Gov. Christie: What Are We Paying You For, Mr. President?

While delivering remarks from a commercial kitchen (apparently Denny's in Newark) may not be a good visual for the portly New Jersey governor, Chris Christie's remarks on failed presidential leadership seems on target:



Along similar lines, Donald Trump was less than pleased with the scheduling of a presidential fundraiser on the same evening of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting:



 Added: Investor's Business Daily also wasn't thrilled with the fundraiser with the crony capitalist 1% either:

President Obama jammed traffic in Manhattan on Wednesday. State business? No, he was raising campaign funds. It's just the latest example of his questionable strategy of running for re-election by taking from the public.

And no, the public was not invited. Three stops the president made were strictly for fat-cat donors who paid as much as $36,000 a plate for the privilege, while reporters weren't even permitted to cover the protests outside the hotels.

But the trip was hardly just between Obama and his donors. The three trips disrupted rush hour traffic in New York City and the annual lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, something that very much cost the public time and money. The only winner was Obama, who flew home with $2.4 million.

That's emblematic of the arrogance of this president and the kind of re-election campaign we can expect him to conduct: always leaning on the public and its government to get his.

Dr. Conrad Murray Gets Maximum Sentence in Jackson Death

A Los Angeles County judge today sentenced Michael Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray, to four years in jail (the maximum sentence under the law) for involuntary manslaughter. Because of California prison overcrowding, however, Murray will serve his time in county jail rather than a hardcore prison and likely be released early no matter where he winds up. House arrest is also a possibility. Murray would have received a harsher sentence had he been tried and convicted of a crime that requires specific intent to do harm, otherwise known in the law as malice aforethought.

ABC Reporter Questions Presidential Campaign Travel

Here's some breaking news: a member of the usually compliant White House press corps finally asks a tough question. Congratulations to Jake Tapper of ABC News who asked administration spokesman Jay Carney if Obama was "campaigning on the taxpayer's dime" after The Wall Street Journal wrote about Obama's record-setting swing-state visits.

Considering the Obamas charge the taxpayer for their lavish vacations and a never-ending series of fundraisers and White House parties, is this any surprise?

By the way, what is up with political hacks like Carney (and many others) relying on the thumb-index finger gesture for emphasis?

Black Friday Shopping Rage 2011

In case you were wondering, yes, some bargain-hunters went completely nuts at Walmart and in other venues on Black Friday.
Videos like this makes us wonder what kind of anarchy could happen in the aftermath of a widespread national disaster, a "zombie apocalypse," or God forbid a terrorist attack when food and water could be in short supply.

Business Owner Won't Hire Until Obama Leaves Office

A Georgia businessman is not a big fan of Hope and Change: He says he can't afford to add new employees to his company until economic conditions improve under a new president.

Artur Davis: Democrats Cooking the Ballot Box

Organizations similar to ACORN allied with the Democrats are likely gearing up to commit vote fraud in the 2012 election. Former Congressman Artur Davis says that the real problem in voter fraud, at least in his home state of Alabama, is in the absentee ballot process, and that no "progressive" should oppose voter ID laws.

Again, if you need to show an ID for mundane activities such as getting on a plane, buying booze or cigarettes, picking up a package at UPS or the Post Office, or in some cases completing a credit card transaction, why in the world should any reasonable person oppose showing photo identification at the polls?

People's Court Defendant Goes Misssing

The cases heard on The People's Court and other TV judge shows sometimes have less to do about money and more about the tawdry implications of the relationships involved. We get the sense that the producers who are scouring small claims court dockets around the country specifically look for the latter to some degree. In a recent episode, a couple in an ongoing dysfunctional relationship had a fight at a science fiction convention, culminating in the defendant tossing an engagement ring out of a hotel room window (she was apparently aiming for the plaintiff). Judge Marilyn Milian ruled that since both parties shared some responsibility for the incident, each should split the $5,000 cost.

After the episode aired, the defendant, Michelle Parker, 33, vanished. Orlando, Fla., police are investigating:



Update: The ex-fiancee is lawyering up according to press reports now that the police have identified him as the prime suspect:

Here's the episode in question of The People's Court , which originally aired on November 17, the same date of her disappearance: