Another frustrating week from the Obama administration. The latest outrage is to try the 9-11 terrorists in a civilian court. Yes, trying foreigners who waged war on us as civilians. Meaning a whole host of problems, among them the questions of taxpayer defense, those defense attorneys who will be expected to try to obtain every legal benefit to the accused (though many defense attorneys don't seem to mind representing foreigners who kill Americans), the judge and prosecutor will be known and likely threatened (as Michael Mukasey, the judge in the Blind Sheik trial, was), and the fact that foreigners shouldn't even get a trial in the US civilian courts.
The second remarkable thing this week was the response to Nadal Hisan's murder of 13 Army personnel. The only rush to judgement was on the part of the media. They claimed it was post-traumatic stress disorder, though Hasan had never been deployed. Then it was stress from hearing about stories from soldiers who had been deployed, though surprisingly no other Army psychiatrists seem to suffer from it, nor did doctors or nurses who worked on injured Army personnel. Then were the revelations of speeches Hasan had made as well as shouting Allahu Ahkbar before shooting. It was clear that it was Islam related. Of course, the typical administration response (though I don't doubt the reaction would have been similar if it were Bush) was to stick its head in the sand and ask the American people to not jump to conclusions. Makes me wonder again if it were an abortion clinic bombing, would Obama hesitate to jump to conclusions? Of course not. How about if a black man is arrested by a white cop as in the case of Henry Louis Gates? Obama didn't seem to mind rushing to judgement there either. Regardless, much of the American public seems to feel fine sticking its head in the sand. I don't deny the existence of peaceful Muslims, but I wonder why they never speak out if people are hijacking Islam's peaceful name. If people claim to be Christians and bomb abortion clinics, actual Christians are denouncing them right away (though I doubt they get the same benefit of the doubt Muslims do).
Ann Coulter had a great point about the massacre at Fort Hood. They are making Hasan out to be a victim, whether it is from PTSD or harassment (from an off-base incident where Hasan's car was keyed). Not that the media does it just for Muslims. For any killer they are likely to blame everything on something the killer has little or no control over (stress, poor economic conditions, etc.)
MUST READ
* Political correctness is literally killing us.
* Is it possible to pay down debt with more borrowing? Obama thinks so. Which is not surprising. The same such formula was used by Clinton to claim a surplus (not that he is the only one, but the only time we came close to a surplus recently was then). Here is the article to that. I strongly recommend the followup article as well.
* Expect eventually to be given a carbon allowance as they might do in Britain. Think it can't happen here?
* At least we had a somewhat lame excuse before September 11. There is no excuse now.
What Media Bias?
* The media worried about a backlash against Muslims. Can someone remind me of a single incident of backlash against Muslims?
* Why is it always during Republican administrations good economic news is unexpected and during a Democratic administration bad economic news is always expected?
Political Correctness
* The military missed a lot of signs regarding Hasan. Whether that is willful blindness or reaction to both the Bush and Obama administrations remains to be seen (I tend towards the latter view).
* Terrorists have been at war with us a long time.
Silly Liberals
* A great video about how the health care bill, if passed, will be a budget buster. Pelosi claims somehow it will reduce the deficit (of course if you believe the government line that borrowing to cover previous borrowing doesn't add to the deficit).
Very funny, ACORN charges that stripping federal funds from them amounts to a bill of attainder. Under the logic ACORN is trying to use, any reduction of federal funds for any amount amounts to a bill of attainder. This should be a pretty easy call.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Sunday, November 8, 2009
The Weekly Enlightenment
I don't know if many of you have heard or read Mark Steyn much, but he is a great commentator. Probably the most popular columnist if you take into account Europe, Canada, and Australia. He made a couple great points in the last week or so. Anyways, the first comment was a joke that Obama has appointed former President Bush to be his new blame czar. Second was the comment that so many on the left and among our media seem to be more interested in hypothetical anti-Muslim backlash than they are about actual Muslim violence. Which is true. Even though it is Muslims who perpetrate most of the attacks against the U.S., Americans have shown incredible restraint compared to what a lot of other countries would put up with. Yet the left in our country show more concern about hypothetical anti-Muslim backlash that never materializes.
MUST READ
* We learn nothing from past failures. Did you know less than a year after the 1929 stock market crash the economy was back at the level it was pre-crash? I didn't know that. Some more lessons.
* As Ann Coulter once pointed out, being a conservative means the world confirms your beliefs at every turn. It is liberals who are always shocked that something we would deem as common sense happened. In this case, finding out Bush era leaks actually were dangerous after all.
* Pelosi's health care bill is a bad bill. Too bad it passed the House, on a super secret Saturday session. Also, it will only create 111 new bureaucracies. Ah, but when it all fails we can blame the sliver of the free market that will be left.
Silly Liberals
* Hillary Clinton saying in the United States we tax everything that moves and doesn't move. Not that I am surprised, just always glad to hear liberals express support for what they really believe.
* Seriously what is Obama's obsession with constantly blaming Bush?
