Wednesday, November 30, 2011

CARPE DIEM: Green Junk: 15k Abandonded Windmills Litter the Landscape; Symbols of a Dying Climate Religion

CARPE DIEM: Green Junk: 15k Abandonded Windmills Litter the Landscape; Symbols of a Dying Climate Religion:
"The symbol of Green renewable energy, our savior from the non existent problem of "Global Warming," abandoned wind farms are starting to litter the planet as globally governments cut the subsidies taxes that consumers pay for the privilege of having a very expensive power source that does not work every day for various reasons like it’s too cold or the wind speed is too high."

'David Plouffe Now Acting as President of the United States' | The Weekly Standard

'David Plouffe Now Acting as President of the United States' | The Weekly Standard:
“This is historic, historically low approval ratings and you look at him in the White House now, I would say that he's more isolated than any president in modern American history,” Scarborough, a former Republican congressman, said of President Obama. “Most of his staff have left. And he's basically in there with one or two people. Some have suggested that David Plouffe is now acting as president of the United States because they are running the campaign. But you look, he doesn't have his close advisers around him. He's got Valerie, but everybody else has scattered.”

How going green goes against the environment - National Libertarian news | Examiner.com

How going green goes against the environment - National Libertarian news | Examiner.com:
Libertarians rightfully insist that all environmental trade-offs be considered. Otherwise it isn't environmentalism, its just politics.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Investor Leon Cooperman Sends Monster, Scathing Letter To Obama

Investor Leon Cooperman Sends Monster, Scathing Letter To Obama:
In the three page letter, Cooperman outlines his grievances with Obama's administration, calling his policy decisions "profligate and largely ineffectual" and calling Obama out for using a political rhetoric that promotes the ideas of class warfare.

100 Reasons to End The FedSilver Circle Underground | Silver Circle Underground

100 Reasons to End The FedSilver Circle Underground | Silver Circle Underground

CARPE DIEM: U.S. Nat Gas Production Hits New Record in Sept.

CARPE DIEM: U.S. Nat Gas Production Hits New Record in Sept.:
"Shale gas has turned the American energy market on its head. Production has soared twelve-fold since 2000, to 4.9 trillion cubic feet, or a quarter of the country’s total gas output. By 2035 the proportion could rise to half. As the shale gas flows, prices have come crashing down. Not long ago, America depended on imports of liquefied natural gas. Now it is likely to become a gas exporter. These benefits have not gone unnoticed in Europe."

Blazing Cat Fur: Pat Condell - The Gathering Storm

Blazing Cat Fur: Pat Condell - The Gathering Storm

Political Winds are Shifting on Medicare � Commentary Magazine

Political Winds are Shifting on Medicare � Commentary Magazine:
We’re still a long way from building a bi-partisan consensus on this issue. And some Democrats will undoubtedly try to use the Medicare issue to their advantage in the 2012 election. But my sense is that we’re in a different era, one in which “Mediscare” attacks will be much less potent than in the past. The math is incontestable and, unless significant changes are made to Medicare, a fiscal crisis is unavoidable. As a result, the political winds are shifting. And it looks as if those who argued that Republicans who voted in favor of structural reforms for Medicare (via the House GOP budget in April) were engaging in a political suicide mission were wrong. In fact, they were doing what needed to be done: putting forth arguments on behalf of a policy whose time has come. All honor is due them.

Bureaucrats Gone Wild

 

This narrator probably won’t get rich, like the guy who did the “Girls Gone Wild” videos, but this is the second-best video I’ve ever seen on the bloated and overpaid government workforce.

I especially like how he understands that the problem is the size of government, and I also admire his recognition that Republicans often are just as bad as Democrats.

He also highlights the danger of creating a society where a majority of people are moochers instead of producers.

By the way, here’s the…ahem…best video I’ve ever seen on the topic of costly and excessive bureaucracy.

Actually, I don’t care which video you prefer, so long as you are outraged by the fact that federal bureaucrats get twice as much compensation as people in the productive sector of the economy.

Bureaucrats Gone Wild
Dan Mitchell
Tue, 29 Nov 2011 15:05:11 GMT

Herman Cain Is 'Reassessing' His White House Bid After New Sex Scandal

Herman Cain Is 'Reassessing' His White House Bid After New Sex Scandal:
The National Review is reporting that Herman Cain is now "reassessing" whether he will remain in the 2012 Republican race, following reports that he had a 13-year extramarital affair.

Robert Costa reports that Cain gave senior staff the news on a conference call today, and said that he would make a decision of the "next several days."

“We Have Lost the City”: Lawlessness Permeates Islamic District in Oslo

“We Have Lost the City”: Lawlessness Permeates Islamic District in Oslo:
The article below concerns the apocalyptic level of culturally-enriched violence in Gr�nland, a district of the city of Oslo. Fjordman sends this background material about the area:

BLANKLEY: Breaking the partisan fever - Washington Times

BLANKLEY: Breaking the partisan fever - Washington Times:
The heart of the matter is that Americans are deeply divided between resisting and embracing a Europeanized, post-constitutional American economy, government and culture. This decision can no more be compromised behind closed doors with no one watching than could the question of civil rights and creation of the welfare state in the 1950s and ‘60s, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s labor-oriented statism in the 1930s, slavery in the 1850s and ‘60s or Andrew Jackson’s rights of the common man in the 1830s. Each of those historic epochs were brought on by decisive and sustained shifts in national majority opinion.

Today, the nation awaits decisive leadership to make its case to a sustainable working majority of the American people. Of course, there will be compromises - plenty of them - in working out the details that will follow from a new national vision.

But, before the compromises must come a vision of America’s future that grabs and holds for at least a decade or two the enthusiastic support of at least 55 percent of the American people.

Divisive, dysfunctional, partisan politics is not the cause of our problems. It is the symptom of a decades-long lack of visionary leadership capable of galvanizing a majority of Americans to decisive action. Throwing away the thermometer will not break the fever.

Has the Dependency Endgame Arrived? - HUMAN EVENTS

Has the Dependency Endgame Arrived? - HUMAN EVENTS:
Have we reached the point of no return, where Democrats can cobble together a political perpetual-motion machine from those who work for the State, those who depend upon the largesse of the State, and those who worship the State? I have the sense we’re a few elections away from the optimal launch date. Obama’s excesses have jump-started this new political strategy out of desperation. The middle class is still too large, and too keenly aware that the Democrat future is a death trap. The methods necessary to cloud their senses in 2012 will be… what’s the word? Divisive.

How Radical is Obama? This Radical… | Right Wing News

How Radical is Obama? This Radical… | Right Wing News:
Barack Obama is very successful at one thing: the bait and switch. He stands before America presenting a picture of a hard-working moderate and claims that he wants to work with the Republicans to get things done. In reality he won’t even meet with them. He talks about compromise, but never offers any. He mouths kind words abut the business sector but uses his powers to make new regulations to destroy its profitability. In short, he’s a radical even though he doesn’t play one on TV. His modus operandi is to assume most voters are too stupid, lazy, or disinterested to compare his hope-n-change rhetoric with his actions.

Monday, November 28, 2011

Clayton Cramer's Blog: More Signs of Decline and Fall

Clayton Cramer's Blog: More Signs of Decline and Fall:
The core problem, unfortunately, is that when a society reaches a point where it worships sex, it seems to be very difficult for many people--especially those who are well-educated, intelligent, and therefore superior to the ignorant unwashed masses (who just cling to their guns and Bibles)--to recognize that there are limits
.

Yeah, We Are Probably Boned | Daily Pundit

Yeah, We Are Probably Boned | Daily Pundit:
Politicians live to cater to the mob. And if there is one thing the mob wants and loves, it is getting what it thinks is something for nothing. Unfortunately, the mob is stupid, and incapable of understanding that there is no such thing. The payoff always comes, the bills are always paid, in full, and the Gods of the Copybook Headings always return with terror and slaughter.

I still fight, but I’m no longer sanguine that the battle can be won. Not in the United States, at least. Suicide may just be an unalterable facet of human nature, in this case being nothing more than an inseparable adjunct to the greed that engenders it.

Re: Wake Me When the Meaningless Deficit Arguments End - By Mark Steyn - The Corner - National Review Online

Re: Wake Me When the Meaningless Deficit Arguments End - By Mark Steyn - The Corner - National Review Online:
Moral relativism has done so much damage to the bottom end of this country, the bottom fifth has been damaged by the culture of moral relativism more than by anything else, I would argue. If you ask me what the biggest problem in America is, I’m not going to tell you debt, deficits, statistics, economics — I’ll tell you it’s moral relativism. Now is it my job to fix that as a congressman? No, but I can do damage to it. But it’s the job of parents to raise their kids … But let’s not ignore it. These things go beyond statistics, they go into the culture. As a policymaker, I simply make that as an observation, not that I have an answer and a bill I can pass in Congress and to fix that.

