Return of the Swamp Creature March 15, 2010
Posted by Dr. Robert Owens in Uncategorized.Tags: Acorn, Charles Rangel, Dr. Robert Owens, Mayor Daley, Nancy Pelosi, Obama, Rep. Darrell Issa, Rep. Joe Sestak
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When the San Francisco über liberal Nancy Pelosi became the Speaker of the House she said she was going to drain the swamp of political corruption they claimed were created by 12 years of Republican control of Congress. Instead of draining anything Speaker Pelosi and her ham-fisted cohorts have brought slime time to prime time as they wallow in what they came to drain.
Representative Charles Rangel who’s been in charge of writing tax policies for the Democratic Congress couldn’t seem to pay his own taxes or even report millions of dollars of income. This of course is everyone else’s fault. He has been forced to resign as chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee. Then there’s the curious case of the Democrat Representative from New York who eagerly resigned rather than face an ethics investigation and then imploded on national television. Now the question turns to what did the Speaker know and when did she know it. Allegations have surfaced that her office was informed last year about Congressman Massa’s tickle parties and Greco-Roman wrestling matches with male staffers but did not inform the ethics committee.
And the rot goes all the way to the top. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), the top Republican on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee charges the Obama administration may have broken the law by offering Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) a job if he wouldn’t challenge Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) in a primary. Rep. Sestak admits the administration offered him a high-ranking government job if he’d stay out of the race. Rep. Sestak made the accusation twice on national television. Democrats seem determined to prove Lord Acton’s famous quote, “All power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
Where will this cavalcade of corruption lead? Detroit is a picture of America’s future. After decades of control by Progressive Democrats what was once one of the greatest manufacturing cities in the world has degenerated to the point where banks are paying people to take abandoned houses and the best idea they have is to downsize the city by converting empty lots into farmland. With a 75% dropout rate in their schools and yes, Virginia, blatant corruption and low morals in high places, a collapsing economy and massive social dislocation Detroit is a vision for the shabby world Progressivism creates.
When Detroiters lined up to collect what they called Obama Money they couldn’t tell interviewers where the money they were waiting to receive came from all they knew was it was free, and someone was handing it out. This is where Nancy and her ethically challenged followers are leading America, a world where some people are bilked so others can receive freebees that never raise them out of poverty but instead encase them in it.
Is this shabby future inevitable? Is there any chance of avoiding the toxic embrace of this corrupt Swamp Creature? One more free election, one without the heavily Democrat illegal immigrant and convicted felon population voting and without His Honor Mayor Daley and Acorn counting the votes and we’ll see America hand the Pelosi-Reid super majority their hat and show them the door. That will be the greatest victory for America since Saratoga and Yorktown. But what about the dreaded ever-living spawn of the Swamp Thing?
The damage that can be done before we show this crowd of Progressives to the back benches may hang on like a summer cold. Health Care Reform with thousands of pages of governmentese double-speak has the potential to become the pile of paper that devoured a nation. No entitlement once established has ever been repealed, and since we aren’t allowed to know what’s in it until it passes who knows what anti-freedom anti-liberty provisions it will foist on us. Cap-N-Tax cobbled together with various bits of legislation, executive orders and bureaucratic regulation may lurch off the table and start pushing us towards seven dollar a gallon gas and the dislocations this would bring all in the name of discredited Al and his band of unethical cheating scientists. Millions of acres of potentially rich energy producing land may be seized and forever locked in the Fed’s clinging claw while NASA is slated to become the eye-in-the-sky for the man-made Global Warming fanatics. There’s the international apology tours and We Are the World/Workers of the World Unite silliness that are daily depreciating the American brand. And the hockey stick curve that represents our national debt will weigh down generations of Americans.
The damage the Obama-Pelosi-Reid triumvirate causes before we drain their swamp will hang like a mill stone around the neck of our nation. It will take more than a stake of holly or a silver bullet to bring these Progressive policies down. It will take a populace educated in the founding documents of our Republic. A people determined to re-establish the last best hope of mankind. A people dedicated to resuscitating a nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. It will take citizens resolved that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.
Dr. Owens teaches History, Political Science, and Religion for Southside Virginia Community College and History for the American Public University System. http://drrobertowens.com © 2010 Robert R. Owens dr.owens@comcast.net
American Exceptionalism and a Can Do Attitude March 8, 2010
Posted by Dr. Robert Owens in Uncategorized.Tags: American Exceptionalism, City on a Hill, cradle-to-grave welfare state, Dr. Robert Owens, fundamentally transforming America, limited government, Progressives, Ronald Reagan
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Researching the national political scene could become depressing in an era when Progressives dedicated to fundamentally transforming America hold almost total control of the media and the government especially when they’re working hard to turn a recession into a depression. However, the Obama drama is like watching a slow-motion train wreck, if not inspiring at least it’s entertaining. Daily we’re assaulted by a Washington elite dedicated to proving Saturday Night Live never went far enough into satire to capture the nonsensical folly of our elected leaders.
