When you boil off all the frothy rhetoric, what health reform is really all about is a power grab. It is 16 percent of the national economy and $2.7 trillion in annual spending. It is the biggest opportunity politicians and their cronies have ever seen for enriching themselves.

For a sneak peak at what lies ahead, look at the city where Barack Obama cut his teeth first as a community organizer then as a state legislator, then as U.S. Senator: Chicago. Extortion, bribery, back scratching, and nepotism are all coins …

Back in July, a software company named Smartronix landed an $18 million contract to build a Web site where taxpayers could easily track billions in federal stimulus money. It was just another part of the Obama administration’s ongoing effort to bring transparency to stimulus spending, we were told.
But it seems the drive for transparency doesn’t cover the contract itself.
After weeks of prodding by ProPublica and other organizations, the General Services Administration released copies of the contract and related documents that are so heavily blacked out they are virtually worthless.
Don’t believe …

The hit list is getting longer. Former Obama fundraiser Tony Rezco convicted.  Reverend Jeremiah Wright disowned.  Bill Ayers disavowed as a close ally.  Illegal immigrant aunt estranged.  Former friends Governor Rod Blagojevich and  US Senator Roland Burris iced out.
It’s getting crowded under the Obama political bus.  And now another person is taking a big fall under it – this one, Michelle Obama’s former boss in Chicago.  In fact, this is the man who approved raising Michelle’s salary in Chicago – for “Community Outreach” — from $150,000 to $370,000 – a …

Our Fearless Independent Media

“Obama Takes On Health Care Critics”–headline, NPR.org, Aug. 11
“Obama Takes On Health Care Reform Critics”–headline, Voice of America Web site, Aug. 11
“Obama Takes On Health Care Critics”–headline, Associated Press, Aug. 12
“Obama Takes On Health Care Critics”–headline, USA Today, Aug. 12
“Obama Takes On Critics at Town Hall Forum”–headline, Chicago Tribune, Aug. 12
“Obama Takes On Health Care Critics”–headline, Slate.com, Aug. 12
“Obama to Take On Health-Care Critics”–headline, Washington Post, Aug. 14

Read more at the Wall Street Journal

I first met Robert Novak when I was in deep trouble with the Nixon administration (where I was the newly-named assistant commerce secretary in charge of minority business development).  None of my ideas (liberal then: you must remember that I was at the time an urban lefty liberal)  were going through but I had sneaked through an historic one which has plagued the nation ever since—section 8(a) which guaranteed that government contracts go to a portion of minorities who qualified with the end-date of 10 years hah!  I had in …

A few weeks back an old friend called to say he could get me $25,000 from Very Important People if I would “blog in favor of the Olympics.”
For those of you who may have been comatose in Central Waziristan for the past year or two, bringing the 2016 games to Chicago is something Mayor Daley wants more than oxygen itself.
“I am still agnostic on the Olympics,” say I.
This friend is indeed close to the mayor, but rarely actually represents him in such dealings. He is also close to many wealthy …

A friend of the Chicago Daily Observer, political columnist Robert Novak has died at age 78.  Our condolences to the Novak family.

The SEIU and its political affiliate contributed $3 million to America Votes, an advocacy organization that was headed by Cecile Richards, wife of an aide to SEIU President Andy Stern, at the time the payments were made. From the LA times 2008.
President Obama loves Planned Parenthood and why not? President Obama loves SEIU and why not? President Obama has made a career of courting Best Friends Forever (BFFs) who happen to be powerful muckety mucks. President Obama loves the quick ride in relationships, political experiences and in forcing Legislation on …

Pay students to get passing grades in classes?  It’s happening, but it’s a terrible idea.  It sets a bad precedent for young people to expect monetary rewards for simply doing what they should be doing.
Two successful Chicago men have come up with a much better idea.  Not only will their plan encourage students to do well in school, it will keep them in school through graduation, make them healthier, and give them a good chance to attend college. It’s an idea which should be adopted nationwide.
The two men –Chicago businessman …

Despite a severe budget shortfall, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has consistently allowed trustees at Chicago State University (CSU) to squander hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars. Turning a deaf ear to appeals from concerned faculty and students, Quinn gave the CSU board carte blanche to select a new University president. After spending $75,000 in tax dollars on a “national” search, the board, which has two vacancies and a trustee whose term has expired, hired then-City Colleges Chancellor Wayne Watson, a close friend of reputed Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley ally, …