Idiots

The former Empire State's Schumer, Gillibrand

One Piece At A Time:

Our morally and intellectually superior two-headed monster, Chuck and Kirsten, should have known that voting on Marxist ideological grounds for bills that you haven't actually read has consequences.

Idiots, indeed.

Gillibrand stands with Obama

New York's junior senator may be backing a loser. Her official position:

Kirsten Gillibrand is doing everything she can to support New York's working families and help President Barack Obama achieve his vision for lasting change.

Gillibrand and Sharpton: "No Justice, No Peace!"

Long slams Gillibrand over ethanol support

NY Senate candidate Wendy Long understands that Kirsten Gillibrand is working to keep fuel prices high and giant ethanol producers  rich:

“The worst drought in over 50 years is striking the heartland of the country resulting in astronomically high corn prices, increasing the cost of feed for dairy farmers, and driving up costs for yogurt and other producers.  Unfortunately, Senator Gillibrand is more interested in protecting her friends in big ethanol than she is in protecting our dairy farms,” said U.S. Senate candidate Wendy Long.

This is not the first time that Gillibrand has sided with big ethanol.  Last June she voted to strike down a measure to roll back $6 billion in federal ethanol subsidies.  The measure, S.1057, was dubbed the “Ethanol Subsidy and Tariff Repeal Act.”  

Would that more Upstaters joined Long in understanding the connection between subprime mortgage profiteer Gillibrand and the high energy prices that are crippling our economy.

Trusting your future to Kirsten Gillibrand?

Pals Sharpton and Gillibrand

With the US facing an existential crisis that will make World War II seem like a speed bump, lets' check up on what New York's junior US Senator, the hot Kirsten Gillibrand, has been doing to save our nation.

 First, helping out our masses of unemployed workers.

To encourage investors, a complete exclusion on all capital gains is offered if you hold the stock of a company with under $50 million in gross assets for five years. There is also a provision that allows small businesses to write off up to $500,000 in tangible property, and all in one year, rather than over the lifetime of the equipment.

Yeah, that should help.  Why not a complete exclusion on all capital gains taxes for everybody, period?

Then of course, there's always shrub willow.

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., toured Eileen Yager’s Dunlap Road farm in Richland Thursday afternoon, announcing support for a $4.3 million federal grant to encourage New York farmers to grow shrub willows as a renewable energy source.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has earmarked more than $4 million under the USDA Biomass Crop Assistance Program to pay farmers to plant up to 3,500 acres of willow in 2013 and 2014. Land preparation will start this year.

Shrub willow?  Kirsten Gillibrand made big bucks short selling sub prime mortgage companies after she and her pal Andy Cuomo at Bill Clinton's HUD forced banks to make the bad loans.  Now she's spending four million of your hard earned tax dollars to plant weeds. 

If we were advising Wendy Long, we'd suggested she start explaining who Kirsten Gillibrand really is.

Long to face Cuomo croney Gillibrand

Wendy Long appears to have easily won the New York GOP primary race for US Senate.  She'll face Kirsten Gillibrand, the most liberal member of the Democrat-controlled Senate and a long-time Andy Cuomo crony.

Long, who was endorsed by South of 5 and 20, got 51 percent of the vote in a three way race. 

If you just tuning in to Wendy, try this for starters:

The main purpose and idea of my campaign is not original. I can't claim authorship. An inspired group of New Yorkers and other Americans came up with the idea, about 225 years ago.

It's called limited self-government, of the people, by the people, and for the people.

Wendy Long for US Senate

Wendy at the range

We endorse Wendy Long in Tuesday's Republican primary.   Wendy deserves to replace America's most liberal senator, former tobacco company lawyer Kirsten Gillibrand.

With so many serious issues and responsibilities before the United States Senate, New York needs a Senator who thinks for herself - not just someone who rubber-stamps the Obama agenda or checks with Chuck Schumer and says, "Me too!"

Independence is a quality that New Yorkers used to count on in our Senators, regardless of party. Think of names like Kennedy, Buckley, Moynihan, Clinton, D'Amato: a lot of political differences come to mind. But they have something in common, too: they are names associated with purpose, with ideas, and with stature worthy of a Senator from New York, not a cheerleader on the sidelines of an administration whose policies have so clearly failed.
And this brings me to the heart of my candidacy.

