Monthly Archives: November 2008

Obama Appoints Geithner Set to Head Treasury

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President-elect Obama has been stirring speculation lately with his selections of Clinton allies for his cabinet picks.  However, for his Treasury Secretary nominee, it appears that Obama has tapped former New York Reserve Bank President Timothy Geithner to join his cabinet, along with former Harvard President Lawrence Summers, who will be the head of the President’s National Economic Council.  Obama’s economic picks have been gaining accolades from both sides of the aisle, according to The Boston Globe.

Will Geithner bring about the change that is needed to jump start the American economy?  My guess is that we can have some optimism, but the likely end will be that we will be paying increased taxes to compensate for the continued bailouts.

Stop the EPA

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The Heritage Foundation has a petition website online to stop the EPA from placing harmful regulations on carbon dioxide as a way to curb global warming. These proposed regulations could harm the economy, as well as threaten small businesses, result in higher unemployment rates, provide higher regulations on the daily everyday activities we do, like mowing our lawns, etc.

Here is the petition that will be sent directly to the EPA.   Stop by and sign their petition and check out the YouTube video that details the effects that these regulations on carbon dioxide would have on our daily lives.

Why Conservatives Should Be Using Twitter And 200 “People”

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Conservatives should take advantage of Twitter to communicate and organize. Here’s a list of the “right” people to follow.

Twitter is one way to network with fellow bloggers and be connected to various news sources. CCC has a Twitter account (crystalclear3), and while I sometimes post some of my personal reflections via Twitter, you will almost always find a link to my posts. If you don’t have one, go to twitter.com and sign up for free. Then, you can follow my updates or anyone of the conservative twitter-ers online.

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Next Segment of the Bailout Saga…Citicorp

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Well, it was only a matter of time.  First, we bailed out Wall Street by giving them $700 billion, only to find out that AIG executives were going off to luxorious hot spots for retreats (how responsible…huh?).

Then, the Big 3 (a.k.a. Detroit’s finest, the auto industry) came to Washington seeking a bailout.  Their response:  “Uncle Sam, can I have a bailout too?”  “It’s not fair that you gave to Wall Street, when we not only allowed the UAW Union Bosses to overrun everything and offering no innovation in terms of new vehicles.”

Gee, we are actually supposed to feel sorry for them, and Congress told them they would have to wait and come back with new ideas.  Well, there’s only so much for that, as Congress will no doubt pull out America’s check book to write out a check for them, as President Bush and company will say, “We need to bailout the “heartbeat” of America, as they are our crown jewel.”

Now, as predicted, the credit card companies would be dragging their irresponsible blankets with their thumbs in their mouths to Uncle Sam and pouting as well.  “Uncle Sam, I am about to die without your funding, do you think you can give me some money as well.”  Now, President Bush and Congress will ensure they get some money too.

This is just the painting in the children’s book and the moral is that we cannot and should not keep bailing out companies who give money to those who cannot afford the loans, do not offer any chance of reform and who allow the UAW union bosses to dominate (a.k.a Detroit), and those who will not find ways to stay afloat themselves.  If President Bush, President-elect Obama, and Congress continuously feels compelled to bailout every industry, America is headed to an even greater depression.  The free markets can not keep up with this type of behavior.

What is it going to take for America to wake up?  I guess when Wall Street collapses, we’ll all see the true meaning of this story.  Until then, I am not laying down peacefully and watching things fall apart.  It is time to wake up before it is too late.  Call your Congressmen and Senators, demand that they stop bailing out the industries and allow the free market to restore the economy.

What’s Cooking in CCC’s Kitchen?

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I decided to blog about something non-political this evening.  Today, I have spent a majority of my day baking and watching football at home.  With the Redskins victory, it was good to celebrate with a great dessert.

My Pumpkin bread (which I utilize various different versions, depending on my mood) is so good that I am requested to bring it to every family gathering.  My roommate is also a huge fan of it.  Well, I thought it would be nice to share the recipe with you (my oven malfunctioned, but recovered towards the end of the baking time).

CCC’s Pumpkin Pecan Streusel Bread

Ingredients:

3 1/2 C. Flour

3 C. granulated sugar

2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. salt

3 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice

4 eggs

1 C. Canola Oil

2/3 C. Water

1 (15 oz.) can of plain pumpkin

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Combine all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Mix well.

In a separate bowl, slightly beat the eggs with a fork or wire whisk.  Add the remaining wet ingredients to the eggs and stir well.  Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.  Stir just until evenly mixed.

Coat 2 bread pans evenly with cooking spray and divide the mixture into each pan.

Pecan Streusel Topping:

Pinch of Flour

Stick of butter or margarine

1/2 cup brown sugar

Dash of Cinnamon or Pumpkin Pie Spice

1/2 cup chopped pecans

With a pastry blender, mix the ingredients together.  Then, divide amongst the two bread pans with batter.  Cover pans with foil to prevent burning the streusel (I learned this by trial and error this afternoon).  Bake for 50-60 minutes or until tester comes out clean.

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This is how lovely the bread mixture looks in the pan (pre-streusel topping).

