Shocking news today from Italy where an earthquake of significant magnitude struck the country causing massive devastation. As of 8 p.m. more than 150 people had been confirmed dead and early reports say thousands are injured and several villages in the Old Country may have been completely destroyed.

Obviously our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone suffering- from residents and American citizens on holiday, to those involved in the recovery effort- it appears it will be quite an undertaking.

As I surfed the Internet earlier today, I came across a news brief that the United States had pledged $50,000 in aid to Italy. What? Is that in Lira, and what does that equate to over there? Oh yeah, I forgot, it’s the Euro now, which means even less cash.

"We send our heartfelt condolences to the families of those killed in the earthquake. Our embassy in Rome will provide 50,000 (dollars) in emergency relief funding," State Department spokesman Robert Wood told reporters.

Jumping on this early I run the risk of looking like a fool in three days time when the government pledges a few hundred million to help out, but I am willing to take the risk.

You see shortly after President Barack Obama took office he signed an order directing more than $900 million to Palestinian Authority to help with the recovery efforts in Gaza. You will recall that a few weeks later a government official claimed our allies in Great Britain were just the same as any other country in the world following a botched visit by Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Now apparently Italy is the getting the same “old" "allied” "treatment."

If you’re keeping track, that’s $900 million for the suicide bombers blowing their own families up in the name of Allah, and $50,000 for our Italian friends suffering from a natural disaster.

In an effort to give the President the benefit of the doubt, I’m going to give him his out. In fact, he can plug this right into the teleprompter on Wednesday when he resurfaces from prayer in Turkey, and gives this address to the world.

“My fellow citizens of the world, I want to take a moment to explain to each of you why the United States is only providing $50,000 in aid to our great allies in Italy following the massive earthquake there earlier this week. You see, I am by nature, an optimistic person. And the number zero really gets me down. What we have to ask is, is zero even a number? Is it? This is what needs to be discussed during this tough time.

So we stand by our allies and offer our full support, but only whatever $50,000 buys these days. You see, 4 zeroes, is better than 7 zeroes, and definitely better than 8. I’m sure I don’t even need to tell you about 9, unless of course you happen to be a non-for-profit agency sanctioned by the government, then I have a lot of zeroes for you. Of course, those are the good zeroes, you know, the zeroes that buy votes. In closing, I just don’t like zeroes.

Thank you, and enjoy the opening of the Masters- it is a tradition like any other. I have Tiger in the White House pool.”

And there you have it.

I’m insulted that this great country would insult another country by releasing a statement saying we would send $50,000 while its people are buried beneath rubble. It’s pathetic, and people can continue to overlook this and claim it is partisan. It is anything but.

The only question left will be whether or not the real explanation will be as entertaining as the above faux speech? Well two questions, actually. How much would that original sum have totaled if it occurred in the homeland of one of our true allies? Say Iran, for instance.

Stay tuned.

A week ago (here comes the pat on the back), WAF brought to your attention the ongoing Congressional race in the 20th District of upstate New York, in what we determined would be the first referendum on the President's spending plans.

The national media jumped on two days later- props to us. Anyway, tonight is the night. Polls have just closed, and we should know who won within two hours.

For the past four days, the candidates have been in full GOTV (Get Out The Vote) mode. It has been about as crazy as anyone can remember in these parts. Yeah, there are some hicks in this district.

9:00 p.m. - Today, New York State Assemblyman Jim Tedisco (R- Schenectady), trailing despite a heavy Republican enrollment in the district, resorted to sending out text messages reminding people to vote. Unfortunately, the district is drawn so strangely, that they ended up wasting who knows how much money telling people that could not vote, to vote.

Scott Murphy, leading in the polls, despite running a campaign that said simply, "I love Barack Obama and you should vote for me for that reason," gained the support of the President in recent days with an e-mail to potential voters.

9:07 p.m. - The local TV stations are all fired up, and presenting updates during commercial breaks, interrupting the Tuesday night lineup again. This new government really is not a fan of Tuesdays.