Hourly our intelligence is insulted by people telling us they want to spend more money to lower the deficit and balance the budget as the deficit climbs higher and faster than ever before, and the national debt careens past satire into the theater of the absurd. Minute by minute we’re assaulted by news such as the self admitted Communist who was purged from the White House in the middle of the night is now an American Treasure. Or that the President’s long time pastor and mentor Rev. Wright recently honored Minister Louis Farrakhan the leader of the Nation of Islam with the Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. Lifetime Achievement Trumpeteer award. Is that the last trumpet I hear?
Suffice it to say the national scene in America today appears determined to prove one of Mark Twain’s less repeated quotes, “Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it.”
Watching our leaders act as if Dilbert comic strips are their leadership manual it’s hard not to keep at least one eye out for Curley, Larry and Moe to dance in hitting each other with rubber hammers and spraying seltzer all over the place. Oh wait a minute that’s Pelosi, Reid and Rohm Emmanuel. If it wasn’t so tragic it’d be laughable to think these Chicago ward healers and their Progressive front men really believed they’d get away with hijacking a nation like it was a semi filled with flat screen TVs.
Concentrating on this every day could become depressing, but I realized long ago not to take it too seriously it all perishes with the using and it’s the things that won’t that are important. Besides, I look to my local government for a more realistic notion of how America is doing. The leaders I see are actually struggling to come to grips with the dire economic times we face. They aren’t charging it to the kids, taxing the citizens into poverty or begging for handouts from bloated state and federal governments. They’re making the hard, unpopular choices, cutting this and limiting that in order to maintain a balanced budget. Yes it’s hard work. Yes, it’s likely to lead to some of them not being re-elected. And yes, it’s what they volunteered for and what we chose them for.
In some areas this picture won’t match reality. In some places such as California, Illinois, Harrisburg PA, Chicago, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Los Angeles the Progressives who’ve controlled these places for generations desperately try to find new ways to plunder their citizens as they contemplate bankruptcy. However, no matter how the remaining proponents of ever expanding entitlements and pork barrel budgets try to prop up their house of cards there are daily more citizens who get it. Not one to profusely quote President Clinton I’m happy to recommend that we all repeat together, “The era of big government is over.” Our elected officials need to get it instead of following the lemmings over the cliff.
Yes this could get depressing but I believe in American Exceptionalism and a can do attitude. I believe that our history and our future have been and will be defined by our devotion to limited government and the liberty and opportunity this provides.
Throughout our history when the days looked the darkest Americans braved the icy Delaware to surprise the overconfident mercenaries. We surrounded the largest army of the greatest empire on earth at Yorktown and birthed freedom from oppression. After the professional soldiers of the former masters came in like a flood chasing the representatives of the people and burned our new capital we met them again on the way to New Orleans and handed them the greatest defeat their arms had ever suffered. When the dispute over slavery finally ruptured the wound which had festered since independence and other nations thought we would devour ourselves in a nightmare of blood and steel we rose from the ashes, re-united and became the greatest industrial power the world has ever known. When the Nazi and Fascists of the twentieth century thought they would rule for a thousand years America led the rest of the world in defeating them. When the Soviets and other Communists sought to crush freedom under their collective heel the United States held high the beacon of freedom.
Yes, no matter how out of fashion it may be with the media or the liberal establishment I believe in America Exceptionalism and the can do attitude of the American people. No matter how hard our progressive leaders try to grow our traditionally limited government into a cradle-to-grave welfare state I do not believe they’ll succeed in suffocating the light of liberty which burns bright in the breast of America. And since I’m quoting presidents today I want to end with President Ronald Reagan who told us, “A troubled and afflicted mankind looks to us, pleading for us to keep our rendezvous with destiny; that we will uphold the principles of self-reliance, self-discipline, morality, and, above all, responsible liberty for every individual that we will become that shining city on a hill.”
Dr. Owens teaches History, Political Science, and Religion for Southside Virginia Community College and History for the American Public University System. http://drrobertowens.com © 2010 Robert R. Owens dr.owens@comcast.net
Why This When We Want That? March 1, 2010
Posted by Dr. Robert Owens in Uncategorized.Tags: Cut Regulations, Cut Taxes, Dr. Robert Owens, Health Care Summit, Mitch McConnell, Obama, Representative Cantor, toxic derivatives
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Now that the Health Care Summit is over could we have a Jobs Summit or an Economy Summit? And what a Health Summit it was. When Mitch McConnell the leader of the Senate Republicans pointed out a two for one disparity between the time given to the Democrats and the Republicans Mr. Obama explained, “I don’t count my time because I’m the President.” Senator McCain criticized the current democrat bills for backroom pay-offs and unsavory deals. President Obama quipped this was no time for campaigning since “The elections over.” Representative Cantor, the Republican Whip complained of the excessive length of the health care bills. The President told him displaying the massive bills was merely using them as a prop. Such dismissive mockery doesn’t build agreement.
