Spring 2008 Update Archives

Barry Update ~ 4.16.08

Well, I figured I would do this on a regular basis, since there will be so much fun stuff to keep up on over the coming months. I am going to randomly season your days with emails entitled “Barry Update” or “Socialist Update”. The Barry Updates, will, of course, keep us posted of the latest stupid thing coming out of Obama’s mouth and the Socialist Updates will keep us on the same page when it comes to the leftist, “Republican” candidate for President, Karl Mar… urr … I mean John McCain.

You may be wondering why I call Obama – “Barry” – well, it is all explained here.

So, now for the Barry Update for the 16th day of April 2008:

Barry told a Jewish group in Philadelphia that he—unlike Jimmy Carter—would not meet with Hamas, because “We must not negotiate with a terrorist group intent on Israel’s destruction.”

While Barry has the right answer on Hamas, his “nuanced” strategy of talking and negotiating with Iran appears to be in direct contrast to this statement. But who are we to criticize? We are not the educated sheep in his flock; we can only hope to one day understand these kinds of policies.

You just have to love his message of change – the only thing that changes is the substance of his own message from day to day depending upon the group to whom he is talking.

Barry Update ~ 4.17.08

The World Net dictionary defines “idiot” as “a person of subnormal intelligence”. The only thing they forgot was a picture of Barry. I wasted 20 minutes of my life last night watching the Democratic Debate in Philadelphia.

Barry’s display of “subnormal intelligence” made me realize that Reagan would have taken all 50 states and the District of Columbia in a head-to-head race against Barry. The Electoral College would be unanimous in its vote for Reagan – think about that for a second. We talk about how great the 49-state landslide was, but Barry would allow Ronald to break that!

While I found all of the drivel falling out of his mouth to be disgusting, I particularly found this to be unbelievable. As a pre-courser, Barry has a friendship with William Ayers. Ayers was the leading member of The Weather Underground – a group that bombed the Pentagon in the 1970s, but Ayers was acquitted at trial because of some Miranda-related BS. Ayers now freely admits to the act and brags about it, in fact, on 9.11 Ayers said, “I don’t regret setting bombs; I feel we didn’t do enough.” I have been waiting for this to surface – National Review, Sean Hannity and Mark Levin have been talking about this friendship for a while, but the Drive-bys are just now picking up on it. It was in Ayers’ house that Barry kicked-off his first campaign for public office in 1995 and had his first big fundraising party.

George Stephanapouloulkjahddejfhldakdfj asked him about it last night. Barry’s response shirks the question and then goes on to equate terrorists and right-to-life proponents – it is ignorant, offensive, and deplorable.

“This is a guy (Ayers) lives in my neighborhood, who’s a professor of English in Chicago, who I know and who I have not received some official endorsement from. He’s not somebody who I exchange ideas from on a regular basis.

And the notion that somehow as a consequence of me knowing somebody who engaged in detestable acts 40 years ago when I was 8 years old, somehow reflects on me and my values, doesn’t make much sense, George.

The fact is, is that I’m also friendly with Tom Coburn, one of the most conservative Republicans in the United States Senate, who during his campaign once said that it might be appropriate to apply the death penalty to those who carried out abortions.

Do I need to apologize for Mr. Coburn’s statements? Because I certainly don’t agree with those either.”

Barry & Socialist Update ~ 4.18.08

Well, we have the first of its kind today – a combined Barry and Socialist Update. Since Barry and Johnny will probably agree on every issue other than Iraq over the next seven months, this joint update will be a common occurrence.

A little humor in today’s update.

I was listening to the Excellence in Broadcasting Network yesterday, and Rush was discussing the Superdelegates and the Democratic nomination in general. Rush offered his advice to the Superdelegates:

“You cannot win with these two incompetent, unqualified embarrassments that are seeking your nomination now. You have one hope. People are going to McCain, not because they like him, because they hate your two people. It’s time for you Superdelegates to get together and find a third candidate.” ~Rush

Rush offered names like communists Algore and Howard Dean as potential alternatives, although he said that Algore would never take the pay cut.

After he took a break, a caller suggested that the Republicans give the Democrats John McCain as their candidate and the Republicans should be the ones who get to pick a new candidate come convention time. The caller suggested that Hannity, Rush, Newt and Ann Coulter should make up the committee to select the Republican nominee.

Ohh to dream; if it could only happen…

My email response that followed regarding whether McCain’s is a “true conservative”

To better understand my eventual answer, let’s take a look at President McCain’s recent resume (he’s been President in his own mind sine 2000).