9:08 p.m. - One of my favorite poll questions in recent weeks was the following- "Who do you believe will win the 2oth District race." Tedisco had a 10 point lead. Yet he "trailed" in the polls by four points. Bueller? Bueller? What the hell does that mean?

9:09 p.m. - The live blog of one election race in the entire country is not the smartest tactic for WAF, but the point is, we care, and we love you. Now get commenting.

9:11 p.m. - Play That Funky Music White Boy. Ok, so they're both white, but I stopped on American Idol for a moment while searching for an update. That guy can sing.

9:15 p.m. - Fox- Barney Frank, CNN- Natalie Cole, MSNBC- Gitmo. WAF? Congressional Races. You decide where to get your news!

9:17 p.m. - There is just not much coverage of this going on. But hang in there, once 9:45 p.m. rolls around it should pick up a bit. In the meantime, did you know that Ozzy has a new show coming up on FOX. Ugh. Why?

9:19 p.m. - On the text message issue. I appreciate the GOP trying to jump into the 21st century, but honestly, that is just going to piss people off. We were already inundated with obnoxious television ads for the better part of a month, and now you're going to run up my cell phone bill by sending me a message and I can't even vote in the race. C'mon. There has to be a better way. But at least they're trying.

9:27 p.m. - Early results are coming in. Murphy with huge leads in Greene and Warren Counties. Tedisco with a small lead in Saratoga County. Greene and Saratoga are not surprising. Warren is. Could be ugly.

9:29 p.m. - With 15 percent of the vote in District wide, Murphy leads 50-49 percent, but that is with nearly half of Saratoga Country reporting, what should be a strong Tedisco vote.

9:32 p.m. - The woman from the local AFL-CIO is on. You'll never guess who they are rallying for.

9:36 p.m. - Talk of it coming down to absentees. Good times, if both National Committees become involved. Who wants to buy a race! I'm going out on a limb and saying we have a result by midnight.

9:40 p.m. - Muprhy has won Washington and Warren County (not a surprise, somewhat surprise, respectively), and Muprhy now holds a very slim lead with 33 percent of the entire district reporting. Tedisco needs a bigger showing from Saratoga Country if he is going to pull this off. With 25 percent of that district in, he holds a 57-43 lead. If that holds up throughout the entire country, he should win, as it contains the most Republican voters.

9:43 p.m. - With 41 percent in, Muprhy has now extended his lead to 1,000 votes. At 33 percent it was just 210.

9:47 p.m. - It's a swinging night. With 53 percent of the district now in, Tedisco holds the slim lead of approximately 800 votes. No idea what district just reported. Stay tuned.

9:50 p.m. - With 68 percent in (105,000 votes) the Tedisco lead is just 342 votes, and the percentages in Saratoga have shrunk to 55-45. Not a very good sign.

9:52 p.m. - Murphy takes Essex and Dutchess County as well. But like we said before, it's going to come down to Saratoga, which is only reporting 2/3 of its districts right now. Lead is up to 425, with 68.? in. A small update, but we're working for you!

9:55 p.m. - The best source of upstate local news on the web- http://www.timesunion.com/ - has crashed, good times. With 73 percent in, Tedisco holds a lead 787 votes.

9:58 p.m. - Tedisco has won Rensselaer County. Once a Republican stronghold, it has changed dramatically in the last few years. There are two counties left to report- Columbia, where Murphy is doing very well, and Saratoga, where Tedisco is trending well. With 77 percent reporting, Tedisco's lead is 1,300 votes (50-49 percent).

10:01 p.m. - With 80 percent in, Tedisco still maintains a 1,300 vote lead. It's close. Reallllll close.

10:04 p.m. - Looking at the numbers, I still think Tedisco may have a problem. Saratoga is now at 82 percent reporting. Columbia has many more votes to count. Fitting that in the land of the Spa, this is going to be a photo finish. 83 percent in district wide, Tedisco by 1,300 still.

