I wanted to share some thoughts on a number of stories that have been accumulating on my list over the past couple weeks.
Illegal Immigration
Here's a gem from the Houston Chronicle. Apparently, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is about to unveil a new program to combat illegal immigration. This program is essentially self-deportation. That's right, we're simply asking illegals to turn themselves in so we can ship 'em out.
Okay, now that you've finally stopped laughing, let's remember that our border is so porous that people can get out just as easily as they can get in...if they wanted to. Let's live in the real world, please! How about real immigration measures like the E-verify program and the SAVE Act? Those would actually make a difference. This kind of stupidity will help no one. The only thing I can think of that this would accomplish (and it's admittedly a major stretch, given the federal government's record on immigration enforcement) is to provide some kind of grace period before a major crackdown. If people complain about the crackdown, ICE could point at this program as giving illegals a chance to leave peacefully on their own terms. But I'd be shocked if that's the case.
Gas and Oil
I'm sure you've noticed that gas prices have fallen quite a bit over the past couple weeks. There are a number of factors in that, but in my opinion, there are two big ones. First, President Bush blew away the ban on off-shore drilling. Second, Americans have changed their driving habits, which has brought down demand. This drove the supply up, which means the price came down. Simple economics. Oil has fallen almost $30 per barrel, and gas almost $.40 per gallon. This was not unexpected, as some economists have been predicting the bursting of an oil bubble for months. The things we need to take away are that we can drill our way out of these current high prices. Speculation works in a downward direction just as well as upward, as evidenced by the immediate drop in oil prices when Bush removed the ban on off-shore drilling. And, the dropping prices are precisely what we would expect from a basic understanding of economics.
The point is that Democrat leaders are blocking all true energy development, while Republicans are actually showing some fight, and the American people need to continue increasing the pressure on the Dem leadership. Call or e-mail daily until Pelosi and Reid cave in. In particular, the GOP's "All of the above" plan would be tremendous - it would increase oil drilling, oil shale development, nuclear energy development, and more coal production, alongside conservation. Support it.
Also, did you know that American oil rigs are actually cleaner than Mother Nature herself when it comes to oil leakage? I bet you didn't. In fact, nature dumps 95 times more oil into the oceans than we do every year!
Racism
Racism has just gotten stupid now. Did you know that babies and children are racist? So are black holes and cake. Never mind the real (reverse) racism going on around the country, or the fact that there is a black national anthem being sung in place of the Star-Spangled Banner. And, naturally, blacks are harmed more by catastrophic global warming than anyone else.
This is ridiculous! Anyone who thinks racism will be banished if Obama becomes president is hopelessly naive - if anything, it will get exponentially worse, as every possible critique or opposition to anything he says or does will be attacked as a racist charge. Give me a break.
Mortgage Bailout Stupidity
Here's a perfect example of the kind of people that are being bailed out by all these mortgage bills Congress is passing nowadays. A family who was given a free house and a quarter of a million dollars to pay expenses for that house by ABC's Extreme Home Makeover is now in foreclosure because they put the collateral for the home up for a massive loan for their failed business. Now, I have no problem with this show, and I have no problem with people using their home's collateral to try to save a business. I do have a problem with using my tax dollars to bail them out of their situation. They made the decision to do this stuff with a house that was custom built for them out of the generosity of their neighbors and the TV show. They need to live with the consequences. If someone is given a six-figure gift like that and choose to squander it, they should not be rewarded by escaping the consequences. Call me cold and heartless, but I agree with Michelle Malkin on this one, who said the real victims here are those who "scrimped and saved and acted responsibly".
In another episode of unintended consequences, this bailout madness is also opening doors which may be even worse than widespread foreclosures. The Competitive Enterprise Institute warns that this measure opens the door for big-time eminent domain seizures by the government, which could affect far more Americans in the long run.
Stupid Quote of the Day
What prominent politician recently said this:
No, it wasn't George W. Bush. It was Democrat Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. What a dim bulb. Oh, wait, she's done her best to outlaw normal light bulbs...I guess she would be a swirly, screwy bulb. Yeah, that's much better.
The Deficit
Much is being made of the record projected deficit for 2009 in the MSM right now. It's supposed to be almost half a trillion dollars, and could go higher if the economy doesn't recover as well as they're predicting. But, don't freak out...here's some perspective for you. As a percentage of GDP, even half a trillion dollars would only be 3.3%, well below the record of 6% in the early 1980s. Still, it's a big problem, and needs to be addressed. One obvious solution would be to curb federal spending (i.e. mortgage bailouts!) and excessive pork. Then, let's reduce taxes some more - that always jumpstarts the economy. History proves it.
Stevens Indicted
Republican Ted Stevens of Alaska was recently indicted for inappropriately accepting gifts. While this is probably going to be spun as yet another corrupt GOPer, I'd like to offer a prediction that Stevens will quickly depart the scene for his transgressions. While there is corruption on both sides of the aisle, only the Reps ever seem to clean up their messes. Personally, I hope this guy is sent packing tomorrow - he's one of the worst pork spenders in Congress! It would be good to get him out. And, if it becomes necessary for the Governor to appoint a replacement, I have no doubt that rock-star conservative Sarah Palin (who enjoys 80% popularity in the state and has been concerned about Stevens' activities for quite some time) would appoint someone who would be far, far better in the Senate.
