“We, in Ireland, can’t figure out why people are even bothering to hold an election in the United States.

On one side, you have a pants wearing lawyer, married to a lawyer who can’t keep his pants on, who just lost a long and heated primary against a lawyer who goes to the wrong church who is married to yet another lawyer who doesn’t even like the country her husband wants to run.

Now…On the other side, you have a nice old war hero whose name starts with the appropriate Mc terminology, married to a good looking younger woman who owns a beer distributorship.

What in Lords name are you lads thinking over there in the colonies??”

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Why I’m No Longer a ‘Brain-Dead Liberal” by David Mammot

It is something of a difficult read, quite wordy and awkward without getting to the point early on.  Here is a sampling that is more straightforward:

“What about the role of government? Well, in the abstract, coming from my time and background, I thought it was a rather good thing, but tallying up the ledger in those things which affect me and in those things I observe, I am hard-pressed to see an instance where the intervention of the government led to much beyond sorrow. But if the government is not to intervene, how will we, mere human beings, work it all out?”

10 of the Greatest Pieces of Conservative Wisdom by John Hawkins

A collection of quotes that are expounded upon by the author including this one from PJ O’Rourke, “There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences.”

Can the Government Help People Lose Weight by Janell Ross (Tennessean)

So now the government is competing with Jenni Craig and Weight Watchers?  Good Grief Charlie Brown!

The Estate Tax: McCain vs. Obama by Meg Massey

I’ve never understood what gives the government the right to tax people just because they die!  According to the article:

“Obama proposes freezing the estate tax at 2009 levels: a 45% tax rate on estates valued at more than $3.5 million. Married couples can combine their exemptions for a total of $7 million … McCain’s plan would be a more dramatic departure from current policy. The Arizona Senator favors a 15% tax rate, equal to the capital-gains tax rate, and an individual exemption of $5 million ($10 million for married couples).”

Are you kidding me? Yea, they may be wealthy but a 45% tax?  That’s nothing more than government-sponsored theft.  I can’t say that McCains 15% thrills me either.

That’s all for now — My attic still needs more cleaning, but I’ll save a little for later.

Photo Credit: Found on Flickr and used through the Creative Common License.

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Bill says: “Our nation is in trouble on two fronts. The American dream is under siege at home, and America’s leadership in the world has been weakened. Middle-class and low-income Americans are hurting, with incomes declining, job losses, poverty, and inequality rising, mortgage foreclosures and credit card debt increasing, health care coverage disappearing, and a very big spike in the cost of food, utilities, and gasoline.”

Reality Check:

• American dream - Under siege by whom?  The vast right wing conspiracy?  Get real.
• World leadership - If our world leadership has been hurt, it’s only because of liberal leadership in Congress that has taken every opportunity to badmouth this country, its president and his policies during a time of war that required greater statesmanship from them.
• Economic indicators - Bill knows that a free-market economy is going to ebb and flow largely out of the control of government actors, whether they are Democrat or Republican.
• Mortgage foreclosures & credit card debt - So is he suggesting that President Bush put a gun to someone’s head and force them to make bad loans or take out loans they couldn’t afford?  This isn’t a government problem, it’s a personal and corporate responsibility problem.
• Rising food & fuel prices - If President Bush’s energy policies had been passed by Congress years ago prices would be lower today.  We would have greater supplies of oil, natural gas and oil.  We also wouldn’t have needlessly driven up food prices by betting the farm (literally and figuratively) on biofuels.

Bill says: “And our position in the world has been weakened by too much unilateralism and too little cooperation, by a perilous dependence on imported oil, by a refusal to lead on global warming, by a growing indebtedness and a dependence on foreign lenders, by a severely burdened military, by a backsliding on global nonproliferation and arms control agreements, and by a failure to consistently use the power of diplomacy, from the Middle East to Africa to Latin America to Central and Eastern Europe.”