10:06 p.m. - 84 percent, and the lead is still 1,300. That number not moving is a bit scary for the GOP. The amazing thing is that Tedisco has a 5,000 vote lead in Saratoga County. If it weren't the over-achieving rich people that need to do more for this country, and stop being selfish, this race would be over.

10:09 p.m. - With 85 percent in, it's down to 1,000. Not good.

10:12 p.m. - Murphy has officially taken the lead. Up 200 votes with 90 percent in. You could see that coming. Tedisco now has to hope there is a pocket of votes in Saratoga County for him.

10:14 p.m. - Down to 150 votes. Can you say close? Saratoga, Green, both going for Tedisco right now, and Essex going for Muprhy, are left. Saratoga is clearly the largest block of voters.

10:16 p.m. - And out of nowhere, Murphy now has a 1,600 vote lead. Looks like it came somewhere in Saratoga, which could be the death knell for Tedisco.

10:23 p.m. - Bad news for Tedisco- Down 1,400 with 92 percent reporting. Worse news- Saratoga is 99 percent in, and it looks as if it will finish at 53-46. Way back when, an hour ago, we said it needed to be at 57-43. As always, we know our shit.

10:26 p.m. - With 94 percent of the votes in, Muprhy is leading by 1,509 votes. It's not looking good for Jumpshot Jim.

10:28 p.m. - Don't call it a comeback! Tedisco pulls withint 209 votes with 95 percent in. The tally is 73,915 to 73,706. At least the country is on the same page.

10:30 p.m. - Are you ready for this? with 99 percent of the Districts reporting, Muprhy holds a lead of 177 votes. Wow. There are 10,000 absentees out there. So in other words, we're not going to know tonight. Ok, maybe we don't know our shit.

10:36 p.m. - 99 percent in and we are separated by 75 votes, Muprhy with the slight lead. Tedisco is speaking right now. "From now on, just call me, Landslide Tedisco!" That was pretty funny.

10:39 p.m. - Ok, 100 percent of the precincts have reported. The two candidates vying for the 2oth Congressional district are separated by 59 votes after more than 155,00o votes. Every vote really does count. Murphy has the small lead. Tedisco says he is going to win, I'm sure Muprhy will say the same. It's going to come down to the absentees, and we're sure plenty of court challenges. Needless to say, we'll be back with the updates.

Good night and God Bless!

11:03 p.m. - Never mind, I'm back. Listening to Muprhy talk now. After eight minutes he has yet to mention that he has a lead of 59 votes with 10,000 absentees to be counted. So you ask, what has he talked about? Barack Obama. For ten minutes. All about the stimulus package. All about how the One is going to save the country with his economic policies. I swear to you, he's been speaking for ten minutes and has not uttered one word about how close this is. He is delivering a victory speech. And now the "Yes We Can" chants begin. I can't believe what I'm watching. These people are pathetic.

11:06 p.m. - "I am awed and humbled by the support we received tonight. The voters spoke loud and clear that they support Barack Obama and his attempts at saving our economy." What?!?! 155,000 votes. Separated by 59. And the people spoke loud and clear.

11:08 p.m. - "I also want to thank President Obama, and Vice-President Joe Biden. Who would've imagined 8 weeks ago that the President of the United States would've endorsed our campaign?" Uh, anyone?

11:10 p.m. - You should see the beards on some of these people behind him. Thanked Governor Paterson. No applause. Shocking. And now, "Thanks to the brothers and sisters in the labor movement. There has been such a tremendous amount of time and energy put in by our brothers and sisters. Fuck the rich." Everything there was accurate minus the final three words.

11:12 p.m. - 16 minutes in. Nothing about how close it is. I'm interested to see if he will thanks Tedisco for the race as the Republican did. "I want to thank the voters all over the 20th District. No one expected this many people to turn out and vote for a new guy. This is their victory, they turned what would've been a loss into a success." Are you kidding?

11:14 p.m. - I'm starting to think he won this thing by 30 points. I just can't believe what I am hearing. Or seeing. "I'm going to go to Washington and use common sense to work together with everyone else in Congress..." You should have started tonight, Scott. You're up 59. He's declaring victory. He just left the stage. And the media just said, "Neither party really celebrating tonight."