With the health care process finally out of the backrooms and on TV what did we see? Were we treated to hours of soaring oratory hype proclaims the best in a generation or were we bored to tears? After a few minutes of the President’s lengthy introduction it was painfully obvious that off his teleprompter the Moderator-in-Chief has a hard time framing a complete sentence or expressing a thought. There were more ums and ahs then in a freshman speech class.
Our Professor-in-Chief lectures us daily proving he and his teleprompter may be the greatest orator since Reagan but he’s a poor communicator. How can anyone give hundreds of speeches over a year and then say the reason no one supports his program is because he hasn’t made it clear enough for us to understand. Either he’s saying he can’t communicate or he’s saying we’re too dumb. Maybe instead of thousand page bills he could give us an outline or a PowerPoint? Perhaps it’s time the professor hears what the people are singing, “Hey Teacher, leave those kids alone!”
The vast majority of people want to keep the insurance coverage they have. Sure it would be great to provide insurance for those who don’t have any but if that’s the goal for much less than any of the trillion dollar projections for the nationalization of our health care system we could buy Cadillac plans for every person who needs it. So what’s the point? Why wreck what 84.6% of the people have to insure the other 15.4%? Buy them the insurance. Leave the rest of us alone!
The State of the Union Speech told us our esteemed leader was pivoting away from the health care paradox to focus on reviving our flagging economy. Instead we see the President compulsively fixed on taking-over America’s health care system. The question is why? Once the Feds take over health care besides directly controlling up to 18% of the economy it will also give the vast new army of wellness bureaucrats who will follow the power to interfere in the most intimate and personal aspects of our lives. What we eat, how we exercise, how we drive, what light bulbs we use and where we can smoke all will become health care issues as America slithers towards totalitarianism, which is the total control of a population by their government.
People bought into the vision of “I’m Not Bush” standing between Styrofoam pillars spouting platitudes and avoiding specifics in the midst of an economic meltdown caused by lobbyist advanced cronies and casino capitalism. George II’s answer to his pals sinking the economy with government forced bad loans and toxic derivatives was bail out the perpetrators with tax money from the victims. And what does Hope and Change do? Double down with a pork-filled stimulus boondoggle that’s essentially a slush fund to re-elect Democrats in 2010. Now as an anemic recovery lurches towards a double-dip instead of doing anything anyone believes would actually help he’s banging the health care drum like a political rain man reciting what the weather was like on November 8, 2008.
Is it credible to believe that a team of political operatives who cut their teeth in the swamps of Chicago, who had the finesse to sell an empty suit with smoke and mirrors can’t hear hundreds of millions of Americans shouting, “We don’t want this we want that!” This makes no sense. How do political savants turn into tone-deaf conductors, colorblind painters and tangle-foot dancers overnight? Mistakes of this magnitude do not occur innocently. Almost every political pundit in the nation is endlessly chattering that the Democrats are following the President like lemmings off a midterm cliff and yet the White House organization is focused like a laser on nationalizing health care. Leave it alone! Move on. Allow freedom to fix economy before unsustainable debt sinks the ship of state.
Americans want the economy fixed. This isn’t rocket science. Economic geniuses such as Hayek and Friedman and political leaders such as Coolidge and Reagan charted the course years ago. Fixing the economy is simple: cut taxes, cut the strangulation of regulation and get out of the way. Europe is sinking under the weight of its version of socialism and if we make America the haven of freedom capital and talent will flock to our shores. If we don’t all that capital and talent may well flock to the rising colossus of the East. Forget the health care take over, the photo-ops and endless speeches we don’t want this we want that.
Dr. Owens teaches History, Political Science, and Religion for Southside Virginia Community College and History for the American Public University System. http://drrobertowens.com © 2010 Robert R. Owens dr.owens@comcast.net
The Party of Hell No! February 22, 2010
Posted by Dr. Robert Owens in Uncategorized.Tags: 2010 election, Dr. Robert Owens, GOP, Obama, Progressives, Scott Brown, Tea Parties, The Party of No
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The Democrats have decided to re-name the Republicans the Party of No. That’s it. That’s their strategy to avoid an electoral debacle shaping up to be as bad for the Party of Hope and Change as 1994 was for the Party of Grope and Sleaze. Many have tried this strategy before. Harry Truman ran against the “Do-Nothing Congress” in 1948. Given their legislative and economic record, it makes sense the Democrats want the American people to spend the election year looking at someone else besides the Denizens of Chicago’s 51st Ward.
The basic flaw in their scheme to fool America is that due to the disastrous nature of our first year in Camelot II the Government Party has been unmasked for the grasping Progressives they are and the Independents who swing the vote have decided the Democrats are the Party of No-Way!
If the Republicans have a connection to the mood of the nation they won’t fight the Party of No label. This catchy slur is being decimated daily by the megaphones available to the Media. With the breadth and depth of the Progressive propaganda machine it’s impossible for anyone to escape the drum-beat Republican = Party of No. It’s impossible to escape being slapped with a brush that big. In Karate you use your own directed force. In Jujitsu you use the opponents’ force against them. The Republican explanations of their positions are lost in the continuous shouts of the Democrats and their Media. There’s no way to avoid the brand, so embrace it with a flourish. Campaign as the Party of Hell No!