* Remember this when liberals talk about illegal immigration. It is all about getting more voters and solidifying power.
Simple Economics
* The original article I link to expressed how any existing homes would have to pass efficiency standards, meaning huge costs for any existing homeowners. A couple points though. If you believe factcheck.org (I'm not convinced they are nonpartisan as they claim), it is only new homes and commercial buildings. But isn't cap and trade all about regulating anything and everything that uses energy? Second point is if you believe the Republican staffer, it is entirely plausible Democrats would have introduced it that way (again, it is about control). So you know sooner or later it would be coming anyways.
What Big Green?
* For years environmentalists have attacked and continue to attack big business and suggested they can't be trusted because they stand to benefit. Now it turns out Al Gore may be one of the biggest beneficiaries.
MUST READ
* We learn nothing from past failures. Did you know less than a year after the 1929 stock market crash the economy was back at the level it was pre-crash? I didn't know that. Some more lessons.
* As Ann Coulter once pointed out, being a conservative means the world confirms your beliefs at every turn. It is liberals who are always shocked that something we would deem as common sense happened. In this case, finding out Bush era leaks actually were dangerous after all.
* Pelosi's health care bill is a bad bill. Too bad it passed the House, on a super secret Saturday session. Also, it will only create 111 new bureaucracies. Ah, but when it all fails we can blame the sliver of the free market that will be left.
Silly Liberals
* Hillary Clinton saying in the United States we tax everything that moves and doesn't move. Not that I am surprised, just always glad to hear liberals express support for what they really believe.
* Seriously what is Obama's obsession with constantly blaming Bush?
* Remember this when liberals talk about illegal immigration. It is all about getting more voters and solidifying power.
Simple Economics
* The original article I link to expressed how any existing homes would have to pass efficiency standards, meaning huge costs for any existing homeowners. A couple points though. If you believe factcheck.org (I'm not convinced they are nonpartisan as they claim), it is only new homes and commercial buildings. But isn't cap and trade all about regulating anything and everything that uses energy? Second point is if you believe the Republican staffer, it is entirely plausible Democrats would have introduced it that way (again, it is about control). So you know sooner or later it would be coming anyways.
What Big Green?
* For years environmentalists have attacked and continue to attack big business and suggested they can't be trusted because they stand to benefit. Now it turns out Al Gore may be one of the biggest beneficiaries.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
The Weekly Enlightenment
Wow, so much this week it is going to be hard to limit all of it. First a few pieces of commentary...
The big push on health care has always been about the 47 million uninsured. Instead of upsetting the health insurance system that most people are happy with (according to all the polls I have heard), why not just reform Medicare to cover them? I don't even buy the notion that the system is broken. You have people like Obama and Pelosi continually saying our system is broken, so many believe it despite most people being happy with the coverage they get. It is the same thing when Bush was President. The media kept pounding the drumbeat that we were in a recession, even before we were in the recession. Polls said people were doing fine but they weren't so sure about their neighbors...after all, the media was running sob story after sob story. Ultimately, of course, we know government intervention does not work. After Medicare, Medicaid, prescription drug, SCHIP, state programs, etc., we still have millions who don't have coverage. So what makes anyone think it will somehow be better with more government intervention?
Miscellaneous
1. Pelosi is now calling the public option the competitive option or the consumer option...why not just call it the sunshine option, or the puppies option? It would be just as deceptive.
2. Democrats claim the health care bill will contain an opt-out option. But not in the sense any normal person would think of it. States could opt out of receiving benefits, but their citizens would still have to pay for it through taxes. This is always the Democrat sleight-of-hand. Claim their is a choice even if realistically it means everyone would choose one option because of circumstances. It is the same thing with the Post Office. Companies can compete with the Post Office but only if they service the entire country. Who could do that right off the bat? Even UPS and Fedex could not do it overnight. So Democrats can claim the Post Office is not immune from competition even though practically no one can compete.
Finally, from the Wall Street Journal, the title "A Sign of Racial Progress".
"Politico's Josh Gerstein raises the question: Why hasn't there been more commentary along the lines of our lead item today? (We're paraphrasing.) He raises the obvious explanation, media bias, then offers some further speculation:
Others say there's a larger phenomenon at work--in the story line the media wrote about Obama's presidency. For Bush, the theme was that of a Big Business Republican who rode the family name to the White House, so stories about secret energy meetings and a certain laziness, intellectual and otherwise, fit neatly into the theme, to be replayed over and over again. Obama's story line was more positive from the start: historic newcomer coming to shake up Washington. So the negatives that sprung up around Obama--like a sense that he was more flash than substance--track what negative coverage he's received, captured in a recent "Saturday Night Live" skit that made fun of his lack of accomplishments in office. 'There may well be almost an unconscious effort on the part of the media to give Obama a bit more slack because he is more likable, because he is the first African-American president. That plays into it,' said Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, a political analyst at the University of Southern California.
Is Jeffe allowed to say that some people in the media are hoping Obama succeeds because he's black? Six years ago, a similar comment about Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb cost Rush Limbaugh his job as an NFL commentator. That such statements are no longer verboten is a sign of racial progress in Obama's America."
MUST READ
* The new health care bill is a massive 1990 pages. Any guess Democrats will try to ram it down our throats before we find out what is really in the bill?
* Remember the Honduran dictator Obama supported a couple months back? It turns out conservatives were right, that the Honduran president was rightly removed from power. Now, however, Senator John Kerry is trying to cover up a report showing Honduras was acting legally in removing the ex-President.
* Another example of government efficiency. Such a deal, that Cash for Clunkers only cost about $24,000 per car.
* Dismantling the 46/47 million myth.
* Great article by David Limbaugh. Democrats have been coddled by the media for so long now that they simply cannot tolerate dissent.
* Must watch, Reagan's speech 45 years ago this week. Nearly all of it, if not all of it, rings just as true today.
* Top Democratic donors getting exclusive access to the White House. I thought Obama was going to change all of that.
Economic Ignorance
* Most people would be inclined to think this a bad thing. After all, why should you get punished for being a good customer? Until you realize, all businesses are forced to charge higher prices because of bad customers. Some customers will have insufficient funds and never pay their bill, sometimes you take customers to court, theft, etc. All that costs money, and it is borne by good customers.
Democrat Deception
* Stimulus jobs created or saved were overstated by thousands. Why not just claim credit for the millions who have kept their jobs through the recession?
* Obama still suffers from Bush Derangement Syndrome. For some reason he cannot refrain from attacking Bush when he is being defensive about himself.
What Media Bias?
* When they do something well, we should applaud them, and I do. This time raising questions about the government's ability to manage a health care bureaucracy.
What Science
* As Ann Coulter would say, don't dare question evolution, despite mounting evidence against it. Case in point.
Think it can't happen here?
* Police in the UK are told what words they can and cannot use, among them "evening" and "afternoon". How Orwellian.
* More bad news from Britain. Databases of protestors who have attended rallies.
The big push on health care has always been about the 47 million uninsured. Instead of upsetting the health insurance system that most people are happy with (according to all the polls I have heard), why not just reform Medicare to cover them? I don't even buy the notion that the system is broken. You have people like Obama and Pelosi continually saying our system is broken, so many believe it despite most people being happy with the coverage they get. It is the same thing when Bush was President. The media kept pounding the drumbeat that we were in a recession, even before we were in the recession. Polls said people were doing fine but they weren't so sure about their neighbors...after all, the media was running sob story after sob story. Ultimately, of course, we know government intervention does not work. After Medicare, Medicaid, prescription drug, SCHIP, state programs, etc., we still have millions who don't have coverage. So what makes anyone think it will somehow be better with more government intervention?
Miscellaneous
1. Pelosi is now calling the public option the competitive option or the consumer option...why not just call it the sunshine option, or the puppies option? It would be just as deceptive.
2. Democrats claim the health care bill will contain an opt-out option. But not in the sense any normal person would think of it. States could opt out of receiving benefits, but their citizens would still have to pay for it through taxes. This is always the Democrat sleight-of-hand. Claim their is a choice even if realistically it means everyone would choose one option because of circumstances. It is the same thing with the Post Office. Companies can compete with the Post Office but only if they service the entire country. Who could do that right off the bat? Even UPS and Fedex could not do it overnight. So Democrats can claim the Post Office is not immune from competition even though practically no one can compete.
Finally, from the Wall Street Journal, the title "A Sign of Racial Progress".
"Politico's Josh Gerstein raises the question: Why hasn't there been more commentary along the lines of our lead item today? (We're paraphrasing.) He raises the obvious explanation, media bias, then offers some further speculation:
Others say there's a larger phenomenon at work--in the story line the media wrote about Obama's presidency. For Bush, the theme was that of a Big Business Republican who rode the family name to the White House, so stories about secret energy meetings and a certain laziness, intellectual and otherwise, fit neatly into the theme, to be replayed over and over again. Obama's story line was more positive from the start: historic newcomer coming to shake up Washington. So the negatives that sprung up around Obama--like a sense that he was more flash than substance--track what negative coverage he's received, captured in a recent "Saturday Night Live" skit that made fun of his lack of accomplishments in office. 'There may well be almost an unconscious effort on the part of the media to give Obama a bit more slack because he is more likable, because he is the first African-American president. That plays into it,' said Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, a political analyst at the University of Southern California.
Is Jeffe allowed to say that some people in the media are hoping Obama succeeds because he's black? Six years ago, a similar comment about Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb cost Rush Limbaugh his job as an NFL commentator. That such statements are no longer verboten is a sign of racial progress in Obama's America."
MUST READ
* The new health care bill is a massive 1990 pages. Any guess Democrats will try to ram it down our throats before we find out what is really in the bill?
* Remember the Honduran dictator Obama supported a couple months back? It turns out conservatives were right, that the Honduran president was rightly removed from power. Now, however, Senator John Kerry is trying to cover up a report showing Honduras was acting legally in removing the ex-President.
