About Me

Name: Doug
Biography
Loading...

Create Your Own Blog Find Other Townhall Blogs

Comments

GOP: Missing Opportunities, or Missing the Point?

Last week I became seriously torqued after hearing a couple of supposed GOP leaders interviewed on the Sunday Talk Shows.

Having to devote several days to the migration of my primary PC to a new machine following hardware failure allowed (forced) me to ruminate on this frustration even further, as I could not immediately write and publish my initial reactions! In the interim, I have discussed my thoughts on the subject with a couple of people I respect, including a radio talk show host and a conservative Congressman who I consider friends. The consensus of thought is presented here.

The two GOP leaders who left me so disappointed are familiar names. Paul Ryan and John Boehner! Each were served a hanging fastballs of a question, which they each had every opportunity to slam into "Big Mac Land". (A local reference to a section of the old Busch Stadium sponsored by McDonalds, but which was named for the area Mark MacGuire frequently blasted long homers into back in the day.) Instead, both stood looking – for an out on called strikes!

Ryan was discussing the extension of the Bush Tax Cuts. He was challenged with the idea that "cutting" (not permitting the expiration of the existing rates for an effective INCREASE) will COST the government x number of trillions of dollars… and asking how he proposed to pay for it. He took the bait and started hunting and fishing for an answer with cutting waste, reducing programs etc. He MISSED the golden opportunity to stuff the question right back in the pocket of the interviewer!

The right answer: "Your question is flawed because it not only presupposes that an action COSTS the government, as though it's already the Government's money – which it's not – but it's also factually inaccurate.

Cutting tax RATES is not the same as cutting spending. When you cut spending you are cutting actual dollars. When you cut tax RATES you affect the economy itself. You stimulate growth. You create jobs, and therefore taxpayers. The pie of the economy grows, so though you take a smaller percentage of the whole, you actually get MORE pie by taking a smaller slice of a bigger pie. Tax cuts don't cost. They RAISE federal revenues EVERY TIME THEY'RE TRIED. It worked for Bush. It worked for Reagan. It worked for Kennedy. The problem is that every time revenues went up, Democrat controlled Congresses increased spending even more.

If we cut taxes, we'll have more revenue. If we cut spending also, we'll reduce the deficit further. If we fundamentally change how we spend money – and address entitlements, which represent HALF our budget – we can actually return this nation to prosperity!"

Now THAT would have shut up the interviewer, had conservatives in the audience standing and cheering, and would have left progressive viewers with their jaws dropped and no comeback! Instead, we got Pablum.

Similarly, Boehner was asked about addressing spending. The interviewer highlighted the fact that a handle will never be gotten on spending without taking on entitlement spending. He put Boehner on the spot, asking if he would commit to bringing the budget axe to bear on entitlements. Boehner ducked the question so artfully he should have quacked his answer!

The right answer: "You're absolutely right that entitlement spending MUST be addressed if we are ever to restrain the runaway growth of government spending. Many of our entitlement programs are bloated, ineffective, unconstitutionally based and counterproductive to building a productive and prosperous nation. We cannot continue the status quo in perpetuity. It is unsustainable. Everyone knows it even if it's unpopular to say it.

We MUST "fundamentally transform" the way the Federal Government handles money, and the way it views its constitutional role. Draconian measures must take place, even if they must be phased in over time.

Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid represent half the entire federal budget. These three entitlement programs, which are going broke, account for more spending than the military, foreign aid, Homeland Security, Health, Education, Border Security, Intelligence, Food and drug, Occupational Safety, the Space Program, Corporate Regulation, Environmental Protection and all government salaries, COMBINED! We MUST address this elephant in the room. The longer we remain in denial and refuse to tackle this gargantuan expenditure on wealth transfer – the sooner we will face the inevitable collapse of the system itself – which no one wants and from which there is no recovery.  It may be unpopular. It may be painful. But addressing entitlements is now unavoidably necessary."

Again. Making the hard choices and making the hard statements would have won cheers from the majority and astounded the rest. Another missed opportunity.

One must begin to question whether the GOP leadership is simply missing opportunities, or is missing the point. Do they get it? Do they understand what the grassroots movements have been trying to tell them since February 2009? We've seen with Karl Rove's seeming intent to sink the candidacy of Christine O'Donnell, there are some within the ol' boy GOP network who are more concerned with the old power structure than with achieving the conservative agenda – which is backed by a clear majority of Americans. Some within the GOP think that they can co-opt and exploit the Tea Party and its allies for political gain for the Party. They will soon learn that the grass roots are not interested in being acquired and merged. They're out to fundamentally transform the Party! It's a hostile takeover! Those who resist will bear the wrath of the people.
Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (0) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive

America Islamophobic? Hell YES!

In any discussion on this topic, it is essential that we draw some distinctions and define terms. We must distinguish between Muslims and Islamists. Muslims represent perhaps 1/3 of the population of the planet. Being a Muslim occurs by birth. If your father is a Muslim, you are considered a Muslim.

Islamists, on the other hand, are so by profession of faith. They have chosen to adhere to the doctrines, dogmas and dictates of the Islamic faith and its leadership.

Indulge me for a moment as I refer to an old Baptist Minister friend's estimation of the Mission Field – he felt there were 3 separate fields to be reached. The "heathen" (not an insult, but a reference to those living in places where they have never had opportunity to hear the Gospel); the "unchurched" (which he defined as those who had been exposed to the gospel but had not committed to it); and the "Churchgoing Heathen" (which he also referred to as "Pew Polishers" – those who's butts occupied the seats but whose hearts were elsewhere.) He felt that the IN-Reach to the churchgoer who was committed to attendance but not to God or the Bible was the most important mission field, because these people were nominally Christian but were both self-deceived and would receive a rude awakening… and because they were CALLED Christians by the rest of the world, but they were a poor representative of Christ.

Why did I bring this up in a discussion of Islamophobia?

Because just as there are both faithful and committed Christians – and nominal Christians who wear a cross but are not committed to the doctrines, dogmas and dictates of Christianity… There are Islamists who are the faithful, committed adherents to Islamic teaching, and there are the Muslims who have nominal connection to Islam culturally, but who have less than a personal commitment to full "submission" (The word "ISLAM" means "submission") to all the tenets of the faith. There are Orthodox Jews who are seen dressed in black and wearing ear-locks as they walk to Sabbath Services... and there are nominal Jews who will jokingly refer to themselves as merely "Jewish from the waist down"!

The subject of this discussion is NOT the nominal Muslim who lives his life; makes a living; provides for his family and lives in peaceful co-existence with his neighbors whether they share his faith or not.

The Islamist, by virtue of his commitment to the doctrines taught in the Quran, is and MUST BE what is commonly referred to as a "radical" by the Politically Correct Media. Radicalism and Jihadism is the NORM amongst FAITHFUL Islam; as it cannot be otherwise! Muslims who are NOT committed to Jihad – who reject the idea of Dhimmitude, conversion, or death for all "infidels" – who are willing to peacefully engage with the western world – are APOSTATES to the "pure" teaching of Islam. They are "churchgoing heathen" in the eyes of the Islamic world.

