We as humans crave God and religion. Whether it is because there is a God or because of some fluke of evolution, I do not know. What I do know is that in the pit of everyone’s soul is the desire to cling to something.
When we reject religion, we turn to something else. Some cling to the big bang theory as an explanation as to the start of the process of life, though they cannot explain how it happened and cannot put together a single experiment or equation to prove how nothing became something, became something in the form of the entire universe. Interestingly enough, something the big-bang-no-God theorists conveniently forget is that the concept of the big bang theory came from a priest and was roundly rejected by scientists because it meant that time had a beginning and the implications of this was too much for scientists of that time.
Other anti-God-religionists cling to global warming as their religion. A consensus has been reached, they cry, that doomsday is upon us if we do not do something. Unfortunately for them, there is less evidence to support the supposed catastrophe due to global warming (excuse me, now that we seem to no longer be warming “global climate change”) than there is to prove that Christ rose from the dead. I wouldn’t say that too loud, however, because for the global warming religion this is blasphemy that will subject you to public ridicule, humiliation, and exclusion. For those of the global warming religion, all opposition must be suppressed so that there is no one to explore the distinct lack of scientific proof behind their prophesies. I wouldn’t bother to point this out to them, however, as their dogmatic convictions leave no room for intelligent conversation that would disprove their closely held beliefs.
I had an interesting conversation the other day about the global warming fanatics. The hypothesis was proposed that the global warming religionists do not just cling to global warming out of some lost sense of God, but also because of its economic underpinnings. To address the supposed catastrophe waiting for us do to global warming would require drastic government intervention and funding. For those of the entitlement persuasion who seem to hold no distrust for the government when their party is in power, the idea of an even bigger monolith of government that would impose a system of rules that would help knock out economic inequality by bringing us all down to the same level (and it would be down, not up, as government involvement has never really helped to bring anyone out of poverty, but has sure helped to shove a lot of people down through misguided attempts to help)is an ideal clarion call to arms. And global warming gives them the battle cry they need to start off on their crusade.
Ah, it is the fault of those who crave more (and consequently work harder for more) that are at fault for the worlds ills, what with their cravings for more and bigger and better, that is at fault for everything. It is, of course, never the fault of those who make poor choices throughout their lives and never succeed. If you villainize success, then you are the better person for not working hard. This thought process sits well with my generation who have been spoiled throughout life and have been taught that just trying (even half-assedly) is enough. They can sit and smoke pot between breaks from their coffee shop job and feel superior to the doctor and lawyer quickly grabbing a cup of caffeinated sustenance on their way long hours of work to earn good money.
These coffeehouse baristas do not need to feel bad for never growing up and striving for more because their low carbon foot print due to not being able to afford a car makes them better than the doctor who saves lives for money because he drives his dastardly car from his nice house in the suburbs to the hospital across town. Global warming gives an excuse not to strive for success and gives an excuse to knock down those who work hard to benefit from the capitalist system that has given us so much.
And capitalism has given us a lot in life. The United states, with its traditional capitalist mindset, has always had greater job creation than all of socialist Europe combined. Even the current economic crisis does not stem from capitalist ideals, but instead from government interference in the markets. However, just as the global warming believers conveniently ignore that the Manne hockey stick (the graph that set off the global warming conversion) has been disproven, they will ignore the socialist tendencies that pushed the United States towards its current economic collapse. The truth is that if there was no CRA and no Fannie or Freddie, there would be no economic collapse. But with the Democrats gaining control of the government and the global warming religion holding revival services in honor of their idolic One, this is one true story that will be drowned out by the chants of a false religion.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
CNN hates Palin
So I was watching CNN this morning and the bias was so thick you could cut it with a knife. I had been going through the news channels and first CNN had one of their journalists interviewing a priest from the Catholic church. This was actually a very good story. The journalist was fair and unbiased. I decided to continue to watch CNN. This was a bad idea on my part.
The next journalist up had a panel discussion of sorts on Palin’s recent tour through the media. This interviewer doesn’t even deserve the name journalist. In case you were unaware (which I was), Palin apparently waged a culture war this past election and lost. As she was the VP on the ticket, I find this an interesting assertion. I was also unaware we were in a culture war. I think knowing of a culture war is a prerequisite to losing it, but I think CNN says I'm wrong.
Also, did you know the mainstream media never talked about her son Trigg being the possible son of her daughter? As I don’t read daily kos (the blog that started the story), I wonder how I heard of this story. As I distinctly hearing the rumor on CNN, amongst other major news outlets, I am confused now what is considered “mainstream media.” Or maybe the panel was a bunch of idiots that are so ramped up on hating Palin that if she found a cure for cancer, they’d try to make it a bad thing.
Also, apparently her smart responses to the recent round of interviews is not because she is smart, but because she is devious and manipulative (I do not make this up – this is actually what one of the panelists said). I wonder if they have ever listened to Obama (their savior as far as I can figure), or compared his speeches.
But I guess as I am apparently bitterly clinging to my guns and religion and selfishly clinging to the money that I earned and think would be a waste if dispersed through Obama’a magical tax cut (you can’t cut 0 my friends and 38% of American’s don’t pay taxes, so unless 96 + 38 now equals 100, Obama’s tax cut is a pack of deceit and manipulation), maybe my opinion doesn’t count.
To understand Obama’s tax plan see my earlier posts on the topic.
