Political Class Dismissed

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Exxon Mobil’s Q2 profit drops 66%

Yesterday Rep. Brian Higgins voted for 1200 pages (HR2454: American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009) of unconstitutional federal power, higher taxes, higher energy costs, higher regulations, corporate welfare and economic destruction.

Every day is just another day for Brian Higgins voting to loot the taxpayers. Is there anybody more wrong on economics on so many levels?

Higgins Votes to Approve Cash for Clunkers

“This incentive for consumers to purchase more fuel efficient vehicles is good for the environment and the economy on so many levels,” said Congressman Higgins. “Newer, more efficient cars and trucks mean less pollution, less dependence on foreign oil and lower gas bills for drivers. In addition, when people buy things, people make things and when people make things, people work – meaning more business for auto dealers and more work for automotive manufacturers and their suppliers, an established industry in this community, providing thousands of jobs for Western New Yorkers.”

Oh sure Brian, any nincompoop as you can see that there will be those that may benefit from this federal largess, but you never indicate (as always) who will be made poorer because of it.

Bastiat chimes in from the grave on Brian Higgins:

“I am sorry to upset his ingenious calculations, especially since their spirit has passed into our legislation. But I beg him to begin them again, entering what is not seen in the ledger beside what is seen.”

In two words: Pander and Plunder

A comment by Jay on the Buffalo News blog, Outrages & Insights:

In 2005 our local hero Congressman Brian Higgins voted for what was called the federal bankruptcy law reform of 2005. It was intended to to make individuals more responsible. You can google the information and read the various interpretations. In 2008 our local hero Congressman Brian Higgins voted to bailout all the financial institutions at the beginning cost of $700 billion dollars. These financial institutions included Citigroup, AIG, Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae etc. , all under TARP. Where is their responsibility? What are the values of Higgins? You can google Higgins congressional votes on this also. You may even find some notable quotes. I would like just one media outlet in this little city to ask how he justifies to ordinary working class families these two opposite votes. Is there a reason he is being given a free pass?

Higgins believes that responsibility can be purchased and enforced via dictates and redistributionist checks to irresponsible parties via the federal parasite city. Of course the core of our faux hero’s generosity is really just buying votes to stay in power with other peoples money.

Would you believe Higgins is still harping today about Western New York gas prices last year? The guy really hates free market forces and the responsibility of private business owners to stay profitable and serving consumers, an increasingly difficult task in light of New York State’s toxic climate for business.

The Prince of Pork Speaketh

Naturally, Brian Higgins is salivating at the idea of handing out your money via the Stimulus Bill just passed by Congress.  The Stimulus Bill is by far the largest piece of pork legislation ever enacted.

“Western New York’s economy is struggling and local residents and businesses are suffering,” said Congressman Higgins. “This drastic action to provide swift and sweeping recovery measures is necessary for this region and our nation’s short and long-term viability.”

In order to accept the necessity of this spending plan you have to accept the following premises.

• Increasing the federal deficit is good.
• Inflation is good.
• Dollar deflation is good.
• Mortgaging our future even more is good.
• Rewarding failure is good.
• Politicians would never give out money foolishly.
• Politicians would never show favoritism when handing out money.
• Cutting government spending would not be more beneficial.
• Politicians are wise individuals who thoroughly understand economics.
• Politicians would never do something just to attract votes.

I’m sure you can think of many other “truths” to add to my list.  If you want to see Higgin’s complete list of wonderful projects that will be funded, click here.

If you want to contact Brian Higgins to tell him what a(n) asshole tool he is, click here.

In the Gaza bombings.

He took $9,600 from pro-Israel PACs.

And it was money well spent.

He thought no one would notice, and before Political Class Dismissed (your political plumber) came along, no one would have.

Update: Two Higgins staffers got junkets to Israel.

Is it time to vomit yet?

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Don’t be taken in by the great man theory. The great man says he can make a bad system work. So, let’s not get rid of the system, just let the great man be in charge and all will be well.

That would be Collins and Higgins. Collins says, in effect, forget that Free Buffalo nonsense of downsizing government. I can make it work. Yeah, sure you can Chris, you’re doing a hell of a job.

And Higgins said that the Power Authority is rotten but just let Brian call the shots and there is no need for reform.

In fact, BRIAN HIGGINS HELPED CREATE YET ANOTHER STINKING AUTHORITY, the Erie Canal Harbor joke fest.

