The Weekly Enlightenment

What a week! So much happened this week so I will try to go through a little recap. First of all, the news you didn't hear about was Obama and Congress trying to push through a cap and trade bill. So far it has passed the House and it is likely the Senate will pass it and Obama will sign it. We don't have to wonder how disastrous it will be as some countries have tried it and are scrapping it. But facts don't matter, nor does the science matter, as Obama claims. More and more scientists are coming out against global warming and some scientists were former advocates of manmade global warming.

The next big news was the affair of Republican Mark Sanford, a name many Republicans and conservatives were throwing around for 2012 as a potential against Obama. This comes after the admission of John Ensign, a Republican from Nevada about an affair he had. Obviously both of these men are responsible, but I think there is a larger problem. That problem is giving government too much power. It's an invitation for people to abuse their power, regardless if it is using the power of the government to get their way or using their position to get power. It is also dangerous in regards to blackmail. A scandal like this (at least on the Republican side) usually costs one his job. If you have aspirations to be something higher, that could be a great opportunity for someone else to blackmail you for money, favors, or even as bad as military secrets.

Of course also Obama said he wants a health care reform bill by the end of the year. So we will likely see things that are happening in Great Britain and Canada. Great. A government does not have to run a profit like any business has to. Look at states like California and Michigan. And especially like the federal government. Does anyone think any of their programs turn a profit? Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security have unfunded liabilities that run in the tens of trillions of dollars. Or even the Post Office? They have to outsource priority mail to Fedex. Even with prescription drugs, the Canadian government can name their price for drugs. Why? Once the patent runs out on drugs, other drug companies can make generic equivalents without spending all the money it initially took to develop the drug. Who is going to buy name-brand if the generic equivalent is half the price or less? To try to recoup costs, those drug companies that came up with the name-brand will take anything. Something is better than nothing. Obama asks how, if the private sector is best, that government will put them out of business? Easy. Even if you say, as Obama does, the federal plan will abide by the same rules (which will never be true), they still don't have to run at a profit. A great piece about this here: http://biglizards.net/blog/archives/2009/06/obama_confuses.html

Now for some conservative pieces of wisdom. First is John Bolton on Hannity's radio show. He remarked the only reason Europe could attempt socialist endeavors is because the US is footing the bill for defense for pretty much both us and Europe. They don't have to maintain as big an army as they normally would. Which is very interesting to me. I am in favor of military spending, even being more generous with wastefulness than with other government programs, mainly due to defense actually being something delegated to the government in the Constitution. But what happens when the US becomes more socialist?

Will members of Congress forego their current plans and sign on to the government-run health care plan? Didn't think so. So why should we allow them to decide for the rest of us?

Just a handful of articles this week...

***MUST READ***
http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-Housing/idUSTRE55L39120090622 - Well, well, well. Now Barney Frank again wants Fannie and Freddie to relax mortgages, this time on condos. We know his role in the subprime mortgages, but he also claimed not too long ago that he wasn't the one calling for looser restrictions.
http://townhall.com/columnists/MichelleMalkin/2009/06/24/whos_funding_the_obamacare_campaign - It is all the usual suspects. There really is a left-wing machine out there. Recall www.discoverthenetworks.org.
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2009/06/023883.php - How much it will cost annually under cap and trade. And most likely it is an understatement, since it will have consequences on everything.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124597150183556945.html - How not to govern.

***What Media Bias?***
http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=49999 - Wow. Not really a surprise. We have pointed out many times about media polls being stacked towards Democrats, despite as much as 40% of a recent survey saying they identify as conservative.***Silly Liberals***
http://sweetness-light.com/archive/700-nyc-teachers-paid-to-do-nothing - The efficiency of government at work. And unions.
http://jewishworldreview.com/0609/stossel062409.php3 - The underlying fallacy of regulation exposed. We are all humans. What makes regulators better than anyone else?***Health Care***
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124588632634150501.html - Great article by Karl Rove about how Obamacare isn't inevitable.

***What Global Warming ***
http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/06/after_global_warming.html - Ramming global warming down our throats while the actual science is finally coming out.http://jewishworldreview.com/cols/will062509.php3 - The cost of Spain's foolish green jobs endeavor.
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2009/06/023896.php - A great visual of the massive bureaucracy that will be created. Soon.
http://www.redstate.com/moe_lane/2009/06/25/is-the-epa-playing-office-politics-with-greenhouse-gasses/ - Back in March findings were introduced to question CO2 emissions and it was shut down cold. I'm not laying this at Obama's feet, but just to point out once something starts it is hard to reverse it, not to mention there are a lot of leftists in government bureaucracy.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124597505076157449.html - Another lie from Obama exposed. I thought we cared what other countries think.