The President speaks every day in his perpetual campaign of blame waging his finger in our face saying inherited every mistake he’s made. However, the Democrats controlled Congress for the last two years of the Bush debacle. Although Mr. “I have abandoned free market principles to save the free market system” never saw a spending bill he would veto. It was the Democrat leaders Pelosi and Reid who passed the budgets Mr. Hope and Change ran against.
Debating an endless string of straw men the President, his Chicago crew and the other Progressive grifters in his organization try to convince America that with a 60 seat filibuster-proof majority in the Senate and a 59% majority in the House it was the Republicans who stopped them from fundamentally transforming America. According to the media template if it wasn’t for the obstructionist Party of No we’d be linked arm-in-arm from sea to shining sea singing kumbaya, eating granola and hugging a tree. The problem for our Progressive masters is no-body’s buying their flim-flam except the Kool-Aid drinkers, the hardcore socialists and the made-guys with a piece of the action.
As the Party of Hell No! the Republicans can point out that Mr. Obama couldn’t get his transforming legislation through a Congress in the iron grip of his own party. Even with overwhelming majorities enough of his own people were either worried about re-election or had enough devotion to the Constitution to stand in his way. Then with the election of Scott Brown the administration acts as if only 59 votes out of 100 in the Senate make it impossible to govern. The Republicans have a great opportunity to shine a light on the corruption and arrogance of a Democrat organization that’s completely out of touch and out of step with the country they want to transform.
The Free Media and the resistance of everyday people typified in the Tea Parties and the Town Halls would coalesce around a Party of Hell No! As long as they could be convinced this wasn’t a death row conversion on the part of the Republicans. If those who want to restore constitutionally limited government could regain control of the Grand Old Party, if they jettison the Progressives who have dominated the party since George I, if they’d nominate candidates dedicated to righting the ship of state the wavering mass of Independents would flock to their standard.
It’s apparently obvious to the President and his handlers that people have seen through the hype and are mobilizing to excise them and their Progressive aberration from the body politic so they’re relying on their tried and true playbook, misdirect, mislead, mislabel and conquer. Instead of running on their discredited agenda they’ve deiced to run against the Party of No. With billions in free advertizing everyday from the Media they may pull that one off. But if The Party of No has the grit to be the Party of Hell No! we may emerge from this long dark night to see another morning in America.
Dr. Owens teaches History, Political Science, and Religion for Southside Virginia Community College and History for the American Public University System. http://drrobertowens.com © 2010 Robert R. Owens dr.owens@comcast.net
How True is the Truth? February 14, 2010
Posted by Dr. Robert Owens in Uncategorized.Tags: Budget deficit, Declaration of Independence, National Debt, progressive tax system, Rep. James Clyburn, Taxes
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Everyone wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die. In a similar fashion everyone wants smaller budgets and lower taxes but nobody wants their services cut. Like all truisms these sound right but are they?
Consider the first one. Agnostics aren’t sure whether there is a God or not consequently they say there is no heaven and pray there is no hell so they have a vested interest in remaining above room temperature. Atheists are sure there isn’t any God and sure there isn’t any heaven so they want to hang on as long as they can since the alternative isn’t. The big rub comes when we think of believers. They know there’s a God and know there is a heaven so why don’t they want to die? Some believers believe there’s a God and believe there’s a heaven but aren’t sure if they’ll make it in so it makes sense they want to hang around at least long enough to earn enough points to get to where they want to go instead of any alternatives they may also believe in. The real puzzler is the believers who believe in God and believe in heaven and who also believe they know they’re going to heaven. I know many people who fit into this category and without an exception none of them appear to want to die. Now if heaven is a better place and dying is the entrance fee wouldn’t it make sense to want to die?
One of the principle leaders of the we know there’s a God, know there’s a heaven and know we’re going to heaven party once said if it was up to him he’d just as soon go to a better place but since it would benefit others if he kept on keeping on he’d forgo the pleasure dying would bring and continue to live. Now a selfless choice to keep on living makes sense in that situation and I want to imagine that’s what everyone fitting into this category is doing but I also imagine I should see a whole lot more “Benefiting of others” going on. So actually the saying should be, “Some people believe in heaven but for one reason or another nobody wants to die.” That doesn’t have the impact of the original does it?
Turning to the second truism, “Everyone wants smaller budgets and lower taxes but nobody wants their services cut.” Not everyone wants a smaller budget. Most people who work for government don’t. Most people who receive benefits don’t. Most elected officials don’t. And among those who do it usually comes down to take theirs don’t touch mine. If an environmentalist wants a smaller budget they want subsidies cut from big oil but support subsidies to big ethanol. If supporters of military intervention want a smaller budget they may support cutting off the tree-huggers at the knees but they want that latest weapons systems. Then there are those who want to increase the budget dropping pearls of wisdom like, “We’ve got to spend our way out of this recession.”