The main purpose and idea of my campaign is not original. I can't claim authorship. An inspired group of New Yorkers and other Americans came up with the idea, about 225 years ago.

It's called limited self-government, of the people, by the people, and for the people.

Gillibrand to New Yorkers: Freeze!

Millionaire lawyers Gillibrand, Clinton

Despite the best efforts of anti-energy fanatics, increased production of natural gas, resulting in dropping prices, is putting a little money back in the pockets of some New Yorkers.  Empire State politicians have presided over some of the highest energy prices in the nation, so we're happy to see gas users get a little relief.

Not everyone has access to natural gas, of course, and the millions who heat with fuel oil are suffering with steadily rising prices.  But shivering New York citizens take heart - millionaire ex-tobacco lawyer and US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand wants to help you - by giving your tax dollars to well-connected crony capitalists:

"I am hoping the president will focus on how we can compete with China in the green energy revolution, how we can actually retain the manufacturing of green energy in America," Gillibrand said. "We have great manufacturing assets in upstate New York and on Long Island. We have some of the most cutting-edge energy research in the world in New York state. We want to see 'made in America' again."

Gillibrand favors a 30 percent federal tax credit for commercial, industrial or residential investment in energy efficiency.

That would particularly help New York, she said, because the state is a leader in developing new energy technologies, including solar and wind technology, and lithium car batteries, fuel cells and bio-digesters.

Gillibrand saying anything so stupid in response to her constituents' real suffering  confirms that she assumes nobody will ever find out what she said, so please share this with your neighbors.

Toes feeling a little numb this winter?  Just wait until Kirsten's bio-digesters warm up.

If you did it, you'd go to jail

Gillibrand and Clinton, new faces of Tammany Hall?

One of Nine is reading Peter Schweizer's new book, Throw Them All Out, and reminds us that...

"Lyndon Johnson was born into absolute poverty, spent a lifetime in public service and died a multimlllionaire."

Schweizer's book is causing our rulers to run around like cockroaches caught in a flashlight's beam.  Read the entire post to learn how our junior senator, Kirsten Gillibrand, wants you to think she's fighting congressional corruption, while offering a bill that ensures the well-connected swells of our ruling class, like Kirsten, will continue to rake in the swag at your expense.

For more on Harry Reid's "hottest senator," check out our previous coverage:

Who is Kirsten Gillibrand?

On the wrong track and headed for you 

Amity Shlaes for US Senate 

New York's senators: on the job 

Amity Shlaes: Repeating 1937?

Amity Shlaes: Repeating 1937?

Amity Shales, South of 5 and 20's choice to replace Kirsten Gillibrand as senator from New York, points out how the Obama administration is doing now what FDR did in 1937 to prolong the Great Recession.

Roosevelt's victory in 1936 had been so convincing that people believed he might do anything. FDR reinforced this suspicion with an inaugural address so aggressive that modern presidential advisers would never allow it on the teleprompter. Roosevelt told the nation he sought in government "an instrument of unimagined power." That scared markets and small businesses.

Roosevelt's efforts to increase the power of government had the unintended consequence of nearly destroying the US economy.  Obama's actions are having the same consequence, but he's so smart that it cannot be unintentional.

 

Draft Amity Shlaes!

h/t: Instapundit 

New York's senators: on the job

Gillibrand at Saks Fifth Avenue, September 2010

Un/underemployment remains at a seemingly permanent 20%, a rapid rise in energy prices threatens to kill off what's left of the US economy, and dangerous lunatics in the Middle East are dragging us into another ill-advised war.  So let's check this morning's headlines to see which of these national crises are top priority for the Finger Lakes' US senators:

Democrat Chuck Schumer is focusing robberies of New York pharmacies, which are running at 1.6 incidents per month statewide, or 0.3 robberies per county per year:

Sen. Chuck Schumer wants people involved in selling prescription drugs on the black market to get the same treatment as mobsters.

The federal racketeering law that allows law enforcement officials to wiretap mobsters also would apply to the drug sellers, under a proposal backed by Schumer, D-N.Y., and several Democratic colleagues.

Our hottest senator, Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand, is fighting for nationalization of driving age regulations: 

New York should raise to 18 the age that people can obtain unrestricted drivers' licenses — and the rest of the country should follow suit, Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand said Tuesday.

