Liberally Conservative

2006-11-30T12:47:00.000-05:00

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FairTax Blogburst

2006-11-29T09:12:00.000-05:00

by Jonathan of Publius Rendezvous

xxx Now that the aftermath of the elections has subsided, I want to follow-up on what TD said in the FTBB a couple of weeks ago about grassroots campaigning. As we have mentioned on countless occasions, whether you are a Republican or Democrat or Libertarian, the FairTax is for you.

xxx I myself did not heed my own advice for I grew disconcerted immediately after the election for the FairTax's prospects. Me, being an individual that leans right of center in virtually every facet of my life thought the Democrat Party would not be the party to implement the FairTax.

xxx But, the more I have come to think of it the more I grow somewhat optimistic. Why? Well, the Democrat Party has promised to reform government in many ways, and one in particular is ethics reform and reducing/eliminating earmarks. This is where our grassroots campaign must be decisive. We must remain vigilant to stay one step ahead of societal evolution in bring in the nation our message. The FairTax fits this agenda. It will and is designed to work to disrupt and eliminate the albatross that is our current system.

xxx People around this country can and are already beginning to realize this phenomenon. Take Mr. Stephen Sanders of Fayetteville, NC:

xxx Congressional scandals were a part of the changes in the last election. Many citizens cast their votes out of disgust at the influence peddling of some congressional representatives and their highly paid lobbyist friends.

xxx Quite often, this influence peddling involves special tax considerations for those who hire the lobbyists. The lobbyists make large salaries by persuading members of Congress to tweak the tax code in favor of the lobbyists€™ clients. This is where loopholes, tax incentives, tax exemptions and tax exclusions come from. It is a large part of why the U.S. tax code is so complex and convoluted. It is also why we desperately need the Fair Tax.

xxx The Fair Tax is very aptly named because it is, unlike the current income tax, fair. The Fair Tax replaces the income tax with a national retail sales tax. Under the Fair Tax, there are no exemptions, no loopholes and no special consideration for the privileged few. There is no convoluted tax code that even Internal Revenue Service experts cannot figure out. And because the Fair Tax treats everyone the same without exceptions, exemptions, and loopholes, there is less influence peddling.

Founder's Quote

2006-11-29T08:16:00.000-05:00

Liberals for Hugo Chavez and Citgo

2006-11-28T15:08:00.000-05:00

There is already a movement in the blogoshere to boycott Citgo gasoline stations and 7-Eleven has previously announced it will no longer carry Citgo gasoline or it's products.

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This hasn't stopped the Liberals from accepting "cheap" oil for heating purposes as Massachusetts did last year, and will presumably do the same this winter. Why not promote a dictator and serve as his propaganda machine in the United States.

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Serving the needs of the poor, keeping them poor and supporting a tyrant is nothing new for John Kerry or the Kennedy clan. Why stop with using the "cheap" oil.

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Fox News has a Citgo commercial leading into Brit Hume's news program at 6 p.m. EST, as the Venezuelan company promotes itself as a " do-gooder" for the American people. Will Fox every stop itself from excepting funds under the guise of advertising, while an anti-American company props itself up as "pro-American"?

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Taking this a step futher into Left-Wing Nut land, Joseph P. Kennedy II, namesake to bootlegger Joe Kennedy, is featuring himself in a Citgo commercial; he claims this is charity for low-income consumers of heating oil.

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Hugo Chávez is an ally of the Iranian mullahs, a supporter of North Korea, a close friend of Fidel Castro and a good customer for Vladimir Putin's weapon factories. Why does Kennedy feel it's so important to place himself in a commercial for Citgo?

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According to the Wall Street Journal the arrangement is like this:

Mr. Chávez's Citgo -- a Houston-based oil company owned by the Venezuelan government -- is supplying home heating oil to Mr. Kennedy's Citizens Energy Corporation at a 40% discount. Citizens, a nonprofit outfit, says it passes the savings onto the poor, aiming to help 400,000 homes in 16 states that would otherwise have trouble heating their homes. In the process, Mr. Kennedy happens to get a high-profile publicity plug. If you think you qualify, says the television ad that drew our attention to this partnership, just dial 1-877-Joe-4-Oil.

See Mr. Kennedy's heart throbbing propaganda piece below:

Freebies to the poor is what dictators do best to keep these people in line and dependent to the tyrants and terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah. This ilk uses hospitals, schools, food and other items to allow their heavy hand to choke off freedoms and allow individuals the power to crawl out of their poor circumstances. Keeping people poor and beholden to government handout or terrorist groups is what diminishes the desire to become self-sufficient. Hugo Chávez takes care of his poor and keeps them poor, despite the billions of dollars in oil revenue his government receives.

There is more coming out of Massachusetts however:

In a September 29, 2005, "confidential memorandum" addressed to President Hugo Chávez" and uncovered by a Congressional committee, William Delahunt (D., Mass.) gushed that it was a "pleasure" to have met with the strongman "to discuss your generous offer." The Democrat advised Mr. Chávez to steer his oil through Mr. Kennedy's nonprofit and declared that "from a public relations perspective" the discount oil scheme "is an extraordinary opportunity to address urgent needs of people living in poverty, while showcasing the compassion of your nation."

If Democrats wish to improve their image as tax and spend Liberals they could start with an energy bill that has teeth. Drilling in ANWAR, drilling offshore, promoting more refineries and incentives for energy efficient automobiles would be a fine start.

Maybe Kennedy can work out a deal for American drinkers of Scotch. Single-Malt if possible, oh please! Oh Yes, Yes, maybe some nice Cuban cigars too.

Porker of the Month

2006-11-27T13:32:00.000-05:00

Washington, D.C. Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today named Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) Porker of the Month for helping to secure a record $2.3 billion federal loan for a railroad company.

xxx The loan guarantee from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) would allow the Dakota, Minnesota, and Eastern Railroad (DM&E) to expand and improve a rail line that is used primarily to transport coal from Wyoming to Minnesota. In apparent anticipation of the loan, Sen. Thune was instrumental in increasing the FRA’s loan guarantee authority from $3.5 billion to $35 billion in the 2005 Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act. DM&E paid Thune $220,000 in 2003 and 2004 to lobby for the loan before his election to the Senate.

xxx According to BearingPoint (a strategic consulting firm), the loan would require an annual payment of $246 million on top of the $15 million from another loan. Even if the rail upgrade increases DM&E’s current annual revenue of $200 million, the deal presents a poor credit risk to taxpayers, who will be forced to foot the bill if the company defaults. A senior manager at BearingPoint stated, “This loan finances a project with many financial uncertainties, ultimately calling into question whether or not DM&E can repay the loan.”

xxx The DM&E loan is being compared to the $1.5 billion Chrysler bailout in 1980. However, at least that expenditure was the subject of intense public and congressional debate; the DM&E loan is quietly moving through Congress thanks to behind-the-scenes lobbying and legislative maneuvers.

xxx According to the FRA’s Railroad Safety Statistics Annual Report 2004, DM&E ranked last in safety among the nation’s 43 largest railroads. DM&E’s CEO pointed to safety as a reason to support the railroad’s “rehabilitation.” However, government handouts have failed to solve DM&E’s safety problems; its main track accident rate has escalated to eight times the national rate since its last FRA loan of $233 million in 2003.

xxx Furthermore, the coal fields of Wyoming are already served by two railroads; a government loan could adversely impact the marketplace. The president of a competing railroad said, “If the government allows non-market-based loans of this magnitude for certain carriers, that will have a negative effect on railroads’ ability and willingness to invest private capital” (Los Angeles Times, 10/29/06).

xxx Like most special interests, DM&E argues that its handout is in the national interest. Sen. Thune says it will “transform South Dakota’s economy for generations.” Such pronouncements fall apart next to the simple logic that if the project’s benefits vastly exceeded its costs, a federal loan would not be necessary. For championing a loan guarantee that puts taxpayers on the hook for billions of dollars, circumvents public debate, skewers market incentives, and rewards his former employer, CAGW names Sen. John Thune its Porker of the Month for November 2006.

xxx Citizens Against Government Waste is the nation’s largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government. Porker of the Month is a dubious honor given to lawmakers, government officials, and political candidates who have shown a blatant disregard for the interests of taxpayers.

Culture of Corruption - Fox Guarding the Chicken Coop

2006-11-25T11:45:00.000-05:00

It's the Democrats turn to clean up the "culture of corruption" now that they have claimed victory in the House and Senate. Of course campaign rhetoric and real solutions often collide when the dust settles.

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Democrats never supplied the public with an agenda, they simply screamed foul at every turn claiming the Republicans were corrupt, which in many cases was true. But Democrats have dirt under their carpets and ghosts in their closets but keeping promises and acting on these issues creates a problem when the politician is called upon to deliver.

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"This is an area where there is an opportunity to make the rhetoric of self-reform of Congress real by having the guts to set up an independent office," Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Connecticut).

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Many on both sides of the aisle don't agree with Mr. Lieberman, they prefer to "police themselves." Resistence to tough investigative measures are falling under the guise of "unnecessary and expensive." Right!

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Some ideas for reform and new ethics rules, reported in the Wall Street Journal, include:

.....bans on gifts and meals from lobbyists and lobbying organizations, and more frequent reports by lobbyists disclosing for whom and what they are working. In disclosure reports, which lobbyists currently are required to file with Congress at least once a year, they also spell out how much they have been paid for their efforts.
Former members who become registered lobbyists would be prohibited from seeking help on legislation from their congressional colleagues for two years and denied access to the House and Senate floors. Today, lawmakers-turned-lobbyists can mingle with their former colleagues inside the chambers during debates and votes.
The proposed packages in both the House and Senate would curtail, if not ban, travel paid for by lobbyists and organizations that lobby. House leaders say they would prohibit lawmakers from using corporate planes for official travel. Both chambers are expected to require members to identify hometown projects they insert into spending bills.

Changes would be welcome but enforcement must be rigid? How specific would rules be? How would enforcement take place? Currently neither the House or Senate proposals have an air of independency to monitor rules regarding their own actions, investigation or disciplinary.

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Mr. Lieberman co-sponsored a measure earlier this year with Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), establishing an independent Office of Public Integrity that would vet Senate ethics complaints and conduct investigations of those it deemed serious. Under the proposal, the ethics committee would oversee the integrity office and could end a probe with a majority vote. The committee also would decide whether to impose penalties on a member.

xxx The Lieberman-Collins bill was resoundly defeated in a bipartisan landslide, 70-30. Among those opposing the office was incoming Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada. This is no surprise coming from the ethically challenged Reid.

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Business as usual and Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, has promised an ethics overhaul. Earlier this year Pelosi proposed enhancing the powers of Congress's inspector general's office to handle disclosure reports by lobbyists. The proposal didn't extend that office's jurisdiction to ethics allegations against members of Congress.

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To be effective it will take massive action and reform to exclude privately funded travel for lawmakers and preventing lobbying groups and politicians to use loopholes at every turn to rationalize gifts and business interests including free "vacations" as methods to gain clout inside Congress. Each expenditure should be made public and new rules should be made clear and specific, otherwise it will be business as usual.

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We're watching legislation on ethics closely and if change doesn't take place it will be a future campaign issue.

The Mayflower Compact

2006-11-23T09:04:00.000-05:00

1620

xxx "In the name of God, Amen. We, whose names are underwritten, the Loyal Subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord, King James, by the Grace of God, of England, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, e&. Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia; do by these presents, solemnly and mutually in the Presence of God and one of another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid; And by Virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the General good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due submission and obedience. In Witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names at Cape Cod the eleventh of November, in the Reign of our Sovereign Lord, King James of England, France and Ireland, the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth. Anno Domini, 1620."

Happy Thanksgiving!

2006-11-23T08:21:00.000-05:00

Lebanese Blood, Syrian Hands

2006-11-22T12:32:00.000-05:00

The pundits of past diplomacy and administrations are still attempting relevancy. Yes, their own relevance, specifically by staying involved in matters well left to others.

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Like it or not the situation in Iraq is not going away soon but James Baker and Lee Hamilton have created a stir with the "Iraq Study Group" in a weak attempt at recommending alternatives to the war on terror but more specifically the unrest and bloodshed in Iraq.

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Hamilton and Baker are joined by Lawrence Eagleburger (replacing soon to be Secretary of Defense, William Gates), a career diplomat, Vernon Jordan, former advisor to Bill Clinton and lawyer, Edwin Meese, former Reagan Attorney General, Sandra Day O'Connor, recently retired Supreme Court Justice, Leon Panetta, former Clinton Chief of Staff, William J. Perry, former Clinton Secretary of Defense, Charles S. Robb, former Lt. Gov. of Virginia and currently a law professor, Alan Simpson, former Senator from Wyoming.

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All very distinguished in their own right it seems most members of the Iraq Study Group don't have the specific experience with matters concerning terrorism, war and military operations. Yet they are at the forefront of putting together a "plan" to extinguish the United States from Iraq.

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It has been noted from others on staff or advisory capacity to this group there is considerable disagreement on the prescribed remedy to the "Iraq problem." The panel is made up of too many Clintonites, diplomats and lawyers for starters.

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The subject of this oratory, "Lebanese Blood, Syrian Hand", requires us to address the James Baker history in the Middle East and his feckless recommendations, which ultimately sustain dictatorships and tyrants. The Baker solution usually involves placating murderous regimes to calm possible unrest and never removing regimes or providing citizens with a Democratic choice in matter.

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Baker has recently stated when it comes to diplomacy, you don't "restrict your conversations to your friends", code for a need to discuss matters with Iran and Syria. The problem is Syria has blood all over itself in Lebanon and Iraq. Iran has helped feed the insurgency in Iraq with bomb making, IED's and homegrown terrorist who stream over the Iraqi borders.

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The recent murder of Lebanese Minister Pierre Gemayel should remind Mr. Baker and his Iraq Study Group what some of those "non-friends" are all about. The word "enemy" and phrase "not in our best interest" should come to mind. Let us look at a list of Iranian backed Syrian projects in Lebanon:

Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, was blown up with 22 others in February 2005.
Journalist Samir Kassir was blown up by a car bomb in June 2005.
Three weeks later, politician George Hawi was killed by a car bomb three weeks after Kassir.
Defense Minister Elias Murr narrowly survived a car bombing.
In September 2005, TV anchorwoman May Chidiac lost her left leg and arm in a car-bombing.
Three months later, Gibran Tueni, a former publisher and editor of the An-Nahar newspaper, was killed by a car bomb.
Six pro-Syrian politicians in the Lebanese cabinet recently resigned en masse in an attempt to cripple the government.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has been threatening huge demonstrations to bring down the anti-Syrian Prime Minister Fuad Siniora.

Mr. Baker hasn't been specific about diplomacy with Syria and Iran but sleeping with the enemy doesn't seem like a valid path to peace without selling our soul to the devil first.

Liberals Wish List - Playing Robin Hood

2006-11-21T10:22:00.000-05:00

Harry Reid recently stated, "The rich keep getting richer and the poor poorer." He said this with a straight face even after being exposed for a suspicious and ethically challenged land deal.

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Nancy Pelosi, the House Speaker designate and her husband are worth an estimated $55 million and apparently see nothing wrong with hiring illegals and owning non-union businesses where unions typically appear.

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However, when it comes to government control, power and regulating business the Democrats want to micro-manage the economic playing field to make it more "fair and balanced." This could only mean bigger government, more taxes, welfare and yes, more taxes. We repeat the taxes since they may double or even triple tax small business and the entrepreneur who drives the economic engines of the United States and is its largest employer.

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There is a commercial that states, "Success has its rewards," but to Liberals success for anyone but themselves means, "Shame on you." How dare you become successful in a free market, capitalist society! How dare you succeed and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

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While politicians are on a free lunch they tell us "there is no free lunch for you." However, entrepreneurs unlike politicians, are more apt to resemble another ad tagline, "We earn it!" Milton Friedman is already spinning in his grave.

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The forces that affect our economy are natural and evolving.

Technology is increasing employers' need for some skilled workers, while diminishing it for assembly-line workers.
Schools aren't graduating enough of the workers in short supply, such as engineers, which creates a greater need for outsourcing.

Taking from the rich and give to the poor does not balance the playing field. Forcing business to pay higher wages for unskilled labor may cost jobs before it provides income to the worker on the low end of the pay scale. Employers may decide to trim their payroll or pass the cost on to consumers. Someone must pay for this form of government tariff on domestic business.

In the Democrats playbook, "A new social contract for the 21st century" the authors Bruce Reed and Rahm Emanuel suggest requiring companies that provide stock options to their executives to provide stock options to every worker. The operative word here is "require" as in government regulation.

Liberals don't want a fence to stop illegal immigration but they do want a fence built to reduce imports, free trade and participating in a global economy. In addition, Liberals want to pass legislation empowering unions. Look what unions did for the Big 3 auto makers.

The glass is always half-empty for Liberals. Instead of creating incentives for people to climb out of the ranks of unskilled or poor they want someone else to prop them up with "private" welfare checks in the form of entitlements and punishing success to aid failure, lack of motivation or laziness.

Liberals don't like free markets as much as they like a free lunch. They believe it's necessary to have an "activist" government for broad-based economic growth. Liberals believe socialism creates equity for the poor and balances the inequities of a free society.

Here is a list of the Democrats proposal to provide aid and comfort the the have-nots at the expense of the haves:

Raise minimum wage
Restrain CEO pay
Strengthen union clout
Expand earned income tax credits
Roll back the Bush upper income tax cuts
Raise taxes on dividends and capital gains
Increase grants to low income college students
Cut interest rates on student loans
Expand public pre-kindergarten programs
Expand wage-loss insurance
Revamp unemployment insurance system
Cover mortgage payments for displaced workers
Give cash to families whose incomes fall sharply
Provide universal health insurance
Allow small businesses to buy insurance from a government sponsored pool
Provide universal 401(k) with government subsidies

Notice the key words: Government, subsidies, give, grants, low-income, tax, union clout, expand, cut.

If the Liberals get their way socialism will be alive and well in 21st Century America. Karl Marx would be proud.

Social Security Reform - In Reverse

2006-11-20T10:25:00.000-05:00

President Bush had grandiose plans for reforming the bankrupt social (underline social) security system offering privatization of accounts so individuals would have some control over their money.

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The antiquated welfare system that now taxes payroll checks and serves as a "piggy bank" for the pork laden congress and its irresponsible politicians will only be bailed out if responsible reform takes place or employment taxes are raised.

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Unfortunately Bush may be desperate enough to "fix" FDR's folly he may reverse his tax cuts (read his lips) and allow the cap on social security, i.e. employment tax, to be lifted. This is called a tax increase.

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It's an economic fact Bush's tax cuts had a positive effect on unemployment, consumer spending and business investment. The tax cuts helped entrepreneurs expand their businesses, create jobs and allow economic expansion over the long-term.

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Like his father George H.W. Bush, President Bush may be lulled into "compromise" with Liberals who feel they have a mandate to tax everything not nailed down. Social Security is pork and Liberals like many Republicans enjoy pork year round as long as their constituents pay for it. Sending money from Ohio to fund bridges to nowhere in Alaska is what the fat cat politicians do best. It's how they stay in office and that is their primary function.

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The parties switched control in congress but the stripes remain the same. Tax and spend, cut and run, and have the taxpayers pony up more money to fix and broken system.

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Lawrence Lindsey, President Bush's chief economic adviser from 2001 to 2002, suggests a turnabout for taxes may be on the Bush horizon. Mr. Lindsey rightfully argues an increase in revenues, now at record pace do to the tax cuts, would not increase revenue but would fund FDR's welfare scheme.

Doing so would raise the marginal tax rate on the entrepreneurs that Mr. Bush credits for having led the economic recovery by more than 10 percentage points. The new effective rate would be five percentage points above the level when he took office. Moreover, in 2011, the rate would go up a further 4.3 percentage points to an effective 53% marginal rate on entrepreneurial income. The president would thus be not just raising taxes on entrepreneurs to well above the levels that prevailed in the Clinton administration, but to a rate higher than that which prevailed in the Carter administration. Most of the improved incentives for entrepreneurship and work brought about under Reagan would be repealed.

Let's remember, 10% of the taxpayers now pay 68% of the taxes. Raising Social Security serves no purpose as these individuals, especially the entrepreneur will have their business taxes further, they will receive no personal benefit and some jobs may be lost due to increased costs to small business. Couple this with an increase in minimum wage and the small businessperson is being taxes again.

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Liberals have no real economic sense, let's hope the President realizes compromising with them is the same thing that cost his father a second term and ushered in the Clinton's. That alone is incentive enough not to tinker with Social Security unless it's fully privatized. After all, whose money is it?

Milton Friedman - The Economic Model

2006-11-17T10:02:00.000-05:00

Milton Friedman died yesterday but he will leave a legacy in the field of economics that will last forever in the free world. Anyone claiming to be fiscally responsible should follow his lead and adopt his principles for balanced budgets, less government and free markets.

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Dr. Friedman shaped the notions of capitalism and less government intervention. He believed free markets would effectively shape economies. As the Wall Street Journal writes:

A diminutive man known for his strong-willed and combative style, Mr. Friedman provided the intellectual foundations for the anti-inflation, tax-cutting and antigovernment policies of President Ronald Reagan and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and an era of more-disciplined central banking. His ideas helped to end the military draft in the 1970s, gave birth to staple conservative causes such as school vouchers and created the groundwork for new economic views about the Great Depression, unemployment, inflation and exchange rates.
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"Among economic scholars, Milton Friedman had no peer," Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said yesterday. "The direct and indirect influences of his thinking on contemporary monetary economics would be difficult to overstate. Just as important, in his humane and engaging way, Milton conveyed to millions an understanding of the economic benefits of free, competitive markets, as well as the close connection that economic freedoms bear to other types of liberty."