Unintended Consequences and Liberalism
Something that is really quite amazing about liberals is how they don't understand unintended consequences. Rush Limbaugh relates a couple of these in the July issue of his newsletter. In Charlotte, NC, the city council launched a campaign to conserve water. The people of the city obeyed, and water usage dropped like a rock. So what did the city do next? They raised taxes on water to make up for the revenue shortfall. Similarly, in Dallas, TX, traffic cameras were installed at numerous intersections in the interest of 'public safety'. The worked so well in reducing speeding tickets and accidents that the city dismantled them because they weren't getting enough revenue. Third example: the SCHIP bill. I've blogged extensively about this before, but Limbaugh's point here is that the bill's supporters were going to pay for this massive expansion of health care by a 156% tax increase on cigarettes. Of course, that meant they would have to attract 22 million new smokers -- and it's a proven fact that most smokers are low-income people -- but they were willing to make that sacrifice to get their expansion.
The point is that liberal policies aren't supposed to be judged on their results, but rather on their intentions. When some of these things actually work (the unintended consequence), they then backtrack because they're not making enough money to feed their government beast. You simply cannot win here, because liberalism isn't about actually helping people - it's about the acquisition of power for the elites by controlling the masses.
So, Limbaugh uses these examples to make another prediction that seems fairly obvious. Liberals have been yammering for years about needing to drive less and take more public transport. With the recent spike in gas prices, Americans are now doing just that. What do you suppose will be the liberal response to this 'success'? That's right, they're now complaining about the shortfall of revenue, and quietly beginning to talk about raising the gas tax.
Another example of this same concept can be seen with the recent banning of fast food in certain poor areas of Los Angeles. While this sounds noble (helping fight obesity), what about the businesses that are now suddenly looking at closing? How does that help the poor people who have jobs there? And what about the fact that those same poor people are now going to have to pay more for food than ever before? It's not a solution, it's a feel-good intention by liberals, as well as a blatant attempt to control the people in this area (because liberals always think they know better than you do what you should eat, buy, etc.).
Once again - this is liberalism, 'solving' problems on the basis of intentions rather than actual solutions, and then backpedaling when necessary to raise taxes in order to increase their power. Liberalism is nothing but trouble.
I hope you've found these stories and comments enlightening!
There's my two cents.
Illegal Immigration
Here's a gem from the Houston Chronicle. Apparently, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is about to unveil a new program to combat illegal immigration. This program is essentially self-deportation. That's right, we're simply asking illegals to turn themselves in so we can ship 'em out.
Okay, now that you've finally stopped laughing, let's remember that our border is so porous that people can get out just as easily as they can get in...if they wanted to. Let's live in the real world, please! How about real immigration measures like the E-verify program and the SAVE Act? Those would actually make a difference. This kind of stupidity will help no one. The only thing I can think of that this would accomplish (and it's admittedly a major stretch, given the federal government's record on immigration enforcement) is to provide some kind of grace period before a major crackdown. If people complain about the crackdown, ICE could point at this program as giving illegals a chance to leave peacefully on their own terms. But I'd be shocked if that's the case.
Gas and Oil
I'm sure you've noticed that gas prices have fallen quite a bit over the past couple weeks. There are a number of factors in that, but in my opinion, there are two big ones. First, President Bush blew away the ban on off-shore drilling. Second, Americans have changed their driving habits, which has brought down demand. This drove the supply up, which means the price came down. Simple economics. Oil has fallen almost $30 per barrel, and gas almost $.40 per gallon. This was not unexpected, as some economists have been predicting the bursting of an oil bubble for months. The things we need to take away are that we can drill our way out of these current high prices. Speculation works in a downward direction just as well as upward, as evidenced by the immediate drop in oil prices when Bush removed the ban on off-shore drilling. And, the dropping prices are precisely what we would expect from a basic understanding of economics.
The point is that Democrat leaders are blocking all true energy development, while Republicans are actually showing some fight, and the American people need to continue increasing the pressure on the Dem leadership. Call or e-mail daily until Pelosi and Reid cave in. In particular, the GOP's "All of the above" plan would be tremendous - it would increase oil drilling, oil shale development, nuclear energy development, and more coal production, alongside conservation. Support it.
Also, did you know that American oil rigs are actually cleaner than Mother Nature herself when it comes to oil leakage? I bet you didn't. In fact, nature dumps 95 times more oil into the oceans than we do every year!
Racism
Racism has just gotten stupid now. Did you know that babies and children are racist? So are black holes and cake. Never mind the real (reverse) racism going on around the country, or the fact that there is a black national anthem being sung in place of the Star-Spangled Banner. And, naturally, blacks are harmed more by catastrophic global warming than anyone else.
This is ridiculous! Anyone who thinks racism will be banished if Obama becomes president is hopelessly naive - if anything, it will get exponentially worse, as every possible critique or opposition to anything he says or does will be attacked as a racist charge. Give me a break.
