Just Say No to Snopes!

I have used Snopes for several years and always felt it was reliable. Over the past several months during this interminable campaign season Donna and I have noticed that their political factchecking does tend to lean towards the liberal side.Accordingly I no longer depend on them. Someone forwarded me the following email today which confirms my suspicions.

"I've sensed and found leftist bias in Snopes on every political 'fact' I've checked with them. They call conservative-leaning documents 'false' but give very thin evidence to back up their claim. And they label liberal documents as true or unknown when there are clear outright falsehoods orders of magnitude greater than their filter for conservative documants. I have stopped using them."

Factcheck.org which is linked with the Annenberg Foundation demonstrates the same bias. The Annenberg Foundation also funded the Chicago Annenberg Challenge which was founded by unrepentant terrorist William Ayers and was at one time chaired by Barack Obama.

Economic Disaster Ahead

The quote below is from an article appearing in the American Spectator Online today.
Follow the link to read the entire piece.Prepare for the Worst

Special Report Prepare for the Worst By Peter Ferrara Published 10/8/2008 12:08:08 AM Just two weeks ago, a book on economic policy was released that will be a classic for the ages. Entitled The End of Prosperity, by Art Laffer, Steve Moore, and Peter J. Tanous, the book explains in full detail the economic disaster that will befall America if it takes a sharp left turn to neo-socialism under the leadership of the far left President Barack Obama, the ultraleft Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid with 60 liberal Democrat Senators, and their pal the ultraliberal Howard Dean heading the Democrat party.

Aiken County General Election Information

Citizens will be interested to learn that the number of registered voters in Aiken County has jumped from approximately 81,000 in January of 2008 to 90,000 as of this week. This is an increase of 11 percent.  Obviously there is extraordinary interest in the elections this year and it is vitally important for every qualified citizen to cast his or her vote. If you have any question about your voting precinct or other registration data you can check your personal information at the following link http://www.scvotes.org

If you are not already registered to vote you will not be able to vote in one of the most important elections ever to be held in the United States of America. If you are registered please be certain to vote.

The following release gives full details on who is qualified to be an absentee voter and where and when they can vote.

"Absentee voting for the November 4, 2008, General Election will begin next week. 

There are several key points voters need to be aware of.

1.  SOUTH CAROLINA DOES NOT HAVE EARLY VOTING.  Everyone who votes before election day must have a valid, legal reason to vote.  You must have a reason to cast an absentee ballot.  It is a violation of the South Carolina Code of Laws to fraudulently apply for an absentee ballot.  The list of legal reasons is listed below.

(1) students attending school outside the county of their residence, their spouses, and dependents residing with them;

(2) members of the Armed Forces and Merchant Marines of the United States, their spouses, and dependents residing with them;

(3) persons serving with the American Red Cross or with the United Service Organizations (USO) who are attached to and serving with the Armed Forces of the United States, their spouses, and dependents residing with them;

(4) persons in employment (who by virtue of their employment are working a shift from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.);

(5) physically disabled persons;

(6) governmental employees, their spouses, and dependents residing with them, who are outside their county of residence from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Election Day);

(7) electors with a death or funeral in the family within a three-day period before the election;

(8) persons on vacation (who by virtue of vacation plans will be absent from their county of residence on election day);

(9) certified poll watchers, poll managers, county voter registration board members and staff, county election commission members and staff working on election day;

(10) overseas citizens;

(11) persons attending sick or physically disabled persons;

(12) persons admitted to hospitals as emergency patients on the day of an election or within a four-day period before the election;

(13) persons who will be serving as jurors in a state or federal court on election day;

(14) persons sixty-five years of age or older;

(15) persons confined to a jail or pre-trial facility pending disposition of arrest or trial.

If you do not meet one of these reasons, you CANNOT vote an absentee ballot.  You can only vote at your polling place on November 4.