I’ve been telling you people this for years. Forget the fresh face or the great man. We need major structural change in WNY or we’ll soon be second world toast like Detroit. We don’t need great men but great ideas.

*Machine career politician.

*Tool of the unions.

*Plays ball with the local business elite.

*A moderate Democrat, the opposite of a libertarian.

It’s all about a highly organized minority using political power to exploit the majority.

Brian Higgins is allegedly a voice for finally doing things right on the Waterfront but he opposes making Route 5 grade level as recommended by Former Milwaukee mayor John Norquist.

Now, thanks to my insomnia, we know that the contractor for the current project to maintain that ugly and pointless wall between the city and its great lake does business with one of Higgins’ main donors, the Operating Engineers.

This is how people think in a region in its 50th straight year of decline. Duh, FDR did what that British creep Keynes said and spent money to employ people regardless of how stupid the projects were. And, duh, government schools tell us FDR was a great man. So, let’s build lots of stupid, duh, things and “create jobs” for union members and make constructions companies rich.

Keep it up Buffalo. All is well.

Remember, the guy who fell down the elevator shaft was fine–until he hit the ground.

There have been two regimes in American history. First, we had a libertarian republic. This operated from 1801 through 1917 with the exception of the Civil War. The corporate state has ruled since 1917.

The libertarian republic of course is the real American form of government. It’s what Jefferson wrote about and the Minute Men and the Continental Army fought and died for and won.

It is based on natural rights, hard money, limited federal government, legislative supremacy, free trade, peace, nonintervention, and decentralized government. The platform of this regime is laissez-faire: laissez-faire in the economy, in personal matters (no drug war), and in foreign affairs.
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Douglas Turner has joined forces with this blog and separated himself from the lapdog media by calling Brian Higgins a typical machine politician. The same day I went after Higgins for being the tool of special interest campaign donors, Turner published this caustic column.

Blagojevich’s tricks came from the best
Douglas Turner

WASHINGTON — The FBI agents in Chicago were “shocked, shocked, do you hear?” to learn that the governor of Illinois was trying to sell Barack Obama’s Senate seat to the highest bidder.

But then the investigators hadn’t served three terms in Congress, where Rod R. Blagojevich learned these techniques from Democratic President Bill Clinton and House Republican leaders — but not their finesse.

Pay-to-play is still the order of the day here, despite imprisonment and indictment of House members who got careless.

We’re referring to retiring Rep. Thomas M. Reynolds, R-Clarence, and newly reelected Reps. Brian Higgins of Buffalo and Louise M. Slaughter of Fairport.

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Open Secrets

Ironworkers Union $32,500
Intl Brotherhood of Electrical Workers $30,000
United Food & Commercial Workers Union $30,000
United Auto Workers $28,000
American Assn for Justice $26,000
Cellino & Barnes $25,300
Carpenters & Joiners Union $25,000
United Steelworkers $24,500
Operating Engineers Union $24,380
International Longshoremens Assn $24,250
Machinists/Aerospace Workers Union $23,000
National Assn of Letter Carriers $23,000
Air Line Pilots Assn $22,500
Bricklayers Union $22,500
American Federation of Teachers $22,250
American Fedn of St/Cnty/Munic Employees $22,250
Amalgamated Transit Union $22,000
Service Employees International Union $22,000
Laborers Union $21,500
American Postal Workers Union $21,000
Communications Workers of America $21,000

Now, in addition to his recent attack on all business firms–”aggressive profit-seeking”–it is now clear that Higgins is a tool of the unions. One of the reasons WNY is in the toilet is that we have close to the highest rate of union membership in the country. Unions are also key to the decline of the once great US auto industry with their greedy, featherbedding contracts.

I just can’t understand why anyone defends this guy. Please explain.

BTW–our electric bill is killing us! Thanks Brian!

You see, Brian got lots of bucks out of the “New York City” Power Authority for union pork barrel projects “down by the river.”

Link

Update:

This is too funny. Doug Turner at the News slams Higgins today for his “pay to play” scheming!

Pay-to-play is still the order of the day here, despite imprisonment and indictment of House members who got careless.

Western New York incumbents are among those who play it, in a minor league way, even mining colleges, hospitals and medical reseach institutes for campaign cash that the members really don’t need.

We’re referring to retiring Rep. Thomas M. Reynolds, R-Clarence, and newly reelected Reps. Brian Higgins of Buffalo and Louise M. Slaughter of Fairport.

