Saturday, December 31, 2011

The truth is NOT HATE SPEECH even if it hurts…… | Wise Conservatism

The truth is NOT HATE SPEECH even if it hurts…… | Wise Conservatism:
It seems that we here in America are being duped into believing that if anything can be misconstrued as hate speech, then it is. It doesn’t matter if what is being said is the truth or not. But this is a double edged sword, so to speak. And if you listen to the news as I do, you would see it.

The Bastardization of Capitalism - what if?

The Bastardization of Capitalism - what if?:
It's not because the underlying principles have altered. A free market, with all its flaws, is superior to everything else. Nevertheless, the "free market" works only if it is indeed free. That is, the principle of "risk and reward" must remain. And - that underlying principle in recent decades has been badly damaged.

Suing for vote fraud | PrairiePundit

Suing for vote fraud | PrairiePundit:
Defending vote fraud seems to be the4 objectives, because it is absurd to suggest that blacks cannot get picture IDs. I don't know any of voting age who do not already have the ID. It is an insult to their intelligence to suggest otherwise.

The other fact is that in many places Republicans have to win by more than three percentage points to overcome the vote fraud.

Same Old, Same Old – The Dance of the Corruptocrat Ruling Class | Daily Pundit

Same Old, Same Old – The Dance of the Corruptocrat Ruling Class | Daily Pundit:
The deeply corrupt ruling class takes care of its own, even as it works to destroy the liberties of ordinary Americans.

The Last Tradition: Our greatest enemy is Political Correctness

The Last Tradition: Our greatest enemy is Political Correctness:
We have GOP leaders in Washington that refuse to buck political correctness. They do everything they can to operate within the PC rules without realizing they’ve already lost the battle before it begins. That’s the way Liberals designed the PC milieu and it's foolish to operate within a rigged game.

Pension Tsunami, Record Federal Spending Increase U.S. Debts by $4.2 Trillion; State Debts Explode

Pension Tsunami, Record Federal Spending Increase U.S. Debts by $4.2 Trillion; State Debts Explode:
Massive budget deficits and mushrooming pension, Social Security, and Medicare obligations increased the federal government’s long-term obligations by $4.2 trillion in 2011 — more than three times the $1.3 trillion official figure for the federal budget deficit, notes a Washington Post article. (Even the official budget deficit is more than eight times the size of the budget deficit back in 2007.)

The Last Tradition: TLT must read: The Flipside of Feminism: What Conservative Women Know -- and Men Can't Say

The Last Tradition: TLT must read: The Flipside of Feminism: What Conservative Women Know -- and Men Can't Say:
“Despite overwhelming evidence of sex differences, American boys are subjected to the feminization process as early as Kindergarten. Surrounded mostly be women (and often feminists), both curriculum and activities revolve around the needs of girls and girls interests. Assigned stories are in subjects girls like (such as fairy tales), rather than stories boys like (such as adventures and battles). Moreover, first grade boys are roughly nine months behind in coordination, yet the emphasis on this grade is sitting still at a desk. Manny scholars have also eliminated recess which does not bode well for boys. They are active by nature and need to run around and when they can’t sit still, teachers and administrators often wrongly attribute this to ADD or ADHD.”

Proof Positive: Quote du jour

Proof Positive: Quote du jour:
“Many of us crucify ourselves between two thieves - regret for the past and fear of the future.”

Mark Steyn: Puncture the cocoon of denial | trillion, debt, government - Opinion - The Orange County Register

Mark Steyn: Puncture the cocoon of denial | trillion, debt, government - Opinion - The Orange County Register:
Auld acquaintance can be forgot, for awhile. But eventually even the most complacent and myopic societies get re-acquainted with reality. For anyone who cares about the future of America and the broader West, the most important task in 2012 is to puncture the cocoon of denial. Instead, the governing class obsesses on trivia: Just to pluck at random from recent California legislative proposals, a ban on nonfitted sheets in motels, mandatory gay history for first-graders, car seats for children up to the age of 8. Why not up to the age of 38? Just to be on the safe side. And all this in an ever more insolvent jurisdiction that every year drives ever more of its productive class to flee its borders.

Friday, December 30, 2011

Blind to Their Liberal Biases | Right Wing News

Blind to Their Liberal Biases | Right Wing News:
I think it’s very difficult for any of us to be objective about any subject, especially something we care deeply about, but my objective observation is that liberals tend to be less aware of and less willing to admit their biases.

� Holder Race-baiting About Obama’s Re-election, Not Voting Rights - Big Government

� Holder Race-baiting About Obama’s Re-election, Not Voting Rights - Big Government:
Eric Holder’s Department of Justice (DOJ) has launched an all-out war on voter-ID laws and other measures to safeguard to the electoral process. Although Holder’s actions are purportedly to prevent African-Americans from being disenfranchised, the reality is that they serve the crass political purpose of ensuring that Holder’s boss gets reelected next year.

They Keep Getting it Wrong

Eternity Road:
The point here is not who else (besides you) pays for your medical care, or whether or why somebody should be able to freeload, thus passing the cost to you. The point here is that the government has no place in the matter whatsoever.

EL-ERIAN To IMF: Man Up!

EL-ERIAN To IMF: Man Up!:
He calls upon the IMF to stand up to "European bullying" and resist pressures from EU leaders to pursue more policies that "[erode] its credibility" and don't actually fix the sovereign debt crisis.

Political Correctness - Our Titanic � Publications � Family Security Matters

Political Correctness - Our Titanic � Publications � Family Security Matters:
Pandering will sink us, will weaken our foundations and our unique culture; a culture of tolerance yet of logic, of equality but also of independence.

Requirement to consider gay couples for adoption forces Illinois Catholic Charities affiliates to close � Hot Air

Requirement to consider gay couples for adoption forces Illinois Catholic Charities affiliates to close � Hot Air:
Either way, though, let’s not forget the broader picture: The decision of the Illinois legislature to initiate the requirement in the first place — knowing it would hamstring Catholic Charities, which provides essential services — demonstrates an appalling willingness to allow an adult agenda — the mainstream acceptance of gay behavior — to supersede children’s interests. The spokesman for the state’s child welfare agency has said he thinks the child welfare system Catholic Charities helped to build is strong enough to withstand CC’s departure. But it’s hard to believe the shuttering of so many CC affiliates won’t make the burden of finding a home for children in need even greater.

Then, too, research suggests the healthiest and most stable environment for a child is to live with a married couple. Of those born to cohabiting parents, the majority see their parents split up before they hit age 16 — and children living with a mother and her unmarried partner are more likely to have behavioral problems and lower academic performance. That Catholic Charities wanted to work to place children in that optimal living environment but now can’t is heartbreaking no matter what the reasoning for the new requirement.

Thursday, December 29, 2011

What is Wrong With the Individual Mandate? - Ricochet.com

What is Wrong With the Individual Mandate? - Ricochet.com:
Managerial progressives see only the end -- preventing free-riders from riding for free. And they ignore the collateral damage done by way of the means selected. Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich have no understanding of first principles. For both of these social engineers, citizens are subjects to be worked-over by the government for their own good. Both men are inclined to treat us as children subject to the authority of a paternalistic state under the direction of a benevolent and omniscient managerial class.

The Backlash Against the Columbine Backlash � FreeRangeKids

The Backlash Against the Columbine Backlash � FreeRangeKids:
As we enter 2012, there is cause for hope, as this article shows. Legislators in Colorado, home to the Columbine massacre, are taking a new and rational look at their zero tolerance laws. These are laws that REQUIRED schools to act brainlessly and not distinguish between, say, a wooden replica of a rifle and a smoking AK47. Laws that told school administrators they’d be WRONG to treat a butter knife as a butter knife rather than as a deadly weapon. According to the website TimesCall.com:

The Unit of Social Life - Frank Chodorov - Mises Daily

The Unit of Social Life - Frank Chodorov - Mises Daily:
Whatever other attributes the human being brings to bear on the social order of which he is the integral, his will to live comes first in the hierarchy; the will to live is not mere clinging to existence but is also an urge to improve one's circumstances and to widen one's horizon. This is innate; Nirvana, or the negation of desire, is an acquired characteristic, requiring much exercise of the will. The urge to live is accompanied by means and methods that are also built in — the inclination to avoid labor.

Thomas Sowell: Gingrich for President | The American Pundit

Thomas Sowell: Gingrich for President | The American Pundit

Intergalactic Source of Truth: The tax on stupid.

Intergalactic Source of Truth: The tax on stupid.:
Governments grew tremendously in the 20th century. Because they are essentially parasitic luxuries. As a society grows richer it can afford more illusions, more waste, more re-distribution of wealth, more regulation, higher taxes, and more unproductive government employees.

