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A majority of political independents in New York say international migration has been a burden to the state over the last 20 years, according to a New York Times and Siena College poll. Fifty-one percent of independent voters and 67 percent of Republican voters said immigration was a burden when they were asked, “Looking back over the past 20 years or so, do you think that migrants resettling in New York has been more of a benefit or more of a burden to the state?” Thirty-three percent of Democrats also described immigration as a burden.

A friend on Facebook shared an image from the "Being Liberal" page (no link, they don't deserve it) with a similar quote, and the irony was just too much, so I gave it a proper remake.

Spendaholic Hussein Obama has conned the Left-Wing Congressional RINOS into believing that increasing taxes and agreeing to a smaller rate of increased Federal Spending is "Fair." Hence, we have "sequestration" which will reduce the rate of increase in increased Federal spending by 2.4 % which will be restored by the 2.8 % increase in worker payroll taxation, and an increased tax burden on those who pay the worker payrolls. Will Sobber-of-The-House Boehner, Can't-Do Cantor, or Romney-RINO Ryan call out Obama's "Balanced Approach" as nothing more than the failed "Tax and Spend" policy that got the National Debt in trouble in...

When it comes to attracting business to California's eastern deserts, Inyo County is none too choosy. Since the 19th century the sparsely populated county has worked to attract industries shunned by others, including gold, tungsten and salt mining. The message: Your business may be messy, but if you plan to hire our residents, the welcome mat is out. So the county grew giddy last year as it began to consider hosting a huge, clean industry. BrightSource Energy, developer of the proposed $2.7-billion Hidden Hills solar power plant 230 miles northeast of Los Angeles, promised a bounty of jobs and a...

Dear Friend, In this video commentary, I discuss how the Republican Convention makes it even harder for Obama’s negative attacks to stick. Tune in!

MSNBC hosts agreed this weekend that white voters hold President Obama to a higher standard than his white predecessors because he is black. "[Obama] now has a specific record of governing," MSNBC's Melissa Harris-Perry said today on her show. "A record that, I contend, because of his race will be held to a much higher standard than it would have been for a white incumbent. Those white voters who found what they were looking for in 2008 will not necessarily be so enthusiastic in 2012." Alex Wagner, host of MSNBC's NOW, agreed. "I think race absolutely has to do with...

Cambridge has become the first university to announce that it will charge maximum tuition fees of £9,000 a year. But it will give hefty discounts to poorer students, which means the middle classes will bear the brunt of the move. MPs voted in December to raise tuition fees to £6,000 per year from 2012, with universities allowed to charge £9,000 in exceptional circumstances.

It's tough being the wife of the most powerful man in the world, just ask Michelle Obama. Carla Bruni, who seemed to reveal her distaste for the First Lady in previous pictures, reveals Michelle's whiny comments in her recent book [Aside: why is a sitting world leader's spouse writing a tell-all? What tawdriness.] Anyway, here's what was allegedly said: Michelle Obama thinks being America's First Lady is ‘hell', Carla Bruni reveals today in a wildly indiscreet book.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The states are broke, and like many consumers, they're borrowing big time to get out of their fiscal binds. The amount of debt that states are carrying spiked 10.3% last year to $460 billion, according to Moody's Investors Service. The debt is paid for through taxes and fees, making residents ultimately responsible. The median personal share of this burden jumped to $936, from $865 in 2008. And it's likely that states will turn to the bond markets even more this year as federal stimulus money dwindles, experts said. After all, officials face an additional $12...

Is the Associated Press just realizing this fact? I wrote about this in 2008 and Rush Limbaugh has had the information on his home page forever. We really are spreading the wealth around when it comes to the federal tax burden in the United States. Read the full post...

Capitol politicians bemoaning the size and cost of the state's bonded debt is something like drunkards arguing over hangover remedies. Members of the Assembly Budget Committee, most of whom voted for tens of billions of dollars in new bonds, including $11-plus billion in new water bonds, convened Monday to worry publicly about how the debts will be repaid from a state budget awash in red ink. "We need to figure out how much borrowing we can realistically and sustainably afford," committee chair Noreen Evans said, terming bond costs "the Pac-Man eating up the general fund." Evans was one of the...