Gingrich: I’m Not ‘Perfect,’ But ‘More Conservative’ than Romney - By Katrina Trinko - The Corner - National Review Online

Gingrich: I’m Not ‘Perfect,’ But ‘More Conservative’ than Romney - By Katrina Trinko - The Corner - National Review Online:
“I don’t claim to be the perfect candidate, I just claim to be a lot more conservative than Mitt Romney and a lot more electable than anybody else,” Gingrich said, according to CNN.

That Bank Bailout Was Way Bigger Than Anyone Thought - Business - The Atlantic Wire

That Bank Bailout Was Way Bigger Than Anyone Thought - Business - The Atlantic Wire:
Remember the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program with which the federal government came to the rescue of faltering banks in 2008? Well, according to a Bloomberg report, that was just a fraction of the financial help the Federal Reserve Bank wound up doling out to troubled lenders. The real total was reportedly closer to $8 trillion, after you add up benefits outside TARP, including emergency loans given at below-market rates:

Althouse: Despite unemployment, there is a shortage of applicants for skilled jobs.

Althouse: Despite unemployment, there is a shortage of applicants for skilled jobs.:
According to the Wall Street Journal article, large numbers of skilled laborers are retiring these days and it's difficult to replace them in part because of the lack of high-school level vocational training. Consider all the money dumped into college tuition; young people could be getting free training in high school for "secure, well-paying jobs with good benefits... don't require a college degree."

NYT Campaign Blog: Obama Will Explicitly Give Up on the Working Class White Vote Like No Democrat Before Him Ever Has

NYT Campaign Blog: Obama Will Explicitly Give Up on the Working Class White Vote Like No Democrat Before Him Ever Has:
For decades, Democrats have suffered continuous and increasingly severe losses among white voters. But preparations by Democratic operatives for the 2012 election make it clear for the first time that the party will explicitly abandon the white working class.

All pretence of trying to win a majority of the white working class has been effectively jettisoned in favor of cementing a center-left coalition made up, on the one hand, of voters who have gotten ahead on the basis of educational attainment — professors, artists, designers, editors, human resources managers, lawyers, librarians, social workers, teachers and therapists — and a second, substantial constituency of lower-income voters who are disproportionately African-American and Hispanic.

Say Anything � New Climategate Emails Show Scientists Colluding With Government On Global Warming Research � Say Anything

Say Anything � New Climategate Emails Show Scientists Colluding With Government On Global Warming Research � Say Anything:
Last week there was another leak of “climategate” emails, 5,000 or so to be exact, and as those emails are combed over a lot of things we already know are becoming clear. Namely, that the “scientific consensus” used to bludgeon climate change skeptics into science is anything but scientific, but rather wholly political.

FDA Considers Mandatory Salt Reductions | Cato @ Liberty

FDA Considers Mandatory Salt Reductions | Cato @ Liberty:
With little publicity, the federal Food and Drug Administration has begun laying groundwork for one of the more audacious regulatory initiatives of the Obama administration: mandatory reductions in the salt content of processed foods in the supermarket aisle and at restaurants.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Privatize the nation’s mail delivery - The Washington Post

Privatize the nation’s mail delivery - The Washington Post:
The fact that delivering the mail is one of the very few things the federal government does that the Constitution specifically authorizes (Article I, Section 8: “The Congress shall have power to . . . establish post offices and post roads”) does not mean it must do it. Surely the government could cede this function to the private sector, which probably could have a satisfactory substitute system functioning quicker than you can say “FedEx,” “UPS” and “Wal-Mart.”

Public utility commission and FERC board slam EPA: it "ambushed" utilities, will cause "widespread and uncontrolled blackouts"

Public utility commission and FERC board slam EPA: it "ambushed" utilities, will cause "widespread and uncontrolled blackouts":
The electric grid is in grave danger thanks to the EPA's arbitrary and draconian new regulations for utilities. Oh, and that's not just according to the utilities impacted by the agency's hastily constructed rules, it's a message echoed by public utility boards and the Midwest's seven-state Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Is the global warming scare the greatest delusion in history? - Telegraph

Is the global warming scare the greatest delusion in history? - Telegraph:
The scare over man-made global warming is not only the scientific scandal of our generation, but a suicidal flight from reality.

Nourishing Bourgeois Culture

Nourishing Bourgeois Culture:
The bouts of famine that still haunt Africa were routine throughout history and the globe. These were ended only when, only where, and only to the extent that bourgeois culture and its adornments – chiefly, reasonably free entrepreneurial markets – flourished. To recognize this fact is to rob western busybodies of sexy agendas; but it is also to point the only way toward real prosperity for Africans.

For Republicans Gingrich is the Only Choice | ZeroHedge

For Republicans Gingrich is the Only Choice | ZeroHedge:
To me Newt is the only credible conservative in the presidential race for 2012, but one who brings a mixture of core American values, real world experience and a pragmatic, compassionate approach to a range of issues. Gingrich wants to facilitate real change in America, while Romney only wants to run the welfare state better. And Newt Gingrich is not afraid to call Barack Obama a socialist in a national presidential debate. That is why I support Newt Gingrich for the Republican nomination for the presidency.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Second leak of climate emails: Political giants weigh in on bias, scientists bowing to financial pressure from sponsors | Mail Online

Second leak of climate emails: Political giants weigh in on bias, scientists bowing to financial pressure from sponsors | Mail Online:
Following on from the original 'climategate' emails of 2009, the new package appears to show systematic suppression of evidence, and even publication of reports that scientists knew to to be based on flawed approaches.

And not only do the emails paint a picture of scientists manipulating data, government employees at the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) are also implicated.

Pepper-Spraying Taxpayers - National Review Online

Pepper-Spraying Taxpayers - National Review Online:
“Diversity” boondoggles are the real scandal.

As protesters festively (oops! I mean “heroically”) rally on college quads across California in the wake of the gratuitous macing of a dozen Occupy Wall Street wannabes at University of California–Davis last Friday, UC Berkeley’s Vice Chancellor for Equity and Inclusion declared that the rising tuition at California’s public universities is giving him “heartburn.” It should, since Vice Chancellor for Equity and Inclusion Gibor Basri and his fellow diversity bureaucrats are a large cause of those skyrocketing college fees, not just in California but nationally.

Rhymes With Right - Just A Thought On The NBA Contract

Rhymes With Right - Just A Thought On The NBA Contract:
Personally, I didn't care if there was ever an NBA contract signed. Cancel the whole season? Just fine by me (well, except for the harm to the little people who work the games -- ushers, concessionaires, etc). But I don't give a damn about professional basketball.

Tony Blankley to ConHomeUSA: Gingrich would deliver the biggest conservative agenda since Reagan - ConservativeHome's The Republican

Tony Blankley to ConHomeUSA: Gingrich would deliver the biggest conservative agenda since Reagan - ConservativeHome's The Republican:
“While most of the people who are running for president are pretty well informed and pretty bright people, most just end up in talking points,” Blankley says. “There’s not a lot of depth to their discussion, and I think that Newt’s standing out in the debates as somebody who’s actually thought deeply on these issues, cares about them and who discusses them both conceptually and in detail.

CARPE DIEM: The Non-Green Energy and Jobs Boom

CARPE DIEM: The Non-Green Energy and Jobs Boom:
Mr. Obama nonetheless keeps talking about "green jobs" as if repetition will conjure them. He'd do more for the economy if he dropped the ideological illusions and embraced the job-creating, wealth-producing reality of domestic fossil fuels."

The Heritage Foundation

The Heritage Foundation:
Why aren't we drilling MORE? Lack of production harms employment across America! It also strips much-needed revenue from the federal government. LIKE this post if you think the Obama Administration should approve MORE drilling now!

The Welfare State Neutralizes Potential Opponents by Making Them Dependent on Government Benefits | The Beacon

The Welfare State Neutralizes Potential Opponents by Making Them Dependent on Government Benefits | The Beacon:
As the ranks of those dependent on the welfare state continue to grow, the need for the rulers to pay attention to the ruled population diminishes. The masters know full well that the sheep will not bolt the enclosure in which the shepherds are making it possible for them to survive. Every person who becomes dependent on the state simultaneously becomes one less person who might act in some way to oppose the existing regime. Thus have modern governments gone greatly beyond the bread and circuses with which the Roman Caesars purchased the common people’s allegiance. In these circumstances, it is hardly surprising that the only changes that occur in the makeup of the ruling elite resemble a shuffling of the occupants in the first-class cabins of a luxury liner. Never mind that this liner is the economic and moral equivalent of the Titanic and that its ultimate fate is no more propitious than was that of the “unsinkable” ship that went to the bottom a century ago.

The Danger Within: Militant Islam in America | Islam in America Right Side News

The Danger Within: Militant Islam in America | Islam in America Right Side News:
What such an effort would look like is a subject unto itself, but at a minimum it would have to entail the vigilant application of social and political pressure to ensure that Islam is not accorded special status of any kind in this country, the active recruitment of moderate Muslims in the fight against Islamic extremism, a keener monitoring of Muslim organizations with documented links to Islamist activity, including the support of terrorism, and the immediate reform of immigration procedures to prevent a further influx of visitors or residents with any hint of Islamist ideology. Wherever that seditious and totalitarian ideology has gained a foothold in the world, it has wrought havoc, and some societies it has brought to their knees. The preservation of our existing order can no longer be taken for granted; it needs to be fought for.