Is Obamacare Stopping Businesses From Hiring? Businesspeople certainly think so. | Hawaii Reporter

Is Obamacare Stopping Businesses From Hiring? Businesspeople certainly think so. | Hawaii Reporter:
Three successful businessmen came on my Fox Business show last week to explain how Obamacare is a reason that unemployment stays high. Its length and complexity make businessmen wary of expanding.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Former Fed VP Accuses Bernanke Of Bailing Out Europe Via Currency Swaps | ZeroHedge

Former Fed VP Accuses Bernanke Of Bailing Out Europe Via Currency Swaps | ZeroHedge:
First it was Zero Hedge. Then Ron Paul joined in. Now it is the turn of a former Dallas Fed Vice President, Gerald ODriscoll, to outright accuse the Fed of bailing out Europe courtesy of "incomprehensible" currency swaps, and implicitly accusing Bernanke of lying that he would not bail out Europe even as he has done precisely that. And not only that: by cutting the USD swap spread from OIS 100 to OIS 50, the Fed has made sure it gets paid less than ever for extended Europe the courtesy of bailing it out all over again. Incidentally, O'Driscoll says, "America's central bank, the Federal Reserve, is engaged in a bailout of European banks. Surprisingly, its operation is largely unnoticed here." One thing we can say proudly - it has been noticed loud and clear here...

� New Law Creates More Charter Schools for Michigan - Big Government

� New Law Creates More Charter Schools for Michigan - Big Government:
But that finally changed last week, when Gov. Rick Snyder signed a bill that will increase the cap to 300 charter schools in 2012, 500 in 2014 and eliminate limits altogether starting in 2015. That means school choice is on the march in Michigan, and traditional public schools will face increased pressure to measure up or lose thousands of students and millions of dollars of state funding.

The new law is a major defeat for the MEA and many public school organizations, who bitterly opposed the idea of increased competition.

HolyCoast.com: The Faith Gap

HolyCoast.com: The Faith Gap:
Everybody has a god. For some it's an actual deity. For some a make-believe deity. And for some it's government.

MF Global Chief Missing $1.2B is Financial Adviser to EPA - MF Global - Fox Nation

MF Global Chief Missing $1.2B is Financial Adviser to EPA - MF Global - Fox Nation:
“EPA relying on Wall Street for financial guidance is like the blind leading the blind,” said Jeff Ruch, president of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, a nonprofit environmental advocacy group based in Washington.

“In Abelow, you have a Wall Street executive who just presided over the disappearance of $1 billion in investor funds purporting to help guide federal infrastructure financing.”

Congress works best when Congress works least. | Daily Pundit

Congress works best when Congress works least. | Daily Pundit:
You know, I’ve been thinking. You’ve no doubt heard about the ‘lockouts’ of NFL players. I wonder how we could go about a ‘lockout’ of Washington, D.C.? The whole nine yards, the whole rotten, stinking, crony-ridden bunch of gutless pols, unelected staffers and hangers-on, the executive bunch that seems to take that whole ‘execute’ part so very seriously when it is talking about individual liberty, the judges who just make it up out of the penumbra of their latest cause-of-the-moment addle-pated foolishness, in short, the whole damned lousy bunch.

RealClearScience - America's Massive Energy Potential Awaits

RealClearScience - America's Massive Energy Potential Awaits:
The fossil-fuel energy era is not waning. Quite the opposite; it is still young.

For decades, activists have been trying to convince the American people that declining resources would forever make us dependent on expensive foreign oil. But according to a new report from the Institute for Energy Research (IER) on North America’s energy resources, that line of thinking is flat-out false. Based on the latest official statistics, domestic oil, natural gas, and coal deposits are much more extensive than commonly realized.

Getting Rich While Serving in Congress Isn’t Proof of Corruption, but It Stinks to High Heaven � International Liberty

Getting Rich While Serving in Congress Isn’t Proof of Corruption, but It Stinks to High Heaven � International Liberty: Mark Twain famously observed that, “It could probably be shown by facts and figures that there is no distinctly native American criminal class except Congress.”

That’s a generalization, of course, but one that makes a lot of sense. Especially since I’ve written about the sleazy practice of swapping earmarks for campaign cash and also about the revolving door between Capitol Hill and the lobbying community.

Indeed, the culture of legal corruption in Washington is so pervasive that even the New York Times had to give credit to Sarah Palin for making it an issue.

Another sign of sleaze in DC is the degree to which politicians manage to get wealthier while in office.

In other words, how is it that some politicians come to Washington with modest amounts of wealth and somehow become multimillionaires? Especially when they are getting richer while the rest of the nation is treading water – even though we know they are some of the nation’s least competent people?

It's 2012--It's Just Absurd That We're Still Addicted To Middle-Eastern Oil

It's 2012--It's Just Absurd That We're Still Addicted To Middle-Eastern Oil:
That's pretty much it. It's not complicated. We just need to give American consumers and businesses incentives to make this transition slowly and deliberately, so we don't wallop the economy in the process.

The fact that it's 2012 and we're still addicted to Middle Eastern oil is not just a temporary geo-political challenge. It's not something that will go away if we ignore it. It's not something that "the market" will cure, at least not in a way that we want. It's not something we can "fix" by making sure the folks in charge in the Middle East are people we can stand to do business with.

The fact that we're addicted to Middle Eastern oil is a national embarrassment.

We've had almost a half-century to prepare for this situation, and we haven't done jack. If we remain in denial, fighting to preserve the status quo, a transition of Middle Eastern oil will ultimately be forced on us. And it's hard to see why we would ever want that.

So it's time we focused on this problem. And it's time we did what any individual or company focused on fixing a long-term problem would do: Start by developing an intelligent long-term plan.

Occupy are not the solution: they embody the problem – Telegraph Blogs

Occupy are not the solution: they embody the problem – Telegraph Blogs:
It's a shame, really it is, because in these terrifying economic times it really would be nice to harness some of that commitment, zeal and self-righteous rage you find among the Occupy crowd and channel it towards a useful purpose. Problem is, we're dealing here with the victims of two or three generations' worth of ingrained cultural Marxism. Thanks to the Gramsciite capture of the media and the seats of academe, a lot of these kids simply lack the knowledge base or intellectual wherewithal to appreciate that instead of championing freedom what they're actually defending is economic stagnation, higher unemployment, more stifling regulation, more entrenched social division and a moribund status quo in which an ever-growing political elite leeches off the backs of us wage-slave Untermenschen.

South Carolina and Voter ID: When Politics Drives Law Enforcement

South Carolina and Voter ID: When Politics Drives Law Enforcement:
DOJ apparently wants to prevent common-sense election reforms—which are supported by an overwhelming majority of Americans and would help guarantee the security and integrity of the election process—from being in place for next year’s election. This objection reveals both the character of this Attorney General and the lengths to which he is willing to go to abuse the power and authority of the federal government in order to meet the political demands of the Left.

Admire This, You Freaking Morons! | Daily Pundit

Admire This, You Freaking Morons! | Daily Pundit:
Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton Again Top Most Admired List

PRINCETON, NJ — Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama continue to be named by Americans as the Most Admired Woman and Most Admired Man living today in any part of the world. Clinton has been the Most Admired Woman each of the last 10 years, and Obama has been the Most Admired Man four years in a row.

We are so doomed. We apparently live in a nation made up of irredeemably hopeless dumbasses. You can sometimes fix ignorant, but stupid can’t be repaired at all.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Newt Gingrich Endorsed by Architect of Reagan Economic Plan, Economist Arthur Laffer - Fox News

Newt Gingrich Endorsed by Architect of Reagan Economic Plan, Economist Arthur Laffer - Fox News:
Renowned economist, father of The Laffer Curve and supply-side economics, and architect of the Ronald Reagan economic plan, Arthur Laffer, announced his endorsement Tuesday of Newt Gingrich for President of the United States.

"Newt has the best plan for jobs and economic growth of any candidate in the field," said Laffer.

"Like Ronald Reagan's tax cuts and pro-growth policies, Newt's low individual and corporate tax rates, deregulation and strong dollar monetary policies will create a boom of new investment and economic growth leading to the creation of tens of millions of new jobs over the next decade. Plus, Newt's record of helping Ronald Reagan pass the Kemp Roth tax cuts and enacting the largest capital gains tax cut in history as Speaker of the House shows he can get this plan passed and put it into action."Mr. Laffer will join Newt Gingrich in Storm Lake, IA Thursday for a formal press conference announcing the endorsement.

"Rebuilding the America we love requires returning to job creation and economic growth. We need big changes to fix the economy, and I am ready to stand up to Barack Obama's class warfare rhetoric to make the case that letting the American people keep more of what they earn is the best way to create jobs."

Who Should Control the World?

Who Should Control the World?:
Government vs. the market: which system is better? Granted that neither system provides utopia. The real issue is: which system is better capable of self correcting in our favor? The market does this every day. There is a ceaseless struggle going on globally with the goal of winning us over as consumers. The market is always saying: “how can I help you?” The government is always saying: “help us or else.”

Looking at the choice here, it seems rather obvious that the market – as a particular application of the principles of choice and free association – is the best approach to organizing society. No one designed it. It is controlled by us in the very exercise of our free will to It gives power to the people. The statist approach can only lead to less satisfaction, less mutual benefit, less control, and ultimately the very nightmare that we all want to avoid.