What about taxes? Doesn’t everyone want taxes lowered? No, taxation without representation may have worked to stir this country to rebellion but today there are many people who don’t vote yet want taxes raised higher and higher. How can this be? In America today we have certain groups of people who’re essentially exempt from taxes and recipients of direct benefits and others who pay taxes and don’t receive much from the government except next year’s quarterly tax vouchers. The progressive tax system has achieved its goal, from each according to their ability to each according to their need.
Since people from the boomer-living-life-large-petal-to-the-metal generation are in charge budgets equate to if one is good ten is better so if the milk cow rich finance our lifestyle now how about a bigger day? Let’s milk them twice, three times, how about four times as much. Problem is we want more cheese than we have milk. As the national Visa bill grows and our foreign bankers want more interest the income level it takes to be considered one of the milk cow rich keeps getting lower. The long coddled poor still don’t realize that the amount they receive in their monthly dole will eventually paint a target on their wallet to help the still poorer in our globalized village. The morbidly obese welfare recipient with three color TVs and two cars is one of the wealthiest people on earth and this redistributionist plunder empire can only continue to survive with fresh victims to plunder. Have we changed our national motto to “Stand and deliver” yet?
How true is the truth? The definition of a truism is an undoubted or self-evident truth. We see from the short examination above truisms often falter when they collide with scrutiny. What about these truisms, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” They acknowledge a creator and speak of life. They acknowledge liberty and a right to pursue happiness. Milk cows don’t pursue happiness they only exist to give milk and they only live as long as they do. And that’s the truth.
Dr. Owens teaches History, Political Science, and Religion for Southside Virginia Community College and History for the American Public University System. http://drrobertowens.com © 2010 Robert R. Owens dr.owens@comcast.net
How Dumb Does He Think We Are? February 8, 2010
Posted by Dr. Robert Owens in Uncategorized.Tags: China buys American debt, Cornhusker Kickback, Freeze on spending, James Clyburn, Louisiana Purchase, National Debt, Obama, remaking America
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As the economy constricted from the latest bubble what have we done? On an individual basis unless we have an economic death wish we cut back spending, increase saving and pray we don’t get downsized, rightsized or thrown under the bus to free up capital for someone else’s bonus. As a business owner we follow the same pattern. People wonder why banks aren’t loaning money to small businesses. Don’t mistake a symptom for the disease. Banks aren’t loaning because businesses aren’t borrowing.
Businesses aren’t expanding they’re trying to survive. With the re-making of America still an enigma wrapped in a riddle on the horizon no one knows how to make an educated guess as to what the future holds. Without a clear vision of what will be required tomorrow it’s impossible to plan today. From Main Street to Wall Street people are keeping their heads down hoping if we click our heels enough times we’ll end up back in the America we know and love hoping we won’t have to admit this transparent collectivist shell game is the New Normal.
According to a Gallup poll in October of 2009 only 20 % of the country describes themselves as liberals. It’s only through deception and manipulation this minority has the power to re-make America. They don’t campaign as what they are because they know they’d lose. They always campaign as middle-of-the-road and rule as left-wing ideologues while continuing to deny that’s what they are.. Although the President and the other Progressive leaders consistently blame the Republicans for the stall in their efforts to re-make America everyone can see that it’s in-fighting among the government party that’s holding up the change. The Democrats have more than enough votes to pass anything they want if they could just agree as to what they want. These so-called public servants elbow their way to the trough with everyone against everyone else grabbing for a bigger cut of the swag, a Louisiana Purchase here and a Cornhusker Kickback there. It isn’t the legacy of George II. It’s this disgusting battle of greed and avarice is what’s restraining the enlightened from imposing the unwanted on the unsuspecting.
It’s just this uncertainty that is clouding the vision of business leaders from Mom and Pop to those at the top. While the threat of more progressive do-gooderism whether by legislation, regulation or executive order prohibits anyone from knowing which way to jump the Obama administration’s recent budget proposal proves that any talk of deficit reduction is just talk. According to President Obama and his teleprompter he never faces a single challenge that isn’t someone else’s fault and the only reason he’s mortgaging our great-great-great grandchildren to the Communist Chinese is because George made him do it. Does he really believe if he talks deficit reduction while proposing the biggest budget with the biggest deficit in history anyone is going to fall for it? The question comes to mind, how dumb does he think we are?