To think why it won’t work, let’s think where the money is going. The plan is apparently a trickle up approach. Well considering the bottom 38% aren’t paying taxes, I am going to say we are already in a mixed trickle down trickle up and the middle class is disappearing so I don’t know how well this idea is going to work. Well, actually I do. Let’s follow the money under the Obama tax plan.
First, tax the hell out of those at the top or almost the top, including small businesses that employ millions of people (which composes more than 5%, but again Obama’s tax cut plan is magic so little details like this don’t matter). Next, take the money and redistribute it (reminiscent of Marxism). When you redistribute give the most to those who pay the least (i.e, nothing). Now the bottom 40% or so now sits with checks of possibly $2,000 or so. They go shopping. And where do they go to shop? Walmart or Target or other equivalent price level stores. Where do the goods in these stores come from? China.
So the end result is that we’re are going to take money away from those who could afford American made goods or afford to employ Americans and give it to those who will ship the money to China. Somehow this doesn’t make sense when you are trying to strengthen the economy and employ more American. Sure, maybe a few more people will get jobs at Walmart, but how many more could get jobs (including manufacturing jobs) if we didn’t take the money away from those who had rightfully earned it, that percentage of America that can actually afford American made goods.
But I guess the next thing Obama will say in his incitement of class wars, is that those in the magical top 5% didn’t earn their money, but that it belongs to the masses. Well, if he does say this, we’re almost communists and we should probably elect a new president (though I think we should do this anyway).
Later maybe I discuss how the Big 3 are going to go under unless the Unions get in touch with reality. There is a reason Toyota and Honda are not even close to the mess the Big 3 are in and it’s not just sales numbers. Did you know – no unions at Toyota and Honda. Also, did you know that one of the reasons Ford shipped the Ford Fiesta plant to Mexico because the Union wouldn’t let them build the stream lined production plant. I guess because it wouldn’t employ enough workers. Well, the Unions helped kill the steel industry. Now they’ll help kill the Auto industry. And Obama will push through a bill that helps union bosses pressure workers into unionizing. So the Union will have more industries to kill (Not that I am opposed to the concept of Unions, just the fact that their demands are not realistic in the current globalized economy). Also, read some stuff on the Great Depression and Unions during that time – makes you think.
The next journalist up had a panel discussion of sorts on Palin’s recent tour through the media. This interviewer doesn’t even deserve the name journalist. In case you were unaware (which I was), Palin apparently waged a culture war this past election and lost. As she was the VP on the ticket, I find this an interesting assertion. I was also unaware we were in a culture war. I think knowing of a culture war is a prerequisite to losing it, but I think CNN says I'm wrong.
Also, did you know the mainstream media never talked about her son Trigg being the possible son of her daughter? As I don’t read daily kos (the blog that started the story), I wonder how I heard of this story. As I distinctly hearing the rumor on CNN, amongst other major news outlets, I am confused now what is considered “mainstream media.” Or maybe the panel was a bunch of idiots that are so ramped up on hating Palin that if she found a cure for cancer, they’d try to make it a bad thing.
Also, apparently her smart responses to the recent round of interviews is not because she is smart, but because she is devious and manipulative (I do not make this up – this is actually what one of the panelists said). I wonder if they have ever listened to Obama (their savior as far as I can figure), or compared his speeches.
But I guess as I am apparently bitterly clinging to my guns and religion and selfishly clinging to the money that I earned and think would be a waste if dispersed through Obama’a magical tax cut (you can’t cut 0 my friends and 38% of American’s don’t pay taxes, so unless 96 + 38 now equals 100, Obama’s tax cut is a pack of deceit and manipulation), maybe my opinion doesn’t count.
To understand Obama’s tax plan see my earlier posts on the topic.
To think why it won’t work, let’s think where the money is going. The plan is apparently a trickle up approach. Well considering the bottom 38% aren’t paying taxes, I am going to say we are already in a mixed trickle down trickle up and the middle class is disappearing so I don’t know how well this idea is going to work. Well, actually I do. Let’s follow the money under the Obama tax plan.
First, tax the hell out of those at the top or almost the top, including small businesses that employ millions of people (which composes more than 5%, but again Obama’s tax cut plan is magic so little details like this don’t matter). Next, take the money and redistribute it (reminiscent of Marxism). When you redistribute give the most to those who pay the least (i.e, nothing). Now the bottom 40% or so now sits with checks of possibly $2,000 or so. They go shopping. And where do they go to shop? Walmart or Target or other equivalent price level stores. Where do the goods in these stores come from? China.
So the end result is that we’re are going to take money away from those who could afford American made goods or afford to employ Americans and give it to those who will ship the money to China. Somehow this doesn’t make sense when you are trying to strengthen the economy and employ more American. Sure, maybe a few more people will get jobs at Walmart, but how many more could get jobs (including manufacturing jobs) if we didn’t take the money away from those who had rightfully earned it, that percentage of America that can actually afford American made goods.
But I guess the next thing Obama will say in his incitement of class wars, is that those in the magical top 5% didn’t earn their money, but that it belongs to the masses. Well, if he does say this, we’re almost communists and we should probably elect a new president (though I think we should do this anyway).