Mrs. Gillibrand, D-N.Y., said she is rekindling an effort in Congress to require graduated drivers' licenses nationwide, providing limited licenses until teens turn 18.

New York is already spending millions annually for an army of highly paid professionals to deal with both of these local issues.  Schumer is not our police chief, and Gillibrand doesn't work at the DMV.  These pompous twits should concentrate on defending the United States, while there's still a United States to defend.

Amity Shlaes for US Senate

South of 5 and 20 hereby endorses Amity Shlaes for US Senate from New York.  The Lonely Conservative explains why Shlaes will be accidental senator Kirsten Gillibrand's first serious opponent.

Although Ms. Shlaes has not yet announced her candidacy, anyone who has read her best-selling books understands that this must happen.  Shlaes' books may be ordered directly from the right side of this page.

On the wrong track and headed for you

Finger Lakes families have had to find a way to survive during decades of job losses, rising taxes, and widespread economic decline.  Still, we are unlikely to hear anyone say "my economic woes would be resolved if only I could get to Batavia faster by train."

WSYR reports the federal government, mere days before the mid-term election, has taken another $18 million from taxpayers and given it to Big Rail:

The announcement is the latest round of funding for high-speed rail along the so-called Empire Corridor. The $18 (million) to be spent in Onondaga County is a majority of the $28 million to be spent across three projects in the Empire Corridor.

The funding came from a Federal Rail Administration grant that will formally be announced Thursday by the U.S. Department of Transportation. It was announced Monday in a joint press release from Representative Louise Slaughter, Representative Dan Maffei, Senator Charles Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.

The political nature of this spending is analyzed by the Anti-Planner, under the heading "More Money Wasted":

Just in time to influence the November election, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has granted $2.5 billion for high-speed rail to several states, including California, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, and Michigan. Underscoring the political nature of the grants, the announcements were not made by the Federal Railroad Administration, which doesn’t mention them on its web site.

Instead, LaHood phoned major politicians (all Democrats), who then announced the grants to the media. A formal announcement is expected on Thursday.

Bold added.

Who is Kirsten Gillibrand?

New York's unelected junior senator was recently declared by no less an authority than Harry Reid to be that august chamber's "hottest" member.  While that may be the only issue upon which this blog ever agrees with Dingy Harry, Gillibrand remains unknown to many voters.  In the American Thinker, Fred Eckert helpully summarized Kirsten's positions on key issues, formerly as a member of Congress, and currently as our appointed junior senator:

• Against gay marriage as a member of the house -- For gay marriage since the day her appointment to the Senate was announced.
• For keeping "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in place while in House -- Against as senator.
• Against gun control while in the House (100% NRA rating) -- For gun control as a senator.
• Against any form of amnesty for illegal immigrants as a member of the House -- For as a senator.
• For withholding federal funds from sanctuary cities while in House -- Against as senator.
• For making English the official language while in the House -- Against as senator.
• For empowering local police to enforce federal immigration laws while in House -- Against as senator.
• Against the McCain- and Obama-endorsed Bush $700-billion TARP bank bailout in a vote in the House, calling it "fundamentally flawed" -- For the Obama $787-billion "stimulus" bill four months later as a senator.

And then there's Gillibrand's hand in the destruction of the US economy, when she worked at HUD with current governor-in-waiting Andy Cuomo:

When that wacky wrecking crew of the Clinton administration, Chris Dodd in the Senate, Barney Frank in the House, and Andrew Cuomo as HUD Secretary were smashing the banking system by foisting destructive subprime mortgages on the banks, causing collapses, leading to massive bailouts and triggering financial pain and suffering for millions of Americans, right there in a key supporting role at Cuomo's side as HUD legal counsel was...Kirsten Gillibrand.

Gillibrand was the person whom that gang tasked with promoting "new products" for HUD, a euphemism that means forcing banks to provide subprime mortgages to millions who could not afford them. (bold added)

Eckert refers to "Bonnie & Clyde" when he reminds us:

She and her husband profited really big-time by selling short companies heavily into subprimes. This is something not very many New York voters are aware of -- but they soon will be.

Debating Republican senate candidate Joe Dioguardi, Gillibrand sidestepped the opportunity to deny the short selling charge.  In fact, she effectively confirmed it.  Click for video.