Personal Responsibility

Should Bannister Resign for Driving Drunk?

Gwinnett Chairman Charles Bannister was arrested on Monday evening for Driving Under the Influence after a concerned citizen reported seeing him downing adult beverages at a Lilburn bar. Within hours of his arrest while driving a county vehicle, the calls for his resignation began. Likewise, the hint at a setup began with local media like WSB-AM radio.

The arrest raises a number of questions, but as to whether or not Bannister should resign, I say not. A DUI in a county vehicle definitely deserves some action, but a DUI pales in comparison to the other things that Bannister has done as Chairman that warrant his ouster. He should have already been gone. Read more…

Guns at Obama Events: Can I Point Out the Obvious?

Would it be the epitome of hubris for me to point out, despite the fact that a dozen protestors showed up at Obama’s Phoenix event on Monday armed with handguns, rifles and even an AR-15, that nobody was shot and nobody died?

Wouldn’t that be proof, even in a situation where a liberty-loving American might be tempted to pop off a few rounds in anger and frustration, that the guns themselves are not dangerous? That you can actually take them out in public and nobody need die?

Phoenix police said the gun-toters at Monday’s event, including the man carrying an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle slung over his shoulder, didn’t need permits. No crimes were committed, and no one was arrested.

Man carrying assault weapon attends Obama protest | ajc.com

Taxpayers to Pay for Abortions Worldwide

Obama’s record on abortion, including partial-birth and “born alive” abortions, was well known during the campaign so it should come as no surprise that one of his first official acts was to commit the U.S. taxpayer to paying for abortions around the world. From the White House blog:

In addition, I look forward to working with Congress to restore U.S. financial support for the U.N. Population Fund.  By resuming funding to UNFPA, the U.S. will be joining 180 other donor nations working collaboratively to reduce poverty, improve the health of women and children, prevent HIV/AIDS and provide family planning assistance to women in 154 countries.

The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151b(f)(1)), prohibits nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that receive Federal funds from using those funds "to pay for the performance of abortions as a method of family planning, or to motivate or coerce any person to practice abortions." 

The August 1984 announcement by President Reagan of what has become known as the "Mexico City Policy" directed the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to expand this limitation and withhold USAID funds from NGOs that use non-USAID funds to engage in a wide range of activities, including providing advice, counseling, or information regarding abortion, or lobbying a foreign government to legalize or make abortion available. 

The Mexico City Policy was in effect from 1985 until 1993, when it was rescinded by President Clinton.  President George W. Bush reinstated the policy in 2001, implementing it through conditions in USAID grant awards, and subsequently extended the policy to "voluntary population planning" assistance provided by the Department of State. [Source: Presidential Memorandum]

The White House – Blog Post – Statement released after the President rescinds "Mexico City Policy"

Proposed bill targets teen drivers on cell phones

While I normally eschew government regulation and increasing infringement on private property rights, I welcome a ban on cell phone use by teen drivers. But I want the restriction to apply to every driver, regardless of age.

Increasingly, I see drivers talking or texting on a cell phone doing the dumbest things in the most dangerous of circumstances, like turning onto a busy roadway or merging into heavy traffic. It is impossible to talk or text and concentrate fully on driving, but I see idiots doing that very thing daily.

Read more…

It’s Personal Responsibility, Stupid

Too bad that liberals will never understand why… Homeowners who should never have received a mortgage are re-defaulting, even after having their loan terms renegotiated. Meanwhile, to “bail out” the homeowner in this economic downturn the Congress is considering…. buying and renegotiating loans for homeowners nearing or in default. Go figure.

“The results, I confess, were somewhat surprising, and not in a good way,” said John Dugan, head of the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, in prepared remarks for a U.S. housing forum.

“Put simply, it shows that over half of mortgage modifications seemed not to be working after six months,” he said.

“Homeowners re-defaulting after receiving aid”

Michelle Malkin » Duh of the day: Give bad loan risks more money, get same result

Woman loses $400,000 in Nigerian e-mail scam

There are people who still fall for this? But now that I think about it, a majority of the nation’s voters fell for a similar scam on November 4….

Janella Spears of Sweet Home says she simply became curious when she received an e-mail promising her $20.5 million if she would only help out a long-lost relative identified as J.B. Spears with a little money up front.

Woman loses $400,000 in Nigerian e-mail scam | ajc.com