Later maybe I discuss how the Big 3 are going to go under unless the Unions get in touch with reality. There is a reason Toyota and Honda are not even close to the mess the Big 3 are in and it’s not just sales numbers. Did you know – no unions at Toyota and Honda. Also, did you know that one of the reasons Ford shipped the Ford Fiesta plant to Mexico because the Union wouldn’t let them build the stream lined production plant. I guess because it wouldn’t employ enough workers. Well, the Unions helped kill the steel industry. Now they’ll help kill the Auto industry. And Obama will push through a bill that helps union bosses pressure workers into unionizing. So the Union will have more industries to kill (Not that I am opposed to the concept of Unions, just the fact that their demands are not realistic in the current globalized economy). Also, read some stuff on the Great Depression and Unions during that time – makes you think.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
A Quick What Doesn't Bother Me Blog
The FDA is starting to stop the importation of goods from China (or at least those containing milk) until the companies can prove that they do not contain Melamine. I am all for this. With a global economy we must recognize that we are gets good from all over the world and most are coming from countries with much lower safety standards. It's time we put the burden on those companies importing these inferior goods to ensure they don't harm us.
Here is the article:
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20081113/D94E4NP02.html
I think the US should require all incoming goods to pay an inspection fee if they come from a country with questionable safety standards to ensure we Americans aren't harmed.
Of course, I also think they should start enforcing international patent law in China, but that is another blog.
Here is the article:
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20081113/D94E4NP02.html
I think the US should require all incoming goods to pay an inspection fee if they come from a country with questionable safety standards to ensure we Americans aren't harmed.
Of course, I also think they should start enforcing international patent law in China, but that is another blog.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Reclaiming Ourselves
Helping your fellow man. Why You Need to Do It and Not the Government.
Below you will find a rambling article. It quickly poured out of me and I wrote it down before it went away. I thought to post my reflections now because I wasn’t sure when I would have the time to go smooth it out. Please excuse types and random thoughts. I'll fix it later.
Perhaps one of the biggest distinction between the Republican and Democrat parties is their view in the role of the government in helping the downtrodden. The Democrats have championed the parent government that cares for all. The Republicans have pushed for a smaller government. This has led to the mistaken impression that Republicans do not care for the poor or the disadvantaged. The reality, however, is that the Republicans care (perhaps more than Democrats) but they see the individual as responsible for helping not the government. Conservatives give more to charities each year than liberals (documented fact – survey after survey with the same result). I wonder at this phenomenon and Liberals are always the one pushing for bigger and bigger government to help everyone. If they think so many people need help, why aren’t they doing it themselves? Instead, Liberals pass the buck to the government. They demand the government fix it. In part, I think, so that they don’t have to worry about and don’t have to feel guilty about not helping the less advantaged. What the real reason is, I can only speculate and as I don’t have a degree in psychology, it wouldn’t be the best use of my time.
Whatever the reason, the Liberal approach is going to lead to some serious problems. The belief in the parent government leads to problems. It leads to a disconnect between those who have achieved and those who have not. It removes role models from the inner cities where they are desperately needed. If the government handles it, the individual feels no need to intervene. The reality, however, is that societal problems must be solved by members of the society. Pushing it on the government just seems to make it worse. Just look at the ever increasing out of wedlock birthrates in this country. The increasing collapse of our schools. The culture of victimhood and despair that thrives in our inner cities. Money will not solve these problems (some of the worst schools in the country spend some of the highest rates per student). A government will not solve these problems. People will. Parents going into schools and demanding a better education for their children, Parents sitting with their kids at night helping them with their homework, teachers who care and stay late – these are the things that will fix our schools. Encouraging safe sex, Empowering Women to be secure in themselves, teaching Boys to be men and giving them role models that respect women – these are the things that will lower the rate of single mothers and kids raised in poverty.
A liberal paternalism has developed where they push through issues because they think they will be better for the poor without actually talking to the poor about what will happen.
A great example of this would be the recent payday lending issue in Ohio. I listened to my friends say a variety of reasons as to why the payday lending rate should be lowered to 28%. Things such as “They should just learn to live within their means. The poor are using these places to buy flat screen TVs and these places take advantage of them.” Or such things as “A crappy credit card has about 28% interest, I don’t know why a pay day lender can’t survive at these rates. The poor people will be better off. Right now they are borrowing from one payday lender to pay another and are getting deeper and deeper into debt.”
I remember one friend who had went to a debate on the issue and came away insulted. One of the men opposing the lowering of the interest rate stated that many in the room wouldn’t understand because their skin wasn’t the right pigment. My friend was insulted that this man would feel that she wouldn’t understand. Now, while I don’t think understanding is linked to pigment color, the man was more right than wrong. The sad fact is that more minorities than whites are poor in Cleveland. These poor rely on payday lending locations. They are an integral part of their lives. A place they can turn to help through a rough patch when no one else will help. The passage of this issue is going to disproportionally affect African-Americans. They are the ones that are going to suffer all so that a few liberals can feel good as their paternalism runs amok.
My friend, however, didn’t understand and part of that stemmed from who she is. She never had to face not being able to qualify for a credit card. She had never had to closely monitor a budget where being a dollar off meant bouncing a check and not making rent. When she was short on cash she just moved back home with her parents and they helped take care of her, periodically bringing her out to nice dinners and helping her lease a new car when her old got ruined in an accident. However, if you are relying on payday lending places, this is not likely the type of family you have. Your parents are likely as poor as you are and you turn to payday lending so that you can make rent.