Considered being John F. Kerry’s VP nominee in 2004
Nearly jumped to the Democrat Party around the time that Jumpin’ Jim Jeffords left
Captain of “The Gang of 14″
Co-Sponsor of McCain-Feingold the most unconstitutional legislation of the past 30 years
Co-Sponsor of McCain-Kennedy the amnesty bill
Co-Sponsor of McCain-Lieberman the “global warming” bill to ‘cap and kill’ the American economy
Co-Sponsor of The Terrorist Bill of Rights to give Constitutional rights to terrorists [crying, weak, little girl's voice] “we can’t use waterboarding; the French might not like us”
Proponent of closing down Guantanamo Bay
One of only two “Republican” Senators to vote against BOTH Bush Tax Cuts
Made many statements in 2000 and 2001 similar to this: “We had an opportunity to provide much more tax relief to millions of hard-working Americans … I cannot in good conscience support a tax cut in which so many of the benefits go to the most fortunate among us, at the expense of middle-class Americans who most need tax relief.” Who does that sound like? John, the top 52% of wage earners in this country pay 100% of the tax; the other 48% don’t get relief because they pay NOTHING to begin with!!!!!
Wrote a letter to the Supreme Court in 2007 opposing a Right-to-Life group who was attempting to run advertisements in Wisconsin that violated his unconstitutional legislation
Referred to Jerry Fallwell as “an agent of intolerance” and compared him to Louis Farrakhan
One of only six “Republican” Senators to vote against the Federal Marriage Amendment
Said: “I think it is outrageous that someone who is the head of Bear Stearns cashes millions and millions of dollars in stocks. And I think it is unconscionable when the guy who apparently is the head of Countrywide and his co-conspirators make huge amounts of money while Americans are facing the threat of losing their homes.” … Co-conspirators – you have to be kidding … populist statements abound in his campaign
Said: “I think there is plenty of blame to go around [for the current "recession"], including very greedy people that happen to be on Wall Street today.” … Greedy, John, greedy? Oh, and we haven’t had two consecutive quarters of declining GDP, so we are NOT in a recession you idiot
Referred to Justice Samuel Alito as “too conservative”
Opposes drilling in ANWAR
In 1999, he suggested that Roe should not be overturned because it would lead to illegal, unsafe abortions.
Earned the nickname “Maverick” from the Drive-By Media as an affectionate way to describe his anti-conservative attitude
On February 29, said “I will conduct a respectful debate. Now it will be spirited because there are stark differences. I am a proud conservative, liberal Republica … conservative Republican.”

Barry Update ~ 4.21.08

I hope you had a most enjoyable weekend. I spent much of my weekend pondering ways to rid the country of the IRS (see FairTax) and other ills, most notably Social Security, which recent estimates tell us is facing a deficit of $25.33 TRILLION over the next 75 years. To put that in perspective, the combined wealth of the US is estimated to be in the neighborhood of $65 trillion and that’s gross worth, not net. Robert Byers (the former actuarial head of Social Security) said in 1963 that as long as the government had the power to tax, they could always take away from the people what ever they needed to bail out the deficit.

With that said, aren’t you comforted that our socialist candidate who, if elected, will talk for hours about the problems of pork but won’t do a darn thing about Social Security? Or how about our communist friend would only follow the Robert Byers plan?

Our communist friend, the subject of today’s update, appears to have been connecting with the youth vote on Friday. Over the weekend, New York Times columnist Ms. Maureen Dowd writes:

Barack Obama, who says he listens to Jay-Z along with his “old school guy” favorites like Earth, Wind & Fire and the Temptations, alluded to the rapper’s 2003 hit “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” on Thursday to sweep away concerns about his pugnacity.

After conceding that the Philly debate was tough, he brushed the imaginary lint of Hillary, George and Charlie from his shoulders, in a wordless reference to Jay-Z’s lyrics in his anthem about not letting anyone crimp your ride as you cruise from the bottom to the top: “Got some, dirt on my shoulder, could you brush it off for me.”

It’s good to know that our next President may be able to rap or dance; this might be the first skill he has exhibited thus far in the campaign. Won’t it be nice to have a rapper in the White House? Perhaps the Pope would have been impressed at the welcoming ceremony by a little Presidential rap. Or perhaps he could have broken out the little bushing motion on September 20, 2001 while addressing a joint session of congress following the act of war on September 11.

Can you seriously imagine Barry doing anything that Bush has done over the last 8 years? How can the public take this clown seriously? Can you imagine his handling of the Chinese Spy plane incident, 9/11, War in Afghanistan, Shuttle Explosion, Katrina, or the Pope’s visit?

