Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Stealing Your American Dream

My husband's book is out as are some reviews.

Stealing You Blind: How Government Fat Cats Are Getting Rich Off of You

Book Description:
They’re Stealing Us Blind
Remember when we used to call government employees “public servants”? They’re servants no more—now they’re bureaucratic masters of the universe, claiming inflated salaries (up to two times as much as private sector employees) and early retirement with unparalleled pensions and benefits. And how do they spend their time? When they’re actually working, they spin red tape and regulations that make your life harder (and their lives easier), your taxes higher, and your share of the nation’s debt unsustainable.

Like true bureaucrats they like to scurry around in the dark, doing their mischief outside of public scrutiny. But no longer: Iain Murray—author of the rollicking exposé The Really Inconvenient Truths—knows all about bureaucrats and their lairs, because he used to be one himself. In Stealing You Blind he blows the whistle on the out-of-control bureaucracy whose greed could actually tip our country into a financial abyss.

In Stealing You Blind, you’ll discover:

Why the wealthiest congressional district in America is in a recession-proof suburb of Washington, D.C.

How the Department of Transportation went from having one employee making $170,000 or more to having nearly 1,700 making that much—during the peak of the recession

Why even FDR thought federal workers shouldn’t be allowed to unionize

How state, local, and federal bankruptcy could be coming your way thanks to public employee union greed

Why bureaucrats regard taxpayers as sheep to be shorn—and how they do it

Ten steps to fight back and regain control of our government from the parasitic bureaucratic class
Filled with devastating facts about how government workers are living large off the rest of us and driving our country to financial ruin, Stealing You Blind is a rousing call to reclaim our rights as taxpayers and save our economy from the bureaucrats who are choking it to death for their own benefit.

Customer Reviews from Amazon.com are here.

Editorial Review quotes below:
“Where do all your hard-earned tax dollars go? You don’t know the half of it! . . . This must read manual takes you on a maddening tour that starts at Al Gore’s mansion, winds through the ever-expanding empire of Nanny State busybodies in Washington, and dives into bloated municipal payrolls from the Big Apple to Bell, California. Murray outlines imperative reforms to rein in these new robber barons. If you believe public servants should serve the public and not themselves, get this book.”
—Michelle Malkin, Fox News Contributor and author of Culture of Corruption

“A powerful government, the liberal myth goes, places a check on special interests and provides a counterbalance to the power of the wealthy. In truth, government growth instead creates a new class of Robber Barons—handsomely paid ‘public servants’ who soon monetize that service to become obscenely paid revolving-door lobbyists and ‘consultants.’ Recovered bureaucrat Iain Murray paints the unseemly picture of ‘our new leisure class’ in vivid—and often rage-inducing—detail.”
—Tim Carney, author of Obamanomics and Senior Political Columnist, The Washington Examiner

“Iain Murray eviscerates what he calls the new robber barons, the great empire-builders of the public sector. It is a story of greed, arrogance, and power that would make even a domineering nineteenth-century industrialist blush. This isn’t just a smart and entertaining take-down, but a call to action.”
—Rich Lowry, editor of National Review


Reviews from the Internet
Red Tape, Druggie Monkeys Bankrupting US

'Stealing You Blind': How 'Public Servants' Sponge Off the Private Sector

10 questions with ‘Stealing You Blind’ author Iain Murray

Article by my husband in the Washington Examiner - Bureaucrats are stealing Americans blind

Stealing You Blind, Book Review With the Author Iain Murray

Daily Round-Up 07-13



Republicans want records from Justice officials about botched gun operation


THE GOOD NEWS IS...


Senate stops Reid's millionaire tax measure

Hollywood Finally Admits It Discriminates Against Conservatives -- Could This Be the Start of Something Big?

The End of Subsidized Loans?

Voter photo ID laws are good protection against fraud

The IRS's Temporary Political Retreat on Taxing Donors to 501(c)(4) Groups

GOP Candidates: Sharpening the Knife

RNC ad: Change Direction


Wis. Democrats Defeat 'Fake' Candidates in Primary. The "fake" label is stupid. What were Wis. Republicans supposed to do? By putting up candidates in this primary, the conservatives force the democrats to spend money they'd presumably prefer to save for the general recall election. "Fake" or not, this was a smart move on the conservatives' part.