Now, I am not an expert on payday lenders, but a few things are quite obvious if you pause for a second and remove your holier-than-thou I know better than the poor what they need hat and think. These assertions ignore the basic reality that payday lenders cannot survive at 28% interest. The people they lend to have poor credit and many of them have poor credit for a reason. The default rate is high and 28% interest just won’t cover the pay day lender losses from people who refuse to pay. Quite honestly, I’m not sure if it’ll even cover the over head costs of the store and its workers. This means that payday lenders are going to close. People will lose jobs and people will have no legitimate place to turn when they come up short.
The reality is that without the payday lending places people are now going to bounce checks and pay much more in fees to the bank than they ever paid to the payday lender. And many of the poor are now going to seek out drug dealers or turn to crime to get the money they need when their paycheck just doesn’t stretch as far as it needs to one pay period.
Now I am not going to say that 391% might be too high and that pay day lenders couldn’t survive at a lower rate. What I am going to say, however, is that 28% is too low.
That is not to say that their aren’t some people that are irresponsibly using payday lenders to buy stuff they don’t need or are shifting from one pay day lender to another because they simply aren’t making enough money for their expenditures. However, there are some that are using them for what they were intended and who do need them. And these are the people that will unfairly suffer. At some point we as a society must say that we are willing to let the irresponsible suffer so that those who are trying their best don’t. If you use a pay lender to buy a flat screen tv and can’t pay it back. Too bad. You are an adult. Live with your choices. I am ok with you suffering so that some poor woman with three kids can make rent if she runs short before her next payday. And the reality that is their decision to make, not some right kid from the suburbs who has always had a safety net who will never quite understand true poverty because they have never lived it.
The government is not a parent. If we make it into one, we all become children. At some point we need to cut people off and say BE AN ADULT. Live with the consequence of you choices. If you screw up, too bad. A slippery slope develops when those in power think they know better than the masses. That is the type of philosophy that leads to dictators and death. There is a reason that America has thrived and survived for so long. There is a reason that no matter how bad it gets America can make it through it and come out the end better than the rest of the world. That reason is because in the end we trust the individual more than we trust the government. We empower the individual more than we empower the government. That is why we ALWAYS have more job creation than all of Europe combined. That is why our middle class is shrinking – many of them are moving up!!! Our middle upper to upper class range is growing!! More people are achieving the American dream. Even in the current economic crisis, we are fairing better than the rest of the world. If our government just leaves us alone, we will weather this storm just as we have weathered worst storms in the past (some studies show FDR’s policies extended the Great Depression by 7 years!!). We will bind together and pull ourselves up and reach out to our fellow man and pull them up to.
And this leads me back to the premise of this discussion, helping others. The Republicans trust themselves, charities and those who truly work with those in need to understand the needs of the disadvantaged. We trust these charities to work to help in the best way possible while not turning those it helps into helpless children. We want to help others, we just think it is our individual responsibility to do so and it is not appropriate to pass it on to the government. Because if the government takes over we stop helping. We lose our connection with those who are less fortunate. We become wrongly paternalistic and hurt those we are trying to help.
If we stop helping our fellow man, are we any longer the great human race that God created us to be? Or do we become children playing grownups in a world run by the parent government who dictates to us our every thought and removes from us the self reflection that makes us human? That crushes that innate American spirit that pushes us towards better things?
Do I want to live in a society where my government is my parent and where I have become the child? Do I want to live in a society where a failed government policy could ruin all of our lives? Do I want to live in a society where the government has so much power where we are one bad election away from creating a dictator? Do I want to live in a society where we have destroyed the American dream? Do I want to live in a society where we the let the government take our money and then decide how to spend it as though we have no stake in what we have rightfully earned? I think the answer to all of these questions is NO. And I think if you think about it long enough, you might agree with me.
Below you will find a rambling article. It quickly poured out of me and I wrote it down before it went away. I thought to post my reflections now because I wasn’t sure when I would have the time to go smooth it out. Please excuse types and random thoughts. I'll fix it later.
Perhaps one of the biggest distinction between the Republican and Democrat parties is their view in the role of the government in helping the downtrodden. The Democrats have championed the parent government that cares for all. The Republicans have pushed for a smaller government. This has led to the mistaken impression that Republicans do not care for the poor or the disadvantaged. The reality, however, is that the Republicans care (perhaps more than Democrats) but they see the individual as responsible for helping not the government. Conservatives give more to charities each year than liberals (documented fact – survey after survey with the same result). I wonder at this phenomenon and Liberals are always the one pushing for bigger and bigger government to help everyone. If they think so many people need help, why aren’t they doing it themselves? Instead, Liberals pass the buck to the government. They demand the government fix it. In part, I think, so that they don’t have to worry about and don’t have to feel guilty about not helping the less advantaged. What the real reason is, I can only speculate and as I don’t have a degree in psychology, it wouldn’t be the best use of my time.
Whatever the reason, the Liberal approach is going to lead to some serious problems. The belief in the parent government leads to problems. It leads to a disconnect between those who have achieved and those who have not. It removes role models from the inner cities where they are desperately needed. If the government handles it, the individual feels no need to intervene. The reality, however, is that societal problems must be solved by members of the society. Pushing it on the government just seems to make it worse. Just look at the ever increasing out of wedlock birthrates in this country. The increasing collapse of our schools. The culture of victimhood and despair that thrives in our inner cities. Money will not solve these problems (some of the worst schools in the country spend some of the highest rates per student). A government will not solve these problems. People will. Parents going into schools and demanding a better education for their children, Parents sitting with their kids at night helping them with their homework, teachers who care and stay late – these are the things that will fix our schools. Encouraging safe sex, Empowering Women to be secure in themselves, teaching Boys to be men and giving them role models that respect women – these are the things that will lower the rate of single mothers and kids raised in poverty.
