Friday, October 31, 2008
A good perspective
Mort Kondracke takes a look at whether Barack Obama is “a post partisan unifier or a populist liberal ideologue?”
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/10/president_obama_we_still_dont.html
Let's hope he's the man we hope he is.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Sucks to be a freshman senator
As a freshman senator, you are last on the committee to get your turn to ask questions of witnesses. In some cases, I think there may be hours between the start of a meeting and when you get your chance. That could be excruciating for a busy man with a Presidency to ascend to.
From that perspective, I can understand why Obama might have come to a few meetings late.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ah9W24oMIRc
Words of Wisdom
These words, although often attributed to Abraham Lincoln, were actually penned by a Lincoln supporter a long time ago. I think they are perfectly apropos this week.
* You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
* You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
* You cannot help small men by tearing down big men.
* You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
* You cannot lift the wage-earner by pulling down the wage-payer.
* You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income.
* You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
* You cannot establish sound security on borrowed money.
* You cannot build character and courage by taking away a man's initiative and independence.
* You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.
these aphorisms are from the pen of Reverend William John Henry Boetcker (1873-1962). Source Link
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Untraceable Donations
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/28/AR2008102803413_pf.html
"extensive back-end review" my ass.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Joe the Plumber's Freedom of Speech
The use of a state computer system to search for information on Wurzelbacher is the fourth uncovered by The Dispatch.
Democrat Gov. Ted Strickland is satisfied that there are no political overtures to the check on Wurzelbacher, a spokesman said.
"Based on what we know to this point, we don't have any reason to believe the information was improperly accessed or disclosed by a state employee," said Keith Dailey, Strickland's press secretary.
Joe the plumber is a hero. Not only did he get Obama to reveal his desire to spread the wealth, his actions also reveal that Obama is no different than any other ruthless, win at all costs, say anything, political hack. There is no hope of change offered here. There is only partisan politics.
My Son is So Funny
Saturday, October 25, 2008
W.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Media Bias Coming to the Fore:
It is a theme today. This election is being influenced by a corrupt print and broadcast media. Here is a great article by Michael S. Malone about the lack of ethics in modern journalism. I’ll show my favorite point.
But nothing, nothing I’ve seen has matched the media bias on display in the current Presidential campaign. . .
No, what I object to (and I think most other Americans do as well) is the lack of equivalent hardball coverage of the other side - or worse, actively serving as attack dogs for Senators Obama and Biden. If the current polls are correct, we are about to elect as President of the United States a man who is essentially a cipher, who has left almost no paper trail, seems to have few friends (that at least will talk) and has entire years missing out of his biography. That isn’t Sen. Obama’s fault: his job is to put his best face forward. No, it is the traditional media’s fault, for it alone (unlike the alternative media) has had the resources to cover this story properly, and has systematically refused to do so.
I also like the ending where Malone explains why the editors might have sold themselves out.
The editors. The men and women you don’t see; the people who not only decide what goes in the paper, but what doesn’t; the managers who give the reporters their assignments and lay-out the editorial pages. They are the real culprits.
Why? I think I know, because had my life taken a different path, I could have been one: Picture yourself in your 50s in a job where you’ve spent 30 years working your way to the top, to the cockpit of power . . . only to discover that you’re presiding over a dying industry.
….
And then the opportunity presents itself: an attractive young candidate whose politics likely matches yours, but more important, he offers the prospect of a transformed Washington with the power to fix everything that has gone wrong in your career. With luck, this monolithic, single-party government will crush the alternative media via a revived Fairness Doctrine, re-invigorate unions by getting rid of secret votes, and just maybe, be beholden to people like you in the traditional media for getting it there.
And besides, you tell yourself, it’s all for the good of the country . . .
Do you think racism is a major factor?
Here is a nice article that makes the case that Barack Obama’s candidacy has already proven that race is only a marginal factor.
Win or lose, Americans have gotten behind this man and he is on the brink of the Presidency. We should stop talking about the Bradley effect, White Guilt, and Rednecks, and start talking about the politics of the man.
Good Analogy
Why are GSE’s like Fannie and Freddie allowed to make political contributions? An article I read made a good analogy:
Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae were making political contributions to the very members of Congress who were allowing them to make irresponsible loans. (Though why quasi-federal agencies were allowed to do so baffles me. It's as if the Pentagon were allowed to contribute to the political campaigns of Congressmen who support increasing their budget.)
I am not saying Obama took more money than McCain. I am saying neither of them should have gotten a dime.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
They want my retirement money
I used to hope that Social Security would be privatized. It looks more now like my 401(k) will be socialized. Read Article Here
House Democrats Contemplate Abolishing 401(k) Tax Breaks
Powerful House Democrats are eyeing proposals to overhaul the nation’s $3 trillion 401(k) system, including the elimination of most of the $80 billion in annual tax breaks that 401(k) investors receive.