Arab Scholar Ibn Warraq Tells "Why the West is Best" - Op-Eds - Israel National News

Arab Scholar Ibn Warraq Tells "Why the West is Best" - Op-Eds - Israel National News:
Warraq slams Western relativism. “Intellectuals and academics have undermined the confidence of the West in its own values and strengths. For more than sixty years schools and universities in the West have inculcated three generations of the young with moral relativism leaving them incapable of passing moral or cross-cultural judgments, and unwilling to defend those values. Post-modernism and multiculturalism have completed the destruction of the West’s self-assurance”.

Obama Skips Christmas Statement But Issues Statement for Fake Holiday Kwanzaa | The Gateway Pundit

Obama Skips Christmas Statement But Issues Statement for Fake Holiday Kwanzaa | The Gateway Pundit

Saberpoint: The Shallowness of Atheism

Saberpoint: The Shallowness of Atheism:
I really don't care what anyone believes about God, as long as they believe it peacefully and do not attempt to impose their beliefs on me through coercive means. "Coercive means," for purposes of this discussion, include using Congress and the courts to subvert the First Amendment.

Atheists, however, are particularly annoying in their religious beliefs. Yes, atheism is a form of religion, as it is believed on faith -- a negative kind of faith, but faith nonetheless. To know whether God exists, one would have to be God himself. Man's comparatively minuscule intellect is insufficient to answer the question. Therefore, many of us believe, on faith, that there is a higher power and a higher purpose to our existence.

Law-Breaker-In-Chief :: Political News and commentaries :: Hyscience

Law-Breaker-In-Chief :: Political News and commentaries :: Hyscience:
As Hillyer aptly notes, this isn't just a matter of choosing how to interpret unclear provisions of a law; this is explicitly refusing to abide by clear-as-day provisions in a law he just signed. This man is a menace, with dangerously authoritarian tendencies.

Why the Middle East Peace Process Is a Farce

Why the Middle East Peace Process Is a Farce:
The Muslim regimes in the Middle East have never held any real intentions of formulating a peace process with Israel. There just isn’t any money and power in doing so. The Jewish presence is a wonderful distraction for Arab regimes to take attention away from their own corruption and incompetency.

In fact, one could argue convincingly that Israel is a wonderful motivation for peace among Muslim nations. For without Israel to hate, Muslim nations would have to go to war with one another. Instead, the hatred for Jews shared among all Muslim nations is a useful prop for radical Islamists movements like the so-called Arab Spring, which was nothing more than exercise of radicalization. The Islamic groups that had been historically pushed to the fringes in countries like Egypt, Libya, and Syria (that story has yet to be played out) are now running the asylum.

Clayton Cramer's Blog: Corn Ethanol Tax Subsidy Expires

Clayton Cramer's Blog: Corn Ethanol Tax Subsidy Expires:
Whatever the original merit of the argument for this subsidy (and I regard production subsidies as, at best, a bad idea, when they are not a corrupt idea), it was becoming increasingly apparent that this was not a good idea. There are places in the world where ethanol produced from crops makes sense, such as Brazil, because sugar cane is a very efficient converter of sunlight into glucose. It might even make sense for sugar cane grown in the U.S. There is at least one company working on sugar cane ethanol production in Hawaii--a place far from petroleum. But for corn? No.

Proof Positive: Quote du jour

Proof Positive: Quote du jour:
Put simply, for too long we have been unwilling to distinguish right from wrong. “Live and let live” has too often become “do what you please.”

Bad choices have too often been defended as just different lifestyles. To be confident in saying something is wrong, is not a sign of weakness, it’s a strength.


-David Cameron

HolyCoast.com: The Ever Encroaching Police State

HolyCoast.com: The Ever Encroaching Police State:
People who are used to taking trains know they can arrive just a few minutes before the train gets there and easily get aboard and make their trip. The TSA has probably done more to promote train travel than anything else they've accomplished, but should one of these teams show up at a train station, they're guaranteed to make a whole host of people miss their trains while continuing their record of never having stopped or even detected a terrorist threat. This is completely unnecessary and I wish a candidate not named Ron Paul would vow to end this mess.

Eagle Forum Blog: How Evil Works: Destructive Forces

Eagle Forum Blog: How Evil Works: Destructive Forces:
There is hope. The secret weapon of those defending individual liberty rooted in a moral code is conscience and objective truth. Few people get their news from printed media anymore. If we shine the light of objective truth on the deceptive lies designed to remake our culture by the marketers of evil, the individual’s own conscience can kick in. When truth is properly targeted, truth is sufficient to annihilate the grand seductions. The name of this book by David Kupelian is How Evil Works.

Europe Running Out of 'Other People's Money' (Socialism's Canary Is Dying) :: Political News and commentaries :: Hyscience

Europe Running Out of 'Other People's Money' (Socialism's Canary Is Dying) :: Political News and commentaries :: Hyscience:
If we here in the U.S. really want to know what our future looks like, we need only look at Europe, where not only are the churches dying, but factories, schools, and families, as well. The continent has been far too slow to learn that socialism not only "runs out of other people's money," it simply runs out of people. Future historians, if there are any left, will puzzle over how this came about. The economists will have an easier time explaining it. Through some process, socialism has apparently increased the discount rate to the point where the future is consumed for the sake of the present. Not only is investment taxed to feed consumption, tomorrow is hocked to pay for today.

Commonsense & Wonder: AARP: just another arm of the Democrat Party and of course a tax fraud.

Commonsense & Wonder: AARP: just another arm of the Democrat Party and of course a tax fraud.

Articles: Three Ugly Truths Exposed by the Tebow Assault

Articles: Three Ugly Truths Exposed by the Tebow Assault:
The moment, which I believe has just passed us, wherein Tim Tebow's prayers and sexual chastity get formally denounced as dangerous needs to be a "moment of clarity," en masse, whereupon we can all reassess the paltry values that we have thoughtlessly embraced as a people. While, happily, it seems that enough folks have awoken to the economic blights of leftism for the 2012 election, such a realization -- in order to bear any meaningful change -- must be met with a concomitant moral reawakening. This is my New Year's wish. And God bless Tim Tebow.

Monday, December 26, 2011

Doctors Say Obamacare Is No Remedy for U.S. Health Woes - Forbes

Doctors Say Obamacare Is No Remedy for U.S. Health Woes - Forbes:
America’s doctors have conducted a full examination of the president’s health reform law — and their diagnosis of its effects on our healthcare system isn’t good.

Nearly two-thirds of doctors expect the quality of care in this country to decline, according to a new survey from consulting giant Deloitte. Just 27 percent think that the law will lower costs. And nearly seven of every 10 doctors believe that medicine is no longer attractive to America’s “best and brightest.”

Few people know more about our healthcare system than doctors working on the frontlines. Policymakers should pay heed to their indictment of Obamacare and revisit the disastrous law.

CARPE DIEM: A New Energy Future is Emerging From Tight Oil and It Holds the Promise of Ending Oil Imports

CARPE DIEM: A New Energy Future is Emerging From Tight Oil and It Holds the Promise of Ending Oil Imports:
"The Bakken is an oil play that has erupted across a forgotten corner of the U.S. It is a frenzy of drilling and pumping and moneymaking. It is also a place where a new energy future is emerging, one that holds the promise of ending U.S. dependence on overseas oil and kick-starting the country’s stagnant economy. Government estimates suggest it could yield 4.3 billion barrels of oil. One industry estimate is five times higher, which would mean the Bakken alone could hold as much recoverable oil as the rest of the country. And it’s just the beginning.

Mark Steyn: War on Christmas indicative of the “Western world at twilight” � Hot Air

Mark Steyn: War on Christmas indicative of the “Western world at twilight” � Hot Air:
It’s an interesting interpretation of a phenomenon that is often considered exasperating but not necessarily the most important battle to fight. Yes, political correctness anesthetizes the sense of the sacred — but can mere words possibly matter as much or more than unemployment, the high abortion rate, political scandals like Fast and Furious or Solyndra and the regulatory war on capitalism?

Mark Steyn essentially says yes — or, at the very least, that political correctness is part and parcel of the problems we face as a nation. The words we use reflect the attitudes we have, and those attitudes, in turn, are both the outgrowth and the molder of our reality. According to Steyn, objections to Christmas expressions indicate that the West, in some ways, exists in contradiction to itself. The Daily Caller reports:

Gates of Vienna: “A Black Day for Austria”

Gates of Vienna: “A Black Day for Austria”:
An Austrian appellate court has upheld the conviction of Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff, a Viennese housewife and anti-Jihad activist, for “denigrating religious beliefs” after giving a series of seminars about the dangers of radical Islam.

Vox Popoli: Redefining reality

Vox Popoli: Redefining reality:
These sorts of linguistic gymnastics and redefinitions are going to serve the financial world little better than it has the argumentative atheists. It might fool a few of the more gullible for a short period of time, but sooner or later, objective reality will reassert itself. Unless the name of the game is simply to buy a little more time in order to allow the responsible parties to prepare for the consequences, this strikes me rather as an NFL team calling a timeout it doesn't have in a futile attempt to buy time.

iOwnTheWorld.com � Blog Archive � One of The Most Incompetent Attorney Generals In U.S. History

iOwnTheWorld.com � Blog Archive � One of The Most Incompetent Attorney Generals In U.S. History

Faith in America

Faith in America:
“The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time,” Thomas Jefferson once wrote. “The hand of force may destroy, but cannot disjoin them.” Among the American Founders, there was a profound sense that faith and freedom were deeply intertwined.