Reality Check:

• Unilateralism - Bill, Bill, Bill … what are we going to do with you?
  • Iran & North Korea - Bill left President Bush a mess to clean up by not dealing successfully with the nuclear ambitions of these countries during his eight years in office.  Yet, Bush came into office and insisted on a multi-lateral approach, last years, to tackle the Iranian and North Korean problems.  He insisted that European partners take the lead with Russia in addressing Iran - a long shot - he also insisted that China, Japan and others be at the table during years of negotiating with North Korea.  That’s not unilateralism.
  • Iraq - Again, Bill failed to deal with Iraq following Desert Storm and as a result let Iraq wither under years of useless economic sanctions.  So President Bush had to step in and clean up the situation.  We had the backing and understanding of all the major powers, including Germany and France, as pressure increased on Iraq through the UN.  It was only because Germany and France turned their back on us (and Iraq) at the last minute that liberals bashed President Bush’s “Coalition of the Willing.”  That’s not his fault, its a mark against those who abandoned us.

Bill says: “He has a remarkable ability to inspire people, to raise our hopes and rally us to high purpose. He has the intelligence and curiosity every successful president needs. His policies on the economy, on taxes, on health care, on energy are far superior to the Republican alternatives.”

Reality Check:

• High Purpose - What purpose is this?  Obama seems to avoid specifics at all cost because he doesn’t want the American people to know what he really thinks.  He knows Americans will largely reject his policies if they knew the details.
• Economy & Healthcare - That’s right “redistribution of wealth” aka “socialism.” Oh wait, we’re suppose to keep that a secret right?
• Energy - Let’s not forget Obama’s beloved “windfall profits tax” that would eventually be passed on to consumers in higher prices, the very same consumers Obama professes to champion.  Complete nonsense.  And heaven forbid we drill for more oil or build new, moderal nuclear facilities because they would help wean us off foreign sources of energy.

Bill says: “He (Obama) has shown a clear grasp of foreign policy and national security challenges and a firm commitment to rebuild our badly strained military. His family heritage and his life experiences have given him a unique capacity to lead our increasingly diverse nation in an ever more interdependent world.”

Reality Check:

• Foreign policy & national security - If Bill had any credibility at all, he just lost it here!  Obama has worked relentlessly to undermine our president and our troops in a time of war.  His behavior and public statements as a US Senator have been beyond inappropriate in a time of war.  In addition, his proposed policies on Iraq would have doomed us to failure.  To this day Obama still won’t give McCain and President Bush their proper due for turning things around in Iraq.

Furthermore, Obama’s naivety is unmatched.  There is video of Obama practically laughing at the idea that “tiny” Iran, Venezuela and others could be a danger to the United States.  And let’s not forget, he thinks we can negotiate with an Iranian madman who has made clear his desire to see Israel wiped off the map.  This is not a man who can go toe-to-toe with the new Russian Bear or a nuclear Iran.

• Increasingly Diverse Nation - If Obama were to be elected president he better be good at leading an increasingly diverse nation because he would give more than 10 million illegal aliens citizenship.  Studies are already showing that the hispanic population will double in a relatively short time — not enough for proper assimiliation — thanks to illegal immigration.  Sadly, President Bush and Senator McCain haven’t demonstrated a willingness to tackle this issue much like President Clinton before them.

Bill says: “Barack Obama is ready to honor the oath, to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

Reality Check:

• The Constitution - I don’t think Obama studied the constitution in law school.  Otherwise he would have supported the appointments of Justices Roberts and Alito and promised to appoint strict constructionists to the court - judges who will interpret the constitution as written and not as they would like it to have been written.  In addition, he wouldn’t be ready to toss away the freedom’s of every American to force them into a government run or psuedo-private health care system.

Bill says: “He will put us back in the forefront of the world’s fight against global warming and the fight to reduce nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.  He will continue and enhance our nation’s commendable global leadership in an area in which I am deeply involved: the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, including — and this is very important — a renewal of the battle against HIV and AIDS here at home.”

Reality Check:

• Global warming - So Obama is going to dedicate himself to driving up energy prices in an effort to combat an unproven and highly speculative theory of global warming?
• Fight against AIDS - I think the record will show that President Bush has shocked everyone with his level of support for the so-called fight against AIDS in the developing world.  Now, if people would only realize that AIDS is for all practical purposes a scourge that can be avoided through personal responsibility in very clear ways.  Perhaps we could spend that money better exploring other sciences such as the growing mystery of Autism, seeking a cure for cancer (which isn’t always dependent upon personal choices) or returning NASA to its former glory before the space shuttles are retired.