PLEASE NOTE: The Aiken County Elections Commission has decided that absentee voting can only be done at the Voter Registration and Elections Office, 916 Vaucluse Road, Aiken  
The satellite locations mentioned below will not be open. 

II.  Absentee voting will begin October 13 at the Kalmia Mall, located at 1680 Richland Avenue, West.  The hours will be Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  Our standard practice is to offer selected weekend hours: Sunday, October 19, 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., Saturday, October 25, 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and Saturday, November 1, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. 

III.  Absentee voting will also be held in North Augusta at the Nancy Carson Library, located at 135 Edgefield Road, from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on the following dates:  October 17, October 20, October 23, October 24. 

IV.  Absentee voting will be held in Wagener at the Roy Warner Park, located at 4287 Festival Trail Road, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on October 22."

Update on City of Aiken Issues

October 4, 2008

NEW SPCA ANIMAL SHELTER AND CITY DOG PARK – City Council passed on first reading an ordinance to annex ten acres of property fronting on Willow Road just behind Willow Run Industrial Park. The area is accessed from Rudy Mason highway or from Beaufort Street. As proposed, the facility would house many more animals than the current facility can. Part of the facility, including the Dog Park and 3,550 sq ft of the 20,000 sq ft building, would be paid by the City. The Dog Park would be built first with the remainder of the facility completed when SPCA fundraising permits. In addition to the animal shelter, the facility would include a Regional Spay/Neuter Clinic servicing residents of the City of Aiken. Aiken County and other communities in the region. There are traffic concerns which need to be addressed at the next reading which will be at the next City Council meeting on October 13.

APPOINTMENTS TO BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS – I am pleased to announce the appointment of Derek Martin to the City of Aiken Recreation Commission. I nominated him on Monday and expect he will be confirmed at our next meeting on October 13. I also reappointed Don Barnes to the General Aviation Commission and Mary Ella Brown to the Community Development Committee.

RECOGNITION OF THE CITY OF AIKEN’S PARKS, RECREATION, & TOURISM DEPARTMENT – Each year the South Carolina Recreation and Parks Association recognizes four agencies across the state as “Agency of the Year” based on their population. Early this month the Association recognized the City of Aiken as the 2008 Agency of the Year in the population category of 25,000 to 50,000. We are one of the smallest cities in this class, along with other cities such as Rock Hill, Irmo-Chapin, the Naval Weapons Station in Charleston, etc. Since 1975 the City has been awarded this recognition sixteen times. Congratulations to Aiken PRT.

CITY PAVING SCHEDULE – Many streets in the Houndslake area will be repaved soon. This includes the following:

Peninsula Point from Laurel Ridge Circle to Cul-de-sac
Laurel Ridge Circle including semicircle
Palm Drive from Cherry Drive to Elm Street
Farrington Point from Troon Way to Cul-de-sac
Lindrick Court from Troon Way to Cul-de-sac
RaintreeCourt from Bedford Place to End
Bellreive Drive from Trail Ridge Road to Bellreive Drive
Bellreive Place from Bellreive Drive to Cul-de-sac
Hagen Court from Bellreive Drive to Cul-de-sac
Inverary Court from Bellreive Drive to Cul-de-sac
Midlothian Court East and West from Bellreive Drive to Cul-de-sac
Trail Ridge Court from Trail Ridge Road to Cul-de-sac
Essex Court from Winged Foot Drive to Cul-de-sac
Woodwind Way from Aberdeen Drive to Cul-de-sac

Paving was supposed to begin on Monday, September 29. Look for door hangers or signs announcing the paving in your area.

CITY OF AIKEN ANNUAL REPORT – The City presented the 2007-2008 Annual Report to the Council. This report contains very important and interesting information about all city departments. It represents an internal review by each department of their activities for the past year and summarizes progress to meet the goals and policies based on the budget approved by City Council. I have asked for a copy in email format so I can provide you with some of the more interesting information in periodic reports. If you have the time, you can review the report at the following link:
http://www.aiken.net/WebLink7/docview.aspx?id=79304.