Nowadays, we are often told that religion is divisive and ought to kept away from politics for the sake of liberty. Religion somehow is opposed to liberty, and so liberty requires a diminution of religion in the public square.

The view long consistent with our historical practice, though, is that of America’s Founders, who advanced religious liberty so as to strengthen religious faith and its influence on American self-government. All had a natural right to worship God as they chose, according to the dictates of their consciences. At the same time, the Founders upheld religion and morality–to paraphrase Washington’s Farewell Address–as indispensable supports of good habits, the firmest props of the duties of citizens, and the great pillars of human happiness.

Chart: Medicare Spending Is Biggest Cause of Future Deficits

Chart: Medicare Spending Is Biggest Cause of Future Deficits:
Medicare is in dire need of reform. This week’s chart illustrates why the entitlement program is the largest driver of long-term runaway deficits. With the country’s population aging and increasingly dependent on health care, Medicare’s cost to taxpayers is projected to rise from $522.8 billion in 2010 to $932 billion in 2020.

The Heritage Foundation has long championed reforms for Medicare, most recently as part of Saving the American Dream. Heritage’s Bob Moffit recently outlined a two-stage approach to reform. The first step is saving the current program, then moving to premium support for Medicare, which is a variant of the defined-contribution system.

BENADOR: Happening Silently: Islam Aggressive Invasion of America | RSN Pick of the Day Right Side News

BENADOR: Happening Silently: Islam Aggressive Invasion of America | RSN Pick of the Day Right Side News

Instapundit � Blog Archive � ELECTRONIC DEVICES ON TAKEOFF: The Federal Aviation Administration has its reasons for preventing p…

Instapundit � Blog Archive � ELECTRONIC DEVICES ON TAKEOFF: The Federal Aviation Administration has its reasons for preventing p…:
“The only reason these rules exist from the F.A.A. is because of agency inertia and paranoia.”

Between Mecca and Jerusalem

Sultan Knish a blog by Daniel Greenfield

Forget Athens and Jerusalem, the new dialectic is between Mecca and Jerusalem. On one side is support for the spread of a repressive theocratic ideology across the region and around the world through violence and intimidation, on the other side is the rise of indigenous states from the pre-Islamic era employing technology and ingenuity to transform the region.

President Obama’s 40 dollar deception | SENTRY JOURNAL

President Obama’s 40 dollar deception | SENTRY JOURNAL:
There are so many stupid flaws in the debate over this bill that I’m near nausea just thinking about it. Let’s just start with the $40. The President talks about what $40 can mean to all of these people who can, apparently, not afford to buy pizza. The problem is that if you make $50k a year and can’t afford pizza, you’re probably just a terrible money manager. The truth is, most of the people who cannot afford pizza don’t make $50k a year, and therefore won’t get their $40.

“Infused With Politics At Every Level” | Power Line

“Infused With Politics At Every Level” | Power Line:
“What’s so troubling is that politics seems to be the dominant factor,” said Ryan Alexander, president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, a nonpartisan watchdog group. “They’re not talking about what the taxpayers are losing; they’re not talking about the failure of the technology, whether we bet on the wrong horse. What they are talking about is ‘How are we going to manage this politically?’ ”

The 2012 Check List for America's Survival | US Opinion and Editorial Right Side News

The 2012 Check List for America's Survival | US Opinion and Editorial Right Side News

Why North Dakota is booming and New York isn’t | PoliPundit.com

Why North Dakota is booming and New York isn’t | PoliPundit.com:
New York will, of course, pay a price for this, as seen in the vast and continuing migration of people from blue states to red states.

Iraq’s Five-Day Democracy | US Opinion and Editorial Right Side News

Iraq’s Five-Day Democracy | US Opinion and Editorial Right Side News:
I do not like nation-building … period. The price of war with the US should be a landscape that closely resembles a moonscape. The cost of rebuilding should be paid in the blood, sweat, and tears of the defeated nation.

Another lesson the US has yet to learn, it seems, is that democracy is not for some people. Democracy does not, and will not, work in tribal nations. Sorry, but them’s the facts.

Look. Fighting a war in the Middle East, for any reason other than punitive, will suck a country, no matter its wealth, dry. That region of the globe is destined for turmoil until the earth, as we know it, is no more. But – the utter stupidity of our own government is such that we have no choice but to try and secure the source of our energy, oil, from those countries in the Middle East that hate our very shadow.

The US has enough oil for centuries into the future beneath our own soil and beneath our own territorial offshore waters. But the US government has bought into the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on mankind, “Global Warming,” and, as a result, the government will not allow us to use our own natural resources, the very resources that made this nation great in the first place.

A Better Idea for National Defense | A Voice of Sanity - RobertRinger.com

A Better Idea for National Defense | A Voice of Sanity - RobertRinger.com:
That said, let me make it clear that I’m a big advocate of having a strong national defense. My message to rogue nations would be simple: Mess with us and yesterday will always be remembered as the best day of your life. And, yes, we will use nukes if that’s what it takes to make you behave.

Administrative Amnesty | Thousands of Watchlisted Terrorists Residing in the United States | Homeland Security Right Side News

Administrative Amnesty | Thousands of Watchlisted Terrorists Residing in the United States | Homeland Security Right Side News:
According to statistics provided by high-ranking FBI sources, more than 98 percent of those individuals on the federal government's sole Terrorist Watchlist1 are associated with international terrorism (foreign nationals or Americans attacking Americans based on international extremist ideologies). The remainder are associated with domestic terrorism the FBI defines as "Americans attacking Americans based on U.S.-based extremist ideologies."2However, despite a growing national discussion of homegrown violent extremism, it is important to put that discussion in context: Today, less than 2 percent of all watchlisted persons are U.S. citizens. On any given day, there are about 550,000 individuals on the Watchlist: approximately 540,000 are foreign nationals, while only about 10,000 are U.S. citizens.

The Political Implications of Ignoring Our Own Ignorance — The American Magazine

The Political Implications of Ignoring Our Own Ignorance — The American Magazine:
Instead of using government to consciously impose an institutional structure based on the maps of cognitively impaired individuals, I would prefer to see institutions evolve through a trial-and-error process. People can be “nudged” by all manner of social and religious customs. I would hope that the better norms and customs would tend to survive in a competitive environment. This was Hayek's view of the evolution of language, morals, common law, and other forms of what he called spontaneous order. In contrast, counting on government officials to provide the right nudges strikes me as a recipe for institutional fragility.

RealClearMarkets - A Country In Denial About Its Fiscal Future

RealClearMarkets - A Country In Denial About Its Fiscal Future:
So the political system is failing. It's stuck in the past. It can't make desirable choices about the future. It can't resolve deep conflicts.

An alternative theory is that we're muddling our way to a messy consensus. All the studies and failed negotiations lay the groundwork for ultimate accommodation. Perhaps. But it's just as likely that this year's partisan scapegoating implies more partisan scapegoating. Political leaders assume that financial markets won't ever choke on U.S. debt and force higher interest rates, stiff spending cuts and tax increases.

At best, this is wishful thinking. At worst, it's playing Russian roulette with the country's future.

A Western Heart: Study Shows U.S. Mosques Are Repositories of Muslim Brotherhood Literature and Preachers

A Western Heart: Study Shows U.S. Mosques Are Repositories of Muslim Brotherhood Literature and Preachers:
Perspectives on Terrorism, recently released a comprehensive study on violence-advocating texts in American mosques titled Sharia Adherence Mosque Survey: Correlations between Sharia Adherence and Violent Dogma in U.S. Mosques.

The Shariah Adherence Mosque Survey found that 80% of U.S. mosques provide their worshippers with jihad-style literature promoting the use of violence against non-believers and that the imams in those mosques expressly promote that literature.

Sunday, December 25, 2011

UK's shrinking economic impact | PrairiePundit

UK's shrinking economic impact | PrairiePundit:
Brazil overtakes UK as sixth biggest economy as Britain falls behind a South American nation for the first time

It is what socialism will do for you.

War on Christmas | Christmas | Mark Steyn | The Daily Caller

War on Christmas | Christmas | Mark Steyn | The Daily Caller:
The war on Christmas has taken many forms, from substituting words in Christmas carols to banning expressions of the holiday, like nativity scenes and Christmas trees. National Review columnist Mark Steyn thinks this assault on Christmas is not only “nuts,” but that it demonstrates the Western world’s “institutional self-loathing.”