As I watched that welcoming ceremony for the Pope last week, I couldn’t help but to think that not one of the three candidates could have done what President Bush did on that stage. The ceremony was so well done; the Battle Hymn of the Republic as played and sung by the Marine Corps Band and Choir was absolutely moving. If you haven’t seen it, YouTube it, and before you do, look up the lyrics and history of the song. I had to leave this update on a positive note and that song, band, and choir is nothing but positive – “As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free.”

Socialist & Barry Update ~ 4.23.08

In case you didn’t see it reported last night, McCain won Pennsylvania! However, he did not win by a 100% margin. The Republican vote went:

McCain – 222,109

Paul – 49,430

Huckabee – 37,201

Yes, Maverick McCain only got 72% of the vote; 28% of primary voters could not bring themselves to vote for the party’s nominee. I use this as a transition to a monologue that Rush did on yesterday’s program, in it he said:

“The whole focus, for me, anyway … I don’t hear anybody talking about American exceptionalism. Not one of our presidential candidates is talking about the greatness of this country, just the exact opposite. That’s not good. If somebody could break out of the pack talking about how great this country is because of how great the people who work and live here make it, that guy could run a landslide victory. It’s simple. It’s right there. It’s in the playbook. It’s in the blueprints. [McCain] so often accepts the doom-and-gloom pessimistic premises of the left, and that’s why this all gets frustrating.”

The problem, Rush, is that not one of these clowns believes in the greatness of this country and her people. If they did, they wouldn’t be arguing for the government to be running everything. They all wouldn’t believe in the need for a John Edwards-style wealth redistribution program, an Algore-style cap-and-trade global warming solution, national healthcare, Social Security, entitlements, etc.

____

Now for the issue of Barry …

I was talking to Tim last night, and said that I thought McCain would win the general election by more than 10%. McCain is a modern Lyndon Johnson or Gerald Ford, but Barry is a regular Hugo Chavez. The American people are not going to vote for a guy who doesn’t believe that this country has a reason to exist.

To the one exit poll from last night that I found interesting – Barry lost white voters aged 18 to 29.

The man of the youth, the man of hope, the man of real change can’t even win the demographic that for so long we heard was his bread and butter. “He’s inspiring the youth,” they said; “He’s getting people involved in politics for the first time,” they said; and “He’s registering all of these new voters,” they said. Well, they were wrong then, they are wrong now, and they will be wrong tomorrow because they are the drive-by media and they don’t know what it means to be an American. They don’t understand American exceptionalism, and I believe that we do. I believe that our generation, even more than our parent’s generation, gets it.

We certainly have some dumb apples among us, but on the whole, we are and will be the real change that brings about results and returns this country to the principles that founded her: We are endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights that among them are: LIFE, LIBERTY, and the PURSUIT of HAPPINESS.

Barry and the drive-bys do not believe in any of the three, and that is why Barry might make Jimmy Carter look like a success.

Maverick & Barry Update ~ 4.24.08

Maverick Update (yes, the Socialist update has changed its name to the Maverick Update):

So, I was doing my usual rounds on the websites this morning and came across this from Larry King Live last night. Jenna Bush was a guest alongside the First Lady and had this to say:

KING: Do you have a favorite between the two, the two Democrats?

LAURA BUSH: My favorite is the Republican.

KING (pointing to Jenna): Yours too, I would imagine.

JENNA BUSH: I don’t know.

KING: A-ha! Are you open to…

JENNA BUSH: Yeah, of course. I mean, who isn’t open to learning about the candidates and I’m sure that everybody’s like that.

I don’t think Jenna is a liberal, as the media is now guessing; I think Jenna is like us – she won’t vote for a Liberal Republican. This is terrific stuff. McCain gets thrown to the curb by Jenna Bush!!

___________

Barry Update:

On April 10, Barry did an interview with LGBT website advocate.com. The interview was your typical left-wing garbage about protecting the rights of gays, supporting civil unions, comparing the fight for gay rights to the civil rights movement, fighting to repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell”, etc. But then Barry revealed his position on the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA):

BARRY: Absolutely, and I for a very long time have been interested in repeal of DOMA.

INTERVIEWER: Do you think it’s possible to get full repeal of DOMA? As you know, Senator Clinton is only looking at repealing the plank of DOMA that prohibits the federal government from recognizing state-sanctioned unions.

BARRY: I don’t know. But my commitment is to try to make sure that we are moving in the direction of full equality, and I think the federal government historically has led on civil rights — I’d like to see us lead here too.

The Defense of Marriage Act is essentially legislation that (1) prevents the Federal Government from recognizing civil unions as marriages, even if they are recognized by one state, and (2) does not force other states to recognize a civil union across state lines.

Yet another issue where Barry consolidates power to the Federal government – hell, why even call it a “Federal” government any more? After these people are done there won’t be a power left to the states. The totalitarian, former Federal government will control everything.