CONGRESS MOVES TO PROTECT IDENTITIES - A bill that will require the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to remove social security numbers from new Medicare cards has passed its first congressional hurdle. On 29 September the House passed HR 6600, The Medicare Identity Theft Prevention Act of 2008, sponsored by Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas). This act mandates the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services establish cost-effective procedures to ensure that a Social Security account number is not displayed, coded, or embedded on Medicare cards issued on or after the effective date of this legislation.
The legislation will also allow for individuals currently holding Medicare cards to receive new cards no later than 3 years after enactment of this bill.
Having Social Security numbers on Medicare cards makes seniors very susceptible to identity theft, a problem that has become more and more popular in recent years. Now that the House has passed H.R. 6600 the Senate must take up the measure.

OPERATION MAIL CALL – Congratulations to our local cable provider, Atlantic Broadband, for implementing a program designed to bring families closer to loved ones serving in the Persian Gulf and Afghanistan. They provide free internet for the duration of the assignment to this dangerous part of the world. So far, a dozen Aiken families have taken advantage of the program. If you know of someone, husband, wife, son, daughter, father, or mother, with a son, daughter, or spouse serving in the Persian Gulf or Afghanistan, please call 888-301-8649 to schedule an installation of equipment. The program is offered to residents of Aiken County and was recently expanded to Barnwell, Bamberg, and Allendale Counties.

An Unhealthy Debate

National Review
An Unhealthy Debate

The rule of thumb for fact checkers of Thursday night’s vice-presidential debate was that every time Joe Biden sounded especially confident, he was saying something that wasn’t true.

For the most part, these were gross exaggerations or convenient fictions aimed to allow him to make a point he couldn’t otherwise support. How to answer the charge that he and Obama voted for a budget resolution that called for taxing Americans making $42,000? Assert that John McCain voted for it too, although he didn’t. How to argue that we’re paying no attention to Afghanistan? Claim repeatedly that we spend more in Iraq in three weeks than we have spent in Afghanistan in seven years, although that’s very far from true. How to explain his vote for the Iraq war in light of his subsequent views? Say it wasn’t a war resolution, though it was. And on and on Joe went.

One set of distortions in particular, however, seemed like more than extemporaneous exaggeration. Biden offered several criticisms of John McCain’s health-care plan which tracked precisely with the line of attack the Obama campaign has taken up against the plan in recent days, and which are flatly untrue and deceptive.

(Follow the rest of this well researched article by clicking here )

Wall Street Opinion Journal on Fannie and Fred

Information From an email sent by Newsmax,com.

Click on the title above to read the following article and make your own comments. The fulsome praise heaped upon Dodd and Franks last night as the Senate discussed the rescue package was truly disgusting. We must get the word out!



What They Said About Fan and Fred



House Financial Services Committee hearing, Sept. 10, 2003:

Rep. Barney Frank (D., Mass.): I worry, frankly, that there's a tension here. The more people, in my judgment, exaggerate a threat of safety and soundness, the more people conjure up the possibility of serious financial losses to the Treasury, which I do not see. I think we see entities that are fundamentally sound financially and withstand some of the disaster scenarios. . . .
[What They Said] AP

Clockwise from top left: Sen. Thomas Carper, Rep. Barney Frank, Sen. Robert Bennett, Rep. Maxine Waters, Sen. Chris Dodd and Sen. Charles Schumer.

Rep. Maxine Waters (D., Calif.), speaking to Housing and Urban Development Secretary Mel Martinez:

Secretary Martinez, if it ain't broke, why do you want to fix it? Have the GSEs [government-sponsored enterprises] ever missed their housing goals?
* * *

House Financial Services Committee hearing, Sept. 25, 2003:

Rep. Frank: I do think I do not want the same kind of focus on safety and soundness that we have in OCC [Office of the Comptroller of the Currency] and OTS [Office of Thrift Supervision]. I want to roll the dice a little bit more in this situation towards subsidized housing. . . .
* * *

House Financial Services Committee hearing, Sept. 25, 2003:

Rep. Gregory Meeks, (D., N.Y.): . . . I am just pissed off at Ofheo [Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight] because if it wasn't for you I don't think that we would be here in the first place.
[nowides]
Fannie Mayhem: A History

A compendium of The Wall Street Journal's recent editorial coverage of Fannie and Freddie.

