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Phineas, Page 295

The shamelessness of Barney Frank

Remember when the financial crisis hit and the Democrats, especially Barney Frank, said they couldn’t be held responsible for the poison mortgages that triggered the whole mess? It was the Republicans’ fault, especially that evil and stupid George W. Bush, but never the Democrats. Never, in spite of passing Community Redevelopment Act in the late 70s that was later used, under Bill Clinton and his Housing Secretary, Andrew Cuomo, to force banks into easy-lending policies to home-buyers who weren’t otherwise qualified. The Democrats had no responsibility, according to Frank and others, even though they then pressed for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to guarantee these bad mortgages, buy them up, and sell them as (lousy) bundled securities on the open market and thus poisoning the financial system. The Democrats had no responsibility, even though they blocked three different Republican attempts to reform the two agencies after 2000. Instead, the Democrats, lead by Frank and Senator Chris Dodd (D-Countrywide), defended Fannie and Freddie tooth and claw and even cried racism at any attempt to tighten up lending requirements......   [Read More]

Jerry Brown is either a fool or a swine

I’m old enough to remember when Jerry Brown was last governor of California. I can’t say much about his term of office, though, because I was in college and not paying much attention to state politics at the time. My impression, though, was that, his personal eccentricities aside, he was mostly a standard issue California liberal: support for government solutions in preference to the private sector, a strong alliance with labor unions, and a willingness to hike taxes. On the plus side, though he opposed Proposition 13, which limited property taxes, once it passed, he worked within its limits and actually cut state spending. So, a generally center-left record, albeit pragmatic......   [Read More]

(Video) Bill Whittle: Tolerance or appeasement?

Bill Whittle of Pajamas Media has long been a sharp, uncompromising, and eloquent advocate for the defense of America and the West against both the armed and the cultural jihad. His series at PJTV, Afterburner, is worth the price of subscription just for itself. In this latest episode, he places our reaction to the proposed Ground Zero mosque in the context of earlier Western failures to resist totalitarianism and the heavy price paid for that failure:.....   [Read More]

Video: The New Orleans school voucher program

Following up on this report, Reason.TV takes another look at the sweeping reforms of the New Orleans school system after Hurricane Katrina, changes that saw the enrollment at Charter and other private schools climb to 70% of the city’s students. In this case, the documentary focuses on one private academy and the satisfaction of teachers, parents, and students with their new arrangements:.....   [Read More]