I never had the opportunity to meet or study under Mr. Friedman, however I had two economics professors who were his students and taught monetarist theory in their classrooms. These lessons cemented my conservative fiscal values and continued belief in free markets and less government as remedies for poor economies.

"No one in the 20th century has had the ideological influence that Milton Friedman has had in moving the economic profession from Great Depression-era do-goodism towards a friendliness toward, and appreciation of, the free market," said Paul Samuelson, a fellow Nobel laureate and frequent ideological opponent of Mr. Friedman. "We've lost a giant in economics."

It would be nice if our politicitians were smart enough to understand Monetarist Theory and apply it into fiscal policy. At least Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke is at the helm and will be a guiding light for fiscal Conservatism, free markets and capitalism. We can thank Milton Friedman for his contributions. "There is no such thing as a free lunch."

Porker of the Month

2006-11-15T11:07:00.000-05:00

Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) named Rep. David Price (D-N.C.) Porker of the Month for requesting a $750,000 federal earmark that helped pay for electronic arrival-time signs now being deployed at several bus stops in his district in Chapel Hill.

xxx The satellite tracking system, unveiled in late September, also lets riders check bus arrival times on their computers and cell phones, saving them the trouble of relying on printed schedules like millions of other commuters around the country.

xxx The project’s total cost is estimated to be about $950,000; with 14 bus stops, that’s roughly $67,857 per sign. The same company that is installing the Chapel Hill system won a contract with Alameda-Contra Costa Transit in California that included 100 signs for $1,031,079, or $10,310.79 per sign.

xxx The Chapel Hill Transit bus system, already partially subsidized by federal money, is fare-free for riders. If the transit system introduced a modest $0.16 charge per ride, its 6 million annual commuters could pay for the signs within twelve months.

xxx The project was included in CAGW’s 2003 Congressional Pig Book for fulfilling several pork criteria: not requested by the President; requested only by the House, and serving a local or special interest. Rep. Price sits on the House Appropriations Committee, infamous for earmarking the lion’s share of pork for its members’ districts.

xxx Rep. Price made it a federal priority that public commuters in a single town can know the exact minute their bus is arriving. If Chapel Hill commuters are unwilling cough up a few dimes for this luxury, federal taxpayers certainly should not be forced to oblige them.

xxx What taxpayers really need is a sign to let them know how long it will take for Congress to bankrupt the federal government. For adding to the deficit with an unnecessary and ridiculous pork project, using the federal Treasury to make a free ride even easier for his constituents, and typifying the wastefulness of congressional appropriators, CAGW names Rep. David Price the October 2006 Porker of the Month.

xxx The Citizens Against Government Waste is the nation’s largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government. Porker of the Month is a dubious honor given to lawmakers, government officials, and political candidates who have shown a blatant disregard for the interests of taxpayers.

FairTax BlogBurst

2006-11-15T08:30:00.000-05:00

by Terry Dillard of The Right Track Well, the elections are over and I've heard everything from "It's a sure thing" to "No way it'll even make it out of committee now" regarding the FairTax. One thing I do know -- never underestimate the power of a grassroots movement. Democrats were shown in 1994 not to take their power for granted, and Republicans had that same lesson hammered home to them a week ago. The American people have no hesitation whatsoever about "flushing the toilet" as I prefer to call it. Whatever your political orientation, it's been amply proven by now that lower taxes produce a stronger economy -- if we can keep spending in check. Giving Americans the ability to choose exactly how much they pay in taxes via the FairTax is a win-win situation for individuals and our government. I found an interesting blog article that managed to work the FairTax into a post on national security. From "Freedom Is Always the Right Answer", the post is titled "Defeating China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran in the Cold War of Terror". The post begins: China and Russia are allied and using all the tools at their disposal, including supporting North Korea and Iran, and to a lessor extent Venezuela, to defeat us in a new Cold War of Terror. China and Russia have supplied weapons, diplomatic cover, and economic support to these rogue states to drain American resources, our respect in the international community, and generally create chaos. China is stealing our technological secrets through a coordinated program of traditional intelligence and computer infiltration. China and Russia are threatening our satellites. China constantly threatens our ally, Taiwan. We can use the lessons from the first Cold War to figure out how to win this new one. The author postulates that winning the war against terror and those who sponsor it -- directly or indirectly, it would seem -- will require the same tactics used by JFK to get the missiles out of Cuba, and by Reagan to defeat the Soviet Union. Part of this, of course, is economic in nature. According to the author's theory: Once we put China in this position, it won't allow North Korea to be the tail that wags the dog. China will be upset with the U.S., as will the rest of the world who will call us dangerous cowboys, like they did Reagan, but China's only good option would be to work for a nuclear free Korean peninsula. China would suffer the economic pain (no more Kentucky Fried Chicken) of losing the world's greatest consumer as a costumer, plus it would be in the untenable position of being at the mercy of the madman in North Korea. America could get China's support for regime change or some other policy to remove the nukes in North Korea. America would also suffer economic pain (T-Shirt prices would rise) from these trade restrictions, but domestic policy would limit that pain, and turn it into an advantage. By adopting the FairTax, America would begin to return as a manufacturing juggernaut. Reducing government interference in the free market would assist this process. American products, no longer burdened by the income tax, would compete with Chinese made products on the world market, further enriching America and hurting China/NK. This American growth in manufacturing would drive prices lower to compensate for the price increases from restricted trade with China/NK. This would put pressure on China to democratize. [TD - emphasis added] But aside from National Security, the FairTax is just a good idea. The Kodiak Daily Mirror came out in favor of it because it is grassroots in nature. You know, "We the people" kind of thinking. In "New Tax Act Gives Power to the People", the Daily Mirror gives its reasons for supporting the FairTax: A proposed bill, The Fair Tax Act, would change the way our government collects our tax money. It sounds the death toll for the Internal Revenue Service, paycheck withholdings and tax returns. As the replacement, a national sales tax, designed to fund our government at its current rate, would replace our old system. It relieves the burden of an overly complicated tax code as special interests lobby for loopholes. The national sales tax will be collected on all new goods and services and takes the place of our income withholdings. The system is blind to income levels, yet ensures the basic necessities of life are not taxed through a tax pre-bate system. This prevents the government from dictating what the basic necessities are and affords us the ability to make our own decisions. [TD - emphasis added] How cool is that? What a novel idea! Letting us make our own decisions! I like it! The Daily Mirror finishes the article by referring to no less a document than our own Declaration of Independence: As stated so eloquently in our Declaration of Independence, we hold the power, not the government or our elected officials. It is time for a real change offered by the Fair Tax Act to encourage economical growth and investment. It is time to do away with the burdensome taxation system that we detest and political officials use to gain votes.

xxx All I can add to that is a hearty "Amen"! The FairTax Blogburst is jointly produced by Terry of The Right Track Blog and Jonathan of Publius Rendezvous. If you would like to host the weekly postings on your blog, please e-mail Terry. You will be added to our mailing list and blogroll.

Stay the Course or Father Knows Best?

2006-11-14T14:51:00.000-05:00

Bret Stephens, in today's Wall Street Journal (subscription), reminds us of Bush '41' policy, as well as James Baker and Lawrence Eagleburger, their foreign policy, dubbed by some as "internationalists."

The Bush (41) administration brought Arabs and Israelis together for the Madrid Peace Conference, which set the groundwork for the Oslo Accords. These were touted as historic achievements, but for Israel it meant more terrorism, culminating in the second intifada, and for the Palestinians it meant repression in the person of Yasser Arafat and mass radicalization in the movement of Hamas. Worse, Mr. Baker fostered the fatal perception that the failure of Arabs and Jews to make peace was the root of the region's problems, not a symptom of them, and that the obstacle to peace was intransigent Israel, not militant Islam.
Or take "Lawrence of Serbia," the moniker Mr. Eagleburger earned for his initial indulgence, as the State Department's point man on Yugoslav affairs during the early 1990s while the country was coming apart, of Serbia's Slobodan Milosevic. Mr. Eagleburger, who had longstanding business ties in Belgrade, spent the early period of the war largely ignoring Mr. Milosevic's depredations on his neighbors, including paramilitary slaughters in Vukovar and concentration camps in Omarska. "There was a kind of preference for stability and an attachment to the old Yugoslavia over our interests in human rights," Patrick Glynn of the American Enterprise Institute told Newsday in 1992, adding the administration had "been standing by, waiting while the final solution is played out."
"Chicken Kiev," Mr. Bush's spectacularly misconceived August 1991 speech in what was shortly to become the capital of independent Ukraine. Mr. Bush's reluctance to acknowledge -- and better manage -- the breakup of Yugoslavia was partly a function of his reluctance to acknowledge the impending breakup of the Soviet Union and the fall from grace of his friend Mikhail Gorbachev. Once Mr. Gorbachev was gone, Mr. Bush was equally reluctant to help the new Russia get on its feet, prompting Richard Nixon to complain about the administration's "pathetically inadequate response in light of the opportunities we face in the crisis in the former Soviet Union."
No Bush 41 failure was as great -- or as consequential -- as his apparently flip suggestion, following "victory" in the Gulf War, that the "Iraqi people . . . take matters into their own hands and force Saddam Hussein, the dictator, to step down." Tens of thousands of Shiites and Kurds took him seriously, and tens of thousands paid with their lives as Saddam quelled the revolt while the Bush administration stood by, lest it exceed its U.N. mandate.

Surely the long awaited Iraq Study Group pronouncements will weigh heavy on the former Bush foreign policy. However, in mid-stream, abandoning Iraq now would mirror our exit from Vietnam and turn Iraq chaos into Islamic extremisms and establish formal training ground for these groups.

John McCain (R-AZ) contends that the war in Iraq is worth fighting and is worth winning. He has said consistently said from the start of the conflict that the only way to prevail is to send enough soldiers to do the job. His current proposal is to send 20,000 additional troops in hopes of bringing Baghdad and the restive western provinces under control.

The alternative, he said, is humiliation for the United States and disaster for Iraq. This reflects the left-wing attitude using terms as quagmire and Vietnam. Liberals feel some wars are simply "unwinnable." That attitude is one of losers, misfits and certainly the "cut and run" policy of the left.

Cutting losses in Iraq now will certainly have extreme negative effects in the long-term and it will take strength and vision to address today's issues in Iraq and corrective action, not evacuation and abandonment.

“We’re paying a price for the failure of our policy in the past,” Mr. McCain said Sunday on “Meet the Press” on NBC, “and the question, then, before the American people is, are we ready to quit? And I believe the consequences of failure are chaos in the region, which will spread.”

Certainly McCain supports much of what has been written on these pages time and time again as the Senator told Tim Russert on Meet the Press:

The [Iraq] prime minister [Maliki] has to understand that we need to put down Sadr, and we need to take care of the Mahdi Army, and we need to stop the sectarian violence that is on the increase in an unacceptable level. And I think that the best way to assure that is for him to know that we will do what’s necessary to bolster the—train and equip the Iraqi army, etc. If we send the signal that we are leaving, of course he’s going to try to make accommodations with others, because he knows that—what is going to be the inevitable result. So most politicians in that part of the world are interested in survival, so I, I can understand why he took the position that he did, but I certainly disagree with it strongly.

McCain is absolutely correct in his premise. The chaos in Iraq is internal with the clerics and their militias operating unfettered. Eliminate the militias and much of the armed conflict will end. Maliki is feckless at best and is beholden to whatever secures his survival. He needs to be given an ultimatum and follow our lead, which should be McCains plan.

A Reader Defends Howard Dean

2006-11-14T10:20:00.000-05:00

In Howard Dean Tells Us What America Wants I suggest the DNC chairman and left-wing nut feels the recent election has given Liberals a mandate for change. Mr. Dean is arrogant as well as confused. I also took on Robert Rubin for his recent suggestion the eonomy could withstand a tax increase. Nice advice but it's refreshing to have the support of the Wall Street Journal to back my reasoning. However one reader, Joe in Wynnewood said...

Isn't that true only in terms of real and not inflation adjusted $? I know it isn't in terms of % of GDP. Isn't it true that expenditures have way outstripped revenue under the fiscally-challenged Congress and nary a veto in sight from Bush?
I didn't know that free market meant that when the government pays for stuff it can't do what every business in America does when it buys from suppliers - negotiate for the best possible terms. When a government agency is acting as a business, shouldn't it act as a business?
Maybe Gov. Dean isn't quite as crazy as you'd like to make him out to be...

Of course Liberals never provide specifics nor do they corroborate their bluster with facts. Let's help Joe out:

Federal revenues in fiscal 2006 were 18.4% of GDP, higher than the 18.2% post-1965 average.
The U.S. economy grew by an average of nearly 4% a year for three years following mid-2003.
Federal revenues in fiscal 2006 were 18.4% of GDP, higher than the 18.2% post-1965 average.
In October, the first month of fiscal 2007, revenues rose by 12% from a year earlier.
The federal deficit for fiscal 2006 was only 1.9% of GDP, which is lower than all but eight years since 1975.
During the late Clinton years, the feds grabbed a record 20.9% of GDP.

Hopefully Bush '43' will not follow in Bush '41s' footsteps and pronounce, "No new taxes" and tell us to "Read his lips." This is what the Liberals like Dean, Rubin and Hillary Clinton wish for, have Republicans change tax policy and take the issue off the table for 2008.

If the electorate spoke in volumes then Democrats didn't win the election or receive a mandate. Republicans forgot Conservative principles and lost the election. The long awaited Liberal agenda was not part of the election campaign, it is now rearing its ugly head.

Republican politicians should now remind themselves of Conservative policies and recall the Tom Delay folly in the house. Earmarks should be dead, and tax cuts should be permanent. As for Joe? We don't want the government paying for "stuff." We want our money and control of it. Read my lips!

Democrats Meddling in Business - Again

2006-11-14T09:03:00.000-05:00

Liberal wing-nut Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) is busy asserting his new found authority, the authority all Democrats suddenly believe they have since the election. This "authority" is falling under the criteria of government control of business and social ideas.

xxx

For union run United Auto Workers this means health care and a "helping hand" for the Big 3 auto manufacturers who have been led by the nose of union power and mismanaged these companies for years. Let's not forget the soaring prices of automobiles that lack real innovation and energy savings. UAW workers are among the highest paid workers in the manufacturing sector.

xxx

Democrats say they will be pushing for answers. "There will be a lot more pressure" for government solutions to manufacturers' problems, said Levin. Isn't this a business problem not a government one? It is a concern when huge manufacturers' discsss thousands of layoffs and the President of the United States has them to the White House for discussions. President Bush told the Wall Street Journal that American car companies needed to "make a relevant product." What is Bush's definition of relevant? Has he lost his way?

xxx

Do these companies need tax incentives to motivate them to straighten out their business plan? Competition is what makes business succeed or fail and the Big 3 don't compete well with the likes of Toyota, Honda and Nissan.

xxx

Trading partners need to play fair and if foreign companies are not setting a level playing field like the one found in America then adjustments should be made. Tax breaks and tariffs for the sake of poor management are not an answer.

xxx

Internal issues such as rising cost of raw materials and health care costs are not government problems but management ones. Republicans and Democrats differ over how to fix the related problems of high insurance costs and broader lack of coverage. Republicans generally favor encouraging individuals to purchase their own coverage. Democrats favor strengthening the existing employer-based system, moving to a government-based approach, or some combination of the two.

xxx

Moving to social programs, i.e. Socialism:

xxx

America's Health Insurance Plans, a trade group, moved to get ahead of the debate by proposing the federal government spend $300 billion so all children have insurance coverage within three years, and 95% of adults within 10 years.

xxx

Government is not Robin Hood and Carl Levin is not Friar Tuck, although there is a slight resemblance. Liberals don't understand free markets and capitalism. It's not up to the weathy to pay for the middle class. If people choose to start foundations and provide help those are individual choices not the choices of some politician from the Left-Wing caucus.

xxx

Liberals are foaming at the mouth and they smell tax increases and federal spending. So much for campaign rhetoric.

Howard Dean Tells Us What America Wants

2006-11-12T13:38:00.000-05:00

DNC chairman and left-wing nut Howard Dean feels the recent election has given Liberals a mandate for change. Mr. Dean is arrogant as well as confused.

xxx

One, Dean equates the election of the first totally Democrat legislature in New Hampshire to what the nation wants. How did he assume that?

xxx

Two, Dean feels American's want a return to the "Good Ol' Days" of Clintonomics. This has been mentioned by others in the "party" as some sort of wonderful time but they, including former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, ignore the Dot.com boom that eventually went bust as much of the economic success of the 90's. The technology industry temporarily made Clintonomics look successful until the wheels came off.

xxx

Welfare reform was shoved Clinton's way and he had no politcal choice but to endorse it and sign the bill into law. This helped the 90's economy and Republicans, then with Conservative values, helped reduce the deficit and balance the budget for Clinton.

xxx

Reduction in government jobs reduced the deficits but the anti-Military Clintons took over 80% of those jobs from the military. Thank you Al Gore. Welfare reform for the civilian population and welfare for our military. Food stamps in every commissary and ration kit.

xxx

Three, Dean feels a need to tax the rich, which he now defines as the top 1% of Americans. Somehow Dean doesn't equate tax reduction with record revenues into the government coffers.

xxx

Four, Dean wants medicare reform and government negotiating for lower pharmacutical costs. Apparently the left-wing Dean never heard of free market capitalism. Liberals want stem cell research, paid for by the Federal government and wish to regulate the companies whose research develop drugs that cure.

xxx

Five, Deans wants a return to Clinton's "Pay Go" system of explaining what spending is for and where will go. Isn't this done already although many time creatively hidden in spending bills? Fiscal restraint might help.

xxx

Six, Dean wants an increase in minimum wages. This is a tax on business in the form of forced higher wages, and increased payroll taxes with government control on business. Smells like FDR economics now.

xxx

Back to Robert Rubin, Clintons "economic guru" who this weeks claims, "you cannot solve the nation's fiscal problems without increased revenues."

xxx

"I think if you were to increase taxes right now, you would have probably about zero negative effect on the economy," claims Rubin.

xxx

Probably have? One thing Rubin never mentions in his speech to the Economic Club of Washington this past week is reduced spending.

xxx

Here's an economic lesson for Liberals like Dean and Rubin. If the economy is at record revenue because of tax cuts wouldn't you enhance revenue by simple fiscal responsibility and government restraint in Congress with reduced spending and reform?

xxx

The answer is YES!

Honor Our Veterans

2006-11-11T09:21:00.000-05:00

Veterans Day 2006

xxx

“Across America, there are more than 25 million veterans. Their ranks include generations of citizens who have risked their lives while serving in military conflicts, including World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf and the war on terror. They have fought for the security of our country and the peace of the world. They have defended our founding ideals, protected the innocent and liberated the oppressed from tyranny and terror. They have known the hardships and the fears and the tragic losses of war.

xxx

Our veterans know that in the harshest hours of conflict they serve just and honorable purposes. Every veteran has lived by a strict code of discipline. Every veteran understands the meaning of personal accountability and loyalty and shared sacrifice. From the moment you repeated the oath to the day of your honorable discharge, your time belonged to America; your country came before all else.”

—President George W. Bush

Good Riddance Lincoln

2006-11-10T15:02:00.000-05:00

Lincoln Chafee that is. The turncoat Liberal claiming to be a member of the Republican party has finally gone home, he has finally told the truth about himself, the truth we already knew. The fact is Chafee is a left-wing nut who voted with the Democrats most of the time.

xxx

Chafee's lasting legacy will be he stopped John Bolton from becoming the permanent U.N. Ambassador for the United States. Mr. Bolton is highly qualified and with the 2006 election results will have no chance of receiving a well deserved up or down vote in the Senate.

xxx

"I haven't made any decisions. I just haven't even thought about where my place is," Mr. Chafee said at a news conference. When pressed on whether his comments indicated he might leave the GOP, he replied: "That's fair."

xxx

"The people have spoken all across America. They want the Democrats and Republicans to work together," he told reporters. "I think the president now is going to have to talk to the Democrats. I think that's going to be good for America."

xxx

Mr. Chafee, your place is on the sidelines, where you are now and where you belong. Your political career is over and we are thankful. Someday you'll figure that out.

Republicans Need New Leadership

2006-11-10T12:13:00.000-05:00

"Republicans Need New Leadership." That is an understatement and the Wall Street Journal provides a look back and sound advice for the future. xxx

As they lick their wounds, Republicans are no doubt wondering what went wrong and what to do now. The answers aren't all that complicated: Revive the reform convictions that earned them power in the 1990s, and start that process in the House of Representatives by electing a new slate of leaders.
xxx Twelve years ago, the Newt Gingrich-led Republicans swept into power as reformers who ran against corruption and pledged to make government "smaller and smarter."
Somehow, across the years, that conviction was replaced by Tom DeLay and the quest for permanent incumbency, Appropriations Chairman Jerry Lewis and the "earmark" brigade, and a retinue of Beltway retainers symbolized by Jack Abramoff. The current leadership let it all happen, and if Republicans want a shot at regaining control in 2008 they'll turn to a new generation to lead them.
xxx
As a minority party in Congress, Republicans must operate as the party of change, not of Washington insiders willing to sign away their principles for a courthouse or swimming pool in the home district. This doesn't mean they shouldn't work with Democrats when it makes policy sense. But they need to reclaim their fiscal conservative birthright.
xxx Republicans also need to rediscover an agenda for reforming government programs that don't work or threaten to bankrupt future generations. The Gingrich Republicans did that with welfare reform in the 1990s, and they tried with Medicaid. Then President Bush gave Republicans a once-in-a-generation chance to reform Social Security and health care along free market lines, but GOP House leaders fought him behind the scenes. For this alone, they should be returned to the back benches.

