Tuesdays with Paulie 3/25/08

CBS Exposes Hillary's Lies
What a difference twelve years make

Twelve years ago today Hillary Clinton with daughter Chelsea at her side landed in Bosnia to visit U.S. troops. If you watch the original CBS story that aired that evening, you can see it is a shameful media 'puff' piece that was very typical of the Clinton Broadcasting System during the heyday of the Clinton administration. However times have changed and those changes don't favor the former first lady during her run for the White House.

While Hillary touts her experience over sen. Barack Obama, she forgets that the leftist media no longer regards her as the chosen one and has anointed her opponent as the do no wrong saviour of America. Therefore when she lies she will be caught. That is exactly what CBS has done, ironically using the same old promotional story to embarrass her and expose her as a liar.

"I remember landing under sniper fire," the former first lady tells an audience about her trip to Bosnia. She makes the remarks trying to show that she is battle tested and ready to be commander and chief on day one. The problem she didn't anticipate was CBS or the now Candidate Barack Save us network showing the actual landing video that shows her and Chelsea getting out of helicopter and walking with smiles on their faces to awaiting transportation.

During her speech she claims that there was supposed to be a "greeting ceremony," but instead had to run to transport vehicles with "our heads down," again insisting they came under gunfire. The reality is that there was a ceremony that Clinton used as a photo opportunity to show her accepting a card and a hug from a little girl....oops! Never thought that publicity stunt would come back to bite you on the ass.

It's harder to name a smarter more powerful political couple than Bill and Hillary Clinton. Throughout the 90's and most of this decade the media longed for the day when the Clinton's would once again occupy the White House, restoring America and prostituting the Oval Office and Lincoln Bedroom. However Bill and Hillary never imagined a day when the media zombies would turn on them, mindlessly following another, while using whatever little journalism skills remaining against them.

That day has arrived and while the Obama family is vacationing in the Caribbean, Hillary and her spin machine are trying to figure out how they can control damaged caused by an old friend who is now a new foe...CBS.


Politicians want to punish you
Michigan Democrat wants to raise the gas tax

Leave it to an incompetent such as Michigan congressman John Dingell (D) to come up with the brilliant idea to raise gas taxes 50 cents per gallon in an effort to cut back on consumption. At a time when the poor are being devastated by the high cost of gasoline and the middle-class is struggling as well, leave it to an economically challenged Democrat to find a way to screw the everyday working man in an effort to please environmentalists.

Dingell's proposal is a prime example of how politicians are too often completely out of touch with the average American. Nobody in their right mind wouldn't want to see our dependence on foreign oil greatly reduced. However the answer isn't higher taxes that only hurt the lower and middle class. The answer is different energy sources and drilling in Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico.

The harsh reality is that alternative fuels will not replace gasoline for decades. In the meantime lets get our oil from sources that don't financially support terrorism, which includes the governments of Venezuela, Iran and the Saudi Royal family.

If the United States would of started drilling in ANWR back in 1995, we would be enjoying that oil today and be less dependent on foreign governments. Sadly President Clinton vetoed the budget proposal that included an ANWR provision and and expressed his intention to veto any other bill that would open ANWR to drilling.

Why the Bush administration didn't revive the issue especially after 9/11 and with a GOP controlled congress we will never know.

The fact is that China and India are drastically increasing their oil consumption and abide by no pollution standards. Even if all Americans abandoned their cars, global emissions would fall by less than one percent. So much for helping the environment.

Priority one is security. America has failed to reduce it's reliability on foreign oil. We have been debating ANWR since the 1960's and have seen the debate escalate since the 1970's oil crisis. We had a golden opportunity in the 1990's to utilize oil on American soil, but thanks to Bill Clinton and politicians on both sides of the aisle who fear the Sierra Club more than Islamic extremism, we failed to do so.

The ANWR debate is dead with a Democrat controlled congress. After November I assure you that many elected officials in Washington will seriously consider the Dingell idea. Better find your Schwinn bicycle with the banana seat you had as kid.

Nepotism alive and lucrative in Cook County
Stroger's cousin gets 12% pay raise, while your taxes go up

When Cook County Board President Todd Stroger introduced his cousin Donna Dunnings as the county's new chief financial officer last year, he claimed she was taking a salary far less than the previous CFO. One year later, sales taxes significantly increased and county employees, residents and departments forced to make sacrifices, Todd's cousin is receiving the largest pay raise of any county employee and will make about 5k more than her predecessor.

Call it arrogance, chutzpah or typical Cook County politics, the situation is despicable. "It sends the message that taxpayers have to make sacrifices and President Stroger's friends, family and supporters get special treatment," said Jay Stewart, of the Better Government Association. "It is a classic example of how Cook County politicians look at the world -- one set of rules for the outsiders and a different, more favorable set of rules for the insiders."

Stroger's cousin is not the only person benefiting from who she knows. Purchasing agent Carmen Triche-Colvin -- wife of Stroger's best friend -- also is set for a double-digit raise, as she now makes $116,000 and the 2008 budget shows she is to be paid $133,079.

Many other county employees close to Stroger are receiving hefty pay raises according to the 2008 budget. Some of them claim they are not taking the increases, but the budget reserves them the right to accept the pay hikes anytime during the year. Which means when the media is paying attention.

This reminds me. My wife and I are buying a TV this weekend. Better make sure we drive the extra 5 minutes and make the purchase outside Cook County so we can save money. I think I'll fill up the gas tank as well, while I'm out of Crook County.

Paulie