Wall Street Journal Backs McConnell Plan I'm not sure how I feel about this plan but anything that forces Obama to show his hand isn't a bad idea.

Tea-Party Senators Plot with House Allies

Time to get ‘serious’ on illegal aliens


GENERAL BAD BEHAVIOR


“Trying to ease our own guilt feelings is very different from trying to advance those less fortunate.” – Thomas Sowell

ACLU Using Food Pantries To Undermine Voter ID In Wisconsin

Allegations of corruption, fraud, tears town government apart

Police charge mother in Nashville airport altercation. Woman refused to let officers screen daughter AND New Port Richey couple says TSA search went too far

Suspect Allowed to View Child Porn in Washington Jail

Harvard Researchers Accused of Breaching Students' Privacy

Kindergarten nightmare grips NYC parents

Our Frivolous Approach to Citizenship

A shamefully wrong decision. NOT GUILTY!…SEIU Thugs Cleared in Brutal Gladney Beatdown!…Update: Gladney Reaction (Video)




AND THE GOOD GUYS ARE...


Boehner Boosts the BBA

Sen. Inhofe places hold on Obama's nominee for commerce secretary

Herman Cain - I’d replace the income tax with the Fair Tax

David Mamet's Conversion

What ‘constitutional conservatism’ means to me



OBAMACARE


Liberty Is at Stake

Will Washington Find the Cure for Cancer? Government boards and drug price controls threaten to throw sand in the gears of medical progress.

Rolling Back the Obamacare Banana Republic

US to Clarify How Insurance Exchanges Will Work

FDA Proposes Targeted Drug Testing Guidelines

Huntsman, Pawlenty Also Toyed With Healthcare as Govs

AARP assails Medicare benefit cuts

Should Parents Lose Custody Of Obese Kids? This is a ridiculous intrusion by the government into the family.


JUNK SCIENCE


National Academy of Sciences warns EPA to get its science straight or risk irrelevance

Supreme Court deals major blow to environmentalists

Global Warming: Cities, Too, Are Carbon 'Sinks'

Let There Be Light…And Freedom To Choose Its Source

Taken for a Ride. Underhand attempts by the US Congress to bypass regulatory decisions made by federal agencies erode science-based policy.



MEDIA BIAS


Hollywood Finally Admits It Discriminates Against Conservatives -- Could This Be the Start of Something Big?

I'd agree with this statement - The BBC Is at Least a Thousand Times More Evil and Dangerous than Rupert Murdoch

Erring and forgiving, &c.

Who's Burning D.C. Down?

David Mamet's Conversion


THE SCANDAL OF ABORTION


Live Action Needed: Planned Parenthood’s Mission Creep and the Congressional Imperative

A Victory for Life, and for Free Speech

Three Cheers for AUL’s Exposé of Planned Parenthood

Planned Parenthood’s Non-Response to AUL



FIGHTING CORRUPTION/TEA PARTY NEWS


Something is brewing - Tea-Party Senators Plot with House Allies

The Tea Party Is Ceiling the Deal

Tea Party Groups Target Lawmakers on Debt Ceiling

Time to get ‘serious’ on illegal aliens

Republicans want records from Justice officials about botched gun operation

Bad Politician Bad 07-13


President Obama Job Approval

Latest Election Polls

President Obama vs. Republican Candidate

2012 Republican Presidential Nomination

Romney Beats Obama in Hypothetical Race

Obama 2012 Fundraising Behind 2008 Pace

The Presidency Matters, But How Much Does Obama?

US too dumb to know O is always right



Issa, Grassley name 12 senior Justice officials in Fast and Furious letter

Department of Justice Finally Responds to ‘Fast and Furious’ Accusations, By Mandating More Gun Control

‘Gunwalker’ Deepens: Agent Zapata Killed By Gun From … Texas? In addition to Phoenix and Florida, it appears the U.S. government had gunwalking operations based in Houston and Dallas.