Arrogance and power mixed a Liberal cocktail and was served up by Republicans claiming to be Conservatives. Good riddance to this ilk. We hope House Republicans clean their own backyard and begin with new leadership.

xxx

LC supports Mike Pence (R-IN) for new House Minority Leader and John Shadegg (R-AZ) for new House Minority Whip.

Will President Bush Eat His Lunch

2006-11-09T16:43:00.000-05:00

President Bush and presumptive Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi had lunch today. My question is: Will Bush eat his lunch in the future?

xxxx

Pardon me but the Liberals in the beltway our sniffing the bloody Republican chum in the political waters and they will want their agenda to apply. The fact is, Democrats feel they have a mandate.

xxxx

Another fact is President Bush is an official "lame duck" and let's not forget the words of Nancy Pelosi.

xxxx

"Bush is an incompetent leader, in fact, he's not a leader...He's a person who has no judgement, no experience and no knowledge of the subjects that he has to decide upon...The shallowness that he has brought to the office has not changed since he got there." -May 2004

xxx

"I said we'd be having hearings on the war, we'd have hearings. But I don't see us going to a place of impeachment." -May 2006

xxx

"Stay the course? I don't think so, Mr. President. It's time to face the facts. On every important aspect on the war in Iraq, the president and his advisers have been wrong." -June 2006

xxx

"We pledge partnerships with Republicans in Congress and with the president and not partisanship." -November 8, 2006

xxx

Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), one of the left-wing nuts of our time is speaking as I write. He is ecstatic and can barely contain himself. I sounds as though another bid for the Presidency is on his mind.

xxx

Kucinich is saying the new Congress will now take America in a new direction. His type of directiion:

Troops out of Iraq, now.
Higher minimum wages
Healthcare for everyone.
Tax the rich and not so rich that Liberals label rich.
Tax the small business owner with a minimum wage hike.
A tax hike to fit the small business owner into the Liberal "rich" bracket.
Higher corporate taxes.
Raise the Capital Gains tax.
Raise the Estate (Death) tax.
Double tax married couples.

The Liberal agenda is a Dennis Kucinich agenda, a Harry Reid agenda, a Nancy Pelosi agenda, a Left-Wing Nut agenda.

My advice Mr. President...........Watch your backside, they're coming after you!

America, watch you're pocket book, it's about to be lifted.

Rumsfeld as a Scapegoat

2006-11-09T11:30:00.000-05:00

Liberals are cheering the departure of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. That fact alone may tell us more about the Liberal, anti-military ilk than the horrible name calling directed at Mr. Rumsfeld.

xxx

Secretary Rumsfeld is a task master, autocratic in nature but highly successful in government service and in the private sector. Instead of spending endless days in Capitol Hill hearing rooms as part of the Presidents cabinet he will spend them as a private citizen.

xxx

Liberals want their piece of flesh and they are probably not through with Mr. Rumsfeld. These feckless left-wing whiners are over matched by the articulate, intelligent and highly informed gentleman from the "City with Big Shoulders", Chicago.

xxx

I predict history will be kinder to Donald Rumsfeld than politicians and the media have been. This also included ex-Generals who didn't like an assertive civilian doing his job and managing the military. The power shift left a vacuum military personnel found difficult to cope with as Mr. Rumsfeld made significant changes after Al Gore and Bill Clinton virtually dismantled the military to balance their budget.

xxx

Modernization took place under Rumsfeld as the Clinton military was on food stamps, undermanned and without effective tools to conduct a war or defend the homeland. When discussion of body armor and poor equipment became politcal fodder the Democrats were quick to blame Rumsfeld. They should have looked into the mirror and at their anti-Military hero Bill Clinton.

xxx

U.S. forces ousted the Taliban in Afghanistan with percision and speed under Rumsfelds authority. Osama bin Laden was chased into the mountains, forced to hide and live amongst Pakistani tribes and become relatively powerless.

xxx

Saddam Hussein, now on death row, was toppled in record speed. Military historian John Keegan has called this campaign "the farthest advance at speed over distance ever recorded" in a military operation, and at the time it saved thousands of lives. The factors on the ground in Iraq today can be blamed well beyond Donald Rumsfeld as other government agencies and planners failed to prepare for insurgencies, exiled Iraqi's, and culture wars between tribes and communities.

xxx

Rumsfeld enforced rules that made the Armed Services operate jointly, removed outmoded defense systems and eliminated much of the pork used to prop up poorly operating agencies within the military.

xxx

President Bush is now retreating and has nominated Dr. Robert Gates, an ex-CIA Director with intelligence experience, not miitary know how. Mr. Gates is also on the Baker-Hamilton study group that Congress established to examine policy options for Iraq, and his nomination may mean Mr. Bush has already signed onto its soon-to-be-released recommendations.

xxx

One of the proposals is reportedly a new engagement with Iran and Syria, which would make a hash of the President's "freedom agenda." I can't imagine how far any dialogue with rogue states and terrorists will go. Gates was deputy national security adviser under Brent Scowcroft in 1991, when President Bush's father abandoned the Shiite uprising that followed the first Gulf War. Scowcroft has pubicly criticized Bush foreign policy in Iraq and the Middle East.

xxx

Mr. Rumsfeld should be applauded for all the good he did and we're sure history will provide those facts to anyone interested. For now he is a political scapegoat and deserved a better fate. We can only hope the Rumsfeld military modernization continues.

Blue Dog Democrat Watch - Sheep in Wolves Clothing?

2006-11-09T09:43:00.000-05:00

With the coming of an extreme Liberal as Speaker of the House and chairmanships lead by extreme Liberals it's time to examine and watch the so-called Conservative and Moderate branch of the Democratic Party.

Moderation is good, we prefer Conservative ideals. Political rhetoric is spewed all over during a campaign and the Blue Dog Democrats touted their conservativism at will. We will be watching as every piece of legislation is voted upon to see who is really conservative, or moderate at the very least, and expose them if they fail to live up to their claim.

xxx

Were claims of conservative only to get elected? Many of these Blue Dogs will vote for Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House. This is the first reflection upon them as liars, using the word "Conservative" as an appeal for votes while deceiving their constituency.

xxx

We will be their report card in the next 2 years. Following is a list of Blue Dog Democrats with links to their web sites. Some of the names will change to reflect the 2006 election results.

xxx

Are they true to their words or simply wolves in sheeps clothing?

xxx MEMBERS xxx Blue Dogs' Bios xxx Rep. Joe Baca (CA-43) Rep. John Barrow (GA-12) Rep. Melissa Bean (IL-08)

Rep. Marion Berry (AR-01) Rep. Sanford Bishop (GA-02) Rep. Dan Boren (OK-02) Rep. Leonard Boswell (IA-03)

Rep. Allen Boyd (FL-02) Rep. Dennis Cardoza (CA-18), Blue Dog Co-Chair for Communications Rep. Ed Case (HI-02)

Rep. Ben Chandler (KY-06) Rep. Jim Cooper (TN-05), Blue Dog Co-Chair for Policy Rep. Jim Costa (CA-20) Rep. Robert E. "Bud" Cramer (AL-05) Rep. Lincoln Davis (TN-04)

Rep. Harold Ford, Jr. (TN-09) Rep. Jane Harman (CA-36) Rep. Stephanie Herseth (SD) Rep. Tim Holden (PA-17) Rep. Steve Israel (NY-02) Rep. Mike McIntyre (NC-07) Rep. Jim Marshall (GA-03) Rep. Jim Matheson (UT-02), Blue Dog Co-Chair for Administration Rep. Charlie Melancon (LA-03) Rep. Mike Michaud (ME-02) Rep. Dennis Moore (KS-03) Rep. Collin Peterson (MN-07)

Rep. Earl Pomeroy (ND) Rep. Mike Ross (AR-04) , Blue Dog Whip Rep. John Salazar (C0-03) Rep. Loretta Sanchez (CA-47) Rep. Adam Schiff (CA-29) Rep. David Scott (GA-13) Rep. John Tanner (TN-08) Rep. Ellen Tauscher (CA-10) Rep. Gene Taylor (MS-04) Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-01)

Donald Rumsfeld Resigning

2006-11-08T14:10:00.000-05:00

BREAKING NEWS: xxx The Wall Street Journal reports Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, architect of an unpopular war in Iraq, intends to resign after six stormy years as secretary of defense, Republican officials said Wednesday. Officials said Robert Gates, former head of the CIA, would succeed Mr. Rumsfeld. Gates is currently the president of Texas A & M.

xxx

This will be seen as the initial olive branch from the Whitehouse attempting to recover from the beating Republicans took in the mid-term elections. It is now very likely the Senate majority will be run my the Democrats with the loss of Montana.

xxx

Rumsfeld was under constant fire by most Democrats and many Republicans. The writing was on the wall and as we have stated below it was time for Mr. Rumsfeld to remove himself since he had become a distraction and this could only continue without change. Of course Democrats are already taking credit for this, however, they should keep the tone civil or appear as partisan hacks.

xxx

Dr. Gates is currently a member of the Baker-Hamilton study group on Iraq and will be seen as someone who will possibly implement many of the recommendation of the group and a departure from current policy on Iraq.

House Cleaning - A Lame Duck President

2006-11-08T10:04:00.000-05:00

Going to bed knowing Nancy Pelosi, one of the most liberal politicians in the Congressional, would be Speaker of the House was no comfort. Watching the Senate Republicans in battleground states go down in flames was unnerving.

xxx

Setting the stage for Hillary Clinton may be the final straw handed to real conservatives and a voting constituency who sent a message to George Bush, and dozens of so-called "Conservatives" who spent like drunken liberals, earned the moniker, "Culture of Corrruption" and allowed their power to blind them of reality.

xxx

It was fitting that Tom Delay's former House seat went to a Democrat and was announced on FoxNews as the gain that pushed Democrats over the top in their quest for power.

xxx

No, it didn't have to be this way. President Bush never used his veto pen, never worked to stop the fiscal spending and never became vocal about the corruption in his own party. Bush and Republicans allowed Social Security reform to die on the vine and never adequately stood up for change.

xxx

Iraq is a mess and it's easy to see the clerics are in power, the Iraqi government is out of control and corrupt, and the Iraqi Prime Minister feels free to thumb his nose at America on national television.

xxx

The borders are not secure and Republican failure to work with each other was another reason change occurred. Arrogants and power ruled while solving the border problem became a family quarrel.

xxx

Were lessons learned? Only time will tell but the real blogging will begin in earnest immediately. Examining issues and candidates thoroughly in the next two years will be a dominate theme here. We will also watch the events in Congress and decide how "conservative" some of the so-called "Blue Dog Democrats" really are.

xxx

These so-called Conservative and moderate Democrats have already changed their position on Nancy Pelosi claiming they will, in fact, vote for her to become House Speaker. This isn't what they told their constituency while asking for support and votes.

xxx

We welcome Conservatives of any stripe into Congress with open arms and high hopes. However, we remain wary of anyone professes Conservative values in public while voting with the status quo in the beltway.

xxx

In reality it's time to grab your wallet and hope the President gets busy with his veto pen rejecting any spending bills earmarked to death with needless pork. It's time to regroup and find new leadership at the Pentagon or at the very least demand a military solution to the militias and sectarian violence in Iraq.

xxx

Finally, it's not the economy stupid. Tax cuts should remain as the engine fuel to the vibrant economy which is steadfast in creating jobs, business investment and low interest rates. Don't fix it if it ain't broke! President Bush will have to stand up to the new Congress and not compromise with the fox now in charge of the chicken coup called Congress.

xxx

The Liberal's foaming at the mouth has begun in earnest and it's up to remaining Republicans to check their Conservative credentials and begin acting with Conservative values, both fiscal and moral.

xxx

In the end Republicans handed over power by being irresponsible and untrue to Conservative positions. It's time for anyone claiming to be Conservative to openly say what you mean and mean what you say.

Election 2006 - Hold Your Nose and Vote

2006-11-07T11:38:00.000-05:00

The Real Horse Race Begins

2006-11-07T08:41:00.000-05:00

Real Clear Politics has blended all the 2006 election polls and provides a scenario of averages based on these projections:

HOUSE: 222 D, 213 R (D +19) On the Republican side, RCP's Final House ratings list thirteen seats in the Leans Democrat category, fourteen in the Toss Ups column and twenty seats rated Leans Republican. On the Democratic side, 2 seats are rated as Toss Ups with 4 Leaning Democrat.

Splitting Toss Ups 50/50, RCP projects Democrats picking up 19 seats in the House of Representatives with an overall range of 14 - 24 seats.

SENATE: 51R, 49D (D+4) Of the original fourteen competitive Senate contests RCP has been tracking, six races have Final RCP Averages in the double digits (PA, MN, WA, MI, OH, and CT) and are safe for each side. Of those six, Democrats will net pick ups in Ohio and Pennsylvania and a nominal hold with Joe Lieberman's win in Connecticut as an Independent. Three races (NJ, AZ, and TN) have Final RCP Averages over 6% and Lean toward each respective party and thus would be holds for each side.

The remaning five races listed in the Toss Up category (MO, MT, VA, MD, and RI) all have Final RCP Averages below 4% and are too close to call definitively for one side. Democrats hold leads in all five of these races, and based off the RCP Averages and the latest InTrade market quotes the most likely scenario would be for Democrats to win 3 of these 5 races. That would net two additional Democratic pick ups and leave them with a total gain of four seats.

Source: Real Clear Politics

Republican Folly

2006-11-06T10:47:00.000-05:00

Republicans had endless opportunity to follow conservative values for the last six years. Now the mid-term elections are upon us and many Republican seats will be lost in the Senate and House and the possibility of losing both to Liberals the lessons to be learned will be tough.

xxx

Everyone is blaming President Bush and Iraq. However, if Republicans in Congress would have cut spending, worked toward more fiscal responsibility, secured our borders, and worked with the President on Social Security reform things could have been much different.

xxx

Positive accomplishments from the legislature will trump other issues. When Liberals complain about the war in Iraq most legislators run and hide without logically defending the bigger picture of fighting terrorism. With that said President Bush should be pressuring the Iraqi government to take control of their country and stop the clerics who support death squad and militias.

xxx

In the end Republicans set their own fate by abandoning a conservative reform agenda. Let's recap the Republican failures:

Greed and ensuing scandal.
Failure to ensure permanent tax cuts.
Failure to reform Social Security and establish private accounts.
Failure to establish legitimate immigration reform and border security.
Failure to demonstrate the economy is a success.
Failure to demonstrate the low unemployment rate and increased job creation.
Failure to stop earmarking, instead using them at a Liberal pace.
Failure to show fiscal responsibility.
Failure to show true leadership.
Failure to formally establish a reform policy and initiate it.

Republicans may and probably will lose the House of Representatives and will, at the very least, have little remaining control in the Senate. Liberals will take control, but will have little control with President Bush in position to veto any ludicrous bills sent to his desk.

However, with Liberals in control, we will witness hearing after hearing especially in an effort to completely discredit President Bush and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.

The Democrats have a plan on the Liberal side, which is to embarrass the current administration and "get even" for what they see as impeachable offenses and payback for the 2000 election.

Liberals won't govern, they will start an ideological war, they will accomplish nothing of substances and will attempt to create bigger government, increase taxes (directly and indirectly) and create social programs to make independent Americans dependent on a fat socialist government.

Seymour Hersch - Opinionated Wind Bag

2006-11-02T14:15:00.000-05:00

The Pulitzer Prize is sometimes rewarded to individuals who lack any fact for what they write or how they expose things that place America, our military and many times agents in harms way. xxx As a country the United States is not always correct, it's leaders many times error and the criticism will flow. However, as in the case of the New York Times, the media and journalists place themselves above the overall safety and welfare of U.S. citizens. All for a story or to harm someone politically they don't care for. xxx Seymour Hersch has made a career out of uncovering things that don't necessarily make him patriotic; it's not his job to be a patriot. Many things need to be told but should be measured. Here is a short record of Mr. Hersch's "findings":

1969 exposé of the My Lai massacre in Vietnam (widely believed to have helped turn American public opinion against the Vietnam War along with Walter Cronkite's misleading statements about the Tet offensive.)
Broke news about the secret U.S. bombing of Cambodia.
Broke news about covert C.I.A. attempts to overthrow Chilean president Salvador Allende.
Provided the first details about American soldiers abusing prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

Hersch was lecturing north of the border in Montreal and had this to say...“There has never been an American army as violent and murderous as the one in Iraq” xxxx How does Hersch justify this claim? How can he prove his statement? Hersch described video footage depicting U.S. atrocities in Iraq, which he had viewed, but not yet published a story about. He described one video in which American soldiers massacre a group of people playing soccer. xxxx “Three U.S. armed vehicles, eight soldiers in each, are driving through a village, passing candy out to kids,” he began. “Suddenly the first vehicle explodes, and there are soldiers screaming. Sixteen soldiers come out of the other vehicles, and they do what they’re told to do, which is look for running people.” xxx “Never mind that the bomb was detonated by remote control,” Hersch continued. “[The soldiers] open up fire; [the] cameras show it was a soccer game.” xxxx “About ten minutes later, [the soldiers] begin dragging bodies together, and they drop weapons there. It was reported as 20 or 30 insurgents killed that day,” he said. "If Americans knew the full extent of U.S. criminal conduct, they would receive returning Iraqi veterans as they did Vietnam veterans," Hersch said. xxx “In Vietnam, our soldiers came back and they were reviled as baby killers, in shame and humiliation,” he said. “It isn’t happening now, but I will tell you – there has never been an [American] army as violent and murderous as our army has been in Iraq.” xxx Once again I ask what proof other than videos, which may not prove anything, and Hersch's own prejudice and vitriol against a U.S. President while speaking in a foreign country? xxx Hersch has a record of scorn which he uses to turn public opinion but if he can't provide exact details, or bring evidence that would stand up in a court of law, then what does he have? Nothing but success by polluting the facts. xxxx Hersch has bluster and insults, that's it! Hersch asks how fragile Democracy is. However, its Democracy in the fashion of the United States that allows Seymour Hersch the freedom to articulate his views, no matter how skewed the facts are. Hersch presents his opinion as fact, discussing videos but not showing them. xxx John Kerry can call our troops uneducated, losers, illiterate and hurl insults. Seymour Hersch claims soldiers who fought in Vietnam and currently in the Middle East are baby killers, and should be shamed and humiliated. Did he forget how they were spit upon in public while wearing a military uniform? Maybe we should believe our troops are Nazis as Dick Durbin has proclaimed. xxx What makes up the pathology of the Hersch, Kerry, Kennedy, and Durbin crowd? They call people horrible things publicly because they have the power and bully pulpit to do so. They bluster to anyone with a camera, microphone or forum to spread their vitriol without providing facts to their misleading claims. xxx We must continue to expose this ilk of bloviating windbags. xxx Source: McGill Daily

Troops Answer John Kerry

2006-11-01T13:46:00.000-05:00

John Kerry - The Gift That Keeps on Giving

2006-11-01T12:25:00.000-05:00

Our Quality U.S. Military Troops

2006-10-31T19:13:00.000-05:00

John Kerry has been denouncing the U.S. Military Troops this week as written about here but the Heritage Foundation presents a study which demonstrate our troops are the best in many ways. While Kerry makes idiotic and disparaging "jokes" at the expense of our military forces here is what the very extensive study says.

xxxxxx

Over the past three years, the quality of recruits to the U.S. military has improved, a finding contrary to the conventional wisdom that troop quality has declined.

xxx “Those who have been so quick to suggest that today’s wartime recruits represent lesser quality, lower standards, or lower class should be expected make an airtight case,” Tim Kane writes. “Instead, they have cited selective evidence, which is balanced by a much clearer set of evidence showing improving troop quality.”

xxx Kane’s analysis considers the household income, level of education, race and ethnicity, and regional origin of military recruits.

xxx “U.S. military recruits are more similar than dissimilar to the American youth population,” Kane finds. “The slight differences are that wartime U.S. military enlistees are better educated, wealthier, and more rural on average than their civilian peers.”

xxx

Who Are the Recruits?

The Demographic Characteristics of U.S. Military Enlistment, 2003–2005

by Tim Kane, Ph.D.