What? Dear lord.

11:28 p.m. - Politico.com with an interesting update. Murphy has more than 200 relatives in the District that are registered Republicans, and each likely voted for him.

We shall be back in the coming days.

When New York Governor David Paterson appointed upstate Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand to Hillary Clinton’s Senate seat earlier this year, he unwittingly set up ground zero for an early debate on President Barack Obama and his economic stimulus plans.

On March 31st, a special election will be held in the 20th Congressional District pitting longtime New York Assembly Minority Leader Jim Tedisco (R- Schenectady) against Democrat businessman and political novice Scott Murphy. The 20th District is an interesting battleground for the first Congressional race since Obama took office, as sits in the increasingly liberal upstate New York, but happens to be a Republican stronghold for decades.

Gillibrand's first win in 2006 was considered a dramatic upset, attributed to a combination of her engaging personality, conservative views on finance and gun control, and an opponent draped in controversy.

Last year the District, like much of the state, voted for President Obama- despite its heavy Republican enrollment. Pundits on both sides of the aisles admit that Tedisco has run a clumsy race, making the outcome that much more important. At the end of the day, Tedisco will not win based on who he is, but if the 20th is concerned with the agenda the President has pushed in his first few months, he stands a fighting change.

Both Murphy and Tedisco have hammered each other on the economic stimulus package. Tedisco has attacked Murphy by claiming he created thousands of jobs for India, stealing work from Americans, and labeling him an outsider… or is it an insider. You can't keep track these days.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fB6kh4sKfCY

Murphy has criticized Tedisco for not taking a stand on the stimulus package, and has more or less campaigned on the back of Obama.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0QSPHCSJV4

That is until the AIG bonus story broke last week and Tedisco emphatically came out against the Obama economic plan- better late than never. That spurred the Murphy camp to create an ad that could be considered a Tedisco ad depending upon how voters feel when they walk into the voting booth.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3r8qKP29SQ

I was lukewarm on Tedisco until that ad, which was meant to be a negative piece, but did the opposite. Granted I have strong feelings on the stimulus package, which I’m not sure others do. Murphy has even taken a page from Obama’s book and said the stimulus package will create or save 76,000 jobs in upstate New York.

Upstate television viewers have been inundated with ads from both sides, including productions sanctioned and paid for by the Republican National Congressional Committee and Democrat National Congressional Committee. Both sides are invested heavily in the outcome, despite the fact that today one Congressman makes little difference at this point.

The 2010 mid-term election campaigns are going to start sooner than they have in years past, as each party believes it can capitalize on the current problems facing our nation. This is the pre-game buffet. There have been many issues discussed in the race thus far, but make no mistake that the Economic Stimulus Recovery Act will be the deciding factor.

For the Democrats, it is a race that should’ve been easily won. The District supported Obama, Gillibrand supports Murphy, and he has campaigned on the popularity of the President. Because of the enrollment advantage, a loss would not be devastating, but it would give some pause to a party that seems to believe the entire country is ready to follow it down a path to socialism.

The Republicans faced an uphill battle in winning the seat because of the above factors, and they have been saddled with a candidate that has been consistently inconsistent when it comes to his message. A win would be great, a loss not terrible for a party that needs to life, new ideas, and a new voice, particularly in New York.

At the end of the day it’s a toss up with one week to go. That's ironic when you consider that at this point the race is the coin toss for the 2010 mid-term games. Winner gets ball first. Heads or tails?

“Trust me, I get it”

So said President Barack Obama in his delivery to the nation Tuesday evening. As I did some play by play on the speech here, I was left wondering one thing- is this guy stupid or arrogant?

Then it hit me. He’s the worst scenario of all- a liberal with a plan. I am firm believer that contradictions cannot exist, but this case may prove that theory wrong. He has a plan and he will pursue it until stopped.

