Saving Congressman Ryan, Holy Grail, Higher Values & Syria
Saving Congressman Ryan
Flashback (or deja vous?). The Fuhrer had come to power with mesmerizing oratory and promises of new national salvation. He rallied his forces and drove deep into enemy territory, overturning the old order. The war had been fully engaged for over 2 years since the Fuhrer launched his blitzkrieg, and daring advances. The national socialists had advanced their control to the coasts, and were deeply entrenched in defensive positions. They appeared impregnable. But an invasion force of young brave men gathered to storm those beaches, and ashore they went to turn back those losses. The battle was fierce, and every weapon available was used against them. The enemy snipers directed their fire especially at one young soldier who seemed especially threatening, and those immediately around him, cutting him off from many of his comrades. But a force was sent in to save Private (er, Congressman) Ryan, and the valiant cause and powerful weapon he carried – a deficit-slashing budget that could turn the course of the war and save the nation from economic defeat. Are you – are we -- a part of that force?
Obama has now clearly turned from his message of hope and change and uniting to the attack and fear tactics he supposedly was so much against in his earlier campaign. And wasn’t he just recently saying the time for campaigning is over? But he is clearly in full campaign and personal attack mode, and class warfare and demagoguery is now fully engaged. Yes, those evil, merciless conservatives want to throw granny under the bus, starve the poor, let the helpless suffer and die, etc., etc. And if all those entitlement programs are not fully funded, the truly helpless will be the first to go – or so they would have you think.
It’s the same old tactics whenever budgets are threatened in many states and municipalities as in California – if there are any cuts, the threat is that the first to go will be the most essential – police, firefighters, etc., with the most dire consequences. In their mind there is no slack, no waste, no abuse or fraud or other less essential areas that could be cut. No, that would reduce their vote-buying power among the entitlement class. The only solution to deficit reduction for them is to raise taxes, and where are the pockets the deepest, and greed the most egregious? Why among the wealthiest, of course. Let’s raid their coffers, and share the wealth! And get the credit, as Robin Hood. And bite the hands that feed us. No matter that the top few percent already pay some 90% of all taxes at the highest rates, bearing the burden of the 45% who pay no taxes – those who have no skin in the game, but the power to vote to take the rich’s money – a form of “legalized robbery.”
S&P has now ominously downgraded the US credit outlook to negative. The handwriting is now clearly on the wall. A lower credit rating will devalue our currency, and up our interest rates for borrowing our huge national debt, on top of our already large fraction of budget going to interest alone (& principal). We must reverse course on the deficit trend Obama has set, or we and our children & grandchildren will know true hardship, and even fewer benefits than we have now. Liberals feel they can have their cake and eat it, too. But the reality is that either the entitlements are dramatically reformed, or there will be none at all. The conservative approach in the end is more humanitarian to the neediest among us, as well as the economy and population as a whole.
Obama said in December we needed to keep the Bush tax cuts to help the economy (after he promised he wouldn’t). Now he wants to raise taxes a trillion? Does he know something about the economy that noone else seems to?
The Holy Grail
Obama calls tax relief for the rich the conservatives’ “holy grail.” That those who can most afford it ought to bear more of the burden (than they already do). Hasn’t Obama or his advisors heard of the repeatedly-demonstrated Laffer’s Curve, that lower tax rates for the revenue-generating higher brackets generate more private sector growth and jobs, and government revenue? And that their Keynesian theories (their holy grail) have always been only that – theories, and never actually worked when tried, including the vast wealth wasted on his stimulus packages.
Pelosi complains of giving tax breaks to companies sending jobs overseas. We send jobs overseas because US firms already have the highest corporate tax rates in the industrialized world, and to be profitable and stay in business, they must go where taxes and labor rates are lower. And for those still in the U.S., citizens help pay those taxes by purchases to keep the companies in business, and to keep their employees employed, in addition to the already high taxes. States like California only add to the burden, and drive even more out of state and out of the country. It is not the businesses’ fault so much as the governments’ reneging on its obligation to promote “liberty and the pursuit of happiness” by quashing the very source of jobs, by making it impossible for them to compete here.