* Another example of government efficiency. Such a deal, that Cash for Clunkers only cost about $24,000 per car.
* Dismantling the 46/47 million myth.
* Great article by David Limbaugh. Democrats have been coddled by the media for so long now that they simply cannot tolerate dissent.
* Must watch, Reagan's speech 45 years ago this week. Nearly all of it, if not all of it, rings just as true today.
* Top Democratic donors getting exclusive access to the White House. I thought Obama was going to change all of that.
Economic Ignorance
* Most people would be inclined to think this a bad thing. After all, why should you get punished for being a good customer? Until you realize, all businesses are forced to charge higher prices because of bad customers. Some customers will have insufficient funds and never pay their bill, sometimes you take customers to court, theft, etc. All that costs money, and it is borne by good customers.
Democrat Deception
* Stimulus jobs created or saved were overstated by thousands. Why not just claim credit for the millions who have kept their jobs through the recession?
* Obama still suffers from Bush Derangement Syndrome. For some reason he cannot refrain from attacking Bush when he is being defensive about himself.
What Media Bias?
* When they do something well, we should applaud them, and I do. This time raising questions about the government's ability to manage a health care bureaucracy.
What Science
* As Ann Coulter would say, don't dare question evolution, despite mounting evidence against it. Case in point.
Think it can't happen here?
* Police in the UK are told what words they can and cannot use, among them "evening" and "afternoon". How Orwellian.
* More bad news from Britain. Databases of protestors who have attended rallies.
Monday, October 26, 2009
The Weekly Enlightenment
I was in MN this weekend so I haven't had much time to put this together, so I apologize for that.
Who is the real culprit with states going bankrupt? Though they do deserve some blame, much of it can be laid at the federal government. States have been allowed to be lax in spending and allowed to be fiscally irresponsible. Anytime they need extra funds, the federal government will give it to them. In many cases, the federal government will try to "split" costs with the state, further allowing it to have access to funds it never would if it had to raise it all itself. Then when the federal government doesn't deliver or is out of funds, well the states still have liabilities. If you couple that along with the federal government continually taking power from the states, the federal government can essentially bully the states. You want money for this project or that project? Better play ball.
MUST READ/WATCH
* Another radical in Obama's administration. This time it is Anita Dunn, expressing her favorite philosopher, Mao Tse Tung. The revolution is only responsible for the death of tens of millions, more than Stalin or Hitler.
* How come the media is silent when the President himself basically has an enemies' list? Fox News, talk radio, doctors, insurance companies, oil companies, Tea Party protestors, etc.
* Why can't Obama make a simple decision in Afghanistan? Choices have to be made. Obama seems to find himself in the awkward position of Afghanistan being a distraction from his domestic policy agenda when all last year during the campaign he said Iraq was a distraction from Afghanistan.
* Simple economics. Fixing prices does not reduce costs.
* Freedom works.
Big Green
* So laughable. The government can't even get the Energy Star label right for appliances and light bulbs. But yet they are going to be able to effectively manage a massive carbon emission scheme? Give me a break.
* The media are always eager to report stories favorable to liberals...not so much with conservatives (i.e. many still haven't retracted the made-up Limbaugh comments). In this instance, falling for a hoax about the Chamber of Commerce switching positions and endorsing cap and trade. Had the situation been reversed would we have heard about it?
Silly Liberals
* Thug tactics in full view. I thought there was going to be a new brand of politics when Democrats took over...
* Racism is a big business. We all know this, but Jackson and Sharpton make millions off it.
* I thought Democrats really cared about blacks. Nope, they apparently think blacks are too stupid to make their own choices.
* No surprise here, but a watchdog saying voters will not be repaid for the bailout money they shelled out. I don't want to sound conspiratorial, but much of the money has seemed to go to things that increase Democrat power.
Who is the real culprit with states going bankrupt? Though they do deserve some blame, much of it can be laid at the federal government. States have been allowed to be lax in spending and allowed to be fiscally irresponsible. Anytime they need extra funds, the federal government will give it to them. In many cases, the federal government will try to "split" costs with the state, further allowing it to have access to funds it never would if it had to raise it all itself. Then when the federal government doesn't deliver or is out of funds, well the states still have liabilities. If you couple that along with the federal government continually taking power from the states, the federal government can essentially bully the states. You want money for this project or that project? Better play ball.
MUST READ/WATCH
* Another radical in Obama's administration. This time it is Anita Dunn, expressing her favorite philosopher, Mao Tse Tung. The revolution is only responsible for the death of tens of millions, more than Stalin or Hitler.
* How come the media is silent when the President himself basically has an enemies' list? Fox News, talk radio, doctors, insurance companies, oil companies, Tea Party protestors, etc.
* Why can't Obama make a simple decision in Afghanistan? Choices have to be made. Obama seems to find himself in the awkward position of Afghanistan being a distraction from his domestic policy agenda when all last year during the campaign he said Iraq was a distraction from Afghanistan.