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And the fabulous (er…not so) Chef with the final product.  This is, of course, after my roommate, her friend, and I all tried a piece of the bread.  So, it does look like it has been hacked to death.

Tim Hugo Supports Autism Mandate

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Before I came to the world of politics, I was a social worker who worked with autistic children in a community setting.  I found my experiences challenging, but it gave me a great insight into how much the families of autistic children often struggle with receiving the adequate care due to the insurance companies denying some of the basic coverage.

In Richmond, we can be proud to have Delegate Tim Hugo as a strong advocate for families with autistic children.  On Wednesday, the Special Advisory Commission on Mandated Health Benefits passed a measure that would help these families receive adequate coverage for treatment.  Hugo served as Chairman of this Commission and was impacted by the accounts of family members in attendance.

Delegate Hugo Supports Autism Mandate

Richmond, VA (November 19, 2008) – On Wednesday in Richmond, the Special Advisory Commission on Mandated Health Benefits, led by Chairman Tim Hugo, passed a measure that will greatly help Virginia’s Autistic community.  This bill requires health insurers, health care subscription plans, and health maintenance organizations to provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorder in individuals under the age of 21.

Delegate Bob Marshall’s bill seeks to reduce the financial burden placed on the parents and families with autistic children.   The number of reported autism cases has increased dramatically over the past few decades, but early treatment has shown great success, which was one of the key reasons for the bill’s success.

“I was deeply stirred by the testimonies of parents across the state and from all walks of life,” stated Commission Chairman and Delegate Tim Hugo.  “One testimony in particular was from a parent who pleaded for help because they no longer wanted their child to be ‘condemned to the darkness of autism.’  As a parent of four I could not deny any child the opportunity of a normal life or any parents the chance of treatment for their kids.”

Delegate Hugo has been a member of the House of Delegates since 2002 and currently serves on four Standing Committees: Commerce and Labor, Transportation, Finance, and Science and Technology.  Hugo represents Virginia’s 40th House District, which encompasses parts of Clifton, Centreville, Fairfax Station, and Fairfax.

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Ken Cuccinelli Named Family Foundation Legislator of the Year

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Congratulations to Ken Cuccinelli for being named “Legislator of the Year” by The Family Foundation!  I couldn’t think of a better legislator to give this award to, since Cuccinelli stands strong for protecting family values.

Here is the media release from the Cuccinelli campaign:

Cuccinelli named Family Foundation

Legislator of the Year

(Richmond, VA) – State Senator Ken Cuccinelli was named “Legislator of the Year” by The Family Foundation at their 2008 Annual Gala this evening.

“It’s very humbling to be singled out among all of our dedicated pro-family representatives in Richmond,” said Cuccinelli.  “But our efforts in Richmond on behalf of Virginia’s families couldn’t be successful without the hard work of groups like The Family Foundation.”

“The traditional values we grew up with are under daily assault by liberals in Washington and Hollywood.  We are not immune to the attacks on our culture here in Virginia and need to stand up for faith and families.”

State Senator Ken Cuccinelli has been a member of the Virginia Senate since 2002 and a leader on family issues.  He was a leader in the campaign for the Marriage Amendment in 2006, and was the tie breaking vote to override Governor Warner’s veto of the partial birth abortion ban.  Ken and his wife Teiro have five daughters and one son.
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Cross posted at Cuccinelli 4 AG

The RPV New Media Debacle

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How much longer will RPV continue to ignore the blog community?  I am curious.  Aside from noticing a new media panel at the upcoming Advance and their blog, there is no outreach to allow bloggers to become active with this event.  For example, I sent an e-mail to RPV requesting press credentials to cover The Advance and help give them some air coverage.  I have not heard a response from anyone.  I don’t mean to sound like I am whining (which I am not), but I am just pointing out that it appears like they are not being receptive to the overall blog community.

Today, Jason Kenney wrote about how the RPV has not been so receptive of the bloggers community on Bearing Drift.  Throughout the article, he made some great points, especially with this comment:

By organizing around the old guard, by being openly hostile to Republican bloggers, by failing to understand that you are not truly anonymous on the internet, by failing to grasp a basic understanding of new media, by having access to RPV dealings, these individuals are representing themselves as mouth pieces of the Republican Party Of Virginia and threatening the message and direction that the party so desperately needs if it is going to organize and pull itself out of the downward trend of the last few elections.

All of this shows a lack of understanding of the New Media on the part of the current Republican Party of Virginia leadership.  Efforts by bloggers to reach out to the RPV and help were met with invitations to blog for the RPV but no real avenue for input in how the RPV conducts its online outreach.  Serious questions are raised about the organization of the current leadership and the state of the future of this party, whether it belongs to new voices and new ideas or the same, old, bitter trends that have gotten the party to where it is today.

It is especially bad when Jeff Frederick, who chairs the Republican Party of Virginia cites, “As you may know, I rarely read blogs.”  I think this is part of the main equation, and even Doug Mataconis over at Below the Beltway wrote a post focusing on this comment.

As new media continues to grow, it would be wrong for the Republican party (especially here in Virginia) to ignore it.  With the advent of blogs, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Ning and other communities, one can notice firsthand how important it is to get the message out there.