While a subtle difference, this is another issue where Barry is to the political left of Hillary. It is also another issue where Barry’s position is miles apart from those “bitter” citizens he was talking about who attend church and cling to their guns.

Maverick Update ~ 4.24.08 Second Edition

I was going to hold this until tomorrow morning, but I’ve had it. A week ago, we chronicled 20 reasons why John McCain is unworthy of our votes. When I look back at those 20 reasons, I shake my head and my anger grows. Today, Maverick has added a 21st reason. I will caution you, as you read the quotes and excerpts that follow, you may become so angered that you will be unable to work for a period of time this afternoon. I am having difficulty settling back down; I have already taken one Starbucks break, and it was not enough.

Headline – McCain to New Orleans: Never Again

McCain called the response a “perfect storm” of mismanagement by federal, state and local governments.

“Never again, never again, will a disaster of this nature be handled in the disgraceful way it was handled,” McCain declared.

McCain is campaigning this week in what he calls “forgotten” areas of the country, and assured New Orleans residents that their situation was not lost on him.

Trying to reach out for the votes of Democrats and independents, he pledged to be a president who would take action to erase cynicism about government.

“As President of the United States, I’m not going to leave anybody behind,” he said.

“If I had been president, I would have ordered the plane landed at the nearest base and I’d of been over here.” He repeated that later, saying, “I would’ve landed my airplane at the nearest Air Force base and come over personally.”

McCain’s criticized the Bush Administration citing unqualified leaders, poor communication, and a failure to recognize the dimensions of the problem.

McCain’s “call to action” tour this week is designed to demonstrate that he is a different kind of Republican, reaching out to all and ready to take action to help those in need.

How many f’ing times do we have to go over this? This is not the FEDERAL government’s f’ing problem, you f’ing liberal. This morning I chastised Barry for his desire to expand the size of the Federal government to proportions never before seen; this afternoon I am forced to draw the same parallel for the “Republican” candidate. Put aside for a second that he is just criticizing the Bush Administration, and focus on the idea that he is totally, 100% unfounded in his claims. He does not understand the job and role of the federal government. He is ignorant. He is blatantly void of any recognition of the principles set forth in the document, I am quite confident he has never read, called the US Constitution. John, we do not live in France, Russia, UK, Spain, Germany, China, or North Korea. We were founded on rugged individualism, which allows people to take responsibility and lead their own lives pursuant to the founding principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Not one of those principles depends upon the Federal government for some stupid handout.

John, no one in this country is “forgotten” – this really burns me up. John, the only people who this country has forgotten are those who were killed behind the Iron Curtain in the former Soviet colonies because that is what happens when you kneel at the throne of government. Governments don’t control things, they use force and coercion to control people. Socialism is just rampant in this country because of ignorance like this. I will not have my country led around by some ignorant ingrate. I will not be forced to sit and listen to how bad our country is, how bad our government is, how bad our citizens are because they don’t have enough government in their lives. Liberals like McCain should wind up on the ash heap of history just as Marxism and Leninism did when Reagan threw them there. John, I realize it is hard for liberals like you to get elected when people depend upon themselves and provide for themselves. Liberalism is what ruined New Orleans in the first place, and liberalism is not what is going to fix it.

It is so difficult for me to sit here and watch failure and ignorance on display under the mantle of the Republican Party. People are cynical about government because it has become too big, not too small – get a clue. Who are you reaching out to? Are you reaching out to liberals like Jeremiah Wright and William Ayers? For Republicans, “reaching out” is synonymous with capitulating to the views of Liberals, but I am not sure that applies with McCain because he is already a Liberal. He is one Liberal reaching out to another Liberal.

John, today you have lost my vote forever. In fact, I may dedicate my life to making sure you or any “Republican” like you doesn’t ever get elected at any level in this country ever again – not so much as the school board in Arizona.

Barry Update ~ 4.25.08

Well, I could blast Maverick today for his continued condemnation of the North Carolina Republican Party because they have chosen to run an affective TV advertisement, but I won’t. I will just add it as reason #22 to not elect the egomaniac.

Today’s Barry Update comes from some research I did over the weekend. Byron York of National Review wrote a piece entitled: “A Tiger, He’s Not – Enough with the Obama-Woods Comparison”.

York credits New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd with being the first to draw a parallel, but then he dedicates two pages to writing about all of the reasons they have NOTHING in common. In his conclusion he said that “if Obama is the Tiger of politics, then Tiger the Obama of golf”, yet this is clearly not a parallel one would draw. In the article, he writes about what he calls the “achievement gap” – Woods, if he retired today, would be the second greatest golfer ever, and would we say that Obama is the second greatest politician ever, if he retired today? Absolutely not.