So, we discuss here those who fit the above-defined "ISLAMIST".

While the Islamic world (and our own liberal press) will cast those who question the motives or oppose the actions of Islamists as "Islamophobic" (and therefore bigotted xenophobes), let me point out the obvious:

If you use TERROR to advance your agenda… and your "philosophy" is responsible for more than 90% of ALL terror acts worldwide for the last several decades; then why would you cry "ISLAMOPHOBIA!" when the rest of the world is leery of you? ISLAM-O-PHOBIA = fear of Islam. Isn't the very point of Terrorism to instill fear? Mission accomplished, Jihadis! As the joke in Psychiatric circles goes… "It isn't paranoia if they really ARE after you, y'know!"

Americans have learned, from the experiences of Israel from 1948 to the present; from the Lebannon Barracks bombing; from the Achille Lauro hijacking, from Lockerbie, from the USS Cole; from the first WTC bombing in 1993, to 9/11 to the beheading of Daniel Pearl, to the Ft Hood massacre and more: Islamists will utilize terror against innocents to advance their agenda. They have also become familiar with the dictates of the Quran demanding the violent subjugation of those who do not willingly accept and submit to Islam. So is there any wonder that we are at least cautiously apprehensive when it comes to dealings with the "faithful" within Islam?

Let me again emphasize here that I have NO BEEF with the common Muslim who lives his life in obscurity. However it is impossible to co-exist peacefully with one who embraces the Fundamental Wahhabist , Caliphate seeking, Jihadist mindset of the Islamist. As I try to tell my liberal acquaintances sporting that goofy "COEXIST" bumper-sticker… Coexistence is ONLY possible if none of the parties is fatally committed to the utter destruction of any other!

So, then; Are Americans Islamophobic? Well, in a word, YES! We have a healthy caution; a leery apprehension; a distrust and suspicion when it comes to those who claim adherence to Fundamental Islam.

Are Americans Bigoted Xenophobes because the above statement is true? Judge for yourselves – but I think not.

Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (0) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive

LaRouche Organization Called Out By Tea Party For Obama/Hitler Image

LaRouchian WMV V9 from Doug Edelman on Vimeo.

On 8/6/10 in front of the Post Office in St Peters, MO, the LaRouche loonies set up this "Impeach Obama" location, featuring an image of Obama as Hitler.

As this is NOT the way the Tea Party and other Conservative Patriots work, I sought to get some information from this woman so as to draw the contrast between the Larouche organization and real grassroots conservatives.

As I approached her, I took a photograph. This set her off, and she began a tirade, stating that I had no right to photograph her without identifying myself. (While she is quite incorrect, as she had set herself up in a public place and made herself a public spectacle - thereby becoming NEWS... I did identify myself.) I then attempted to get SOME comment on video. (At this point she clammed up!) But that doesn't mean the video is uninteresting or uninformative!!

Not only was she uncommunicative - but after I stopped filming and while I was sending email on my Blackberry from my car before departing the parking lot - the police arrived (she had called them stating I was somehow intimidating or harassing her). Of course I explained that I was simply exercising my first Amendment rights and was attempting to get her to comment as she had made herself a public spectacle and therefore a story for a blogger and freelance reporter - and I was not intimidating or threatening her. (I think the video vindicates me of that charge!) They said they had no problem with me and did not hinder my departure... and as I departed, she was taking down her display in the presence of the cops!!

Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (0) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive

The ObamaCare Battle is NOT Over!

As we bask in the afterglow of Missouri's Proposition C, and the failure by the Feds to obtain dismissal of Virginia's lawsuit against ObamaCare, it is once again time to revisit: What should be the strategy of Conservatives in Congress (and those seeking office in 2010!) to re-affirm the will of the people in health care?

If I may humbly offer my best suggestion; the time is NOW for Conservative lawmakers to craft, UNANIMOUSLY Co-Sponsor and introduce new legislation that would:

 

  • REPEAL
  • REPLACE
  • REFORM
  • RESTORE

 

REPEAL AND REPLACE: Simultaneously! We cannot simply repeal ObamaCare and leave a void. We must simultaneously REPLACE it with the HealthCare Bill we WOULD have liked in the first place. The bill's opening statement should read something to the effect that: "The Affordable HealthCare Act of 2009 is hereby repealed in its entirety and replaced by the following…"

REFORM: The replacement bill must address the real problems in the pre-ObamaCare healthcare system. It must provide for purchasing insurance across state lines. It must sensibly address pre-existing condition exclusions. It should ALLOW cafeteria-style coverages; so a 20-year old healthy single male may reduce costs by purchasing a policy that does NOT cover pregnancy and mammograms... Or a 65 year old woman can choose a plan that covers long term care, but doesn't include prenatal vitamins and well-baby care! It should expand HSAs. It should ENCOURAGE private sector competition. It MUST include Tort Reform and malpractice insurance reform. It must CLEARLY DENY any federal funds in any form, at any time, for abortion services – and must restrict funding to any organization which provides abortion services or referrals in such a manner as to insure no funds can be redirected toward such services – whether domestically or abroad.

RESTORE: The legislation must RESTORE the Republic by re-affirming the supremacy of individual liberty and of State-Sovereignty. It must re-affirm the constitutional LIMITATION on the Federal Government. It must DENOUNCE federal mandates upon individuals. It should make a clear statement that the Federal Government acknowledges its limited role, and its requirement to govern by the consent of the governed.

Once this legislation is crafted – it should be IMMEDIATELY introduced, in both the House and the Senate Simultaneously, bearing the co-sponsorship signatures of EVERY member who wishes to be considered Conservative and liberty-loving. Every conservative candidate seeking a Freshman House or Senate seat should, as a requirement of endorsements and campaign assistance, be required to pledge to co-sponsor and vote for the bill, should they be elected.

The 2010 elections should be FRAMED as the opportunity to rid us of ObamaCare once and for all – and it should be the first act of the Congress upon swearing in of the new session in 2011. If this simple plan is adopted and implemented – not only will ObamaCare be ended early in 2011, but if properly communicated to the American Public – will result in a massive turnover of power in the halls of Washington.

Then the Conservative Congress can turn their attention to Un-Doing the rest of the damage done by the Pelosi-Reid Congress!
Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (0) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive

Basic Economic Reality 101

In 1992, Bill Clinton won the White House by focusing on the simplest of messages; "It's the Economy, Stupid!"
 
Today, the nation's malaise is, in largest measure, a function of, "It's the Stupid Economy!"

Unfortunately, the voting public is woefully unaware of basic economic principles and realities and so they keep allowing the politicians (who are RESPONSIBLE for that economic ignorance – by design!) to keep making policies that ensconce the politicians in perpetual power at the expense (LITERALLY) of the productive segment of the voting populace – and creating a permanently dependent underclass voting bloc which empowers them.

Therefore, secure in the belief that an educated voter is a Conservative voter, I present the following lesson!

The political Left in America depends on your ignorance of the fallacy of 2 popular myths which they perpetuate and promote. The first of these is the "Zero Sum Game". In this myth, the idea is that there is a fixed amount of wealth. In order for one person to get more, someone else must get less. If someone has "too much", it deprives someone else of the opportunity to have "enough". This is the basis on which the Left promotes class warfare!