I love it.

Buffalo News.

Out in open field, the machine simply cannot defend itself. And never could.

That’s why our gutless, cowardly politicians NEVER engage in dialogues on the web.

Has anyone seen Brian Higgins on a blog or forum?

And he never will either. Yes, Brian, I just called you out!

Remember when Brian Higgins was attacking the power authority daily as a greedy and self-serving authority? My God, he actually sounded like me!

But that was when the power authority was controlled by the Republicans.

Now that it’s controlled, or will soon be controlled, by the Dems, his silence is golden.

Here’s the figures for hits for “Brian Higgins” and “Power Authority” from the Buffalo News database for the the years Higgins has been in congress.

2005–47 (Pataki)
2006–43 (Pataki)
2007–31 (Spitzer)
2008–9 (Patterson)

The Authority is rich in highly-paid patronage jobs. Has Brian placed any of his cronies there yet?

On why all authorities should be abolished, see this study (PDF).

Higgins blames retailers for region’s high gas prices

Says profit margin of 55.1 cents per gallon is more than double the national average

By Lou Michel NEWS STAFF REPORTER

Gasoline retailers in Western New York are marking up the price of gas more than double the national average and are to blame for the region’s high cost for the fuel, Rep. Brian Higgins charged Friday.

Gas stations are tacking on an average of 55.1 cents per gallon compared with the national average of 23.6 cents a gallon, and in Jamestown, Higgins said, retailers at one point were charging an average margin of 71 cents per gallon, making that city the most “profitable market in the country.”

Higgins, at a news conference, said he based his claims on “very disturbing” data compiled by the Oil Price Information Service, an independent group that analyzes the price of gasoline across the country.

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Brian Higgins, the Dale Volker of the Democratic Party and the Morton Kondracke (almost always wrong about everything) of Buffalo politics, has come up with another gimmick to con the gullible public into thinking that’s he’s not just another useless and self-serving politician.

He is asking the federal government of all things to investigate why gas is more expensive in Buffalo than elsewhere.

This is a good opportunity to deconstruct his modus operandi.

First, there is no substance to it. There never is.

Second, it’s great public relations.

Third, he is always attacking private property rights.

I don’t know why gas is more here and I really don’t care. Gas is a great bargain even after that criminal gang that calls itself the government has taxed the crap out it. I suspect that gas is more here because politicians like Higgins spend all their time passing laws that make this area a very hostile place to do business. Physician, heal thyself. Brian, YOU ARE THE PROBLEM!

Now, the public, largely ignorant of economics since 90% went to a government school where teaching true economics would cause riots in the classrooms and endanger the teachers’ lives, eats this Higgins pabulum up.

Finally, of course, Higgins is always assaulting the foundation of any civilization, private property. Brian, listen up. It’s not your gas! It’s their gas and they can charge whatever they want to. What is it about a free society that you don’t understand?

Brian Higgins, the Dale Volker of the Democratic Party and the Morton Kondracke (almost always wrong about everything) of Buffalo politics, has come up with another gimmick to con the gullible public into thinking that’s he’s not just another useless and self-serving politician.

He is asking the federal government of all things to investigate why gas is more expensive in Buffalo than elsewhere.

This is a good opportunity to deconstruct his modus operandi.

First, there is no substance to it. There never is.

Second, it’s great public relations.

Third, he is always attacking private property rights.

I don’t know why gas is more here and I really don’t care. Gas is a great bargain even after that criminal gang that calls itself the government has taxed the crap out it. I suspect that gas is more here because politicians like Higgins spend all their time passing laws that make this area a very hostile place to do business. Physician, heal thyself. Brian, YOU ARE THE PROBLEM!

Now, the public, largely ignorant of economics since 90% went to a government school where teaching true economics would cause riots in the classrooms and endanger the teachers’ lives, eats this Higgins pabulum up.

Finally, of course, Higgins is always assaulting the foundation of any civilization, private property. Brian, listen up. It’s not your gas! It’s their gas and they can charge whatever they want to. What is about a free society that you don’t understand?

Brian Higgins has taken a lot from his community.

What has he given back to the community?

His district has the highest taxes in the United States.

His district is losing jobs, people, and hope.

Brian has set himself up for a nice escape from all this, his double pension worth millions.

But can we escape from Brian?

We can afford to pay Brain’s pension after the election. What we can’t afford is two more years of Brian in Congress!

Vote for Dan Humiston.