Would we call Obama the second greatest politician, if he won in 2008? No

Would we call Obama the second greatest politician, if he won in 2008 and 2012? No

Imagine the standard of achievement it would take for Obama to be at a point where we would even think about calling him the second greatest politician ever.

So, the next time you hear someone draw this baseless parallel, ask them about the achievement gap (or just laugh at the media when they talk about it).

Have a great weekend guys. The secret to a good weekend is to not think about Maverick for the next two days.

Barry Update ~ 4.28.08

Today’s Update comes after my review of Barry’s website over the weekend. A good 20-minute perusal proved to be a stunning experience; shall we go over some of the positions?

On the appointment of justices to the Federal bench: “We need somebody who’s got the heart, the empathy, to recognize what it’s like to be a young teenage mom. The empathy to understand what it’s like to be poor, or African-American, or gay, or disabled, or old.”
On the housing situation: “The current administration is content to watch home prices decline.”
There is a link to Michelle’s speech where she encourages young people to not “go into corporate America,” and instead become social workers or others in “the helping industry,” not “the moneymaking industry.”
Michelle’s speech also states: “Americans’ lives have gotten progressively worse since I was a little girl.”
On capital gains, he would raise the rate from 20 to 25 percent “for the purpose of fairness” and to increase revenue to the Federal government.
On Social Security, Barry supports lifting the cap on income subject to the 12.4% tax.
On Foreign Policy, he calls his plan one to “Secure America and Restore our Standing.” On specifics therein, “I will end the war in Iraq… I will close Guantanamo. I will restore habeas corpus. I will finish the fight against Al Qaeda. And I will lead the world to combat the common threats of the 21st century: nuclear weapons and terrorism; climate change and poverty; genocide and disease.”
On The American Family, Barry would institute a bunch of programs to make us a lot more like France, including: expanding mandatory paid time off, expanding the Family Medical Leave Act, expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit, expanding paid sick days, and providing a living wage (raise the minimum wage).
On the Economy, he identifies the “problems” as (1) stagnant wages and (2) tax cuts for the wealthy and not the middle class.

Scared, yet?

I don’t even need to provide editorial comments for any of this. The nine points speak for themselves.

Stay tuned this week … I have some news for you on Friday. However, you may be able to piece together the updates during the week and figure out what I am going to announce on Friday.

__________

Later Email on McCain’s potential Supreme Court Justices

This a good, and prudent question given that this is maybe THE most pivotal issue of this campaign. By the time the next president takes office, five of the nine justices will be over the age of 70 – in order from oldest to “youngest”:

Stevens (88) – appointed by Ford

Ginsburg (75) – appointed by Clinton

Scalia (72) – appointed by Reagan

Kennedy (71) – appointed by Reagan

Bryer (69) – appointed by Clinton

Of the five, you have three who were appointed by liberals, and Kennedy is a “moderate”. In order to dissect who McCain would appoint, let’s look at a hypothetical situation -

Let’s say that the next President has the opportunity to replace Stevens and Ginsburg. This could either mean a momentous and historic swing for the Court to go in a conservative direction or it could mean that the two liberals are replaced with two other liberals.

What we are going to see is a MAJOR fight by the Democrats (think Bork). They are going to be fighting for liberals and moderates to replace these two, no matter what. You think we have seen a Roe litmus test before – whoa – wait until replacements are picked for these two. They will do anything to prevent the next two justices from being conservative, and McCain will not be up to the challenge.

McCain will be under extreme pressure from his friends on the left to appoint liberal/moderate justices to replace these two. McCain will, of course, bend to the wishes of the left, and in typical Gang of 14 fashion will cut a deal. His deal will allow him to appoint a moderate invertebrate like Sandra Day O’Connor as the replacement for Stevens in exchange for the appointment of another former-ACLU or ambulance-chasing attorney to replace Ginsburg (potentially Edwards).

In McCain, there is no desire to win and no desire to beat back liberalism with principled conservatism (he wouldn’t know what conservatism is if it hit him between the eyes). He will kneel at the throne of bipartisanship and will not upset the “balance” on the Court. As Rush’s saying goes, “There are no great moderates in American history.” Under a McCain Administration, we will experience this quote for as long as he resides at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

Maverick Update ~ 4.29.08

“Opinion, whether well or ill founded, is the governing principle of human affairs.” ~ Alexander Hamilton, June 18, 1778

This is a concept that John McCain has yet to learn or perhaps has learned firsthand (stick with me on this). The absence of principles and personal opinions founded in core values has allowed McCain to move about in the wind like a flag. Maverick’s lack of centering has made him the perfect string puppet for the American political left since 2000.