The Left fans the flames of class envy and resentment at every opportunity. The recent Shirley Sherrod incident again highlighted this – and most folk never even noticed it!! In the "complete" tape wherein her "redemption" from racism took place… she replaced racial conflict with class warfare! In her words, it became the "Haves VERSUS the Have Nots".
 
The fact is that the American Economy is NOT a zero sum game. Wealth is CREATED whenever a new product or service of value is created. Whenever innovation creates a product or improves a process, or efficiency is improved through technology, the economy grows. Growth of the economy is an indicator of economic health. Every few months, lip service is given to this fact when the news makes passing reference that "the economy grew at a modest 2.1%..." or some such statement. But sadly, few actually understand what that means.

 
Put simply, the "pie" of the economy is not a fixed size. If the pie gets bigger, your slice gets bigger, even if you take the same "share" of the pie! This is a variation on Reagan's theme that "a rising tide lifts all boats".
 
This pie analogy works not only for the individual citizens, but for government as well. They don't need to take a bigger portion of the pie to get a bigger slice – if they can encourage the growth in the size of the pie!
 
And this brings me to the second myth: Tax cuts do not reduce revenues! They increase them!
 
This is a non-disputable fact, and it has worked every time it's been tried – from Bush to Reagan to Kennedy and others!
 
Why would this be?
 
It couldn't be true if the first myth about the zero sum game were true! Cutting tax rates would necessarily cut revenue dollars! BUT… cutting tax rates has behavioral effects on the drivers of the economy – small businesses take risks that generate profits. Lenders loosen credit – allowing these businesses to expand. Jobs are created. More productive workers join the workforce and pay taxes. Salaries grow, along with their resultant taxes. The economy itself grows – and the government's smaller share of a bigger pie results in a bigger slice!
 
The Left does not talk about revenues when it talks about tax cuts. They talk about deficits! Under Reagan, for example – his tax cuts doubled federal revenues! Still, all you hear from the Left about Regan's tax cuts are the "Reagan Deficits".
 
Remember, until the Gingrich Revolution of 1994, when power shifted to the Republicans in the House, Congress had been solidly in the hands of the Democrat majority for over 50 years! Spending is not done by the President – it's done by Congress! The President proposes a budget – but the House writes and Congress passes it! Without a line-item veto – the President has only 2 choices: Sign what they give him – or Veto the entire budget of the United States.
 
In Regan's case, he proposed fiscally responsible budgets. Do you remember the response of the Tip O'Neal led House of Representatives? Does the term "dead on arrival" ring a bell?
 
Despite the fact that Reagan's tax cut created windfall of doubled revenues to the Federal Treasury, the Democrat controlled Congress ran up huge deficits. How is that possible? Simple! For every dollar in new revenues the tax cuts generated, the Congress spent over $1.80!!
 
Imagine if you are making $50,000 a year, but have acquired significant debt, and you are currently spending on the order of $60,000 a year – going deeper in debt every year. Now suppose you land your dream job and are earning $100,000 a year. Where do you suppose you'll be in a decade if, instead of putting this windfall toward paying down your debt, you increase your lifestyle by buying a bigger home, fancy cars, join the "club" etc – and start spending $120,000 a year? Not in a good place, I'd venture to say! Well, Congress is like that! Deficits are not a function of tax cuts. They are not a function of revenue. They are a function of SPENDING.
 
The American People must become educated on economic realities. We must begin to understand big numbers.
 
  • A MILLION is 1000 Thousand. It is 10,000 $100 bills. It'll fit in a briefcase.

 

  • A BILLION is 1000 Million. If you stack 12 shipping pallets 7 feet high with $100 bills, you'll have a Billion dollars. It took 87 Billion dollars to run 2 wars for a year back before the Bush/Kerry election – remember? Kerry choked on this number – voting for it before voting against it! Remember that number. We'll refer to it again.

 

  • A TRILLION is 1000 Billion. This is also a 1,000,000 Million. (Imagine one MILLION briefcases, with a Million dollars in each!) This is how much we're adding to our debt each year under the Obama Administration.

 

Federal programs never cost what we're told they'll cost. The $787 Billion bailout (9 times the cost of that $87 Billion annual war!) is now $3.7 TRILLION! (42.5 times that $87 Billion war!) Kerry choked on $87 Billion, but the American people are supposed to swallow a bailout 42.5 times that size!

Americans must also understand economic terms:
  • Revenue: The amount of tax money actually collected.

 

  • Deficit: The amount spent over the amount of revenue.

 

  • Debt: The sum total shortfall between our spending and our revenue.

 

Our ANNUAL deficit presently is around a Trillion Dollars. Our Debt is over $13 Trillion.
 
What does that mean?
 
With approximately 250 million people in the USA, each BILLION represents $4.00 per person. That doesn't sound like much; until you realize that our current $13 Trillion debt is 13,000 Billion X $4 per billion = $52,000 debt PER PERSON in the USA.
 
Realize that in the 232 years before Obama took office, our nation had acquired a sum total debt of around 11 Trillion. Obama added another 2 Trillion in under 2 years! Remember, each Trillion costs $4000 PER PERSON! YOUR debt increased $8000 since Obama took office!
 
Learn these facts. Share them with your friends. Don't let Leftists get away with saying tax cuts will "cost" the government – it's not their money… it's YOURS – and besides, tax cuts will stimulate the economy and will raise revenues.
 
Don't let Leftists fan the flames of Class Warfare. You don't make the poor richer by making the rich poorer. It's NOT a zero sum game.
 
Don't let Leftists get away with the idea that a Trillion dollar deficit isn't a big deal, but a Billion dollar spending cut IS.
 
An educated voter is a conservative voter. Get educated. Educate others.
 
Educate. Motivate. Activate. Propogate.
Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (0) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive

Stand Up (LOUDLY) In Support of Murkowski Amendment

In all likelihood, you have either not heard of the Murkowski Amendment at all… or have heard advertisements against it claiming it is a “Bailout for Big Oil”, and presenting it as some way to ALLOW them to POLLUTE without restriction or penalty.

The Leftist Greenies have put together an extremely dishonest, inaccurate and misleading ad campaign against the Murkowski Amendment. And at least in my home market – they have come up with quite an interesting strategy: Advertising on CONSERVATIVE RADIO!
 
Huh?
 
Yeah. Check it out: It opens with a knock on the Bailout of the “Fat Cats on Wall Street”. Then on the Bailout of the Auto Industry. Then they say that lobbyists for Big Oil have cobbled together a “backroom deal” to circumvent “the rules” and allow them to “keep polluting”. They also invoke the image of the Gulf oil spill fouling our shores. They pepper the ad with buzzwords which might perk the ear of conservatives. Linking the amendment to bailouts and sneaky backroom legislation (you know… that stuff that Leftist Democrats do!) creates a negative impression in the mind of a Conservative. And the ad IS running on the Conservative stations. Unless one does his or her homework to learn WHAT the Murkowski Amendment IS… they might be easily swayed to stand AGAINST it!
 
