we are being played like a yo-yo.  But that's a topic for another day.

I think we like Gingrich and Cain because they are plain-spoken.  They are willing to say the things that need to be said; things we'd like to say about the direction of our country.

No one does that better than Newt and Herman.  Romney plays the moderate and talks like a politician is supposed to talk.  He's got the lingo down...things like, "Mistakes were made," and "My esteemed colleague from Illinois,"  blah blah blah.

We are looking for some candor; some truth-telling; a little vicarious venting.  We want a candidate to tell us that Obama is clueless about what drives the economy.  We want a leader who is willing to call out this administration and congress for spending too much and leading us too far to the left.

Most of all, we want plain talk so we can figure out where they stand and what they'd do if elected.

I think that if they are this rehearsed in the primary season, they will be no good to us at all once they start wooing the moderates.