* Simple economics. Fixing prices does not reduce costs.
* Freedom works.
Big Green
* So laughable. The government can't even get the Energy Star label right for appliances and light bulbs. But yet they are going to be able to effectively manage a massive carbon emission scheme? Give me a break.
* The media are always eager to report stories favorable to liberals...not so much with conservatives (i.e. many still haven't retracted the made-up Limbaugh comments). In this instance, falling for a hoax about the Chamber of Commerce switching positions and endorsing cap and trade. Had the situation been reversed would we have heard about it?
Silly Liberals
* Thug tactics in full view. I thought there was going to be a new brand of politics when Democrats took over...
* Racism is a big business. We all know this, but Jackson and Sharpton make millions off it.
* I thought Democrats really cared about blacks. Nope, they apparently think blacks are too stupid to make their own choices.
* No surprise here, but a watchdog saying voters will not be repaid for the bailout money they shelled out. I don't want to sound conspiratorial, but much of the money has seemed to go to things that increase Democrat power.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
The Weekly Enlightenment
Sorry, no time for more in-depth comments, but hope this is okay...
A couple interesting observations:
1. Climate change - always used 20-30 years to justify it, but the last 10 years have been stable. It has always been farcical to look at that short a time period and use it to justify either conclusion.
2. The major lesson to learn from Rush trying to buy the St. Louis Rams is you better hope to God if you want to do something when Democrats take over health care you better hope you never contributed to Republicans.
3. If doctors allowed someone to die, it is against the law. That doctor would be fired and tried in a court of law. Yet many of the same people who would condemn him have nothing but praise for government officials who let people die in Canada and Great Britain.
4. To Democrats, Americans and American businesses are are the enemy.
5. If banks pushed people to buy homes without reading paperwork, wouldn't Democrats be arguing they should be put in jail? Yet Democrats are doing the same thing with all the bills they are passing. Voting on bills without a bill even existing, not letting those affected read the bill before they sign off, and so on.
MUST WATCH
The videos here and here are two great videos of Rush in person.
MUST READ
* Former Clinton Labor Secretary, says what an honest President would say about Democrat plans...we're going to let you die.
* Time and time again, we were told how Afghanistan was the good war and Iraq the bad war. Now the Obama administration doesn't seem that determined to even fight Afghanistan. I don't think Democrats were ever really serious about Afghanistan. Once Iraq was out of the way, they would try to convince us Afghanistan wasn't really worth fighting anyways.
* Be warned that you will pay more for health care with any more government intrusion. Take solace in that in 10 years or so, Democrats will again ride to the rescue and blame greedy insurance companies and step in to "correct" things.
* It's no surprise to many on the right that Obama is governing radically. His personal life bore that out. But what if Obama had told everyone else what he planned to do?
* I still like the NFL. But apparently some divisive figures are more deserving of team ownership than others.
Basic Economics
* Politicians think declaring something a good thing has no effect on anything else in society. Case in point, the home mortgage crisis.
* The old value-added tax is being proposed. The worst part is that it won't be a replacement, but rather an additional tax levied.
Silly Liberals
* Democrats and the media keep insisting the Baucus bill will save 81 billion dollars. Which is funny, because there isn't even a bill. Why do they have to keep being dishonest about what they are going to do?
* Obama seems to think that all problems can be cured by redistribution of wealth, in thid case trying to buy off the Taliban.
* A good summary of the Limbaugh hit-job by the media.
What Climate Change?
* Do you really think proponents of climate change are actually interested in debate? Here a critic's microphone was cut off when he tried to ask Al Gore a few questions. Which I don't really blame Al Gore for, but Gore has continually tried to stifle debate on the issue as well as refuses to debate anything about his movie or climate change in general.
* Lord Monckton is right, it is climate change alarmists who are the real threat.
A couple interesting observations:
1. Climate change - always used 20-30 years to justify it, but the last 10 years have been stable. It has always been farcical to look at that short a time period and use it to justify either conclusion.
2. The major lesson to learn from Rush trying to buy the St. Louis Rams is you better hope to God if you want to do something when Democrats take over health care you better hope you never contributed to Republicans.
3. If doctors allowed someone to die, it is against the law. That doctor would be fired and tried in a court of law. Yet many of the same people who would condemn him have nothing but praise for government officials who let people die in Canada and Great Britain.
4. To Democrats, Americans and American businesses are are the enemy.
5. If banks pushed people to buy homes without reading paperwork, wouldn't Democrats be arguing they should be put in jail? Yet Democrats are doing the same thing with all the bills they are passing. Voting on bills without a bill even existing, not letting those affected read the bill before they sign off, and so on.
MUST WATCH
The videos here and here are two great videos of Rush in person.
MUST READ
* Former Clinton Labor Secretary, says what an honest President would say about Democrat plans...we're going to let you die.
* Time and time again, we were told how Afghanistan was the good war and Iraq the bad war. Now the Obama administration doesn't seem that determined to even fight Afghanistan. I don't think Democrats were ever really serious about Afghanistan. Once Iraq was out of the way, they would try to convince us Afghanistan wasn't really worth fighting anyways.