Well, here’s what the Murkowski Amendment IS. It is THE DEFENSE against the EPA’s attempt to end-run around the failure of Congress to pass Cap and Trade – and to implement it’s destructive agenda by REGULATION rather than legislation!! The EPA has issued a “finding” that CO2 is a “pollutant” and falls under the EPA’s regulatory authority! That means the EPA will REGULATE C02 emissions… and since everything that breathes generates CO2, there is really NO LIMIT to the regulation they can impose!!
 
Will they suddenly slap a tax on you every time you pop a champagne cork, open a can or bottle of CARBONated Soda or pour a frosty cold one? As if the fisheries industry hasn’t suffered enough at the hands of BP… how will they survive if they outlaw dry ice (frozen CO2!)? Get the picture?
 
The science behind “global warming” is at least questionable and has suffered numerous blows to its credibility. CO2 is a NUTRIENT to our crops and virtually all the world’s flora. But I’m not going to waste space here debating the merits of the Global Warming debate. The point here is the EPA’s attempt to assume regulatory control by fiat as a means of implementing the Cap and Trade agenda without need for legislation which the Reid/Pelosi Congress has "failed to deliver" for the Leftists.
 
The Murkowski Amendment nullifies the EPA’s “findings” that CO2 is a pollutant, and strips the EPA of authority to regulate it. It PROTECTS us from an out-of-control, unelected and unaccountable "Barackracy" regulating virtually every aspect of life.
 
We must begin to EDUCATE, MOTIVATE and AGITATE on this – to bring public pressure on our Senators to support the Murkowski Amendment!
Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (0) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive

Cinco de Mayo and Flag Shirts

It’s been a few days since the May 5 incident where students were disciplined for wearing t-shirts bearing the image of an American Flag on Cinco de Mayo. I have paid close attention to the reports, commentary and punditry in the aftermath, and I am astounded that no one has yet made the points I am about to expound upon. Once you consider them, you may also find it surprising that such obvious conclusions could be so easily overlooked!

The school has demonstrated offensive prejudicial “racism” against its Hispanic students!!

Huh? Come again?

Yes, That’s what I said, and when you think about it, I think you’ll agree!!
 
In the statements of the District Superintendent, as he trotted out the Principal’s supposed apology, he stated quite matter-of-factly that the school’s ostensible justification for demanding the flag shirts be turned inside out was to “maintain order and prevent fights”.  So, then, the school was presuming that:
  1. The Hispanic population of the school is unwilling to accept the culture of the United States even to the point of respecting the flag of the nation in which they choose to live. They expected the Hispanics to take offense to the US Flag, though many of the Hispanic students were themselves US Citizens!
  2. Still more offensive, the school acted on the presumption that the Hispanic students would respond to this anticipated offense by resorting to thug-like violence.

Isn’t this a wee-bit prejudicial? Might it even fall under the banner of “racial profiling”? After all… isn’t the presumption of anticipated behavior on the basis of one’s ethnicity the very DEFINITION of racial profiling which the Left is SO vocally opposed to?

Furthermore, the school seems to be implying that the US should be modifying its culture to accommodate its immigrant population rather than expecting our immigrants to become PART of that culture and participate in the “great melting pot” that has characterized the American Experience since our founding. Is this the message our schools should be imparting to our young people?

So it seems the “apology” is as offensive as the act toward the flag-wearing students itself!

[Ed Note: Just out of curiosity; if I wear a flag shirt on St Patricks Day… should I expect violence from our Irish population? I would think not, as the Irish-American population has generally become an “AMERICAN” population. While even non-Irish Americans join in the celebration of St Paddy’s Day, (Heck – we ALL love a reason to have a party and drink a beer – and really isn’t that the REASON Cinco de Mayo is celebrated in the US anyway… a marketing ploy of Corona Beer?), there is no duality of cultures between the Irish and the rest of the nation’s populace.]

Some are calling for the firing or resignation of the Principal. It would not seem to me to be inappropriate for this individual to depart the position. Unfortunately, however, this would do little to diminish the pervasive, endemic problem of progressivist politically correct thought found throughout public education today!

Still… I would be remiss if I did NOT point out the hypocrisy of those who claim to be DEFENDING these Hispanics against so-called racism – by presuming they are separatist La-Raza type reconquistadores prone to violence!

Was I right? Are you amazed no one recognized this before now?

Copyright © 2010 by Doug Edelman

Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (0) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive

On Arizona and Immigration

Now that Arizona has passed its “controversial” law on illegal immigration, the pro-amnesty crowd is convulsing in a massive collective conniption fit! Unlike the imaginary “violence” of the Tea Parties, these people actually RIOT!

Liberals are disingenuously claiming that the law somehow promotes racism or profiling. They’re likening the law to Nazi oppression. They discount the fact that the law does not authorize checkpoints, stopping people to check their status etc. It simply authorizes police, in the course of their normal law enforcement, to check the status of people stopped for other reasons, and to detain those found to be illegally present in the country. This is nothing more than allowing AZ law enforcement officials to enforce the Federal Law!

Current events prompt me to revisit the issue of illegal immigration. It’s been a couple years since I’ve written on the subject – not since the defeat of the McCain/Kennedy/Bush “Comprehensive Immigration Reform”.

The simplistic yet necessary opening statement on this topic is also the most obvious: “What part of ILLEGAL don’t people understand?”

LEGAL immigrants of all nationalities are welcomed and appreciated. The issue of illegal immigration should not be clouded by specious claims of racism or xenophobia. These straw-man arguments serve only to distract from the true issue: There are people who violate our borders without authorization and have no right to be in the United States.

That said, the fact remains that there are an estimated 12 to 14 million people residing in the United States without benefit of legal status. Democrats see them as a potential block of blue voters. Many Republicans who are beholden to business interests rather than constitutional conservative values view them as a source of cheap labor for their corporate campaign contributors. But the vast majority of the American public (and virtually every Conservative Patriot) views them objectively as what they are: illegal trespassers who are a drain on precious resources, who take jobs from citizens and legal residents, etc.

There are so many misconceptions and so much misinformation behind the arguments for amnesty that it is important to address these arguments directly.

“These people are just coming here to better their lives.” OK – then come legally! To use this as an excuse for violating our sovereign borders makes as much sense as excusing a person who has been burglarizing the neighborhood so he could afford a better life for his kids! You don’t “better your life” by criminal activity!

“These are hardworking contributors to our economy.” Really? Yes, many illegals ARE hardworking and industrious laborers working for sub-par wages. But by taking those jobs they not only displace a LEGAL employee, but they artificially depress wages. Is that good for the economy? And how many “hard working” illegals are offset by other illegals living on government largesse? What is the effect on the economy and on the health system when all members of a family of 12 receive health benefits off a single MediCal card… and use the emergency room as their primary physician?

“If all the illegals were deported, there would be no restaurant workers, Laundromat workers, landscapers etc.” No, there would be a lot of “help wanted” signs, ads and postings! Unemployed citizens and legal residents would apply for and be hired for those positions. The economy would be strengthened as the unemployment rate would drop!