Center for Data Analysis Report #06-09

John Kerry Is A Disgrace - One More Time

2006-10-31T17:03:00.000-05:00

"You know, education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq." ~John Kerry - Oct. 30, 2006

xxx

Happy Halloween from John Kerry. He is a disgrace all by himself and I'm so sick of the MSM telling us how "decorated" Kerry is, and what a "war hero" Kerry is.

xxx

John Kerry is nothing if he is not a treasonous coward and liar of the utmost proportions. He condemned U.S. troops during Vietnam and post-Vietnam. Kerry is joining his Liberal ilk to insult our troops during the war in Iraq.

xxx

The only thing Kerry is consistent about is his disdain for anything military and being two-faced about everything else.

xxx

Here are some thoughts on the latest Kerry comments:

xxx

American Legion:

xxx

INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. 31 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The National Commander of The American Legion called on Sen. John Kerry to apologize for suggesting that American troops in Iraq are uneducated.

xxx "As a constituent of Senator Kerry's I am disappointed. As leader of The American Legion, I am outraged," said National Commander Paul A. Morin. "A generation ago, Sen. Kerry slandered his comrades in Vietnam by saying that they were rapists and murderers. It wasn't true then and his warped view of today's heroes isn't true now."

xxx While addressing a group of college students at a campaign rally in Pasadena, CA., Monday, Kerry suggested that they receive an education or "if you don't, you'll get stuck in Iraq."

xxx "While The American Legion shares the senator's appreciation for education, the troops in Iraq represent the most sophisticated, technologically superior military that the world has ever seen," Morin said. "I think there is a thing or two that they could teach most college professors and campus elitists about the way the world works.

xxx "And while we are on the topic of education, why doesn't the senator and his comrades in Congress improve the GI Bill so all of today's military members - reserves and guard included - can achieve the educational aspirations that the senator so highly values?" Morin said. "The senator's false and outrageous attack was over-the-top and he should apologize now."

xxx

John McCain:

xxx

"Senator Kerry owes an apology to the many thousands of Americans serving in Iraq, who answered their country's call because they are patriots and not because of any deficiencies in their education. Americans from all backgrounds, well off and less fortunate, with high school diplomas and graduate degrees, take seriously their duty to our country, and risk their lives today to defend the rest of us in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere.

xxx

They all deserve our respect and deepest gratitude for their service. The suggestion that only the least educated Americans would agree to serve in the military and fight in Iraq, is an insult to every soldier serving in combat, and should deeply offend any American with an ounce of appreciation for what they suffer and risk so that the rest of us can sleep more comfortably at night. Without them, we wouldn't live in a country where people securely possess all their God-given rights, including the right to express insensitive, ill-considered and uninformed remarks."

xxx

The White House:

xxx

"Senator Kerry not only owes an apology to those who are serving, but also to the families of those who've given their lives in this," White House press secretary Tony Snow said. "This is an absolute insult."

xxx

Kerry Post-Comments:

xxx

“Let me make it crystal clear, as crystal clear as I know how,” Kerry said. “I apologize to no one for my criticism of the President and his broken policy. If anyone owes our troops in the fields an apology, it is the president and his failed team.”

xxx

Kerry then admitted “my statement yesterday, and the White House knows this full well, was a botched joke about the president and the president’s people, not about the troops.”

xxx

Once again the tragic Kerry drum beats on:

Political Trick or Treat

2006-10-31T08:51:00.000-05:00

Democrats and Appeasement

2006-10-29T20:57:00.000-05:00

Moonbat of the Week Award!

2006-10-28T10:18:00.000-04:00

Mohamed ElBaradei

xxx

Director General

United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency

xxxxx

Not only is Mr. ElBaradei a Moonbat he is disingenuous and deceitful. While he job is to report facts on nuclear proliferation, especially in Iran and North Korea, he has decided to provide advise and lessons to the U.S. State Department and Condoleeza Rice.

xxx

Mr. ElBaradei's advice? "I don't think sanctions work as a penalty." ElBaradei continued that North Korea is testing nuclear devices because, "they feel isolated, they feel they are not getting the security they need."

xxx

In reference to Iran Mr. ElBaradei has a change of heart. "the jury is still out on whether they are developing a nuclear weapon." However, he was quite certain that "at the end of the day, we have to bite the bullet and talk to North Korea and Iran," he proclaims.

xxx

Mr. ElBaradei has lost his objectivity and impartiality, something absolutely necessary in his job, which is fact finding, not providing advice or opinion.

xxx

Mr. ElBaradei's IAEA removed Chris Charlier, its chief weapons' inspector for Iran, after Mr. Charlier said publicly that he thought the Iranians were intent on building a nuclear weapon.

xxx

Instead of practicing diplomacy ElBaradei should do his job and point out the failures of rogue regimes, i.e. Iran and North Korea, instead of publicly advising the U.S. Secretary of State.

I Thee Wed....er....I Take This Man....er

2006-10-27T23:09:00.000-04:00

Breitbart reports former Gov. James McGreevey, who resigned after acknowledging a gay affair, said he would tie the knot with his partner if state lawmakers decide to allow gay marriage. xxx "Marriage would offer the ability to bless our relationship in a committed way," McGreevey, 49, told The New York Times.

xxx

McGreevey's comments followed a New Jersey state Supreme Court ruling Wednesday that same-sex couples must be given the same rights as married people. The court left it up to the Legislature to decide whether to extend those rights under the structure of marriage or something else.

xxx

Some gay-rights advocates said the decision didn't go far enough. McGreevey, who told The Associated Press last month that he had publicly opposed gay marriage while in office as a way to keep his homosexuality hidden, hailed the ruling.

xxx x

"I applaud the court's courage," McGreevey told the AP. "I regret not having had the fortitude to embrace this right during my tenure as governor."

The former governor stepped down in 2004 after announcing he was gay.

McGreevey now lives with Mark O'Donnell, a 43-year-old Australian businessman. Before they could marry, the former governor would have to finalize his divorce from his second wife.

xxx

McGreevey applauds the court's courage? Activist Judges once again legislating from the bench. More good reasons to seek out conservatives to elect and govern. When does the New Jersey constituency wake up?

Jim Webb and His October Surprise

2006-10-27T10:23:00.000-04:00

Payback isn't usually flattering but when the facts are in writing it's difficult to hide from the truth. Jim Webb, Democrats candidate to unseat Republican George Allen in Virginia, has gotten his October surprise.

xxx

Drudge reports on a late Thursday press release exposing Webb's fictional writing in books authored by Webb and for his reaction to the Navy's Tailhook Association scandal, in which women were assaulted at a Las Vegas convention in 1991.

xxx

– Lost Soldiers: “A shirtless man walked toward them along a mud pathway. His muscles were young and hard, but his face was devastated with wrinkles. His eyes were so red that they appeared to be burned by fire. A naked boy ran happily toward him from a little plot of dirt. The man grabbed his young son in his arms, turned him upside down, and put the boy’s penis in his mouth.”

xxx

– Something to Die For: "Fogarty . . . watch[ed] a naked young stripper do the splits over a banana. She stood back up, her face smiling proudly and her round breasts glistening from a spotlight in the dim bar, and left the banana on the bar, cut in four equal sections by the muscles of her vagina."

xxx

– A Country Such as This: "[He] could see Jawbone and Ashley Asthmatic [two guards at a Vietnamese prison camp] napping together in the grass. They faced inward, their arms entwined. It looked like they were masturbating each other. It didn't surprise him. … It was common to see men holding hands, embracing, playing with each other. Some of them [the guards] had wanted him. He could tell in those evanescent moments between his bao cao bow, the obligatory deference when a guard entered his cell, and the first word or blow that followed it… Quick, grinding voices, turgid with repressed passion. An exploratory reaching of the hand near his groin…”

xxx

A 1979 article Webb wrote in Washingtonian magazine called "Women Can't Fight." Webb said women are unfit to lead male troops. He said their presence at the academy had spawned promiscuity and turned a dormitory with 4,000 men and 300 women into "a horny woman's dream."

xxx

A 1992 New York Times article in which Webb said, "A botched internal investigation and the ongoing revelations of inexcusable harassment of women . . . have also left in their wake a witch hunt that threatens to swamp the entire naval service."

xxx

The "Tailhook debacle has been seized upon and used by feminists to attack the military culture and bring about major concessions."

xxx

The Webb campaign is out doing damage control but how do you keep the truth out of the public eye. Webb, who served as President Ronald Reagan's Navy secretary, is being insincere now by seeming to repent on his essays. As an author he displays his continued sexist attitude and demeaning of women.

Belgians Get "Gored"

2006-10-27T09:39:00.000-04:00

Crazy Al Gore was stumping his environmentally safe movie "An Inconvenient Truth" in Belgium recently and so impressed was their parliament they named a new tax package after him.

xxx

When Belgians come to realize what has happened we suppose global warming will be wrapped around the heat coming from their increase blood pressure.

xxx

The new tax would penalize users of aluminum or plastic and give them incentives to switch to paper or cardboard, whose production releases less CO2 into the atmosphere. The details have yet to be worked out, but the idea is for milk sold in a plastic bottle to cost more than milk sold in a cardboard container. This scheme would apply to all products contained in similar packaging.

xxx

Can you imagine drinking your favorite soft drink from a cardboard box? Tasty!

xxx

Speaking of global warming how about that snow storm in Colorado leaving 3 feet of snow in its path? Tax that! Another October surprise.

FairTax Blogburst (Homework Included)

2006-10-26T07:56:00.000-04:00

By Jonathan of Publius Rendezvous With this heated election approaching faster than one could imagine, we thought it would be a time to throw the FT BB into the debates to see where each of our respective candidates reside in these matters. We have grown fast and have expanded further than Terry and I anticipated in such a short time, which should prove to be interesting as we will hopefully see. Since we have members of numerous states, and numerous districts of the House of Representatives, let us see where the incumbents and their challengers reside when it comes to the Fair Tax.

xxx This is where Terry and I ask for a small Homework assignment, but Terry and I will be participating, as well..... What we shall do is send a letter to each of the respective campaigns for the district you reside asking them how they feel in regards to the Fair Tax. It can be something as simple as an e-mail, and you can tell them that the Fair Tax BlogBurst will be curious to see their answers....that way, when we hear back from them, we can all report for our readers where these individual candidates stand.

xxx

We have provided a form letter below, so feel free to borrow this letter and use it/modify it for your convenience. Readers of the FT BB, we encourage you to do the very same and send either Terry or I an e-mail and let us know what they have to say. This should prove interesting, and should prove to be informative for voters, as well.

xxx Good Luck! Here is a valuable resource to look up the individual e-mail addresses of your Representatives. Sample letter to Congress: The Fair Tax Act, a nonpartisan bill (rewrite this to be your letter) [Date] The Honorable [First and Last name of congressman or senator] United States [House of Representatives or Senate] Washington, D.C. 20510 Re: The FairTax replaces the current tax system. Dear [Congressman or Senator Last name]: The Fair Tax Act, a nonpartisan bill sponsored by Representative Your Representative (XX) and Senator Your Senator (XX), removes the burden of the income tax and other federal income-based taxes. The current tax system is incomprehensible. It is beyond reform. It simply has to go.

xxx

The Fair Tax Act replaces the current tax system with a national consumption tax that:

Allows Americans to keep 100 percent of their paychecks, pensions, and Social Security payments.
Provides a prepaid, monthly rebate for every registered household.
Allows families to save more for home ownership, education, and retirement.
Raises the same amount of money for the federal government.
Makes American products more competitive overseas.

I urge you to heed the vast majority of voters who will surely support you if you are seen as responsible for passage of this historical tax reform measure. As a constituent, I would like to know where you stand on the FairTax.

Sincerely, Your Constituent [Name] [Address] [City, State ZIP] [Phone number] The FairTax Blogburst is jointly produced by Terry of The Right Track Blog and Jonathan of Publius Rendezvous. If you would like to host the weekly postings on your blog, please e-mail Terry. You will be added to our mailing list and blogroll.

When Great Friends Part

2006-10-25T19:13:00.000-04:00

What Would A Democratic Congress Look Like?

2006-10-24T15:48:00.000-04:00

Let's not pretend having the Democrats in power will be good for America. The spend mongers will make the earmark Republicans look like misers or the Scrooge at Christmas.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has promised that election of a Democratic House would insure a rollback of the current Bush tax cuts.
Representative Charles Rangel (D-NY), would be chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. Mr. Rangel voted against the 2001 and 2003 Bush tax cuts and the bill that later extended the tax cuts until 2010. In September Mr. Rangel said that he "cannot think of one" Bush tax cut he would agree to renew."
Social Security revamping and privatization would be dead on arrival. The Democratic National Committee's "6-Point Plan for 2006" puts it in writing.
Democrats like to talk about energy independence yet they are on record as against any off shore drilling or drawing oil and gas from ANWAR.
Democrats have promised to eliminate the $18 billion the oil companies now get in various business tax deductions, which will serve as an increase in taxes to these companies. Who do Democrats believe will endure the cost of this? It will show up at the gas pump most certainly.
John Murtha wants our troops out of Iraq immediately and Charles Rangel wishes to quit funding our troops.
Representative Henry Waxman (D-CA) would become the Government Reform Committee chairman, and believes domestic terrorist surveillance is illegal. Ninety percent of House Democrats opposed the terrorist surveillance program, and 80% voted against the recent terrorist interrogation legislation. Feel safer now?
Representative John Conyers (D-MI), who would become chairman of the Judiciary Committee and has already said he would seek impeachment of President Bush.
Nancy Pelosi has said she would like to put Rep. Alcee Hastings of Florida in charge of the House Intelligence Committee. As a federal judge, Hastings was impeached in the House by a 413-3 vote, and removed from the bench by the Senate for bribery, corruption, and perjury. Rep. Hastings would lead the oversight of America's anti-terrorism policies.

I blame Republicans for doing a horrible job when they had an opportunity to achieve great things. The candidates may get removed at the ballot box but Americans will suffer the consequences of their stupidity. Democrats in power will make our economy sputter and we will become less safe.

In addition, while consumer spending drops, unemployment will rise. These are the effects of tax and spend mentality, especially when groups of small business owners, who Liberals feel are rich and must pay up. Democrats will demand higher minimum wages, providing pay raises not authorized by employers. This too will cause a rise in unemployment.

While Democrats spend cash out of the Social Security pool, system bankruptcy will be ensure. Sure I see doom and gloom with a Liberal in charge. The 90's boom was everything about technology and entrepreneurs not the Clinton administration or their fiscal policy.

The current economy is about tax cuts, especially to business owners who reinvest, create jobs and insure people. Small business will suffer and the trickle down effect will ripple across the country. Haste makes waste, so be careful when voting. Going left may mean no turning back.

The Democrats Had A Plan - Only for Winning Congress

2006-10-23T17:12:00.000-04:00

Democrats only recently allowed us a peak into their plans if they win control of the U.S. Congress, it's not pretty. But don't fear, Democrats were busy planning victory. Power and control, it's all they care about. Here is some proof:

xxx

Republicans are three steps from a November shellacking _ each a grim possibility if habitually divided Democrats get their acts together.

xxx First step: Voters must focus on the national landscape on Nov. 7 rather than local issues and personalities that usually dominate midterm elections.

xxx That would sting Republicans, who trail badly in national polls.

xxx Second step: Voters must be so angry at Washington and politics in general that an anti-incumbent, throw-the-bums-out mentality sweeps the nation.

xxx That would wound Republicans, the majority party.

xxx Third step: Americans must view the elections as a referendum on President Bush and the GOP-led Congress, siding with Democrats in a symbolic vote against the Iraq war, rising gas prices, economic insecurity and the nagging sense that the nation is on the wrong track.

xxx That would destroy Republicans, sweeping them from power in one or both chambers and making Bush a lame duck.

xxx

When was this Associated Press piece written? May 29, 2006. The attack dogs from the left were grinding their bone well beyond this however. It's all they have to do.

Spin City - The Sequel

2006-10-23T15:42:00.000-04:00

Michael J. Fox has entered the political ad venues with a piece out of St. Louis concerning stem cell research and why he supports Democratic candidate Claire McCaskill while criticizing incumbent Republican Senator Jim Talent.

Unfortunately Mr. Fox thinks he's still on the sit-com Spin City while not necessarily checking the facts on federal funding for stem cell research. If you suffer from a disease one might feel one way, as Mr. Fox does, but they shouldn't receive a free pass based on political rhetoric.

The debate, pros and cons can be found in this Time article, The Great Debate Over Stem Cell Research. You can get views forever. Moral vs. Scientific, the part Mr. Fox and Democrats never mention, is that research is ongoing and we are only talking about federal funding, which requires tax dollars from people who opose funding it. Opposition is considerable and that should be considered.

Science should be required to provide substantive evidence that federal funding is necessary to extend research. They should also provide evidence this in no way causes the taking of human life with medical support.

A nice spin ad on stem cell research is great theater but slimy politics. Mr. Fox shouldn't have lowered himself to get into the political fray.

I'm Mad As Hell.........Therefore

2006-10-22T19:50:00.000-04:00

Ask yourself what a vote for a Democrat is worth. Is it worth a Majority Leader Harry Reid, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Chairman Charlie Rangle or Majority Leader John Murtha? These are not options!

xxx

Ask yourself if the Iraqi Government should stand up or get out. Ask yourself if the Iraqi Government is feckless and controlled by terrorist clerics. Ask yourself if its time to cut and run. It's not an option!

xxx

Watch the video below, then write or call your Representative and Senator. Tell them to get on board with the brave men and women in the Armed Forces. Ask them to demand victory in the Middle East and that the Iraqi government and Liberal ilk defend democracy and quit using Iraq as a domestic political tool. Victory for the terrorists is not an option!

xxx

Tell the politicians that cutting off funding, leaving a job unfinished are not options. Tell them a weak government in Iraq and tool of the terrorists is no longer an option. Demand victory now. Remove the terrorist clerics and feckless leaders in Iraq. Use the tools at our disposal to stop the militias and clean up the corruption in Iraq. Walking away is not an option!

xxx

Tell the gutless whiners from Middle Eastern web sites to get in the fight for freedom, put down their keyboard and start defending their homeland from foreign insurgents, terrorist clerics and corrupt government officials. It's your country start fighting for it. Waiting for the U.S. to save you is not an option!

xxx

Now watch the entire 8.5 minute movie and tribute. Is that too much to ask? Then please...........on election day, don't stay away from the voting booth. If you must, hold your nose and but by all means vote Republican. Democrats controlling the United States government is not an option!

Hat Tip: iAmericanRight

Poll Watching....Barron's Disagrees - Buying the Election

2006-10-22T12:14:00.000-04:00

The pundits are spewing out poll information as if it were the gospel of each election, yet we have an equal chance of predicting a horse race, maybe better if solid analysis of the current racing form is applied.

xxx

Barron's Online, based on its own historical data, is bullish on Republicans keeping both houses of Congress this election cycle. Here is what Barron's has to say:

xxx

Based on a race-by-race examination of campaign-finance data -- suggests that the GOP will hang on to both chambers, at least nominally. We expect the Republican majority in the House to fall by eight seats, to 224 of the chamber's 435. At the very worst, our analysis suggests, the party's loss could be as large as 14 seats, leaving a one-seat majority. But that is still a far cry from the 20-seat loss some are predicting. In the Senate, with 100 seats, we see the GOP winding up with 52, down three.

xxx

We studied every single race -- all 435 House seats and 33 in the Senate -- and based our predictions about the outcome in almost every race on which candidate had the largest campaign war chest, a sign of superior grass-roots support. We ignore the polls.

xxx

Is our method reliable? It certainly has been in the past. Using it in the 2002 and 2004 congressional races, we bucked conventional wisdom and correctly predicted GOP gains both years. Look at House races back to 1972 and you'll find the candidate with the most money has won about 93% of the time. And that's closer to 98% in more recent years, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Polls can be far less reliable. Remember, they all but declared John Kerry president on Election Day 2004.

xxx

Tracking each candidate's funding is "exceptionally valuable because it tells you who has support," says William Morgan, executive director of the renowned Mid-West Political Science Association in Bloomington, Ind. The cognoscenti, he says, give the most money to the candidate they believe has a good chance of winning.

xxx

There are plenty of naysayers and numbers to demonstrate Barron's is too bullish on the election outcome. We believe Republican retention of a majority in both houses will be based on huge grass roots efforts, an advertising blitz and willingness of Republicans to put aside their differences, hold their noses, and vote Republican. It's alot to depend on.

xxx

One week ago Liberally Conservative provided its own perspective in Will Money Bail Out the Republicans. We contend money is not a free pass to election victory.

What Democrats Will Do for You!

2006-10-22T10:19:00.000-04:00

The Democrat Agenda?

xxx

In light of ongoing Democrat criticisms of the Republican legislative agenda, the following is an abridged list of actual bills that have been introduced by House Democrats this or last year. Justice for the Unprotected against Sexually Transmitted Infections among the Confined and Exposed Act (JUSTICE) Act (Lee, D-CA)—H.R. 6083. Requires community organizations to be allowed to distribute sexual barrier protection devices (e.g. condoms) in federal prisons. Also prohibits a federal prison from taking adverse action against a prisoner who possesses or uses a sexual barrier protection device. Crack-Cocaine Equitable Sentencing Act (Rangel, D-NY)—H.R. 2456. Eliminates the mandatory minimum sentence for crack-cocaine convictions. Tupac Shakur Records Release Act of 2006 (McKinney, D-GA)—H.R. 4968. Enshrines copies of government records concerning rapper Tupac Shakur in a specially created collection at the National Archives. Antibullying Campaign Act (Nadler, D-NY)—H.R. 3787. Creates a new federal grant program aimed at reducing bullying in public schools “based on any distinguishing characteristic of an individual.” To provide for coverage under the Medicare and Medicaid Programs of incontinence undergarments (Frank, D-MA)—H.R. 1052. Makes adult diapers a covered item under Medicare and Medicaid. Gas Stamp Act (McDermott, D-WA)—H.R. 3712. Creates billions of dollars in gas stamps each year for people to get free gas, to be distributed to those already eligible for food stamps. States’ Rights to Medical Marijuana Act (Frank, D-MA)—H.R. 2087. Allows physicians in states with medical marijuana laws to prescribe marijuana without violating federal law. Ex-Offenders Voting Rights Act (Rangel, D-NY)—H.R. 663. Allows those convicts who are just out of prison to vote. Department of Peace and Nonviolence Act (Kucinich, D-OH)—H.R. 3760. Establishes a U.S. Department of Peace and Nonviolence, as well as a Peace Day. The department would promote “human rights,” international conflict prevention, nonviolent intervention, structured mediation, and peaceful conflict resolution. National Health Insurance Act (Dingell, D-MI)—H.R. 15. Institutes a new 5% value-added tax on property and services and creates a board to oversee payment to any individual for medical services not covered by Medicare. Freedom of Choice Act (Nadler, D-NY)—H.R. 5151. Creates a right to unrestricted pre-viability abortions, and late terms abortions for the life and health of the mother. End the War in Iraq Act (McGovern, D-MA)—H.R. 4232. Defunds the War in Iraq, forcing immediate troop withdrawal. Public Interest Lawyer Assistance Relief Act (Andrews, D-NJ)—H.R. 1753. Forgives the law school debt for attorneys working for a tax-exempt organization or the government. A Living Wage, Jobs for All Act (Lee, D-CA)—H.R. 1050. Builds on and strengthens FDR’s “Economic Bill of Rights,” creating rights to “decent” jobs, income for individuals unable to work, a “decent” living for farmers, freedom from monopolies, “decent” housing, “adequate” health care, Social Security, education, work training, collective bargaining, a safe working environment, information on trends in pollution sources and products and processes that affect the well-being of workers throughout the world, voting, and personal security. The bill also requires the Attorney General to create a registry of all corporations convicted of violating state or federal law. Social Security Forever Act (Wexler, D-FL)—H.R. 2472. Imposes a new income tax on workers, employers, and self-employed businessmen to fund Social Security. Health Security for All Americans Act (Baldwin, D-WI)—H.R. 2133. Requires states to create programs to ensure universal health coverage, and allows states to force employers to pay for health insurance for their employees. Universal National Service Act (Rangel, D-NY)—H.R. 4752. Makes it an obligation of every U.S. citizen, and every other person residing in the U.S., between the ages of 18 and 42, to perform a two-year period of national service, either as a member of an active or reserve component of the armed forces or in a civilian capacity that promotes national defense. Living American Wage Act (Green, D-TX)—H.R. 5731. Mandates that the federal minimum wage be equal to or greater than 112% of the federal poverty threshold beginning in 2007, and states that the minimum wage should be revised every four years. Media Ownership Reform Act (Hinchey, D-NY)—H.R. 3302. Restricts ownership of radio and television stations, forcing some owners to divest their holdings, and regulates broadcast content. Universal Education Act (Kind, D-WI)—H.R. 3930. Creates a Universal Education Corporation that provides taxpayer dollars to foreign countries that enter into education reform agreements with the U.S. Medicare for All Act (Dingell, D-MI)—H.R. 4683. Increases taxes on workers and employers to offer to all citizens, and other individuals legally present in the U.S., Medicare benefits equivalent to the health care plans federal employees receive. Menu Education and Labeling Act (DeLauro, D-CT)—H.R. 5563. Regulates what certain restaurants must print on their menus. Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States regarding the right of all citizens of the United States to a public education of equal high quality (Jackson, D-IL)—H.J.Res. 29. Creates a constitutional right to equal public education. Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States regarding the right of citizens of the United States to health care of equal high quality (Jackson, D-IL)—H.J.Res. 30. Creates a constitutional right to equal health care. Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States respecting the right to decent, safe, sanitary, and affordable housing (Jackson, D-IL)—H.J.Res. 32 and Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States respecting the right to a home (Rangel, D-NY)—H.J.Res 40. Creates a constitutional right to housing. Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States respecting the right to full employment and balanced growth (Jackson, D-IL)—H.J.Res. 35. Creates a constitutional right to full employment.

xxx

Marxist policy is alive and well among the left-wing nuts of the Democratic party.

xxx Take a very close look at key proposals, socialist ideas, anti-Freedom, anti-Free Market ideas, which tax select individuals, grow government controls and provides no impetus to new ideas. They actually wish to give attorney's debt relief and solidify abortions as a freedom of choice issue in all cases and suggest amending the Constitution at least four separate times.

xxx

More democracies exist in the world than ever before, but left up to the Liberals in the United States Congress we would turn the foremost Democracy, the model of individual freedom, into a vast government state.

xxx

Where do the Liberals plan on building the Gulags?

xxx

Source: Republican Study Committee

Moonbat of the Week Award!

2006-10-21T17:24:00.000-04:00

Senator Harry Reid (D-NV)

xxx

The woeful Senate Minority Leader is continuing his "end run" and spin control on his now infamous property deals. The Nevada Senator is "gambling" off the strip in hopes of escaping more scrutiny and closer examination of his personal "business", something he and his cohorts love discussing when it comes to Republicans.

xxx

Mr. Reid collected a $1.1 million windfall on a Las Vegas land sale even though he hadn't personally owned the property for three years, property deeds show.

xxx

The Nevada Democrat's deal was engineered by Jay Brown, a longtime friend and former casino lawyer whose name surfaced in a major political bribery trial this summer and in other prior organized crime investigations. He's never been charged with wrongdoing, except for a 1981 federal securities complaint that was settled out of court.

In 1998 when Reid bought undeveloped residential property on Las Vegas' booming outskirts for about $400,000. Reid bought one lot outright, and a second parcel jointly with Brown. One of the sellers was a developer who was benefiting from a government land swap that Reid supported.
In 2001, Reid sold the land for the same price to a limited liability corporation created by Brown. The senator didn't disclose the sale on his annual public ethics report or tell Congress he had any stake in Brown's company. He continued to report to Congress that he personally owned the land.
After getting local officials to rezone the property for a shopping center, Brown's company sold the land in 2004 to other developers and Reid took $1.1 million of the proceeds, nearly tripling the senator's investment. Reid reported it to Congress as a personal land sale.

The Reid denial began early on when he hung up the phone when questioned about the deal during an AP interview. Senate ethics rules require lawmakers to disclose on their annual ethics report all transactions involving investment properties, regardless of profit or loss, and to report any ownership stake in companies.

The Dirty Details:

Kent Cooper, who oversaw government disclosure reports for federal candidates for two decades in the Federal Election Commission, said Reid's failure to report the 2001 sale and his ties to Brown's company violated Senate rules.

Reid and his wife, Landra, personally signed the deeds selling their full interest in the property to Brown's company, Patrick Lane LLC, for the same $400,000 they paid in 1998, records show.

Despite the sale, Reid continued to report on his public ethics reports that he personally owned the land until it was sold again in His disclosure forms to Congress do not mention an interest in Patrick Lane or the company's role in the 2004 sale.

Reid isn't listed anywhere on Patrick Lane's corporate filings with Nevada, even though the land he sold accounted for three-quarters of the company's assets. Brown is listed as the company's manager.

xxx

This Is Taxing:

xxx

Brown sometimes paid a share of the local property taxes on the lot Reid owned outright between 1998 and 2001, while Reid sometimes paid more than his share of taxes on the second parcel they co-owned.

xxx The two men continued to pay the property taxes from their personal checking accounts even after the land was sold to Patrick Lane in 2001, records show.

xxx

Reid paid about 74 percent of the property taxes, slightly less than his actual 75.1 ownership stake, according to canceled checks kept at the local assessor's office. One year, the property tax payments were delinquent and resulted in a small penalty, the records show.

xxx

Nevada land deeds show Reid and his wife first bought the property in January 1998 in a proposed subdivision created partly with federal lands transferred by the Interior Department to private developers.

xxx

In the Zone or Out:

xxx Reid's two lots were never owned by the government, but the piece of land joining Reid's property to the street corner _ a key to the shopping center deal _ came from the government in 1994.

xxx

In 1994, Reid wrote a letter with other Nevada lawmakers on behalf of Del Webb, and then met personally with a top federal land official in Nevada. That official claimed in media reports he felt pressured by the senator. Reid denied any pressure.

xxx The next year, Reid collected $18,000 in political donations from Del Webb's political action committee and employees. In December 1996, Reid wrote a second letter on behalf of Del Webb, urging Interior to answer the company's concerns. The deal came together in summer and fall 1997, with Perma-Bilt joining in.

xxx

Clark County intended for the property Reid owned to be used solely for new housing, records show. Just days before Reid sold the parcels to Brown's company, Brown sought permission in May 2001 to rezone the properties so a shopping center could be built.

xxx

Career zoning officials objected, saying the request was "inconsistent" with Clark County's master development plan. The town board in Spring Valley, where Reid's property was located, also voted 4-1 to reject the rezoning.

zzz

Brown persisted. The Clark County zoning board followed by the Clark County Commission voted to overrule the recommendation and approve commercial zoning.

xxx

With the rezoning granted, Patrick Lane pursued the shopping center deal. On Jan. 20, 2004, the company sold the property to developers for $1.6 million. Today, a multimillion dollar retail complex sits on the land.

xxx

Time to Collect:

xxx On Jan. 21, 2004, Reid received more than $1.1 million of the sale proceeds. Reid disclosed the money the following year on his Senate ethics report as a personal sale of land, not mentioning Patrick Lane.

xxx

Pardon My Denial:

xxx

"Everything I did was transparent," Reid told a Las Vegas news conference after the AP story was published. "I paid all the taxes. Everything is fully disclosed to the ethics committee and everyone else. As I said, if there is some technical change that the ethics committee wants, I'll be happy to do that."

xxx

Is it disclosed or not Harry? Technical change? Is he blaming the IT department? Should we send the Geek Squad?

xxx

Reid's "Culture of Corruption":

xxx

"The idea of Republicans reforming themselves is like asking John Gotti to clean up organized crime. I thought I’d seen the last of corruption when I helped clean up Las Vegas thirty years ago. But, while its not quite the mafia of Las Vegas in the 1970s, what is happening today in Washington is every bit as corrupt and the consequences for our country have been just as severe."

xxx

Jay Brown, the longtime friend of Reid, is a former casino lawyer whose name surfaced in a major political bribery trial this summer and in other prior organized crime investigations, engineered Reid’s deal. He's never been charged with wrongdoing, except for a 1981 federal securities complaint that was settled out of court. Is Brown going to be Harry's "Jack Abramoff"?

xxx

OOPS! It's funny how a Moonbat like Harry Reid sounds like a broken record only to find out that Harry may have broken a few laws. This story broke 10 days ago but Harry remains in total denial. Now that he's fumbled we hope the Republicans are smart enough to jump on the ball and score a political touchdown, at Reid's expense.

Promoting Welfare "Reform" in Reverse

2006-10-20T17:20:00.000-04:00

Some politicians and government agencies are all for rolling back welfare reform. So desperate to dish out freebies even the self-sufficient Amish are being solicitated as well as Latino's in Los Angeles. xxx Amish Oppose Receiving Government Assistance

xxx Two northeast Ohio counties are being ordered by the state to try to boost the number of Amish receiving food stamps.

xxx Geauga and Holmes counties plan to start advertising campaigns to encourage Amish to enroll in the subsidy program. Holmes may use a billboard to get the message out.

xxx State officials said it's important that the Amish know the benefit is available.

xxx But county officials question whether the effort is a waste of time and money. Amish oppose accepting government assistance.

xxx The head of the Geauga Department of Job and Family Services says no matter how much they do, the Amish won't sign up.

xxx

Food-Stamp Program Finally Speaks Their Language

xxx

Though it goes against the conventional wisdom of anti-illegal immigration supporters, those who enroll the poor in the federal food stamp program say they've struggled for years to get immigrant Latino families signed up.

xxx

Now a Spanish-language news report and television ad campaign have spurred thousands of immigrants in Orange County over the last several weeks to contact a nonprofit organization that offers a Spanish-language class called "Food Stamps in Four Hours."

xxx

"The Mexican man is macho. He doesn't want to come to this country and beg," said Alfonso Chavez, the Community Action Partnership's outreach coordinator. "I tell them this is a program that will help the children. The kids are American-born, and they have a right to this program."

xxx

A Los Angeles County Department of Social Services task force is looking at ways to find eligible families to enroll. County workers have signed up families at food banks with only minor success."We recognize that people in Orange County are ahead of us," said task force member Bruce Rankin, the executive director of the Westside Food Bank in Los Angeles. "The rest of us in the state are looking at Orange County for ideas." Low participation, he said, "is a dilemma in the state."

xxx

An American virtue of self-reliance is being ignored while non-profits and government agencies work like hell to make people wards of the state. This is one area Liberals can tout as their "moral authority"........Jesse Jackson style!

Who's The Enemy in Iraq?

2006-10-20T10:02:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I saw Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki greeting anti-American cleric Muqtada al Sadr. Next I saw a press conference with General William Caldwell who looked stumped as to why al-Maliki ordered the release of a prisoner wanted for murder. al-Maliki was busy negotiating with terrorist al-Sadr and gave in to his demands.

xxx

To further the embarrassment of Iraq's feckless government the Shiite militia run by anti-American cleric Muqtada al Sadr seized control of the southern Iraqi city of Amarah.

xxx

Who is running the "elected" government in Iraq? The clerics have too much power and it's a fact the word "democratic" government is a farce. al-Maliki is nothing more than a puppet for al-Sadr and al-Sistani.

sss

The latest headline from Iraq:

sss

The Mahdi Army fighters stormed three main police stations Friday morning, planting explosives that flattened the buildings, residents said. About 800 black-clad militiamen with Kalashnikov rifles and rocket-propelled grenades were patrolling city streets in commandeered police vehicles, eyewitnesses added. Other fighters set up roadblocks on routes into the city, and sound trucks circulated telling residents to stay indoors.

xxx

If our forces are taking orders from al-Maliki and he is beholden to the clerics, it is in fact, time to either remove al-Sadr and al-Maliki or move our forces into nearby bases outside of Iraq and let the so-called Iraqi government have a wakeup call.

Now You Can Die A Cub Fan and Take It With You

2006-10-19T15:05:00.000-04:00

Forget 1969, forget 1984, forget 1989, forget 2003, forget the misery of being a part of Cub Nation! It's not bad enough to suffer endlessly from having the disease known as, "Diehard Cub Fan", I'm actually a Charter Member to the actual group.

xxx

But now the Boston Globe reports we can take our loyalty and stupidity to the grave:

xxx

Many crazed baseball fans have said they would die for a championship. But are they willing to take that devotion to the grave? Major League Baseball and a company that makes funeral products will soon find out just how many fans want to be decked out for all eternity in tribute to their team.

xxx

Starting next season, fans of the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers will be able to have their ashes put in an urn or head six feet under in a casket emblazoned with their team colors and insignia. Yes the Cubs are on the first list! Life is Good.

xxx

MLB has entered a licensing agreement with Eternal Image, which hopes to eventually make urns and caskets for all 30 teams. The company also hopes to have similar agreements with NASCAR, the NHL and the NFL, but baseball was the first to sign on.

xxx

Can we also get live games piped in?

Kim Jong Il has Seoul

2006-10-19T09:40:00.000-04:00

I watched Condoleeza Rice and her South Korean counterpart have a new conference yesterday. It was odd how South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon walked in front of Ms. Rice on the way to the podiums, then rigidly motioned to her podium.

xxx

That wasn't what stirred me however. South Korea is "talking tough" against North Korea but they are exempted to trade prizes with North Korea from their sanctions.

xxx

Kaesong industrial park and Mt. Kumgang resort are the centerpieces of South Korea's "sunshine policy" of engagement with the North. They are also money machines for Kim Jong Il, contributing to the record $1 billion North-South trade last year.

xxx

South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun said the two sites would be exempt from the new sanctions passed unanimously earlier by the U.N. Security Council.

xxx

A free trade pact is currently being negotiated between South Korea and the United States. Apparently the South Koreans wish to prop up Kim Jong Il while, depend on the U.S. for protections and straddle the diplomatic fence.

xxx

Today's Wall Street Journal reports South Korea has demanded that Kaesong products be included in the free trade pact. Jay Lefkowitz, U.S. envoy for human rights in North Korea, raised the issue in an April article for The Wall Street Journal Asia. Mr. Lefkowitz pointed to the exploitation of North Korean workers at Kaesong and noted that the industrial park provided a convenient channel for the South to funnel money to Pyongyang. South Korea responded by demanding that Mr. Lefkowitz be fired.

xxx

Thirteen South Korean companies operate factories at Kaesong, employing 8,200 North Koreans to produce watches, clothes, shoes, plastic containers, electrical cords, car parts and other items. More companies plan to launch operations at Kaesong soon, with the aim of employing 730,000 Northerners by the end of 2012.

xxx

This may seem like an economic success for the North, employing more of it's citizens. Official figures showing that Kaesong workers toiled an average of 54.9 hours a week last year and received an average of $64.40 a month -- a sum that fell to $42 after Pyongyang took its cut. Talk about minimum wage and slave labor!

xxx

South Korea wants it both ways, free trade with the United States and North Korea. If South Korea wishes to openly deal with the U.S. and seek their protection from a nuclear North, they must certainly stop their form of a Kabuki dance with Kim Jong Il.

The Liberal's America

2006-10-18T10:28:00.000-04:00

"With the rise of materialism, greed and corruption in American society, people want a return to a better sense of community--sort of a shared sacrifice, a return to the ethic of service and duty."

~John Halpin

Senior Fellow

Center for American Progress

xxx

What is the "Center for American Progress" you ask. It's a Washington D.C. "think-tank", which supports liberal ideals and so-called "progressive" thinking from the left.

xxx

I recently traveled through parts of Ohio, both North and South skipping most large cities. What was particularly interesting was all the farm land and grazing land, rural residences. Hundreds of miles of homes and small family businesses out of the way of the clamor of the Beltway and big cities.

xxxx

I thought out loud that people of the world, including many in this country don't really understand the makeup of America. If you work in a huge city, as I did in Chicago for years, one comes to think America resides only in the big city.

xxx

Even with the movement out of big cities traditional rural America is thriving, small towns are thriving and the picture of America is much different than portrayed by the media and blind "think-tanks."

xxx

So if Mr. Halpin and his ilk feel a statement about "a better sense of community" is a blanket opinion on America, Halpin should get in his car and travel America. In addition, when discussing "shared sacrifice, a return to the ethic of service and duty," Halpin should take his cohorts and visit military bases in Iraq. He might get a sense of reality in both cases.

How Not to Take A Statistical Sampling

2006-10-18T09:56:00.000-04:00

In early days of college we are forced to take mandatory courses as Sociology and Psychology and I still remember discussing taking random samples of the statistical nature, discussing sampling size, sampling group and validity.

xxx

One must wonder why a "group", associated with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, had so much trouble adding up numbers of casuality numbers in Iraq where they claim 655,000 Iraqis have died as a result of the war. the figure is at odds, with numbers from several sources.

xxx

Instead of a margin of error of plus or minus 3% - 5% the margin is closer to 1200%. Stephen Moore, a political consultant with Gorton Moore International, knows of such matters. Mr. Moore trained Iraqi researchers for the International Republican Institute from 2003 to 2004 and conducted survey research for the Coalition Forces from 2005 to 2006.

xxx

Here is what Mr. Moore explains about the methods employed by John Hopkins group:

xxx

The group employed cluster sampling for in-person interviews, which is the methodology that I and most researchers use in developing countries. However, the key to the validity of cluster sampling is to use enough cluster points. In their 2006 report, "Mortality after the 2003 invasion of Iraq: a cross-sectional sample survey," the Johns Hopkins team says it used 47 cluster points for their sample of 1,849 interviews. This is astonishing: I wouldn't survey a junior high school, no less an entire country, using only 47 cluster points.

xxx

For its 2004 survey of Iraq, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) used 2,200 cluster points of 10 interviews each for a total sample of 21,688. A 2005 survey conducted by ABC News, Time magazine, the BBC, NHK and Der Spiegel used 135 cluster points with a sample size of 1,711 -- almost three times that of the Johns Hopkins team for 93% of the sample size.

xxx

With so few cluster points, it is highly unlikely the Johns Hopkins survey is representative of the population in Iraq. However, there is a definitive method of establishing if it is. Recording the gender, age, education and other demographic characteristics of the respondents allows a researcher to compare his survey results to a known demographic instrument, such as a census.

xxx

Dr. Les Roberts, one of the key authors in the Hopkins group said his team's surveyors did not ask demographic questions. In the 2006 Johns Hopkins study, nobody, according to Dr. Roberts, recorded demographic information for the living survey respondents. Without demographic information to assure a representative sample, there is no way anyone can prove -- or disprove -- that the Johns Hopkins estimate of Iraqi civilian deaths is accurate.

xxx

We ask what other purpose the John Hopkins study serves, as it's released so close to an election? With numbers so blatantly out of the norm, we should believe this is one more "October Surprise" based on partisan fiction.

xxx

Source: Wall Street Journal (Subscription)

John Kerry Is Still A Dunce - Wind Sailing On His Mind

2006-10-16T09:32:00.000-04:00

John Kerry appeared on FOXNews Sunday with Chris Wallace complete with a pancake laden face and shifty grin as Mr. Wallace played previous quotes of Kerry counterdicting himself again and again. Kerry remained inept and two-face as ever.

xxx

Kerry who conveniently married for money twice and decorated himself as a "war hero", while aiding and abetting at least one "wound" in the buttocks he received, still believes he can be President and still believes he knows something about leadership.

xxx

Because carry can't keep his eye on more than one ball at a time he believes the Bush administration can't either. Actually he believes our military is incapable of doing this too. Kerry confuses military strategy in one country with diplomatic strategy in another.

xxx

Kerry believes because Osama bin Laden hasn't been captured the war on terror is a failure. Kerry now believes bilateral talks with North Korea is more important than six-party talks although during the last Presidential election Kerry beat the diplomacy drum and proclaimed we have distanced ourselves from allies and the U.N. Kerry defends Jimmy Carter, his great pal who kept Kerry from facing a dishonorable discharge from the Navy for his anti-war activities while still on active duty.

xxx

Besides repeatedly using the word "failure" while discussing the Bush administration, Kerry enjoys telling what he would do. Kerry seldom shows up for a Senate vote, how could he do anything as Commander-in-Chief?

xxx

Kerry Appeasement:

xxx

I would do precisely — I would do precisely what I said for the last five years consistently, which is engage in bilateral, face-to-face negotiations with North Korea, make it absolutely clear to North Korea that we are not intending to invade and have a regime change, and work on the entire set of issues that are outstanding since the armistice with regard to the north.

xxx

Kerry Blames America:

xxx

One of the reasons that North Korea can misbehave the way it is today is because the United States has lost its leverage, lost its credibility and doesn't have the capacity to be able to bring countries together in the way that it used to. That's number one.

xxx

Kerry Contradicts Himself:

xxx

America is stronger. Our troops are safer. And our success is more certain when we build and lead strong alliances, not when we go it alone.

xxx

Kerry Aligns with Republicans:

xxx

Just as Ronald Reagan was prepared to go negotiate with the evil empire and come to an agreement with Gorbachev, we have to be prepared to go negotiate with North Korea, just as Nixon...was prepared to send Kissinger to China — the leverage of the stakes between the two nations.

xxx

Eisenhower taught us this. I mean, Richard Nixon taught us this. By working through the diplomatic process and doing it in a legitimate way that builds you credibility, you bring people to your side so that if and when it comes to the moment of crisis, they're prepared to be with you. (Kerry isn't quite sure who did what.)

xxx

Kerry Contradicts Himself (Part 2)

xxx

Nations are not prepared to be with us today because this administration has broken faith with all of that kind of effort.

xxx

When George W. Bush turned his back on diplomacy, Kim Jong Il turned back to making bombs, and the world is less safe today because a mad man has the Bush bomb.

xxx

Kerry Blames America (Part 2)

xxx

It's a bomb that has been developed because of the unwillingness of this administration to engage in opportunities that every expert says have been there all the time.

xxx

And the fact is that they have so left people out of this process, so disregarded all the advice that they've been given, even their own advice in their administration, that they've now isolated themselves in the world.

xxx And our troops are paying the price of an administration that has not leveled with the American people and has lost credibility in the world. And that's why Iran is emboldened, and that's why North Korea is emboldened.

xxx

So I ask you, Chris, and I ask the president, where is the summitry? Where is the statesmanship? Where is the diplomatic effort similar to those we've seen in the past in American history to resolve those differences and end the civil war? (Diplomacy ended the civil war?)

xxxxx

Kerry Contradicts Himself (Part 3)

xxx

No. I was for the $87 billion if we paid for it and if we had a plan, and we voted on that in the Senate. And when the vote lost, then I voted against it because I thought it was a matter of conscience and principle. And I should have said that more clearly.

xxx

Summary:

And the Beat Goes On!

Will Money Bail Out the Republicans

2006-10-15T09:03:00.000-04:00

With a $55 million advantage in their war chest Republicans at the highest levels in the White House believe a blitz in the final three weeks before elections will "bail out" the candidates.

xxx

How many chances does Karl Rove believe he has? Reports claim Rove and Co. believe retention of control in the House and Senate are not only probable but inevitable. Are they hanging out in the Rose Garden or the poppy fields of Afghanistan?

xxx

The facts, regardless of the outcome, is Republican have squandered their political capital and embarrassed their base as well as the general constituency. The Iraq war is a dismal setting with Shite death squads and Sunni payback killing dozens on a daily basis. It's just not al-Qaeda anymore but civil strife with a corrupt government in place. If we continue the heavy lifting the Iraqi army will standby and watch.

xxx

On the homefront the Republican scandals have mounted, enhancing the spending spree the so-called Conservatives have gone on in recent years. Irresponsibility has cost Republicans votes as much as Iraq. Earmarks have done harm while Democrats sit around and issue negative talking points, which are beginning to gain momentum because the scandal drum beat continues.

xxx

It seems even "allegations" of a scandal are gaining traction along with the Mark Foley October surprise. He left Congress because it's an election year otherwise he would have stuck around in complete denial. The accusers have yet to prove the accuracy of reports if the "victims" were actually underage but the fact Foley was seeking out same sex relationships with male congressional pages is despicable.

xxx

The embarrassment of irresponsibility has grown:

Jack A. Abramoff, lobbyist with deep Republican ties pled guilty on January 3, 2006, to three criminal felony counts in a Washington, D.C., federal court related to the defrauding of American Indian tribes and corruption of public officials. The following day, on January 4th, he pled guilty to two criminal felony counts in a Miami federal court related to fraudulent dealings with SunCruz Casinos
Rep. Tom Delay (R-TX) left the House because of partisan politics, probably false accusations but he could have been much more careful. Delay's ties to Jack Abramoff didn't help.
Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH) admitted guilt in the Jack Abramoff influence-peddling investigation on charges of conspiracy and making false statements.
Rep. Randy Duke Cunningham (R-Ca) was sentenced to prison for accepting at least $2.4 million in bribes and underreporting his income for 2004. He pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, mail fraud, wire fraud, and tax evasion.
Rep. Doolittle accepted campaign money from Abramoff, interceded on behalf of his clients and used the lobbyist's luxury sports box for a fundraiser without initially reporting it. In addition, Doolittle's wife and one of his former aides worked for the lobbyist.
Ralph Reed, the former Christian Coalition executive director, lost the Republican primary for Georgia's lieutenant governor after being tarred by his ties with Abramoff.
Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT) accepted and returned $150,000 and pressured the Interior Department to award a $3 million grant to a wealthy Indian tribe that was an Abramoff client.
Grover Norquist, President of Americans for Tax Reform with deep Republican ties, allegedly served as a "conduit" for funds that flowed from Abramoff's clients to surreptitiously finance grass-roots lobbying campaigns. A second group Norquist was involved with, the Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy, received about $500,000 in Abramoff client funds.
Michael Scanlon is a former communications director for Rep. Tom DeLay, lobbyist, and public relations executive plead guilty to corruption charges.

The list will probably grow and the embarrassment continue. Golf trips, paid vacations, private jets, dirty deals, promises of donations. The Democrats have avoided the downfall although many of them, including Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) have ties to Abramoff and have committed other indiscretions if not criminal acts.

Mark Foley's indiscretions have taken over the front page while the media and Democrats sniff the chum in the political waters and go on a feeding frenzy. The Foley scandal simply produces more ammunition to the already mounting scandal list that Republicans created for themselves.

The only thing besides a healthy war chest that can keep Nancy Pelosi out of the House Speakers chair is the reality setting into the Republican base. This fear alone may provide the impetus to get out the vote, despite an inept party who took political success and squandered it.

If Republicans stay in control of Congress will they have learned their lessons or will the next free trip to St. Andrews become too tempting?

Moon Bat of The Week Award!

2006-10-14T10:25:00.000-04:00

Jimmy Carter (D-GA)

ex-President, Forever Moonbat

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A repeat Moonbat winner, Mr. Carter stays on the Moonbat trail with his ridiculous foreign policy rhetoric, meddling in foreign elections, and continuous backing of regimes around the world who want to see America disposed of.

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The peanut farmer from Georgia, who helped create the regime in Iran today, consistently condemns the policies of the Bush administration while sympathizing and his willingness to appease our enemies.

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Carter feels his "negotiated" talks with North Korea, which were bilateral, created a place for Pyongyang to participate in the world nuclear free. As they say in the informercials, "But Wait! There's More!"

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North Korea broke all "promises" they made with Carter and the Clinton administration. Carter believes the current problems are the fault of George Bush placing Pyongyang within his "axis of evil." The promises were broke well before the 2002 State of the Union address.

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North Korea insists on bilateral talks, ignoring it's neighbors, so they can lie to the United States alone, not the other members of the six-party talks, which Pyongyang refuses to participate. Carter encourages and insists the Bush administration must follow North Korea's lead and go it alone while scrapping six-party talks.

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This week Carter jumped on his bully pulpit known as The New York Times to lay out his foreign policy, to make excuses and blame America and Bush. Carter and his liberal ilk, including the Europeans, blame America for going it alone in Iraq regardless of how many U.N. resolutions are passed and ignored.

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Now the Bush Administration is including neighboring countries to North Korea, Carter and the liberals are doing their best in an election year to interfere with current foreign policy while supporting the other sides demands.

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Opinion Journal comments, "During the Clinton administration, Jimmy Carter engineered an agreement with North Korea that was supposed to have curtailed its nuclear ambitions. What he left was a beleaguered ostensibly nonnuclear nation convinced that it was permanently excluded from the international community, its existence threatened, its people suffering horrible deprivation and its hard-liners in total control of military and political policy."

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Carter is busy rewriting his own history in hopes of salvaging a deplorable legacy. Forget supporting another President, instead spending all your free time criticizing it. Carter is upset at Bush for calling North Korea's regime "evil." However, Human Rights Watch, seldom pro-American, provides their description of Kim Jong II and his regime.

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The regime of leader Kim Jong Il, the subject of an intense personality cult, is among the world's most repressive. . . . The country's dismal human rights conditions, including arbitrary arrests, pervasive use of torture, and lack of due process and fair trials, remain of grave concern. There is no organized political opposition, labor activism, or independent civil society. There is no freedom of information or freedom of religion. Basic services, such as access to health care and education, are provided according to a classification scheme based on the government's assessment of an individual's and his/her family's political loyalty.

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Carter may have been the absolute worst President in American history, he certainly proves he is a Moonbat, who consistently disqualifies himself as pro-American.

FairTax Blogburst

2006-10-11T10:40:00.000-04:00

by TD of The Right Track As I see it, the main problem with the Income Tax is that it is virtually impossible to enforce completely and fairly. Compliance with the Income Tax depends on taxpayer truthfulness, which generally is motivated either by a) good character, or b) fear of an IRS audit. With the FairTax, the tax is collected when the money is spent, from everyone, with greatly reduced opportunities for non-compliance by the public. For instance, what about the criminal element in our country? Have you ever heard of the Mafia? Or the drug dealer? Do you think that these people report 100% of their income? Of course not! They get out of paying a huge percentage of their actual tax bill by the simple expedient of not reporting all of their income. But these same individuals still have to pay utility bills, purchase prescription drugs, visit doctors, and buy food. And if they believe in the "high life" of new cars, fancy clothes and jewelry, and new homes, they're going to pay more than "Joe Six-pack" who chooses to drive a used car, or purchase a home that's not brand new. And it's not just individuals who are managing to avoid paying taxes these days. Everyone in America has heard of the rush to move American companies "offshore", whether in whole or in part. Think about it -- have you ever seen an American-flagged commercial vessel? Oh sure, we've got our warships, but what about commercial boats that carry cargo or cruise passengers? Most of these are flying the flag of Liberia or Panama -- low-tax nations. In the mid-1950s, about 33% of all income taxes collected were paid by American corporations. Today that number is down to approximately 10%. From "The FairTax Book" by Boortz and Linder: "That plunge is a major factor in our recent soaring deficits. Indeed, international corporations are essentially "voluntary" taxpayers today, paying only that amount in taxes that they believe will avoid attracting embarrassing news coverage. These corporations believe that our draconian tax structures make their actions necessary. The OFCs [offshore financial centers, or banks - TD] make their plans feasible" [Emphasis added - TD] Boortz and Linder make the point that if we eliminated all taxes on capital and labor, (which the FairTax does), the United States would become the world's tax haven.

xxx We have the most stable economy, the most liquid and trusted markets, and the highest rates of labor productivity in the world -- and the trillions of dollars in those OFCs would flow back home to the United States for the very reason they found themselves offshore to start with. And we're not just talking about American businesses coming home, we're talking about wooing corporations based in other countries into America. Think of the economic benefits! More productivity, lower unemployment, higher wages, and all occurring within a tax system that allows you at least partly to choose whether to pay taxes! Buy it new, pay a tax, buy it used and don't! The FairTax Blogburst is jointly produced by Terry of The Right Track Blog and Jonathan of Publius Rendezvous. If you would like to host the weekly postings on your blog, please e-mail Terry. You will be added to our mailing list and blogroll.

We All Don't Support The Troops......Or Do We?

2006-10-10T17:22:00.000-04:00

Being nominated for a Medal of Honor won't necessarily bring you kudos or respect from some members of the public. The Los Angeles Times has some respondents to an article about one Marine Pfc. Christopher Adlesperger.

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This remarkable soldier is honored in the L.A Times in 'His Corps Value Was Bravery.' "It was a tremendous bit of fighting," said Col. Patrick Malay, the battalion commander. "He was a quiet kid, but he was remarkable. He was one tough bastard."

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PFC Adlesperger may have been "one tough bastard" but some gutless wonders have other feelings toward this soldier of honor.

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I was repulsed by the tone of The Times' article. How dare you glorify the obscenity of killing, with descriptions of gurgling blood. Maybe the so-called Iraqi insurgents are not the enemy but in fact are freedom fighters, valiantly attempting to rid their country of a repugnant foreign presence fighting not for freedom and democracy but for America's insatiable appetite for oil. The United States must end this senseless war, sooner rather than later, and articles like this espousing flag-waving patriotism are only perpetuating the myth that modern war, and this one in particular, can be won.

xxx RUSS RODDERBACK Las Vegas

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Reading about Adlesperger's valor, while compelling, left me with an overwhelming sadness. We are apparently hard-wired to kill each other over land or oil or our gods. Imagine what a man with the passion of Adlesperger could have done for his family and for the world in the next 60 years had he lived. I admire his bravery and loyalty to his friends. But I condemn those who required this of him and more than 2,000 of his brothers. I only wish his bravery could have been spent as a firefighter or a police officer, at home, where we need him more than ever.

xxx GEORGE WATERS Pasadena

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If an individual were to kill 11 people in house-to-house gang warfare in South Los Angeles, we wouldn't call him a hero; we'd call him a bloodthirsty, homicidal maniac. We would fear for the future of our city. . . .

xxx The 11 people we dismiss as insurgents are mourned by their own families, some of whom consider their actions a logical response to a foreign power occupying their land, while others grieve at the senselessness of it all.

xxx The Times has shown its support for the troops, like we're all expected to do. But if Marine Pfc. Christopher Adlesperger had been a street gang member, we would have been subjected to articles explaining how we needed to provide alternatives to murderous organizations that provide a sense of belonging to its members.

xxx T.C. PETERSON Los Angeles

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Semper Fidelis PFC Adlesperger. We thank you for your service, bravery and ultimate sacrifice. May your critics be eternally shamed, they are but repugnant and ignorant critics on the wrong side of justice.

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Read the full story: 'His Corps Value Was Bravery.'

Nancy Pelosi - Smelling the Blood

2006-10-06T10:46:00.000-04:00

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was swimming in the infested political waters, gulping the Mark Foley chum and explaining her plan, something Democrats never discuss.

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One claim Pelosi made is troops in Iraq would begin deployment out by the end of December 2007 or sooner. Pelosi the power broker would also increase the minimum wage to $7.50 and hour, and roll back the Bush tax cuts.

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"We believe in the marketplace," Pelosi said of Democrats, then drew a contrast with Republicans. "They have only rewarded wealth, not work," she said.

xxx "We must share the benefits of our wealth" beyond the privileged few, she added. Pelosi has been on this venue previously for having undocumented and non-union workers in her husbands business as well as having profound wealth herself. Besides, who made her and the Democrats the President? Seems she's claiming victory a little soon.

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While Pelosi ramps up the rhetoric the numbers tell a different story and these numbers don't lie! Although the tax and spend Democrats were joined by the Republicans the fiscal record due to tax cuts have trimmed away the deficit faster and brought in record revenues.

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The federal budget expanded to $2.7 trillion last year, a 9% increase, or three times the inflation rate. Over the past six years the federal budget has increased by 49.2%. Tax collections have increased by $521 billion in the last two fiscal years, the largest two-year revenue increase, after adjusting for inflation, in American history.

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Corporate tax collections have climbed by 76% over the past two years because of greater profitability. Personal income tax payments are up by 30.3% since 2004 too, despite the fact that the highest tax rate is down to 35% from 39.6%.

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The IRS tax-return data just released last month indicates that a near-record 37% of those income tax payments are received from the top 1% of earners -- "the rich," who are derided regularly in Washington for not paying their "fair share."

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A National Bureau of Economic Research study found that "after a continuous decline in dividend payments over more than two decades, total regular dividends have grown by nearly 20%" and that this reversal happened at "precisely the point at which the lower tax rate was proposed and subsequently applied retroactively." This result occurs although the tax rate on dividends was lowered to 15% from as high as 39.6%.

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The budget deficit, at $260 billion is now about 2% of our $13 trillion economy, well below the 2.7% average of the last 40 years. Most states and localities are also afloat in tax collections, and including their revenue surpluses brings the total U.S. public sector borrowing down to roughly 1.5% of Gross National Product (GDP).

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Spending billions on the war against terror and hurricane Katrina cleanup the economy is solid. Gas prices have fallen dramatically because of supply and demand in the market place, not because politicians fixed it.

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Nancy Pelosi and the left-wing base are clueless about economics and have never grown out of their "Robin Hood" mentality. While being rich herself, the Liberal Pelosi appeals to her base in and around San Francisco.

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In the end, the "Pelosi Doctrine" would spell significant trouble for our war on terror and the economy. Not only is Pelosi smelling the blood, she is smelling our money as well.

