Democrats seem to think the government is entitled to half of your stuff. When you die, anyway….

“The House approved Thursday a measure making the current estate tax rate permanent, overcoming the objections of an unusual coalition of liberal and conservative critics.”

“The bill passed, 225 to 200, with 26 Democrats joining all Republicans present to vote no. It would make permanent the current estate tax rate of 45 percent, with an exemption of $3.5 million per individual. If Congress does not act, the estate tax would disappear altogether in 2010, then return in 2011 under the higher rates — 55 percent and a $1 million exemption — that existed before President George W. Bush took office.”

“The Senate faces a Dec. 31 deadline to address the issue, but it’s not clear when that chamber will find the time to do so in the midst of its marathon health-care debate. It’s also unclear whether the House’s approach on the estate tax could garner the 60 votes necessary to move forward in the Senate.”

“Some Democrats in both chambers would prefer to see higher estate tax rates, arguing that the pre-2001 levels were fair and provided the government with much-needed funds. Making the current rates permanent will take a bite out of the federal treasury, with the government estimated to lose $234 billion in revenue over the next 10 years.”

“Most Republicans, meanwhile, don’t want any estate tax at all, opposing the concept on philosophical grounds.”

“Death should not be a taxable event,” said Rep. Dave Camp (Mich.), the top Republican on the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee. “Death should not force the sale of family farms or the dissolution of small businesses.”

NOTE: This method of screwing Ohio taxpayers only works if you’re a Democrat whose salary is paid by the people.

Step 1. Use your position, while on taxpayer funded time, to dig for dirt on a private citizen. The private citizen should be an innocent person who simply asks any question that makes your preferred candidate look bad.

Step 2. After using your resources to search private information on said citizen, get the info out to the nutroots in an effort to discredit and smear the innocent citizen. You can also do this on taxpayer funded state time.

Step 3. When said private citizen sues you, use your resources within the Democrat sleaze machine to have your legal defense fees paid for by the taxpayers. – You know… the very people you screwed in the first place.

Repeat as necessary.

BigGovernment.com broke the latest chapter in the ongoing ACORN scandal today. According to a private investigator who has joined the effort, ACORN dumped thousands of sensitive documents just before CA Attorney General Jerry Brown was due to begin an investigation.

“Shockingly, we now learn that the ACORN office in National City (San Diego County) engaged in a massive document dump on the evening of October 9th, containing thousands upon thousands of sensitive documents, just days prior to the Attorney General’s visit.”

“BigGovernment.com has learned that not only did this document dump occur, but the documents in question were irresponsibly and brazenly dumped in a public dumpster, without considering laws and regulations as to how sensitive information should be treated.”

‘I am a local licensed private investigator. I took it upon myself to keep an eye on what the local ACORN office was up to, in light of the release of the undercover videos. I retrieved these documents from the public dumpster.”

“ACORN’s political agenda is also exposed, with thousands upon thousands of documents revealing the depth of the political machine that is ACORN, and its disturbing ties to not only public employee labor unions but some of the most radical leftist organizations.”

“The laws governing how sensitive, personal information such as social security numbers, driver’s license numbers, immigration records, tax returns, etc. must be treated are very stringent, and thus it seems as if ACORN may have committed serious violations in that department alone, with thousands upon thousands of potential plaintiffs.”

Visit BigGovernment.com to see photos, video and scanned documents.

In related news, an ACORN employee in Nevada who was found guilty of participating in voter fraud last year was sentenced today. The penalty? Three years of probation.

“LAS VEGAS — A former Las Vegas supervisor for the political advocacy group ACORN was sentenced Monday to up to three years’ probation for his role in a plan to pay canvassers to register Nevada voters during last year’s presidential campaign.”

“I just want to say I take responsibility for what I did,” Christopher Edwards told a judge who responded that he was “not pleased to say the least” by allegations that Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now paid bonuses to canvassers who collected 21 or more voter registration cards in August and September 2008.”

“I’m sorry. I truly am,” Edwards said, “and it will never happen again.”

We know it won’t happen again, Mr. Edwards. We’re watching you scumbags now.

After all, when a guy who has the words “Soldier of Allah” on his business card shouts “Allahu Akbar” as he opens fire on American soldiers with the intent of mass murder, there can be only one explanation: He’s just a poor, misunderstood crazy person, right?

