Shared Sacrifice: Clueless Michelle Obama Sports $42K in Diamonds

Americans are being crushed under massive unemployment, but who cares about sending the wrong message when your Queen Michelle? Can you just imagine the reaction if Laura Bush went around flaunting $42,000 worth of diamonds in public?

These people are just totally clueless.

That was no ordinary bling on the wrist of First Lady Michelle Obama at the DNC fundraiser in New York Tuesday night. Those fancy diamond cuffs were the creation of 23-year-old Katie Decker, whose namesake jewelry line has been making a serious splash since her graduation from Texas A&M two years ago.

The native Houstonian is over the moon with the fab pub that photos of the first lady in Katie Decker are already providing. Michelle Obama's stylist picked up the bracelets at Katie's showroom in Fragments in Soho. You can see more photos of the Obamas from the evening here by checking out the Gotham Hall event.

If you've been saving your nickels and dimes, the cuffs are available locally at Judith Ann Jewels. The First Lady wore Katie's Lotus cuff priced at $15,000 with 2.9 carats of diamonds, her Gothic cuff at $15,350 with 2.17 carats in diamonds and the Quatrefoil bracelet at $11,800 with 1.73 carats in diamonds.

White House Sources Dish on Michelle Obama: 'She's Like a Junkie'

Obviously some people are sick and tired of seeing this woman freeload off the public. There's going to be hell to pay for this, no doubt.

The Obamas' summer break on Martha's Vineyard has already been branded a PR disaster after the couple arrived four hours apart on separate government jets.

But according to new reports, this is the least of their extravagances.

White House sources today claimed that the First Lady has spent $10million of U.S. taxpayers' money on vacations alone in the past year.

Branding her 'disgusting' and 'a vacation junkie', they say the 47-year-old mother-of-two has been indulging in five-star hotels, where she splashes out on expensive massages and alcohol.

Don't forget the burritos, french fries, shorts ribs and cheeseburgers. Only for her, of course.

The 'top source' told the National Enquirer: 'It's disgusting. Michelle is taking advantage of her privileged position while the most hardworking Americans can barely afford a week or two off work.

'When it's all added up, she's spent more than $10million in taxpayers' money on her vacations.'

The First Lady is believed to have taken 42 days of holiday in the past year, including a $375,000 break in Spain and a four-day ski trip to Vail, Colorado, where she spent $2,000 a night on a suite at the Sebastian hotel.

And the first family's nine-day stay in Martha's Vineyard is also proving costly, with rental of the Blue Heron Farm property alone costing an estimated $50,000 a week.

The source continued: 'Michelle also enjoys drinking expensive booze during her trips. She favours martinis with top-shelf vodka and has a taste for rich sparking wines.

'The vacations are totally Michelle's idea. She's like a junkie. She can't schedule enough getaways, and she lives from one to the next - all the while sticking it to hardworking Americans.'

I believe the left likes calling this greed.

What Debt Crisis? Obama Heads Off for Lavish Birthday Party

The liberal media may be calling him The Biggest Loser, but that won't stop the greedy Barack Obama from jetting off to Chicago to celebrate his birthday with his millionaire pals.

With hindsight, a low-key dinner with close family and friends would probably have been more appropriate.

But the small matter of a multi-trillion dollar debt crisis was not going to stop President Barack Obama pulling out all the stops for his birthday party.

There has been speculation for days as to whether the President was going to make it to his own fundraising 50th birthday party - a lavish affair at a $40,000 a night ballroom in Chicago, with Dreamgirls star Jennifer Hudson booked to sing for the birthday boy.

But with the announcement last night that a debt deal had been agreed, it finally appears as if the party is back on.

Helicopters could be heard over the Chicago lakefront as authorities performed security drills in preparation for the President's visit.

The celebrity-studded event, which will be held at the exclusive Aragon Ballroom on Wednesday - the day before President Obama's birthday - is scheduled to feature star singer Jennifer Hudson.

Also set to perform for the President are jazz musician Herbie Hancock and trendy punk rock band OK GO.

Tickets for the fundraising dinner cost an astonishing $35,800 a person. Additional contributions of $50 will gain entry to the concert with limited seating, while $1,000 donors receive 'premium' seats for President Obama's birthday and $10,000 tickets include 'preferred' seating along with the chance to take a photograph with Obama.

I wonder how many of these wealthy fatcats will be flying in on corporate jets?

Surprise! Obama All-time Leading Recipient of News Corp. Donations

Obviously, he's in the back pocket of the evil Rupert Murdoch.

