Wednesday, April 4, 2007

UK: Conservatives Lead by 7 pts.

If there were a general election tomorrow, which party would you vote for?


Mar. 28

Mar. 22

Mar. 16

Conservative

39%

39%

38%

Labour

32%

31%

32%

Liberal Democrats

17%

16%

16%

Other

13%

14%

14%

Source: YouGov / Daily Telegraph
Methodology: Online interviews with 2,042 British adults, conducted from Mar. 26 to Mar. 28, 2007. No margin of error was provided.

France: Sarkozy by 3

Which candidate would you support in the first round of the presidential election?


Mar. 31

Mar. 24

Mar. 17

Nicolas Sarkozy

29%

27%

29%

Ségolène Royal

26%

27%

26%

François Bayrou

18%

20%

22%

Jean-Marie Le Pen

13%

12%

12.5%

Olivier Besancenot

5%

3%

2.5%

Marie-George Buffet

3%

2%

2%

José Bové

2%

1.5%

1.5%

Arlette Laguiller

1%

2.5%

1%

Frédéric Nihous

1%

2%

1%

Philippe de Villiers

1%

1.5%

1.5%

Dominique Voynet

1%

1%

1%

Gérard Schivardi

--

0.5%

--

Run-Off Scenario


Mar. 31

Mar. 24

Mar. 17

Nicolas Sarkozy

51%

51%

52%

Ségolène Royal

49%

49%

48%

Source: Louis-Harris / RMC
Methodology: Interviews with 1,003 French adults, conducted on Mar. 30 and Mar. 31, 2007. No margin of error was provided.

Michigan: Republican Future Seems Bright

Tennessee: Senator Lamar Alexander Will Run Again

Barring some unforseen scandal, this should keep the seat in the 'Safe Republican' column.

Florida: Gov. Crist Wants to Add 950,000 Felons to Voter Rolls

Kerry Lied About McCain Seeking to Switch Parties


"Look at me! Me! Me! Me! Pay attention to me!" cried John Kerry.

Tuesday, April 3, 2007

British Hostage Grab Helps More Americans Realize Iranian Threat

Which comes closer to your opinion: Iran is a threat to the United States that requires military action now, Iran is a threat that


Mar. 27

Mar. 10

Feb. 27

Threat requiring action now

18%

10%

15%

Threat that can be contained

54%

65%

56%

Not a threat at this time

18%

18%

20%

Not sure

10%

7%

9%

To the best of your knowledge, do you think Iran is currently providing weapons to insurgents in Iraq, or isn’t Iran doing that?

Yes, providing

65%

No, not doing that

12%

Not sure

23%

Source: CBS News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 831 American adults, conducted on Mar. 26 and Mar. 27, 2007. Margin of error is 4 per cent.

Top 10 Economically Free Countries (#1 is NOT the US)

10. Canada
Canada’s economy is 78.7% free. A strong rule of law ensures property rights, a low level of corruption, and transparent application of the country’s admittedly thorough commercial code. However, as in many European democracies, government spending is high because Canada maintains elaborate social programs and a welfare state.

9. Switzerland
Switzerland’s economy is 79.1% free. Commercial operations are protected by the regulatory environment and aided by a flexible labor market. The national financial sector leads the world and is both protective of privacy and open to foreign institutions. But as in many other European social democracies, personal income taxes are high.

8. Luxembourg
Luxembourg’s economy is 79.3% free. The average tariff rate is low (though non-tariff barriers include EU subsidies), and business regulation is efficient. The financial sector is regarded as a global financial hub that maintains depositor secrecy. However, total government spending is more than two-fifths of GDP.

7. Ireland
Ireland’s economy is 81.3% free. Entrepreneurship is made easy by the light regulatory hand of government. Inflation is low, but Ireland’s monetary score suffers somewhat from distortionary EU agricultural subsidies. Property rights are well protected by an efficient, independent judiciary.

6. United Kingdom
The United Kingdom’s economy is 81.6% free. The average tariff rate is low, although the government does implement distortionary European Union agricultural tariffs. Support for private enterprise is a world model, and the financial sector is modern and a historic world hub. The judiciary should be the envy of the world.