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Winston Churchill: Christmas Message, 1941 - Big Government

» Winston Churchill: Christmas Message, 1941 - Big Government

I spend this anniversary and festival far from my country, far from my family, yet I cannot truthfully say that I feel far from home.  Whether it be the ties of blood on my mother’s side, or the friendships I have developed here over many years of active life, or the commanding sentiment of comradeship in the common cause of great peoples who speak the same language, who kneel at the same altars and, to a very large extent, pursue the same ideals, I cannot feel myself a stranger here in the centre and at the summit of the United States.  I feel a sense of unity and fraternal association which, added to the kindliness of your welcome,  convinces me that I have a right to sit at your fireside and share your Christmas joys.

This is a strange Christmas Eve.  Almost the whole world is locked in deadly struggle, and, with the most terrible weapons which science can devise, the nations advance upon each other.  Ill would it be for us this Christmastide if we were not sure that no greed for the land or wealth of any other people, no vulgar ambition, no morbid lust for material gain at the expense of others, had led us to the field.

 

Here, in the midst of war, raging and roaring over all the lands and seas, creeping nearer to our hearts and homes, here, amid all the tumult, we have tonight the peace of the spirit in each cottage home and in every generous heart.  Therefore we may cast aside for this night at least the cares and dangers which beset us, and make for the children an evening of happiness in a world of storm.  Here, then, for one night only, each home throughout the English-speaking world should be a brightly-lighted island of happiness and peace.

Let the children have their night of fun and laughter.  Let the gifts of Father Christmas delight their play.  Let us grown-ups share to the full in their unstinted pleasures before we turn again to the stern task and the formidable years that lie before us, resolved that, by our sacrifice and daring, these same children shall not be robbed of their inheritance or denied their right to live in a free and decent world.

And so, in God’s mercy, a happy Christmas to you all.

Merry Christmas

Krauthammer blames Obama Iraq troop pullout for latest violence in Iraq | The Right Scoop

Krauthammer blames Obama Iraq troop pullout for latest violence in Iraq | The Right Scoop:
After Baghdad plunged back into violence a few days ago on the heels of an arrest order for Iraq’s Sunni vice president by Iraq’s Shi’ite Prime Minister, with 65 dead and almost 200 wounded, Krauthammer placed the blame squarely on the Obama administration for ignoring what the generals on the ground were saying and pulling US troops out of Iraq:

Charles Krauthammer | Eric Holder | Worst Attorneys General | The Daily Caller

Charles Krauthammer | Eric Holder | Worst Attorneys General | The Daily Caller:
“It’s clearly a cheap shot of an attorney general who is in political trouble,” Krauthammer said. “The reason he is, he is one of the most incompetent attorneys general in U.S. history. He is the guy who brought on gratuitously the fiasco of the KSM [Kalid Sheikh Mohammed] trial in New York that even Democrats rebelled against. He is the guy who has led a department that has been either totally ignorant or disingenuous or worse on the Fast and the Furious scandal.”

Krauthammer said this use of the race card was dangerous, particularly when it could stoke “racial animosity.”

“And now he plays the race card,” Krauthammer continued. “I think it’s, to use his word a cowardly use of the race card and it’s unbecoming. It also is dangerous in a country where it can stoke that kind of racial animosity. He shouldn’t be using it. I say it with all due respect

Silent Night - By Mark Steyn - The Corner - National Review Online

Silent Night - By Mark Steyn - The Corner - National Review Online:
On this Christmas Eve, one of the great unreported stories throughout what we used to call Christendom is the persecution of Christians around the world. In Egypt, the “Arab Spring” is going so swimmingly that Copts are already fleeing Egypt and, for those Christians that remain, Midnight Mass has to be held in the daylight for security reasons. In Iraq, midnight services have been canceled entirely for fear of bloodshed, part of the remorseless de-Christianizing that has been going on, quite shamefully, under an American imperium.

Not merely the media but Christian leaders in the west seem to be embarrassed by behavior that doesn’t conform to their dimwitted sappiness about “Facebook Revolutions”. It took a Jew to deliver this line:

When Lord Sacks, chief rabbi in England, rose in the House of Lords to speak about the persecution of Christians, he quoted Martin Luther King. “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

Politicized DOJ Plays Race Card Nixes S.C. Voter ID Law � Pirate's Cove


Politicized DOJ Plays Race Card Nixes S.C. Voter ID Law � Pirate's Cove: The same highly political DOJ that stopped a slam dunk prosecution for voter intimidation of voters by members of the New Black Panthers has put a stop to South Carolina requiring ID to vote, and plays the race card

BurtPrelutsky.com: THE 1960s LIVE AGAIN

BurtPrelutsky.com: THE 1960s LIVE AGAIN:
I have long insisted that the decline of America began roughly 50 years ago. That was the decade that saw the liberals take a hacksaw to the black family, as LBJ and thousands of social workers did everything they could to drive black husbands and fathers out of the household. It also saw the advent of the Free Speech movement that started out in Berkeley and culminated in Kent State.

BurtPrelutsky.com: LIBERALS, LIKE FISH, ARE ALL WET

BurtPrelutsky.com: LIBERALS, LIKE FISH, ARE ALL WET:
My friend, Bernie Goldberg, who spent nearly 30 years in the trenches at CBS studying liberals in their own environment, came to the conclusion, as he wrote recently, that liberals regard themselves as moderates for the same reason that fish are unaware they’re wet. They simply have no other frame of reference
.

The Commentator - Head of Ryan Air delivers an in-your-face smackdown of Europe’s bureaucratic empire

The Commentator - Head of Ryan Air delivers an in-your-face smackdown of Europe’s bureaucratic empire:
I’m not a big fan of the European bureaucracy. Indeed, I was semi-serious when I stated that Brussels was the “most statist place on the planet.”

Which is why I greatly enjoyed this speech by the head of Ryan Air, who ripped the bureaucrats a new you-know-what while speaking at an event sponsored by the European Union.

Friday, December 23, 2011

A Western Heart: Financial benefits of equality laws are imaginary, says British think-tank

A Western Heart: Financial benefits of equality laws are imaginary, says British think-tank:
New equality laws have no economic benefit and only a questionable effect on discrimination, a report claims. The study published by the think-tank Civitas says that the supposed economic benefits of recent human rights legislation are “imaginary” and that even their symbolic value is “debatable”.

It claims that rather than saving the country �65million a year, as Government estimates suggest, the Equality Act 2010 will actually cost at least �10m annually while tying small businesses in red tape. The claims come after another study by the think-tank suggested that up to �1billion a year is spent on “mindless” data collection as companies are forced to comply with equalities legislation.

That report found that equality laws have created a cottage industry of bureaucrats who monitor but don’t actually reduce race or gender bias.

Vox Popoli: Vibrancy in the Valley

Vox Popoli: Vibrancy in the Valley:
Meanwhile, the Republicans and Democrats alike support policies that will ensure even more Hispanics enter the country. They pretend that the division between legal and illegal immigration is significant in any way, but the issue is not HOW people are entering the country but WHO is doing so.

Perhaps it is racist to assert that a sane and self-interested people would refuse to permit the mass entry of Somalis, Mexicans, and other semi-civilized peoples. But whether it is or not is entirely irrelevant. A clear choice was presented to the American people some fifty years ago. Americans had the option of living in a low-crime, homogenous, functioning civilization or a high-crime, heterogeneous, dysfunctional, post-civilized barbarism.

They chose the latter. And now they are only beginning to enjoy the fruits of vibrancy.

United Nations Absurdity Continues – Holds Moment Of Silence For North Korean Dictator - The Ulsterman Report

United Nations Absurdity Continues – Holds Moment Of Silence For North Korean Dictator - The Ulsterman Report:
A moment of silence for a dictator whose regime has killed off hundreds of thousands of its own people? Really? Such is the mindset of the ludicrous United Nations.

Family Fact of the Week: Parents' Greatest Present Is Their Presence

Family Fact of the Week: Parents' Greatest Present Is Their Presence:
As Christmas approaches, malls and big-box stores are packed with parents seeking that special gift that will bring a smile to their children’s faces. Yet the greatest gift they can give will not be found in a store, though it does require substantial investment. The best present that parents can give is their presence: It’s a gift that will have far-reaching and long-term benefits for their children’s well-being.

The 7 most illuminating economic charts of 2011 � The Enterprise Blog

The 7 most illuminating economic charts of 2011 � The Enterprise Blog

N.R.C. Clears Way for Nuclear Plant Construction - NYTimes.com

N.R.C. Clears Way for Nuclear Plant Construction - NYTimes.com:
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission unanimously approved a radical new reactor design on Thursday, clearing away a major obstacle for two utilities to begin construction on projects in South Carolina and Georgia.
Green

The decision, a milestone in the much-delayed revival of plant construction sought by the nuclear industry, involves the Westinghouse AP1000, a 1,154-megawatt reactor with a so-called advanced passive design. It relies more heavily on forces like gravity and natural heat convection and less on pumps, valves and operator actions than other models do, in theory diminishing the probability of an accident.

Iraqis flying apart without US glue | PrairiePundit

Iraqis flying apart without US glue | PrairiePundit:
It is becoming pretty evident that Obama's failure to negotiate a status of forces agreement that would let US troops remain in place was a major screw up. It was also a screw up for Maliki who is seeing his government quickly fall to pieces. This is a waste of the investment we had in Iraq and it does not appear that the State Department is capable of filling the void.