Mortgage Bailout Stupidity
Here's a perfect example of the kind of people that are being bailed out by all these mortgage bills Congress is passing nowadays. A family who was given a free house and a quarter of a million dollars to pay expenses for that house by ABC's Extreme Home Makeover is now in foreclosure because they put the collateral for the home up for a massive loan for their failed business. Now, I have no problem with this show, and I have no problem with people using their home's collateral to try to save a business. I do have a problem with using my tax dollars to bail them out of their situation. They made the decision to do this stuff with a house that was custom built for them out of the generosity of their neighbors and the TV show. They need to live with the consequences. If someone is given a six-figure gift like that and choose to squander it, they should not be rewarded by escaping the consequences. Call me cold and heartless, but I agree with Michelle Malkin on this one, who said the real victims here are those who "scrimped and saved and acted responsibly".
In another episode of unintended consequences, this bailout madness is also opening doors which may be even worse than widespread foreclosures. The Competitive Enterprise Institute warns that this measure opens the door for big-time eminent domain seizures by the government, which could affect far more Americans in the long run.
Stupid Quote of the Day
What prominent politician recently said this:
"I have always loved longitude, I love latitude; it's in the stars. But longitude, it's about time. ... Time and clocks and all the rest of that have always been a fascination for me."
No, it wasn't George W. Bush. It was Democrat Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. What a dim bulb. Oh, wait, she's done her best to outlaw normal light bulbs...I guess she would be a swirly, screwy bulb. Yeah, that's much better.
The Deficit
Much is being made of the record projected deficit for 2009 in the MSM right now. It's supposed to be almost half a trillion dollars, and could go higher if the economy doesn't recover as well as they're predicting. But, don't freak out...here's some perspective for you. As a percentage of GDP, even half a trillion dollars would only be 3.3%, well below the record of 6% in the early 1980s. Still, it's a big problem, and needs to be addressed. One obvious solution would be to curb federal spending (i.e. mortgage bailouts!) and excessive pork. Then, let's reduce taxes some more - that always jumpstarts the economy. History proves it.
Stevens Indicted
Republican Ted Stevens of Alaska was recently indicted for inappropriately accepting gifts. While this is probably going to be spun as yet another corrupt GOPer, I'd like to offer a prediction that Stevens will quickly depart the scene for his transgressions. While there is corruption on both sides of the aisle, only the Reps ever seem to clean up their messes. Personally, I hope this guy is sent packing tomorrow - he's one of the worst pork spenders in Congress! It would be good to get him out. And, if it becomes necessary for the Governor to appoint a replacement, I have no doubt that rock-star conservative Sarah Palin (who enjoys 80% popularity in the state and has been concerned about Stevens' activities for quite some time) would appoint someone who would be far, far better in the Senate.
Unintended Consequences and Liberalism
Something that is really quite amazing about liberals is how they don't understand unintended consequences. Rush Limbaugh relates a couple of these in the July issue of his newsletter. In Charlotte, NC, the city council launched a campaign to conserve water. The people of the city obeyed, and water usage dropped like a rock. So what did the city do next? They raised taxes on water to make up for the revenue shortfall. Similarly, in Dallas, TX, traffic cameras were installed at numerous intersections in the interest of 'public safety'. The worked so well in reducing speeding tickets and accidents that the city dismantled them because they weren't getting enough revenue. Third example: the SCHIP bill. I've blogged extensively about this before, but Limbaugh's point here is that the bill's supporters were going to pay for this massive expansion of health care by a 156% tax increase on cigarettes. Of course, that meant they would have to attract 22 million new smokers -- and it's a proven fact that most smokers are low-income people -- but they were willing to make that sacrifice to get their expansion.
The point is that liberal policies aren't supposed to be judged on their results, but rather on their intentions. When some of these things actually work (the unintended consequence), they then backtrack because they're not making enough money to feed their government beast. You simply cannot win here, because liberalism isn't about actually helping people - it's about the acquisition of power for the elites by controlling the masses.
So, Limbaugh uses these examples to make another prediction that seems fairly obvious. Liberals have been yammering for years about needing to drive less and take more public transport. With the recent spike in gas prices, Americans are now doing just that. What do you suppose will be the liberal response to this 'success'? That's right, they're now complaining about the shortfall of revenue, and quietly beginning to talk about raising the gas tax.
Another example of this same concept can be seen with the recent banning of fast food in certain poor areas of Los Angeles. While this sounds noble (helping fight obesity), what about the businesses that are now suddenly looking at closing? How does that help the poor people who have jobs there? And what about the fact that those same poor people are now going to have to pay more for food than ever before? It's not a solution, it's a feel-good intention by liberals, as well as a blatant attempt to control the people in this area (because liberals always think they know better than you do what you should eat, buy, etc.).
Once again - this is liberalism, 'solving' problems on the basis of intentions rather than actual solutions, and then backpedaling when necessary to raise taxes in order to increase their power. Liberalism is nothing but trouble.
I hope you've found these stories and comments enlightening!
There's my two cents.
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