Friday, November 25, 2011

Chinese Solar Industry Goes Belly Up | Via Meadia

Chinese Solar Industry Goes Belly Up | Via Meadia:
The alternative energy market is still an artificial market; except for a handful of novelty customers rich enough to afford inefficient green tech, firms and households only choose green tech when subsidies bring the price within range or regulations force people to choose expensive green products.

TSA Getting Serious :: Daniel Pipes

TSA Getting Serious :: Daniel Pipes:
Starting with two airlines (Delta and American) at four airports (Atlanta, Dallas, Detroit, and Miami), airline passengers in various "trusted traveler" programs (Global Entry, NEXUS, and SENTRI) are elible for expedited screening through via designated screening lanes and for other future benefits, such as keeping shoes on, leaving liquids and a computer in their bag, and keeping on jackets and belts.

Governor Palin’s Campaign Against Crony Capitalism Beginning to Yield Results | Conservatives4Palin

Governor Palin’s Campaign Against Crony Capitalism Beginning to Yield Results | Conservatives4Palin:
Does it really matter, though? For my money results are more important than motive, and if Governor Palin’s exposure of this pervasive institutional corruption has resulted in at least some effort by our political class to reduce it, we’re moving in the right direction, even if we still have a long way to go. This is more vindication of Governor Palin’s belief that one doesn’t necessarily need a title to effect positive change. Of course we all have to stay focused on this, as many of these politicians exhibiting a sense of moral efficacy today may lose interest after the next election.

Romney Versus Gingrich on Jihad and Sharia: A Clear Contrast

Romney Versus Gingrich on Jihad and Sharia: A Clear Contrast:
Newt Gingrich has set the standard for honest and informed discussion of Islamic totalitarianism which should be expected of all contenders—a standard Mitt Romney, thus far, fails, miserably.

How Can Government Help The Economy? End The Corn Ethanol Subsidy

How Can Government Help The Economy? End The Corn Ethanol Subsidy:
The fixation of government on “alternate fuels” and its use of taxpayer money to subsidize some of them is, at least in one case, having a very negative effect on markets. Again we have government market intrusion to hold responsible for rising food prices in an era of high unemployment and economic turmoil.

Climate not as sensitive to CO2 as projected | PrairiePundit

Climate not as sensitive to CO2 as projected | PrairiePundit:
It is their credibility I have been challenging as overblown. I just do not buy the dire consequences projected by many, and especially Al Gore and other politicians who have been exaggerating in order to scare voters into buying into their ideology. As I have noted, the world may be warming, but the results are something that we can adapt to.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

What Is Constitutional Conservatism? - National Review Online

What Is Constitutional Conservatism? - National Review Online:
Because the Left has been so much more technocratic than populist these past few years, the Right’s response has naturally drifted into populist tones. That is appropriate, and it has been effective, but the tone must not overwhelm the substance of the Right’s critique. In this time of grave challenges, conservatives must work to protect the fundamentally constitutionalist character of the Tea Party, and of the conservative movement — avoiding the excesses of both populism and technocracy as we work to undo the damage done by both, and to recover the American project.

'Green' debacle: Tens of thousands of abandoned wind turbines now litter American landscape

'Green' debacle: Tens of thousands of abandoned wind turbines now litter American landscape:
Literal beacons of the "green" energy movement, giant wind turbines have been one of the renewable energy sources of choice for the US government, which has spent billions of taxpayer dollars subsidizing their construction and use across the country. But high maintenance costs, high rates of failure, and fluctuating weather conditions that affect energy production render wind turbines expensive and inefficient, which is why more than 14,000 of them have since been abandoned.

Pausing to Note the Continued Upward Climb of Humanity - Coordination Problem

Pausing to Note the Continued Upward Climb of Humanity - Coordination Problem:
As we pause to recognize all we are grateful for today, let's also re-commit ourselves to the task at hand, which is to understand the degree to which free people under the right institutions can maximize the degree of social cooperation, peace, and prosperity made possible by the progressive extension of the division of labor and exchange. And let's further re-commit ourselves to taking what we've learned and spreading it to the four corners of the Earth so that the cornucopia so many enjoy in the West can be the reality not just for every American, but for all of humanity.

� Ronald Reagan’s Vision of a Market Economy Continues to Triumph - Big Government

� Ronald Reagan’s Vision of a Market Economy Continues to Triumph - Big Government:
Over the last 30 years since Ronald Reagan refocused nation state competition onto the market; communism and fascism have gone into the dust bowl of history, while the U.S. economy grew from $2.8 trillion to over $15 trillion. The Obama Administration sought to transition Reagan’s successful laissez-faire state into the European managerial market state, at just the wrong time. The middle class may see America as failing; but they see Europe as a failure. American families cringe when they watch television stories of endless platoons of German and French VIBs – very important bureaucrats – dutifully shoveling subsidies to rioting Portuguese, Italian, Greeks, and Spanish socialists. Having seen the future of the European managerial state; American families want a return Reagan’s worldview of the laissez-faire market state as the vehicle of middle class upward mobility.

� Ronald Reagan’s Vision of a Market Economy Continues to Triumph - Big Government

� Ronald Reagan’s Vision of a Market Economy Continues to Triumph - Big Government: Over the last 30 years since Ronald Reagan refocused nation state competition onto the market; communism and fascism have gone into the dust bowl of history, while the U.S. economy grew from $2.8 trillion to over $15 trillion. The Obama Administration sought to transition Reagan’s successful laissez-faire state into the European managerial market state, at just the wrong time. The middle class may see America as failing; but they see Europe as a failure. American families cringe when they watch television stories of endless platoons of German and French VIBs – very important bureaucrats – dutifully shoveling subsidies to rioting Portuguese, Italian, Greeks, and Spanish socialists. Having seen the future of the European managerial state; American families want a return Reagan’s worldview of the laissez-faire market state as the vehicle of middle class upward mobility.

Google abandons renewable energy projects | Watts Up With That?

Google abandons renewable energy projects | Watts Up With That?:
This is telling. From this Reuters article, news that Google has decided that seven energy projects just don’t pencil out as planned. So much for the “cheaper than coal” meme. Not only that, the green wizard who planned this all is out the door.

UC-Davis Occupy protester admits they provoked police in pepper-spray incident | The Right Scoop

UC-Davis Occupy protester admits they provoked police in pepper-spray incident | The Right Scoop:
Elli Pearson, one of the Occupy protesters who was pepper-sprayed by police at UC-Davis, admitted to “Democracy Now!” that the protesters locked arms and sat down to surround the police, who were actually trying to leave the campus. The protesters then told the police that if they wanted to leave, they’d have to clear a path through the protesters

Thanksgiving: Pilgrims Gave Thanks for God’s Guidance Away from Socialism – Capitalism and Scripture Saved the Pilgrims | Maggie's Notebook

Thanksgiving: Pilgrims Gave Thanks for God’s Guidance Away from Socialism – Capitalism and Scripture Saved the Pilgrims | Maggie's Notebook:
It is never too late for a little truthful history and the knowledge that Capitalism and Scripture saved the very lives of the Pilgrims. Today’s lesson comes from Rush Limbaugh. Rush first laid out in his book, See I Told You So - Chapter 6 Dead White Guys, or What the History Books Never Told You…the truth about Thanksgiving. In the history below, you’ll see the first socialist society in the U.S., and the negative fruits of that society – which failed completely. If you are torn about President Obama’s Marxist policies, and if you want to believe that everything being shared equally might be a good idea, see how it worked for the new immigrants, a failed policy, just as it remains today.

Another solar project fails to meet expectations | PrairiePundit

Another solar project fails to meet expectations | PrairiePundit:
Google decides the solar business is not so hot and the saving they envisioned are not there.

America Has Yet More To Be Thankful For | Via Meadia

America Has Yet More To Be Thankful For | Via Meadia:
Through it all, the culture of liberty, the wealth of our homeland and the blessings of providence sustained us. They sustain us still. This home of ours remains uniquely blessed, uniquely rich, uniquely free. Today we celebrate and renew those blessings from one end of the country to the other, conscious that the God who planted us here continues to enrich and bless us beyond anything we deserve.

President Washington's Thanksgiving Proclamation | Campaign 2012 | Washington Examiner

President Washington's Thanksgiving Proclamation | Campaign 2012 | Washington Examiner:
Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor-- and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.

UN votes a mass-murdering dictatorship onto its committees | Herald Sun Andrew Bolt Blog

UN votes a mass-murdering dictatorship onto its committees | Herald Sun Andrew Bolt Blog:
Once again, the United Nations shows why it’s a playground for dictators - even one currently gunning down democracy protesters:

NUGENT: All-American Thanksgiving Day - Washington Times

NUGENT: All-American Thanksgiving Day - Washington Times:
Thanksgiving is not a speed-bump holiday for Christmas. I understand the need for merchants to make money, but I don’t understand the mentality of people who basically skip the essence of Thanksgiving in order to kick off the Christmas shopping season.