It is hardly coincidence that not a single Obama cabinet member or senior economic/policy advisor has any business experience. They’re out for growing government, not the economy, and the two of course are antithetical. The government sector has exploded in growth under Obama – with jobs that don’t produce GNP, but spend more and more of the income of the private sector thru taxes.
It is more than coincidence that the newly released Atlas Shrugged movie, based on Ayn Rand’s book, is only playing in Orange County theatres, and none in LA County. The book has also no doubt been banned in LA. No, let’s give socialism one more try – maybe this time it’ll work. Yes, let’s redistribute that wealth, so at least if there’s no excellence or quality, at least there’ll be equality. After all, it’s that metric (equality) that puts Cuba’s health care above ours according to the UN. It’s uniformly bad (well, except for the party leaders). And with Obamacare, we’re rapidly moving in that direction.
Relevance of Thomas Jefferson Today
A few quotes of Thomas Jefferson, the founder of the Democrat Party, are in order (see my April 2, 2010 blog post for more):
“I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.”
On redistribution of wealth: “The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.”
“A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine.”
“A society that will trade a little liberty for a little order will lose both, and deserve neither”
Is health care a right granted by Obama et al? “A free people [claim] their rights as derived from the laws of nature, and not as the gift of their chief magistrate.”
“Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms (of government) those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny”
“A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government.”
Higher Values?
Nancy Pelosi appeals to “higher values” embodied in the gospels that she says the debate should be about – not numbers. Which is of course alright for a liberal – but they’ll scream bloody murder if conservatives appeal to religious values. So just what is that higher value – that men should be forced to give to others under a welfare system that robs men of their dignity and motivation, and perpetuates social decay of the family, etc.? Is it that we spend our children's & grandchildrens' future inheritance and saddle them with even greater debt, pushing problems down the road for our comforts today? Is that the “social compact” Obama speaks of? To give more to a system that teaches them to wait for and expect a handout – for a fish, rather than to learn how to fish and feed themself? Is it the higher value of “from each, according to their ability, and to each, according to their need,” as Karl Marx preached, and which has failed every time? Is it the higher value of collective salvation, that all will be brought to the same level, forcibly, and “saved” together? I.e., the plan of Satan in the war in heaven?
What, then, of the parable of the talents that Christ taught? Or the example of the great prophets Abraham and Job whom the Lord blessed greatly materially, and who in turn did great good, to their own credit, and not the government’s? Or David or Solomon. Or that multiple times in the New Testament it is said that each will be judged according to his works (not for what he was forced to do)?
I like Dennis Miller’s observation: If you bring up Christianity, the Left counters with Darwin. If you then bring up survival of the fittest [vs. handouts], they say you should be more Christ-like.
For all their talk of caring for the most needy, and vilifying conservatives for greediness, liberals/Democrats statistically give much less charity as a fraction of income than conservatives. Biden’s giving over the last decade, for instance is a fraction of a percent. Maybe they’re just waiting until they must give by law, so that they don’t appear pious, or end up giving more than others, so that all are equal. How noble. Not that they can’t already give more to charity to show their concern, or even voluntarily give more on their tax return. Yes, they’re anxious to be generous with others’ hard-earned money, and to take the credit by buying the votes (with our money) of the 45% of Americans who now pay no taxes whatever, and get all the benefits of our welfare system, infrastructure, services, etc. Just as the unions do.
Que Syria, Syria
This administration’s foreign policy assessments have been woefully lacking, such as Hillary Clinton’s of Syria’s president Assad (cartoon below).
The Syrian as well as Iranian protests seemed as unthinkable as the Berlin Wall falling. Syria is the major conduit of arms & support from Iran to Hamas in Lebanon, the major thorn in Israel’s side. They constitute the current axis of evil, and their ruthless dealing with widespread protests show their true nature. Several hundred have been killed in Syria in the last month, with tanks and snipers being sent to towns. The outcome remains to be seen, but the Obama administration’s policies and credibility continue to blow in the wind. And it seems to have painted itself into a corner in Libya.