This budget says the answer to this question must be he thinks we’re real dumb. The proposed smoke-and-mirrors freeze on discretionary spending, something he opposed during his campaign, is like someone who’s seriously overweight saying they’re going to stop putting ketchup on their fries as if that will solve the problem. We can see this kind of logic everyday at Mickey D’s as we watch the morbidly obese order double this and extra that along with a diet soda. It may make them feel as if they’re doing something about their weight while actually moving in the wrong direction. The proposed savings of 250 billion over 10 years amounts to a rounding error in a budget of 3.5 trillion with a one year deficit of 1.35 Trillion. During the same 10 year period the National Debt is projected to grow by 9 trillion. The Congressional Budget Office Report projects yearly deficits of over one trillion dollars every year for the next decade. So in other words at best this “freeze’ merely slows the rate of growth in the future destroying national debt. Maybe we should try that with MasterCard or Visa. “Hi, I over spent by 1.5 trillion last month and now I’m cutting back, I’ll only over spend by 1.499 trillion next month that should solve the problem.” I’m guessing that wouldn’t work too well. Who would even propose such an outrageous solution? Only someone who thinks the credit card company is as dumb as a bag of hammers.
While barnstorming the country campaigning as a deficit hawk President Obama proposes the biggest budget in history consuming the largest percentage of the economy since World War II. A budget that’s clearly re-distributive in nature with huge tax hikes on the demonized rich to fund vote-buying benefits for the preferred classes. This re-making of America budget is the culmination of generations of Progressive class warfare taught in schools, promoted by unions and enshrined through legislation. The capstone of their arrogance and a statement which shows just how dumb they think we are was shamelessly shared by the third ranking Democrat in the House, majority whip James Clyburn, “We’ve got to spend our way out of this recession.” So when Visa calls and says your over your limit just tell them, “I’m going to spend my way out of this” and see if that works. Then again, nobody’s that dumb.
Dr. Owens teaches History, Political Science, and Religion for Southside Virginia Community College and History for the American Public University System. http://drrobertowens.com © 2010 Robert R. Owens dr.owens@comcast.net
Did He Really Say What He Said February 1, 2010
Posted by Dr. Robert Owens in Uncategorized.Tags: Al Gore, Cap-n-trade, Climategate, Copenhagen, Glaciergate, IPCC, Obama, State of the Union
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Where to start? After a sSate-of-the-Union speech ranking among the longest in the last 45 years what was said? Stay the course in other words. Blame Bush, the banks, and Congress for any failures while taking credit for any success, scold the Supreme Court and lecture the rest of us. If we aren’t smart enough to understand his brilliant plans he’ll just have to lecture us again. He’s getting so repetitious I’m looking for my Headon so I can apply it directly to where it hurts.
While patting himself on the back and pointing his finger at the rest of us there was soiled rag on the laundry-list that sounded more like a line from a Jay Leno monologue then anything a serious leader would say, seriously.
Even a room full of political hacks couldn’t help laughing when President Obama banged the gong one more time for the Cap-N-Trade boondoggle. When he tossed out a one-liner worthy of Conan O’Brien or Dennis Miller, “For those who have yet to believe the overwhelming scientific evidence that exists on climate change” even those who can call themselves servants of the people with a straight face couldn’t help chuckling. The funny thing is he isn’t trying to be funny.
Man-made global warming is a confusion at best, a mistake at least, and a scam for sure. The discredited Progressives use it as a cover for the advancement of their collectivist agenda. They know trying to convince people to surrender their freedom just so they can be pampered commissars or tenured Congressmen would fail so they either tug at your heartstrings or fog your thinking. While most of their redistributive class warfare schemes fit into the first category man-made global warming fits into the second. Common knowledge and common sense refutes this flimflam. However, some want a juicy exposé to expose this nightmare to the light of day. Here are some tidbits gleaned from articles appearing daily revealing the threadbare support for this movement made of whole-cloth.
The scientists in the eye of the Climategate email storm broke the law when they refused to reveal the data. However, those who sought to distort the truth will escape prosecution due to the statute of limitations. This scandal has been growing since last November when it was revealed long hidden emails show researchers discussing how to manipulate historical temperature data while at the same time refusing requests under the Freedom of Information Act.
Now there’s Glaciergate. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was forced to apologize for claiming Himalayan glaciers could disappear within 25 years. They are also accused it of exaggerating risks from tropical storms, hurricanes as well as the destruction of the rain forest. This could be summed up as “If their lips are moving they’re lying.”
Why weren’t these hysterical claims discovered by any of the 3,000 scientists contributing to the IPCC report? The use of falsified data was no secret. Rajendra Pachauri, the chairman of the number one climate change watchdog knew that claims about melting Himalayan glaciers were based upon fictitious studies before the Copenhagen summit. The watchdog just forgot to bark and the IPCC’s bogus report served as one of the major justifications for draconian cuts in global emissions mandated by the Copenhagen Treaty. This is the report for which Al Gore (who also claims to have invented the Internet) won the Nobel Peace Prize. However given that he won an Oscar for his docufiction An Inconvenient Truth maybe there should be a recall of multiple models in this case too?
As a final slap shot into the net of reality, the famous (or infamous) “Hockey Stick Curve” which is the basis for so much of the man-made global warming frenzy has been shown to be another fraud. According to McIntyre and McKitrick in Energy and Environment the data upon which this inaccurate study is based contains “collation errors, unjustifiable truncation or extrapolation of source data, obsolete data, geographical location errors, incorrect calculation of principal components and other quality control defects.” The list of proponents of man-made global warming reads like a who’s who of America bashers. Recently Osama Bin Laden announced his support for man-made global warming. At least the kook in the cave is honest enough to use the issue as a direct attack on America.
The speech may be over but the con goes on. Keep your eye on the coin as the shills move the shells around. With the world shivering in the grip of the worst winter in decades man-made global warming becomes climate change. When will all the revelations of lies and fraud on the part of the climate grifters expose this for the power grab it is? Maybe when hell freezes over?
Reflecting on the President’s first State of the Union Speech perhaps the best thing president Obama could say would be to quote the great American philosopher Yogi Berra, “I didn’t really say all the things I said.”
Dr. Owens teaches History, Political Science, and Religion for Southside Virginia Community College and History for the American Public University System. http://drrobertowens.com © 2009 Robert R. Owens dr.owens@comcast.net
Beyond Brown the Second Round January 25, 2010
Posted by Dr. Robert Owens in Uncategorized.Tags: Cass Sunstein, Cp-N-Trade, David Axlerod, Immigration Reform, Liberals, National Debt, Obama, Populists, Progressives, Regulatory Reform, Scott Brown, Universal Registration
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In the recent Massachusetts election Republican Scott Brown confounded the purveyors of conventional wisdom and caused a magnitude 10 earthquake in the political world by liberating the Kennedy Senate Fiefdom from the grip of the Democrat machine. To the 24 hour talking-heads this changes everything since the Democrats can no longer cut-off debate in the Senate though they can still stifle debate in the House and hold the Executive Department in their iron fist. But did the Party of Power really experience anything besides a bump in the road?
In President Obama’s estimation, “we lost some of that sense of speaking directly to the American people.” In reality Mr. Obama has made 52 addresses or statements specifically on his health care proposals, holding 42 news conferences, participating in 158 interviews, hosting 23 town hall meetings, making 46 out-of-town trips to 58 cities and towns in 30 states. If he hasn’t been speaking directly to the American people what has he been doing? He’s on TV more than Vinny from Sham Wow. Considering that after the seismic electoral event in Massachusetts Mr. Obama’s political Svengali David Axelrod said, “We’ll have to think through this next year from the standpoint of tactics but in substance the mission can’t change.” It isn’t that the President hasn’t talked enough the problem is he isn’t listening. Communication is a two-way exchange and what we have here is a failure to communicate.
The day after the Massachusetts megaphone shouted loud and clear, “We don’t want your big government pork-barrel ways!!!” The party of power signaled their shopping spree wasn’t over yet when they proposed raising the debt limit farther and faster than ever before. Raising the debt limit is nothing new. What’s new is that in our RE-Made America instead of billions now it’s trillions. The Democrat Senate proposed raising the limit by $1.9 trillion in one fell swoop. This is a record increase which raises the official national debt to reach $14.3 trillion.
Although this level of debt is wildly unpopular the legislation is needed to prevent the default of the United States. Maybe if we charge the Visa on the MasterCard and the MasterCard on Discover and Discover on American Express and American Express on the Visa it will all work out? We can’t spend our way back to prosperity and we can’t borrow our way to solvency. The fiscal insanity in Washington is one of the things the American people are protesting against in Tea Parties, town halls and elections.
In the 1890s a movement grew out International Socialism. It manifested itself in many ways in the United States. In religion it became the Social Gospel, in education the Dewey Method and in politics Progressivism. In the first half of the 20th century America had three Progressive Presidents Teddy Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and FDR controlling both major parties. These three leaders and the movement they represented attempted to change America from a country of limited government to a country of massive government. Once people realized that progressivism meant government intrusion into the smallest parts of their life and the redistribution of wealth through oppressive taxation they repudiated them and sought other leaders.
As people rejected Progressivism the Big Government cadre in both parties perverted an old label and became Liberals. As people realized modern Liberalism is nothing more than a scheme to redistribute wealth and buy votes with entitlements they morphed back into Modern Progressives. As people begin to realize that modern Progressivism is nothing more than a scheme to redistribute wealth and buy votes with entitlements watch as the shape-shifters turn into Populists. It should be interesting to watch as the captured media transform a Harvard lawyer who rails against people clinging to guns and Bibles and makes fun of people driving pick-up trucks into a man of the people. Running out of the besieged Tower of Doom shouting “Down with the Banks!” pretending to lead the crowd marching on his agenda isn’t going to fool anyone.
The defeat of Democrats in Virginia, New Jersey and Massachusetts will cause pragmatists to split off from Progressives. Those who’re merely professional politicians especially those in competitive districts will scramble to the middle trying to keep their jobs while those entrenched in gerrymandered districts and the committed Progressives will try to push through their collectivist agenda by any means possible. They’ll get something they can call Medical Insurance Reform through Congress that will metastasize into one-size fits all universal coverage. If they can’t pass Cap-N-Trade the EPA will impose it through regulations. If they can’t pass Import-a-Voter Immigration Reform they’ll continue to tear down what’s left of the Southern Border while winking at the lack of enforcement everywhere else and if they can’t pass Universal Registration extending the vote to every name on a government form they’ve always got ACORN. If they can’t pass Regulatory Reform the Regulatory Czar Cass Sunstein will impose it.