Times are tough for many Americans and our nation. Regardless, all of us can find reasons to give thanks.

Stop and give thanks on Thanksgiving, America. Black Friday can wait.

Thanksgiving Lessons — Marginal Revolution

Thanksgiving Lessons — Marginal Revolution: Among Bradford’s many insights it’s amazing that he saw so clearly how collectivism failed not only as an economic system but that even among godly men “it did at least much diminish and take off the mutual respects that should be preserved amongst them.” And it shocks me to my core when he writes that to make the collectivist system work would have required “great tyranny and oppression.” Can you imagine how much pain the twentieth century could have avoided if Bradford’s insights been more widely recognized?

PJ Media � The Death of the Individual

PJ Media � The Death of the Individual:
The displacement of the “individual” as a primary category of social and political thought — a distinctly observable trend in the contemporary West — is an infallible sign of civilizational despair. The nexus of causes and factors accounting for this undeniable phenomenon has been analyzed in many different ways and from many different perspectives: the draining of confidence in the “Western enterprise” after two world wars and the devastation of the generations; the natural tendency of a successful civilization to grow tired and lazy in the course of aeonian time, as Oswald Spengler and Arnold Toynbee argued in their major works; the loss of religious conviction and its attendant moral armature, leading to rootless insecurity and lack of transcendent purpose; the attenuation of historical memory — what I have elsewhere called the chronosectomy — owing to a dumbed-down education paradigm and the consequent onset of a present-oriented hedonism. Perhaps all of these factors are coterminous and work together against the sense of individual responsibility for self, family, and nation. But whatever may explain our predicament, there can be little doubt that, despite all our technical advances, we are experiencing something like the advent of a new Dark Age.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Staggering Markets Crash State Pension Funds | Via Meadia

Staggering Markets Crash State Pension Funds | Via Meadia:
State and local governments around the country have long underfunded their pension funds, covering the gap between what they have and what they have obliged themselves to pay by making unrealistic assumptions about the rate of return they expect from their investments.

Saberpoint: The Real Meaning of Thanksgiving: the Triumph of Capitalism Over Communism

Saberpoint: The Real Meaning of Thanksgiving: the Triumph of Capitalism Over Communism:
This essay recounts the collectivist experiment of the first American colonists and how it failed, leading to starvation and death among the English Puritans who came to Plymouth Rock in 1620. After a couple of winters of want and privation, the colonists changed the system to one of self-interest: each family was allowed to grow and keep its own crops. The result was prosperity and plenty. The reason is simple: people will work very hard for the benefit of themselves and their families, but not for a collective in which the lazy and unproductive are given equal rewards with the industrious:

The definition of liberalism has changed greatly over time�|�NetRight Daily

The definition of liberalism has changed greatly over time�|�NetRight Daily:
What a strange world it is when you consider just how much the definition of liberalism has changed. From the Declaration of Independence in 1776 to ObamaCare in 2010, the term “liberalism” has come to stand for entirely different meanings as the power of the government has expanded.

Return To Free Market Principles

Return To Free Market Principles:
America needs elected representatives who will support legislation that repeals unnecessary government meddling in competitive, private markets. America’s economic strength has always resulted from private market capitalism where free, private Citizens pick winners and losers by how and where they spend their own money.

To those who choose to ignore the call for a return to free market principles, it will be a clear indication that keeping their seat at the banquet table of corruption is more important to them than is their oath of office.

The Pilgrims' failed experiment with communism | Goldwater Institute

The Pilgrims' failed experiment with communism | Goldwater Institute:
When the Pilgrims arrived on the Mayflower, they set up a society in which no one could own property and everyone shared equally, no matter how much work they did. The result was misery and hunger. But when the governor allowed each man to plant and raise crops for his own household, something amazing happened.

Krauthammer: Obama Gave Up ‘Governance,’ Now Running ‘an Occupy Wall Street campaign’ - Charles Krauthammer - Fox Nation

Krauthammer: Obama Gave Up ‘Governance,’ Now Running ‘an Occupy Wall Street campaign’ - Charles Krauthammer - Fox Nation:
“Everything he does is about campaigning,” Krauthammer said. “He gave up the governance phase of this term about three months ago.”

CARPE DIEM: Giving Thanks for Capitalism, The Invisible Hand, The Miracle of the Market, and No Turkey Czars

CARPE DIEM: Giving Thanks for Capitalism, The Invisible Hand, The Miracle of the Market, and No Turkey Czars:
It is commonplace to speak of seeing God's signature in the intricacy of a spider's web or the animation of a beehive. But they pale in comparison to the kaleidoscopic energy and productivity of the free market. If it is a blessing from Heaven when seeds are transformed into grain, how much more of a blessing is it when our private, voluntary exchanges are transformed - without our ever intending it - into prosperity, innovation, and growth?"

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Judge Andrew Napolitano

Judge Andrew Napolitano:
"Republics decline into democracies, and democracies degenerate into despotisms" - Aristotle http://bit.ly/tb8CFW

Alternative Energy's Alternate Reality | Competitive Enterprise Institute

Alternative Energy's Alternate Reality | Competitive Enterprise Institute:
Creating a “green energy” economy may be the most daunting central planning task ever attempted. It entails nothing less than the reengineering of our entire energy infrastructure. And, like all central planning schemes, it is based on a roadmap that eschews real-world experience and sound economics in favor of utopian ideology driven by political connections.

A TRILLION DOLLAR DISASTER… CBO Confirms Obama-Pelosi Stimulus Damages Economy in Long Run | The Gateway Pundit

A TRILLION DOLLAR DISASTER… CBO Confirms Obama-Pelosi Stimulus Damages Economy in Long Run | The Gateway Pundit:
The CBO confirmed today that the $787 billion Obama-Pelosi stimulus plan damages the economy in the long run.

Sultan Knish a blog by Daniel Greenfield

Sultan Knish a blog by Daniel Greenfield:
Creative societies innovate, decaying societies quarrel over the scraps and invite in their own enemies to rule over them. It has happened before and it is happening again before our eyes. Our capacity to resist that decay emerges from our culture and its vision of the future. Only when we see the future as an adventure, rather than a progressive decline, will we be able to win that future for ourselves and our grandchildren.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

EPA’s Lisa Jackson admits to efforts to centrally plan industry�|�NetRight Daily

EPA’s Lisa Jackson admits to efforts to centrally plan industry�|�NetRight Daily:
Obama’s Environmental Protection Agency has been the point of the spear in expanding the impact of government, destroying jobs and making regulatory decisions that are designed to drive energy producing industries like coal and oil, out of business through regulatory burdens that make those energy sources more costly to produce. Now, in an Energy News Now interview, as reported by the Wall Street Journal, Lisa Jackson, the head of this rogue agency, admits that she is engaged in national industrial planning though her extreme agenda

� Ex-Dem Congressman: Voter Fraud Is Commonplace, Voter ID Is The Cure - Big Government

� Ex-Dem Congressman: Voter Fraud Is Commonplace, Voter ID Is The Cure - Big Government

Glenn Beck: Rush is right – Obama and First Lady are uppity | The Right Scoop

Glenn Beck: Rush is right – Obama and First Lady are uppity | The Right Scoop:
Rush is being attacked as a racist for suggesting yesterday that the First Lady is ‘uppity’. But Glenn Beck stands with Rush and says if there ever was an uppity president and first lady, it would be this president and first lady:

Wind, solar subsidies 85 times those for oil, gas | PrairiePundit

Wind, solar subsidies 85 times those for oil, gas | PrairiePundit:
We are being asked to pay a very high price for less efficient energy which is then further subsidized by tax payers. This is a formula that bankrupted Spain and led to unemployment of about 20 percent. It is clearly a bad investment for the government and for the companies like Solyndra who invest in it. The problem is that it is just too inefficient and undependable. Even if you put in the infrastructure you still need natural gas to produce energy when the sun does not shine or the wind does not blow or it blows to strongly or its too cold or the snow covers the panel or ....

oftwominds: What's Lost With the Demise of the Euro? Only What Was Unsustainable

oftwominds: What's Lost With the Demise of the Euro? Only What Was Unsustainable:
Scaremongering aside, the demise of the euro does not end European integration. It only means that which is unsustainable has been relinquished and a return to stability is finally possible.

iOwnTheWorld.com � Blog Archive � Obama Hates America

iOwnTheWorld.com � Blog Archive � Obama Hates America:
There is no doubt about that in my opinion. One only needs to look around and review the statements and actions of this administration over the past three years and it becomes painfully clear that this president literally despises this country and its people. Barack Obama has absolutely no use for the history or accomplishments of this nation or for its people or its heritage. He would much rather belittle America’s people and blame them, especially when it comes to attempting to address his own failures.