Obama seems more inclined to honor a bad campaign promise than to lookout for the national security interest of this country.

Holder tries to kill voter integrity | PrairiePundit

Holder tries to kill voter integrity | PrairiePundit:
It is a bad faith attempt to allow the Democrats to continue to use voter fraud to steal elections.

Energy independence within reach because of shale | PrairiePundit

Energy independence within reach because of shale | PrairiePundit:
I think there are other areas of the US that have as much potential if we were only allowed to exploit it. Offshore oil has great potential, but is being strangled by this administration. Alaska has many potential areas including ANWR which the environmental wackos are keeping shut in. There are many areas in the Western US that also have great potential. We still have a President who is wedded to the anti energy left. He is trying to drive up the price of energy to make alternative less efficient energy look competitive.

Strassel: The GOP's Message Problem - WSJ.com

Strassel: The GOP's Message Problem - WSJ.com:
While independents are disappointed in the president, they are skeptical that Republicans offer anything better.

America on the Brink of Anarchy | Intellectual Conservative Politics and Philosophy

America on the Brink of Anarchy | Intellectual Conservative Politics and Philosophy:
When our elected representatives operate with a total disregard for the rule of constitutional authority and law, it is only a matter of time before the people disregard the law as well.


When government leaders demonstrate a blatant disregard for the rule of law, the citizens soon follow that example. When justice becomes nothing more than a tool for socialist experiments known as social justice, no longer a system of equal protections guided by existing laws, the people will seek their own form of justice and anarchy will reign, until justice is restored.
Our federal government has refused to keep its Constitutional promise to the states and the people, to among other things, control and enforce our immigration laws, demonstrating a blatant disregard for the rule of law, the state and legal American citizens, not to mention their constitutional obligation.

HolyCoast.com: Even Profitable Businesses Are Leaving California

HolyCoast.com: Even Profitable Businesses Are Leaving California:
Democrats treat business as though its reason for existing is to fund government. Business don't exist to fund government, and for the occupiers in the audience, they don't exist to provide jobs either. They exist to make profits for their owners or stockholders. Period. And if the future in a state like California looks as bleak as it does, even a currently profitable business would be smart to explore options elsewhere since the future is sure to include more regulation and taxes.

GAO: Many border security officers not trained | Campaign 2012 | Washington Examiner

GAO: Many border security officers not trained | Campaign 2012 | Washington Examiner:
Thousands of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers responsible for securing the nation's ports of entry from terrorists and other threats have not received fundamental training in immigration enforcement duties, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) announced yesterday. The new GAO report suggests a widespread breakdown of CBP training and ability.

Lead global warming author quits IPCC project � Don Surber

Lead global warming author quits IPCC project � Don Surber:
The UN’s global warming unit, IPCC, is so discredited that “it is not clear how much additional benefit there is to having a huge bureaucratic scientific review effort under UN auspices” said Ken Caldeira in announcing that he is resigning as one of its leading authors on the next IPCC report.

Betsy's Page: Legislation to seem rather than to be

Betsy's Page: Legislation to seem rather than to be:
The agreement on extending the payroll tax holiday is the perfect example of how our nation's solons would prefer to pass something that they can pretend helps the economy and the blessed middle class than the tough legislating that would actually do something of real benefit.

There is no one who seriously believes that a two-month extension, or even a 12-month extension would affect economic growth. Honest economists realize that people don't make decisions based on temporary tax cuts. We need some assurance that those tax cuts will remain in place for the long term before we change our economic behavior.

The Way Congress Does Business � Political Realities

The Way Congress Does Business � Political Realities:
I hate to sound so pessimistic, but how many short-term fixes are we going to have to endure? Should we not expect Congress to fix these issues for the long-term, instead of a year or two at a time? During the current debate, we have heard a lot about certainty for workers and their employers. From the way Congress has been acting, I think the talk of certainty is just dust in the wind. Everyone gets a sore throat and red eyes, but nothing else gets accomplished. In other words, business as usual.

oftwominds: Risk and the Government's Destruction of the Rule of Law

oftwominds: Risk and the Government's Destruction of the Rule of Law:
To save the fragile financial sector from the consequences of its systemic fraud and embezzlement, the Federal government has purposefully destroyed the rule of law: the laws governing banks and financial transactions are not being enforced, lest that enforcement bring down the house of cards that enriches and sustains the political Elite.

The affirmative action myth - Opinion - The Boston Globe

The affirmative action myth - Opinion - The Boston Globe:
The inability of racial preferences to vault more minority students into high scholastic achievement shouldn’t come as a surprise. When an elite institution relaxes its usual standards to admit more blacks and Hispanics, it all but guarantees that those academically weaker students will have trouble keeping up with their better-prepared white and Asian classmates. Minorities who might have flourished in a science or engineering program at a middle-tier state college are apt to find themselves overwhelmed by the pace at which genetics or computer architecture is taught in the Ivy League. Many decide to switch to an easier major. Others drop out altogether.

OUR GOVERNMENT IS PATHETIC: Payroll Tax Cut Edition...

OUR GOVERNMENT IS PATHETIC: Payroll Tax Cut Edition...:
And so the country has wasted another couple of months, and will now waste at least another couple of months, bickering about a simple issue that isn't actually that important and that has reasonable positions on both sides.

That's pathetic.

But that's our government.

Oh, for the days when America had leaders who actually led.

The Corruption of America

The Corruption of America:
Once again… please realize, I'm not taking a political side here. I'm not saying the Democrats are singularly responsible for the state of our country. I'm not saying the Republicans are all to blame. And I'm not saying this is a black problem or a white problem. The problem is rooted in the corrupt belief that you can live at the expense of your neighbor... that we have become a nation where the vast majority of people believe their well-being is primarily, someone else's responsibility.

This bankrupt belief has taken complete control of our government, educational system, medical industry, and our corporations. And unless we demand better from each other and our political leaders, our society is doomed to collapse under the crushing weight of the Corruption of America.

It's time we got back to our traditions as Americans and started doing more to take care of our families, communities, and ourselves.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Human Ignorance and Social Engineering

Human Ignorance and Social Engineering:
Hayek opposed any attempt to engineer — that is, centrally to plan and to coordinate — the structure of society. He believed that such engineering actually destroyed, rather than created, society, which was the result of human action but not of human design. Alongside the Austrian economist Ludwig von Mises, Hayek provided what are arguably the best critiques of the “constructivist” theories and policies that have grown in popularity during the 20th century.

Both Hayek and Mises had witnessed the devastation of classical liberalism, which had been brought on by two world wars, but most particularly by World War I. Wartime governments had clamped a centralized control over the private sector in order to ensure a continuing flow of armaments and the other goods deemed necessary for victory. Governments had inflated their money supplies to pay for massive military buildups. And war had strangled the flow of free trade that classical liberals considered to be a prerequisite to peace, prosperity and freedom. In short, both Hayek and Mises had watched 19th-century classical liberalism being replaced by 20th-century statism.

Poll: Americans Unhappy With Nation’s Condition 2nd Highest Since 1979

Poll: Americans Unhappy With Nation’s Condition 2nd Highest Since 1979:
Here’s a fourth “indicator” poll (by Gallup) that should disturb the incumbent president’s campaign greatly:

Throughout 2011, an average of 17% of Americans said they were satisfied with the way things are going in the United States. That is the second-lowest annual average in the more than 30-year history of the question, after the 15% from 2008. Satisfaction has averaged as high as 60% in 1986, 1998, and 2000.

Why is this important? Because politics is a game of perception and in the end, the only perception that matters is the one the voters have both in general and specifically about certain issues and candidates. But it is the general perception that colors voters views on both issues and candidates. And that’s why this poll indicates problems for the president. It is numbers like this that spell election loss to those who’ve been in charge for a term.

Clayton Cramer's Blog: Something Is Broken in K-12 Education

Clayton Cramer's Blog: Something Is Broken in K-12 Education:
Or maybe something is broken in our culture. This December 12, 2011 Contra Costa Times article at the San Jose Mercury-News website reports on how the California State University system is overwhelmed by remedial student needs:

� The Failed Chevy Volt: A Microcosm of Obama’s Failed Presidency - Big Government

� The Failed Chevy Volt: A Microcosm of Obama’s Failed Presidency - Big Government:
And if you want a microcosm of Obama’s failed presidency, of his ridiculous approach to economic policy, look no further than the Chevy Volt. The sticker price on a Volt is $40,000, but the cars are so technologically challenged that each one is subsidized to the tune of approximately $250,000. Now that’s Obama-nomics in a nutshell: Brag about your car company’s $40,000 electric car, but never mention that the $40,000 price tag costs tax payers a quarter of a million dollars per car.

Signs Point to Economy’s Rise, but Experts See a False Dawn - NYTimes.com

Signs Point to Economy’s Rise, but Experts See a False Dawn - NYTimes.com:
But the good news also comes with a significant caveat. Many forecasters say the recent uptick probably does not represent the long-awaited start to a strong, sustainable recovery. Much of the current strength is caused by temporary factors. And economists expect growth to slow in the first half of 2012 to an annual pace of about 1.5 to 2 percent.

