As I write, Madison, Wisconsin has imploded in a scene reminiscent of the upheaval in the Middle East.

At least 15 school systems in Wisconsin cancelled classes today because 1,100 called in sick.

At least 10,000 employees and supporters rallied yesterday in Madison in opposition to legislation supported by Republican Gov. Scott Walker.

I guess they screamed themselves sick.

Per cnn.com:

Classes were not held today in the Madison Metropolitan School District, because the Wisconsin Education Association Council called for people to come to the Capitol on Thursday and Friday to “stand beside your neighbors, family and friends to help our voices be heard.”

40 percent of 2,600 teachers, assistants, social workers and psychologists in the bargaining unit called in sick late Tuesday, forcing the district to cancel Wednesday’s classes for 24,500 students.

And this just in from 620wtmj.com:

The Wisconsin State Senate has some members MIA.

It is supposed to be discussing, debating and, maybe,voting on Governor Scott Walker’s budget bill, the Democrats have gotten the Heck outta Dodge.

Law enforcement officials are trying to find at least one Democratic senator to bring in for a quorum, but, according to River Hills Republican Senator Alberta Darling, all the Democrats got on one bus and left the state.

The discussion, debate and vote will not occur until a 3/5ths quorum can be reached.

Is it over some tyrannical decree by an uncaring politician? Is it a life or death situation? Well…if you listen to Jessie Lidbury, regional field organizer, it is:

We’ve got a fight on our hands and it’s personal. Over the past few days serious developments have surfaced of Governor Scott Walker presenting a “Budget Repair Bill” that will essentially gut collective bargaining for public employees here in our own backyard of Wisconsin.

Over the next couple days nurses, teachers, snowplow drivers, prison guards, and public servants will be standing together to let Governor Walker, know what is at stake: livelihoods, heath care, our children’s education, and the rights of all workers.

A regional field organizer for whom, you ask? Well, let them tell you:

Organizing for America is mobilizing on the ground in Wisconsin to defend the rights of public employees from an attempt by the governor to take away their right to organize.

Got it?

ORGANIZING FOR AMERICA…AS IN BARACKOBAMA.COM…THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA.

The same guy who said to TMJ4 in Milwaukee:

Some of what I’ve heard coming out of Wisconsin, where you’re just making it harder for public employees to collectively bargain generally, seems like more of an assault on unions.

All of this is happening because officials from the Wisconsin Governor’s Office told the Wisconsin State Employees Union on Friday that expired collective bargaining agreements would be canceled March 13. The previous arrangement made with State Employee Unions can be terminated with 30 days notice.

Also, last Friday, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker presented a budget repair bill that removes nearly all collective bargaining rights for almost all public employees in Wisconsin. The measure will make it easier for employers to fire workers that engage in some form of labor unrest.

Just like this.

The voters of Wisconsin put in a Conservative Governor for a reason.  They were tired of state government largesse and out-of-control Progressively-driven situations like the one that is unfolding right before the country’s eyes today.

Unfortunately, the situation in Wisconsin is just the beginning.  With the Administration behind them, Union thugs and Progressive pinheads will continue to have temper tantrums, such as we’re witnessing today, as the wishes of the American people, who spoke loudly and clearly on November 2nd, 2010, are carried out.

Gird your loins.

President Barack Hussein Obama released his long-awaited budget on Monday, and he did not disappoint…if you are a radical who wants to drive the greatest nation on Earth completely out of existence.

This unbelievably irresponsible budget projects the biggest one-year debt jump in history during 2011, nearly $2 trillion, reaching $15.476 trillion by Sept. 30, which would be the the end of the fiscal year. That would be 102.6 percent of Gross Domestic Product. This would be the first time since World War II that this shameful figure has been reached.

Additionally, this failure of leadership, called a budget, calls for Obama’s government to run a deficit of $1.645 trillion this year, which will be more than $230 billion over 2009’s budgetary record. By contrast, 2007’s deficit was just $160 billion altogether.