* Be warned that you will pay more for health care with any more government intrusion. Take solace in that in 10 years or so, Democrats will again ride to the rescue and blame greedy insurance companies and step in to "correct" things.
* It's no surprise to many on the right that Obama is governing radically. His personal life bore that out. But what if Obama had told everyone else what he planned to do?
* I still like the NFL. But apparently some divisive figures are more deserving of team ownership than others.
Basic Economics
* Politicians think declaring something a good thing has no effect on anything else in society. Case in point, the home mortgage crisis.
* The old value-added tax is being proposed. The worst part is that it won't be a replacement, but rather an additional tax levied.
Silly Liberals
* Democrats and the media keep insisting the Baucus bill will save 81 billion dollars. Which is funny, because there isn't even a bill. Why do they have to keep being dishonest about what they are going to do?
* Obama seems to think that all problems can be cured by redistribution of wealth, in thid case trying to buy off the Taliban.
* A good summary of the Limbaugh hit-job by the media.
What Climate Change?
* Do you really think proponents of climate change are actually interested in debate? Here a critic's microphone was cut off when he tried to ask Al Gore a few questions. Which I don't really blame Al Gore for, but Gore has continually tried to stifle debate on the issue as well as refuses to debate anything about his movie or climate change in general.
* Lord Monckton is right, it is climate change alarmists who are the real threat.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
The Weekly Enlightenment
An interesting tidbit from askheritage.org. Medicare denies 6.85% of all claims. This is more than twice any private insurer. So when some politician or liberal you know claims Medicare is great and a single payer system will work like Medicare, you can believe it. It's just that Medicare isn't all that great. Some might say that that is just because the government would get more false claims. If that is true, perhaps that is because people think they can get away with it more than a private insurer. But does a private company not get false or fraudulent claims? Of course not. But these insurers also have to get people to like what they are selling. Under a government plan, there will be no choice.
Breeding dependency. I am always amazed at how liberals continually enact policies that breed dependency and then express shock and outrage there is more dependency. For years liberals have effectively championed the replacement of the father in the family with government. Then be shocked when there are more single mothers. So surprise, you get more fathers leaving their families. They know taxpayers will take care of their family for them. But now we hear about the plight of single mothers and how we must appropriate more spending for them. To not do so, they tell us, is heartless. Well, without welfare, people would have to rely only on charity and it might not be enough. There's more incentive to stay together, to try to make things work, and so on.
The myth of green jobs. Michigan's governor, Jennifer Granholm, who along with the legislature has destroyed Michigan's economy, is saying how she is going to create 40,000 jobs by 2020. I don't mind creating jobs (with liberals the buzzword is "creating" jobs, but strangely no mention if these are long term jobs), but she is talking about massive taxpayer subsidies (federal and state) and yet 40,000 jobs in 11 years works out to a little over 3600 jobs per year. Taking the $1 billion figure (the figure is likely higher), that works out to $25,000 per job. Not really a great deal considering that it will likely take more money and if it is a government job, you have to keep paying that person. But notice also that by the end of Granholm's term, the state is projected to lose 130,000 more jobs with no end in sight. Again, 40,000 is a drop in the bucket if you have bad policies.
I've written before about the injection of politics into sports. This is a great article for anyone that is interested.
MUST READ
* Fantastic article by Steve Forbes about wealth creation.
* I thought Afghanistan was a war liberals really wanted to win, and Iraq was just a distraction. Apparently not.
* So important are health care reforms that some Senators don't want to apply it to their states.
* Taxing the rich doesn't work out at all like expected.
What Propaganda...and Where is the Media?
* More kids singing to Obama, only this time on the set of CNN.
* Obama invites doctors to the White House, but the media neglects to mention the photo op was staged.
* With the Obamas, it is all about them.
* I definitely like the admission by Maxine Waters that many members would have tax disclosure problems. Would this be counted as evidence of a culture of corruption if it were Republicans...and where is the media?
* Can anyone else see how illegals are going to get health coverage? Also see this.
What Media Bias?
* Liberal TV host laments the incivility in politics, then literally shouts down a guest a day later.
* In what universe are rising unemployment rates good news?
Energy
* How taxes pervert our energy choices.
Miscellaneous
* A lot of black NFL players have said they wouldn't play for a Rush Limbaugh owned team. First to note that these players probably haven't listened to Limbaugh. Second, the media does have quite an effect. To sum up, Limbaugh thought the Eagles defense carried McNabb in his earlier days...up to debate but true in my opinion. He also said the media is desperate for a black QB to succeed. Which is undoubtedly true. Though blacks are statistically overrepresented in football in general, they are not in the QB position. Liberals think that the QB is a "smart" position, so if blacks are underrepresented there they think people will see them as dumb. It does take quite a football knowledge and talent to play at any position, in my opinion. And being a QB doesn't mean one is necessarily smart in general, perhaps only in football.