A plan by Teresa Ghilarducci, professor of economic-policy analysis at the New School for Social Research in New York, contains elements that are being considered. She testified last week before Miller’s Education and Labor Committee on her proposal.
At that hearing, the director of the Congressional Budget Office, Peter Orszag, testified that some $2 trillion in retirement savings has been lost over the past 15 months.
Under Ghilarducci’s plan, all workers would receive a $600 annual inflation-adjusted subsidy from the U.S. government but would be required to invest 5 percent of their pay into a guaranteed retirement account administered by the Social Security Administration. The money in turn would be invested in special government bonds that would pay 3 percent a year, adjusted for inflation.
The current system of providing tax breaks on 401(k) contributions and earnings would be eliminated.
“I want to stop the federal subsidy of 401(k)s,” Ghilarducci said in an interview. “401(k)s can continue to exist, but they won’t have the benefit of the subsidy of the tax break.”
What makes the Federal Government think they can manage my money properly? Is it their effective operation of the current Social Security funds?
If this goes through, another generation will be dependent on the Government for retirement. It is just a way of keeping all of us beholden to the big Federal bureaucracy.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Letting the Other Guy Run With the Issue
When the credit crisis peaked and John McCain was several points ahead in the National and battleground polls. Things were looking good. Then the “economy” was brought front and center with the crash of the markets. McCain suspended his campaign and went to Washington. If he had played his cards right, he could have shown true leadership and solidified his chances at becoming president. Instead, he stumbled, and with the media’s help, Barack Obama was seen as the champion of the economic crisis. It was a 10 point swing in favor of Obama. Here is what McCain should have done
1) Expose the policies and regulations that forced lending to unqualified borroweres. McCain should have pinned the housing bubble and the credit crisis on the Democrat led Congress, speciifally Chris Dodd and Barney Frank. The corruption of these two politicians is evident as both are involved in dubious affairs. The comittees that Dodd and Frank chaired were directly responsible for the problems with the Community Reinvestment Act, the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac collapse, the securitization of unqualified mortgages. It was lending to unqualified borrowers that created the bubble on main street. Unfrortunatley, McCain did not take an aggressive stance on this and the American public was convinced that the Democrats were the solution and not the problem.
2) Call for the firing of the Chairman of the SEC. McCain did this, but he was laughed at. I read an article today about just how bad the oversight at the SEC was. Calling for the firing of Chirs Cox was a true maverick move that would distance himself from the Bush adminstration. I think it is an honest position that McCain would not tolerate the type of greed and corruption that the current adminstration seems to surround itself with. “[The report] also gives damaging evidence that the SEC’s hands-off approach helped cause the credit bubble to dangerously inflate.” Time will prove McCain right on his call to fire Cox. His failure is in not trumpeting his correct assesment that the man that oversaw the markets during this times needs to be gone.
3) Fight any Pork in the Bailout: By all accounts, McCains presence in Washington allowed the House Republicans a seat at the negotiation table. Previous to this, the Bush Pelosi adminstration was ready to hand over Secretary Paulson $700B based on a 3 page document. Unfortuantely, the bargaining was less about principle, and more about bribery. Eventually both McCain and Obama supported the bailout, and there seemed to be a great deal of pork and unnecessary elements to the package.
4) Explain to America why the Government Bailout is the right thing to do. McCain’s coservative constituents believe in free markets and many are wholly replused by the taxpayer bailout and socialization of the financial institutions on Wall Street. Everyone is angered that taxpayer money is being given to people so they can go to fancy resorts and spas. If the balout is necessary, a leader should be able to explain why.
5) Explain to Wall Street that it aint a free ride. The day a company takes taxpayer dolloars is the day that CEO needs to be scared to death that the government is going to crush him for any wrongdoing, abuse, waste, or fraud. The fact that fat cats were still business as usual is appalling. The should be on their hands and knees licking the boots of the American taxpayer, and we should own them, their prospects and the future, until every dime is paid back, with appropriate interest.
The housing bubble should be a winning issue for Republicans. McCain can distance himself from the Bush Wall Street policies. It is frustrating to see the other party capitalize on something that could benefit you.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Universal Child Health Care Program Halted After 7 Months
The beauty of America is that there are (should be?) 50 independent state laboratories that can try out government programs and policies. Ideally with that much experimentation going on we will be able to find innovative solutions to the problems that governments are faced with. With that said, Hawaii launched a program to give kids taxpayer funded health care. After only 7 short months, the program was abandoned.
Gov. Linda Lingle's administration cited budget shortfalls and other available health care options for eliminating funding for the program. A state official said families were dropping private coverage so their children would be eligible for the subsidized plan.
"People who were already able to afford health care began to stop paying for it so they could get it for free," said Dr. Kenny Fink, the administrator for Med-QUEST at the Department of Human Services. "I don't believe that was the intent of the program."