“We can’t deport 12 million people.” We wouldn’t have to if we took the following common sense steps!

  • SECURE the border and stanch the flow of illegal crossings
  • Deport every illegal when encountered . No need to have a round-up… but when an illegal is discovered in the normal course of law enforcement – whether an arrest or a routine traffic stop… ship them back to country of origin – whether Mexico, Latin America, Bosnia, China or France!
  • Strengthen sanctions against employers who hire illegals, and step up enforcement.
  • DISQUALIFY anyone who is not a citizen or legal permanent resident from receiving ANY Government entitlements.
  • DENY Citizenship, ever, for anyone who has violated our borders – regardless of any possible decriminalization or later legal residency.
  • END the “anchor baby” problem by a constitutional amendment clarifying citizenship (I wrote on this subject in 2007: http://www.smallgovtimes.com/story/07sep09.citizenship.devalued/index.html

If it is harder to get in, and for those who are already here, the supply of jobs and give-aways are dried up and they get sent home when discovered, and they can’t drop a baby with automatic citizenship; the incentive to come will diminish and the risk vs reward of being here illegally will increase. We will witness a mass exodus as illegals SELF-deport, and go home on their own.

Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (0) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive

What's Next for the Tea Parties? "EVANGELISM!"

So, the Tea Party Movement is well over a year old, and we’ve had the 2009 and 2010 Tax Day Tea Parties. Millions of conservatives and patriots have stopped privately growling at their TV news, and have started publicly expressing their views. The “silent majority” is silent no more, and the grassroots have become a force to recon with.

So what’s next? Rallies, signs and flag waving (whether Old Glory or the Gadsden flag) are great for what they are – a show of force of numbers… a motivation to the likeminded… a chance to share information… even a therapeutic catharsis! But a protest rally in and of itself doesn’t change minds or pressure our elected officials. So what are Tea Partiers and Patriots to do next?

“Conservative Evangelism”!

We have much to learn from the early church. In the first years, 11 apostles and under 100 disciples utilizing personal contacts and small gatherings were able to spread the word to millions!

Now, while we recognize that the Gospel was also guided and empowered by divine providence - and claiming no such ordination by God for the Tea Party movement... we can still be extremely effective in sharing the "good news" of common sense conservatism if we first equip ourselves as good soldiers of the message. We must become informed enough to hold our own when making the conservative case.

Next, we must ENCOURAGE the "brethren" by motivating the likeminded to also become involved. Not merely to vote in the general elections, but to vote in the primaries... to campaign for candidates that represent their views... to be informed voters... and to themselves become activist evangelists! This is the "IN-Reach" aspect of evangelism!

We must also faithfully perform the commission as OUT-Reach "evangelists" to make the case to the uninformed, the mis-informed, the unmotivated, the undecided and the unengaged. In other words, everyone who is NOT a committed leftist!

One-on-one "evangelism" has always been the most effective tool in the church, and it will be the most effective tool in the conservative arsenal as well. TALK to your neighbors, friends, co-workers and families!

Distribute conservative literature! A pocket constitution is a WONDERFUL start! How can we expect people to understand the assaults on our constitution if they aren't familiar with the document! In addition, perhaps we should begin to produce "tracts" which present the conservative message on single issues in a concise bifold pocket sized pamphlet.

EXPRESS your opinions. WRITE letters to the editor. Maybe post on social media or create a blog of your own. And of course, WRITE YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS - OFTEN! Make them recognize your name!

Evangelism in the church is sharing the good news of salvation - and if you believe that you're offering salvation from destruction that's a true motivation.

Similarly, evangelism in conservatism is sharing the message of freedom, liberty, and opportunity. If you believe you're offering freedom from oppression and tyranny - you should be strongly motivated!

Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (0) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive

A Post-ObamaCare Strategy

Now that the Pelosi House has rammed ObamaCare through and the President has signed it, opponents of the legislation have been wringing their hands over what to do next. “REPEAL” they shout.

The Obamabot Mainstream Media has already begun the counter-assault by framing the repeal argument as taking back goodies that people are celebrating as “Christmas gifts”! And, of course, taking away something now perceived as an “entitlement” is very difficult. 

We must shift our emphasis. The very distraction that caused the bill to pass… focusing on the minutiae rather than attacking the bill's overarching unconstitutional power grab and curtailment of liberty… is now threatening any efforts to keep this abomination legislation from going forward.

The uninformed see the bill as a cookiejar of goodies for them. The media hypes “how can you take that away?”

The stock market does not see an immediate drag on the economy, though one is coming down the pike. They do see near-term goodies for Big Pharma. The market rises, and then the lapdog media hypes “see, Wall Street likes ObamaCare”. (Never mind that Germany’s economy grew after the Enabling Act gave Hitler dictatorial powers… but we all know the results on liberty!)

So what to do?  How do we do away with 2000 pages of Government Takeover ObamaCare without appearing to be the Grinch that Stole Christmas?

Firstly, the narrative must focus NOT on abortion, deficits, spending, death panels or any other minutiae. The focus must be on unconstitutional usurping of power and limitation on individual liberty.

Next, along with the states’ lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of ObamaCare, efforts should be made to secure a restraining order from the Supreme Court to prevent ANY provisions of the act from being implemented pending the outcome of legal challenges to it’s constitutionality.

In addition, the Republicans should come together NOW and craft the alternative healthcare reform they WOULD have liked passed. Tort Reform, purchases across state lines, small-business cooperative group purchases, etc – along with some popular provisions from ObamaCare such as ending denials for pre-existing conditions and cancellations of coverage for poor health.  (Of course this bill must also include language permitting insurers to appropriately underwrite for those risks!) The new bill would also begin with the phrasing to the effect that, “ObamaCare is repealed in its entirety and replaced with the following.”

They should ALL Co-Sponsor this bill – written IDENTICALLY in the House and Senate, and introduce the bill as soon as it's written. (Yes, it will never see the light of day in a committe of the 111th Congress.) They should post this “Healthcare Reform Repair Act of 2010” bill online, and all conservative candidates, whether incumbents or challengers, should pledge and campaign that the first act of a conservative majority after the election would be to pass the Healthcare Reform Repair Act!

By writing INTO the repeal legislation the REPLACEMENT legislation, and by KEEPING the “goodies” that have been touted in ObamaCare while repealing the Government Takeover… we not only win the policy and ideological battles, but the propaganda battle for public opinion.

The Progressives have awakened the sleeping conservative giant. They have no idea how big and strong that giant is. We have lost a battle, but are regrouping for a counterattack which will decimate their movement.

Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (1) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive

Obama's St Louis Trip Proves He's "President Fizzle"

There is a joke going around the internet lately to the effect that President Obama should be given an Olympic Gold Medal – as nobody has ever gone downhill so fast before!

Given the Rasmussen tracking polls showing him at his lowest numbers to date, (-21 index, with strong approval numbers at 22% and strong disapproval at 43%) President Obama’s approval has sunk to near Bush levels only a year after taking office with 65% approval ratings!

Just 38 days after he was sworn in, the first Tea Parties took place, and in the year since, the Tea Party Movement is more popular than the President, the Republicans or the Democrats!

