The First Cup is a (sort of) daily post pointing you to some of the best posts from around the right side of the blogosphere. If you have a post that you would like considered for the First Cup, send the link to lakelandjim at gmail dot com.

Steveegg reviews Phil Kerpen’s Democracy Denied: How Obama Is Ignoring You and Bypassing Congress to Radically Transform America – and How to Stop Him at No Runny Eggs.

Sister Toldjah takes note of the Obama bus route, interesting for where it doesn’t stop.

Another one of my favorite NC bloggers, William Teach writes Angry Man Visits North Carolina, Brings Vinegar about Obama’s Magical Misery tour.

Flopping Aces contributor Curt is less than impressed by The Occupy Wall Street Brain Surgeons

McQ asks Does the unsustainability of the CLASS act finally doom ObamaCare?

Please take a look at this update. Be sure to vote in the latest bRight & Early poll (it’s in the sidebar). I am running for King of the World. Actually, a quest to become the official blogger/tweeter for LEGOLAND® Florida. Read about it here, and please become a fan on Facebook.

If you can…

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Listing to Rush while I’m at lunch. He played a clip of President Obama that is just astounding in it’s cluelessness. I will find the actual quote as soon as possible, but here is my take.

The president placed the blame for joblessness on business, ignoring the role government plays. His basic premise is that businesses are interested in making a profit at the expense of creating jobs. Really? The purpose of a business is to give people jobs? He. Doesn’t. Have. A. Clue.

UPDATE: Here’s the actual quotes from the White House web site.

But despite the progress we’ve made, many businesses are still skittish about hiring. Some are still digging themselves out of the losses they incurred over the past year. Many have figured out how to squeeze more productivity out of fewer workers, and that cost-cutting has become embedded in their operations and in their culture. That may result in good profits, but it’s not translating into hiring. And so that’s the question that we have to ask ourselves today: How do we get businesses to start hiring again? How do we get ourselves to the point where more people are working, and more people are spending, and you start seeing a virtuous cycle and the recovery starts to feed on itself?

I’m not an economist nor a business owner, but from what I observe, the answer to how do we businesses to start hiring again is get government out of the way.

Now.

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It looks to be an interesting week.

Of course the big story this week will be the “Wise Latina” Senate confirmation hearings starting today.

Hearings in the Senate Judiciary Committee begin Monday with opening remarks from the panel’s 12 Democrats and 7 Republicans, followed by Sotomayor’s own statement that is expected to emphasize her compelling rise from poverty in New York City.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the committee chairman, planned to kick off the proceedings with laudatory remarks that also sought to firmly establish Sotomayor as a judge who follows wherever the law leads her.

“In truth, we do not have to speculate about what kind of a justice she will be because we have seen the kind of judge she has been. She is a judge in which all Americans can have confidence. She has been a judge for all Americans and will be a justice for all Americans,” Leahy said in excerpts of his statement that were provided to The Associated Press.

Questioning of Sotomayor will wait for Tuesday.

Yes, “we have seen the kind of judge she has been.” Overturned.

Also later today the Council of Economic Advisers will issue a report saying that healthcare and environmental jobs are growing at a faster rate than those of the U.S. economy as a whole.

The report, which looks at how the U.S. labor market is expected to develop in the next few years, says a rebound in employment in construction and some manufacturing sectors is expected as stimulus spending approved early this year invests in projects around the country.

The report is based on an analysis of recent labor market data, a White House official said. The report identifies likely changes in the U.S. labor market as economic drivers shift from sectors like financial services to the growing sectors that are transforming the economy, the official said.

Personally, I wonder if the healthcare and environmental job numbers, or any of the rest for that matter, are going to be real jobs, or the smoke, mirrors, and thin air numbers of “created or saved” fame. I have a guess, but will wait and see.

Tomorrow night is the MLB All-Star game. Four of my Phillies are on the team: Chase Utley, Raul Ibanez, Ryan Howard, and Shane Victorino. I’ll be watching.

I’ll be discussing these stories, and more, on bRight @ Night, tonight at 11:00 ET on Blog Talk Radio. You can call in and share your thoughts: (718) 664-9725 or go to the show page and look for the click to talk button. The chat room will open just before show time.

I hope you have a great week.

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