McCain has again displayed his inability to defend and fight for conservatism; Maverick has again narrowed the distance between himself and the Democratic nominee. Can you guess the issue? McCain’s void for his own convictions has already been filled by the Left’s opinions on Gitmo, Terrorist Bill of Rights, Campaign Finance Reform, Immigration, Tax Cuts, Rumsfeld, Alito, and so many others that it doesn’t leave many issues on which he can “move to the middle”, yet he has found one.

Headline: “McCain moves to the middle on healthcare”

“Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is proposing a greater federal commitment to people without health insurance on Tuesday, suggesting that it help fund states to set up non-profit risk pools to help Americans who are denied coverage or can’t afford it.

McCain’s health-policy experts provided a ballpark estimate of $7 billion a year for the new federal commitment.

“If it turns out to be the case that one of the problems turns out to be not enough money, then [he'd] work with Congress to develop the funding in a sensible and responsible way,” Holtz-Eakin said.

“Cooperation among states in the purchase of insurance would … be a crucial step in ridding the market of both needless and costly regulations, and the dominance in the market of only a few insurance companies,” McCain says.

Paragraph three is just laughable – $7 billion, my left arm – this figure will have 12 digits to the left of the decimal before they are done.

The article also points out that the plan is vague and missing a lot of the key specifics. I will admit that this is was part of Romney’s plan as well, but this is McCain we are talking about here, not Mitt. The Democrats will be like sharks smelling blood in the water – they will see an opportunity to knock Maverick all the way to their side on this one. McCain has moved away from tax cuts, incentives, and tort reform to this. After the convention, we will be hearing about how McCain has adopted the healthcare policy of whichever Democrat loses this nomination and how he is going to “reach out” to that Democrat to have him or her come run his new cabinet-level Department of National Healthcare.

Maverick again shuns the free market and conservative principles and shows how right Hamilton was. Opinion is the “governing principle of human affairs” and one without opinions is prone to being governed himself.

Isn’t it “comforting” to know that our next President will be himself governed by opinions not of his own determination?

Maverick Update ~ 4.30.08

I wanted to call your attention to something I mentioned at the end of Monday’s Barry Update: I said I would be making a major announcement on Friday, and that holds true. I just want you to be prepared and looking forward to it.

I also wanted to highlight that I will be sending out this afternoon a letter that I have drafted to Chuck Schumer, the embarrassment of a Senator from New York. When it is finalized, I will send it around – that will serve as my true opinion on the subject that we discuss in today’s update. I called his office in a near rage yesterday and probably did not communicate my point clearly enough, so I will send the letter today as a follow-up.

Now to the update -

Barry was out there criticizing McCain yesterday, and he doesn’t like Maverick’s plan to lift the gas tax for the summer; instead, Barry is calling for income tax cuts (well, just for the middle class). It still gives pause to wonder … who is the Republican here? Barry has admitted that income tax cuts improve the economy and better people’s lives – wow – that is a big give folks.

From the AP: “Obama says rivals Clinton, McCain pandering on gas tax”

Now the two Washington candidates in the race have decided to do something different,” said Obama. “John McCain started it, he made the proposal, and then Hillary Clinton said ‘me too.’”

The plan would suspend collecting the 18.4 cent federal gas tax 24.4 cent diesel tax for the summer.

“We’re arguing over a gimmick that would save you half a tank of gas over the course of the entire summer so that everyone in Washington can pat themselves on the back and say they did something,” said Obama. [My words: same could be said for earmarks and pork too]

“Well, let me tell you, this isn’t an idea designed to get you through the summer, it’s designed to get them through an election,” said Obama. He said his call for middle-class tax cuts would be far more beneficial than suspending gas tax collections.

Obama took a different view on the issue when he was an Illinois legislator, voting at least three times in favor of temporarily lifting the state’s 5 percent sales tax on gasoline.

During one debate, he joked that he wanted signs on gas pumps in his district to say, “Senator Obama reduced your gasoline prices.”

Clearly, Barry has changed his tune on this issue, but he genuinely calls the plan for what it is – a vote buying scheme. We need more of this kind of talk, whether it is from Barry or who ever. Good stuff today from Barry (that’s more than I can say for his fellow Senators from New York and Arizona). Stay tuned for the Schumer letter; I know you are going to like it.

__________

Letter to Senator Schumer

Senator Schumer:

Your comments yesterday regarding President Bush, oil supply, oil companies, gasoline prices, and gasoline taxes were ignorant, dangerous, and embarrassing.

