political jokes

  President George W. Bush may be out of office but the benefits of his leadership will last forever, at least that is what the George W. Bush Presidential Center hopes.

Keeping in tradition, the Bush Presidency will have itself a modern version of a presidential library. The tradition of such facilities can be dated back to 1885 and the wife of President James A. Garfield, who added a Memorial Library wing to their family home in Mentor, OH, four years after his assassination. But the presidential library system was officially launched by Franklin Delano Roosevelt after he donated his personal papers and federal documents to the federal government and pledged a portion of his Hyde Park, New York estate for the purpose of housing them.

The George W. Bush museum will be housed on the campus of Southern Methodist University, near Dallas in the heart of Texas.

Among other things, it will house the official archive of President Bush's presidential and gubernatorial records. It will also include the papers of key policy makers and cabinet members from his two terms in office.

As explained on a web site for the development of the museum “it will tell the story of the Bush presidency within the context of the historic challenges of the first decade of the 21st century and how President and Mrs. Bush worked to advance the core governing principles of freedom, opportunity, responsibility and compassion.”

Of course liberals will laugh at that mission statement but those of us who are not falling on the left side of the political spectrum, understand exactly what they mean. We understand that freedom is not a government program and that President Bush, although he had his lackluster areas of governance, did know the importance of freedom and recognized the challenges to it.

We understand that the freedom has a cost and that we must pay a price to achieve it and keep it.

Many of us appreciate the fact George W. Bush made the hard and sometimes unpopular decisions that history will show we were the beneficiaries of.

Unlike the caretaker leadership of Bill Clinton, President George W. Bush advanced the cause of freedom and defended it at home and abroad. Unlike some, President Bush never backed away from the tough decisions and although many offer him nothing but blame, many more understand that in our less than perfect world, less than desired efforts must be undertaken.

The multi purpose center will not only house a museum and library it will be the home of a policy institute that “will capitalize on the personal involvement of President and Mrs. Bush, its location on the campus of an important national university and its unique relationship to a presidential library and museum to attract scholars, intellectuals and leaders with experience in government, politics and various professions. It will invite a select number of Senior and Visiting Fellows and former world leaders to research, write and teach on important policy issues of the day and to work with task forces charged with generating practical policy initiatives on specific subjects.”

The policy institute will focus on such things as the promotion of freedom throughout the world and it will encourage the promotion of freedom as well as social entrepreneurship

Areas of focus will include the promotion of freedom throughout the world, encouraging through faith- and community-based organizations, and “reforming fundamental institutions of government to keep our country safe and our economy competitive and strong. The work product of the task forces and Fellows will be published by the Institute and promoted through lectures and seminars, with important task force topics coordinated with temporary exhibits at the museum.”

The Bush Presidential Center’s design will incorporate space for archival material, exhibition space, classrooms, social functions and a cafe.

The George W. Bush Policy Institute will house up to 25 Senior and Visiting Fellows and will also include conference facilities, a media studio, and offices for the Institute and the George W. Bush Foundation.

Groundbreaking on the facility is anticipated for late 2010. The dedication and opening of the facility is scheduled for 2013.

Donations to help fund construction of the George W. Bush Presidential Center you can simply click here .

The entire web site for the developing project can be viewed by clicking here . For those of us who believe in George W. Bush and appreciated his time in office now is our chance to help insure that the good work he has done and the direction he set us on is not ignored. Now is our chance to insure his rightful place in history as time sheds light on his efforts.

G.W. Bush And Bill Clinton Somehow Ended Up In the Same Barber Shop

As they sat there, each being worked on by a different barber, not a word was spoken. The barbers were both afraid to start a conversation, for fear it would turn to politics. As the barbers finished their shaves, the one who had Clinton in his chair reached for the aftershave.

Clinton was quick to stop him saying, " No thanks, my wife Hillary will smell that and think I've been in a whorehouse".

The second barber turned to Bush and said, "how about you?"

Bush replied, "Go ahead, my wife Laura doesn't know what the inside of a whorehouse smells like."

Submitted by Brian, Idaho Falls, Idaho

This morning Chris Christie officially declared that he will make a run for the Republican nomination for Governor official during the first week of February.

With access to lists of Republican supporters and activists collected by Christie supporters such as State Senator Joe Kyrillos, the former prosecutor sent the following message.

Dear Friend,

This morning I am filing papers to begin the process to become a candidate for the Republican nomination for Governor of New Jersey.

I did not take this step lightly. It was only after careful consideration and consultation with my family that I decided to become a candidate.

New Jersey is broken. New Jersey’s taxes have become so unaffordable that more families are leaving our state than moving here. Our state's business tax climate is ranked 50th in the nation and has become so unattractive to employers that only government jobs are growing in New Jersey. Yet nothing in Trenton gets done to fix these problems.

We can change this. We can solve these problems if we're willing to make the tough decisions.

In my seven years as your United States Attorney, I didn't shy away from any of the tough decisions. I took on corporate greed, political corruption, terrorism and environmental polluters. Public officials from both parties were prosecuted for corruption – more than 130 were convicted, and not one was acquitted. Corporate executives who cheated their companies and hurt their workers were successfully prosecuted. Terrorist plots were disrupted; polluters punished.

Many didn’t believe we could win these battles. We did, and with strong leadership we will win the fight for Governor and change this state for the better.

My formal announcement for Governor will come in the first week in February and I hope you will join us (I will email you the details). With strong leadership now, we can fix our broken state and make it more affordable for all New Jersey families.

Sincerely,

Chris Christie

The filing of papers with the State Board of Elections to begin making his his candidacy for Governor of New Jersey a reality is about time.

For Christie to stall his decision to run or not run any longer would be detrimental to both his own success and our party’s success.

It is no secret that he would probably be running and to begin with a late, or later start than he already intends, only makes things tougher for the G.O.P. than they may already be.

From the message sent out by Christie, which essentially makes his intentions clear, one can see that the soon to be candidate for the Republican nomination for Governor of New Jersey is banking on a campaign that will play up his prosecutorial, clean government credentials and business interests.

Those are important issues however, Christie would be wise to highlight the damage done to the citizens of New Jersey due to the anti business climate that Corzine and Democrats have created in the state more than just the desire of businesses. The focus needs to be on the people. By simply making himself the “pro-business” candidate, Christie will fall into a trap that Democrats are great at. It is a trap that, in the minds of voters, Democrats perpetuate a sense that Republicans are the party for big business.

So Christie needs to carefully phrase his intentions to improve the environment for business in New Jersey.

One of the most encouraging comments in his email was a reference to the fact that only government jobs are growing in New Jersey. If Christie can hammer home the fact that Democrats have made government a business that they treat like corrupt Wall Street, ponzi schemers and profit from at the sake of taxpayers, he may be on to a winning theme in November.

But first he must get our nomination.

It is my hope that Chris Christie will work hard for that nomination. He just might have to with people like Assemblyman Richard Merkt and former Mayor Steve Lonegan on his tail.

The two, especially Mayor Lonegan are going to be innovative in their approaches to government and in a time when Americans were wanting “change”, New Jerseyans are really wanting change. Business as usual is not something that New Jersey residents want from government and people like Steve Lonegan are anything but business usual. Many can see that as a refreshing change from the business as usual that we have gotten from the current administration in Trenton.

So once Christie does become an official candidate and starts campaigning as one, it will be interesting to see how he distinguishes himself from the pack and from your run of the mill politicians.

And the sooner he starts trying to do so, the better.

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POSTED EARLIER TODAY: JACK KEMP - A POLITICAL ICON BATTLES CANCER

It has been reported that Jack Kemp has cancer.

His office released the following statement:

“Mr. Kemp has been undergoing tests to determine the origin of the disease and the options for continued treatment. He will continue to serve as Chairman of Kemp Partners and plans to remain involved in his business, charitable and politically related activities. Mr. Kemp and his family are grateful for the thoughts and prayers of friends and appreciate respect for their privacy at this time”..........

To Read More, Go To:

http://politics247.wordpress.com/2009/01/07/jack-kemp-a-political-icon-battles-cancer/

Senator Jennifer Beck fired the first shot in one of the new year's opening session of the New Jersey State Senate.

To a packed chamber, the feisty freshman Senator stated "New Jersey's fiscal mess is one of the worst in the country, and the responsibility for being worse off than other States comes from Corzine" . "Corzine refuses to acknowledge that his tax and toll increases, unsustainable spending increases, and a job-killing COAH/housing subsidy bill have made things worse and can't be blamed on others." She added "Every time Corzine is asked about New Jersey's fiscal mess, he refuses to accept any responsibility,".

When first campaigning for Governor, then U.S. Senator Jon Corzine promised to control state spending, yet once elected, during the first six months of is misadministration, he raised taxes by almost $2 billion dollars. Now that he is up for re-election, New Jersey has a budget gap of $2.1 billion dollars, an amount that surpasses the revenue of increased taxes that he initiated during his first six months in office.

His most recent try at closing the existing budget gap came with an announcement that decared he was going to to slash the state budget as much as $812 million dollars by targeting things such as adolescent illiteracy where he can eliminate as much as $ 11 thousand.

These recent attempts at controlling spending are miniscule and misdirected but almost as troubling as what we are hearing from Corzine is what we are not hearing from him.

Throughout his tenure as Governor, Corzine has been quite clandestine about budget numbers and contract negotiations. Republican lawmakers have recently filed lawsuits which seek to have the Governor reveal certain figures and there is currently a case in the courts that deals with secret emails between the Governor and his former girlfriend Carla Katz regarding how the two negotiated a state contract with a local Communication Workers Union, one of the state’s most powerful unions of which Katz was thePresident of at the time.

As most of us know, Governor Corzine has been doing everything but govern.

The past few years have been an example of a man who has been controlled by events and unable to control any events. More than that, he has been unable to cope with events. The state of New Jersey has spiraled out of economic control and it began to do so long before the rest of the nation entered troubled economic territory.

For the average person, under Corzine, New Jersey has become increasingly unaffordable and the quality of life in the Garden State has done anything but improve.

It is part of the reason for declines in population which will cost the state a congressional seat after the 2010 census.

It is a result of people fleeing New Jersey for more affordable states with more opportunity and more economic freedom.

For these reasons Senator Beck joined with State Senator Kevin O’Toole, ( R )-Bergen, and called upon the Governor to “ finally accept some responsibility for New Jersey’s fiscal mess” and adopt what they called “three bipartisan common-sense ideas to make New Jersey more affordable and hold government accountable”. The proposa urges the governor to:

1. Listen to bipartisan calls in the senate to postpone, and make substantial reforms to, a job crushing COAH/housing subsidy law.
2. Listen to bipartisan calls in the senate for additional spending cuts. (See $1.2 billion in spending cuts proposed by Republicans)
3. Listen to bipartisan calls in the Senate to derail a Corzine proposal to let local government skip pension payments until after his reelection.

All of the above are reasonable and realistic steps, that few could rationally argue against and that even fewer can see reason not to accept.

So we are quite proud of Senator Beck. We are proud of her many legislative initiatives targeted at turning things around New Jersey, including the aforementioned bipartisan proposal.

We are proud of her many efforts to open the legislative process up to the public, eliminate government corruption and to reform government in New Jersey. We are also proud of and grateful for her taking the lead once again and demanding that Governor Corzine at least try to effectively deal with the mess that he has only made worse up to now.

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* * * * * * * * ALSO * * * * * * * *

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New Jersey Republican State Senator Sean Kean has called upon the state Department of Transportation to stop work on a route 36 bridge that spans the mouth of the Shrewsbury and Navesink River estuary in Mounmouth County New Jersey.

You might think it odd for a state legislator to call for the cessation of work on an important roadway in his district. But such is the case.

Senator Kean doesn’t want the project abandoned, he just wants it suspended until a group of immigrants leave the area.

Is this a sign that New Jersey Republicans are finally accepting the fact that illegal immigration is wrong and must be treated as such?

I wish.

But even if that was the case, why suspend the final touches on a project that improves a bridge on a crucial artery?

Well the immigrants involved in this particular case are not illegal nor do they have green cards, passports, licenses, or any other verifiable identification but they do have fins.

They are Atlantic bottlenose dolphins and this particular pod consists of 12.

These 12 happy campers came to the area 6 months ago and have been enjoying their new digs in the Navesink and Shrewsbury Rivers ever since.

There presence in the area is not abnormal, just infrequent. More infrequent is the length of their stay in the area. In the past, most visiting dolphins have moved on by now for areas south around the Carolinas. But not this pod.

Experts say that their unscheduled visit it is not indicative of a problem though.

There are two ecotypes of bottlenose dolphins, offshore and coastal. The offshore bottlenose dolphins usually frolic further out to sea than the coastal variety and they do so in large groups often numbering in the hundreds. The coastal variety tend to stay closer to shore and often inhabit bays, harbors and rivers. They also run in groups much smaller than their offshore relatives. Normally 20 or less. With the exception of the the poles around both hemispheres, both ecotypes exist in tropical and temperate waters worldwide.

The pod presently roaming the Navesink and Shrewsbury rivers are apparently the coastal type and the duration of their time in these rivers is simply because this is where they want to be now.

Marine scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Fisheries Service out of Gloucester Massachusettes, along with other wildlife officials, claim that the pod of 12 are not in any danger. They add that none of the dolphins are exhibiting any sign of stress, disorientation or starvation. In fact experts believe that the pod is just acting normally, and probably following the path of fish they feed on.

Yet animal rescuers and members of the group Clean Ocean Action are not satisfied by that assessment.

They believe that construction on the bridge at the Shrewsbury-Navesink River estuary is the reason for the long stay of the dolphins. Their thinking is that the loud noise from pile-driving along with the presence of crane barges by the bridge, are preventing the pod from exiting the straight that the bridge spans.