Flashback (or deja vous?). The Fuhrer had come to power with mesmerizing oratory and promises of new national salvation. He rallied his forces and drove deep into enemy territory, overturning the old order. The war had been fully engaged for over 2 years since the Fuhrer launched his blitzkrieg, and daring advances. The national socialists had advanced their control to the coasts, and were deeply entrenched in defensive positions. They appeared impregnable. But an invasion force of young brave men gathered to storm those beaches, and ashore they went to turn back those losses. The battle was fierce, and every weapon available was used against them. The enemy snipers directed their fire especially at one young soldier who seemed especially threatening, and those immediately around him, cutting him off from many of his comrades. But a force was sent in to save Private (er, Congressman) Ryan, and the valiant cause and powerful weapon he carried – a deficit-slashing budget that could turn the course of the war and save the nation from economic defeat. Are you – are we -- a part of that force?
Obama has now clearly turned from his message of hope and change and uniting to the attack and fear tactics he supposedly was so much against in his earlier campaign. And wasn’t he just recently saying the time for campaigning is over? But he is clearly in full campaign and personal attack mode, and class warfare and demagoguery is now fully engaged. Yes, those evil, merciless conservatives want to throw granny under the bus, starve the poor, let the helpless suffer and die, etc., etc. And if all those entitlement programs are not fully funded, the truly helpless will be the first to go – or so they would have you think.
It’s the same old tactics whenever budgets are threatened in many states and municipalities as in California – if there are any cuts, the threat is that the first to go will be the most essential – police, firefighters, etc., with the most dire consequences. In their mind there is no slack, no waste, no abuse or fraud or other less essential areas that could be cut. No, that would reduce their vote-buying power among the entitlement class. The only solution to deficit reduction for them is to raise taxes, and where are the pockets the deepest, and greed the most egregious? Why among the wealthiest, of course. Let’s raid their coffers, and share the wealth! And get the credit, as Robin Hood. And bite the hands that feed us. No matter that the top few percent already pay some 90% of all taxes at the highest rates, bearing the burden of the 45% who pay no taxes – those who have no skin in the game, but the power to vote to take the rich’s money – a form of “legalized robbery.”
S&P has now ominously downgraded the US credit outlook to negative. The handwriting is now clearly on the wall. A lower credit rating will devalue our currency, and up our interest rates for borrowing our huge national debt, on top of our already large fraction of budget going to interest alone (& principal). We must reverse course on the deficit trend Obama has set, or we and our children & grandchildren will know true hardship, and even fewer benefits than we have now. Liberals feel they can have their cake and eat it, too. But the reality is that either the entitlements are dramatically reformed, or there will be none at all. The conservative approach in the end is more humanitarian to the neediest among us, as well as the economy and population as a whole.
Obama said in December we needed to keep the Bush tax cuts to help the economy (after he promised he wouldn’t). Now he wants to raise taxes a trillion? Does he know something about the economy that noone else seems to?
The Holy Grail
Obama calls tax relief for the rich the conservatives’ “holy grail.” That those who can most afford it ought to bear more of the burden (than they already do). Hasn’t Obama or his advisors heard of the repeatedly-demonstrated Laffer’s Curve, that lower tax rates for the revenue-generating higher brackets generate more private sector growth and jobs, and government revenue? And that their Keynesian theories (their holy grail) have always been only that – theories, and never actually worked when tried, including the vast wealth wasted on his stimulus packages.
Pelosi complains of giving tax breaks to companies sending jobs overseas. We send jobs overseas because US firms already have the highest corporate tax rates in the industrialized world, and to be profitable and stay in business, they must go where taxes and labor rates are lower. And for those still in the U.S., citizens help pay those taxes by purchases to keep the companies in business, and to keep their employees employed, in addition to the already high taxes. States like California only add to the burden, and drive even more out of state and out of the country. It is not the businesses’ fault so much as the governments’ reneging on its obligation to promote “liberty and the pursuit of happiness” by quashing the very source of jobs, by making it impossible for them to compete here.