EPA’s Utility MACT Rule Will Cost Jobs, Increase Energy Costs, and Impact Reliability | The Lonely Conservative

EPA’s Utility MACT Rule Will Cost Jobs, Increase Energy Costs, and Impact Reliability | The Lonely Conservative:
Yesterday EPA administrator Lisa Jackson released the Utility MACT rule that’s quite likely to put coal plants out of business. According to The Wall Street Journal, Jackson’s “historic” rule could very well be the most expensive regulation in the agency’s history. No wonder she released it a few days before Christmas when people are not paying attention.

Paul Ryan: America Cannot Survive Another Four Years of Obama - HUMAN EVENTS

Paul Ryan: America Cannot Survive Another Four Years of Obama - HUMAN EVENTS:
He gets right to the point.

Named the “Conservative of the Year” by the editors of HUMAN EVENTS, Paul Ryan tells us that the country’s only hope of remaining free and prosperous is to defeat Obama in 2012.

“Under the Obama second term, we will enter into to a European austerity phase where we will essentially be managing our decline,” he told us. “We will have a weaker national defense. We will have stagnant economic growth or not much economic growth at all, and we will have more of a cradle-to-grave society because ObamaCare will get turned down.”

Signs of Growth Misleading, Forecasters Say | The Freeman | Ideas On Liberty

Signs of Growth Misleading, Forecasters Say | The Freeman | Ideas On Liberty:
“As the fourth quarter draws to a close, a spate of unexpectedly good economic data suggests that it will have some of the fastest and strongest economic growth since the recovery started in 2009, causing a surge in the stock market and cheering economists, investors and policy makers…. But the good news also comes with a significant caveat. Many forecasters say the recent uptick probably does not represent the long-awaited start to a strong, sustainable recovery. Much of the current strength is caused by temporary factors. And economists expect growth to slow in the first half of 2012 to an annual pace of about 1.5 to 2 percent.”

The latest EPA scam | PrairiePundit

The latest EPA scam | PrairiePundit:
Of course driving up cost and forcing some plants to shut down is really the objective of the EPA. It fits their agenda of making their preferred inefficient alternative energy look more competitive. Instead of being honest about their objectives they schedule an announcement at the National children's Hospital to make it seem they are doing this for the kids. Don't fall for this scam. They are doing this for their friends at Big Green.

Iraq Disintegrating As US Withdraws

Iraq Disintegrating As US Withdraws:
For years, analysts have worried that Iraq’s tenuous hold on stability would collapse upon the withdrawal of US forces. We’re now watching it happen.

A fearful symmetry | Melanie Phillips

A fearful symmetry | Melanie Phillips:
In what we tell ourselves is an age of reason, we are behaving increasingly irrationally. A loss of religious belief has led the West to replace reason and truth with ideology and prejudice. The result has been a kind of mass derangement, as truth and lies, right and wrong, victim and aggressor are all turned upside down.

Libertarian Republican: Chevy Volt price tag for the U.S. Taxpayer far higher than originally thought

Libertarian Republican: Chevy Volt price tag for the U.S. Taxpayer far higher than originally thought:
A newly-released study from the libertarian-conservative Macinac Center in Michigan finds that the actual cost, when subsidies are included, of production of the Chevy Volt is upwards of $250,000 a vehicle. You read that right.

Eagle Forum Blog: How to Raise an American Patriot

Eagle Forum Blog: How to Raise an American Patriot:
American schoolchildren used to learn history and patriotism in public school. Now they are more likely to be taught that America conquers and steals from other nations and victimizes and oppresses our own people. Author Marijo Tinlin has written a book that gives parents an antidote to make it "okay for our kids to be proud to be an American." The book is called How to Raise an American Patriot.

� The Occupy Movement Distracted Americans From the Real Crisis: White Collar Crime - Big Government

� The Occupy Movement Distracted Americans From the Real Crisis: White Collar Crime - Big Government:
According to recent Securities Exchange enforcement actions and news reports, financial corruption is also coming from government sponsored agencies and even Congress

Pundit Press: Conservative Think-Tank "The Heritage Foundation" Comes Out Against SOPA

Pundit Press: Conservative Think-Tank "The Heritage Foundation" Comes Out Against SOPA:
"The concern with SOPA is that it enforces private property rights at the expense of other values, such as innovation on the Internet, security of the Internet, and freedom of communication," James Gattuso, Heritage's senior research fellow in regulatory policy, told CNET this evening. While SOPA addresses a "very real problem," he says, it's not necessarily the right solution.

UCLA Political Scientist says Newt Gingrich is Biggest Threat to Obama - ProfessorBainbridge.com

UCLA Political Scientist says Newt Gingrich is Biggest Threat to Obama - ProfessorBainbridge.com

UCLA political scientist Lynn Vavreck is a very impressive and perceptive analyst (I've heard here talk here on campus several times). In the video attached to this story she discusses her reasearch on the 2012 campaign. At the end of the video, she casually drops the bombshell that she believes Newt Gingrich poses perhaps the most serious threat to Obama of all the GOP candidates.

The practicalities of the payroll tax cut - ProfessorBainbridge.com

The practicalities of the payroll tax cut - ProfessorBainbridge.com:
One wonders just how much the computer programming and so on necessitated by the uncertainty is going to end up costing businesses.

Shale boom leads to 5th year of price decline for gas | PrairiePundit

Shale boom leads to 5th year of price decline for gas | PrairiePundit:
Developing gas to liquid technology could spur more use of natural gas as a fuel for vehicles that do not require costly conversions. It does show that the law of supply and demand still works for natural gas. Imagine hom much cheaper oil would be if he Obama administration would stop strangling domestic production and infrastructure like the Keystone XL pipeline.

Democrats admit to using absentee ballots for vote fraud | PrairiePundit

Democrats admit to using absentee ballots for vote fraud | PrairiePundit:
There is much more including statements from those whose votes were stolen in the scheme. This is a scheme Democrats have used elsewhere and it explains why they are so opposed to voter ID which would prevent these thefts.

PJ Media � Super Dupers Ignore the ‘Tea Party Budget’ — and Reality

PJ Media � Super Dupers Ignore the ‘Tea Party Budget’ — and Reality:
A dysfunctional political class is uninterested in real solutions.

The following graphic, taken from the home page of the PJ Institute’s National Economic Rescue Initiative (NERI), represents the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO’s) best estimate of our national government’s annual tax collections, spending, and budget deficits in the coming 75 years if nothing is done to change its fiscal trajectory:

Secular Theocracy: Newsroom: The Independent Institute

Secular Theocracy: Newsroom: The Independent Institute:
We live in an increasingly secularized world of massive and pervasive nation states in which traditional religion, especially Christianity, is ruled unwelcome and even a real danger on the basis of a purported history of intolerance and “religious violence.” This is found in most all “public” domains, including the institutions of education, business, government, welfare, transportation, parks and recreation, science, art, foreign affairs, economics, entertainment, and the media. A secularized public square policed by government is viewed as providing a neutral, rational, free, and safe domain that keeps the “irrational” forces of religion from creating conflict and darkness. And we are told that real progress requires expanding this domain by pushing religion ever backward into remote corners of society where it has little or no influence. In short, modern America has become a secular theocracy with a civic religion of national politics (nationalism) occupying the public realm in which government has replaced God.

Federal Light Bulb Battle Shines Light on Crony Capitalism - Investors.com

Federal Light Bulb Battle Shines Light on Crony Capitalism - Investors.com:
This would hardly be the first time big business teamed up with big government to enhance profits through competition-crushing regulations. Timothy Carney's book, "The Big Ripoff," detailed many cases where businesses "profit from big government policies that rip off consumers."

Thanks to the GOP, consumers now can see this seedy process at work, clear as day.

The Lighter Side of Conservative Truths - Terry Paulson - Townhall Conservative

The Lighter Side of Conservative Truths - Terry Paulson - Townhall Conservative:
An anonymous sage asserted, “God, can’t alter the past, but politicians can.” It's amazing how the importance of faith in God can be written out of American history and how the Founding Fathers' treasured equal rights can be transformed into today's entitlement to equal results.

Benjamin Franklin warned, "Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship." We have so many leaks in our boat, many companies are rowing their lifeboats to a more welcoming shore! Wouldn't you love to have a budget that automatically goes up 8 percent every year no matter how much you made! If spending more than what you take in doesn't work in your home, what makes you think you can allow politicians to keep spending on your government credit card!

There's wisdom in this international proverb: "There's always free cheese in a mousetrap." Passing more and more programs to make life easier today when we don't have the funds to pay for them now or in the future is a deadly trap risking trading our treasured life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for national bankruptcy and economic chaos.