The Shushing Tyranny of “Be Nice!” | First Things

The Shushing Tyranny of “Be Nice!” | First Things:
If, as is generally agreed, there is freedom in naming a thing for what it is, then there can only be oppression in refusing to do so, all for the sake of being nice. Chiding others for daring to say (with lamentable levity) what many others are thinking is not a productive means of promoting truth or of serving Christ, in whom is our freedom. Quite the opposite; it serves only to shut down those realties that make us uncomfortable, or shake our illusions or stab at our worldviews.

Judge Andrew Napolitano

Judge Andrew Napolitano:
I'm in favor of legalizing drugs. Most of the harm that comes from drugs is because they are illegal. – Milton Friedman http://bit.ly/vckMYO

American Power: Place the Super Committee Blame Where it Belongs: On the Democrats

American Power: Place the Super Committee Blame Where it Belongs: On the Democrats:
Republicans were willing to agree to additional tax revenue, but only in the context of fundamental pro-growth tax reform that would broaden the base, lower rates, and maintain current levels of progressivity. This is the approach to tax reform used by recent bipartisan deficit reduction efforts such as the Bowles-Simpson fiscal commission and the Rivlin-Domenici plan.

The Democrats said no. They were unwilling to agree to anything less than $1 trillion in tax hikes—and unwilling to offer any structural reforms to put our health-care entitlements on a permanently sustainable basis.

A Failure to Govern? | @ActonInstitute PowerBlog

A Failure to Govern? | @ActonInstitute PowerBlog:
In the context about discussions of intergenerational justice earlier this year, Michael Gerson said that such across-the-board cuts are “really the lazy abdication of governing.” And with respect to the outcome of the supercommittee process, Gerson is laying the lion’s share of blame for this failure to govern with President Obama: “It is the executive, not the legislature, that gives the budget process energy and direction. The supercommittee failed primarily because President Obama gave a shrug.”

Meacham: Obama 'In the Wrong Business, Doesn't Particularly Like People' - President Obama - Fox Nation

Meacham: Obama 'In the Wrong Business, Doesn't Particularly Like People' - President Obama - Fox Nation:
So when someone of Meacham's genteelly liberal ilk unloads on Barack Obama in such stark terms, it's newsworthy. On today's Morning Joe, Meacham flatly stated his belief that President Obama "doesn't particularly like people and politicians who don't like people are kind of in the wrong business."

Blazing Cat Fur: Nazis, Islamism and so-called 'honour culture'

Blazing Cat Fur: Nazis, Islamism and so-called 'honour culture': The inability to understand this gap in what some historians call mentalit�, explains why our journalists hailed the Arab protests as a “Spring,” assuming, like Berlin, that anyone who thirsted for freedom would feel shame at inequality of treatment for others.
And yet today, we view people throughout the Arab world who clamour for liberties, like freedom of speech,without necessarily believing that those liberties be extended to those they don’t like.

Thus the freedom of Islamists to protest their (too) secular government (like Mubarak’s, which supported women’s rights), does not translate into a concern for protecting the rights of those who would criticise Islam. The honor of Islam demands (at least for Islamists) the repression of freedom of speech.

New Hampshire Union Leader: Obama Is A 'Glib, Clueless Disaster Of A President'

New Hampshire Union Leader: Obama Is A 'Glib, Clueless Disaster Of A President'

Left Coast Rebel: Judd Greg Nails it on What Ails our Nation

Left Coast Rebel: Judd Greg Nails it on What Ails our Nation:
This idea of expanded government meshes perfectly with the message of class warfare that has been chosen as the course to reelection for Obama and his minions in Congress. After all, the only effective way to deal with class envy and create a truly divided nation is to take from those who are deemed to have too much and redistribute that take. And who better to choose how to redistribute than the elite of the left, who have flocked to the battlements of expanding government, demanding permission to choose the winners and losers in our society?

It might be an old and tired idea that has not done much to create general prosperity, but it has always done a lot to empower the few to tell the many how to live their lives. It concentrates power, which is, of course, what growing government is mostly about.

Obama's Green Energy Fail � Publications � Family Security Matters

Obama's Green Energy Fail � Publications � Family Security Matters:
Why anyone thought Dr. Chu was qualified in any fashion to run the Department of Energy defies the imagination. Why anyone still believes that solar and wind energy can replace traditional proven sources of energy is testimony to environmental propaganda and myth-making.

If Obama Really Wanted Job Creation, He Would Approve the Pipeline � Publications � Family Security Matters

If Obama Really Wanted Job Creation, He Would Approve the Pipeline � Publications � Family Security Matters:
If the president wanted to expand our anemic economy, he’d quickly approve this pipeline project and expand natural gas and oil drilling to create hundreds of thousands of jobs and finally make America energy independent.

Betsy's Page: When a president fails to lead

Betsy's Page: When a president fails to lead:
This is why we will continue to be a downgraded nation - we have a president who refuses to acknowledge the fiscal situation we're in and refuses to lead. He just buried us in a deeper hole with Obamacare. His only solution is massive increases in taxes - but we can't get all the money we need from taxes on the wealthy. There just isn't enough money there. So we'll all have to pay. And then you can say good-by to economic growth and decreases in unemployment. That is the Obama vision for our country. It is a catastrophe that we have this man as our president when what we need is a true leader who approaches our fiscal reality with a seriousness and a sincere desire to reach a decision.

Jim's Quote of the Day: - SurvivalBlog.com

Jim's Quote of the Day: - SurvivalBlog.com:
"Statesmen, my dear Sir, may plan and speculate for Liberty, but it is Religion and Morality alone, which can establish the Principles upon which Freedom can securely stand. The only foundation of a free Constitution is pure Virtue, and if this cannot be inspired into our People in a greater Measure than they have it now, They may change their Rulers and the forms of Government, but they will not obtain a lasting Liberty. They will only exchange Tyrants and Tyrannies." - John Adams, Letter to Zabdiel Adams, as quoted in Letters of Delegates to Congress: Volume 4 May 16, 1776 - August 15, 1776, (21 June, 1776, page 279 )

Monday, November 21, 2011

Surprise: the horrendous ‘automatic cuts’ barely scratch the surface of the debt � Bob Owens

Surprise: the horrendous ‘automatic cuts’ barely scratch the surface of the debt � Bob Owens:
We should be used to the spectacle of it all by now; the Democrats and Republicans get together to offer us what they both portray as “extreme” measures of one sort or another should either party win the debate over a heavily-hyped issue, so that we expect and accept “deadlock” that only perpetuates the status quo and offers no change at all.

Say Anything � Shale Oil And The Free Market Doing What Decades Of Green Energy Subsidies Couldn’t � Say Anything

Say Anything � Shale Oil And The Free Market Doing What Decades Of Green Energy Subsidies Couldn’t � Say Anything:
After decades of green energy policies from the government aimed at “ending our dependence on foreign oil,” it turns out that the free market – in the form of new oil production technology and techniques – has done what those policies couldn’t which is begin to marginalize OPEC and move America toward being energy dependent.

Which isn’t to say that it would be wise policy to stop importing energy altogether. There’s always going to be a market for foreign energy in America, and that’s as it should be. But it does illustrate the wisdom of removing impediments to the development of domestic energy resources.

In our modern economy, energy is freedom. The more energy we have, and the more freely we can access that energy, the more prosperous we will be.

Michele Bachmann

Michele Bachmann:
President Obama's "Super Committee" was a metaphor for the lack of political courage surrounding our nation's spending crisis, and has failed the American people.

Like the Rump Parliament, Our Congress "is no more capable of managing the affairs of this nation than ... of running a brothel" - ProfessorBainbridge.com

Like the Rump Parliament, Our Congress "is no more capable of managing the affairs of this nation than ... of running a brothel" - ProfessorBainbridge.com:
As Cromwell said to the Rump House of Commons, "You are no more capable of managing the affairs of this nation than you are of running a brothel!," so say I to both sides of our modern Congress. Let us hope, however, that we find a better solution that that chosen by Cromwell.

Judge Andrew Napolitano

Judge Andrew Napolitano:
Just to be clear. The Congress is NOT proposing ANY spending cuts. They are proposing cuts to INCREASES in spending. They are increasing spending overall.

HolyCoast.com: The Failure of the Super Committee Show Just How Far Left the Dems Have Gone on Taxes

HolyCoast.com: The Failure of the Super Committee Show Just How Far Left the Dems Have Gone on Taxes:
The fact is, the failure of the super committee is the best deal the taxpayers could have gotten. And thankfully, the GOP didn't go completely squishy on tax hikes as had been feared from the beginning. The sides are pretty clearly drawn now. The Dems want higher taxes and will not accept ANY entitlement reform, and the GOP won't accept any new taxes without it. That's a fight we can win.