Obama’s trip to St Louis was planned as a fund raiser for Senator Claire McCaskill – an early Obama supporter during his campaign. McCaskill is not up for re-election until 2012! She HAS seen her popularity plunge since she continues to support Obama’s policies - ObamaCare in particular… but Obama is raising funds for her 2 years before she’s up for re-election? In a state where retiring Senator Kit Bond’s seat is up for grabs and Democratic Secretary of State Robin Carnahan is trying to capture it in a competitive race with presumptive Republican Nominee, Roy Blunt? And Carnahan doesn’t even make an APPEARANCE at Obama’s morning speech or evening fundraiser? Are both Obama and Carnahan actually ACKNOWLEGING that Obama’s support is a kiss of death for a candidate?

The President hastily added a speech at a nearby school in St Charles to his scheduled trip to the St Louis Area for McCaskill’s fundraiser. Some speculated that this was done to attempt to counter a previously scheduled Town Hall against his healthcare agenda, put together by Congressman Todd Akin, which was to take place that morning in St Charles. Others offered the possible explanation that by visiting the school it became an “official” visit to the city and thus would not have to be charged to the McCaskill or Carnahan campaigns as a campaign visit.

Gateway Pundit covered the TownHall here: http://gatewaypundit.firstthings.com/2010/03/liveblogging-the-anti-obamacare-blowout-in-st-charles-mo-standing-room-only/  

The school speech was a carefully controlled event – closed door, invited guests only. Several hundred protesters were on hand to voice their opposition to ObamaCare, with only a smattering of Obama supporters demonstrating outside.

The fundraiser was almost comical in its desperation. McCaskill commented how everyone wants them to scrap ObamaCare and start over. (Umm… YEAH! Clue?) She dismissed the idea with that “we know better than everyone” attitude. Then the President defended his ramming thru the despised legislation saying that he is not there to do what is popular, but he has a higher calling! (They’re STARTING to get that we DON’T Want it!) All this while thousands of Tea Partiers demonstrated outside, shaming the couple hundred Obama supporters into leaving early – after succumbing in several chanting matches!

See Gateway Pundit’s coverage of the downtown event here: http://gatewaypundit.firstthings.com/2010/03/2300-turn-out-to-protest-obama-in-st-louis/  And the St Louis Post Dispatch’s story on the Obama Fundraiser here: http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/politics/story/35DA0406C62645E3862576E30018F024? OpenDocument

Obama has pushed an agenda to “Fundamentally Transform” America. People have woken to the fact that that transformation is from a Representative Republic into a Socialist Oligarchy – and they are rejecting it.

Thanks to the Tea Party Movement and other conservative/patriot grassroots efforts, his agenda has largely been held in check, though Obama/Pelosi/Reid have managed to pass spending which has quadrupled the deficit and projects TRILLION dollar annual deficits for the next decade. ObamaCare – once on track to pass before the summer recess – has been held back through Nanna Nancy’s “Christmas Present” pronouncement, and still has yet to pass. Cap and Trade has been held at bay. Guantanamo is still open, and KSM isn’t coming to NY. Obama actually surged Afghanistan troops (though only by ¾ the level asked for).

The Golden Boy, Messiah-King, Annointed One who descended from the clouds on January 20, 2008 kept right on descending right into the lowest of valleys! President “Flash in the Pan” has FIZZLED. Worse than a lame duck – he is now a liability to his party, and they’re HIDING from him.

We can only hope that the Democrats’ fear of riding Obama’s coat-tails into oblivion will translate into some “NO” votes on the impending ObamaCare votes!

Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (1) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive

St Louis Celebrates Tea Party Anniversary - With a Tea Party!

 
Despite the date conflicting with Missouri Lincoln days, a 2nd Amendment Rally, and an event with State Rep Icet, St Louis Tea Party Coalition organizers staged an event at the St Louis Riverfront under the Gateway Arch, to commemorate and celebrate the one year anniversary of the very first Tea Party, at the very site where it all began.

This gathering was different from previous Tea Party events, however. It was not primarily intended to protest, to make a statement, to get the attention of Washington or the Media. This was a celebration. This was a fellowship of the like-minded. This was a motivational challenge to the movement.
 
The album of videos from this event can be seen at: http://www.vimeo.com/album/188245
 
When questioned about the small turnout at this event compared to other recent St Louis Tea Party events, Organizer Gina Loudon (http://drginaloudon.com/) stated,
 
“This was much larger than we intended it to be. Bill (Organizer, Bill Hennesy) wanted this small and low key. Our goal was to gather everyone who could be there from last year in Feb (and anyone else who would like to be) just to commemorate the day in a low key way. It was a great crowd, they were in a great mood, and it was about twice the # of people as last year with ZERO pumping or marketing of any kind. We were actually surprised at the #'s because of Lincoln Days, the 2nd amendment rally, The Icet event, etc etc.
 
We had offers of free national speakers that we are saving because Bill wanted this low key.”
 
That’s not to say it wasn’t a well-attended or lively event!
 
Though a far cry from the 10,000+ attendees filling Keiner plaza on tax day, several thousand did crowd the steps under the Gateway Arch to hear organizers including Dana Loesch, Jim Hoft (perhaps better known as the “Gateway Pundit”), Gina Loudon, and others.
 
One might point out to MSNBC that 2 of the speakers, Stephanie Rubach and Jay Stewart, are African-American conservatives! (Folks like Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews seem to believe that the Tea Parties are monochromatically white.)
 
The speakers came with a common theme: to equip and motivate and encourage the grassroots to be PERSONALLY active.
 
Jim Hoft brought the message “You Are Not Alone”. He highlighted how from the very first Tea Parties a year ago, St Louis patriots were united with those in numerous other cities, and that the combined voices of many common-folk individual have been effective in holding the Progressive Agenda at bay.
 
One year ago, after the first Tea Party, I wrote: “Whether this “Tea Party” movement has legs, or is simply a vent of frustration by a decimated and impotent conservative constituency remains to be seen…” One year later, it would appear that question has been answered! The Tea Party movement is now a year old. It continues to grow. It continues to be a force to be reckoned with. And it’s not going away.
Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (0) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive

Stimulus & Tea Parties - One Year Later

So, here we are, a year out from the Stimulus Package – and where are we?
Let’s review the last year. It’s been a wild ride!
 
The Housing Bubble had burst. TARP was passed. The torch had been passed from the despised George W Bush to the newly inaugurated “Annointed One”. And the “Stimulus” was brought forth as the salvation for our nation. We stood on the brink… Without the stimulus we would fall over the edge into the abyss.
 
Unemployment was rising. The economy was failing. We had to pass the Stimulus IMMEDIATELY or we’d have a catastrophe. Without the Stimulus, we’d see unemployment get as bad as 8%!!
 
So the Stimulus passed, and the Omnibus spending bill which TRIPLED the previous deficit also passed. Goldman Sachs and other fat-cat cronies of the Democrat Party were bailed out. GM & Chrysler became wards of the state. Tax & Spend policies were turned loose to run amok in such an unprecedented manner that drunken sailors were chanting for temperance!!
 