And Freddie Mac, who on its own, you know, came out front and indicated it is wrong, and now the problem that we have and that we are faced with is maybe some individuals who wanted to do away with GSEs in the first place, you have given them an excuse to try to have this forum so that we can talk about it and maybe change the direction and the mission of what the GSEs had, which they have done a tremendous job. . .

Ofheo Director Armando Falcon Jr.: Congressman, Ofheo did not improperly apply accounting rules; Freddie Mac did. Ofheo did not try to manage earnings improperly; Freddie Mac did. So this isn't about the agency's engagement in improper conduct, it is about Freddie Mac. Let me just correct the record on that. . . . I have been asking for these additional authorities for four years now. I have been asking for additional resources, the independent appropriations assessment powers.

This is not a matter of the agency engaging in any misconduct. . . .

Rep. Waters: However, I have sat through nearly a dozen hearings where, frankly, we were trying to fix something that wasn't broke. Housing is the economic engine of our economy, and in no community does this engine need to work more than in mine. With last week's hurricane and the drain on the economy from the war in Iraq, we should do no harm to these GSEs. We should be enhancing regulation, not making fundamental change.

Mr. Chairman, we do not have a crisis at Freddie Mac, and in particular at Fannie Mae, under the outstanding leadership of Mr. Frank Raines. Everything in the 1992 act has worked just fine. In fact, the GSEs have exceeded their housing goals. . . .

Rep. Frank: Let me ask [George] Gould and [Franklin] Raines on behalf of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, do you feel that over the past years you have been substantially under-regulated?

Mr. Raines?

Mr. Raines: No, sir.

Mr. Frank: Mr. Gould?

Mr. Gould: No, sir. . . .

Mr. Frank: OK. Then I am not entirely sure why we are here. . . .

Rep. Frank: I believe there has been more alarm raised about potential unsafety and unsoundness than, in fact, exists.
* * *

Senate Banking Committee, Oct. 16, 2003:

Sen. Charles Schumer (D., N.Y.): And my worry is that we're using the recent safety and soundness concerns, particularly with Freddie, and with a poor regulator, as a straw man to curtail Fannie and Freddie's mission. And I don't think there is any doubt that there are some in the administration who don't believe in Fannie and Freddie altogether, say let the private sector do it. That would be sort of an ideological position.

Mr. Raines: But more importantly, banks are in a far more risky business than we are.
* * *

Senate Banking Committee, Feb. 24-25, 2004:

Sen. Thomas Carper (D., Del.): What is the wrong that we're trying to right here? What is the potential harm that we're trying to avert?

Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan: Well, I think that that is a very good question, senator.

What we're trying to avert is we have in our financial system right now two very large and growing financial institutions which are very effective and are essentially capable of gaining market shares in a very major market to a large extent as a consequence of what is perceived to be a subsidy that prevents the markets from adjusting appropriately, prevents competition and the normal adjustment processes that we see on a day-by-day basis from functioning in a way that creates stability. . . . And so what we have is a structure here in which a very rapidly growing organization, holding assets and financing them by subsidized debt, is growing in a manner which really does not in and of itself contribute to either home ownership or necessarily liquidity or other aspects of the financial markets. . . .

Sen. Richard Shelby (R., Ala.): [T]he federal government has [an] ambiguous relationship with the GSEs. And how do we actually get rid of that ambiguity is a complicated, tricky thing. I don't know how we do it.

I mean, you've alluded to it a little bit, but how do we define the relationship? It's important, is it not?