Shortly after his budget presentation headlines were clear- $10,000 per person, that’s what the 2010 budget averaged out to. Several hours later, the headline changed to $25,573 per taxpayer. That got me thinking. At what point will the extreme left wing of this country, which gains more and more power each day, be happy with that ratio? Is it 3 to 1, 4 to 1, or even higher?

At what point will they achieve happiness knowing that they have succeeded in their goal of providing for the have-nots on the back of those who achieve?

Thanks to a drooling media that cannot get its head out of its own ass long enough to ask a few relevant questions about our future, Rahm Emmanuel, the current Chief of Staff, has flown under the radar despite his tremendously insightful remarks that “crisis brings about opportunity.”

That’s the troubling part of this economic downturn. Deep down, the Democrats in charge at the top are digging it. It is allowing them to pursue an agenda they never dreamed of chasing- a radical adjustment of what this country used to stand for.

Nancy Pelosi is sipping champagne tonight with visions of a $3.5 trillion budget figures dancing in her head. Pet projects saving field mice in California, more than $600 billion heading towards universal health care with no plan for implementation, and people who don’t pay taxes receiving a tax break- it’s a liberal utopia. A trillion in new taxes over the next decade? I don't know if they conjured that up out of their ass or hat?

Please do not make the mistake that I genuinely believe everyone having access to health care is a liberal dream. Nor is the completion of pledged projects to their constituents- they could care less about that.

My friend KO discussed this earlier, but it cannot be understated. Liberals seek a government that does not just enforce laws and collect taxes, but provides you with the food you eat and the work that allows you to earn. They understand, perhaps more than most people realize, that the advancement of these plans solidify their increasing voting base- the people that are searching harder for handouts than they are a job. Their true heaven on earth is in sight for the first time in many, many years.

The opportunity this crisis presents is to reach their unstated and silent goal. It is a notion that they will deny until the very end- they want to make everyone equally poor. There is no need to prosper in their minds, just survive. They loathe individual achievement. If everyone is forced to remain the same, and we somehow retain our democracy, they remain in power. They become the great liberators. Taking care of those who do not know better, this is how they look at America.

Their arrogance is angering. After spending the week talking about his goal to cut the budget deficit in half by 2012 despite spending more than a trillion new dollars on ill conceived stimulus packages and bank bailouts, Obama had the audacity to title his budget message, “A New Era of Responsibility.” He either has one serious sense of humor, or he’s just hoping we are not paying attention.

During Ayn Rand’s epochal Atlas Shrugged, two characters discuss the worst fable ever repeated to children- Robin Hood. The moral of that story has been destroyed over the years and molded to the point where we genuinely believe that stealing from the rich for the benefit of the poor is a noble goal. It’s difficult to believe that in a short 50 years we have reached a point in our culture where that exaggeration has become a reality.

"The taxing aspect of this is worse than Robin Hood," said economist Peter Morici, a University of Maryland professor, of Obama’s spending plan on Thursday. "He's resurrecting class warfare for political gain."

There are some people out there that get it. As we’ve talked about before, the question is how the liberals go, how much do they achieve, before the rest of the country wakes up from its coma?

In the meantime, we are left with over-the-top rhetoric entitled “Inheriting a Legacy of Misplaced Priorities,” also known as, Chapter One of Obama’s Budget Message. That’s true hope and change right there.

The message, which can be viewed here- http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/assets/fy2010_new_era/A_New_Era_of_Responsibility2.pdf- has wonderful little ditties discussing “eroding trust and accountability,” the “erosion of market oversight,” and an “unresponsive and secret government.” For guys that claim to want to play in both sides of the political sandbox, the entire budget message is a lefty fringe wet dream- “Bush Bad.”

What was Pelosi’s response to this massive budget that brings back big government to a level that conservative stalwart Bill Clinton pledged we would never see again?

“It is a blueprint for the future, and I’m proud of that,” she said.

Trust me, I get it.

I’m hoping the rest of the country will soon.