Operation Fast and Furious: Designed to Promote Gun Control By giving Mexican drug lords guns with which they can kill Americans?
Operation Fast and Furious is looking more and more like a set up from the beginning to push Obama and Holder's radical anti-Second Amendment agenda as they used law abiding gun shop owners to enable government officals to break the law, then turned around and blamed the very same gun shops for illegal gun trafficking, despite those shops being forced by ATF to help ATF agents carry out Operation Fast and Furious, and now, those shops are being punished through new Justice Department gun control measures.

Time only for small ball

Eric Holder sues Jindal administration over welfare agency voter registration

Holder Launches Witch Hunt Against Biased Banks

Grassley, Issa slam Holder again: Are you skewing Fast and Furious witnesses?

House GOPers losing patience with Obama stall on Solyndra loan guarantee documents

Obamageddon Coming to a City Near You?

Janice Hahn’s last-minute sleazeball maneuvers

Issa calls on Postal Workers Union to stop running ‘misleading ad’ about USPS financial situation

House turns out lights on Barton's bulb bill AND The BULB Act and the Inertia of the Administrative State



Mr. President: America is Paying Attention to the Debt Ceiling

Obama Digs in His Heels on Taxes "Revenue enhancements" must be on the table, the president insists.

Human Shields: Obama to use Social Security recipients as human shields if GOP doesn't give him massive tax increase

Washington gets $200 billion a month, Social Security costs $50 billion a month, and Obama is threatening to starve Grandma?

Obama to Hold Senior and Vets Benefits Hostage for Tax Increases

Allegations of corruption, fraud, tears town government apart

GOP leaders split on when to push for balanced-budget amendment

Obama worst president for Israel – ever

Arrogant and petulant

Obama's Anti-Immigrant Stance. Under the guise of immigration enforcement, the White House pushes a pro-union agenda

The President Needs to Stop Scaring Seniors

Let There Be Light…And Freedom To Choose Its Source

Blow against O in Weiner race. Koch: Vote for GOPer a vote for Israel

Seven Reasons Why Corruption Reigns in Spain. Where it's safer to be a crooked politician than a thief robbing banks or stealing handbags from old ladies.

In Economic Woes 07-13



Never Did Get A Job From A Poor Man

Jobs vs. Government

Drilling deregulation could create 190,000 jobs

Where Have America's Jobs Gone? Hiring at McDonald's; Wireless Networks' Job-Killing Effect; One Machine Doing The Work of Three

Gloom, despair and agony: Why small businesses aren’t hiring

Our economy needs small businesses, and small businesses need regulatory reform

Obama Most 'Anti-Jobs' President





Herman Cain - I’d replace the income tax with the Fair Tax

Not Taking Other People’s Money

Patriotic Taxation Or Unpatriotic Redistribution?

A war between the taxpayers and the tax-eaters

Gallup - U.S. Debt Ceiling Increase Remains Unpopular With Americans

The Spending Is the Problem



California companies fleeing the Golden State

From the great Ken Blackwell - How To Solve Our Growth and Jobs Deficit Mr. Blackwell's book, urgent: How Constitutional Conservatism Can Save America, is on my bedstand right now (along with my husband's - Stealing You Blind: How Government Fat Cats Are Getting Rich Off of You) and it is a terrific read. I'd take Mr. Blackwell's advice any day.

Rhode Island Cities Run Out of Other People's Money

Obamageddon Coming to a City Near You?

A 1% Tax on the Market Capitalization of Public Companies

Arrogant and petulant

Raise Taxes or Granny Gets It The liberal media's idea of a grown-up.

The issue isn’t default but government shutdown

Amazon seeks ballot measure to undo California tax

Washington gets $200 billion a month, Social Security costs $50 billion a month, and Obama is threatening to starve Grandma?