A liberal paternalism has developed where they push through issues because they think they will be better for the poor without actually talking to the poor about what will happen.
A great example of this would be the recent payday lending issue in Ohio. I listened to my friends say a variety of reasons as to why the payday lending rate should be lowered to 28%. Things such as “They should just learn to live within their means. The poor are using these places to buy flat screen TVs and these places take advantage of them.” Or such things as “A crappy credit card has about 28% interest, I don’t know why a pay day lender can’t survive at these rates. The poor people will be better off. Right now they are borrowing from one payday lender to pay another and are getting deeper and deeper into debt.”
I remember one friend who had went to a debate on the issue and came away insulted. One of the men opposing the lowering of the interest rate stated that many in the room wouldn’t understand because their skin wasn’t the right pigment. My friend was insulted that this man would feel that she wouldn’t understand. Now, while I don’t think understanding is linked to pigment color, the man was more right than wrong. The sad fact is that more minorities than whites are poor in Cleveland. These poor rely on payday lending locations. They are an integral part of their lives. A place they can turn to help through a rough patch when no one else will help. The passage of this issue is going to disproportionally affect African-Americans. They are the ones that are going to suffer all so that a few liberals can feel good as their paternalism runs amok.
My friend, however, didn’t understand and part of that stemmed from who she is. She never had to face not being able to qualify for a credit card. She had never had to closely monitor a budget where being a dollar off meant bouncing a check and not making rent. When she was short on cash she just moved back home with her parents and they helped take care of her, periodically bringing her out to nice dinners and helping her lease a new car when her old got ruined in an accident. However, if you are relying on payday lending places, this is not likely the type of family you have. Your parents are likely as poor as you are and you turn to payday lending so that you can make rent.
Now, I am not an expert on payday lenders, but a few things are quite obvious if you pause for a second and remove your holier-than-thou I know better than the poor what they need hat and think. These assertions ignore the basic reality that payday lenders cannot survive at 28% interest. The people they lend to have poor credit and many of them have poor credit for a reason. The default rate is high and 28% interest just won’t cover the pay day lender losses from people who refuse to pay. Quite honestly, I’m not sure if it’ll even cover the over head costs of the store and its workers. This means that payday lenders are going to close. People will lose jobs and people will have no legitimate place to turn when they come up short.
The reality is that without the payday lending places people are now going to bounce checks and pay much more in fees to the bank than they ever paid to the payday lender. And many of the poor are now going to seek out drug dealers or turn to crime to get the money they need when their paycheck just doesn’t stretch as far as it needs to one pay period.
Now I am not going to say that 391% might be too high and that pay day lenders couldn’t survive at a lower rate. What I am going to say, however, is that 28% is too low.
That is not to say that their aren’t some people that are irresponsibly using payday lenders to buy stuff they don’t need or are shifting from one pay day lender to another because they simply aren’t making enough money for their expenditures. However, there are some that are using them for what they were intended and who do need them. And these are the people that will unfairly suffer. At some point we as a society must say that we are willing to let the irresponsible suffer so that those who are trying their best don’t. If you use a pay lender to buy a flat screen tv and can’t pay it back. Too bad. You are an adult. Live with your choices. I am ok with you suffering so that some poor woman with three kids can make rent if she runs short before her next payday. And the reality that is their decision to make, not some right kid from the suburbs who has always had a safety net who will never quite understand true poverty because they have never lived it.
The government is not a parent. If we make it into one, we all become children. At some point we need to cut people off and say BE AN ADULT. Live with the consequence of you choices. If you screw up, too bad. A slippery slope develops when those in power think they know better than the masses. That is the type of philosophy that leads to dictators and death. There is a reason that America has thrived and survived for so long. There is a reason that no matter how bad it gets America can make it through it and come out the end better than the rest of the world. That reason is because in the end we trust the individual more than we trust the government. We empower the individual more than we empower the government. That is why we ALWAYS have more job creation than all of Europe combined. That is why our middle class is shrinking – many of them are moving up!!! Our middle upper to upper class range is growing!! More people are achieving the American dream. Even in the current economic crisis, we are fairing better than the rest of the world. If our government just leaves us alone, we will weather this storm just as we have weathered worst storms in the past (some studies show FDR’s policies extended the Great Depression by 7 years!!). We will bind together and pull ourselves up and reach out to our fellow man and pull them up to.
And this leads me back to the premise of this discussion, helping others. The Republicans trust themselves, charities and those who truly work with those in need to understand the needs of the disadvantaged. We trust these charities to work to help in the best way possible while not turning those it helps into helpless children. We want to help others, we just think it is our individual responsibility to do so and it is not appropriate to pass it on to the government. Because if the government takes over we stop helping. We lose our connection with those who are less fortunate. We become wrongly paternalistic and hurt those we are trying to help.
If we stop helping our fellow man, are we any longer the great human race that God created us to be? Or do we become children playing grownups in a world run by the parent government who dictates to us our every thought and removes from us the self reflection that makes us human? That crushes that innate American spirit that pushes us towards better things?