Gosh, didn’t the Dems take over Congress in 2007?

This new budget outlines more than $200 billion in higher taxes for oil and gas companies, banks and multinational firms, which will not make these businesses very happy, to say the least. It also leaves out an essential promise that Obama has made to big business:  overhauling the corporate tax code in order to lower the overall rate that businesses pay.

Caroline Harris, chief tax counsel for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said:

I’m just extremely disappointed. I certainly did not expect to see a full plan. But I did think some good-faith effort would have gone a long way with the business community.

The White House says it remains interested in working with lawmakers and businesses to overhaul of the corporate tax code.

And if you believe that, I have a bridge over the Mississippi River to sell you.

The budget increases also raise the fee that businesses pay the government to backstop their pensions plans.

This new proposal would allow the government agency that guarantees corporate pensions for 44 million Americans to raise premiums to make up for the agency’s own massive budget deficit. Even though the administration’s budget document said the proposal would raise $16 billion over the next decade, it would still fall short of what the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. needs to be solvent.

In order to cover for Obama’s gross negligence, Congress will be called on to vote to raise the debt limit later this year.

Republicans are not impressed by the president’s proclivity for sharing our wealth:

Sen. Lamar Alexander, of Tennessee said:

I still don’t see a sense of urgency from the president about the massive federal debt His budget calls for too much government borrowing — even though the debt is already at a level that makes it harder to create private-sector jobs.

Speaking of sharing our wealth…have you heard that the workers at Government Motors are all getting bonuses for the company’s turnaround, which was financed by our tax dollars?

The Government-subsidized General Motors showed a profit of $4.2 billion in the first nine months of 2010 and is expected to announce a fourth-quarter profit soon.

Nearly all of GM’s hourly workers are scheduled to receive a bonus payment of more than $4,000. This is more than double the previous record in 1999, which came at the height of the boom in sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks. Around 28,000 white-collar workers such as engineers and managers will get 4 to 16 percent of their base pay. And a few…less than 1 percent…will get 50 percent or more.

According to Bill Selesky, an auto industry analyst with Argus Research in New York, GM’s recovery is “dramatic” and he says that the lavish bonuses were needed to stop talent from jumping to other automakers, especially crosstown rival Ford.

He also said that the company is also trying to send a message:

It’s the new GM.

Fine. Pay back our money and use your own.

The bailout of GM cost American taxpayers $49.5 billion.

Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa said:

Since the taxpayers helped these companies out of bankruptcy, the taxpayers should be repaid before bonuses go out. It sends a message that those in charge take shareholders, in this case the taxpayers, for a sucker.

After living through the first two years of this administration, I agree .  The American people are all being played for suckers.

Libyan leader and general nutjob Muammar Gaddafi called for Palestinians to revolt against Israel yesterday.

Per Reuters Africa:

Gaddafi is respected in many parts of the Arab world for his uncompromising criticism of Israel and Arab leaders who have dealings with the Jewish state, though some people in the region dismiss his initiatives as unrealistic.

That’s an understatement.

In his first big speech since the happenings in Egypt, the radical Muslim leader said on state television, in a speech given to mark Mohamed’s birthday, a holy day in the Islamic calendar:

Fleets of boats should take Palestinians … and wait by the Palestinian shores until the problem is resolved. This is a time of popular revolutions.

We need to create a problem for the world. This is not a declaration of war. This is a call for peace.

All Arab states which have relations with Israel are cowardly regimes.

Palestinians want Israel to allow all refugees who fled or were forced to leave in the war of Israel’s creation in 1948 to return, along with their descendants.

However, Israel says any resettlement of Palestinian refugees must occur outside of its borders.

This nutjob also called for all Muslim countries to join forces against the West. He claimed that the world was divided into white, alluding to the United States, Europe and their allies, and green for the Muslim world.

The white colour has decided to get rid of the green colour. These countries should be united against the white colour because all of these white countries are the enemies of Islam.

