O'Lielly at it again

So I was watching Billy boy yesterday and turned it off after the Talking Points Memo (dammit John Stewart, why did you repeat the Eric Idle episode for the 50th time). Bill was on a soap box about the "parties" Bush is throwing Europe (which I called the egg-on-my-face tour) and how they don't deserve any cozying up because they are the reason we got into Iraq in the first place. He actually said something about Chirac not enforcing the UN resolution which led to the Iraq war.

IOW: "Blame Chirac for Iraq"

However, a trustly old friend sent me an email about a segment that Bill had about California and its drunken sailor spending habits and wether it was right for AHNOLD to come to washington and ask for $8 billion in federal funds.

Among the segments was the following:

California has long been known for its lavish spending on social programs, and now Governor Schwarzenegger is asking for federal money to help balance the state's $8 billion shortfall. Bill Whalen of the Hoover Institution explained how the situation became so dismal. 'You have a very liberal legislature in Sacramento,' Whalen said, 'and the public doesn't pay attention to what goes on there.' Whalen listed a few items in the state budget. 'You can get acupuncture and cosmetic surgery if you're on Medicaid in California. The state spends $50 billion on education without any performance reviews.' As additional examples, The Factor noted that male prisoners in California are eligible for taxpayer-funded breast reduction and trans-gender surgery.

I thought this was a classic example of how I could really Pick apart Bill O'Reilly and his guest just on the surface of their arguments. Apparently a MALE prisoner wanting a BREAST REDUCTION could get a law passed to suit his needs. Last I checked, lobbyists didn't serve prisoners well and Plastic Surgeons couldn't have possibly run out of clientelle in California to try their run at the prison population, especially since the State pays so well.

Besides that, if No Child Left Behind was properly funded perhaps California would have a Performance Based Education system right?

Besides that, accupuncture is the only form of alternative medicine that has scientific studies backing its claims. If Viagra is good enough for Medicaid, why not accupuncture.

But then I searched for Mr. Whalen's credentials and well, this is what I found:

Whalen writes frequently for leading California opinionmakers including the Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and the San Diego Union Tribune. His by-line also appears on the Weekly Standard's website, www.weeklystandard.com.

...

Whalen also serves as a media consultant for California political hopefuls and aspiring policy leaders. His clients have included Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, former California secretary of state Bill Jones, former Congressman Tom Campbell and former Los Angeles mayor Richard J. Riordan.

...

From 1994 to 1999, Whalen was the chief speechwriter and director of public affairs for California governor Pete Wilson. In that capacity, he was responsible for the governor's annual State of the State address, as well as other major policy addresses.

He is a Republican hack of the first degree, he has also worked for Bush Quayle 92 campaign as a speechwriter.

Since he worked for Arnold, perhaps he shouldn't be poo pooing the Gubernator's lobbying. Since he worked so many years for California politicians, perhaps he is part of the problem and not part of the solution.

I have been unable to find any law that claims that inmates can have transgender operations and apparently neither has the California State Auditor after conducting his own investigation into such frivolity.