Bill says: “These challenges cry out for American ideas and American innovation. When Barack Obama unleashes them, America will save lives, win new allies, open new markets, and create wonderful new jobs for our own people.”

Reality Check: This would be great if Obama believed in American ideas and innovation.  Instead, he clings to the unAmerican notion that government can solve most of the problems we should be solving for ourselves.

Bill says: “They took us from record surpluses to an exploding debt …”

Reality Check: Bill is partially right.  Republicans had the reigns and let the budget get out of control, but it wasn’t due to tax cuts as Bill would have us believe.  It was out of control spending permitted by Republicans and President Bush.  For that Republicans deserve a measure of blame; however, so does Bill. If you will recall many economic analysts during Bill’s two terms in office reported that in the “out years” after he left office there would be a return to substantial budget deficits because he put off the toughest decisions until after he left office.  In other words, he left another mess for President Bush to clean up.

Bill says of McCain: “Think about it: more tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans that will swell the deficit, increase inequality, and weaken the economy; more Band-Aids for health care that will enrich insurance companies, impoverish families, and increase the number of uninsured; more going it alone in the world, instead of building the shared responsibilities and shared opportunities necessary to advance our security and restore our influence.”

Reality Check:

• Tax cuts - Generally generate more revenue for the government and not less.  Tax cuts don’t necessarily swell the deficit, they help reduce it.  Naturally, the “wealthiest Americans” would get larger tax cuts because they pay out the wazoo in taxes now.  Furthermore, you can’t cut taxes for the lowest income and unforunately impoverished Americans because they largely don’t pay income taxes.  Bill knows this.
• Health Care - I can’t approve of Hillary or Obama’s socialist health care plans, but I can’t say that McCain has made a strong case for reform of his own.  Furthermore, his notion of separating healthcare from employment isn’t going to fly with many Americans even if we further complicate our tax system with credits for health insurance.  The fact is that I haven’t heard anyone come up with a good plan.
• Going it alone in the world - Well, I’ve addressed that nonsense already.

Bill says: “Barack Obama will lead us away from the division and fear of the last eight years back to unity and hope.”

Reality Check: Obama has already proven he will trade in “division and fear” at every turn, just like many other politicians.  And any need to restore “unity and hope” is the fault of liberals who have taken every opportunity to run down this country and its president over the past eight years.

In short, Bill got practically everything wrong.  Now it’s our job to let the world know.

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• “USA approves Georgia’s aggression against South Ossetia and Russia”
• “Explosions continue to terrorize Russia’s Black Sea coast”
• “Russia: Again Savior of Peace and Life”
• “Georgia seeks limited war to draw international attention”
• “NPR: National Public Radio or Nothing Positive about Russia?”

Of course, this shouldn’t be a surprise as we have seen Vladimir Putin slowly but surely begin to reassert communist dominance in an attempt to recreate Soviet glory of old.  We have watched and done virtually nothing as Putin has cracked down on the media, shutting down newspapers and television stations that refused to do his bidding.  Worse, we have rewarded Putin’s efforts by inviting him to join the G7 nations, a group composed of democratic nations and we have paved the way for Russia to eventually join the World Trade Organization.

All the while he rewarded us by tightening his political grip on Russia, threatening Eastern and Central Europe with economic retaliation, supported Iranian efforts to develop nuclear weapons, and begun to develop a strong military ally in Venezuela.

What were we thinking?

If we had stood firm and demanded true democracy in Russia, if we had demanded a free and open press, then perhaps the citizens of the new Soviet Union would know what their government was up to.  It’s time we stopped looking the other way and making nice.  It’s time we began drawing lines in the sand and let the world know that the Soviet Union is on its way back.

What Now?