Breeding dependency. I am always amazed at how liberals continually enact policies that breed dependency and then express shock and outrage there is more dependency. For years liberals have effectively championed the replacement of the father in the family with government. Then be shocked when there are more single mothers. So surprise, you get more fathers leaving their families. They know taxpayers will take care of their family for them. But now we hear about the plight of single mothers and how we must appropriate more spending for them. To not do so, they tell us, is heartless. Well, without welfare, people would have to rely only on charity and it might not be enough. There's more incentive to stay together, to try to make things work, and so on.
The myth of green jobs. Michigan's governor, Jennifer Granholm, who along with the legislature has destroyed Michigan's economy, is saying how she is going to create 40,000 jobs by 2020. I don't mind creating jobs (with liberals the buzzword is "creating" jobs, but strangely no mention if these are long term jobs), but she is talking about massive taxpayer subsidies (federal and state) and yet 40,000 jobs in 11 years works out to a little over 3600 jobs per year. Taking the $1 billion figure (the figure is likely higher), that works out to $25,000 per job. Not really a great deal considering that it will likely take more money and if it is a government job, you have to keep paying that person. But notice also that by the end of Granholm's term, the state is projected to lose 130,000 more jobs with no end in sight. Again, 40,000 is a drop in the bucket if you have bad policies.
I've written before about the injection of politics into sports. This is a great article for anyone that is interested.
MUST READ
* Fantastic article by Steve Forbes about wealth creation.
* I thought Afghanistan was a war liberals really wanted to win, and Iraq was just a distraction. Apparently not.
* So important are health care reforms that some Senators don't want to apply it to their states.
* Taxing the rich doesn't work out at all like expected.
What Propaganda...and Where is the Media?
* More kids singing to Obama, only this time on the set of CNN.
* Obama invites doctors to the White House, but the media neglects to mention the photo op was staged.
* With the Obamas, it is all about them.
* I definitely like the admission by Maxine Waters that many members would have tax disclosure problems. Would this be counted as evidence of a culture of corruption if it were Republicans...and where is the media?
* Can anyone else see how illegals are going to get health coverage? Also see this.
What Media Bias?
* Liberal TV host laments the incivility in politics, then literally shouts down a guest a day later.
* In what universe are rising unemployment rates good news?
Energy
* How taxes pervert our energy choices.
Miscellaneous
* A lot of black NFL players have said they wouldn't play for a Rush Limbaugh owned team. First to note that these players probably haven't listened to Limbaugh. Second, the media does have quite an effect. To sum up, Limbaugh thought the Eagles defense carried McNabb in his earlier days...up to debate but true in my opinion. He also said the media is desperate for a black QB to succeed. Which is undoubtedly true. Though blacks are statistically overrepresented in football in general, they are not in the QB position. Liberals think that the QB is a "smart" position, so if blacks are underrepresented there they think people will see them as dumb. It does take quite a football knowledge and talent to play at any position, in my opinion. And being a QB doesn't mean one is necessarily smart in general, perhaps only in football.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
The Weekly Enlightenment
Since the threats of racism haven't worked, the Democrats are relying on another overused tactic. Calling for civility, talking about the ugly tone in public discourse, and worrying about a "climate of fear". Of course very little of any talk is vitrolic is towards Obama personally, and what is appears to be those led by Lyndon LaRouche, a Democrat. Regardless, where were these Democrats and media types in the 8 years of the Bush administration? Or even the Democrats so far in the Obama administration?
Here are some examples of Democrats:
1. Grayson - Republicans plan for health care is to die quickly
2. Harry Reid calling Bush a loser
3. Nancy Pelosi calling protestors Nazis (Rush Limbaugh's response to this became news but they curiously omitted any reference to Pelosi)
4. John Kerry referencing how he could kill two birds with one stone by going to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue (an obvious reference to killing Bush 43)
5. Anderson Cooper referring to Tea Party protestors as teabaggers.
6. Howard Dean - I hate Republicans and everything they stand for.
7. Bill Clinton blaming angry voices on the airwaves (I believe the major one at the time was Rush Limbaugh) for the OK City bombing
Note any pattern here? All of these people are leading Democratic officials or from the media. No major Republican is saying anything close to this. Nor are the Tea Party protestors. But the above list doesn't even include signs about killing Bush at rallies during his Presidency or the movie fantasizing about a Bush assassination.
A big deal was made out of a Facebook group expressing whether Obama should be killed. Which it should be. Any threat against the President should be taken seriously. But where was the media interest in it with Facebook groups wanting to kill George W. Bush? There was no media interest in it then.
The other big news was the Obamas along with Oprah making a pitch for the Olympics coming to Chicago. It failed and Obama was humiliated. I don't like any President being humiliated because he stands for the nation. But regardless, many people in Chicago stood to benefit financially if the Olympics were brought in. A lot of people from the Obama administration and Richard Daley's office, to whom Obama owes a lot of credit for his run to the Presidency.