Freedom's Lighthouse � Congressional Super-Committee Expected to Announce Debt-Deal Failure Today – 11/21/11

Freedom's Lighthouse � Congressional Super-Committee Expected to Announce Debt-Deal Failure Today – 11/21/11:
This is why it will take a Republican President, and a Republican House and Senate to ever really tackle this mess. Democrats owe their existence to the giveaways, and they are not going to agree to stop passing out the candy. Their voting base demands the giveaways, and it is political suicide for them to cut spending in any significant way.

For Republicans to ever deal with the problem, they will have to be constrained by a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. If they don’t have to cut spending significantly – they won’t either.

The Cato Institute

The Cato Institute:
Why should you be upset if Republicans acquiesce over tax increases as part of a supercommittee deal? Because REAL cuts aren't even on the table. Government spending is already set to increase by $2 trillion over the next 10 years.

The debate in Washington is not about cutting spending, but about how much faster we should grow unsustainable government spending, and pile on even more to our $15 trillion ($15,000,000,000,000.00) national debt.

Democrats’ tax-hike obsession killed the SuperCommittee � The Enterprise Blog

Democrats’ tax-hike obsession killed the SuperCommittee � The Enterprise Blog:
The spectacular failure of the much-hyped, congressional debt-reduction panel completes the devolution of the Democratic Party back to its pre-Clintonion state: unabashed champion of the high-tax welfare state. And America is worse for it.

The Declaration of Independence Defines Our Principles � Publications � Family Security Matters

The Declaration of Independence Defines Our Principles � Publications � Family Security Matters:
It's obvious what's wrong today. We've either forgotten what being American means, or we no longer care.

System Failure on a Global Scale � Publications � Family Security Matters

System Failure on a Global Scale � Publications � Family Security Matters:
In the decades since the last Great Depression a succession of Congresses has bankrupted the nation once again. It is happening as well in Europe because nations like Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Ireland and France thought they too could defy common sense and fiscal prudence.

It is system failure on a global scale.

Americans and the citizens of Europe are the unwilling victims of too much government, too much regulation, too much corruption, too much taxation, and the general inclination of those in charge to acquire as much wealth for themselves while keeping the rest of the population complacent with “redistribution of wealth” schemes that always fail.

The Tea Party movement is calling for a restoration of America. We have precious little time to do that and it is the Democratic Party in league with unions who oppose that goal.

Articles: Defenseless: America in the Twenty First Century

Articles: Defenseless: America in the Twenty First Century:
Under the guise of addressing the debt crisis, President Obama is leaving America exposed to multi-pronged attack by myriad hostile powers. Necessities like national defense are being sacrificed on the altar of handouts to constituents. Arguably secondary entitlement programs have supplanted the primary necessity of a strong national defense capable of deterring aggression. To state the obvious, the vital security needs of the nation can not be replaced with a one-time shot of welfare utopia. What nation or civilization has ever survived that has turned inward, gratifying pleasure and consumption over the preservation of outer-defenses? Rome serves as only one pertinent example among many. Leaving America defenseless is indefensible.

Articles: The Tipping Point and the Crossroads

Articles: The Tipping Point and the Crossroads:
Thus, America is at a crossroads. If Barack Obama, the most extreme president in American history, is re-elected and the current governing class remains in place, there will be no turning back. The worst fears that came over me on that Monday in November of 1963 will come to pass, and the assassination of John F. Kennedy will have been the tipping point that precipitated the fall of a great nation.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Ouch: Dem Pollsters Say Obama Should Drop out � Blogs For Victory

Ouch: Dem Pollsters Say Obama Should Drop out � Blogs For Victory:
If you thought things were going really bad for Obama, you were right. But, apparently it’s a lot worse. Even Democratic pollsters aren’t able to hide the truth in the numbers. They see that Obama’s candidacy is in horrid shape.

U.S. and Europe Threaten Their Own Energy Independence - HUMAN EVENTS

U.S. and Europe Threaten Their Own Energy Independence - HUMAN EVENTS:
Decisions by Europe and America in the past month have pushed away Canada and its oil overtures under the guise of environmentalism—which is turning out to be the new protectionism.

Conservatives Win Landslide Victory in Spain

Conservatives Win Landslide Victory in Spain:
Left-leaning, high-tax, big-regulation, big-government states and countries are suffering the most. Maybe it's starting to dawn on these people that bureaucrats are not that smart, that they can't be trusted, and that putting them in charge of everything isn't such a good idea.

Can retail health clinics revamp primary care? | McClatchy

Can retail health clinics revamp primary care? | McClatchy:
But unless payment incentives are changed to reward quality over volume - and laws changed so nurse practitioners and physician assistants can provide more direct care in all states — there will be an increasing burden on primary care doctors as more Americans become insured, she says.

"Insuring 30 million more people isn't going to matter if they don't have anywhere to go,"

� The 5th Column in the U.S. - Big Government

� The 5th Column in the U.S. - Big Government:
So while we bask in the blissful ignorance that the Cold War is over and China is our friendly neighborhood banker ever since Nixon went there, the Islamists, and communists among us are working for “change“. What are they changing? We know that the Democrats had two non-negotiable demands out of the failed budget deal: tax increases and military decreases. Do we have your attention yet?

What Paul Gregory is Writing About: Are One In Five American Children Hungry?

What Paul Gregory is Writing About: Are One In Five American Children Hungry?:
Statistics that become part of our folklore should raise suspicion. When we dig into them, they are usually wrong. I cite as examples Bill Clinton’s “100,000 new cops on the street” or the “miserly pay of teachers.”

The Thrill is Gone: Chris Matthews Unloads on Obama | Verum Serum

The Thrill is Gone: Chris Matthews Unloads on Obama | Verum Serum

HolyCoast.com: Dear Democrats, We Have a Spending Problem Not a Revenue Problem

HolyCoast.com: Dear Democrats, We Have a Spending Problem Not a Revenue Problem:
Revenues don't have to be part of the solution, unless you want to start collecting taxes from the 47% who currently don't contribute a dime to federal income tax. THAT I could support.

Otherwise, the only answer to our fiscal problems that will actually work is spending cuts. With government spending equal to 25% of GDP there are no amount of tax increases that are going to fix that. We have to reduce spending, and we have to end baseline budgeting. The budget should start from zero each year with NO automatic increases. Every dime needs to be justified...and a lot of dimes need to be eliminated.

Ed Driscoll � #Occupyfail: The Putrid Stench of a Century of Folk Marxism

Ed Driscoll � #Occupyfail: The Putrid Stench of a Century of Folk Marxism:
The vast majority of college professors are folk Marxists, even though they do not advocate for Communism. Their folk Marxism is dangerous because they do not even realize the extent to which it colors their world view. Although the academy is also the last bastion of avowed Marxists, it is not the overt Marxists who trouble me. They are not winning converts.

Every day, in big and small ways, academic speech reinforces the view that the world consists of oppressor classes and oppressed classes. In a way, the controversy over Lawrence Summers as President of Harvard reflects his defiance of folk Marxist orthodoxy. Folk Marxism is so automatic and so pervasive that it effectively goes unnoticed.

Duke of Edinburgh Calls Wind Farms Useless | Via Meadia

Duke of Edinburgh Calls Wind Farms Useless | Via Meadia:
With Britain slashing spending in a desperate effort to avoid the economic troubles now besetting the eurozone, the Duke of Edinburgh may once again have committed the most unpardonable of social blunders: speaking the unwelcome truth.

Generation Mutant: Occupiers are the Natural Spawn of the Progressive Movement - Derek Hunter - Townhall Conservative

Generation Mutant: Occupiers are the Natural Spawn of the Progressive Movement - Derek Hunter - Townhall Conservative:
The “occupiers” are the post-digested remains of the natural journey through the intestinal tract of the metastasizing liberal ideology in education and pop culture.

The “millennials,” as they’re called, are the first generation spawned from the “progressive” idea of equal outcome disguised as equal opportunity. They are the “Participation Ribbon People” – a generation rewarded and praised simply for showing up. The result of social promotion, time-outs over spanking and the misguided concept that reward is deserved and not earned.

SUPER FAILURE: Deficit Committee Certain To Announce Failure Tomorrow

SUPER FAILURE: Deficit Committee Certain To Announce Failure Tomorrow:
From an economic perspective, this outcome may be among the worst — with the spending cuts almost entirely cutting actual programs, as opposed to the areas of waste that the committee has already identified

Four Legacies of Feminism - Dennis Prager - National Review Online

Four Legacies of Feminism - Dennis Prager - National Review Online:
In sum, thanks to feminism, very many women slept with too many men for their own happiness; postponed marriage too long to find the right man to marry; are having hired hands do much of the raising of their children; and find they are dating boy-men because manly men are so rare.

Feminism exemplifies the truth of the saying, “Be careful what you wish for — you may get it.”

How Does the Left Indoctrinate Our Children? | The Lonely Conservative

How Does the Left Indoctrinate Our Children? | The Lonely Conservative:
The Marxists have made a systematic effort over the past century to capture our culture. You’ve got to hand it to them, they’ve done a pretty good job of it. How else can you explain how children attending a private school with a bill of $14,000 per year for tuition consider themselves part of the “Occupy” movement? I guess you can start with the fact that they haven’t been taught about the horrors of communism, or even to identify those in our society who are promoting this failed economic policy. Which brings me to the latest post at The Other McCain explaining, in sociological terms, how they’ve indoctrinated the children, while making them believe they came to their conclusions on their own.