Mr. Greenspan: Yes. Of all the issues that have been discussed today, I think that is the most difficult one. Because you cannot have, in a rational government or a rational society, two fundamentally different views as to what will happen under a certain event. Because it invites crisis, and it invites instability. . .

Sen. Christopher Dodd (D., Conn.): I, just briefly will say, Mr. Chairman, obviously, like most of us here, this is one of the great success stories of all time. And we don't want to lose sight of that and [what] has been pointed out by all of our witnesses here, obviously, the 70% of Americans who own their own homes today, in no small measure, due because of the work that's been done here. And that shouldn't be lost in this debate and discussion. . . .
* * *

Senate Banking Committee, April 6, 2005:

Sen. Schumer: I'll lay my marker down right now, Mr. Chairman. I think Fannie and Freddie need some changes, but I don't think they need dramatic restructuring in terms of their mission, in terms of their role in the secondary mortgage market, et cetera. Change some of the accounting and regulatory issues, yes, but don't undo Fannie and Freddie.
* * *

Senate Banking Committee, June 15, 2006:

Sen. Robert Bennett (R., Utah): I think we do need a strong regulator. I think we do need a piece of legislation. But I think we do need also to be careful that we don't overreact.

I know the press, particularly, keeps saying this is another Enron, which it clearly is not. Fannie Mae has taken its lumps. Fannie Mae is paying a very large fine. Fannie Mae is under a very, very strong microscope, which it needs to be. . . . So let's not do nothing, and at the same time, let's not overreact. . .

Sen. Jack Reed (D., R.I.): I think a lot of people are being opportunistic, . . . throwing out the baby with the bathwater, saying, "Let's dramatically restructure Fannie and Freddie," when that is not what's called for as a result of what's happened here. . . .

Sen. Chuck Hagel (R., Neb.): Mr. Chairman, what we're dealing with is an astounding failure of management and board responsibility, driven clearly by self interest and greed. And when we reference this issue in the context of -- the best we can say is, "It's no Enron." Now, that's a hell of a high standard.

Please add your comments to the Opinion Journal forum.

