Out of Afghanistan?? ACORN to do census?

Amazing --- utterly amazing what our new prez can come up with in the nam of "hope and change" --------------- we're in big trouble, folks.

from Over the Hill Oracles:

The answer to the census question may be decided by the Supreme Court, but watch Obama’s clandestine maneuvers to assign “responsibility” for the census from the Secretary of Commerce to the White House.

Here’s the law:

The Congress, by law directed that:

“The Secretary [of Commerce] shall perform the functions and duties imposed upon him by this title, may issue such rules and regulations as he deems necessary to carry out such functions and duties, and may delegate the performance of such functions and duties and the authority to issue such rules and regulations to such officers and employees of the Department of Commerce as he may designate.”

Credit those folks over at Samizdata ….

As I read it, the Director of the Census must, by law, be within the Department of Commerce and under the direction of the (Senate approved) Secretary of Commerce who then reports to the president. Am I missing something?
Correction: From reading through Title 13, Chapter 1 it appears obvious to me that the POTUS has no role in the census whatsoever beyond, with Senate approval, selecting the Secretary of Commerce and, also with Senate approval, selecting the Director of the Census who ” shall perform such duties as may be imposed upon him by law, regulations, or orders of the Secretary.” Hhmmm… No president mentioned.

The Secretary of Commerce is the only authority the law recognizes. Since as commenter Laird points out, the Constitution did not place the census function in Article II - the Executive branch but in Article I - the Legislative branch, it is not at all within the President’s reach unless the legislature places it there.

And watch for Obama to still try and put ACORN in charge of the census ….

Any question about WHY there are so many Obama-watch sites on the web???

More blurbs from the blogs:

– Stimulus Plan (Porkarama) updates are here ….

Biden: Ignore the voters

HERE’S a good question: why doesn’t Obama tell us specifically HOW this money will resolve his “now or never” crisis? We won’t see any jobs outta this political payback package for years.

– Obama has again voted “present” on this bogus stimulus plan. How to hype a crisis in two steps …. So where exactly is the change we (?) hoped for??? Forget it. It’s the same ole way with a Chicago twist ….

– BREAKING: Obama tells Gates to “stand down” on the troop surge in Afghanistan …..

Is he looking for ‘out‘ in Afghanistan???

– World opinion on Obama is fading ….

From London to America: What have you done?

Pakistan to the US: Show us the money!!!

Russia forms Alliance with six central Asian nations: Take THAT, America.

Ecuador expels US Embassy official: South America rejects the “Chicago way” …

– USS Cole mom is disgusted with Obama …. article and video

Pending: More and more parents and (retired) naval personnel are speaking out about the way the killers of their loved ones are being released ….

more pending …..

.

Stimulus Plan = Pork Bait?

From Las Vegas on the DC stimulus pudding (i.e., America's Pork Pie):

Las Vegas’ proposed mob museum is a subject ripe for ridicule, and the
Republicans here have held it up as just that.

Now that work is under way on the economic recovery package of tax breaks
and public works projects being developed by President-elect Barack Obama and
congressional leaders, lawmakers in both parties are insisting that no money go
for earmarks — pet projects in lawmakers’ home districts.

Sen. Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader in the Senate, raised the mob
museum as Exhibit A in frivolous spending on a Sunday morning political talk
show on ABC.

“We would like, on the spending side, obviously, to avoid funding things
like a mob museums or water slides,” McConnell reiterated during a news
conference on Monday.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, in his own appearance Sunday on “Meet
the Press,” insisted there will be no earmarks in the stimulus
package.

Reid’s spokesman repeated the refrain on Monday when asked whether the mob
museum should get stimulus money. “There will be no earmarks in the stimulus.
Nada. Zero. Zilch,” spokesman Jon Summers said.

Las Vegas’ effort to secure federal money to help turn a historic post
office into a museum about its storied criminal past is something watchdogs of
excess spending love to hate.

The museum rose to prominence last month after Las Vegas Mayor Oscar
Goodman was quoted telling the Review-Journal he would seek funding for the
project in the stimulus package.

In fact, he said, he was hoping to suggest as much in an upcoming talk with
Reid.

“If we could get some help along those lines, that would be what the
stimulus bill was really talking about,” Goodman said at the time.

What happened next is a product of the 24/7 nexus of media and
politics.

The story went out the way stories do — on a local radio station and blogs,
including the Drudge Report, the conservative must-read site.

Republicans in Washington heard about it and, presto, a poster child was
born.

Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley declined to dip into the fray Monday with a
response.
Rep.-elect Dina Titus, a Democrat, chuckled when asked whether the
museum should get stimulus money.

“That wouldn’t be at the top of my list for infrastructure,” Titus said.
“I’m thinking more of highway construction is what we need in Nevada —
transportation infrastructure. You’ve got to be careful. The public’s not going
to put up with things.”

But Ted Olivas, Las Vegas’ director of administrative services, said he
remained “hopeful some of the economic stimulus money would make it to Southern
Nevada.”

“We think our projects are just as important as those of the other local
jurisdictions in the nation.”

Rumor is that after this pork-pit is built, it will be "piggy-backed" to it's rightful sty in Chicago ....

oink oink oink!!

.