You cannot possibly believe for a second that forcing “big oil” to pay for a gasoline tax holiday will bring down the price at the pump. You cannot possibly be so ignorant as to believe that companies pay taxes; businesses do not pay taxes – end consumers do. Raising the tax on oil companies and forcing them to pay for this “holiday” is the surest way to raise prices at the pump this summer.

There is always a market solution to high prices, but who is standing in the way of fixing that? You are, Senator. The supply and demand curve is a simple and basic economic concept that, if taught, most third graders would understand. You, however, believe that government is the solution to the problem and yet, government IS the problem. We have billions of barrels of oil sitting under our soil, and yet you refuse to allow for its drilling. The simple increase in supply, both near- and long-term will change the market dynamic and remove much of the risk premium or what you call “speculation” or “collusion” on the part of “big oil”.

There is another, very clear, element to what has driven the price higher, yet you neglect to remind the American people that oil is priced in US dollars. Most people understand that our currency has devalued against nearly every other world currency in the past year. It is a simple formula that I can’t imagine you don’t understand. It is very simple – the countries from which we import demand more dollars to send us oil so that they are receiving an equal world price. We live in a global economy today, Senator, and our elected officials need to understand concepts as simple as supply and demand and foreign currency exchange.

It is not your job, Senator, to propagate lies and excite the country over the package of baseless garbage that you spewed yesterday. The American people, now more than ever, need less government intervention in their lives, not more. You advocate “solutions” that will merely create problems of a greater scale than those we have today. We need elected officials who do not act to buy votes and spread lies. True cooperation and true patriotism in this case would be to all agree to simple, free market economics and allow the market to work. If all of our elected officials presented a unified message of truth and facts to the American public and got the government out of the way of the free market, the market and America’s people will respond in a way unimagined by government elites. Your comments and plan, sir, will not do anything to increase supply or strengthen the dollar.

I could go on for hours on this simple topic that you have chosen to confuse beyond belief. Spreading lies and blaming parties not at fault to buy votes is a shallow game that attempts to play off on some perceived ignorance of American citizens. I was embarrassed yesterday to call New York home, and I shall continue to be embarrassed as long as you continue to lie to the American public and stand in the way of true solutions.

Maverick Update ~ 5.01.08

On Tuesday, the Maverick Update discussed McCain and his inability to take a clear, decisive stand built on principal. As I wrote that Update, I could not help but to think that McCain was drawing quite a parallel to another President with the same trait – William Jefferson Clinton.

I have since pondered how closely a McCain presidency would reflect Billy’s. My conclusion is that it would be very similar in the following areas: “bipartisan” spirit, left-leaning social agenda, and tax increases. McCain, though, would not have the benefit of the tech boom to bail out his failures on the economic agenda, and thus he would plunge us deeper into the status quo of an increasing regulatory environment and ballooning government spending. Billy did all of this but was able to mask it with macro economic forces not of his own control.

A McCain Administration would, however, be very different from the standpoint that McCain would actually adopt the rhetoric of the far-left and would, from time-to-time, spout the mantras of MoveOn.org – the organization established to help save Billy’s face during the impeachment process.

Another difference would be that McCain would not have the benefit of the Contract with America and the Republican Revolution of 1994 to keep him in check and to balance-out his liberal agenda. McCain would not benefit from a force would change the tide in Washington and promote a pro-growth, limited government reform bill like the Welfare Reform Act that forced people to take a little personal responsibility.

I have come to the conclusion that a vote for McCain is a vote for William Jefferson Clinton, who just might make a perfect running mate for Maverick. John would have instant credibility with those voters to whom he is constantly “reaching” – forget McCain picking a conservative, John might just go for his real base: the so called “moderates”.

Barry Update ~ 5.02.08

Headlines this morning read:

“Gloom lifting? Employers cut fewer jobs in April, jobless rate falls”

“Sense of optimism begins to ease onto Wall St.”

“Dow crosses 13,000; Dollar Up”

“Party lines up: Another ex-Dem chairman to declare for Obama”

Boy, that “recession” we were in was tough!

As an aside, I still enjoy the fact that the Word spell check puts the little red squiggly line under “Obama” – it doesn’t have any problem with Barry, though, so we’ll keep using that (btw, I refuse to ‘add’ Obama to my dictionary).

I know you all have been looking forward to this morning since Monday, but I have to tell you that today is a day of progress, and yet a day of sadness.