Do I want to live in a society where my government is my parent and where I have become the child? Do I want to live in a society where a failed government policy could ruin all of our lives? Do I want to live in a society where the government has so much power where we are one bad election away from creating a dictator? Do I want to live in a society where we have destroyed the American dream? Do I want to live in a society where we the let the government take our money and then decide how to spend it as though we have no stake in what we have rightfully earned? I think the answer to all of these questions is NO. And I think if you think about it long enough, you might agree with me.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Final Election Thoughts
As I prepare to work and watch the polls all day, I wonder who will win and who will lose. I would like to say that the electorate in the end will make an informed decision and choose a candidate that will help us out of the current economic crisis, but I fear not. This is because the final loser in this election will be the main stream media.
The media forgot to do their job this election. They forgot that bias comes from not only how they cover things but what they cover. The electorate is going to the polls today thinking that Obama is going to give them a tax cut, which is simply not true. There is no tax cut. There is a tax credit that is reverse related to income so that the more you earn the less you are credited. Now I used to say half of those who qualify don't pay taxes so will essentially will be welfare for the working class, but as that top income under the Obama redistribution plan keeps shrinking from 250,000 to 200,000 to 150,000 to 120,000 as to those who qualify for tax credits, I think that half of those don't pay taxes has grown much higher.
Now the plan is give people who don't pay taxes money they didn't earn (i.e., welfare for the working class) leave a big chunk of the populace the same and then tax the hell out of everyone above 250,000 for families and 200,000 for individuals (including small businesses responsible for half of all new job creation) to cover the crazy spending spree he is proposing. Now his surrogates keep saying that the top part won't pay more that under Reagan. However, that is not true. Not even remotely true. Obama is proposing tax rates around 40% (for federal taxes mind you, these people still have to pay state and local taxes - they will have no more money). Under Reagan the tax rate was 28-29%. 29% is very different from 40%.
The crazy thing is that for all the lies regarding tax policy coming out of the Obama camp, the media has said nothing. They have completely failed to explain to the American people what this means. The American people are going to go to the voting booth with no idea what they are voting for and the economic implications of this kind of tax structure.
And of course there is Obama's environmental proposals. Proposals he himself admits will bankrupt to coal industry and cause energy prices to skyrocket. How many people heard that little bit of information from their media outlet? I'm going to go with very few. As we go into a recession, Obama is proposing an environmental policy that is going to bankrupt an entire industry and cause everyone's pocketbooks to hurt due to astronomically higher energy prices. This is going to cripple the economy and American's at home and that welfare for the working class isn't going to help. Yet does the media discuss this?
Obama's healthcare plan requires businesses to pay the full cost of healthcare. Many companies now pay a portion (usually 75% of the plan) and workers pay the rest. This way they can afford to hire another worker and provide affordable coverage. Now, under Obama's plan businesses are going to need to cut workers to pay provide full coverage. This is going to mean less jobs for Americans as we head into a recession. Yet the media doesn't discuss this.
Instead, we have Obama supporters shouting hope and change. Obama is apparently going to pay fr their gas and mortgage and everything else. He is just going to fix everything. Never mind that his policies are likely to cripple our economy. This little facts don't seem to sway the media.
Of course, there is Obama's past. A past that the media simply doesn't discuss. There is Reverend Wright (the hate-filled pastor that spews racism and divisiveness), Rezco (the corrupt real estate guy that got Obama his home), Odinga ( the opposition party candidate in Kenya that caused riots when he lost that Obama campaigned with and helped Odinga structure his campaign message), Ayers (the domestic terrorist that bombs the pentagon), and Khalidi (vocal Israel hater and former higher up of the PLO - terrorist group out of Palestine). I'm sure there are many more i haven't heard of. Yet does the media discuss this? No, they didn't.
So now we are about to elect a president whose history we have no clue on and whose policies we don't know about. How dumb can we be?
The media forgot to do their job this election. They forgot that bias comes from not only how they cover things but what they cover. The electorate is going to the polls today thinking that Obama is going to give them a tax cut, which is simply not true. There is no tax cut. There is a tax credit that is reverse related to income so that the more you earn the less you are credited. Now I used to say half of those who qualify don't pay taxes so will essentially will be welfare for the working class, but as that top income under the Obama redistribution plan keeps shrinking from 250,000 to 200,000 to 150,000 to 120,000 as to those who qualify for tax credits, I think that half of those don't pay taxes has grown much higher.
Now the plan is give people who don't pay taxes money they didn't earn (i.e., welfare for the working class) leave a big chunk of the populace the same and then tax the hell out of everyone above 250,000 for families and 200,000 for individuals (including small businesses responsible for half of all new job creation) to cover the crazy spending spree he is proposing. Now his surrogates keep saying that the top part won't pay more that under Reagan. However, that is not true. Not even remotely true. Obama is proposing tax rates around 40% (for federal taxes mind you, these people still have to pay state and local taxes - they will have no more money). Under Reagan the tax rate was 28-29%. 29% is very different from 40%.
The crazy thing is that for all the lies regarding tax policy coming out of the Obama camp, the media has said nothing. They have completely failed to explain to the American people what this means. The American people are going to go to the voting booth with no idea what they are voting for and the economic implications of this kind of tax structure.
