Yesterday, U.S. Representative Thaddeus G. McCotter filed the maximum 2000 petition signatures required to seek Michigan’s 11th Congressional District seat. Rep. McCotter spent filing day the same way he spends every day – working hard for the people of Michigan. While managing the GOP’s time under the House’s Committee of the Whole, his resolution honoring the late Ernie Harwell was sent to the full House.

Looking at the retirement of Kansas Congressman Dennis Moore, Michael Barone suggests Democrats may be facing a tough year.

2010 undoubtedly looks like an uphill race for Dennis Moore. By announcing his retirement, he is free to vote for House Democratic leaders’ unpopular legislation without political repercussion and is spared the trouble of extensive campaigning. That’s fine for him. But if other Democratic incumbents in marginal districts—and, remember, the 3rd district voted for Obama—choose to follow Moore’s course, that could make it much harder to Democrats to maintain a big majority in the House and could make it easier for Republicans to gain most or all of the 41 seats they need to win a majority there.

(The following are excerpts from an Investor’s Business Daily article titled “The War on Banks”. You can view the full article at: Read the complete article at http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article.aspx?id=518187

You can also view Rep. McCotter’s remarks to Fox News about the bank tax plan.)

Financial Crisis: The White House wants to impose a stiff new tax on banks to punish them for their role in the financial meltdown. That’ll really get them lending again … won’t it?

We have to admit we’re a little perplexed. The White House and Congress have complained over and over again about the banks’ “failure to lend” to get the economy moving.

Obama made an appearance at the Democrats annual retreat to pledge his support for them, and his willingness to campaign on their behalf, in exchange for passage of his health care bill.

Seeking to portray themselves as hard at work rather than relaxing as millions of Americans remain unemployed, Democrats eschewed their usual three-day trip to Kingsmill Resort and Spa in Williamsburg in favor of an auditorium at the visitor center. 

That’s the description of the Democrats – “hard at work”. Normally they would be living it up, but because America is unemployed they’ll portray themselves as hard at work. Good to know they’re willing to put us first since their health care takeover clearly doesn’t.

Home foreclosures are expected to hit an all-time record this year as unemployment and depressed home values continue to take their toll on Americans hard-hit by the weak economy.

Last year there were 2.82 million foreclosures, the most since RealtyTrac began compiling data in 2005. More than 4.5 million filings are expected this year, including default or auction notices and bank seizures, said Rick Sharga, senior vice president for the Irvine, California-based seller of default data and forecasts. There were 3.96 million filings in 2009. …

U.S. lenders permanently modified 31,382 mortgages, or 1 percent, of the 4 million loans targeted under the Obama administration’s foreclosure prevention plan through November, the U.S. Treasury Department said last month. Fewer than half of the 3.2 million homeowners estimated as eligible for mortgage relief by the Treasury actually qualify, according to Herb Allison, assistant secretary for financial stability.

US car manufacturers have indicated that hiring may resume as sales pick up in the rebounding economy. The Wall Street Journal reports that all three US manufacturers commented at the Detroit auto show that hiring is on the agenda.

GM, Ford and Chrysler all saw hiring on the horizon, and even Toyota indicated it would ramp up its US production. While this is good news for those out of work, the article does note that the hiring will still be well below the 126,000 jobs shed during the down turn.

Speaking of jobs, the White House has walked away from its claims of saving and creating jobs. After their earlier attempts were riddled with holes and multiple media outlets mocked the staggering number of errors, the administration has simply changed the rules. No longer will they count jobs “saved or created,” but instead focus on jobs funded. Under the new rules, it no longer matters if the jobs are existing jobs, new jobs, or even people never in danger of losing their jobs.

Some Google employees in China may be in danger of losing a job, however. After a cyber-attack it says was aimed at Chinese Human Rights Activists, the search provider has reversed a decision to censor Chinese content. Google had come under fire for its decision to placate the Chinese communists by filtering and censoring search results by Chinese citizens. Following the attack, however, Google announced it would no longer do so. If that makes the Chinese unhappy, Google has indicated it will shutter its Chinese operations.

The nation posted another 85,000 lost jobs this morning – keeping the jobless rate at 10%. The numbers were worse than the 8,000 lost jobs analysts had expected. The bad jobs numbers demonstrate, yet again, that the massive stimulus pack is failing to create jobs.

As “alleged” terrorist Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab heads to court today in Detroit, experts agree there isn’t much “alleged” about it. It’s fairly cut and dry when six foot flames shoot from your underwear.

Experts say that with so much evidence stacked against Abdulmutallab, his defense team is left with few options as the case moves forward.

Attorneys outside the case say the 23-year-old’s lawyers can challenge incriminating statements to the FBI, seek a mental-health exam for Abdulmutallab — and seriously consider a plea deal.

“This is not a case of mistaken identity or a whodunit. For the defense, it’s damage control,” said Joseph Niskar, a defense lawyer who was involved in a 2001 terrorism case in Detroit that fell apart for the government.

Dave Janda looks at the Obama-Pelosi-Reid health care bills, the unaccountable panels empowered to oversee them, and the frightening lengths to which the Democrats have gone to guarantee they last forever. His conclusion? This is a weapon of mass destruction worse than any Al Qaeda attack.

To make matters worse, Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) identified language in the Senate version, which should make every American question the underlying purpose of this legislation. On Page 1020, referring to The Medicare Advisory Board, the Senate version states:

“It shall not be in order in the Senate or the House of Representatives to consider any bill, resolution, amendment, or conference report that would repeal or otherwise change this subsection.”

It becomes evident this legislation is not about creating affordable, available and quality based health care. It is about controlling every American’s life.