Unemployment rate actually 11.04 percent �|�NetRight Daily

Unemployment rate actually 11.04 percent �|�NetRight Daily:
So, the amount of unemployed should really be measured at about 17.443 million, instead of 13.303 million, or a rate of 11.04 percent instead of 8.6 percent. And the underemployed rate should be about 17.8 percent instead of 15.6 percent, with 28.145 million people looking for full-time work that cannot find it.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Japan's Fukushima Accident Shouldn't Spell The End Of U.S. Nuclear Renaissance - Investors.com

Japan's Fukushima Accident Shouldn't Spell The End Of U.S. Nuclear Renaissance - Investors.com:
Nuclear power must remain on the menu of energy options. To ensure we are globally competitive for the long term, America must offer an attractive economic environment and cost structure on all fronts — including utility costs. Thus lower-cost and dependable nuclear generating plants are a sensible choice for a portion of the nation's future power needs.

Adding new nuclear plants to the power grid will diversify our energy sources, ensure reliability, and help hold down electric power costs in the decades ahead with attendant benefits to households and businesses as well as the environment.

HolyCoast.com: Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee Keeping the Stupid Alive

HolyCoast.com: Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee Keeping the Stupid Alive: She is easily the dumbest member of congress, but thanks to the Voting Rights Act, her majority black district in Houston will keep sending her back to D.C. for even more stupid:

Risk is Necessary for Adaptation, Innovation and Success | Charles Hugh Smith | FINANCIAL SENSE

Risk is Necessary for Adaptation, Innovation and Success | Charles Hugh Smith | FINANCIAL SENSE: Ironically, perhaps, building a new sustainable future requires being fully exposed to what is considered "the source of our problems": risk, threat and failure.

While I write a lot about financial and systemic unsustainability, the primary driver of my "doom and gloom" view of the Status Quo is that risk has been neatly severed from return--a disconnect that eliminates adaptation and thus success.

Risk, threat, failure--these are three descriptions of the same feedback loop from the real world. Eliminating risk via guarantees, backstops or the transfer of risk to others appears to increase the security of the recipients--after all, now they can't lose their jobs/pensions/bonuses/contracts etc.

But by eliminating risk, threat and the consequences of failure, you've removed the critical information needed to avoid systemic failure. Sever the feedback of failure and risk, and the system loses touches with reality/consequence and runs off the rails in systemic collapse.

The Global Threat To Internet Freedom

The Global Threat To Internet Freedom: Joy has a great article up on the domestic threat to internet freedom, SOPA. But there is an international threat just as dangerous.

The UN and other countries around the world want to have the ability to directly control more of the internet. Robert McDowell of the FCC lays it out:

Pakistan: 675 Honor Killings In Nine Months - Atlas Shrugs

Pakistan: 675 Honor Killings In Nine Months - Atlas Shrugs: The horror of these young girls -- terror-stricken victims, who live in homemade concentration camps -- is given the imprimatur of the West in its complicit silence. This is the urbane face of bloodthirsty savagery. The West looks away as more and more girls lead desperate, brutal lives. The "feminists" look away and pretend that it is outside the realm of women's rights. They are leftist tools of Islamic jihad. These useful idiots are on someone's payroll, or they fear Islam. Either way, get out of the way. Shame on all of you for failing our women, our children, our girls, our very way of life. How dare they throw away our superior culture with both hands. And that's exactly what they're doing, because make no mistake: this practice is coming West, and will continue to do so with increasing frequency.

Commonsense & Wonder: Capitalism vs Communism

You rarely get to experiment in economics, there are too many variables to control for, but this is as pure an experiment as you're ever likely to get. The Koreas began in exactly the same place. Third world backwaters, culturally and racially homogeneous, same natural resources, who differed only in economic system. One capitalist and the other as pure a form of Marxist communism as you're likely to find. Both started with essentially authoritarian governments, although the south has become democratic over time.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

10 Economic Myths That Need To Be CorrectedSilver Circle Underground | Silver Circle Underground

10 Economic Myths That Need To Be CorrectedSilver Circle Underground | Silver Circle Underground

With AT&T Decision, Obama's Job-Killing Machine Rolls On - Investors.com

With AT&T Decision, Obama's Job-Killing Machine Rolls On - Investors.com:
President Obama tells anyone who'll listen that from dawn until dusk he's focused on job creation. Apparently, no one in his administration listens, since day after day they keep making job-killing decisions.

In fact, when it comes to jobs, Obama's policies are so bad that even his union pals are starting to notice.

The latest to take notice is the Communications Workers of America union. It reported last month that AT&T's $39 billion bid for T-mobile would have brought 5,000 quality jobs back from overseas and created "as many as 96,000 additional quality jobs in the build-out of high-speed wireless broadband."

Payroll Tax Wrangling Is All About Raiding Social Security Trust Fund One More Time - Investors.com

Payroll Tax Wrangling Is All About Raiding Social Security Trust Fund One More Time - Investors.com:
Lost in Beltway wrangling over a payroll tax cut, an ugly reality lurks: Our politicians are plotting yet another raid on the Social Security "trust fund," which is already near insolvency. When will this madness stop?

Federal Officials Gave Valuable Insider-Information to Obama Supporters like North Carolina’s Democratic Governor

Federal Officials Gave Valuable Insider-Information to Obama Supporters like North Carolina’s Democratic Governor:
If you’ve lost money in the stock market over the last few years, it may be because politically-favored people are trading in the stock market based on sensitive, confidential government information that you lack — information like monthly federal employment figures, which can drive the stock market up or down by hundreds of points by disclosing the direction the economy is headed.

Say Anything � Study: Occupy Wall Street Motivations Are “Self Centered” And “Fear Based” � Say Anything

Say Anything � Study: Occupy Wall Street Motivations Are “Self Centered” And “Fear Based” � Say Anything:
the report unhappily concludes that “the Occupy path directly opposes fundamental American values of freedom, equality of opportunity, and individual responsibility,”…

Biofuels boondoggle | PrairiePundit

Biofuels boondoggle | PrairiePundit:
This is a huge waste of money. It is especially a waste when we have an abundant supply of oil and gas that Democrats and the anti energy left are stopping us from producing.

Even With His Baggage, Newt Gingrich Is An Improvement Over Barack Obama - Investors.com

Even With His Baggage, Newt Gingrich Is An Improvement Over Barack Obama - Investors.com:
Those who want to concentrate on the baggage in Gingrich's past, rather than on the nation's future, should remember what Winston Churchill said: "If the past sits in judgment on the present, the future will be lost."

Sunday, December 18, 2011

� Libertarianism Is Crony Capitalism’s Nightmare - Big Government

� Libertarianism Is Crony Capitalism’s Nightmare - Big Government:
With the rise of Ron Paul in the Presidential Primary polls; America may be ready to crush crony capitalists by embracing “libertarianism.” As the founding philosophy that once unified our nation; today libertarianism represents the true existential threat to the crony capitalism that has flourished for decades in both established political parties. But with both political parties in decay and independents positioned to determine the outcome of next year’s Presidential and Congressional elections; voters seem ready to embrace a political philosophy that puts strict limits on all government activity in order to maximize individual liberty and economic freedom.

Doha: Dead As The Dodo | Via Meadia

Doha: Dead As The Dodo | Via Meadia:
More ink has been spilled over the lingering death of the Kyoto Protocol, but the other great international negotiating effort, involving far more people and with a much bigger group of supporting bureaucracies all over the world, is also withering on the vine.

Statement by Congressman Allen West on the Temporary Extension of the Payroll Tax

Statement by Congressman Allen West on the Temporary Extension of the Payroll Tax:
"Americans once again have reason to be ashamed with their elected officials as President Barack Obama and United States Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid are playing a game of chicken for political gain at the expense of the American people suffering under failed economic policies. This two month amendment proposed today is nothing more than a short-term band aid. Americans are looking for certainty and confidence in the American economy and today's substitute amendment passed by the Senate delivers neither to the American people.

The United States Senate continues to let down the American people, more than 950 days without accomplishing even the most basic of responsibilities to pass a budget and ignoring more than 25 job creating bills passed on a bipartisan basis by the House of Representatives. The Senate's Substitute Amendment to Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2011 H.R. 3630 is nothing but typical liberal Democrat incrementalism and political gimmickry to continue to debate these issues into the election year.

I will not be voting for this short term fix when it comes to the floor of the House of Representatives. I will only vote to reaffirm the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act as passed by the House of Representatives.

Is Liberalism a Religion? - John C. Goodman - Townhall Conservative

Is Liberalism a Religion? - John C. Goodman - Townhall Conservative:
When people make statements that are completely at variance with reality and they continue to repeat them and you know they are not crazy, it’s only natural to wonder, what’s going on?

I’ve concluded that for some people on the left, political beliefs are like a false religion in which the parishioners become unable to distinguish myth from reality.

Obama EEOC Wipes Out Jobs By Making Hiring More Difficult - Washington DC SCOTUS | Examiner.com

Obama EEOC Wipes Out Jobs By Making Hiring More Difficult - Washington DC SCOTUS | Examiner.com:
Obama appointees to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) are killing jobs by making hiring decisions riskier and more costly. As I explain below, employers’ ability to hire based on merit has increasingly come under assault by the EEOC, as it has ordered employers to discard useful employment tests and put up with incompetent employees. It is not worthwhile setting up a business if all your sensible hiring decisions are second-guessed or vetoed by the EEOC.