Saturday, January 31, 2009

An interesting take on F.E.M.A., then and now

Does Obama really hate white people? Read this interesting take on his first FEMA challenge as commander-in-chief.

Friday, January 30, 2009

Meet Tom Daschle, tax cheat

We have officially entered the era of "b b b b b but Bush . . .". In less than 2 weeks, we have seen two tax cheats, two lobbyists, and a slew of other Obama cabinet and other position nominees with plenty of baggage, be called on to be the new leaders of the era of change.

The latest? Tom Daschle, former Senator and now consultant and chairperson for an evil corporation with un-reported income due to having a car and driver at his service, day and night.

And what happens when these hypocrites are exposed for who they are? The left seems to be ok with them. Why? Because there is always a double standard when it comes to someone on the other side of the isle.

However, it gets worse. As I spent my lunch hour and some time this evening browsing my usual online blogs and news sites, most of the comments I saw from supporters of Obama and his administration of "change" can be boiled down to the following:

1. It's an honest mistake. After all, how can a Senator possibly know when he is supposed to pay taxes for services he uses?
2. Just because he fixed the problem after he received notice he was being considered for a position does not mean he did not intend on fixing the problem in the first place.
3. The mistakes that are made by these candidates are not a true reflection of their character.
4. Bush was worse! Bush's picks were worse! They were all criminals, and murderers. Oh, and they started an illegal war!

How about picking someone who is 1. qualified, 2. an honest person, and 3. not someone who is beholden to all that is wrong with politics? That would be change we can believe in.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

It was a great day in American politics

Anyone who was not living under a rock without access to television, internet, or a newspaper, knows that today, the 2009 Obama "stimulus bill" was voted on and passed. No Republicans supported the bill, which was a wonderful sight to behold.

I thought a lot about this bill over the last few weeks and realized something. Obama is afraid. He did not need Republicans to pass the bill and despite his alleged "bipartisan" efforts, he made no real amendments that Republicans proposed, and made very few concessions. The concessions he did make were largely cuts due to public scrutiny. So, why did he press Republicans to support the measure?

Because when the bill and all of that "pork" money fails to do much for the economy, he could have argued that it was a bipartisan failure, instead of the blame falling on the shoulders of the Democratic party. Instead, that argument cannot be made.

The economy will improve, yet only about 15% of the money to be spent will be done before 2010, and most of that money will go to things not really classified as a "stimulus" to the economy. Instead, we have just seen the House attempt the largest transfer of wealth in this country to citizens who already pay no federal taxes and at best, minimum state taxes. We have also seen the largest pork-stuffed bill in history be passed by the House, despite Obama's pledge to end earmarks. When the economy improves, most of this money will remain unused, yet you can be sure liberals will claim it is due to recession spending, and not due to capitalism, despite clear evidence that recession spending does not end a recession. Should the stimulus bill pass and be implemented, you should the have even less motivation to work hard and succeed, because that simply means you will be paying more for people who lack the same motivation as you.

Also remember that Obama pledged to create or "save" jobs. Which means when State governments receive their portions of the pork pie, they can continue to spend and waste, rather then trim their budgets and drop government jobs. Which means Obama will say he is victorious in his pledge. However, I am willing to bet the efficiency of government services will not improve much, if at all. In a year from now, when you are standing in line at an IRS office, or at the DMV, or any other government locale, you will be hard-pressed to find the line moving quicker than it is right now.

The next time you hear a liberal tout this bill, challenge them. Ask them about the bill and what is great about it. What wasteful spending provision will benefit the country? What motivation is left to work hard? How will it help a recession if the money will not be spent in the actual recession? If the situation is so dire, why is the money not being spent immediately?

Sunday, January 18, 2009

January 20, 2009, the start of a new era

I was watching the 2 hour special of Dateline NBC that was pretty much indicating Barack Obama was the greatest person on the planet. It made me chuckle. All this pomp and circumstance for someone who has yet to become President.

January 20th, 2009 reflects a new change in American politics and I hope that the new President will get the economy back on track without damaging my pocketbook or taking my rights away. If he can, then I will gladly vote for him the next time around. I am skeptical about his ability to do all of this, but I will give him the benefit of the doubt for now.

8 years ago and 4 years ago, I made some predictions about the upcoming 4 years after an election and the friend I was speaking with told me I should have written them down. So, for the sake of reflection, I will write my predictions down here. Because of this election:

1. It's ok to send your kids to a posh, private school, despite liberals getting on conservatives for doing this.
2. Anyone who disagrees with President Obama's policies will be a racist.
3. Going along with #2, it's ok to accuse anyone who disagrees with him, a racist.
4. It's ok to spend billions of dollars and go further into debt, because a liberal is in the White House.
5. It's ok to support bailouts of irresponsible corporations and homeowners, because a liberal proposed it.
6. A President who did not serve in the military is ok.
7. Relying on yourself instead of the government is a sign of weakness.
8. It's ok to shut out Republicans from the government, even though Democrats once said it was wrong to do.
9. "Change we can believe in" will not include bi-partisan solutions, freedom of speech, a hands-off government, self-reliance, lower taxes, or non-violent protests.
10. The "fairness" doctrine will only apply to conservative-dominant areas, such as talk radio.
11. Even though the following were not good indicators of the state of the country, or were inflated, or flat out wrong, when they improve, they will be considered valid indicators for the new administration: the NASDAQ index, unemployment numbers, the number of people who are uninsured, and the deficit level.
12. Hard questions for President Obama will be considered unreasonable.
13. There will not really be any hard questions for most of his administration.

These are just a few predictions for the upcoming 4 years.