MUST READ
* Much ado has been made about Republicans being in bed with Wall Street. Reality when it comes to these things is usually opposite. It is Democrats who are given more money from Wall Street. Lest you think this is simply because Democrats have control in Congress (which I am sure is a part of it), it isn't the case overall. For example, Obama getting more than McCain in his short Presidential run vs. McCain's two Presidential runs in about a decade. A good opinion piece on it can be found here.
* Republicans' plan, according to Democrats is to die quickly. Funny, Joe Wilson was admonished for telling the President he was lying (which he was) but strangely no admonishment for this guy. Also this guy has not been mentioned for declining civility.
* This is simply outrageous. Ordering the release of Vice President Cheney's statements in the Valerie Plame case. We've pointed out numerous times that it was Armitage, Deputy Secretary of State, who leaked the name (and also was an Iraq War opponent), Plame was not a covert agent, and the whole fiasco with Joe Wilson (not the Congressman) making up stories that the Bush administration lied. Of course, the natural conclusion is that Republican advisors will be hesitant to give their full opinion if they know it will be leaked. Democrats never have to worry about this, as the media will go after anyone who defies their own administration.
* Some of the misleading statements or outright lies from the President's health care speech.
* Some rare truth telling from a Democrat. The ploy has always been speed and deception.
Simple Economics
* People who are ignorant of economics seem to be the only ones surprised that taxing the rich means they leave the state or leave the country.
More Radicals
* Another day, another unvetted czar in the Obama administration. This time, one who didn't report an underage homosexual relationship while being a teacher.
* Tax dollars being used to train students to be union organizers.
What Media Bias?
* More jobless claims are only a surprise if you parrot the administration's line about things getting better.
* The New York Times discounting the terrorist plotters as amateurs. Great, same 9-10 mentality.
Here are some examples of Democrats:
1. Grayson - Republicans plan for health care is to die quickly
2. Harry Reid calling Bush a loser
3. Nancy Pelosi calling protestors Nazis (Rush Limbaugh's response to this became news but they curiously omitted any reference to Pelosi)
4. John Kerry referencing how he could kill two birds with one stone by going to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue (an obvious reference to killing Bush 43)
5. Anderson Cooper referring to Tea Party protestors as teabaggers.
6. Howard Dean - I hate Republicans and everything they stand for.
7. Bill Clinton blaming angry voices on the airwaves (I believe the major one at the time was Rush Limbaugh) for the OK City bombing
Note any pattern here? All of these people are leading Democratic officials or from the media. No major Republican is saying anything close to this. Nor are the Tea Party protestors. But the above list doesn't even include signs about killing Bush at rallies during his Presidency or the movie fantasizing about a Bush assassination.
A big deal was made out of a Facebook group expressing whether Obama should be killed. Which it should be. Any threat against the President should be taken seriously. But where was the media interest in it with Facebook groups wanting to kill George W. Bush? There was no media interest in it then.
The other big news was the Obamas along with Oprah making a pitch for the Olympics coming to Chicago. It failed and Obama was humiliated. I don't like any President being humiliated because he stands for the nation. But regardless, many people in Chicago stood to benefit financially if the Olympics were brought in. A lot of people from the Obama administration and Richard Daley's office, to whom Obama owes a lot of credit for his run to the Presidency.
MUST READ
* Much ado has been made about Republicans being in bed with Wall Street. Reality when it comes to these things is usually opposite. It is Democrats who are given more money from Wall Street. Lest you think this is simply because Democrats have control in Congress (which I am sure is a part of it), it isn't the case overall. For example, Obama getting more than McCain in his short Presidential run vs. McCain's two Presidential runs in about a decade. A good opinion piece on it can be found here.
* Republicans' plan, according to Democrats is to die quickly. Funny, Joe Wilson was admonished for telling the President he was lying (which he was) but strangely no admonishment for this guy. Also this guy has not been mentioned for declining civility.
* This is simply outrageous. Ordering the release of Vice President Cheney's statements in the Valerie Plame case. We've pointed out numerous times that it was Armitage, Deputy Secretary of State, who leaked the name (and also was an Iraq War opponent), Plame was not a covert agent, and the whole fiasco with Joe Wilson (not the Congressman) making up stories that the Bush administration lied. Of course, the natural conclusion is that Republican advisors will be hesitant to give their full opinion if they know it will be leaked. Democrats never have to worry about this, as the media will go after anyone who defies their own administration.
* Some of the misleading statements or outright lies from the President's health care speech.
* Some rare truth telling from a Democrat. The ploy has always been speed and deception.
Simple Economics
* People who are ignorant of economics seem to be the only ones surprised that taxing the rich means they leave the state or leave the country.
More Radicals
* Another day, another unvetted czar in the Obama administration. This time, one who didn't report an underage homosexual relationship while being a teacher.
* Tax dollars being used to train students to be union organizers.
What Media Bias?
* More jobless claims are only a surprise if you parrot the administration's line about things getting better.
* The New York Times discounting the terrorist plotters as amateurs. Great, same 9-10 mentality.
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