NIALL FERGUSON: Hey, Protesters, Stop Blaming Wall Street -- The Problem Is Our Crappy Education System

NIALL FERGUSON: Hey, Protesters, Stop Blaming Wall Street -- The Problem Is Our Crappy Education System:
The remedy, Ferguson contends, is not to tax the rich and expand federal programs as Sachs recommends. Instead, Ferguson says public high schools need more competition to raise the bar. The best way to do that, in his opinion, is to create more charter schools. "The charter school movement is one very straightforward way in which the ordinary citizen can actually help improve the quality of high school education."

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Blazing Cat Fur: Same sex adoption is not a game

Blazing Cat Fur: Same sex adoption is not a game:
"Experimenting on children by permitting adoption by same sex couples poses serious problems. Children have a right to and a need for parenting by both a father and a mother. This need should be recognized by the state and by professional groups as far more important than an adult’s supposed right to adopt.

Assault on the Truth, Part 1: A PC Military vs. an Absolutist Enemy

Assault on the Truth, Part 1: A PC Military vs. an Absolutist Enemy:
Had the professional standard inside the U.S. National Security apparatus been maintained regarding the identification of the threat from the Islamic Movement after 9/11, it would be standard protocol inside the bureaucracy of the U.S. government to teach the basics of Islamic Law, as it relates to terrorism, to all new military officers, federal agencies, U.S. Attorneys Offices, and the like. However, that, sadly, is not the case.

Commonsense & Wonder: The issue is who gets to decide national policy. Tyranny by faceless unelected bureaucrats.

Commonsense & Wonder: The issue is who gets to decide national policy. Tyranny by faceless unelected bureaucrats.:
EUROCRATS ignited outrage last night by ordering Britain to open its doors to a fresh wave of mass immigration from around the world.

Mindless Green Flackery at the Times | Via Meadia

Mindless Green Flackery at the Times | Via Meadia:
A recent press release masquerading as a news article in the New York Times is a classic example of journalistic flackery at its worst. A profile of new “green” urban development in Fort Collins, CO doesn’t just cross the line between optimism and fawning propaganda. It takes vacuous puffery to new levels, reaching levels of idiocy that transcend mere bias to reach something that is, in its own silly way, almost sublime.

Top 10 Most Needed Government Reforms - HUMAN EVENTS

Top 10 Most Needed Government Reforms - HUMAN EVENTS:
There have been debt commissions and super committees trying to figure out how to make government leaner and more efficient. Here are some good places to start: the Top 10 Most Needed Government Reforms.

RubinReports: Why Do Western Elites Minimize Radical Threats in the Middle East?

RubinReports: Why Do Western Elites Minimize Radical Threats in the Middle East?:
Why cannot Western elites see this kind of lightly camoflauged extremism, used by thoroughly by the Communists and also, though this has been largely forgotten, by Nazi and fascist movements.

Depressing graph: Mammoth projected federal spending vs. Super Committee’s puny targeted cuts | The Right Scoop

Depressing graph: Mammoth projected federal spending vs. Super Committee’s puny targeted cuts | The Right Scoop:
As the so-called “Super Committee” finds itself at a loss to identify $1.2 trillion in cuts to federal spending over the next decade, the Washington Examiner’s Philip Klein asks whether it’s even possible for Congress to actually cut spending. In theory, he suggests it is possible – albeit highly unlikely. In reality? Fuhgettaboutit.

And even if the Super Committee could come up with it’s targeted $1.2 trillion in cuts over the next ten years, take a look at this chart and see if you think it would make any difference.

Levin: What the hell good is John Boehner? None! | The Right Scoop

Levin: What the hell good is John Boehner? None! | The Right Scoop:
Levin blasted Boehner for his Balanced Budget Amendment, saying that if it had passed it would have been the biggest spending and taxing tool in American history since it didn’t cap spending as a percentage of GDP or force a 2/3rds majority to raise taxes. Levin proclaims “Thank God the liberal Democrats didn’t vote for this and ram it through!”

America, don’t let this happen to you: Europe’s high-tax hell � The Enterprise Blog

America, don’t let this happen to you: Europe’s high-tax hell � The Enterprise Blog:
The Dallas Fed has put together a series of graphics showing just how deep a tax trap Europe and much of the the rest of the G7 have fallen into. High taxes to support high government spending, yet Europe is still sick with debt. As the bank points out: “The real challenge will be to narrow the U.S. deficit while offering a tax structure that helps maintain a strong, competitive international position that keeps and attracts investment and jobs.

Kagan's non-recusal and what it means

Kagan's non-recusal and what it means:
They don't agree because they believe it would be wrong of her to follow the rules. They think it would be wrong because, for them, the purpose of Presidential appointment and Senate confirmation is to overthrow the republican system of a government with limited powers.

For the Democrats in Congress, it would make no more sense for Kagan to recuse herself that it would for her to appear in purple underwear and deliver her opinions in Norwegian.

The electoral system only works when both parties are playing the same game. That is, in our country, no longer the case.

Rational Nation USA: The Formula For Avoiding Poverty

Rational Nation USA: The Formula For Avoiding Poverty:
1) Stay in school (go to college or at least graduate high school).............2) Don't have a child out of wedlock.............3) Don't have a child until you reach the age of 20.............4) Don't smoke (a two pack a day habit in CT costs $15 dollars a day/$105 a week/$5,460 a year, increases health-care costs, and reduces productivity).............5) Don't drink heavily (for the identical reasons as to why you shouldn't smoke).............6) Learn to defer gratification, in general.............7) Get a second job if necessary................................................................................................P.S. According to a study cited by the March of Dimes, simply doing the first three will reduce your likelihood of living in poverty by a whopping 89% (64% vs. 7%)....It would really be interesting to see how the OWS movement would put its arms around this syndrome.

Proof Positive: Quote du jour

Proof Positive: Quote du jour:
A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government.



-Thomas Jefferson

Brutally Honest: "Obama’s outrage is… strangely mute"

Brutally Honest: "Obama’s outrage is… strangely mute":
But when it comes to the millions of dollars in compensation, regular and bonus, paid to executives of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two Government-Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs) that were at the very center of the sub-prime mortgage-bundling that poisoned the financial system and took down companies such as AIG, Obama’s outrage is… strangely mute.

HolyCoast.com: Mankind Won't Have Much Impact On Climate in the Next 30 Years

HolyCoast.com: Mankind Won't Have Much Impact On Climate in the Next 30 Years:
According to a preliminary report released by the IPCC, there will be no detectable influence of mankind’s influence on the Earth’s weather systems for at least thirty years, and possibly not until the end of this century.

Billionaire Howard Marks On 'The Ultimate Worry: Tyranny Of The Majority'

Billionaire Howard Marks On 'The Ultimate Worry: Tyranny Of The Majority':
But when people without money start to believe they can't make money, there's little to keep them from taking it from those who have it. This represents a threat to our way of life.

The Heritage Foundation

The Heritage Foundation:
President Obama is now putting 200,000 jobs on HOLD! This is an outrage considering how many Americans are desperate to find work right now! What's the story behind this horrible delay? LIKE this post & read on!

Buyers Beware - Reason Magazine

Buyers Beware - Reason Magazine:
If you value your freedom to spend your money as you choose, you should hope the Supreme Court rejects the Obama administration's open-ended view of the Commerce Clause

Articles: Socialism's Fundamental Flaws

Articles: Socialism's Fundamental Flaws:
The origin of this flaw resides in the all-too-common human failing -- the desire to get something for nothing -- or at least not at one's own expense. This proclivity is one to which politicians shamelessly pander. Having government offer "free" entitlements lures people into repeatedly voting for politicians who promise to deliver ever more of such. This mutually reinforcing voter-politician cycle is an example of the phenomenon of positive feedback.

Friday, November 18, 2011

California Drowning in Budget Waste and Abuse : Stop The ACLU

California Drowning in Budget Waste and Abuse : Stop The ACLU:
Of course, California didn’t get into these dire straits by accident. Years and years of reckless overspending pushed the state over the fiscal precipice resulting in the sorry state of affairs we’re seeing today. Apparently, despite billions in cuts to education and other critical programs, some people still haven’t gotten the message

GayPatriot � Most partisan president nixes shovel-ready jobs

GayPatriot � Most partisan president nixes shovel-ready jobs:
Once again, Charles Krauthammer is in rare form, but then again since that sage columnist is often in this form, it’s probably not entirely accurate to call it “rare.” Well, the idiom works.

Writing on the failures of the various big-government initiatives this president had put into place, the conservative columnist quips,

So what do you do when you say you can, but, it turns out, you can’t? Blame the other guy. Charge the Republicans with making governing impossible. Never mind that you had control of Congress for two-thirds of your current tenure. It’s all the fault of Republican rejectionism.