Political donations by News Corp., its employees and their families were evenly split between Democrats and Republicans, with President Obama the all-time leading recipient, according to a report from the Sunlight Foundation.

The transparency watchdog noted Tuesday that Democrats received 51 percent of contributions while Republicans received 49 percent, despite the firm's highly publicized links to the GOP, such as a $1 million donation to the Republican Governors Association in August.

News Corp. is the parent company of The Wall Street Journal, the New York Post and Fox News, among others. The firm is currently under scrutiny in both the U.S. and U.K. over allegations its subsidiary News of the World hacked into voice mail accounts and bribed public officials.

"Obama being listed as the company’s top recipient might surprise some people because of its highly publicized involvement with his political rivals, like Sarah Palin who was the vice presidential candidate in 2008 and reportedly still under contract with Murdoch-owned Fox News as a paid commentator," wrote Sunlight's Ryan Sibley.

More here.

Hypocrisy, you say? Feh. Obama likes to talk one game and play another. Heck, it hardly caused a ripple last year when he railed against BP and then was revealed to be their largest recipient.

Inconvenient truths.

So clearly News Corp., its subsidiaries and employees are fair and balanced when it comes to political donations. I wonder whether we could say the same about other large news organizations?

Update: More details on past recipients.

While Obama is by far the all-time leading recipient, he's followed in order by Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, Barbara Boxer, Gray Davis and Howard Berman. See if you can detect a common thread between them (hint: they're all Democrats).

Chuckie Schumer's also in the top ten. Considering Schumer was also the biggest recipient of Bernie Madoff money when he ran the DSCC, this daily double should qualify him for some kind of award.

The top recipient from News America Holdings was also a Democrat, Massachusetts Congressman Edward Markey.

For 2009-2010 from News America Holdings, the top recipients with $10,000 each were Democrats Nancy Pelosi, Berman and Schumer.

Meanwhile, the fabulously wealthy Kerry, who served in Vietnam, is the top political stakeholder in News Corp, with an estimated $600,002 to $1,250,000.

Granted, that's his wife's money.

Update: In a stunning development, a George Soros flying monkey from Media Matters put a unique spin on these revelations.

If it seems like Obama got a lot of money from News Corp. employees, that’s because he got a lot of money from a lot of people in 2008.

Soros is really getting his money's worth, huh?

Change: NJ Unions Thugs Suspended For 'Sick-Out'

We highlighted this heartless group of spoiled union punks yesterday. Three of them are now suspended. Let's hope the rest of these greedy, heartless bastards are held to account and those suspended are soon fired.

Three union workers who called out sick to attend a labor rally at the New Jersey Statehouse last week have been suspended.

The move comes a day after Gov. Christie told NBC New York in an interview that "people who call in sick better be sick." Christie issued his warning ahead of another labor rally that drew thousands on Thursday.

Monmouth County officials said the three employees suspended without pay Thursday work for the county's Senior Citizen Area Transportation service and are members of CWA Local 1038.

The county said the workers were among 14 in the department who called out sick; officials alleged that 174 developmentally disabled adults who depend on the county's services ended up "waiting for buses that never came."

"These employees are being suspended without pay based on the fact that we have evidence to prove that they were not home sick as they had claimed," said Lillian Burry, a county official.

State Sen. Joe Kyrillos (R-Monmouth), who first complained of a "sick-out," applauded officials for the suspension, noting some workers were "caught on camera" at last week's rally.

He wants officials to keep reviewing video to see "if others were absent without proper excuse."

Some lamestream media outlets are making hay of the fact Governor Christie has said he supports collective bargaining. They want want to read the fine print.

"In fact, I love collective bargaining," Christie told the audience. "We're ready to collectively bargain. Let's have it be real collective bargaining, where someone is in there representing the people who pay the bills."

I suspect today's suspensions have Christie's fingerprints all over them. If the unions think they have a pushover in Christie, I wish them luck.

More here.

:This action by our SCAT employees is offensive to everyone because it adversely impacted our most vulnerable population," Freeholder Director Robert D. Clifton said in a statement. "The administration will continue its investigation into those who called out sick until we are satisfied that every employee who misused the county's sick leave policy is disciplined within the constraints of the Civil Service process. This is a prime example of why Civil Service reform is needed."

There's hope.

“Anyone who shrugs and abandons their contracted responsibilities should receive the strongest discipline allowed, up to and including termination,” Freeholder Deputy Director John P. Curley said. “They are responsible for aspects of government that are mandatory in dealing with public health, safety and well being.”