How many times in the last year, have we heard how these actions “pulled us back from the brink”? But rhetoric notwithstanding, reality seems to indicate that we did indeed fall over that brink, and are currently freefalling inside that abyss!! When the Stimulus passed, 8% unemployment seemed like a catastrophe WORTH spending 787 Billion dollars to prevent! But it DIDN’T WORK – we now have unemployment over 10%. The deficit has now almost been QUADRUPLED and the debt limit is being raised almost monthly!
 
Big numbers are confusing so let’s break them down for clarity: There are approximately 250 million people in the country (men, women & children), so that means it costs every human-being in the USA approximately $4 for every Billion dollars congress spends. Maybe that doesn’t sound like a lot… till you realize that they’re spending so much that AFTER THEY SPEND EVERYTHING THEY’RE CURRENTLY RECEIVING, they’re spending more than an additional $3 Billion EVERY DAY! Over a TRILLION a year! That’s DEBT! That’s money you haven’t given them yet, but you OWE!! Every TRILLION is $4000 owed per person (not per family!)!
 
Our current debt is over $13 Trillion. So you now owe $52,000 over and above your CURRENT tax burden that they’ve already spent! And so do your kids. And they’ve raised the debt limit to almost 15 Trillion. And how soon before they hit THAT ceiling? (At what point do they max out the credit card and HAVE to stop spending??)
 
Well… Let's have a look at what else has happened over the last year:
 
Just days after the “Spendulus” or “Porkulus” bill passed the House; Rick Santelli made a now-famous rant on the floor of the Chicago Board of Trade – calling for a “New American Tea Party”! Little did he know that these words would spawn a grassroots movement, the likes of which have not been seen since 1775!
 
Within days, on February 27, hundreds of cities saw the first Tea Parties. Some were small; and some were larger. The largest on that day occurred under the St Louis Arch at the Mississippi riverfront. Organizers expected only a couple hundred dedicated souls; but well over 1200 showed up on a cold, dreary February Friday Afternoon! Productive working people took their lunch hours, or took time off work to send a message to Washington that they rejected BIG GOVERNMENT! (Unemployed people and students were there too – proclaiming how they REJECT dependency upon Government even in the midst of their own hardships!)
 
On the heels of the Stimulus & Omnibus, the march was on for Socialized Healthcare. By April 15 (Tax Day) the sleeping giant of the American Patriot was fully awakened and engaged – and enraged! The Tax Day Tea Parties were even larger. A MOVEMENT was underway. People were becoming INFORMED about the healthcare bill soon to be dubbed “ObamaCare”. The more they learned about it, the less they liked it. And they let their elected representatives know about it.
 
As Congress departed Washington for their summer recess… they got an EARFUL from their constituents. The Town-Halls of the summer of 2009 will go down in history as the re-emergence of the American Patriot Spirit!
 
Grannies stood up, pointing fingers and scolding their congressmen! Servicemen, young people, housewives and students all stood up at these town halls and gave congress a piece of their mind. They rejected the spending. They rejected the encroachment and enlargement of Government. They opposed Socialism. They opposed Cap and Trade. They opposed the taxes. And most of all, they resisted “ObamaCare.”
 
On 9/12, over a million Americans made their way to Washington, DC to march on the Mall against the Progressive Agenda. Smaller events simultaneously took place across the nation, with a sizeable turnout in Quincy, IL!
 
To date the “conservative resistance” has been very successful!
 
Obama has not been able to pass his Government Takeover of Healthcare. Cap and Trade has been forestalled. The Global Warming Hoax is being exposed. ACORN has been exposed. Gitmo is still open. Iraq/Afghanistan troops have been reinforced (though only receiving ¾ of the troop levels asked for!). McCain Feingold has been overturned by the Supreme Court. Gun rights have been UPHELD by the Court. We’ve seen election turnarounds in NJ, VA and MA. The NY-23 race showed that RINO Republicans can’t count on support from conservatives. And Scott Brown proved that NO seat is safe for the Democrats. Michael Steele is begging Tea Party Leaders to meet with him!
 
In all, perhaps the Conservative Majority has much to THANK Mr. Obama for in the last year!
 
Of course, Obama is STILL saying how all our problems pre-dated him, and he inherited them!
 
Surprisingly, he’s right to a degree. After almost 6 years of economic growth after 9/11… Our problems DID begin during the Bush Administration… Right after the 2006 elections, with the takeover of the congressional majority by the Democrats!
 
February 27, 2010 marks the one year anniversary of the Tea Parties. Rallies are taking place, notably in St Louis, to commemorate one year of Effective Conservative Resistance. It will be interesting to see what the 2nd year of this Patriot Movement has in store.
Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (0) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive

The State of the Union: #FAIL



Obama Fail

The Scott Brown election sent a cold chill through the Washington Democrat establishment. FINALLY they have begun to understand that there is a pervasive, universal, vocal and VOTING dissatisfaction with them!

Sadly, at least according to their public statements, they still don’t quite comprehend WHO is angry, WHAT they’re angry about, or WHAT to do about it!

They think that there is opposition to the PACE of healthcare reform, and that they should FOCUS on JOBS.

It still hasn’t occurred to them that the opposition to ObamaCare is because ObamaCare STINKS! It is a government takeover… a power grab. It doesn’t cover everyone. It doesn’t lower costs. It rations care. It will drive physicians out of practice, reducing availability of service. In short – it’s BAD law and the people don’t want it.

But I digress.

Now the Dems think they will earn favor by turning their destructo-beam of attention on jobs. That means they’re going to try to DO something about job “creation” by spending more tax money. Sadly, Progressives still don’t understand that government doesn’t create jobs (except for where they hire more government workers to do jobs that private industry could do better… like TSA!)

Job creation is done by Private Enterprise. Big Corporations represent a good portion of employment, but the most new jobs are created by SMALL BUSINESSES. And it’s small business that progressive policies hurt the most.

What causes job loss?

The quick and easy answer is “the economy”. And, of course, our current economic woes are the result of Progressive policies, from the Community Reinvestment Act to the failure to exercise oversight over the Fannie/Freddie mess back when they had opportunity during the 2005 hearings (when Lefties like Maxine Waters PRAISED the OUTSTANDING leadership of Franklin Raines… but I digress again!), to quadrupling the federal deficit in one year to increasing the debt to over $13 Trillion, to expanding government exponentially and on and on.

(To put that debt into perspective, with approximately 250 million people (all ages and employment statuses) in the US, that means each and every man, woman and child of us owes $4 for every billion dollars they spend. A Trillion is 1000 Billion so we each owe $4000 for every Trillion. $13 Trillion in debt means that we owe $52,000 for every man, woman and child in the nation… AND THEY’RE STILL SPENDING in a way that would insult drunken sailors if I were to use that simile! They’re increasing our debt load by over $4000 per person every year for the next decade!)

What CREATES jobs?

When Government GETS OUT OF THE WAY, economic recovery happens and the engine that drives our economy begins to chug. Consumers begin to buy. Companies begin to grow and expand. Durable goods orders increase. Investor confidence increases and money flows. Companies hire employees to meet the increased demands.