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Data Source: The Wall Street Journal

FairTax Blogburst

2006-10-04T07:54:00.000-04:00

by Jonathan Garner of Publius Rendezvous It has been interesting lately to observe just what the critics of the Fair Tax have to say. Lately, much of what has been said has centered around percentages. Clever as it may be to confuse people with cleverly worded assertions that tend to fool the average American when it comes to these issues. If anyone in the audience is similar to me, it takes focused attention lest my eyes glaze over at the thought of following someone's lessons involving percentages, statistics and numbers in general. Succinctly, what has been asserted that I have seen generally resembles something such as this: (http://www.jpfo.org/fairtax.htm) Remember, even the proponents admit they'd need a 23 percent tax rate to fund the current size of the federal government. However, they are starting out their new "fair" tax system with highly deceptive language. H.R. 25, Section 101(b)(1) states "FOR 2005- In the calendar year 2005, the rate of tax is 23 percent of the gross payments for the taxable property or service." Note the phrase "of the gross payment." Here's how it works: You buy a candy bar for a total price, including tax, of $1.30. One dollar of that price pays for the candy bar; $.30 goes to the federal government. One dollar purchase + $.30 in tax sounds like 30 percent to you and me (and to every state that currently has a sales tax). But the "FairTaxers" don't calculate it that way. They say: $1.30 total price. $.30 = 23 percent of $1.30, therefore the tax is 23 percent. Many critics have pointed out that this is a deceptive way to calculate a sales tax. AFT rebuts the critics by saying (we paraphrase for simplicity), "If you made $1.30 in income and paid $.30 of it in tax, you'd call it a 23 percent tax rate." The 23 percent figure is what AFT refers to as the "tax inclusive" rate. But a sales tax is not an income tax, and when we see national sales tax advocates and uncritical journalists promoting the 23 percent figure without giving the underlying explanation, we can only think that some very thick wool is being pulled over people's eyes. But, as we shall see, there is yet again another major study that has been conducted that definitively illustrates the merit of the Fair Tax. As has been reported by The Fair Tax Blog (http://www.fairtaxblog.com/20061002/kotlikoff-study-23-fairtax-revenue-neutral/), Boston University Economics Professor Laurence Kotlikoff's much-anticipated study of the necessary revenue-neutral rate for the FairTax has been published and released. Terry and I will refrain from reproducing the entire study, but peruse through the abstract below to see just how much the supporters already know! As specified in Congressional bill H.R. 25/S. 25, the FairTax is a proposal to replace the federal personal income tax, corporate income tax, payroll (FICA) tax, capital gains, alternative minimum, self-employment, and estate and gifts taxes with a single-rate federal retail sales tax. The FairTax also provides a prebate to each household based on its demographic composition. The prebate is set to ensure that households pay no taxes net on spending up to the poverty level. Bill Gale (2005) and the President's Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform (2005) suggest that the effective (tax inclusive) tax rate needed to implement H.R. 25 is far higher than the proposed 23% rate. This study, which builds on Gale's (2005) analysis, shows that a 23% rate is eminently feasible and suggests why Gale and the Tax Panel reached the opposite conclusion. This paper begins by projecting the FairTax's 2007 tax base net of its rebate. Next it calculates the tax rate needed to maintain the real levels of federal and state spending under the FairTax. It then determines if an effective rate of 23% would be sufficient to fund 2007 estimated spending or if not, the amount by which non-Social Security federal expenditures would need to be reduced. Finally, it shows that the FairTax imposes no additional real fiscal burdens on state and local government, notwithstanding the requirement that such governments pay the FairTax when they purchase goods and services. Implementing the FairTax rate of 23% would produce $2,586 billion in federal tax revenues which is $358 billion more than the $2,228 billion in tax revenues generated by the taxes it repeals. Adjusting the base for the prebate and the administrative credit paid to businesses and states for collecting the tax results in a net tax base of $9,355 billion. In 2007, spending at current levels is projected to be $3,285 billion. Revenues from the FairTax at a 23% tax rate, plus other federal revenues, are estimated to yield $3,209 billion which is $76 billion less than current CBO spending projections for 2007. The $76 billion amounts to only 2.73% of non-Social Security spending ($2,177 - $2,101). This is a remarkably small adjustment when set against the more than 30% rise in the real value of these expenditures since 2000. Ensuring real revenue neutrality at the federal level, given the net base of $9,355 billion, implies a rate of 23.82% on a tax-inclusive basis and 31.27% on a tax-exclusive basis. These and other calculations presented here ignore a) general equilibrium feedback (supply-side and demand-side) effects that could significantly raise the FairTax base (see, for example, Kotlikoff and Jokisch, 2005), b) the possibility that tax evasion would exceed the considerable amount automatically incorporated here via the use of NIPA data, which undercount consumption expenditures due to evasion under the current tax system, and c) the roughly $1 trillion real capital gain the federal government would secure on its outstanding nominal debt, were consumer prices to rise by the full amount of the FairTax. The FairTax redistributes real purchasing power from state and local governments to their state and local income-tax taxpayers. It does so by reducing factor prices relative to consumer prices and, thereby, reducing the real value (measured at consumer prices) of state and local income tax payments, which are assessed on factor incomes (namely, factor supplies times factor prices). Gale (2005) and the Tax Panel (2005) recognized this loss in real state and local government revenues in claiming that these governments need to be compensated for having to pay the FairTax. But what they apparently missed is that this loss to these governments is exactly offset by a gain to their taxpayers. Were state and local governments to maintain their real income tax collections - the assumption made here - by increasing their tax rates appropriately, their taxpayers' real tax burdens would remain unchanged and there would be no need for the federal government to compensate state and local governments for having to pay the FairTax on their purchases. The second is that H.R. 25 does not preclude state and local governments from levying their sales taxes on the FairTax-inclusive price of consumer goods and services. This produces significantly more revenue compared to levying their sales taxes on producer prices. Moreover, Gale (2005) and the Tax Panel (2005) arrived at a higher tax rate because they did not estimate the FairTax rate, but instead estimated a sales tax of their own design which had a substantially narrower base. The FairTax Blogburst is jointly produced by Terry of The Right Track Blog and Jonathan of Publius Rendezvous. If you would like to host the weekly postings on your blog, please e-mail Terry. You will be added to our mailing list and blogroll.

House Speaker Pelosi - Our Worst Nightmare

2006-10-03T09:03:00.000-04:00

Viewing the poll data for Senate and House elections a Conservative cannot be pleased with the numbers. The arrogance combined with ignorance of the majority in Congress is unsettling at the very least.

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To be blunt, Republicans have squandered opportunities to put Conservative values into legislation during their tenure in office over the last 12 years and have spent their political capital wastefully. From the fall of New Gingrich to the current debacle concerning Mark Foley, preceded by all the Jack Abramoff scandals and the demise of Tom Delay so called Republicans have demonstrated they have no idea how "Conservative" is defined.

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In addition, Republicans have spent our tax dollars on pork, have failed to initiate an immigration bill, did nothing to support social security reform, failed to make the Bush tax cuts permanent and have created more scandals then promising legislation.

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Now the "October Surprise" wasted no time in rearing it's ugly head and this did not favor Republicans. Look at the headlines:

Republican quits US Congress over e-mails to boy aides.
Republicans scrambling amid Foley scandal.
White House shocked, surprised by child sex scandal.
Hastert says he didn't know of explicit contact - Dems accuse GOP of failing to protect kids.
FBI looks at Foley's e-mails to teens - Inquiries sought on ex-lawmaker.
Candidate alleges Foley case cover-up.

You get the drift. There are dozens of headlines in newspapers around the country announcing the Mark Foley scandal, opening the door to discuss all other problems within the Republican majority. The Liberals are having a field day, the real issues are not being discussed and an alleged pervert has locked himself away in a rehab clinic, how convenient. Ex-Florida Representative Mark Foley is not only a sicko, he's gutless, leaving all Repubican candidates twisting in the electoral winds.

Or........Maybe the real issues are being discussed. The Liberals continue without a plan other then to demonstrate the Republicans aren't worthy leaders of the Senate or House of Representatives. With the Democrats in control government will stop functioning for two years and terrorism will have a chance to propagate throughout the Middle East and into our borders, along with more illegal immigrants.

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Our Congressional "leaders" have done more to aid and abet the Liberals then anything they could possibly do for themselves. Bottom Line is politicians on both sides of the aisle are pathetic creatures, self-serving with no leadership qualities whatsoever.

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The House of Representative is nothing but a "House of Cards" ready to fall into the hands of Nancy Pelosi and her hate machine. Dennis Hassert should have remained a wrestling coach in Illinois. One wonders how he ever got into a leadership position and became House Speaker when he has no leadership qualities.

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We all know how Nancy Pelosi will assume her new role as House Speaker. Without firing a shot! Fasten your seat belt, a nightmare on K Street is about to take place and it's our worst nightmare.

Conference Call with Dick Morris

2006-09-27T17:44:00.000-04:00

I participated in a live conference call today with Dick Morris is best known as a central strategist in Bill Clinton's re-election campain for President of the United States.Last week, Mr. Morris and Eileen McGann published a critical article about the Clinton's that the Main Stream Media largely ignored.

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Entitled "Emir's A Gusher for Bill and Hillary" the op-ed charges that Bill Clinton and those in the inner circle of both Clintons have enjoyed large financial benefits from Clinton's relationship with Sheik Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. This story involves the controversial Dubai ports deal.

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Since publication of this largely ignored column the news media has been hotly debating President Clinton's handling of the hunt for Osama bin-Ladin. Did he do enough or didn't he? Did Senator Clinton know that her campaign consultants were on the payroll of the Sheik?

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Listen to this call to find out all of Morris' predictions concerning the midterm elections and Hillary's chances in '08.

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AUDIO EXCLUSIVE :: Bloggers Conference Call With Dick Morris

Bill Clinton and al-Qaeda

2006-09-27T15:40:00.000-04:00

Richard Miniter, a fellow at the Hudson Institute, has written an interesting piece in today's Wall Street Journal reconciling what Clinton knew about al-Qaeda and what he did about them.

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In What Clinton Didn't Do . . . . . . .and when he didn't do it (Subscription) Mr. Miniter lists incidents and what was done in response as follows:

In October 1993, during the tragic events in Somalia. But his national security adviser, Tony Lake, told me [Miniter] that he first learned of bin Laden "sometime in 1993," when he was thought of as a terror financier. U.S. Army Capt. James Francis Yacone, a black hawk squadron commander in Somalia, later testified that radio intercepts of enemy mortar crews firing at Americans were in Arabic, not Somali, suggesting the work of bin Laden's agents (who spoke Arabic), not warlord Farah Aideed's men (who did not). CIA and DIA reports also placed al Qaeda operatives in Somalia at the time.
In 1994, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (who would later plan the 9/11 attacks) launched "Operation Bojinka" to down 11 U.S. planes simultaneously over the Pacific. A sharp-eyed Filipina police officer foiled the plot. The sole American response: increased law-enforcement cooperation with the Philippines.
In 1995, al Qaeda detonated a 220-pound car bomb outside the Office of Program Manager in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, killing five Americans and wounding 60 more. The FBI was sent in.
In 1996, al Qaeda bombed the barracks of American pilots patrolling the "no-fly zones" over Iraq, killing 19. Again, the FBI responded.
In 1997, al Qaeda consolidated its position in Afghanistan and bin Laden repeatedly declared war on the U.S. In February, bin Laden told an Arab TV network: "If someone can kill an American soldier, it is better than wasting time on other matters." No response from the Clinton administration.
In 1998, al Qaeda simultaneously bombed U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, killing 224, including 12 U.S. diplomats. Mr. Clinton ordered cruise-missile strikes on Afghanistan and Sudan in response. Here Mr. Clinton's critics are wrong: The president was right to retaliate when America was attacked, irrespective of the Monica Lewinsky case. Note: (Still, "Operation Infinite Reach" was weakened by Clintonian compromise. Note: The State Department feared that Pakistan might spot the American missiles in its air space and misinterpret it as an Indian attack. So Mr. Clinton told Gen. Joe Ralston, vice chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, to notify Pakistan's army minutes before the Tomahawks passed over Pakistan. Given Pakistan's links to jihadis at the time, it is not surprising that bin Laden was tipped off, fleeing some 45 minutes before the missiles arrived.
In 1999, the Clinton administration disrupted al Qaeda's Millennium plots, a series of bombings stretching from Amman to Los Angeles. This shining success was mostly the work of Richard Clarke, a NSC senior director who forced agencies to work together. But the Millennium approach was shortlived. Over Mr. Clarke's objections, policy reverted to the status quo.
In January 2000, al Qaeda tried and failed to attack the U.S.S. The Sullivans off Yemen. (Their boat sank before they could reach their target.) But in October 2000, an al Qaeda bomb ripped a hole in the hull of the U.S.S. Cole, killing 17 sailors and wounding another 39. When Mr. Clarke presented a plan to launch a massive cruise missile strike on al Qaeda and Taliban facilities in Afghanistan, the Clinton cabinet voted against it.

In his Fox interview Sunday, Mr. Clinton said "no one knew that al Qaeda existed" in October 1993. Just one more lie out of Clinton's mouth.

Clinton's Other Diatribe er Threat

2006-09-27T13:56:00.000-04:00

Last Thursday (9/21) Bill Clinton was asked a softball question on the Today Show.

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Specifically, he threatened retaliation if any stories about his marriage appear during the 2008 campaign. His comments came in answer to a question about whether it was "fair game" for the marriage to be under "scrutiny" after The New York Times "ran a front-page article about your marriage."

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"Well, the politicians don't get to decide that. But I think that the thing that I think is gonna be interesting is whether the American people, after all, with all the problems we've got, really want to see the press basically follow the Republican bloodhounds and do all that sort of stuff again and whether or not the people that are doing it can escape the same scrutiny. They have in the past. It's been a free ride, you know? Just pick a Democrat and punch that person. And I don't think that'll happen this time."

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Dick Morris and Eileen McGann comment at Vote.com in ATTACK DOG - BILL THREATENS MEDIA

Stop Internet Regulation and Taxing - IMPORTANT NOTICE!

2006-09-27T11:27:00.000-04:00

I received an email from Thomas A. Schatz, President of Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW). Here is the letter:

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In the name of so-called “net neutrality,” a number of special-interest groups, like MoveOn.org, and Internet content providers, such as Google, Yahoo, and Amazon.com, are pushing for federal regulations of the Internet that will ultimately hit you and all Internet users right in the pocketbook!

xxx Let me explain.

xxx This cadre of high-tech companies that provide search engines, websites, and other “content” for the Internet want Congress to mandate that your Internet service provider - the company that you pay for broadband or dial-up access to the Internet - must carry every single piece of content and every service they have to offer, no matter the cost. If Congress bows to their demands and imposes some of the first-ever regulations on the freewheeling Internet, your service provider will have no option but to pass the higher cost for such universal service on to you.

xxx In short, Google and the other high-tech Internet giants would have the government guarantee them below-cost access to premium high-speed network services - with you, the end-user, footing the bill!

xxx The Internet has thrived as a tool enhancing communications and commerce precisely because the government has, for the most part, taken a hands-off approach with regard to regulation and taxation. Net neutrality regulations would discourage crucial investment in broadband networks and stifle the innovation that is at the heart of the Internet’s success.

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Liberally Conservative supports the CCAGW effort to fight these regulatory and taxing proposals. If you would like to fight against the efforts to charge us, the end-users, to pay for internet services beyond our current bill please click on the link below and fill out the form to send to your Congressional representative.

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It's Fast, Easy and Free.............

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Tell your U.S. Senators that you won’t pay more for your Internet service because of new and unnecessary regulations that benefit a few big companies! Tell them to say NO to net neutrality!

FairTax Blogburst

2006-09-27T09:22:00.000-04:00

by TD of The Right Track A quick and dirty search through Google News for articles, news, and editorials revealed no less than 14 pieces written in the last month regarding the FairTax. Fully 1/3 of those were editorials agreeing with the need for the FairTax. A sampling: From the Denver Daily News, an editorial titled "FairTax, not flat tax, needed to fix nation’s taxation woes": Dear editor, The IRS needs to be eliminated and replaced with the FairTax, not the flat tax, as suggested by columnist Aaron Harber in Monday’s Denver Daily News. The flat tax changes absolutely nothing — the IRS, tax code, regulations, 16th Amendment, corporate taxation and payroll taxes (the way Social Security is funded) stay exactly the same under the flat tax. At best, the flat tax is temporary, the wrong direction to move towards simplification. From the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, "The Fairer Tax": The Fair Tax (FairTax.org) will make our true tax burden -- most of which is concealed in the price of goods and services -- visible to all and is a necessary first step toward smaller and less-intrusive government. We cannot allow the perfect to become the enemy of the good. So first, let's replace the current complex and dishonest system of taxation with a fair and transparent system that will allow the people to choose how much government they can afford in full knowledge of how much it really costs. The Raleigh/Durham News & Observer has an editorial headlined "Total Replacement": Our tax code has grown steadily more complex, unwieldy, expensive and out of control ever since its overhaul in 1986. The IRS is increasingly unable to cope with the tax code, and puts much of its resources to uses unrelated to raising revenue and contrary to the wishes of the Founders. Like Icarus flying ever closer to the sun, the tax system appears to be headed for self-destruction. It is far beyond any fix and is losing respect and credibility. The only reasonable solution is to finally and completely scrap it and replace it. I support the revenue-neutral FairTax plan. (http://www.fairtax.org/ 1-800-FairTax).

xxx This is just a sampling of what people are saying all across the country. Truly a grassroots effort, it takes people willing to step up and show public support for the FairTax to convince politicians that it's in their best interest to support the bills. One way to show public support is to write an editorial to your local paper, no matter how large or small. Use the FairTax category that may appear on this participant blog, visit http://www.fairtax.org/, or read the FairTax book by Boortz and Linder to learn more. Get your facts straight, then write your editorial and submit it. Many papers now have a way to submit online or via e-mail. However you decide to do it, your public support for the FairTax is vital. The FairTax Blogburst is jointly produced by Terry of The Right Track Blog and Jonathan of Publius Rendezvous. If you would like to host the weekly postings on your blog, please e-mail Terry. You will be added to our mailing list and blogroll.

Condi Rice Spanks Bill Clinton

2006-09-26T15:15:00.000-04:00

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice challenged former President Clinton's claim that he did more than many of his conservative critics to pursue Usama bin Laden, and she accused President Bush's predecessor of leaving no comprehensive plan to fight Al Qaeda. "What we did in the eight months was at least as aggressive as what the Clinton administration did in the preceding years," Rice said Monday during a meeting with editors and reporters at the New York Post. The newspaper published her comments Tuesday, after Clinton appeared on "FOX News Sunday" in a combative interview in which he defended his handling of the threat posed by bin Laden and said he "worked hard" to have the Al Qaeda leader killed.

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"That's the difference in me and some, including all of the right-wingers who are attacking me now," Clinton said in the interview. "They ridiculed me for trying. They had eight months to try, they did not try."

xxx

Rice disputed his assessment.

xxx "The notion somehow for eight months the Bush administration sat there and didn't do that is just flatly false — and I think the 9/11 commission understood that," she said.

xxx Rice took exception to Clinton's statement that he "left a comprehensive anti-terror strategy" for incoming officials when he left office.

xxx "We were not left a comprehensive strategy to fight Al Qaeda," she told the newspaper, which is owned by News Corp., which also owns FOX News Channel.

xxx In the TV interview, Clinton accused host Chris Wallace of a "conservative hit job" and asked: "I want to know how many people in the Bush administration you asked, 'Why didn't you do anything about the Cole?' I want to know how many people you asked, 'Why did you fire Dick Clarke?"'

xxx He was referring to the USS Cole, attacked by terrorists in Yemen in 2000, and former White House anti-terrorism chief Richard A. Clarke.

xxx

Watch Slick Willies temper tantrum, claims and denials here: (Click arrow play button at left bottom of TV)

xxx Rice said Clarke "left when he did not become deputy director of homeland security."

xxx The interview has been the focus of much attention, earning the show its best ratings in nearly three years.

xxx Rice questioned the value of the dialogue.

xxx "I think this is not a very fruitful discussion," she said. "We've been through it. The 9/11 commission has turned over every rock and we know exactly what they said."

xxx

Source: FoxNews

Porker's of The Month - September 2006

2006-09-26T15:06:00.000-04:00

Washington, D.C. Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) named all 171 members of Congress who voted against the disclosure of earmarks Porkers of the Month. On September 14, the House voted 245-171 for an internal rule change (H. Res. 1000) that requires all earmarks and their sponsors to be identified in spending, tax, and authorization bills.

xxx “This is a serious step toward opening up the earmarking process,” CAGW President Tom Schatz said. “Much remains to be done to end the abuse of earmarks, but that is no reason for voting against what is clearly an improvement over the status quo.”

xxx Of the 171 votes against the resolution, 147 were from Democrats. Twenty-two of the 24 nay votes from Republicans were members of the Appropriations Committee, infamous for its swollen earmarks, although not all on the committee opposed the measure. Committee Chairman Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.) had complained that the new requirement singled out appropriations bills but said that he would not whip the vote. Most earmarks are anonymously slipped into spending bills by individual appropriators without debate. The 2006 Congressional Pig Book identified 9,963 pork projects costing a record $29 billion in the fiscal 2006 appropriations bills.

xxx Changes to House rules are only in effect through the end of the current Congress, although House leaders have indicated that it would be renewed at the start of the new term. The House rule would also have no effect on the Senate’s earmark procedure, but the House changes are already helping to spur similar action in the Senate.

xxx House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member David Obey (D-Wis.) called the rules change a “trivial pursuit” and House Rules Committee Ranking Member Louise M. Slaughter (D-N.Y.) called it “shameful” and “a sham.” What is shameful is voting to oppose even the slightest exposure of the earmark process. Ironically, most of the “nay” voters undoubtedly have long lists of pet projects procured from the pork barrel proudly displayed on their websites.

xxx Partisan politics and self-interest clearly influenced what was an easy vote for transparency and accountability. For ignoring taxpayers’ outrage over the waste and corruption of pork-barrel spending, CAGW names the 171 ‘nay’ voters on H. Res. 1000 Porkers of the Month for September 2006.

A Convenient Leak

2006-09-26T10:03:00.000-04:00

How convenient to have another "classified" document leak, or at best, a partial document leak to suit the Liberal argument that terrorists have been born because of the war in Iraq, which is also a war on terrorism.

xxx

Never mind terrorists flew planes into buildings in New York and Washington D.C. with grand plans for United 93. Do the radical Islamists hate us more now than before?

xxx

Known as the NIE or National Intelligence Estimate the leaked portion concludes that "the Iraq war has made the overall terrorism problem worse," according to one of the unidentified "intelligence officials" cited in the Sunday New Your Times article.

xxx

In reality the NIE wasn't leaked at all but "claims" to what the report says have been leaked and of course the NY Times ran with the "story" in it's fight to uphold truth and the American way, or at least the left-wing nut caucus to discredit the Bush Administration.

xxx

As we approach Halloween, the Liberal spooks are out in force making claims, gathering retired Generals with their view only in election year politics without any consideration of getting at the facts in an objective manner.

xxx

Declassifying the NIE document would prove, as it has in the past, that these reports are not objective and often fail in factual basis. Making the entire report public would solve the two main political issues about Iraq.

Democrats claim that Iraq is a "distraction" from the war on terror and so a rapid U.S. withdrawal would leave the U.S. with more resources to fight elsewhere.
The Bush administration stresses Iraq is now the central front in the war on terror, and that withdrawing would create a vacuum that the Islamists would fill and give them a potential new state-supported base of operations.

Opening up the entire NIE report with proper redactions would disarm the Democrats and settle the argument once and for all. Allowing a one-sided dog and pony show about Iraq and terrorism empowers the left, which leaves the facts off the table.

Bill Clinton Refuses His Own Advice

2006-09-25T19:12:00.000-04:00

"Look what President [Hugo] Chavez just said about President Bush. You know, we--and we try to teach our children to get over it. I mean, you've got kids. You know, one of the most important things you can teach a child is that not everything that happens to you will be nice. But you are in control of how you respond to everything that happens to you. You do not have to respond with violence or anger or hatred or bitterness or demeaning conduct, and you cannot be diminished by what someone else says about you."

