Fenger Pointing
Becky Fenger | September 16, 2009
Winners and losers
What a wild weekend! Kayne West rips the microphone from country singer Taylor Swift's hand at the MTV Video Music Awards to rant that Beyonce should have won instead. Then tennis great Serena Williams was anything but serene when she lobbed obscenities at a line judge at the U.S. Open. And Chris Wallace of Fox News Sunday pummeled U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina on whether he would apologize – one more time – for shouting out "You lie!" during President Obama's address to the joint session.
As boorish as all this was, it can't match the ridiculous column by Maureen Dowd of the New York Times in which she accused Rep. Wilson of racism. Dowd insists that he really wanted to yell, "You lie, boy!" Her studied opinion is: "Some people just can't believe a black man is president and will never accept it." Disliking the plan is not hating the man, Maureen.
Dowd claims President Obama told the truth when he denied that illegal aliens would receive health care under his health care reform plan. But the Center for Immigration Studies estimates that 6.6 million uninsured illegal immigrants could receive benefits under the bill now being considered. "While the bill states that illegal immigrants are not eligible for the new taxpayer-funded affordability credits, there is nothing in the bill to enforce this provision," their report states, and Congress refused to add that requirement. So who is fooling whom?
Furthermore, if all uninsured illegal aliens with incomes below 400 percent of poverty level – the income ceiling for the plan's new benefits – received the new credits, the estimated cost to taxpayers would be $30.5 billion annually.
It is also possible illegals could be covered by the expansion of Medicaid, since no proof of legal status is required to receive benefits under the reform plan. Of course, Obama could have told the truth when he said no illegal immigrants would get benefits IF indeed he intends to turn all illegals into citizens of the United States. Liberals have long lusted after this made-to-order new voting bloc.
It looks like Vice President Joe Biden needs a refresher course in liberal vocabulary. He spoke of "illegal aliens," then quickly corrected himself and used the phrase, "undocumented aliens." No, Joe, the word "aliens" is just as verboten in their lexicon as is the term "illegal." Some folks are just slow learners.
Now, for some Miscellaneous Observations in a crazy world:
If I never witness well-dressed people at a solemn affair chewing gum again, it will be too soon. The sight of these transgressors of good taste at Ted Kennedy's funeral blew the vision of Camelot to hell and back. I made the same notation when I watched Janet Napolitano's audience during her speech at the Capitol to open the legislative session. Remember what your mothers said about cows chewing their cuds, people.
I never cease to be amazed by the inventiveness of Madison Avenue. As I was shopping for makeup foundation, I read the label with amusement. The formula contains caffeine which "awakens and firms tired skin." Hmmm. If I wear the makeup to bed, will my face have insomnia?
James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles are heroes for going undercover as a pimp and prostitute to ACORN offices and videotaping employees encouraging them to lie and cheat to get taxpayer money for housing. Far worse than showing Giles how to get thousands of dollars in deductions for her hooker wardrobe and grooming tools is the advice to them to see that the smuggled underage girls from El Salvador go to school!
The best thing to come out of their efforts in Baltimore, Washington, D.C. and Brooklyn was the Census Bureau severing its ties with ACORN, whose members had already been hired to canvas in the 2010 census. This is big. If their cheating were to be as rampant in the census taking as in their vote fraud, the ramifications would be devastating to conservatives. With Barack Obama coming up through the ranks of ACORN to be their legal advisor, he must be proud of his legacy.
The first thing lawmakers should do is demand that no stimulus funds be directed to ACORN until it can quit breaking the law. As it now stands, this far-left crooked outfit is slated to receive billions of dollars from taxpayers' wallets. Why should we subsidize fraud?