While he actually said that violent acts committed by Osama Bin Laden’s al Qaeda network went against Islam because they killed innocent people, he hedged his bet by claiming that there was a political explanation for the emergence of militant Islamists:

Why did this movement emerge? Regardless of its behaviour, in my analysis this movement appeared in response to the American arrogance towards the Islamic nation and in response to its hegemony of the Islamic world.

It was a response to … the submission of rulers in the Islamic world, the subservience of rulers in the Islamic world to this arrogance from Europe and the United States

Gaddafi has for decades challenged what he describes as Western imperialism. His oil exporting country spent years under international sanctions for seeking banned weapons and sponsoring militant groups. The ban was lifted in 2004.

For you gentle readers out there who don’t know a whole lot about this radical Muslim, per answers.com:

(born 1942, Surt, Libya) Ruler of Libya from 1969. Son of a Bedouin farmer, he was born in a tent in the desert. He graduated from the University of Libya and Libya’s military academy and was a devout Muslim and ardent nationalist. As a captain in the army, he led the 1969 coup that deposed King Idris I. He espoused his own form of Islamic socialism, and his foreign policy was anti-Western and anti-Israel. In 1970 he closed U.S. and British military bases and expelled Italians and Jews. He banned alcoholic beverages and gambling and in 1973 nationalized the oil industry. He made unsuccessful attempts to unify Libya with other countries. His government was repeatedly linked with terrorist incidents in Europe and elsewhere, and he supported groups trying to overthrow neighbouring governments. He narrowly escaped death in 1986 when U.S. planes bombed sites in Libya, including his own residence.

About that 1986 bombing…

Thirty five years later, how does this Muslim nutjob feel about the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue? Well, after all, it’s Valentine’s Day:

In President Barack Hussein Obama’s Speech to the Muslim World at the University of Cairo on June 4, 2009, he said:

…I do so recognizing that change cannot happen overnight. I know there’s been a lot of publicity about this speech, but no single speech can eradicate years of mistrust, nor can I answer in the time that I have this afternoon all the complex questions that brought us to this point. But I am convinced that in order to move forward, we must say openly to each other the things we hold in our hearts and that too often are said only behind closed doors. There must be a sustained effort to listen to each other; to learn from each other; to respect one another; and to seek common ground. As the Holy Koran tells us, “Be conscious of God and speak always the truth.” (Applause.) That is what I will try to do today — to speak the truth as best I can, humbled by the task before us, and firm in my belief that the interests we share as human beings are far more powerful than the forces that drive us apart.

Now part of this conviction is rooted in my own experience. I’m a Christian, but my father came from a Kenyan family that includes generations of Muslims. As a boy, I spent several years in Indonesia and heard the call of the azaan at the break of dawn and at the fall of dusk. As a young man, I worked in Chicago communities where many found dignity and peace in their Muslim faith.

As a student of history, I also know civilization’s debt to Islam. It was Islam — at places like Al-Azhar — that carried the light of learning through so many centuries, paving the way for Europe’s Renaissance and Enlightenment. It was innovation in Muslim communities — (applause) — it was innovation in Muslim communities that developed the order of algebra; our magnetic compass and tools of navigation; our mastery of pens and printing; our understanding of how disease spreads and how it can be healed. Islamic culture has given us majestic arches and soaring spires; timeless poetry and cherished music; elegant calligraphy and places of peaceful contemplation. And throughout history, Islam has demonstrated through words and deeds the possibilities of religious tolerance and racial equality. (Applause.)

Evidently, the Cairo speech let Gaddafi, the Muslim Brotherhood, and other radicals know exactly where this American President stood, as far as “the religion of peace” and its followers were concerned.

Even at the expense of our allies.

As Hosni Mubarak and his family fled to the sunny shores of Sharm el-Sheikh and life in exile, Vice-President Suleiman announced the former president’s resignation, one day after he told Obama to talk a long walk on a short pier.

Now what?

Well, for now anyway, Egypt’s military is in charge. They have already assured Egypt’s allies that the peace deal with Israel will remain intact.