Tax cuts have spurred the economy AND INCREASED REVENUE to the federal government EVERY time they’ve been tried.

Kennedy, Reagan and Bush all reduced taxes – and every time the economy experienced an extended period of growth… AND revenues to the treasury increased.

Progressive rhetoric always presumes a zero sum game… cutting taxes means less revenue. But in reality that this is a completely false premise. Just as raising tax rates does not increase revenues.   (We’re seeing increased deficit numbers right now, because of decreased revenues due to the slowdown in the economy!)

What you subsidize, you get more of. What you tax, you get less of. When you raise taxes, you slow the economy. Jobs are lost and there are less tax payers. When you lower tax rates, the economy is revved up and there are more taxpayers making more money, and generating more revenue.

Picture this: Which nets you more… taking 50% of a 6” pie or taking 33% of a 12” pie? Well, a 6” pie is roughly 18 square inches netting you 9 square inches if you take half. A 12” pie is roughly 36 square inches, so 33% would be around 12 square inches. Cutting your rate from 50% to 33% nets you more pie… if your pie grows from 6” to 12”

The economy works the same way. Cutting taxes grows the pie. A smaller portion of a bigger pie still nets you more revenue.

The more Government is involved in the economy, the less efficiently the economy operates. The government took over GM and Chrysler. They pumped massive influxes of billions of dollars into these companies. They’re still failing and losing money.

Ford, on the other hand, took no government bailout. They’re making money.

The Administration has proposed a “deficit cutting commission” (for AFTER November’s elections!). Rest assured that the purpose is not to find ways to cut spending (except maybe for the military!). They will conclude that they don’t have enough revenue to meet their level of spending, so they need to raise taxes to cover it!! As if that wouldn’t be the final nail in the coffin of the economy!

No, if the Progressives in government today REALLY want to see job growth, they should:

Make the Bush Tax Cuts permanent and make further tax cuts.

Reduce regulations on corporations such as Sarbanes Oxley and other oppressive rules that punish the law abiding and which don’t hinder the unscrupulous.

Discontinue the so-called stimulus and return all unspent funds from that legislation to the general fund.

Abandon Cap and Trade and the ObamaCare takeover of Healthcare – and eliminate all the new spending authorized in 2009.

Vow to never bail out another private business. Proclaim that failure IS an option in a Capitalistic Republic. But assure the OPPORTUNITY for success is unfettered by government

Make across the board spending cuts throughout government.

Create NO new bureaucracies.

REDUCE the size and influence of government. Get the government OUT of everything not constitutionally designated to the Federal Government. And quit interpreting the “Interstate Commerce” clause to authorize federal meddling in virtually anything and everything! The constitution exists to LIMIT government and to ASSURE personal freedom!

Negotiate to refinance our existing debt at a lower rate based on our implementation of the above and the resultant economic stimulus which will bolster our dollar.

Of course, this would mean the Progressives would have to become Fiscal Conservatives… and this is unlikely to happen. Therefore, it becomes incumbent upon the American people to REPLACE the Progressives in power today with Conservatives, come election time.

Based on recent events in New Jersey, Virginia and now Massachusetts (or is it Massachusettes?), it would appear that, perhaps, the sleeping giant of the American Voting Populace and the so-called “silent majority” is now awake and no longer silent.

We can only hope.

Copyright © 2010 by Doug Edelman

Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (0) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive

MASS x Velocity = Momentum!

The Massachusetts Miracle, they’re calling it.

Scott Brown’s Senate victory has shaken the very foundations of “conventional wisdom” political punditry on a scale comparable to the Haitian earthquake.

One day short of the first anniversary of President Obama’s inauguration, the Democrats are unable to hold a Senate seat in a state bluer than an asphyxiated smurf… a seat held by Teddy Kennedy since 1962! And the seat went to a political newcomer, unheard of 6 months ago!

Scott Brown did not campaign against Coakley… he campaigned against the Obama Agenda, and won by 5 points in MASSACHUSETTS! (It was quite amusing to observe Rachel Madow and Keith Olbermann melting down as they covered the event!) In so doing, he became the 41st vote in the Senate – ending the 60 vote filibuster-proof supermajority enjoyed by Harry Reid’s Democratic Senate. Singlehandedly, Scott Brown is more worthy of the title “Game Changer” than all those individuals discussed in the Halperin book! His election fundamentally transforms Obama’s fundamental transformation!

Putting on their best Game Face, the left will spin the Brown victory as a local race against a bad candidate, and not reflective of the fundamental shift of the American voting populace toward the right… but privately they must be knocked back on their heels! Will this obvious repudiation of the Progressive Agenda cause some to rethink and moderate their playing along with the steamroller tactics of Obama/Pelosi/Reid for the sake of their own political lives? It remains to be seen – but it is hard to imagine that there aren’t SOME who will be able to read the tea leaves (pun intended) and at least make a feeble attempt to distance themselves from the March to Marxism.

The Left did their best to dismiss election results in Virginia and New Jersey. They cannot ignore Massachusetts. It’s their BASE. Boston is the virtual CAPITOL of the Liberal Northeast! Can you say MOMENTUM?

If I may, for a moment, digress and pay homage to the prophet of the 60s, Bob Dylan:

Come senators, congressmen, Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway, Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside, And it is ragin'.
It'll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'.


An interesting side note to the Brown race, however, was not found in the panic on the left – but in a rift on the right. A small but vocal and vociferous enclave of conservatives who are single-minded on the Pro-Life issue actually OPPOSED Scott Brown – believing him to fall short of their purist idealism on that issue. These single-issue purists are unwilling to accept incremental victories, and cannot moderate this issue for the sake of advancing fiscal responsibility, promotion of personal liberty and personal responsibility, and other clearly conservative issues.

This mindset is similar to that of the Conservatives who, once faced with the choice between McCain (bad) and Obama (worse), chose to sit out rather than oppose Obama. So now they are suffering the ravages of an Obama Administration!
 
Scott Brown is not a Pro-Choicer. He has stated he is not making a priority of overturning Roe v Wade. Instead, for the time being, he is pragmatically supporting efforts to reduce the number of and demand for abortions by promoting adoption, and assisting mothers in KEEPING their babies; opposing tax funding of abortion, and supporting parental notification laws etc. So what’s wrong with that?

Roe v Wade, for all the arguments against it as bad law and for all the moral outrage against it, IS the law of the land until and unless it is overturned. The ONLY way to overturn it is to have a sympathetic majority of Supreme Court Justices, and a case before them to test the law. We do not have that majority and as long as Obama is President, no sympathetic judges will be nominated. In the meantime, is it not a better use of resources and political capital to work WITHIN the framework of the existing law to restrict funding for abortion, to promote abortion alternatives, to support parental notification, to educate the public on the realities of fetal development etc? Scott Brown supports these.

It would serve the pro-life movement well if they were to understand that small victories are victories, and that an overnight elimination of abortion is just not going to happen. There is much wisdom in the application of the Serenity Prayer: CHANGE what you CAN. ACCEPT what you can’t. UNDERSTAND what you can and can’t change.
Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (0) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive