Starting The Week Off Right

I've got a bunch of stories that warrant at least a little bit of comment, so rather than start this week with a link roundup, here's something a bit more in depth. I hope it makes you think.

Bobby Jindal
You may not have heard of this dynamic up-and-coming political powerhouse, but Bobby Jindal has caused an immense stir in just a few short months as Governor of Louisiana. The 36-year old ran on the idea of 'change' and 'hope', but in a much more real way than Barack Obama. Jindal promised to clean up the systemic rampant corruption of Louisiana, and has taken the first steps in that process already, catapulting the state from one of the worst into one of the most stringently transparent in the country. One of his winning philosophies is that if you want to discourage something, tax it; if you want to encourage something, don't tax it. Revolutionary, huh? Even the New York Times noticed: "The volume of grumbling suggested real change was afoot." But he didn't stop there - in a second session of reform, he secured even more tax cuts and long-term investments that will benefit the state.

Jindal is a staunch conservative, not only refusing to compromise on those principles, but bringing non-conservatives along with him because of his convictions, personal appeal, and proven track record of success. Sound like Reagan, anyone? This is what true conservatism can do. Louisiana is a blueprint for conservatives all across the country...if they would just do it. Compromise is not necessary, but courage is.


Your actual rights as an American
The word 'rights' is thrown around a lot these days, and usually not in the correct sense (health care is the biggest misrepresentation right now). Neal Boortz [hat tip Right Truth] breaks down your actual Constitutionally-granted rights as an American citizen, and it doesn't include health care:

With one exception, the right to representation in court and a trial by jury, these rights require nothing of any other citizen but that they recognize your rights and not interfere with them.

Your “right to health care” would require some other person to give up a portion of their life or their property to either treat you or to provide you with drugs or medical implements. The Constitution does not provide for another individual to be indentured to you in this manner.

Therefore, you have no “right” to health care.

Check out this article, and realize just how badly this notion of 'rights' has been twisted by our big-government Congress.


Budget deficit on pace for record high
The estimated deficit for the year will be $410 billion, close to the record high of $413 billion in 2004. Two points here. First, our Congress has a serious spending problem. It's not just Democrats, either; both parties are way out of control. Second, does anyone remember how big this so-called 'stimulus' package was? If I recall correctly, it was around $150-170 billion. Hm, do we really think that these rebate checks stimulated anything other than more national debt?


Next stimulus, please
Tanking our national debt once apparently isn't enough for the Senate - they have now passed a second housing bail-out measure inaccurately called the Foreclosure Prevention Act. Ironically, even the Senate knows it won't actually prevent any foreclosures. Instead, this deceitfully-named bill provides tax breaks for over-aggressive home-builders and people who buy foreclosed properties. It also provides billions of dollars to unrelated projects and pre-foreclosure 'counseling' by radical lobbyist groups. Not only is this legislation a joke, but it shows how Congress so often values style over substance, especially in an election year. Roll-call vote here.


Dire hurricane prediction (again)
Heavy-Handed Politics links to a story predicting a 'very active' hurricane season for the Atlantic coast. As HH points out, they've got to get one right sometime, but just for the record, this prediction is being made by the same people who grossly over-estimated the past two hurricane seasons.


Environmental backwardness
Right Truth posts a story about solar scientist David Archibald making the case that CO2 is not only not destructive to Earth, but that it is 'wholly beneficial' and suggests finding ways to increase CO2 production. Also included are links about two eco-friendly neighbors who had a dispute about whether solar panels or redwood trees were more important. The trees won. Also included is a reference to one of the problems with completing the border fence - environmental issues.

The head of the International Monetary Fund has chastised the West for biofuel development, which has caused greatly increased food prices around the world. Rick Moran puts the point on it:

There have been food riots in Mexico and India because of scarcity. Land used to grow corn or other base bio-fuel crops could be used to grow wheat and some of that land could be used to grow rice. Clearly, the massive committment of America and Europe to bio fuels is having the effect of raising food prices to the point that real harm is being felt by poor people around the world.

This is one of the problems with biofuels (this means ethanol) - government subsidies are allowing this industry to expand, which means that more corn goes to ethanol rather than food production. This -- and the resulting less land available for growing other crops -- is causing the worldwide price increase in basic staple foods like corn, wheat, and rice. The point here is that if ethanol and other biofuels were legitimate sources of efficient energy, they should be able to generate a profit without massive subsidies. They can't.


Deporting criminals first...?
Michelle Malkin reports on what could be a shred of sanity in the illegal immigration debacle in this country. A new ICE program will upgrade computer systems in jails to allow greater access to fingerprint databases to quickly identify illegal aliens being held. They will be deported based on residency status and danger to the community. At last!!!


Beer tax
Well, here we go again. Last week it was butter, now it's beer. A proposed tax increase in California would raise the cost of beer by $.30 per can or bottle (the current tax is $.02). This measure is the latest attempt to control people by regulating behaviors. It won't stop...not with cigarettes, not with butter, not with beer. What's your thing? It'll be added to the list eventually unless the excessive regulation behavior itself is shamed into extinction.


Obama's latest gaffe
Barack Obama has made another costly mistake on the campaign trail. Attempting to explain why working class Pennsylvanians aren't buying his candidacy, he said:

"It's not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."

Can we say oops, anyone? This was not exactly the best way to endear him to working class people. Hillary Clinton naturally jumped all over this big-time mistake, passing out buttons saying "I'm not bitter" at her rallies. Obama has tried to downplay the gaffe, but his critics have hammered him for saying this illustrates how Obama -- a Harvard-educated, rich elite -- feels superior to the working class, and they simply do not want a rich elite to tell them how to live. Boy, it really stinks when liberals accidentally screw up and tell the truth of how they feel about normal Americans, doesn't it?


Hillary's latest lie
Clinton is not without her own problems, though. She continued to slam Obama's statements, saying they were elitist and out of touch with Americans. Then she described herself as a pro-gun churchgoer whose father taught her how to shoot. The only problem is...back in 1999, she called for Americans to pressure Congress to 'buck the gun lobby' and pass extensive gun control measures. So which is it, Mrs. Clinton? Are you lying again, or just mis-remembering?


So, there you have a bunch of stories to get your week started. Have a great week!

There's my two cents.