Of course, it would be foolish to engage the Soviet Union in a World War, but we can begin to take a hard line and let the world know we will no longer play along with Putin’s fiction of democratic Russia.  Our first steps should include some mix of the following:

1. Georgian Sovereignty: Issue a firm and joint statement with NATO allies, Canada, Australia and others that we will never recognize any puppet government that Putin tries to install in Georgia.  The present Georgian government must be retained.
2. Ukraine: NATO should immediately grant Ukraine admission to NATO with a NATO defensive advance force immediately sent to the Ukrainian capital.
3. G7 Nations: Immediately eject the Soviet Union from as the 8th nation within the G7.
4. World Trade Organization: Freeze all efforts to permit the Soviet Union to join.
5. Olympics: Although I loathe to combine politics with the Olympics the democratic nations of the world must indicate their opposition to current efforts to reward the Soviet Union with an Olympiad.
6. Iran: Send word secretly through channels to Israeli leadership that it now has our permission and support if it decides to strike at Iranian nuclear facilities.  Note to the New York Times — I said “secretly,” look it up.
7. Monroe Doctrine - Begin a blockade of all Soviet shipping to Cuba, Venezuela, and other Soviet allies in Central and South America.
8. Freeze Soviet Assets - I know very little about this, but all assets should be frozen until we are sure that Georgia’s legitimate government is preserved.

Risks?

Of course, there are many risks.  Iran could begin a full-press on nuclear development or could ramp up its interference in Iraq.  The Soviets could deny us access to the International Space Station once the shuttle program ends.  Arms could be sent to Cuba and more.

However, we can’t afford the risk of doing nothing.

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10.  Proposed bill to change Oklahoma to “Oklobama”

9.  Offered Bush 20 bucks for the “Mission Accomplished” banner

8.  Asked guy at Staples, “Which chair will work best in an oval-shaped office?”

7.   The affair with Barbara Walters

6.   Having head measured for Mount Rushmore

5.   Guy sits around eating soup all day

4.  He’s voting for Nader

3.   Offered McCain a job in gift shop at Obama Presidential Library

2.  Announced his running mate will be Andy Dick

1.  Been cruising for chicks with John Edwards

Source:  Late Show Website

Inspiration: Newsbusters story

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Get your copy on a variety of gifts from Demotivators.

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For reasons no one can explain, the Columbia-educated presidential candidate doesn’t seem to understand that the new taxes would largely be passed on to consumers thus raising prices, forcing consumers to cut consumption, and ultimately exacerbate the problem - but then again, that’s Obamanomics 101.

Now, one wouldn’t expect a capitalist giant such as AT&T to follow in Obama’s economic footsteps, but that is precisely what is happening in Tennessee.   According to the Tennessean, AT&T lost 33% of its landline residential phone business in the state between 2000 and 2007 because many customers fled to cell phone or internet-based phone alternatives.

AT&T’s response is straight out of Obama’s playbook. AT&T plans to raise prices in Tennessee beginning July 26th with a modest increase in basic services and double-digit increases for supplemental services such as Caller ID and Call Forwarding.  For example, Caller ID would jump from $8 to  $8.99 while Call forwarding would increase from $5.95 to $7 per month.

I could be wrong, but don’t price increases encourage customers to consider moving to the competition?  Oh well, maybe AT&T, like Obama, also believes that any kind of CHANGE is good.

To read the Tennessean article.

Obama-man graphic (without AT&T)

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The AP reports that this plan:

“would let the Federal Housing Administration back $300 billion in new, cheaper home loans for an estimated 400,000 distressed borrowers who otherwise would be considered too financially risky to qualify for government-insured, fixed-rate loans.”

Let’s think this through.  The home mortgage market is now in trouble because banks and lenders over-extended themselves by offering mortgages to people who were bad risks and are now defaulting.  So the government — our Congress — is going to remedy the situation by giving new mortgages to the very same people who are “considered too financially risky to qualify” for the typical government-insured, fixed rate loans.  And they are going to risk $300 billion in the process.

Is that DejaVu I’m experiencing …

But let’s be fair and see what supporters are saying about this legislation.  According to Democratic Senator Christopher Dodd:

“We need to demonstrate to people in this country that have lost an awful lot of faith in almost everything, but certainly in (Congress), that we can get something done, that we can put aside differences and make a difference in their lives.”

So Dodd proposes demonstrating the exceptionally poor math skills of our Congressmen as a way to instill a renewed confidence in the very people who took on risky loans in the first place.  This is so backwards.  Those corporations who gave out and the people who received risky loans should be busting their tail to prove they can handle the financial responsibilities that come with mortgages.

I think Senator Dodd could take a lesson from the film Jurassic Park. You may recall that Jeff Goldblum’s character Dr. Ian Malcom said, ” your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.”