Gee, do you think? I guess the choice is clear; either pay for it yourself, or participate in a subsidized program. When it’s on the table, most people will take what the givernment is giving.
So let this be a lesson to anyone that starts the Federal their State government down a universal healthcare plan. People will stop being self reliant when the government gives them something to rely on.
Of course the post script here is that the Dem’s will use this as evidence that there has to be mandatory participation in a government program. Just like schools, and unlike abortion, they want us to have No choice.
Finding Racism Where It Doesn't Exist
I don’t always agree with Charles Krauthammer, but I think the column he wrote today is right on the money. Read it yourself.
A couple of agitated yahoos in a rally of thousands yell something offensive and incendiary, and John McCain and Sarah Palin are not just guilty by association -- with total strangers, mind you -- but worse: guilty according to The New York Times of "race-baiting and xenophobia."
But should you bring up Barack Obama's real associations -- 20 years with Jeremiah Wright, working on two foundations and distributing money with William Ayers, citing the raving Michael Pfleger as one who helps him keep his moral compass (Chicago Sun-Times, April 2004) and the long-standing relationship with the left-wing vote-fraud specialist ACORN -- you have crossed the line into illegitimate guilt by association. Moreover, it is tinged with racism.
I think a great deal of what Barack Obama is able to get away with comes from his ability to control the media narrative. The bias in favor of Obama and against McCain and the Republicans is the only reason the Democrats will do well this election. If people knew both sides of the truth, they would see that both McCain and Obama are good decent men. They just each have a different philosophy about how to take America forward.
I will not vote for Obama because I believe in limited government. I believe Barack Obama believes that the government can and should attempt to solve all problems.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
"Tax Cuts for 95% of Americans" is a lie
Why? More than 30 percent pay nothing in federal income taxes. Obama comes up with this number by calling tax credits "tax cuts." One can debate whether these things are good or bad, but they are not tax cuts. McCain offers refundable tax credits for health care, as well as other credits, but he doesn't insult the intelligence of the American people by calling them "tax cuts." When Obama's credits go to people who pay no federal income taxes or who pay less than the value of the credit, they are not "tax cuts." They are transfers of money from one pocket to another, or redistributions of wealth, but they are not tax cuts.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Redbox Universal Legal Battle
Redbox is not happy with Universal Studios Home Entertainment’s new distribution terms. Is Universal trying to block the kiosk from renting $1 DVD’s? Seems like a 45 day lag in the box is a protection for bricks and mortar rental establishments.
Why do these companies insist on fighting innovative new models?
I love Redbox and I rent many more movies because of it. I can’t see paying $5 for a five day rental when it is in the box for $.99 per night.
PS. Does anyone realize that the 5 day rental was an accommodation to avoid late fees for the people that could not get back to the rental store the next day. I don’t want the stinking movie for 5 days Mr. Blockbuster and Mrs. Hollywood.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Gay Marriage in Your Face
As a human being, I am compassionate to the rights of gays. But as a parent, I really would rather teach my kids that a family should be a husband and a wife. My vote on the gay marriage initiative has been sealed. This is not about rights to marry. This is about making homosexuality an accepted norm and demonizing traditional family values.
http://michellemalkin.com/2008/10/13/first-graders-take-school-field-tripto-teachers-gay-wedding/
Sunday, October 5, 2008
RealClearPolitics - Articles - The Speech John McCain Should Give
We have accepted the lie that we can live exactly as we want to live, with no concern for the consequences. We have taken the blessings of liberty and prosperity and turned them into a curse of debt slavery - bondage that will be visited on our children, and our children's children, if we don't change.
Everybody has a theory about how we got into this mess, and it's usually one that absolves them and their party from blame. My friends, I'm here to tell you that this crisis is the Republicans' fault. It's the Democrats' fault. It's the fault of every one of us who believed in the fairy tale of a free lunch.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
McCains Diminishing Chances
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Bad day for me
As of today I officially don’t care if McCain wins the election.
The Republican party is in shambles and has forgot the meaning of fiscal conservatism, individual responsibility, and limited Government. How would John McCain presidency differ substantially from a Barack Obama presidency? McCain capitulates on everything in the name of bi-partisanship. He would roll over every time Harry and Nancy demanded it.
What makes you think McCain would do what is necessary to deal with the immigration crisis? Has McCain the “Maverick” shown you that he can deal with the economic situation?
I am sick of Bush. I am sick of McCain. I am sick of the media. The only think I am sad about is the Supreme Court nominees that Obama will get to make. Then again, why should I believe McCain would have picked a justice to my liking?
For the next 4 years at least this country is going to tack hard left. Maybe then the country will wake up and realize that Socialism has been tried and proven to be ineffective.
I need a modern day Mayflower and a new Plymouth rock.