In a television statement, they tentatively tried to assure citizens that all was well and also cautiously outlined the next steps to restore normalcy to a nation torn apart after an 18-day wave of protests.

The protesters may not like this new government very much, as they seem to be very reticent in following the masses’ wishes to dissolve parliament and throw out the current government in favor of some sort of all-inclusive transitional body to oversee reforms until elections can be held.

In their statement, the military did not rule all of this out, but, they did not commit to these actions, either.

President Barack Hussein Obama said in a television statement yesterday:

The people of Egypt have spoken, their voices have been heard and Egypt will never be the same.

Okay. But, that might not necessarily be a good thing.

Obama praised the protesters, calling them the “New Generation” in Egypt. He went on to say that they have “inspired” Americans with their nonviolent activism. He then vowed that the two countries will remain partners.

Obama said:

Egyptians have inspired us. For in Egypt, it was the moral force of nonviolence, not terrorism, not mindless killing … that bent the arc of history toward justice once more.

After Mubarak resigned, Obama said Friday that “the wheel of history turned at a blinding pace.”

Yeah. Like Iran in 1979.

I hate to harsh your mellow, Scooter, but what happens if the Muslim Brotherhood gains true political power and starts moving Egypt away from the West and Israel?

Noticeably Obama did not mention the MB in his self-congratulatory speech yesterday. But, he did cryptically say that the transition

must bring all of Egypt’s voices to the table.

The propaganda from American Liberals during the Egyptian uprising has been that the MB is not that influential in Egypt.

However, Democratic pollster Doug Schoen found that at least 60 percent of Egyptians support the MB.   Furthermore, those polled predicted that in a straight-up democratic election, politicians aligned with the MB would gain a majority and “probably the presidency.”

As I posted last week, according to haaretz.com, in an article posted the day of this famous speech:

U.S. President Barack Obama met with members of Egypt’s Islamist opposition movement, the Muslim Brotherhood, earlier this year, according to a report in Thursday editions of the Egyptian daily newspaper Almasry Alyoum.

The newspaper reported that Obama met the group’s members, who reside in the U.S. and Europe, in Washington two months ago.

According to the report, the members requested that news of the meeting not be publicized. They expressed to Obama their support for democracy and the war on terror.

The newspaper also reported that the members communicated to Obama their position that the Muslim Brotherhood would abide by all agreements Egypt has signed with foreign countries.

But, wait, there’s more, as I have previously reported:

The Muslim Brotherhood has even met with the Obama Administration over the past year as reported by Richard Pollock atpajamasmedia.com:

Last month [January], U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and her senior staff privately met in Washington, D.C., with a select group of Muslim, Arab, and Sikh organizations. Among the mix were three organizations directly associated with an outlawed terrorist entity — the Muslim Brotherhood.

Secretary Napolitano spent an hour and a half briefing them on Department of Homeland Security (DHS) counter-radicalization and anti-terrorist programs. The intensive briefings spanned two days (January 27 and 28) and were called by the DHS.

So, here’s my question, and possibly, yours, as well.  What is Obama going to say and do when the radical Muslims take over Egypt, Algeria, and the other Middle Eastern nations that are currently in turmoil, forming a Caliphate?

Remember the article Obama:  Man of the World, written by Nicholas Kristof for the New York Times in 2007?  No?  Here’s an excerpt from Scooter’s own website, Organizing for America:

He spent four years as a child in Indonesia and attended schools in the Indonesian language, which he still speaks.”I was a little Jakarta street kid,” he said in a wide-ranging interview in his office (excerpts are on my [Kristof’s] blog, http://www.nytimes.com/ontheground). He once got in trouble for making faces during Koran study classes in his
elementary school, but a president is less likely to stereotype Muslims as fanatics — and more likely to be aware of their nationalism — if he once studied the Koran with them.

Mr. Obama recalled the opening lines of the Arabic call to prayer, reciting them with a first-rate accent. In a remark that seemed delightfully uncalculated (it’ll give Alabama voters heart attacks), Mr. Obama described the call to prayer as ”one of the prettiest sounds on Earth at sunset.”