He goes on to show how “a president whose central campaign theme is that Republicans put party over nation, sacrificing country to crass political ends” was putting party over nation, sacrificing country for crass political ends.

fousesquawk: Steven Chu's Questionable Testimony on Solyndra

fousesquawk: Steven Chu's Questionable Testimony on Solyndra:
Add Energy Secretary Steven Chu to the list of Obama cabinet members who need to resign. After Chu's testimony before Congress this week, it is clear that Chu was either committing perjury, or he is so incompetent that he should resign or be fired. (I know. Who's going to fire him?)

Chicago Boyz � Blog Archive � Congress is a criminal enterprise

Chicago Boyz � Blog Archive � Congress is a criminal enterprise:
Mark Twain once said, ” There is no true criminal class in America with the possible exception of Congress.” It’s time to withdraw the qualifier. It is now apparent that, with a few rare exceptions, Congress is a criminal enterprise and the Obama Administration is, as well

Super Committee is a Super Failure | United Liberty | Free Market - Individual Liberty - Limited Government

Super Committee is a Super Failure | United Liberty | Free Market - Individual Liberty - Limited Government:
Our federal spending is in crisis. Failing to recognize this might lead to financial collapse. We don’t have time to fiddle fart around. The failure of the Supercommittee to simply cut $120 Billion from the federal spending level of $3.6 Trillion (with no actual budget) is indicative of how incapable the two controlling parties have become. Each throwing hissy fits at the mere mention that it may be their toy that won’t be purchased today. True leadership would have the ability to recognize that each and every aspect of the federal government is bloated. True leadership would not jeopardize the future of the nation over talking points. These are the problems that face the elected leadership in 2013.

SPECIAL REPORT: More Than 1000 International Scientists Dissent Over Man-Made Global Warming Claims - Challenge UN IPCC & Gore | Climate Depot

SPECIAL REPORT: More Than 1000 International Scientists Dissent Over Man-Made Global Warming Claims - Challenge UN IPCC & Gore | Climate Depot:
More than 1,000 dissenting scientists (updates previous 700 scientist report) from around the globe have now challenged man-made global warming claims made by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and former Vice President Al Gore. This

The Narrative of Perpetual Palestinian Victimhood | Power Line

The Narrative of Perpetual Palestinian Victimhood | Power Line:
The idea that the problem is Israel, that the problem is the Jews, protects Palestinians from having to confront that inferiority or do anything about it or overcome it. The idea among Palestinians that they are victims means more to them than anything else. It is everything. It is the centerpiece of their very identity and it is the way they define themselves as human beings in the world. It is not an idle thing. Our facts and our reason are not going to penetrate easily that definition or make any progress.

What Matters More to Republicans, Defending Taxpayers or Expanding Government? � International Liberty

What Matters More to Republicans, Defending Taxpayers or Expanding Government? � International Liberty:
For all intents and purposes, the Supercommittee fight is a battle to see whether the GOP has shed the corrupt big-spending mentality of the Bush years. This should be an easy choice for a party that believes in limited government. The fact that we’re even having this discussion is not an encouraging sigh.

Environmental Injustice at the EPA, Part II | Power Line

Environmental Injustice at the EPA, Part II | Power Line:
There are at least two dangers here. The first is that the measures the EPA imposes in the name of environmental justice, unconstrained by any legislative authority, let alone standards, will be bad. The second is that the EPA will use the broad permitting authority with which Congress has entrusted it to pursue an extra-legal political agenda. Which seems to be exactly what is going on in Corpus Christi.

Betsy's Page: Who's putting politics ahead of the good of the nation?

Betsy's Page: Who's putting politics ahead of the good of the nation?:
What does this tell us about Obama? He's quite willing to put politics over the good of the nation all the while telling us that the Republicans are the ones doing so.

Betsy's Page: Obama blames Americans for his own faults

Betsy's Page: Obama blames Americans for his own faults:
President Obama has a habit of criticizing ordinary Americans as being bitter, lazy, unimaginative, soft, uncompetitive, you name it. He might not use the word "malaise," but that is what he is really talking about. And by that he means that we are slow to adapt his policies and that, by definition, means that there is something wrong with all of us.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Washington Doesn't Work Because it Can't. Here's Why - Ricochet.com

Washington Doesn't Work Because it Can't. Here's Why - Ricochet.com:
We now have two parties with two fundamentally different and irreconcilable views of the role of government in American life: The GOP believes in limited government and the primacy of the private sector, the Democrats, in ever-expanding government and the primacy of the public sector. "What we're witnessing isn't a failure to compromise. What we're witnessing is a stand-off."

Obamacare Threatens Life and Liberty

Obamacare Threatens Life and Liberty:
In addition to loopholes allowing federal funding of abortion, to which the vast majority of American families object, new funding streams for contraception education in schools and marriage penalties in Obamacare make the health care law very family unfriendly. Heritage research demonstrates how the law restricts parents’ ability to participate in the medical decisions of their minor children, establishes disincentives for people to marry, and weakens the religious freedom of individuals and institutions.

From conscience to parental rights, Obamacare poses many serious challenges to American liberty.

Charlie Cook: GOP Wins Big in 2012 :: Political News and commentaries :: Hyscience

Charlie Cook: GOP Wins Big in 2012 :: Political News and commentaries :: Hyscience:
if Election Day 2012 unfolds as acclaimed vote counter Charlie Cook predicts, Republicans may be heading toward complete control of Washington - maintaining the House, taking the Senate, and likely capturing the White House.

“BREAKING: Senate Rules Committee Blocks Tea Party Debt Commission Hearing on Budget Reform “

“BREAKING: Senate Rules Committee Blocks Tea Party Debt Commission Hearing on Budget Reform “:
“The Senate hasn’t been able to pass a budget resolution three years running. They have been unable to do their job, and now the Rules Committee is trying to prevent the American people from doing it for them,” said Matt Kibbe, president of FreedomWorks

“The Senate has refused to let the American people know what the highly secretive budget ‘Super Committee’ is doing behind closed doors,” Kibbe added. “We’ve come to Washington with the real solutions developed by the American people, and the Rules Committee won’t let their voices be heard in an open forum. It’s outrageous. They’re kicking us out of our own building because they’re afraid we are going to do something crazy like balance the budget.”

CBO: Democrats’ “Stimulus” Plan Hurts Long-Term GDP Growth | Power Line

CBO: Democrats’ “Stimulus” Plan Hurts Long-Term GDP Growth | Power Line:
If we were to choose three of Barack Obama’s words to sum up his failed presidency, it would be “spending equals stimulus.” Obama naively believes that any government spending–it scarcely matters on what–has a positive impact on our economy. He completely fails to understand (or, at any rate, to acknowledge) that wasteful spending destroys wealth and, in the long run, kills jobs. Thus, even though the Democrats’ $800 billion-plus stimulus bill was an abject failure, they have nothing to offer Americans but more of the same.

Judge Andrew Napolitano

Judge Andrew Napolitano:
Why are liberals who want the government to regulate their health care upset that the government wants to regulate their internet?

Newt Gingrich

Newt Gingrich:
I think that it is astonishing that the Obama administration has now filed lawsuits on immigration against Arizona, Alabama, and South Carolina. And, they have accepted foreign governments in the lawsuits. The whole purpose of creating the Constitution was to bind together the States so that foreign powers could not play us off each other, and the Founding Fathers were very worried about foreign governments getting in the habit of playing us off each other. For the Obama administration to accept foreign countries in suing South Carolina instead of being on the side of the United States and stopping it--makes me wonder what country does Obama think he's president of. - Newt Gingrich

Report: De-Funding Planned Parenthood Closes Abortion Clinics | LifeNews.com

Report: De-Funding Planned Parenthood Closes Abortion Clinics | LifeNews.com:
“Due to legislative victories, Planned Parenthood has suffered significant tax-payer funding losses and, consequently, facility closures in states all around the country,”

HughHewitt.com Blog : Hugh Hewitt : The Toomey-Hensarling Tax Hikes: Part 3: The GOP Heads For The Cliff

HughHewitt.com Blog : Hugh Hewitt : The Toomey-Hensarling Tax Hikes: Part 3: The GOP Heads For The Cliff:
The GOP had better be praying the Democrats are stupid enough to say no to the tax hikes on the table thus giving the GOP a chance to walk away and never, ever agree again to a committee where the enthusiasms of one or two Republicans can carry the entire party far from its core beliefs.

HolyCoast.com: As Predicted, Republicans Getting Squishy on Taxes

HolyCoast.com: As Predicted, Republicans Getting Squishy on Taxes:
Let me remind any Republicans who go along with higher taxes what happened to President George H.W. Bush. You remember him? He pledged "Read my lips, no new taxes!" and then caved to Democrats in return for a never realized promise of spending cuts. The Democrats spent that entire 1992 campaign blasting Bush for raising taxes and the country threw him out.