~Bill Clinton

Larry King Live

Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2006

xxx

Mr. Bill didn't heed his own advice to President Bush as our Moonbat of the Week had his full fledged temper tantrum on FoxNews Sunday with Chris Wallace.

A Man With A Plan

2006-09-25T07:34:00.000-04:00

Leave it to comedian and actor Robin Williams to come up with the perfect plan. What we need now is for our UN Ambassador to stand up and repeat this message. Robin Williams' plan... (Hard to argue with this logic!) "I see a lot of people yelling for peace but I have not heard of a plan for peace. So, here's one plan."

xxx

1) "The US will apologize to the world for our "interference" in their affairs, past & present. You know, Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Tojo, Noriega, Milosevic, Hussein, and the rest of those "good ole boys", we will never "interfere" again.

xxx

2) We will withdraw our troops from all over the world, starting with Germany , South Korea, the Middle East , and the Philippines . They don't want us there. We would station troops at our borders. No one allowed sneaking through holes in the fence.

xxx

3) All illegal aliens have 90 days to get their affairs together and leave. We'll give them a free trip home. After 90 days the remainder will be gathered up and deported immediately, regardless of whom or where they are. They're illegal!!! France will welcome them.

xxx

4) All future visitors will be thoroughly checked and limited to 90 days unless given a special permit!!!! No one from a terrorist nation will be allowed in. If you don't like it there, change it yourself and don't hide here. Asylum would never be available to anyone. We don't need any more cab drivers or 7-11 cashiers.

xxx

5) No foreign "students" over age 21. The older ones are the bombers. If they don't attend classes, they get a "D" and it's back home baby.

xxx

6) The US will make a strong effort to become self-sufficient energy wise. This will include developing nonpolluting sources of energy but will require a temporary drilling of oil in the Alaskan wilderness. The caribou will have to cope for a while .

xxx

7) Offer Saudi Arabia and other oil producing countries $10 a barrel for their oil. If they don't like it, we'll go someplace else. They can go somewhere else to sell their production. (About a week of the wells filling up the storage sites would be enough.)

xxx

8) If there is a famine or other natural catastrophe in the world, we will not "interfere." They can pray to Allah or whomever, for seeds, rain, cement or whatever they need. Besides most of us know that what we give them is stolen or given to the army. The people who need it most get very little, if anything.

xxx

9) Ship the UN Headquarters to an isolated island someplace. We don't need them. Besides, the building would make a good homeless shelter or lockup for illegal aliens.

xxx

10) All Americans must go to charm and beauty school. That way, no one can call us "Ugly Americans" any longer.

xxx

11) The Language we speak is ENGLISH...learn it...or LEAVE... Now, isn't that a winner of a plan? The Statue of Liberty is no longer saying "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses. She's got a baseball bat and she's yelling, 'you want a piece of me?' "

xxx

Hat Tip: Betty Albright-Bistrow

Moon Bat of The Week Award!

2006-09-24T19:40:00.000-04:00

Former President

William Jefferson Clinton

xxx

Fresh and back from vacation we have a one-day delay on our Moonbat selection but it was easy as Bill Clinton kept us from being a day late and a $3.00 Bill short.

xxx

Impeached, current New York resident living in asylum, Slick "Willie" Bill Clinton tries once again to dupe the country, failing to take responsibility for his actions and blaming a "Right-Wing Conspiracy" on his failure to take out Osama bin Laden during his eight-year Presidency of embarrassment.

xxx

Clinton, appearing on FoxNews Sunday with Chris Wallace, practically sat in the commentator's lap, red faced and shaking his finger with wild eyes and further contempt for anything standing in the way of his legacy. The interview, turned hateful, was similar to Clinton's nationally televised denial when he claimed, "I never has sex with that woman, Ms. Lewinsky." Yeah right!

xxx

A picture tells a thousand words, but a live video or written transcript explicitly tells the story in:

xxx

I Tried to Catch Osama Bin Laden (Televised Moonbat Clip)

xxx

Entire Clinton Diatribe Transcript

xxx

Side Note: Bill, get some dress socks.

Conference Call with Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA)

2006-09-15T10:59:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I participated in a conference call with Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) and other bloggers. An audio file link is at the end with commentary and Q &A with participants.

xxx

Senator Santorum brings moral clarity and certainty to whatever issues he addresses. Throughout his career, neither Party loyalty nor other political considerations have swayed him from advocating the right course of action.

xxx

Most recently, he opposed the Bush Administration's decision to grant a visa to Ayatollah Khatami. He also publicly criticized Secretary Rice for adopting the European strategy of engaging the current regime in Iran.

xxx

Senator Santorum is a leading proponent of supporting democratic forces in Iran and he has authored legislation to this effect.

xxx

Some of the points made by the Senator:

The war is not going to be won or lost on the streets of Baghdad or Kandahar but on the streets of America. It is incumbent upon us to to recognize the... dangers of the enemy and to confront it despite unfortunate circumstances.
Policy makers better explain the complexity and seriousness of this enemy. The President used to call them cowards - then he stopped. They are not cowards but a serious enemy with enormous conviction who want to die for their “G-d.”This is a dangerous theology that motivates people utilizing a very effective tactic that fits its ideology – indiscriminate death.
The most dangerous element in the war on terror is Iran and Shia extremism. The resources behind the Shia (Iran) are much larger that Sunnis (al Quaeda). Iran is a nation state that forments and projects terror through wmd – it is the next and most truly frightening aspect of Islamo fascism.
We need to be more aggressive in explaining that to the American public so they understand this...
I was not in support of the Administration's decision to move forward with discussions with Iran.
The moderates need to hear from us that the current regime is corrupt and needs to be changed...
The UN is a feckless organization with respect to international security and won’t be at all helpful to contain the Iranian threat, and won’t do anything to stop it...
The State Department has been uniformly uncooperative to recognize the threat Iran poses. Iran is unwilling to be a rational player in negotiating an acceptable outcome. The State Department thinks everything is negotiable – they are being played by a song...

Click here for the 20 minute audio file.

Is Bush's Brain at Work? UPDATED!!

2006-09-14T14:44:00.000-04:00

President Bush's latest communications offensive on Iraq appears to be yielding small initial dividends, increasing Republican and independent support as the mid-term election campaign enters its homestretch.

xxx A new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll shows that Mr. Bush's overall approval rating, as well as his rating on handling Iraq, rose modestly after a series of speeches imploring Americans to remain patient despite repeated setbacks in the war.

xxx

It remains "a modest uptick" in "a very difficult national environment" for the president's party in mid-term elections, cautions Republican pollster Bill McInturff. The president's approval rating remains weak at 42%, though improved from 38% in June.

xxx

Rasmussen poll states forty-seven percent (47%) of American adults approve of the way that President Bush is performing his job. Fifty percent (50%) disapprove. Those are by far the best numbers for the President since mid-February.

xxx

Karl Rove is busy behind the scenes, do doubt. Stay tuned! Current Polls will be added with links.

How Liberals Govern!

2006-09-14T12:24:00.000-04:00

Fatherly Advice, Professional Advice - Watch Your Back Side

2006-09-14T10:54:00.000-04:00

I have always supported the Bush Administration, Donald Rumsfeld and of course our troops. I will continue to support the same group but it's disheartening to see certain people still in power in Iraq including within the government.

xxx

One is Muqtada al-Sadr who is at the center of violence in Baghdad. al-Sadr's "militias" have not been destroyed and continue to carry out missions, killing hundreds of innocent victims and targeting our troops.

xxx

We discover the current chief judge in the Saddam Hussein trials is a former Bathe Party member and judge. A Shiite Muslim with 25 years experience, Abdullah al-Amiri was a member of Saddam's Baath party and served as a judge in a criminal court under the former leader's regime. He heads the five-judge panel that will decide the fate of Saddam, a Sunni Muslim.

xxx

al-Amiri told Hussein, "You were not a dictator. People around you made you (look like) a dictator." The judge made his remark in a friendly chat with Saddam during court proceedings, a day after the prosecution said the judge should step down because he is biased toward the defense.

xxx

"Thank you," Saddam responded, bowing his head in respect.

xxx

My son may eventually deploy to Iraq. He is in a sensitive military occupation, which could place him in Baghdad within definite harms way. How should a parent advise their son or daughter in the military when the government your country defends appears prejudice and sympathetic to the toppled regime in certain areas?

xxx

Let us not forget when Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, al-Qaeda's leader in Iraq was killed his cell phone was discovered with two speed dials to members of the Iraqi government. We have seen little to nothing about this in the media.

xxx

There will always be mistakes in war. However, when issues arise that are correctable, steps should be taken to preserve integrity or troops will begin to see the fight as futile and they'll become less enthusiastic to fight. Our government should work to have these improprieties cleaned up.

xxx

Cut and run...............Hell No! However, a recent Pentagon report states Iraq could be engulfed in a civil war within the next three months. The latest Pentagon report said: "The core conflict in Iraq changed into a struggle between Sunni and Shia extremists seeking to control key areas in Baghdad, create or protect sectarian enclaves, divert economic resources and impose their own respective political and religious agendas."

Death squads and terrorists "are locked in mutually reinforcing cycles of sectarian strife," the Pentagon said.

"The Sunni Arab insurgence remains potent and viable, although its visibility has been overshadowed by the increase in sectarian violence."

xxx

If the democratically elected Iraqi government isn't cleaned up ceremonies taking over military responsibilities won't make conditions on the ground any better. This has now become an Iraqi problem and the U.S. should remain in a support function still eliminating al-Qaeda in Iraq. The Iraqi's need to take responsibility and stop the civil violence by ensuring its officials are on the right side of Democracy.

xxx

Having a chief judge sympathetic to Saddam Hussein is not reassuring. Having cleric run militias must be stopped immediately. If the Iraqi's want the power they need to take on the full responsibility.

xxx

Of course in our country we need to contend with the appeasing Liberals. Appeasing tyrannical regimes will get you killed.

xxx

On the other hand, when the government you support backs a turn coat "moderate" in Rhode Island instead of a candidate with Conservative principles one must stop, look and listen. Is this about retaining the majority, against your own "prescribed" principles?

xxx

In elections around the country incumbent moderates were backed by the RNC and Bush adminstration, strictly against Conservative principles. The time has come to put up or shut up and election year politics against conservatives and the abysmal record of Republicans in Congress leaves one to question politics in Iraq.

xxx

If our sons and daughters are put into harms way can we trust the political rhetoric, which stands against our Conservative beliefs and principles?

xxx

On the home front can I trust the Republicans and this administration to support Conservative principles? So far it isn't looking good. However, the prospects of Nancy Pelosi and Howard Dean running the country is still a great motivator to support what's "right" in our government.

xxx

In Iraq we must watch closely; stop, look and listen. Fatherly advice to my son? Always watch your back side, as well as all sides. Don't sell your soul, stick to your principles. You could be sleeping with the enemy.

OPEC Confused

2006-09-13T16:58:00.000-04:00

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) headlines don't necessarily reconcile.

"OPEC Secretary-General Expresses Concern Over Rising Oil Prices"--May 16, 2004 ($40.77)
"OPEC Says It's Lost Control of Oil Prices"--March 14, 2005 ("north of $50 a barrel and rising")
"OPEC President Voices Concerns Over Rising Prices"--Aug. 28, 2005 ($66.13)
"Falling Oil Prices Add to Opec's Worries"--Sept. 12, 2006 ($63.76)

Source: Opinion Journal (subscription)

FairTax Blogburst

2006-09-13T09:26:00.000-04:00

by Jonathan of Publius Rendezvous To borrow what was spoken of last week in the Fair Tax BlogBurst, I thought I would take this burst, and build upon the debate begun by one of Debbie's readers at Right Truth. For those of you knew to the audience, here is the original burst, and here is the assertion made by "Ralph Ekwall." We now have a progressive income tax system that imposes a higher rate of taxation for high income earners. The so-called “Fair Tax” would impose a higher rate of taxation on middle and low income earners and allow most of the money earned by wealthy people to be untaxed. I tend to disagree entirely with the thesis underpinning any progressive tax system delineating that there are certain brackets of individuals who should be punished just for the simple fact that they earn higher incomes than other individuals. The fundamental creed of this dogma accepts the premise that the spectrum of incomes is nothing more than a zero-sum game. Thus, individuals do not have any chance whatsoever to rise to those higher brackets and better themselves as they move throughout life. However, I digress, for I wanted to discuss was the specifics surrounding "the prebate." I believe this scheme encapsulates the “equality” sought by “progressive” proponents of any progressive tax scheme better than the progressive tax could ever hope to achieve. That is, equality can be seen only if one does not have class warfare and envy as the basis for their tax structure. So, how does this “prebate” work? All valid Social Security cardholders who are U.S. residents receive a monthly rebate equivalent to the FairTax paid on essential goods and services, also known as the poverty level expenditures. The rebate is paid in advance, in equal installments each month. The size of the rebate is determined by the Department of Health & Human Services’ poverty level guideline multiplied by the tax rate. This is a well-accepted, long-used poverty-level calculation that includes food, clothing, shelter, transportation, medical care, etc. (See chart in Figure 1 below) And, as we see in how this "prebate" works, one is able to ascertain the notion of equality realized by the "prebate." The prebate seeks to treat a "necessity" just as their name implies they should be treated. The necessities are the substance and the needs that every American needs in order to survive. It treats every American as if they are the same in the basics of what they need to survive. It treats all Americans equally. In this definition of "equal" all Americans are treated the same no matter their socio-economic status, which brings up another subject....constitutional history. At this moment, I would really like to express my appreciation to TD for being patient with me throughout the course of this summer. As some of you may know, I sat for the bar recently and I have been detained with an interstate move, new employment and biting my fingernails off as I wait for the bar results. But, enough of my excuses, Terry and I started this BlogBurst and, unfortunately, Terry has had to shoulder much of the load this summer. He has done a tremendous job and I know all of you appreciate his hard work and dedication. I just wanted to say thanks, good buddy!

xxx The FairTax Blogburst is jointly produced by Terry of The Right Track Blog and Jonathan of Publius Rendezvous. If you would like to host the weekly postings on your blog, please e-mail Terry. You will be added to our mailing list and blogroll.

Connecting Terror Dots

2006-09-12T14:28:00.000-04:00

Former Iranian President Mohammed Khatami condemned Osama bin Laden and suicide bombing but also defended groups such as Hezbollah for what he characterized as resistance against Israeli colonialism the Associated Press reports from Harvard, where Khatami spoke last night.

Hezbollah is from Lebanon.
Israel withdrew from Lebanon in 2000.
Israel has settlements in the West Bank (Colonialism?).

Let's connect the dots on Khatami's view of justifying terrorism.

Hezbollah (Party A) attacks Israel (Party B) because it's ongoing conflict with Hamas and Palestine (Party C).

Khatami's reasoning would justify the United States (Party A) to attack Iran (Party B) because of U.S. support of Israel (Party C).

What 9/11 Didn't Change

2006-09-12T14:16:00.000-04:00

It was often said at the time that 9/11 changed everything. That turns out to have been an exaggeration. One thing it did not change is elite liberal opinion--as represented by the press, academia and the Democratic Party--which has fallen back on the adversarial attitudes it developed in the late Cold War era, which is to say the era of Vietnam, Watergate and their aftermath.

xxx

Liberals' blasé approach to the terror threat will be wholly unsustainable in the event of another attack. Thus, paradoxically, opposition to the antiterror effort remains alive only because of that effort's success.

xxx

~Opinion Journal

xxx

In event of another attack on the United States the Liberals will be out front blaming George W. Bush.

9/11 Refresher Course

2006-09-11T11:48:00.000-04:00

We Remember to Never Forget!

2006-09-11T11:30:00.000-04:00

Where Were You? Comment!

At 8:46 a.m. five years ago today, American Airlines Flight 11, with 92 people on board, crashed into 1 World Trade Center (the North Tower).

At 9:03 a.m., five years ago today, United Airlines Flight 175, with 65 people on board, crashed into 2 World Trade Center (the South Tower)

At 9:37 a.m. , five years ago today, American Airlines Flight 77 with 64 people aboard crashed into the Pentagon.

At 10:03 a.m. , five years ago today, United Airlines Flight 93 with 44 people aboard crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after the passengers attempted to overpower the hijackers and retake the plane.

The Pre-edited video clips Clinton & the Democrats Don't Want You to See!

2006-09-10T19:26:00.000-04:00

NOTE: Click the "Play" arrow if "Click to Start" does not work properly.

Part 1 of 6

Part 2 of 6

Part 3 of 6

Part 4 of 6

Part 5 of 6

Part 6 of 6

Bill Clinton and Bin Laden - Missed Opportunities UPDATED!

2006-09-10T17:02:00.000-04:00

ABC airs "The Path to 9/11" this evening in a two-part mini-series. The Clintonites are going crazy over the "lies" they claim are portrayed in the movie. I would say ABC should not mix fact with fiction, if that's what they have done. However, there have been first hand accounts of Clinton's miss opportunities to get bin Laden.

xxx

I have written more than once about Lt. Col. Buzz Patterson who carried the "nuclear football" for Clinton during a portion the Clinton's presidency. Patterson's position puts him up close and personal into daily activities of any President.

xxx

One of the main thrusts in ABC's "docudrama" is the Clinton administrations failure to kill Osama bin Laden when they had the opportunities. In Patterson's "Dereliction of Duty" the Clinton administration has bin Laden in their sites during the fall of 1998 and had a two-hour window to eliminate him.

xxx

Here is what Patterson explained as a missed opportunity to get bin Laden:

xxx

The first missed opportunity occurred when Clinton was engaged in watching a golf tournament and became irritated when Patterson approached him. After Patterson's third attempt to get Clinton to return Sandy Berger's urgent phone calls, Clinton gave Patterson a cool response he would phone Berger on his way back to the White House. The defeated Berger knew that the opportunity was gone.

xxx

Berger was told by a military watch officer "Sir, we've located bin Laden. We have a two-hour window to strike." After Clinton did not return phone calls from Berger for over an hour, Clinton then wanted more time to study the situation. Dereliction of Duty reveals "We 'studied' the issues until it was too late-the window of opportunity closed."

xxx

Clinton was told fighter jets were running on an air craft carrier and needed to take off. Preoccupied with golf Clinton refused to listen to Patterson, the jets idled until the fuel levels were to low for takeoff and bin Laden remains alive.

xxx

While the Clintonites protest, Patterson comments on his screening of tonights movie:

xxx

"I have seen the ABC mini-series. It is right on the money. I was there with Clinton and Berger and watched the missed opportunities occur. Anything to the contrary is political spin ."

xxx

The DNC, Howard Dean, Harry Reid and their ilk are only good at one thing and that's political spin.

xxx

UPDATE!

xxx

A former military aide to President Clinton who claims he witnessed several missed opportunities to capture or kill Osama bin Laden says the producer of the ABC mini-series "The Path to 9/11" came to him in frustration after network executives under a heavy barrage of criticism from former administration officials began pressing for changes to the script.

xxx In an interview with World Net Daily, retired Air Force Lt. Col. Robert "Buzz" Patterson said producer and writer Cyrus Nowrasteh called him the morning of Sept. 1, explaining he had used Patterson's book "Dereliction of Duty" as a source for the drama.

xxx Later that day, Nowrasteh brought a preview copy of "The Path to 9/11" to Patterson for him to view at home. Patterson, who says he has talked with the director seven or eight times since then, also received a phone call from an ABC senior vice president, Quinn Taylor.

xxx Patterson told WND he recognizes the television production conflates several events, but, in terms of conveying how the Clinton administration handled its opportunities to get bin Laden, it's "100 percent factually correct," he said.

xxx "I was there with Clinton and (National Security Adviser Sandy) Berger and watched the missed opportunities occur," Patterson declared.

xxx

Full Story --->>> World Net Daily

A Letter to California Politicians from a Reader

2006-09-09T13:57:00.000-04:00

I received an email from one Chadwick who is upset with the California legislature and I would agree things are nuts on the left coast. Here is what Chadwick writes:

Dear Free-loaders, Get this one... A controversial bill that would allow illegal immigrants to get state financial aid while attending Californians [sic] public colleges and universities is now in the hands of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has until the end of this month to sign or veto. State financial aid for illegal immigrants. What does that mean? Let me answer that for you. It means that the state is paying people to be criminals. When a person sneaks into the country without being properly admitted that person is committing a crime. When you commit a crime you are a criminal. If a person aids a person knowing that person is a criminal, there is a word for that, too. It's called an accessory. If you commit a crime and then come to me and ask for money so that you can leave the state and escape the law...I become a criminal, too. However, when foreigners commit a crime by coming here illegally and they ask for money from the state, it's called financial aid. That doesn't make sense to me. Why not give money to car thieves, too? How about this...get pulled over for a DWI and the state writes you a check for a thousand bucks? Sound good to you? It makes about as much sense as this illegal immigration law. And it's not like the hippies in California are tuning their backs on the poor indigents streaming clandestinely over the boarder like cockroaches. The governor has supported an existing state law, passed in 2002, which now allows undocumented students in California to pay in-state tuition rates in public colleges and universities. Tuition for non-California residents is about 10 times higher. Now, I don't know exactly where Tijuana is, but I know it's not IN the state of California. Hell, let's go all the way and just give California back to Mexico. I think they deserve each other. I need a drink, Chadwick

xxx

Cheers Chadwick!