Let There Be Light…And Freedom To Choose Its Source

Ireland's Bonds Downgraded to Junk Move Comes as Italian Lawmakers Seek to Speed Austerity Budget, and Road Map Emerges for Addressing Greek Debt

Europe Readies for the Worst

Big Unions/Leftie Groups 07-13



Close the door on public-sector unions

National Education Association Thanks Students for Raising PAC Funds

Prison doctor gets paid for doing little or nothing A California surgeon has mostly been locked out of his job: on paid leave, fired or fighting his termination. When he does work, it's reviewing records. He made $777,000 last year, including back pay

Allegations of corruption, fraud, tears town government apart

Unions Turning on Obama in Debt Battle

A shame. NOT GUILTY!…SEIU Thugs Cleared in Brutal Gladney Beatdown!…Update: Gladney Reaction (Video)

Oversight committee demands NLRB documents on Boeing suit

Obama's Anti-Immigrant Stance. Under the guise of immigration enforcement, the White House pushes a pro-union agenda

ACLU Using Food Pantries To Undermine Voter ID In Wisconsin

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Fighting Corruption/TEA Party News 07-12



Stealing You Blind: How Government Fat Cats Are Getting Rich Off of You AND A Review - 'Stealing You Blind': How 'Public Servants' Sponge Off the Private Sector


Restoring Fairness with the Lawsuit Abuse Reduction Act

Protestors disapprove of Immelt's keynote speech on creating jobs

Nearly 2 Years After Beating-Kenneth Gladney Case Goes to Trial Today

Daily Round-Up 07-12



Project Gunrunner Tied Directly to President Obama
Fast and Furious Updates AND Hushmail Tipline Launched for Gunwalker


AND THE GOOD GUYS ARE...


The Extraordinary Sarah Palin

Bachmann goes into overdrive

Stealing You Blind: How Government Fat Cats Are Getting Rich Off of You AND A Review - 'Stealing You Blind': How 'Public Servants' Sponge Off the Private Sector


The Not-So-Grand Bargain Speaker Boehner is right not to collude in President Obama’s profligacy.

Obama presses; Boehner resists. Some in GOP say president overstates risk of debt default

Once again, Paul Ryan takes on Obama

General Bad Behavior 07-12



The First Rule of Liberalism Government failure always justifies more government.

Why the Shock Over Atlanta Teacher Cheating?

Lightbulb bill likely headed for defeat in House

The School-Board Scandal

Pathetic - Chicagoans Overwhelmingly Vote to Ban Palin, Beck & Coulter Books at Book Fair in Obama’s Home Town

First Sarah Palin, Now Michele Bachmann



Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie, and Chevrolet…and the IRS

ACORN Still Receiving Federal Money

It Turns Out Obama Gave ACORN $541K This Year, Not $80K

A lawsuit challenging Utah's anti-polygamy law, premised on Lawrence v. Texas.

Project Gunrunner Tied Directly to President Obama
Hushmail Tipline Launched for Gunwalker

Fast and Furious Updates



Judge tosses lawsuit over Islamic center near WTC

If Britain is too small to survive outside the EU, how does South Sudan manage?

Get An Education On Indoctrination

No Safety in TSA’s Strip Searches AND Re: The TSA, For Your Inconvenience

White Trash Jihad: The Man behind Shariah4USA. Devin Zentmyer of Illinois wants an end to American democracy.

The Unbearable Smugness of Liberals: A Guide for the Perplexed How do you deal with the intense anger and condescension that Democrats express toward conservatives?

Stengel-gate Update: The American Constitution Society Embarrasses Itself For Richard Stengel

Bad Politican Bad 07-12


President Obama Job Approval

Latest Election Polls

President Obama vs. Republican Candidate

2012 Republican Presidential Nomination

President Obama Job Approval in Florida

Poll: Only 43 Percent of Jews Would Reelect Obama

Are You Better Off? Obama will have to answer the question Reagan asked in 1980.



Project Gunrunner Tied Directly to President Obama
Hushmail Tipline Launched for Gunwalker

Fast and Furious Updates

The Obama DOJ reminds me of nothing so much as the Nixon Justice Department

DOJ gives new tools to ATF on guns



Ex-Rezko partner being sentenced Tuesday: Obama Spokesman Denies Cash Bribes Technically it was not a denial, it was a refusal to answer based on attorney advice. Hmmmmm.

Darrell Issa questions White House's 2012 actions

It Turns Out Obama Gave ACORN $541K This Year, Not $80K

Wisconsin’s Summer of Recall Elections Begins

The Left Starts to Dump Obama

Stealing You Blind: How Government Fat Cats Are Getting Rich Off of You AND A Review - 'Stealing You Blind': How 'Public Servants' Sponge Off the Private Sector


Obama 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 . . .