5. New Zealand
New Zealand’s economy is 81.6% free. A globally competitive financial system based on market principles attracts many foreign banks, helped by low inflation and low tariff rates. A strong rule of law protects property rights, and New Zealand is the world’s second most corruption-free country.

4. United States
The economy of the United States is 82% free. The average tariff rate is low, although there are several non-tariff barriers. Financial markets are open to foreign competition and are the world’s most dynamic and modern. Corruption is low and the labor market is highly flexible.

3. Australia
Australia’s economy is 82.7% free. Its low inflation and low tariff rates buttress a globally competitive financial system. A strong rule of law protects property rights and tolerates virtually no corruption. Businesses enjoy considerable flexibility in licensing, regulation and employment practices.

2. Singapore
Singapore’s economy is 85.7% free. Virtually all commercial operations are performed with transparency and speed, and private enterprise has boomed. Inflation is low, and foreign investment is welcomed and given equal treatment. There are no tariffs. Singapore’s legal system is highly protective of private property.

1. Hong Kong
Hong Kong’s economy is 89.3% free. Income and corporate tax rates are extremely low. Business regulation is simple, and the labor market is highly flexible. Inflation is low, although the government distorts the prices of several staples. Investment in Hong Kong is wide open.

Top 10 Union Power Grabs

10. Amtrak Misery. America has the worst passenger rail in the developed world despite spending tens of billions of taxpayer dollars in subsidies. And, there’s no light at the end of this tunnel as long as Amtrak is controlled by 14 different unions and 26 different collective bargaining units, and their patrons in Congress.

9. The New Apollo Project. Everyone is trying cash in on “alternative energy,” even the unions. Seventeen of them, including the UAW, the United Steel Workers, and the AFL-CIO, have created the “New Apollo Project”, in order to raise taxes and fund $300 billion in new government spending on hybrid automobile technology and mass transit. The private sector, not more government spending, will solve America’s energy challenges.

8. Funding the Political Left. During the Cold War, labor unions helped defend capitalism and defeat the forces of global communism. Today’s labor leaders, however, use forced union dues taken directly from workers to fund the socialist Left. Union-funded “grassroots” projects like Change America Now (CAN) attack conservative political leaders and promote the union legislative agenda.

7. Davis-Bacon Prevailing Wages. The Davis-Bacon Act forces the federal government to overpay workers on many government construction and road-building contracts, costing taxpayers billions of dollars a year in unnecessary expenses.

6. Minimum Wage Boosts. The unions want the federal government to set a national minimum wage, even though it increases unemployment for the lowest skilled workers. The reasons are both ideological and self-interested, since some union contracts are tied to the minimum wage.

5. TSA Collective Bargaining. In the wake of 9/11, Congress foolishly federalized airport passenger screening. As a result, the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) now has more federal employees than the Coast Guard, the FBI, or Border Patrol. The unions want to grant TSA workers “collective bargaining rights,” which would be the next step in turning the TSA into a another bungling federal bureaucracy.

4. Social Security Dependency. The unions are the entrenched opposition to letting America’s workers control their retirement through personal retirement accounts. They need to keep workers trapped in the current system, which raids workers’ Social Security payroll taxes and spends them on other government programs -- which employ lots of public employee union members. The real victims of opposition to personal accounts are lower wage workers, who will be denied the opportunity to accumulate any wealth for their retirement.

3. Compulsory Medicare for Everyone. Even though the current Medicare system is hurtling towards bankruptcy, the AFL-CIO is desperate to enlarge it. “Expanding Medicare” is the unions’ next step in their quest for single payer health care. The unions want a system where Congress controls the health care system, not patients and their doctors.

2. Teachers' Unions Public School Monopoly. The National Education Association and their allies continue to trap too schoolchildren in failing public schools. Even though America’s per pupil spending has more than doubled since 1965 in constant dollars, our students consistently under perform against our international competitors. Instead of giving parents and students control over their education with school choice vouchers, the unions want even more taxpayer dollars for their broken monopoly.

1. Card Check Workplace Intimidation. Expanding union membership -- and the forced dues and political donations they extract from union workers -- is the number one priority for the union bosses and their patrons in the Democrat party. Titled the Employee Free Choice Act, informally called “card check,” this bill is Labor’s latest effort to force more workers under union control. Instead of letting workers decide on organizing in a workplace election, as the system currently allows, the unions want to eliminate secret ballots. If Card Check passes, workers will be forced to publicly declare their vote to a union boss at the factory door. This bill has already passed the House and would open the workplace to intimidation and corruption, and is directly contrary to the American tradition of democracy and fair play.