Later this week President Barack Obama will announce that he is closing the barn doors. Unfortunately for the United States, the horses split awhile ago, and while our trusted politicians were out looking for their valued thoroughbreds, the tools were stolen from the shed and scrapped, the feed robbed by hungry wolves, and the building burned to the ground by potential regulatory arsonists.

But he will close the doors now. Before it's too late.

When Obama delivers his speech to the country it will be littered with catchphrases encouraging us all to “do our part” in this “economic climate” that is “the worst since the Great Depression.” According to reports, his comments will concern his attempt to cut the national debt in half by the next Presidential election. A noble goal to be sure, and only a couple of weeks late.

During the big push to have the stimulus package passed as quickly as possible the President was quoted as saying that “now is not the time for profits,” adding that it will come later. It is terrifying that a large segment of our country actually believes that rubbish. If now is not the time for profits, exactly when would be a good time be? This thought process will only accomplish to handicap the producers left in our country.

On this stop along the path to socialism, the overtaxing of the rich to provide for the rest, the country is being asked to close its eyes to the problems we face, and wish them away on the backs of the earners. The left wing of this country accomplishes this magic act by convincing the middle class that the cause they fight for is those making under $250,000 per year. They just forget to mention how far under.

We can thank former President George W. Bush for his great efforts in making this path much easier for Obama to traverse. The current President is a man who proudly told “Joe the Plumber” that he sought a “redistribution of wealth” to cure all of our financial ills. We knew then, but it was Bush's advancement of his bank bailouts that allowed this path to be free of logistical pitfalls.

As we continue to discuss the economy, liberals in this country have begun to prop up appointed economists as a blockade to the true motives they chase, believing this Great Wall of Economy cannot be seen through despite its transparency, when it actuality all that is required is common sense.

When that wall is brushed aside they resort to the only tool they have argued with for nearly a decade- “Bush Bad.” The progressives in our country enjoyed crowing about Bush's abysmal approval rating during his last two years in office- it was proof to them of his abysmal failure. What is perplexing about this liberal delusion is remarkably they believe 80 percent of the country disapproving of Bush meant 80 percent of the country suddenly became liberal. Logic is not their strong suit.

If we are to survive as a society and buck this intended advancement towards what was once our worst nightmare, we must awaken from our slumber and once again become a nation of people that think freely and make difficult decisions. Each day politicians preach the difficult choice mantra. Choosing between Filet Mignon and smoked pork tenderloin is not a difficult decision.

The path that we need to travel is to convince an entire nation to change its way of life. Though it looked promising for decades, we must now acknowledge that long term consumption without equal production is a recipe for failure. Our leaders, current and past, refuse to recognize that we must focus on the foundation of which this country was built. We must stop our excess government funding of programs that started as transitional assistance and morphed into generational expectations. We must stop subsidizing the living conditions of the unmotivated, and ignore programs that bankrupt our society morally, ethically, and financially.

When Obama delivers his address this week, it will be the latest in which he eloquently maps the further destruction of our country. What will our response be?

Maniacal government spending that has been supported by both political parties must be replaced with a plan that rewards ability and hard work, not the opposite. This is not a Republican versus Democrat issue, it is an ideological battle concerning those willing to work through life and earn what they seek, and those looking for a handout.

Following Obama's remarks, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal will offer a rebuttal to the President. Jindal has been in front of the stimulus package argument by declaring that his state would not blindly accept the funding if it was determined that it would be a long term detriment. Jindal will be the first person to hold the national spotlight in prime time and offer another perspective to Obama.

He held his own against an aggressive David Gregory on Meet the Press Sunday in addressing the fact that any opposing party must offer suggestions, particularly in these challenging times, rather than simply being a party of no. Offering no alternative will only strengthen your opponent, and Jindal understands this.

If he can offer logical options to the “we must act now, or we will all die, hope be damned” message that Obama has hammered home in recent weeks, it will help promote the common sense alternative to the contradiction that permeates our society today- that government needs to spend itself to death for us to survive.

Jindal failing to get this message across in a plain-spoken manner that the majority of the country can connect with will have the effect of Obama not closing a barn door, but just another opportunity for this country to right itself.