Shake Hands With a Con Artist for Only $1200!

Ever since his climate change hoax was exposed he must figure time on his con-job is running out. How else can he explain actually charging people $1200 to shake his hand? Talk about insatiable greed.

"Have you ever shaken hands with an American vice president? If not, now is your chance. Meet Al Gore in Copenhagen during the UN Climate Change Conference," notes the Danish tourism commission, which is helping Mr. Gore promote "Our Choice," his newest book about global warming in all its alarming modalities.

"Tickets are available in different price ranges for the event. If you want it all, you can purchase a VIP ticket, where you get a chance to shake hands with Al Gore, get a copy of Our Choice and have your picture taken with him. The VIP event costs DKK 5,999 and includes drinks and a light snack."

Wait, what? How much is that in American dollars? The currency conversion says it all, too: 5,999 Danish kroners is equivalent to $1,209.

I imagine Kool-Aid must be among the drink choices.

America's Fashion Icon Steps Out in $540 French Sneakers

Wasn't her husband just saying something about buying American? I guess America's new fashion darling didn't get the memo.

Nice signal this sends during a recession.

Michelle Obama has taken casual to a haute new level.

While volunteering Wednesday at a D.C. food bank, the First Lady sported her usual J.Crew cardigan, a pair of utilitarian capri pants and, on her feet, a sneaky splurge: trainers that go for $540.

That's right: These sneakers - suede, with grosgrain ribbon laces and metallic pink toe caps - are made by French design house Lanvin, one of fashion's hottest labels. They come in denim and satin versions, and have been a brisk seller all spring.

They're out of stock at posh Meatpacking District boutique Jeffrey, and Barneys New York boasts a limited selection of the sneaks, which are a cult favorite among fashionistas.

It's likely Michelle got hers through Ikram, the Chicago retailer that often outfits her.

"They're shoes," the First Lady's reps sniffed when curious reporters inquired about the fancy footwear.

I guess it pays to be one of the beautiful people.

Queen Pelosi Decrees: No End to Automatic Pay Raises

Just imagine if, say, Newt Gingrich demonstrated such insufferable arrogance as this woman during a time of economic crisis. The condemnation would be nonstop. As if it's not bad enough she's raking up a tab in the millions for military flights, she has the nerve to refuse ruling out pay raises for Congress. As if these people deserve it.

Congress' automatic pay raises are in little immediate danger of being scrapped for good, even with the economy slumping and millions of Americans unemployed. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday would not commit to holding a vote on a bill to do away with the annual cost-of-living increases. She pointed out that Congress recognized the economic crisis by voting this week to skip next year's raise.

In so doing, though, lawmakers defeated a Senate measure to abolish the automatic pay hikes and force them into the deep discomfort of casting actual votes to give themselves raises.

No one is rushing to defend the current system in a tanking economy that has rendered the annual raise a quaint memory for many outside Washington.

Even inside the Beltway, President Barack Obama has frozen pay for about 100 White House workers making six-figure salaries — an acknowledgment that appearances matter to a financially fragile nation.

But scrapping Congress' own automatic, cost-of-living raises for good? That's where congressional leaders drew the line this week — and buried it beneath an avalanche of legislative process, blame-passing and rhetoric.

'Who Keeps Voting This Schmuck Back Into Office?'

Who keeps voting for this schmuck? The people of New York, of course. They have a chance to correct their mistake come 2010, but somehow I doubt they'll be bright enough.

Sen. Charles Schumer came under fire yesterday after saying on the Senate floor that "the American people really don't care" about unrelated spending items that were tacked onto the economic stimulus bill.

"Let me say this to all of the chattering class that so much focuses on those little, tiny, yes, porky amendments: the American people really don't care," Schumer said. "The American people care far more that there's a proposal in the bill, this one I pushed, that gives kids a $2,500 credit to families who pay tuition to put their kids through college," he said.

A few hours after Schumer finished his speech, a video clip of his remarks went "viral," with nearly 50,000 hits on YouTube.com

The reaction was overwhelmingly negative. "Who keeps voting this schmuck back into office?" asked one YouTube viewer.

More than a dozen viewers also posted his contact information so Web surfers could call him to give their opinions more directly.

Schumer spokesman Brian Fallon would not say if the office had heard from the angry viewers, saying only that they had received "no more calls than usual."

Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) said that the wasteful spending that Schumer talked about matters to Americans far more than he thinks.

"Sen. Schumer is wrong if he thinks taxpayers don't care about billions of dollars of earmarks and pork in the so-called stimulus bill. They do care, because it wastes their money," Kyl said.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said the video "takes my breath away," and suggested it appeared to be a glimpse into the Democratic game plan.

"Frankly, it seems like they don't care what's in the bill . . . It's the height of arrogance to say, 'You know what? We won the election, and we can do what we want,' " Cornyn said.

Maybe it's the hubris that will lead to their downfall. Now, if only the GOP in New York could field a viable candidate next year.

Rudy Giuliani comes to mind.

Here's the schmuck in action.

Democrats Stealing From The Children

Only in New York, kids. Well actually, it isn't only in New York. Democrats who run large urban cities enjoy massive piggy-banks stuffed with taxpayer cash and dole it out in return for favors, reveling in their own little fiefdoms while the media largely ignores fiscal shenanigans.

The most recent example of fiscal perfidy involves (surprise!) the New York City Council, possibly the most useless political organization on the planet.

Recently the discovery of a massive slush funds used to dole out cash in returns for political favors has led to an ongoing investigation and has now bared the first fruit in the form of two City Council aides being busted for embezzling funds intended to provide tutoring for public-school kids.

Business as usual, in other words.

Two City Council aides were busted by the feds yesterday for embezzling $145,000 in taxpayers' money - and authorities indicated it's just the first fruit of an ongoing probe into corrupt use of the council's budget.

Asquith Reid, the chief of staff to City Councilman Kendall Stewart, and another Stewart aide, Joycinth Anderson, are charged with money laundering and fraud for allegedly siphoning cash from a pet nonprofit group purported to provide tutoring to public-school kids.

Reid is accused of abusing the city's poor oversight of "discretionary funds" - money controlled by individual council members and intended for charity - to pour money into the Donna Reid Memorial Education Fund, which he controlled.

The arrests came as the result of a year-long probe by the city's Department of Investigation and federal prosecutors into how millions of dollars are handed out each year.

To line his own pocket, Reid allegedly diverted $93,000 from the Donna Reid fund - a nonprofit named after his dead daughter - by arranging to have checks cashed by Anderson and two other unnamed co-conspirators. Anderson allegedly cashed $20,000 worth of checks.

Reid also brazenly wired $31,000 to family and friends in Jamaica and shelled out another $21,000 in looted cash for a private hall in Brooklyn for Stewart's political club and campaign literature, according to court papers.

In announcing the arrests, US Attorney Michael Garcia said Reid and Anderson's "loyalty should have been to New York City taxpayers. Instead, they were driven by greed."

Stealing money from a charity named after your dead daughter.

What a guy.

Read the rest of the story, then start counting the days before Council Speaker Christine Quinn plays the lesbian card.

Also check out Slush-Fund Shenanigans.

The New York Times reports the story, but naturally fails to note the word Democrat anywhere.

Shocking, isn't it?

Meanwhile, we didn't note it Wednesday, but another criminal Democrat across the river in Newark has been convicted. The Times actually notes he's a Democrat.

Progress.

A federal jury today convicted the former longtime mayor of Newark, Sharpe James, of fraud for conspiring to sell city-owned properties to a former girlfriend, who quickly flipped them and earned hundreds of thousands of dollars in profits.

On the sixth day of deliberations, the jury found Mr. James, 72, guilty on all five counts he faced. His former girlfriend, Tamika Riley, 39, was convicted on the same fraud and conspiracy charges as well as eight others for numerous tax violations in connection with what the authorities said was her failure to file income tax returns for her public relations firm.

Under federal guidelines, prosecutors say the two face up to about eight years in prison. For now, both are free on bail and will face sentencing on July 29. Mr. James’s lead attorney, Thomas Ashley, said he intended to appeal the verdict.

Every Whore Has a Price

In this instance, the price is a bit steep, but since this political prostitute and his wife have no shame and are laughing all the way to the bank, do you think they'll show the slightest bit of shame?

Yeah, right.

Bill Clinton voiced "support" for a controversial Colombia free-trade pact that his wife has fiercely opposed - and he accepted $800,000 in speaking fees from a group boosting the agreement, it was revealed yesterday.

The news came just two days after Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton pushed her chief strategist, Mark Penn, from his post after he embarrassed the campaign by consulting with Colombia government officials over the trade deal.