Moreover, Mr. Obama’s own grandfather in Kenya was a Muslim. Mr. Obama never met his grandfather and says he isn’t sure if his grandfather’s two wives were simultaneous or consecutive, or even if he was Sunni or Shiite.

It makes one wonder, doesn’t it?

Before we get to the story behind the title of today’s post, I have a question for you, gentle reader:  Did you hear what Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said yesterday?  As we say in Dixie:  You ain’t gonna believe this!

The term Muslim Brotherhood is an umbrella term for a variety of movements. In the case of Egypt, a very heterogeneous group, largely secular, which has eschewed violence and has decried al-Qaeda as a perversion of Islam.

Jamie Smith, Director of the Office of Public Affairs for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence later tried to perform damage control, when he said the following on ABC News:

To clarify Director Clapper’s point – in Egypt the Muslim Brotherhood makes efforts to work through a political system that has been, under Mubarak’s rule, one that is largely secular in its orientation – he is well aware that the Muslim Brotherhood is not a secular organization.

Oh, so he was lying, huh?

As I write this, at 6:04 a.m. Central, February 11, 2011, Fox News is showing a sea of Egyptians in the streets of Cairo, reminding me of what Moses leading the Israelites out of that country must have looked like, as I read in Exodus, during my quiet time this morning.

The big difference is, it’s not God who’s fomenting this revolution.  It’s the Muslim Brotherhood tickling the ears of the naive and the downtrodden of this ancient land.

Adding more fuel to the protestor’s rage yesterday, President Hosni Mubarak basically told U.S. President Barack Hussein Obama (peace be upon him) to go taking a long walk on a short pier. Mubarak announced that he would hand over powers to his Vice-President, refusing to step down after more than two weeks of protests demanding that he quit.

Seeking to end the unrest, armed forces high command had earlier issued “Communique No.1,” declaring it was taking control of the nation in what some called a military coup.

Hundreds of thousands of Egyptians chanting “Leave! Leave!” had gathered in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, anticipating that Mubarak was about to announce his resignation in a televised address.

Instead, Mubarak presented himself as a patriot and war hero, justifying, in his mind, his remaining in office until the election in September.  He praised young Egyptians who have stunned the Arab world with unprecedented rallies. He announced constitutional change and more power for Vice President Omar Suleiman.

Meanwhile, in the streets of Cairo, the crowds chanted:

Down, down Hosni Mubarak.

The crowd’s happiness soon turned to rage.

Mohamed ElBaradei, a Nobel peace prize winner and retired U.N. diplomat who is a Liberal political figurehead being unknowingly used by the MB, wrote on Twitter:

Egypt will explode. Army must save the country now.

Mubarak announced that he would

delegate to the vice president of the republic the prerogatives of the president of the republic in a manner that is fixed by the constitution.

Egyptian Vice-President Suleiman is a 74-year-old former intelligence chief who was promoted just last month. He is not very popular with protesters, who want nothing else to do with a military-dominated government, such as the one that has governed Egypt for the past six decades.

Suleiman appeared on state television to say there was a “road map” for transition and said he would oversee a “peaceful transition of power”.

As of this morning, Egypt’s sprawling armed forces, the world’s 10th biggest and more than 468,000-strong, are supporting the Mubarak government. Egypt’s military have been the country’s power brokers since army officers overthrew the British-backed king in 1952.

And what was the President of the United States’ response, as Cairo burns, and the free world sits on the edge of their seats? 

Scooter issued a written statement.

Ooooo.  Scary.

In the statement, Obama criticized Mubarak without calling him out by name, for not offering clarity to his people or a concrete path to democracy. Obama called on Egyptian government leaders to do so, saying:

They have not yet seized that opportunity.

Meanwhile, at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Obama and his national security team were scrambling around like a Benny Hill Chase scene, trying to decide how to respond to a speech that they were not prepared for. In his response, Obama asked Egypt’s leaders to plainly explain what the new changes mean and how they would lead them to the freedoms or opportunities that have driven enormous crowds into the streets since late January.