It is hardly coincidence that not a single Obama cabinet member or senior economic/policy advisor has any business experience. They’re out for growing government, not the economy, and the two of course are antithetical. The government sector has exploded in growth under Obama – with jobs that don’t produce GNP, but spend more and more of the income of the private sector thru taxes.
It is more than coincidence that the newly released Atlas Shrugged movie, based on Ayn Rand’s book, is only playing in Orange County theatres, and none in LA County. The book has also no doubt been banned in LA. No, let’s give socialism one more try – maybe this time it’ll work. Yes, let’s redistribute that wealth, so at least if there’s no excellence or quality, at least there’ll be equality. After all, it’s that metric (equality) that puts Cuba’s health care above ours according to the UN. It’s uniformly bad (well, except for the party leaders). And with Obamacare, we’re rapidly moving in that direction.
Relevance of Thomas Jefferson Today
A few quotes of Thomas Jefferson, the founder of the Democrat Party, are in order (see my April 2, 2010 blog post for more):
“I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.”
On redistribution of wealth: “The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.”
“A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine.”
“A society that will trade a little liberty for a little order will lose both, and deserve neither”
Is health care a right granted by Obama et al? “A free people [claim] their rights as derived from the laws of nature, and not as the gift of their chief magistrate.”
“Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms (of government) those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny”
“A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government.”
Higher Values?
Nancy Pelosi appeals to “higher values” embodied in the gospels that she says the debate should be about – not numbers. Which is of course alright for a liberal – but they’ll scream bloody murder if conservatives appeal to religious values. So just what is that higher value – that men should be forced to give to others under a welfare system that robs men of their dignity and motivation, and perpetuates social decay of the family, etc.? Is it that we spend our children's & grandchildrens' future inheritance and saddle them with even greater debt, pushing problems down the road for our comforts today? Is that the “social compact” Obama speaks of? To give more to a system that teaches them to wait for and expect a handout – for a fish, rather than to learn how to fish and feed themself? Is it the higher value of “from each, according to their ability, and to each, according to their need,” as Karl Marx preached, and which has failed every time? Is it the higher value of collective salvation, that all will be brought to the same level, forcibly, and “saved” together? I.e., the plan of Satan in the war in heaven?
What, then, of the parable of the talents that Christ taught? Or the example of the great prophets Abraham and Job whom the Lord blessed greatly materially, and who in turn did great good, to their own credit, and not the government’s? Or David or Solomon. Or that multiple times in the New Testament it is said that each will be judged according to his works (not for what he was forced to do)?
I like Dennis Miller’s observation: If you bring up Christianity, the Left counters with Darwin. If you then bring up survival of the fittest [vs. handouts], they say you should be more Christ-like.
For all their talk of caring for the most needy, and vilifying conservatives for greediness, liberals/Democrats statistically give much less charity as a fraction of income than conservatives. Biden’s giving over the last decade, for instance is a fraction of a percent. Maybe they’re just waiting until they must give by law, so that they don’t appear pious, or end up giving more than others, so that all are equal. How noble. Not that they can’t already give more to charity to show their concern, or even voluntarily give more on their tax return. Yes, they’re anxious to be generous with others’ hard-earned money, and to take the credit by buying the votes (with our money) of the 45% of Americans who now pay no taxes whatever, and get all the benefits of our welfare system, infrastructure, services, etc. Just as the unions do.
Que Syria, Syria
This administration’s foreign policy assessments have been woefully lacking, such as Hillary Clinton’s of Syria’s president Assad (cartoon below).
The Syrian as well as Iranian protests seemed as unthinkable as the Berlin Wall falling. Syria is the major conduit of arms & support from Iran to Hamas in Lebanon, the major thorn in Israel’s side. They constitute the current axis of evil, and their ruthless dealing with widespread protests show their true nature. Several hundred have been killed in Syria in the last month, with tanks and snipers being sent to towns. The outcome remains to be seen, but the Obama administration’s policies and credibility continue to blow in the wind. And it seems to have painted itself into a corner in Libya.
Comments
Post a Comment