“Retired Col. John Galligan, who has been hired by Hasan’s family to defend him against murder charges, said the Army psychiatrist remains in the intensive care unit of a San Antonio military hospital, where he is in great pain, except for his legs.”

“Galligan said he will seek a psychiatric evaluation of Hasan as he prepares to defend him. He noted the allegations that Hasan opened fire without warning in a Fort Hood waiting room and the comments of former colleagues that he sometimes seemed mentally unstable. “Mental responsibility” will be an issue, he said.”

Former psychiatrist Charles Krauthammer has a more sensible take on this.

“It’s been decades since I practiced psychiatry. Perhaps I missed the epidemic.”

“But, of course, if the shooter is named Nidal Hasan, whom National Public Radio reported had been trying to proselytize doctors and patients, then something must be found. Presto! Secondary post-traumatic stress disorder, a handy invention to allow one to ignore the obvious.”

“And the perfect moral finesse. Medicalizing mass murder not only exonerates. It turns the murderer into a victim, indeed a sympathetic one. After all, secondary PTSD, for those who believe in it (you won’t find it in DSM-IV-TR, psychiatry’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual), is known as “compassion fatigue.” The poor man — pushed over the edge by an excess of sensitivity.”

“Have we totally lost our moral bearings? Nidal Hasan (allegedly) cold-bloodedly killed 13 innocent people. In such cases, political correctness is not just an abomination. It’s a danger, clear and present.”

I wonder if there’s any possibility that the prosecutor in this case would call Charles Krauthammer as an expert witness. That would be something to see.

Roman Polanski should go to jail.

Thirty-two years ago when he was 43 years old, he drugged and raped a 13 year old girl in the State of California. He broke the law and he acknowledged his guilt but fled the country before he could be sentenced.

In spite of what is being said by his defenders, it doesn’t matter at all that the rape occured 32 years ago.

No one in America would object the prosecution of a Catholic Priest who molested a 13 year old in 1977, even if the crime was discovered as late as 2009. Polanski’s crime has been known for the last 32 years.

No one would protest the prosecution of such a priest even if the abuse survivor said he or she said they didn’t want their attacker to be held accountable, as Polanski’s victim has stated.

We are a nation of laws and everyone is supposed to be equal under the law. Our laws apply to movie directors as well as priests.

Still, there are people who have rushed to defend Polanski’s heinous actions.

The Washington Post’s Anne Applebaum delivered a passionate defense of Polanski without disclosing the fact that her husband is a Polish Official who is actively fighting for Polanski’s defense, a fact uncovered by internet press watchdogs at Patterico.

There’s Harvey Weinstein, the co-founder of Miramax films:

“Weinstein entered the fray at the personal behest of Cannes film festival director Thierry Fremaux and will now use his considerable influence and campaigning heft to enlist the support of Hollywood.”

“We’re calling on every film-maker we can to help fix this terrible situation,” Weinstein said, reviving a theme he adopted earlier in the year after he bought international distribution rights at Sundance to the HBO documentary Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired.”

There’s Joan Z. Shore of The Huffington Post who blames the rape victim for seducing her attacker:

“The 13-year old model “seduced” by Polanski had been thrust onto him by her mother, who wanted her in the movies. The girl was just a few weeks short of her 14th birthday, which was the age of consent in California. (It’s probably 13 by now!) Polanski was demonized by the press, convicted, and managed to flee, fearing a heavy sentence.”

(One has to wonder if Joan Z. Shore has daughters and also if she would be OK with them being raped at age 13 by a 43 year old man if they had “seduced” him.)

Then there’s Whoopi Goldberg, who played a rape victim in “The Color Purple” and says of Polanski’s crime, “It wasn’t rape-rape.”

“I know it wasn’t rape-rape. It was something else but I don’t believe it was rape-rape. He went to jail and and when they let him out he was like ‘You know what, this guy’s going to give me a hundred years in jail I’m not staying,’ so that’s why he left.”

One is left to wonder why Roman Polanski is so special among Hollywood types who are convicted of rape.

In 2004 Scott Bairstow, a star of the TV show “Party of Five” then 33 years old, was convicted of raping a 12 year old girl. He served a prison sentence of just four months.

“EVERETT — Hollywood star Scott Bairstow and his attorney told a sentencing judge yesterday that the actor’s time behind bars is threatening to cut into his time before the camera.”

“Out of sight, out of mind has never been more true than in the entertainment industry,” said Mitchell Egers, the Los Angeles attorney representing 33-year-old Bairstow.”

“The California actor, whose big-screen credits include “Tuck Everlasting” and “The Bone Snatcher,” pleaded guilty in December to second-degree assault of a young girl, a plea acknowledging he assaulted the victim with intent of second-degree molestation.”

“Yesterday Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Linda Krese sentenced the actor to four months behind bars.”

The damning evidence against Bairstow came in the form of a phone call between him and his accuser, which was recorded by police:

The following conversation was recorded by police last month after the girl told her family about the alleged sexual abuse, according to charging documents filed by prosecutors:

Bairstow: OK. Um, I mean, ho, how are you feeling, are ya, are, are you mad?

Girl: Um. I don’t know. I think it’s affected me in a lot of ways, but …

Bairstow: It has?

Girl: Yeah. I don’t know. I don’t really know what to feel, ya know?

Bairstow: Have you told anyone?

Girl: No, but I’m thinking maybe I should.

Bairstow: K, um, why are you thinking that?

Girl: I don’t know. I just, I don’t know. You don’t think I should tell anyone?

Bairstow: Well … I’m like a dad, and I’ve got a job, and if you were to tell anyone, I would be thrown in jail for 10 years.

Girl: Are you serious?

Bairstow: Yeah, yeah, I’m not kidding around … it would destroy my life.

Another case of a Hollywood film director who served jail time for a similar crime is Victor Salva, who made the popular horror films Jeepers Creepers and Jeepers Creepers II. Prior to making those movies, in 1998 at the age of thirty, Salva was convicted of molesting a 12 year old boy, a crime for which he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

“He’d just made “Clownhouse,” a low budget horror film about three boys terrorized by circus clowns, that screened at Sundance and was bankrolled by Francis Ford Coppola, then one of the most influential filmmakers in Hollywood. To shoot the movie, Coppola even gave Salva the cameras George Lucas had used to make “American Graffiti.”

“But in 1988, as he was fielding offers to make high-profile studio films, Salva was charged with having oral sex with 12-year-old Nathan Forrest Winters, while directing the boy in the movie.”

“After confessing to the crime, Salva was sentenced to three years in state prison, serving 15 months before his release in 1989.”

These men were found guilty of rape and served surprisingly short prison sentences for their crimes. Roman Polanski admitted to his crime and his lived a charmed life of privelege for thirty-two years.

No Hollywood or politically connected advocacy can change the bottom line.

Roman Polanski raped a 13 year old girl.

Roman Polanski should have gone to jail 32 years ago.

Even the LA Times is now conceding that the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office made multiple attempts to arrest Polanski over the years.

“A spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office declined to comment on what role if any the court filings by Polanski’s attorneys played in the arrest. But the office produced a list of eight instances since 1978 in which prosecutors took steps to apprehend Polanski.”

“Those attempts were not successful. This attempt was,” spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said.”

The question of the man’s guilt was settled over 30 years ago.

It’s time for Roman Polanski to go to jail.

Follow up reading:

Kate Harding at Salon.com “Reminder: Roman Polanski Raped a Child”

More at Memeorandum.

Want to open a brothel with undocumented, underage girls? ACORN can help!

Same dumb crime for a THIRD time.

First it was Baltimore.

Second time was Washington, DC.

Now, New York City. (VIDEO AT THIS LINK)

New York Post covers the third time to charm!

“The scandal surrounding the left-wing activist organization ACORN has spread to New York, with employees at its Brooklyn office caught on video helping supposed ladies of the night get loans for their dream houses of ill repute.”

“Rather than reminding the women that prostitution is dangerous and illegal and advising them to change their careers, counselors at the social-services group shockingly offer suggestions on how they can launder their earnings.”

“Honesty is not going to get you the house,” a loan counselor at the offices told two activists posing as a mortgage-seeking pimp and prostitute.”

HEY CONGRESS!!!

Are you guys going to investigate this criminal TAX FUNDED organization any time soon?

Tap! Tap! Tap!  Is this thing on?

At least the Census Bureau finally smartened up.

Rotten to the core.

This story is so stunning it’s hard to know where to begin. Two people, posing as a prostitute and a pimp shot undercover video in an ACORN office in Baltimore, MD. They were looking for help buying a house but were NOT rebuffed when they revealed the sinister side of their true purpose.