In other words, just because we can do a thing doesn’t mean we should do a thing.

To read the full AP Story, source of the image above.

Jurassic Park (Widescreen Collector’s Edition)

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This week, Republican senators blocked a Democrat-sponsored bill that would have imposed a “windfall profits” tax on the five major oil companies. Since these companies made about $36 billion in profits in the first quarter alone, “windfall” may be understating it. The GOP says the bill would not have lowered gas prices as any tax punishment would be passed along to gasoline consumers. But let me break this to the Republicans gently: Folks are angry with the oil companies. Unless you guys can help bring some relief to beleaguered American working people, the Democrats will wipe you out.

Yet O’Reilly’s proposed strategy is based on 20 year old arguments that have proven problematic for world food supplies and prices. According to O’Reilly Republicans should:

Congress must mandate by law that American car and truck manufacturers begin to produce a high percentage of flex-fuel vehicles. Once that law is passed, gas stations will begin installing alcohol-based fuel pumps. Congress must also drop import tariffs on alcohol-based fuel so countries like Brazil can sell them to us. We simply have got to get away from the oil cartel. It’s a national security issue.

First, we’ve now seen how problematic flex-fuels based on agricultural products can be. Second, this does nothing to address the public’s anger - justified or not - at oil companies or immediately cut gas costs.

So what do we do? First, we level with the American people and admit that short of cutting taxes on gas there is nothing we can do in the short term to significantly reduce the price of gas. Second, we offer the American public a plan that goes beyond “drill, drill, drill” because that argument alone hasn’t gone anywhere plus it plays into Democratic claims that Republicans are in the pocket of Big Oil.

As O’Reilly noted the Democrat’s well-publicized plan went down to defeat. As I understand it that plan had two primary components: 1) the windfall tax - DUMB - and 2) ending billions in tax breaks for oil companies. I’ve heard several conservative commentators suggest that ending the tax breaks would be fine and doubt the Average Joe is going to complain about ending those tax breaks.

With that in mind the Republican’s should craft a “bipartisan” bill that makes everyone happy, even the Democrats. The bill would have two components:

1. It phase out millions, if not billions of those tax breaks for oil companies over a period of yers, but leave in place any tax breaks that might encourage the development of new refineries, and
2. It would open up a portion of the ANWR (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge).

This gives Democrats a win - ending tax breaks on those “evil” oil companies - and it gives our country something it has been lacking for 20+ years - new oil exploration and development.

However, opening up ANWR has always been a tricky sell and Republicans will have to work harder than they have in the past. The Republican’s will need to pull a Ross Perot with some low-tech, easy to understand maps and graphics that demonstration how drilling in ANWR will not significantly affect wildlife. Republicans will also need to forcefully make the argument that energy policy the past 20+ years has not struck a careful balance between conserving the environment and meeting energy needs.

They must argue that if past policy had struck a reasonable balance then we wouldn’t have gone 30 years without a new refinery or more than 20 years without tapping into ANWR or significant new offshore oil exploration .

With all that said, some may ask “why don’t we also go after off-shore drilling?” It’s called compromise: opening up only ANWR and not expanding off-shore drilling let’s the Republicans argue that they aren’t drill-crazy and they are willing to take it one step at a time.

Furthermore, I suspect that drilling in ANWR is an easier sell to the public than off-shore oil drilling due to the fact that we have all seen dozens of stories about oil and gas spills at sea, but how often have we really seen pipelines burst and produce dramatic television images? I suspect the public feels safer with drilling on land than at sea.

So there you go. O’Reilly is correct that Republicans need to come out more strongly on the issue, but he missed the mark on approach. Nobody is perfect.

To read O’Reilly’s Column from Human Events.

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Despite these increasing attacks on free speech, American still shines brightly over all other countries in our protection of Free Speech.  This greatness is reflected upon in an extensive article in the International Herald-Tribune which contrasts our traditions and protections with those of other countries - including fellow democracies - that have lost sight of what free speech really means.

This is a must read for any American who values our free speech and wants to arm themselves against arguments that have been used elsewhere to chip away at free speech.   To read the article.

To learn about FIRE - an organization that protects free speech on college campuses.

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