"Every Aspect Of Life In America Is Worse Since Obama Took Over"

Black Activists "Deeply Disappointed" in President Clinton's "Disingenuous" Racial Attack on Ballot Security Measures

Hey Dems, Want Some "Revenue"? How About Issuing Oil Leases?



No big budget deal? Blame Obama, not Boehner

Which of These Two Images Best Captures the Relationship of People and Government?

Obama says I’m not off the hook.

The First Rule of Liberalism Government failure always justifies more government.

Krauthammer’s Take



How President Obama explained away a poll showing only 24% of Americans supported raising the debt ceiling "to avoid an economic catastrophe."

Obama vs. Obama Not long ago, Obama warned that raising taxes in a struggling economy is "the last thing you want to do

Bam: give peas a chance AND Small Business Doesn’t Appreciate Obama Telling Them to ‘Eat Your Peas & Suck It In”

Paul Ryan Wine Accuser Susan Feinberg Clams Up

America’s Burgeoning Class War Could Spell Opportunity For GOP



Obama wants to take on "sacred cows" and "keep our sacred trust with our seniors."

Sheila Jackson Lee to Aide: 'I Don't Care Anything About Your Disability'

In Economic Woes 07-12



Never Did Get A Job From A Poor Man

Unemployment rate June 2011

When It Comes to Wealth Creation, There Is No Pie
Wealth is created by, and morally belongs to the individual creator. As Rand observes, since “man has to sustain his life by his own effort, the man who has no right to the product of his effort has no means to sustain his life. The man who produces while others dispose of his product, is a slave.”

Bills That Would Create 250K Jobs Stalled By Concern for Unemployed



Mr. President, do the math: $250,000 per year isn’t rich

Bachmann would consider debt limit increase — in exchange for Obamacare repeal

California companies fleeing the Golden State

President Obama promises ‘massive job killing taxes’ if re-elected

Flat jobs data signal weakest recovery in decades

The Glum and the Restless Nearly one in five recent grads is out of work. Could that hurt Obama’s reelection bid?

$278,000 For Every Job “Saved or Created,” And Now Comes the Bill

Thomas Sowell - Unknown Unknowns

The President’s trillion dollar sacred cow

Default Is the Enemy of the Social Welfare State

Fallacies Of Economic Equality That Promote Poverty

aka Class Warfare - Obama plays shame game



Krauthammer: Obama's Sudden Interest In Cutting Debt A "Farce"

Under Current Trend, Unemployment Would Remain High

Hypocrisy Meter Explodes: After Shedding 36K Jobs, Obama Adviser Immelt Tells Businesses to Start Hiring

Krugman backpedals

An Unemployment Report That Screams Spectacular Failure



Obama’s True Position on the Budget

Small Business Doesn’t Appreciate Obama Telling Them to ‘Eat Your Peas & Suck It In”


Buffetts and HENRYs

Moral hazard

Conrad Wants $2 Trillion Senate Democrats see Obama's taxes and raise. That's a lot of 'peas.'

Obama: Yeah, Social Security Coffers Pretty Much Empty

Economy Faces a Jolt as Benefit Checks Run Out

Stealing You Blind: How Government Fat Cats Are Getting Rich Off of You AND A Review - 'Stealing You Blind': How 'Public Servants' Sponge Off the Private Sector


‘Pulling down the strong’

Dems Offer Three Options on Debt Limit



Comment on California Jobs Referendum from Paul Misener, vice president, Amazon Global Public Policy

California Loan-Sharking: Another Underhanded Tax Hike

Trade deficit rises in May, exports down 0.5%



Debt limit deal eludes Obama, leading Hill figures

ICE Slips DREAM Act in Through the Backdoor

Stocks End Lower After Ireland Rating Cut

Euro in Crisis: Is the Italian Domino Falling?

The Good News Is....