Everyone else may see the Massachusetts vote as breaking new ground all the Administration heard was the bell for the second round.
Dr. Owens teaches History, Political Science, and Religion for Southside Virginia Community College and History for the American Public University System. http://drrobertowens.com © 2009 Robert R. Owens dr.owens@comcast.net
Half Their Brain Tied Behind Their Back January 18, 2010
Posted by Dr. Robert Owens in Uncategorized.Tags: Al Qaeda, Alinsky, Clinton, Napolitano, Obama, Pelosi, Reid, Rush Limbaugh, Taliban
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Every day to the amazement and delight of more than 20 million people across the fruited plain Rush Limbaugh performs his host duties flawlessly with half his brain tied behind his back. Anyone who has ever spent an objective hour listening to his program knows that Rush has a brain the size of a planet. The Corporations Once Known as the Mainstream Media assure we now have a president who is always the brightest guy in the room instead of one who didn’t have enough brains to tie his shoes.
In addition, with the exception of his Chicago handlers, casino capitalist cronies, and union dons our photogenic president is surrounded by academics eager to implement theories that worked in their labs and computer models with the American people as guinea pigs. The Cavalcade of Czars is filled with the best and brightest liberal education has produced since the Summer of Love. On the Hill Nancy Pelosi rules the house with an iron fist while Harry Reid runs the Senate with parliamentary tricks and his legendary eloquence. Together they preside over the best Congress money can buy. The question is can Alinsky’s dream team fight a war on multiple fronts with half their brain tied behind their collectivist back?
Someone might ask, “What makes you think they are operating with half their brain tied behind their back?” If they aren’t then they aren’t half as smart as they think they are. They may be legends in their own mind and secular saviors of a lost humanism but if what we’ve seen so far is their A game we should exchange the IQ scores for psychological evaluations. Because doing all the wrong things for the right PC reasons only turns into victory in Michael Moore documentaries and on MSNBC.
Let’s look at some particulars. Back in the Dream Time the Hippies used to ask “What if they gave a War and nobody came?” When our first Boomer President took office he elevated this to a national policy. The Islamists declared war on us and he sent in CSI and LA Law instead of Patton and a Band of Brothers. Someone might ask, “How’s that working out for you?” In 1993 we had the first World Trade Center bombing, in 1996 the Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia, in1998 the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed and in 2000 the USS Cole was attacked in Yemen.
Enter George II who cruises along keeping Clinton’s counterterrorism chief Richard Clark. 9-11 changed everything. Bush found a bullhorn and told us he heard our cry of anguish and anger and he promised us, “the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon!” They did when we invaded Afghanistan knocked down the Taliban and chased Al Qaeda into the wilderness. Then the neo-cons convinced him to invade Iraq squandering the support of the world. Clinton never woke up. George II did but then saw a shiny object and wandered off. However, the last two administrations before the dawn of Re-Made America weren’t operating in a vacuum whistling in the wind hoping a war would just “Go away!”
For political reasons Harry Truman called Korea a police action. This new-speak mind bending never registered with the heroes who fought or the families who sacrificed. It didn’t register with the people or the historians. No one refers to the Korean Police Action. There are no monuments to the Korean Police Action. Everyone knows this was a war.
President Johnson charged into Vietnam promising guns and butter, a war in Asia with guns and a war against poverty with food stamps. America won the War in Vietnam even if the Watergate Congress later threw it away. After multiple trillions of dollars and social decay we now have the same poverty level as when we started. Burying your head in the sand is never a good way to see the path to victory.
During the campaign Mr. Obama promised the troops would come home from the wrong war in Iraq and concentrate on winning the right war in Afghanistan. Now the troops are going into garrison mode in Iraq, the generals are not getting what they say they need in Afghanistan while the enemy has moved to Yemen, Sudan and the Internet. Janet Napolitano, the Homeland Security Secretary never mentioned terrorism in her confirmation hearing instead referring to man-caused disasters. Like police action these verbal gymnastics aren’t fooling anyone.
We aren’t engaged in a debate we’re in a war. Slick talk may win debates but when it comes to wars actions speak louder than words and if our leaders won’t talk the talk how can they possibly walk the walk? While Mr. Obama’s immediate response to disaster abroad is laudable his slow motion response to multiple terrorist attacks on his watch makes it appear as if this smartest of all administrations either just doesn’t get it or they’re fighting a war with half their brain tied behind their back.
Dr. Owens teaches History, Political Science, and Religion for Southside Virginia Community College and History for the American Public University System. http://drrobertowens.com © 2009 Robert R. Owens dr.owens@comcast.net
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