Too many Egyptians remain unconvinced that the government is serious about a genuine transition to democracy. And it is the responsibility of the government to speak clearly to the Egyptian people and the world.

Mubarak has been in power for 30 years, Mr. President.  Did you think that a “strongly worded statement” was going to make him straighten up and fly right?  Hardly.

But then again, Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah told you not to embarrass his friend Hosni, didn’t he?

Per The London Times, during a heated telephone exchange on January 29th, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia told President Barack Hussein Obama (mm mmm mmmm) not to humiliate Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. The King warned Obama that he would step in to bankroll Egypt if the US withdrew its foreign aid to the besieged Egyptian President.

Our country gives Mubarak $1.5 billion annually.

King Abdullah stated, in no uncertain terms, that Mubarak must be allowed to remain in power in order to oversee the transition towards peaceful democracy and then leave with dignity.

Per a senior source in the Saudi capital:

Mubarak and King Abdullah are not just allies, they are close friends, and the King is not about to see his friend cast aside and humiliated.

Smart Power! is not working very well, is it?

Meanwhile, the White House has been putting on a show for the cameras, warning Egypt’s leaders that the protests that they’re experiencing in their country will not end until they start to show real reforms and a transition to a freer society, criticizing any concessions by the Mubarak government of not meeting even the minimum threshold of what the Egyptian people want.

However, Obama and his administration officials continue to hedge their bet, reminding anyone who will listen that the United States is not seeking to dictate events in Egypt, because it can’t.

White House spokesman Baghdad Bob Gibbs told reporters yesterday:

We’re not going to be able to force them do anything.

However, that hasn’t stopped them from putting on a show of authority, calling for the end of harassment of the protestors, for Mubarak’s government to add more opposition leaders to the negotiations, and calling for the end of the repressive emergency law that Mubarak has instituted.

Obama and his administration have issued other edicts four steps that they want the besieged Egyptian Government to take, but, so far, the response has been **crickets**.

As thousands of protesters packed into Cairo’s central Tahrir Square for a 17th day, U.S.-based Human Rights Watch has said about 300 people have been killed since the protests began, with new fatalities still being reported.

But…but…I thought that President Obama was supposed to be a Foreign Policy suuuuper-genius?  I mean, just read his Foreign Policy Guiding Principles from whitehouse.gov:

President Obama has committed himself and his Administration from the beginning of his presidency to a foreign policy that ensures the safety of the American people. But he also refuses the false division between our values and our security; the United States can be true to our values and ideals while also protecting the American people. We will use all elements of American power to achieve objectives, and consult closely with the Congress so that our policies may have the broad and bipartisan support that makes them most effective. Finally, while there are instances and individuals who can be met only by force, the United States will be prepared to listen to and talk with our adversaries in order to advance our interests.

Our (average Americans’) values or his values?

And didn’t Hillary tell us that Smart Power! was the greatest thing since sliced bread?

What happened?  I thought that the president’s speech at the University of Cairo to the Muslim world at the University of Cairo on June 4, 2009 was supposed to heal all wounds, make the oceans rise and fall, etc.  I mean, he told them that he understands:

I’ve come here to Cairo to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world, one based on mutual interest and mutual respect, and one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap, and share common principles — principles of justice and progress; tolerance and the dignity of all human beings.

I do so recognizing that change cannot happen overnight. I know there’s been a lot of publicity about this speech, but no single speech can eradicate years of mistrust, nor can I answer in the time that I have this afternoon all the complex questions that brought us to this point. But I am convinced that in order to move forward, we must say openly to each other the things we hold in our hearts and that too often are said only behind closed doors. There must be a sustained effort to listen to each other; to learn from each other; to respect one another; and to seek common ground. As the Holy Koran tells us, “Be conscious of God and speak always the truth.”

That is what I will try to do today — to speak the truth as best I can, humbled by the task before us, and firm in my belief that the interests we share as human beings are far more powerful than the forces that drive us apart.