And of course there is Obama's environmental proposals. Proposals he himself admits will bankrupt to coal industry and cause energy prices to skyrocket. How many people heard that little bit of information from their media outlet? I'm going to go with very few. As we go into a recession, Obama is proposing an environmental policy that is going to bankrupt an entire industry and cause everyone's pocketbooks to hurt due to astronomically higher energy prices. This is going to cripple the economy and American's at home and that welfare for the working class isn't going to help. Yet does the media discuss this?
Obama's healthcare plan requires businesses to pay the full cost of healthcare. Many companies now pay a portion (usually 75% of the plan) and workers pay the rest. This way they can afford to hire another worker and provide affordable coverage. Now, under Obama's plan businesses are going to need to cut workers to pay provide full coverage. This is going to mean less jobs for Americans as we head into a recession. Yet the media doesn't discuss this.
Instead, we have Obama supporters shouting hope and change. Obama is apparently going to pay fr their gas and mortgage and everything else. He is just going to fix everything. Never mind that his policies are likely to cripple our economy. This little facts don't seem to sway the media.
Of course, there is Obama's past. A past that the media simply doesn't discuss. There is Reverend Wright (the hate-filled pastor that spews racism and divisiveness), Rezco (the corrupt real estate guy that got Obama his home), Odinga ( the opposition party candidate in Kenya that caused riots when he lost that Obama campaigned with and helped Odinga structure his campaign message), Ayers (the domestic terrorist that bombs the pentagon), and Khalidi (vocal Israel hater and former higher up of the PLO - terrorist group out of Palestine). I'm sure there are many more i haven't heard of. Yet does the media discuss this? No, they didn't.
So now we are about to elect a president whose history we have no clue on and whose policies we don't know about. How dumb can we be?
Monday, November 3, 2008
Coal - the employer of the unskilled middleclass (and I suppose some skilled as well)
A video has surfaced. In it Obama says his policies will bankrupt the coal industry and cause energy prices to skyrocket. I don't know about you, but this seems like a really bad idea when we are heading into a recession. Right up there with Hoover's decisions to increase taxes on businesses and impose protectionist trade tariffs that launched an international trade war and helped force us into a Great Depression. Wait, doesn't Obama want to increase taxes on businesses and put in protectionist trade measures? Huh. This isn't looking good for the US economy.
I mean I am no Ph.D. in economics, but I am also not an idiot (As a side note I said years ago that the housing market was in a bubble, before even the Ph.D.'s agreed, so maybe I am smarter than Ph.D.... or maybe not, just saying). Call me crazy, but it just seems like a really bad idea to put in place policies that will bankrupt an industry that provides jobs for a whole lot of middleclass Americans (not including the impact the destruction of the coal industry would have on industries like railroads that derive a lot of business and profit from transporting coal) and cause energy prices to sky rocket. This would seem to hurt the middleclass. And I just don't think Obama's welfare for the working tax policy will compensate for the increased energy prices and higher unemployment.
Here is a link to a website that has tons of stuff on the video:
http://www.baltimorereporter.com/index.php?cat=38
here are some people's responses to Obama's comment:
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Ohio-Coal-Association-Says-Obama/story.aspx?guid=%7BDFD1EBEB-73EC-4661-B8BA-40D8EBD7D93D%7D
http://www.wvrecord.com/news/215679-coal-official-calls-obama-comments-unbelievable
http://news.aol.com/political-machine/tag/obama/
and CNN mentions it in a highly slanted way that ignores the fact that the newspaper with this video never released a transcript and never mentioned it contents to anyone, but they had the video in January so apparently it is old news even though no one had ever heard it (slant much??)
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/11/02/palin-knocks-obama-over-months-old-coal-comments/
Let's see if Pennsylvania officials actually care about their citizens. Will they say "Folks, I changed my mind. Don't vote for Obama." Or will they keep drinking the koolaid.
PS - Some democrats response has been but McCain supports cap and trade, too (this response doesn't work for a toddler, I'm not quite sure why they think it'll work as an adult). However, the plans are VERY VERY VERY different and McCain's plan is not going to bankrupt coal or drive up energy costs. His is more economy sensitive. Go research and compare. And, after all, he is a Republican. You know the green we speak of is money not trees (though we do love the environment, just a little less than Obama apparently).
I mean I am no Ph.D. in economics, but I am also not an idiot (As a side note I said years ago that the housing market was in a bubble, before even the Ph.D.'s agreed, so maybe I am smarter than Ph.D.... or maybe not, just saying). Call me crazy, but it just seems like a really bad idea to put in place policies that will bankrupt an industry that provides jobs for a whole lot of middleclass Americans (not including the impact the destruction of the coal industry would have on industries like railroads that derive a lot of business and profit from transporting coal) and cause energy prices to sky rocket. This would seem to hurt the middleclass. And I just don't think Obama's welfare for the working tax policy will compensate for the increased energy prices and higher unemployment.
Here is a link to a website that has tons of stuff on the video:
http://www.baltimorereporter.com/index.php?cat=38
here are some people's responses to Obama's comment:
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Ohio-Coal-Association-Says-Obama/story.aspx?guid=%7BDFD1EBEB-73EC-4661-B8BA-40D8EBD7D93D%7D
http://www.wvrecord.com/news/215679-coal-official-calls-obama-comments-unbelievable
http://news.aol.com/political-machine/tag/obama/
and CNN mentions it in a highly slanted way that ignores the fact that the newspaper with this video never released a transcript and never mentioned it contents to anyone, but they had the video in January so apparently it is old news even though no one had ever heard it (slant much??)