Source: Human Events

NY Post: Mrs. Giuliani Kills Puppies With Bare Hands and Drinks Their Still Hot Blood

Waxman's Next Harassment Target: Condoleezza Rice

Tom Tancredo Officially a Presidential Candidate

Veto Time: 154 Republicans Promise to Back Bush and Troops in Battle Against Democrats

Top Senate Democrat Threatens to Cut Off all Funding for US Troops

Zimbabwe: Even NY Times Wants Mugabe Gone

France: Sarkozy 31, Royal 24.5, Bayrou 19, Le Pen 13

Who would you vote for in the presidential election?


Mar. 31

Mar. 24

Mar. 17

Nicolas Sarkozy

31%

30%

29.5%

Ségolène Royal

24.5%

25.5%

25%

François Bayrou

19%

19%

21%

Jean-Marie Le Pen

13%

13.5%

12.5%

Olivier Besancenot

4.5%

3%

3.5%

Marie-George Buffet

2%

2%

2%

Arlette Laguiller

1.5%

2%

2%

José Bové

1%

1.5%

1.5%

Philippe de Villiers

1%

1%

1.5%

Dominique Voynet

1%

1%

0.5%

Frédéric Nihous

1%

1%

0.5%

Gérard Schivardi

0.5%

0.5%

0.5%

Run-Off Scenarios

Sarkozy v. Royal


Mar. 31

Mar. 24

Mar. 17

Nicolas Sarkozy

53.5%

53%

52%

Ségolène Royal

46.5%

47%

48%

Sarkozy v. Bayrou


Mar. 31

Mar. 24

François Bayrou

52%

53%

Nicolas Sarkozy

48%

47%

Source: Ipsos / SFR / Le Point
Methodology: Interviews with 1,341 French adults, conducted from Mar. 29 to Mar. 31, 2007. No margin of error was provided.

Monday, April 2, 2007

Top 10 Conservative Members of House

10. J. Gresham Barrett (R.-S.C.)
2006 ACU rating: 96%
Lifetime ACU rating: 98%
Years of Service: 4


9. Marilyn Musgrave (R.-Colo.)
2006 ACU rating: 96%
Lifetime ACU rating: 99%
Years of Service: 4

8. Jeff Flake (R.-Ariz.)
2006 ACU rating: 100%
Lifetime ACU rating: 95%
Years of Service: 6

7. Randy Neugebauer (R.-Tex.)
2006 ACU rating: 100%
Lifetime ACU rating: 95%
Years of Service: 4

6. Steve King (R.-Iowa)
2006 ACU rating: 100%
Lifetime ACU rating: 97%
Years of Service: 4

5. Jeb Hensarling (R.-Tex.)
2006 ACU rating: 100%
Lifetime ACU rating: 98%
Years of Service: 4

4. Trent Franks (R.-Ariz.)
2006 ACU rating: 100%
Lifetime ACU rating: 98%
Years of Service: 4

3. John Shadegg (R.-Ariz.)
2006 ACU rating: 100%
Lifetime ACU rating: 98%
Years of Service: 12

2. Scott Garrett (R.-N.J.)
2006 ACU rating: 100%
Lifetime ACU rating: 100%
Years of Service: 4

1. Mike Pence (R.-Ind.)
2006 ACU rating: 100%
Lifetime ACU rating: 100%
Years of Service: 6

Source: Human Events

New Mexico Approves Medical Marijuana. Medical...Yeah, Right

Human Heart Valve Grown From ADULT Stem Cells

Palestinian Video Has Child Singing to Suicide Bomber Mother

Peru's President Wants Cocaine Labs Bombed

Venezuela: Bomb Threat Empties British & German Embassies

Argentina Threatens to Snatch Falklands 25 yrs After Humiliating Defeat to UK

Supreme Court Tells Guantanamo Terrorists to go Screw Themselves

Sudan: 5 Senegalese Peacekeepers Murdered in Darfur

Somalia: 100s More Ethiopian Soldiers Enter Mogadishu

Ukraine: Parliament Dissolved

PARTY SWITCH! Alabama Pol Joins GOP

Louisiana: Landrieu Vulnerable Again

Tommy Thompson Running for President

US Students: Cocky & Dumb

Ohio: GOP Troubles Haven't Cooled Off Yet

Obama Predicts Bush Iraq Bill Will Eventually Win in Senate

Queen Pelosi's Own Foreign Policy

Giuliani 36, McCain 20

If the 2008 Republican presidential primary were held today, for whom would you vote if the candidates were:


Mar. 2007

Feb. 2007

Jan. 2007

Rudy Giuliani

36%

39%

34%

John McCain

20%

19%

22%

Fred Thompson

9%

--

--

Newt Gingrich

6%

7%

15%

Mitt Romney

6%

6%

3%

Mike Huckabee

3%

4%

--

Tommy Thompson

2%

--

--

Jim Gilmore

1%

--

--

Duncan Hunter

1%

2%

2%

Sam Brownback

1%

2%

1%

Chuck Hagel

--

1%

--

Other

3%

4%

4%

Not sure

10%

16%

17%

Would not vote

2%

1%

1%

Source: Opinion Dynamics / Fox News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 900 registered American voters, conducted on Mar. 27 and Mar. 28, 2007. Margin of error for the sample of registered Republican voters is 5 per cent.

Germany: Nazi Bastards Think US More Dangerous Than Iran

Here's a heart-warming poll about what the Jew-killers think of America.

Which of these countries poses the biggest threat to world peace?

United States

48%

Iran

31%

Both equally

15%

Source: Forsa / Stern / RTL
Methodology: Interviews with 1,003 German adults, conducted on Mar. 22 and Mar. 23, 2007. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

New Zealand: National Party Leads

If an election were held today which party would receive your party vote?


Mar. 18

Mar. 4

Feb. 18

National

45%

45%

48.5%

Labour

37.5%

36%

36%

Greens

7.5%

8.5%

8.5%

New Zealand First

4%

2%

3%

Maori Party

3.5%

3.5%

1.5%

United Future

1.5%

1.5%

1.5%

ACT

1%

2.5%

1%

Progressives

--

0.5%

--

Source: Roy Morgan International
Methodology: Interviews with 898 New Zealand voters, conducted from Mar. 5 to Mar. 18, 2007. No margin of error was provided.

France: Sarkozy 26, Royal 24.5, Bayrou 19.5, Le Pen 15

Among the following candidates, who are you most likely to vote for in the first round of the presidential election?


Mar. 29

Mar. 22

Mar. 14

Nicolas Sarkozy

26%

26%

27%

Ségolène Royal

24.5%

26%

26%

François Bayrou

19.5%

21%

21%

Jean-Marie Le Pen

15%

13%

14%

Marie-George Buffet

4%

3%

2%

Olivier Besancenot

3%

3.5%

2%

Arlette Laguiller

2%

2%

2%

José Bové

2%

2%

2%

Philippe de Villiers

1.5%

1.5%

1.5%

Dominique Voynet

1%

1%

1%

Frédéric Nihous

1%

0.5%

0.5%

Gérard Schivardi

0.5%

0.5%

0.5%

Run-Off Scenario


Mar. 29

Mar. 22

Mar. 14

Nicolas Sarkozy

52%

50%

53%

Ségolène Royal

48%

50%

47%

Source: CSA / Le Parisien
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 922 French adults, conducted on Mar. 28 and Mar. 29, 2007. No margin of error was provided.

Israel: Likud Still Far Ahead

Prospective results of a Knesset election
(Results presented in seats)

Likud (Consolidation)

32

Labour

16

Kadima (Forward)

15

International Organization of
Torah-observant Sephardic Jews (Shas)

12

Israel Our Home (Yisrael Beiteinu)

10

National Union (Ikhud) and
Mafdal (National Religious Party)

10

Yahadut Hatorah (United Torah Judaism)

6

Together (Yachad)

5

Gil (Retired People’s Party)

4

Arab parties

10

Source: Maagar Mochot / Channel 10
Methodology: Interviews with 520 Israeli adults, conducted on Mar. 26, 2007. Margin of error is 4.5 per cent.

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