The story was broken by a writer at Andrew Breitbart’s new blog “Big Government”, video included at the link below.

This organization receives TAX MONEY!

How will the media spin this one? How can they ignore this story? Will they?

The Wall Street Journal’s John Fund has picked up the story.

“I thought I’d heard every possible charge about corruption at ACORN, a feisty, union-backed activist group that became infamous last year when it was investigated for voter registration fraud in 15 states. Just yesterday, 11 ACORN workers were accused by Florida prosecutors of falsifying information on some 900 voter registration forms.”

“But this morning brings a Fox News report that ACORN officials in Baltimore offered to help get a housing loan and falsify tax documents for a proposed house of prostitution that would employ underage girls from El Salvador. The episode was captured on tape by an undercover filmmaker, James O’Keefe, who wanted to see just how far ACORN would go. Watching the tape — which can be seen at Biggovernment.com — is a creepy experience. ACORN itself has told Fox News the episode represents “gotcha journalism” but wouldn’t comment further until it sees the full tape.”

In the video below from earlier this week, Glenn Beck said someone was going to jail based on a report he was going to do by the weekend. I’m guessing this is the story he was referencing.

After Sarah Palin’s personal email account was hacked by the son of a Tennessee Democrat politician, it came to light that her personal account was used at some point for state related business.

Today, an Alaska judge has ruled that Governor Palin did nothing wrong.

“ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A judge has ruled that the Alaska governor’s office can use private e-mail accounts to conduct state business, as former Gov. Sarah Palin sometimes did.”

“Superior Court Judge Jack W. Smith said in his ruling Wednesday that there is no provision in Alaska state law that prohibits the use of private e-mail accounts when conducting state business.”

“The case stemmed from a lawsuit filed by Anchorage resident Andree McLeod.”

“McLeod contended such use of private e-mails denies citizens the right to inspect public records.”

“State lawyers argued that McLeod misinterpreted current state law. And if the practice is to be changed, lawyers said it was up to Alaska lawmakers do it.”

Johnny Cash has a special message for all the Obots with Palin-Derangement-Syndrome who keep filing these ridiculous ethics complaints against Governor Palin.

Megyn Kelly repeatedly asks Bill Burton if the White House is keeping the email addresses that are being flagged as “fishy” and he dances around the issue every single time. Finally, she nails him down and forces him to acknowledge the law that addresses the issue. Must-see TV.

Strong words. Even stronger (and weirder) considering the source.

The writer, Carol Swain, is making a point about the decision of Eric Holder and the Department of Justice decision to “quietly” dismiss the case against the New Black Panther Party for voter intimidation at the polls last November in Philadelphia. The Washington Times reported:

“The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is expected to approve Friday the sending of a second letter to the Justice Department, asking it to justify its decision in May to drop charges against members of the New Black Panther Party accused of intimidating voters at a Philadelphia polling place in the November election.”

The HuffPo writer makes the following points:

“Video footage shot in 2008, show Black Panther precinct workers intimidating white voters. This was covered by the news organizations, and resulted in charges being filed by the Bush Department of Justice, whose job it is to defend and protect the voting rights of all Americans.”

“What should have been an open and shut case has become something more troubling, after the Eric Holder-led Justice Department dropped charges against the Black Panthers, who supported President Obama. Currently, this decision to drop the charges, is being challenged by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, (an organization with which I am affiliated).”

“The SPLC has been mum on the issue, despite the fact that in 2000, it included the New Black Panther Party among its annual list of hate groups. In fact, what is most shocking is that the SPLC has spent far more resources hounding conservative organizations, such as the Center for Immigration Studies, and prominent citizens like CNN’s award-winning anchor Lou Dobbs, than it has protecting the civil rights of American voters, which includes white people as well as black.”

The writer goes on to make her final and most damning point using the term “mission creep” which she explains well.

“There is a name for what has happened. It is called “mission creep.” Mission creep occurs when an organization strays beyond its original purpose and engages in actions antithetical to its goals. Rather than monitoring hate groups, the Southern Poverty Law Center has become one.”

I have to add a point to this story specifically about our AG Eric Holder. It is especially curious that such a case would be dismissed by him considering that he called America, the country he serves, “a nation of cowards.”

To Mr. Holder I say speak for yourself, pal.

Finally, I never thought I’d agree with a writer at the HuffPo but I have to admit that for once, I do.

Well done, Ms. Swain.