Marine experts have testified that the happy and healthy animals are not effected by either the barges or the noise and, just in case, whenever the dolphins are found within 500 meters of the bridge, work is stopped until dolphins have moved on.

But the activist dolphin fans still call upon the animal experts to do something. They have requested that they “lure” the dolphins back out into Sandy Hook Bay.

Explaining that the move is unnecessary, NOAA officials assured the activists that in addition to having the same concern for the dolphins that they do, there just isn’t a need to force the dolphins to change the normal, natural behavior that they are exhibiting.

They further add that the attempts to capture, herd or lure the dolphins are unlikely to work and unnecessarily dangerous.

The lead veterinarian for NOAA was reported to say "we're letting these dolphins be wild dolphins." She added “we are not, as an agency, trying to limit the habitat of the recovering coastal bottlenose dolphins."

Given all of the testimony by professionals in the field, why would Senator Kean call upon the Transportation Department to stop working on what experts say has nothing to do with the longer than usual stay of the dolphins?

Politics.

Among the only imagery sadder than a lifeless dolphin is an innocent, wide-eyed, fear struck, baby fur seal about to be clubbed over the head or Bambi weeping . If any number of these dolphins perished, Sean Kean does not want to be linked to their demise through any sad imagery of the dolphins that would be replicated on a slick campaign mailer sent out by his opponent in the next election and blaming him for their death.

So Senator Kean acted responsibly as far as electoral politics goes.

After all, he does not have the authority to force the D.O.T to stop a project, so no one can blame him if they don’t stop construction on the bridge,……. he tried.

But what if the Department of Transportation did decide to comply with his request?

What is politically expedient today for the senator, may not be politically expedient for him tomorrow.

If construction on the bridge did stop because of Kean’s request for the safety of the dolphins, how long would it be before the dolphins finally moved on and construction could resume?

The bridge in question happens to be heavily traveled, especially during the summer months when every single beachgoer coming from the north, including New York are traveling over it to get to the beaches of Sandy Hook , Sea Brite and many others past it.

Any traffic congestion during the summer months because of construction that was dealyed by the the dolphins will be compounded by a preponderance of beachgoers who locals call bennys, a term used by locals for the out of town, summer visitors out of frustration with with the extensive congestion of our roadways that the bennies cause as they flock to the Jersey Shore and make it more difficult for us to move out and about in our local neighborhood and on our beaches between Memorial day and Labor day.

The term is based on first letter of the towns that tourists rode through when taking the Jersey Shore line of the New Jersey Transit train system to and from the shore. They include Bayonne, Elizabeth, Newark and New York.

If Sean Kean’s requested cessation of construction on that bridge during the less traveled winter months, causes the construction to occur when the Bennies are clogging roadways during the summer months, the added delays will result in angry voters who will not be pleased with the senator‘s actions.

But Senator Kean has to do what he feels he has to do.

Perhaps he sincerely fears for the lives of these dolphins. As a feline enthusiast and cattery owner, I am an animal lover and that includes dolphins. So I could understand if his motovation was driven by heartfelt concern. But I can’t understand why he would disregard the advice of a group of people who also like dolphins but unlike either one of us, these animal lovers are experts concerning dolphins. They know much more about them than the senator and most, if not all, the concerned activists who are second guessing them.

Of course, he could just be going through the motions in a well conceived attempt to please everyone .

The senator probably understands that some people will not be satisfied by any evidence that contradicts their opinion. Some of the “stop the construction crowd” probably wouldn’t be convinced that the bridge isn’t effecting the dolphins even if Flipper himself popped out of the water and presented them with a notarized statement swearing that their concerns are unwarranted.

So, given the fact that the construction site operates with a monitoring systems that is sensitive to the dolphins needs and that the D.O.T is not likely to comply with his request, Kean publicly goes through with the request understanding that the dolphins are not at risk. But by officially calling upon the D.O.T to suspend work on the bridge, the activists will know that Sean Kean did all that he could to address their concerns while Kean knows the bridge will be completed before the busy summer months roll around and the dolphins will still be safe.

Everybody wins.

All that convoluted thinking kind of makes you wish you were a dolphin yourself. They don’t have to deal with trying to please everybody. They get to go where they want, when they want and how they want, and they do it all without a big bureaucracy charging them for it.

Which brings us to a different potential problem for the dolphins.

If these bottlenose dolphins stay in the Navesink and Shrewsbury Rivers too long, Governor Corzine and the Democrat led state legislature will certainly tax them and add a toll for them to pay when they do finally decide to leave.

Christmas Time in Washington

The Supreme Court ruled there cannot be a Nativity scene in Washington, D.C. this Christmas.

This isn't for any religious or constitutional reason, they simply have not been able to find three wise men and a virgin in the nation's capitol.

There was no problem however finding enough asses to fill the stable.