Now part of this conviction is rooted in my own experience. I’m a Christian, but my father came from a Kenyan family that includes generations of Muslims. As a boy, I spent several years in Indonesia and heard the call of the azaan at the break of dawn and at the fall of dusk. As a young man, I worked in Chicago communities where many found dignity and peace in their Muslim faith.

Evidently, the Muslim world was not impressed.

Do you get the feeling that they’ve figured out that Smart Power! consists of speaking loudly, but being reticent to back it up?

Next week, House Republicans (and any Democrat Representative with any common sense whatsoever) are going to vote to block funding for President Barack Hussein Obama’s (mm mmm mmmm) signature legislation, the unwanted monstrosity known as Obamacare.

This action will occur as the House takes up a budget plan next week according to House Republican Leader Eric Cantor.

In preparation for this upcoming vote, the Administration’s Health and Human Services Agency released the following propaganda on January 18th:

Without President Barack Obama’s health care law, as many as 129 million Americans — half of those under age 65 — could be denied coverage or charged more because of a pre-existing medical condition.

Without the law, up to 129 million people with health conditions like heart disease, high blood pressure, arthritis or cancer would be at risk of losing health insurance when they need it most or being denied coverage altogether.

This new estimate by the Health and Human Services Department is more than twice as high as a figure that supporters of the law were using last year.

What Ms. Sibelius and her staff did not say is the fact that most of those millions of people are covered by health insurance at work and don’t face any immediate risk of being denied care for their pre-existing medical problems. In Fact, those who take a new job and sign up in their employer’s health plan are already protected by a 1990s law.

According to economist Paul Ginsburg, president of the Center for Studying Health System Change:

Most of these people don’t have a problem, with or without health reform, because they get their coverage through their employment, and employer coverage takes everybody.

This center is a nonpartisan research organization.

Cantor said at a news conference yesterday, concerning the planned blockage, that:

I expect to see one way or other the product coming out of the House to speak to that and to preclude any funding to be used for that.

House Republicans are looking to immediately cut at least $32 billion from the government’s $3.7 trillion budget, trying to shave some largess from budget deficits that could hit an estimated $1.5 trillion this year.

Details of the package will be made public on Thursday.

According to Cantor’s office, a proposal to block funding for Obamacare is expected to be offered as an amendment during the House debate next week. Republicans, keeping faithful to a campaign pledge for a more open legislative process, will debate a number of amendments to the spending bill.

The problem is, this amendment, which will probably pass the House, is not likely to get past the Democratic-controlled Senate.

The usual congresschickens fear that the attempt to block funds for Obamacare could lead to a government shutdown.

Good. As Sheriff Buford T. Justice (played by the late, great Jackie Gleason)once said:

That’s called an attention-getter.

The last government shutdown happened in 1995.  America had a Democrat President and a Republican Congress.  According to ask.com:

The 1995 “shutdown” of the United States federal government was the result of a conflict between Democratic President Clinton and the Republican-controlled Congress over funding for Medicare, education, the environment and public health. It took place after Clinton vetoed the spending bill which Congress sent him. Thereupon, the Federal government of the United States put non-essential government workers on furlough and suspended non-essential services from November 14 through November 19, 1995 and from December 16, 1995 to January 6, 1996 (see budget crisis). The major players were Bill Clinton, the Democrat then serving as President, and Newt Gingrich, the Republican then serving as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

The Republican action in 1995 hurt their popularity,  due to the likability factor of President Bill “Bubba” Clinton.  In fact, political pundits point to it as one of the leading causes for Clinton’s re-election. 

Democrats are claiming that a 2011 government shutdown will have the same results.

There are two problems with that theory.  First, the imperious, inept Scooter Obama, not good ol’ boy Bubba Clinton is President of the United States.  Second, certainly the Republicans wouldn’t be so stupid as to run another Bob Dole it’s-his-turn-Washington-Insider, would they?…Would they?

Don’t answer that.