More than one-in-ten British businesses are seriously considering a move abroad because of the Government's "punitive" tax regime, a damning new survey claims.

I have a canteen sitting on a bookshelf in my office. It is a reminder of what I carry with me each and every day. The canteen belongs to a friend. I have seen him use it on several occasions and always thought it was a rather smart item to possess. There have been moments when he and I were somewhere outside and the canteen that he carried held the only available water source – our life source; thus a smart item to carry around. This weekend, I was with a friend who I deeply admire. Her spirituality is real...

Washington (CNSNews.com) – A taxpayer watchdog group marked “Cost of Government Day” Wednesday – the day when the average American has earned enough gross income to pay his or her share of the spending and regulatory burden imposed by government at the federal, state, and local level. * * * * Of the 224 days required to pay off one’s share of the cost of government in 2009, 111 of those days account for federal spending, 49 days account for state and local spending, and another 65 are needed to pay for regulations imposed by all levels of government.

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Republicans can reach a broader base by recasting gay marriage as an issue that could dent pocketbooks as small businesses spend more on health care and other benefits, GOP Chairman Michael Steele said Saturday. Steele said that was just an example of how the party can retool its message to appeal to young voters and minorities without sacrificing core conservative principles. Steele said he used the argument weeks ago while chatting on a flight with a college student who described herself as fiscally conservative but socially liberal on issues like gay marriage. ... As Steele talked about...

The US government is buying bad debt for $700 billion. Now Washington is asking other countries to jump in and help, too, but the Germans are bowing out. Believing that the rescue package sends the wrong signal, experts from the country's leading economics think tanks argue it's the right call.It's not a call for assistance; it's a scream for help. US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is asking other countries to help buy up bad US debt. The US government is putting up $700 billion in taxpayer money in the hopes that the measure might restore stability in the financial system....

NOORDWIJK, Netherlands, Oct. 24, 2007 – Dutch Defense Minister Eimert van Middelkoop joined NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer here today in opening a two-day ministerial conference, attended by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, in which they reminded members of the importance of sharing the NATO’s responsibilities in Afghanistan and elsewhere around the world. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates attends the NATO-Atlantic Council conference in Noordwijk, Netherlands, Oct. 24, 2007. Photo by Cherie A. Thurlby   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Van Middelkoop, who is hosting the two-day meeting, acknowledged that some NATO members have been carrying...

Lesbian Couple Sue IVF Doctor for Cost of Raising Twin Couple wanted only one child and find they are "overwhelmed" raising two children By Meg Jalsevac AUSTRALIA, September 20, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A lesbian couple in Australia have taken the first 'wrongful birth' lawsuit in Australian legislative history to court. The two women, who have three year old twin daughters, are suing Canberra obstetrician, Robert Armellin, for 'wrongful birth' after he supervised the implantation of two embryos instead of one into the birth mother during the in-vitro fertilization procedure. The women, who cannot be named because of a court order,...

Families are being squeezed harder than ever before by higher taxes, according to figures which lay bare just how much the Government is now taking from households. The income tax burden has soared to its highest level since records began two decades ago, dramatically eroding the amount of money left in people's pockets, figures released by the Office for National Statistics say. British households have experienced the biggest increase in taxes across the western world since Labour came to power, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has revealed. The result is that hard-working families have even less money left...

ATLANTA - With less than two weeks to go before the July 18 primary, a judge Friday issued a restraining order blocking Georgia's voter ID law, saying that requiring photos as proof of identity is an unconstitutional burden. Superior Court Judge Melvin Westmoreland said in a sharply worded written ruling that the Legislature doesn't have the authority to enforce the law and an amendment to the state Constitution would be required instead. The law, he said, "unduly burdens the fundamental right to vote rather than regulate it." The law requires that every voter who casts a ballot in person provide...