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/11/02/palin-knocks-obama-over-months-old-coal-comments/
Let's see if Pennsylvania officials actually care about their citizens. Will they say "Folks, I changed my mind. Don't vote for Obama." Or will they keep drinking the koolaid.
PS - Some democrats response has been but McCain supports cap and trade, too (this response doesn't work for a toddler, I'm not quite sure why they think it'll work as an adult). However, the plans are VERY VERY VERY different and McCain's plan is not going to bankrupt coal or drive up energy costs. His is more economy sensitive. Go research and compare. And, after all, he is a Republican. You know the green we speak of is money not trees (though we do love the environment, just a little less than Obama apparently).
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Campaign Financing Fraud
read this article:
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-obama-campaigns-credit-card-crack-up/
The campaign fraud in the Obama campaign is astonishing yet the news circuit isn't picking it up. Make sure everyone you know knows that Obama is essentially assisting his donors in breaking campaign finance law. Do you want a president that will go to such lengths to win?
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-obama-campaigns-credit-card-crack-up/
The campaign fraud in the Obama campaign is astonishing yet the news circuit isn't picking it up. Make sure everyone you know knows that Obama is essentially assisting his donors in breaking campaign finance law. Do you want a president that will go to such lengths to win?
New Articles from the Week And What I have Learned
Everyone hord your money and food supplies, it looks like Obam might be elected. The lessons I have learned from this election:
1. You can buy an election (particularly if you lie and say you are going to take public financing and then back out).
2. The media will blindly follow the person that says the prettiest things.
3. Once a sensation gets going its hard to throw it off the tracks, even if it should be.
4. Facts have apparently now become opinions and Republican stating a fact is insulting the person who "disagrees" with him (i.e., has the facts wrong).
5. Free speech has left the country unless you are praising the One.
6. The word change apparently makes people stop listening to the rest of the message,
7. We as a nation have learned nothing from history (whose ready for Great Depression 2.O(bama)?).
Articles from the week:
Obama saying he wouldn't mind bankrupting the coal industry:
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/p-j-gladnick/2008/11/02/hidden-audio-obama-tells-sf-chronicle-he-will-bankrupt-coal-industry
how Obama's economic policy is scarily similar to that which launched us into the great depression:
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/p-j-gladnick/2008/11/02/hidden-audio-obama-tells-sf-chronicle-he-will-bankrupt-coal-industry
media bias:
http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/scott-whitlock/2008/10/28/abc-cbs-morning-shows-skip-obama-redistribution-wealth-tape
do not challenge the one:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-barbara-west-joe-biden-102808,0,5063691,print.story
like many of the policies being endorced by the democrats today, the war on poverty did not work the first time (why are they recycling bad ideas - oh, right because the American people aren't taught anything anymore).
http://www.city-journal.org/2008/18_4_war_on_poverty.html
Obama - redistributing your money one court justice at a time:
http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/10/27/radio-interview-obama-laments-lack-supreme-court-ruling-redistributing-wealth/
the media - the PR arm of the Obama campaign:
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/john-stephenson/2008/10/25/la-times-witholds-video-obama-toasting-former-plo-operative-jew-bas
investors fear the one:
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/john-stephenson/2008/10/25/la-times-witholds-video-obama-toasting-former-plo-operative-jew-bas
1. You can buy an election (particularly if you lie and say you are going to take public financing and then back out).
2. The media will blindly follow the person that says the prettiest things.
3. Once a sensation gets going its hard to throw it off the tracks, even if it should be.
4. Facts have apparently now become opinions and Republican stating a fact is insulting the person who "disagrees" with him (i.e., has the facts wrong).
5. Free speech has left the country unless you are praising the One.
6. The word change apparently makes people stop listening to the rest of the message,
7. We as a nation have learned nothing from history (whose ready for Great Depression 2.O(bama)?).
Articles from the week:
Obama saying he wouldn't mind bankrupting the coal industry:
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/p-j-gladnick/2008/11/02/hidden-audio-obama-tells-sf-chronicle-he-will-bankrupt-coal-industry
how Obama's economic policy is scarily similar to that which launched us into the great depression:
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/p-j-gladnick/2008/11/02/hidden-audio-obama-tells-sf-chronicle-he-will-bankrupt-coal-industry
media bias:
http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/scott-whitlock/2008/10/28/abc-cbs-morning-shows-skip-obama-redistribution-wealth-tape
do not challenge the one:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-barbara-west-joe-biden-102808,0,5063691,print.story
like many of the policies being endorced by the democrats today, the war on poverty did not work the first time (why are they recycling bad ideas - oh, right because the American people aren't taught anything anymore).
http://www.city-journal.org/2008/18_4_war_on_poverty.html
Obama - redistributing your money one court justice at a time:
http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/10/27/radio-interview-obama-laments-lack-supreme-court-ruling-redistributing-wealth/
the media - the PR arm of the Obama campaign:
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/john-stephenson/2008/10/25/la-times-witholds-video-obama-toasting-former-plo-operative-jew-bas
investors fear the one:
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/john-stephenson/2008/10/25/la-times-witholds-video-obama-toasting-former-plo-operative-jew-bas
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