Stealing You Blind: How Government Fat Cats Are Getting Rich Off of You AND A Review - 'Stealing You Blind': How 'Public Servants' Sponge Off the Private Sector


Wisconsin's Controversial Budget Law Begins to Pay Off

Bachmann would consider debt limit increase — in exchange for Obamacare repeal

What Can You Do for Liberty Today? Vote

Here's to hoping - Is a Massive Special Election Upset Brewing in CA-36?



Nearly 2 Years After Beating-Kenneth Gladney Case Goes to Trial Today

Human Swallows Pill. Mosquito Bites Human. Mosquito Dies.

YouTube marine gets date with Hollywood star Mila Kunis

Obamacare 07-12



Don't Raise Taxes to Fund ObamaCare

ObamaCare, ObamaCars, and Government-Mandated Broccoli. Ready for the government to regulate the interstate commerce in your stomach?

Fresh doubt cast on Obama's health care story

Bust or Bailout? The Future of Private Health Plans Under ObamaCare

Government-Rationed Health Care Coming Soon



Washington's Medicaid Reform Could Benefit Every State in the US

Remember Obama’s Health Insurance Horror Story?

Bachmann would consider debt limit increase — in exchange for Obamacare repeal

The Coming Collectivization of American Health Care. Collectivizing American doctors will fail as badly as collectivizing Soviet farmers.

States Moving Away from Government-Run Healthcare

ObamaCare's Rationing Board Spells Doom for Medicare

Small-Business Health Care Tax Credits Are having a Miniscule Impact

The President’s trillion dollar sacred cow

Medicaid Mess-up

Junk Science 07-12



Pretty much sums up the entire liberal/socialistic/environmental movement - Chu: ‘We Are Taking Away a Choice That Continues to Let People Waste Their Own Money’

The House Sees the Light. Repealing the de facto ban on incandescent light bulbs.

President Obama Escalates his War on Fossil Fuels

When Eco-Terrorists Attack The ELF lied, buildings died. A review of If a Tree Falls.


A crisis worth worrying about: Bacon prices are about to skyrocket

Clean Is the New Green

As Economy Flounders, Obama Focuses on What Americans Eat, Smoke and Drive

Bright Idea

Letter of Support: Rep. Griffith's EPA Regulatory Relief Act, H.R. 2250

Addressing the Disparity between Climate Models and Observations: Testing the Hypothesis of Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW)

Land deals protect fake threats

California’s long-term cooling trend cited as evidence FOR global warming

Regulating the Hope Out of Natural Gas

Extracting natural gas from shale is safe and economically sensible

Lukewarmers, Denialists, and Other Climate Change Skeptics

Lightbulb bill likely headed for defeat in House

Steven Chu’s Rorschach Test, and a Query About Stripping Fred Upton of His Seniority

Key Vote YES on Republican Study Committee Amendment to Reduce Energy and Water Development Appropriations by Nearly 10 Percent

Rules of engagement

Media Bias 07-12



First Sarah Palin, Now Michele Bachmann

Liberal Media Tries to Hand-Pick GOP Nominee - Again

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities Thinks We're Still in the Bush Era



The Nation Shows Its Nationality

Pot Meet Kettle (New York Times Edition)



Palin and the Prudes

Media Matters Declared War, Let’s Give Them One

President Palin or President Limbaugh? Either Way Chuck Todd Loses

Big Union/Leftie Groups 07-12



The Unbearable Smugness of Liberals: A Guide for the Perplexed How do you deal with the intense anger and condescension that Democrats express toward conservatives?

Big Labor’s Compulsory Politics = $1.1 Billion in 2010 Election Cycle

It Turns Out Obama Gave ACORN $541K This Year, Not $80K



The First Rule of Liberalism Government failure always justifies more government.

ActBlue Nationalizes Wisconsin Recalls



$6 Million and Rising, Big Labor Pours Big Bucks into Wisconsin Recalls

ACORN Still Receiving Federal Money

The Scandal of Abortion 07-12



On Liberty and Abortion

ADF letter to Wis. Attorney General: Stop UW Hospitals from illegally funding abortions

Killing Six Birds with One Stone

Federal court: Human life begins at conception. Judge places Indiana’s abortionist defunding provision on hold but agrees women can be told ‘human physical life’ begins at conception

NARAL's Bernie Madoff of Abortion?