Obama’s Radical Agenda Exposed

An Urgent Message from The National Republican Trust PAC Dear Fellow American: Never before in the history of our nation have we faced such a grave crisis: one of the most radical political figures ever to be nominated by a major party is just minutes away from becoming President of the United States. That man is Barack Obama. He promises to change America forever. If elected, he will do just that — but in ways you make not like. Remember Obama is the most liberal member of the United States Senate. He received a 100 percent Liberal Rating from the National Journal, making him the most left-wing Senator in Washington — more liberal than even Democratic senators like Ted Kennedy. If you look at Obama’s record, you will understand just how dangerous this man is. He even has terrorist friends he won’t denounce. One such man is William Ayers,  a leader in the radical terrorist group the Weatherman Underground. The group bombed several government buildings, including the Pentagon, killing civilians and police officers. In 2001, Ayers said he had no regrets for his actions and wished he could have done more.  The ties between Obama and Ayers are tight. Both served on two non profit boards and they worked closely together. Ayers even hosted a political event at his home for Obama. Obama has acknowledged he is a friend of Ayers and defends his association by saying he, Obama, was only 8 years old at the time of the Pentagon bombing. However, Obama has no explanation as to why he is still a friend of Ayers. Obama has even been endorsed by radicals such as Nation of Islam Leader Louis Farrakhan. No one can deny hearing about Obama’s relationship with the America-hating Rev. Jeremiah Wright. There should be little doubt that William Ayers and Louis Farrakhan and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright are rooting for Obama — because he is one of them. In keeping with such friends, Obama has promised to meet with radical leaders like Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad without “preconditions” even though Ahmadinejad has promised to “wipe Israel off the map” and  “destroy” America. Even radical Hamas terrorists have praised him. “We like Mr. Obama and we hope he will win the election,” Ahmed Yousef, senior Hamas leader was quoted by ABC radio as saying. Help the National Republican Trust PAC tell the truth about Obama – Go Here Now Dangerous Economic Plan And then there are Obama’s dangerous economic plans for America. He wants to almost double the capital gains tax. He wants to strip the FICA tax cap off every worker making more than $97,500. He wants to increase the dividend tax. He wants to let the Bush tax cuts expire — giving almost every American family an automatic tax increase. He has called for more than $800 billion in new spending programs. He is so radical he even backed driver’s licenses for illegal aliens — even though such a move would help future terrorists move freely in the United States. He is the most pro-abortion candidate in the history of the country. In 2001, as a state legislator in Illinois, he opposed a bill to protect live born children — children actually born alive!  He was the only Illinois senator to speak out against the bill. He opposes gun rights. He has long history of trying to deny ordinary citizens access to guns. He originally backed Washington D.C.’s total ban on private handguns — a ban that was overturned. The NRA rated him an “F” on gun positions and says he is one of the most dangerous anti-gun politicians in the nation. Never forget that Obama is a Harvard educated elitist. To him we Americans are simply “bitter” and he has mocked us saying “[they] cling to their guns and their religion.” Support the National Republican Trust PAC’s Campaign to Expose Obama – Go Here Now Exposing the Truth Hillary Clinton was late in recognizing the threat Obama posed to her campaign, but once she did, her strategy worked. When Hillary exposed Obama publicly, her campaign saw a major turnaround. Hillary won every major state primary in the nation with the sole exception of Obama’s home state of Illinois. And even though Obama was “anointed” by the media and Democratic elites, Hillary went on to win eight of the last 10 Democratic primaries. How did Obama beat Hillary for the nomination? Well, using a loophole in Democratic rules, he was able to rack up large majorities in caucus states where he outspent and out organized her. But in large, contested states she won almost every time. Why? Because when Democrats heard what Obama really stood for, they turned on him. Make no mistake about it: If we let Americans know the truth about Obama, John McCain can win this election! But we must employ Hillary Clinton’s strategy. We must expose Obama for the dangerous radical he is. Send a donation today to help our cause – Go Here Now You Can Make a Difference This is why the National Republican Trust Political Action Committee is moving to implement a “shock and awe” strategy against Obama in key states. We plan to take out powerful television ads, Internet ads and other communications to inform Americans about the dangers posed by Barack Obama. We plan to target key states that can make a difference — But we need your help to do it. As a political action committee, we can accept up to $5,000 in donations per contributor. A $5,000 donation can help us saturate a key market for a full day with television ads. But if you can’t do the full amount, even $2,500 or $1,000 or $500 — Any amount you can afford will help. Stop and think how much Obama may cost you and your family in new taxes over the next four years alone: $50,000, $75,000, $100,000 or even more. Your donation today may actually save you much more in the years to come. Please help today – Donate by Going Here Now It will most certainly help our great nation. Thank you. Yours for America, Scott Wheeler Executive Director P.S. Election Day is just weeks away. Your support today can make a huge difference – donate today  -- Go Here Now  Authorized and paid for by The National Republican Trust PAC. Not authorized by any candidate or candidates committee. 2100 M st. NW Suite 170-340 Washington, DC 20037-1233 Contributions to The National Republican Trust PAC are not deductible as charitable contributioins for federal income tax purposes. No corporate funds are accepted.

This e-mail is never sent unsolicited. You have received this Newsmax e-mail because you subscribed to it or someone forwarded it to you. To opt out, see the links below. TO ADVERTISE For information on advertising at Newsmax.com, please contact Newsmax Advertising Sales via e-mail. TO SUBSCRIBE If this News Alert has been forwarded to you and would like a subscription, please sign up for Newsmax e-mail alerts. Remove your e-mail address from our list or modify your profile. We respect your right to privacy. View our policy. This e-mail was sent by: Newsmax.com 4152 West Blue Heron Blvd, Ste 1114 Riviera Beach, FL, 33404 USA 377745