In June 2005, Bill Clinton, who holds enormous sway as an adviser to his wife, was quoted by the Spanish-language news portal Terra as publicly backing the trade pact at an appearance with Colombia President Alvaro Uribe.

"I will raise your point when you return to the United States," Clinton said, according to a trans lation by Politico.com. "I am in favor of the free-trade agreement and it is my hope that we will find the right formula to reach the agreement."

The same month, Bill Clinton reaped the six-figure windfall from the Colombia-based development group Gold Service International - a booster of the trade agreement - for four speeches.

At least they still care about the children.

$7.4 Billion in Palestinian Aid 'Not Enough'

Seriously, I think I'm going to be ill. The $7.4 billion pledged to these terror goons was more than they asked for, yet now we're told it's not enough.

Donors' Palestinian budget aid short of target

An international conference this week that raised billions of dollars for the Palestinian government failed to yield the hoped-for amount of budget aid, figures released by host France show.

The 87 countries and international organizations that met in Paris on Monday pledged $7.4 billion in aid to the Western-backed government of President Mahmoud Abbas to boost the moribund Palestinian economy.

That is more than the $5.6 billion over three years that Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad had asked for.

But figures released by the French Foreign Ministry on Wednesday showed the biggest item in his request, budget aid, did not receive as much as he had hoped.

Fayyad had asked for $3.9 billion in budget aid to cover running costs, such as civil servants' salaries, and the foreign ministry said only $1.54 billion of the funds pledged were in the form of budget aid.

However, another $2.23 billion had yet to be broken down in terms of what it would fund.

Donor countries pledged $2.07 billion in aid for projects, which was more than the $1.7 billion asked for, the Foreign Ministry figures showed. There was also $996 million in humanitarian aid and $644 million in "other aid".

Enough is enough. Let these people sink or swim on their own.

But I'll be gracious enough to offer some suggestions. How about all these people so sympathetic to these cavemen hold a global fundraising movement. Maybe they can hold concerts to raise money?

Perhaps all the liberals in this country who complain they don't pay enough taxes pony up some cash themselves and donate it?

Hmmm? C'mon people, you support the Palis, so why don't you aid them financially as well?

The Goracle's Morality and Profits

A couple of good pieces from The American Thinker today further expose Al Gore as a fraud.

Why Did Global Warming Become a Moral Matter?

As a scientist, I find the current strategy of the global warming crusade to be fascinating. Particularly because I am a scientist, I also find it insulting. Everyone should find it very disturbing.

I am referring to the fact that the global warming issue is now regarded as a "moral" matter by its advocates. None other than The High Priest of Global Warming (Al Gore) has decreed it as such. Of course, there is some obvious humor in this because the liberals will also tell you that you "cannot legislate morality". Well, it does not take complicated logic to conclude that if global warming is indeed a moral matter and if it is true that you cannot legislate morality, then it should hold that you cannot legislate global warming.

The other piece underscores the profitability of Al Gore's obsession:

Global Warming's Patent Profitability

Al Gore is well schooled at manipulating the levers of power and money to his benefit. Heads or tails Al Gore almost never loses. It's been this way pretty much all his life. Starting when Daddy Al set up him in fine style, including an annuity from a Zinc Mine Pop finagled with Armand Hammer, the Communists' favorite capitalist, Al's always been well taken care of. By hook or crook, Gore has reputedly piled up more than $200 million in his bank account since his 2000 Presidential run.

It has been said that Donald Trump is an excellent example of what a shrewd man can accomplish when he inherits $40 million. Al Gore is also an excellent example of what one can accomplish with unusually good hereditary access to capital, of the monetary and political sort.

Mr. Gore's Capital Hill encore is the culmination of a long and well-financed campaign. Ostensibly, his purpose Wednesday was to outline a 10 point plan to combat what he declares is the coming catastrophe, more about which in due course. While his accomplices in the drive-by media slickly packaged up his appearance with fawning praise just in time for the evening news, the actual event was a far different story.

Read the rest of both.

Gore isn't the only one raking in obscene gobs of cash.

Wall Street insiders are abuzz over estimates that Bill Clinton alone may have roped in more than $200 million in funds from the Emir of Dubai and other individuals based in the United Arab Emirates.

"This includes personal funds, money paid into the Clinton Library charitable accounts, as well as money paid into the charitable organizations Clinton worked on for the Tsunami and Hurricane Katrina victims," says one knowledgeable Wall Street financier. "We're talking about a lot of money."

These greedy liberals just can never get enough of your tax money while they get fat and rich.