I made a decision last weekend, and want to share with you the logic behind it:

Over the last two weeks, and really eight years, we have chronicled our issues with John McCain. We have charted out why we believe he would be a disaster for our country, for our party, and for our conservative movement. Walking through the math, the election of Maverick would put him in office for four years but more likely eight, and his dual-track dismantling of the party and the conservative base would have lasting impacts well into the eight years following his leaving office. I believe that it will take at least two Presidential election cycles for the party to recover. That means that a McCain election sets our party and our country back for the next 16 years. Over those 16 years, we are going to face the expiration of the Bush Tax Cuts, ever looming Social Security and Medicare deficits, and the general expansion of the Federal government into the size of something heretofore unimaginable such that IT will be equipped to handle fictitious problems such as the health insurance crisis, global warming, and the creation of alternative fuels.

What is our alternative, you ask? What would a Barry election mean? As we have demonstrated, Barry is every bit as far to the extreme left as those who finance and support him (e.g. Soros). In fact, when one couples his leftist extremism with his violent, rage-filled, and misguided friends, one paints a very scary picture of who Barry really is. Barry is going to limp into this election season with massive political weaknesses that may doom his chances of being elected from the start. With that backdrop, imagine if he won the general election. How weak would he be then? From where would he derive his “mandate” that the Left said Bush never had? As President, Barry would be on the fringe of society and in no place to govern. I don’t believe that Barry would have any ability or credibility to get anything meaningful done. In that light, I don’t believe that Barry’s Presidency would bring any more liberal policy to fruition than a McCain presidency would. Given that, we have a choice between four and 16 years.

If the aftermath of the 2006 election has taught us anything, it is that we cannot “teach the Republicans a lesson”; in other words, we cannot sit-out and allow liberals to be elected in order to force Republicans to be conservatives. Look at what has happened since 2006 – the party has nominated Maverick for President. What we must do is to take bold action. We must be active in the Party, we must seek and find conservatives to fill the halls of Congress so that in 2010, we can recreate 1994, and to follow 2010, we must find a true conservative presidential nominee as opposed to the party’s horrendous nomination of Bob Dole in 1996. We must create and build upon conservative momentum and that starts in 2008. Conservatism is going to have to “bounce” off of rock-bottom in 2008 to be the springboard of optimism and big ideas in 2010. There is one way to do that.

So, it is with a heavy heart and a great deal of sadness that I endorse Barry Obama for President.

We cannot stand to have four/eight years of lip-biting and foot-dragging where conservatives are pulled along by party lines and McCain’s “leadership”; we need four years of strength and firm resolve in a united conservative cause. Let us begin today to rebuild the Party of Reagan; ours is not the party of Teddy Roosevelt, Gerald Ford and John McCain – no, ours is the party of Washington, Lincoln, Taft, Goldwater, Buckley, and Reagan.

Post Script -

I take inspiration from a piece Ronald Reagan wrote on December 1, 1964 shortly after the political defeat of one of my heroes and one of the greatest Americans to ever live – Barry M. Goldwater. In its entirety ~

By now a new cliché has been added to the time-worn lit, but I know of no other way of comment on the election than to open with the by now familiar — “Well, it’s over and we lost.”

Yes, we did; we lost a battle in the continuing war for freedom, but our position is not untenable. First of all, there are 26 million of us and we can’t be explained away as diehard party faithfuls. We cross party lines in our dedication to a philosophy.

There are no plans for retreating from our present positions, but we can’t advance without reinforcements. Are reinforcements available? The answer is an unhesitating — “Yes!” They are to be found in the millions of so-called Republican defectors — those people who didn’t really want LBJ, but who were scared of what they thought we represented. Read that sentence very carefully because in my opinion it tells the story. All of the landslide majority did not vote against the conservative philosophy; they voted against a false image our Liberal opponents successfully mounted. Indeed it was a double false image. Not only did they portray us as advancing a kind of radical departure from the status quo, but they took for themselves a costume of comfortable conservatism. Read again their campaign fiction and you will find their normal flamboyant Liberalism hidden under the protective coloration of “the great society,” or as Hubert Horatio Humphrey put it: “We don’t want a planned society — we want society planning.”

Unfortunately, human nature resists change and goes over backward to avoid radical change. It’s a head shaker, I know, but the whole Liberal apparatus which can be quoted ad infinitum on “the wave of the future, the need for new approaches to old problems, adopt new rules for complex new problems, forget the Constitution,” was able to campaign in a last-year’s model, singing, “The old songs — the old songs are good enough for me.”

Very shortly, though, they’ll bring the show into town for a four-year run, complete with a new score — words and music by Reuther, Joseph Rauh, and the “Great Society Chorale.” Time then for the music critics — that’s us. We must dwell unceasingly on the change of tune. Our job beginning now is not so much to sell conservatism as to prove that our conservatism is in truth what a lot of people thought they were voting for when they fell for the cornpone come-on.

In short — time now for the soft sell to prove our radicalism was an optical illusion. We represent the forgotten American — that simple soul who goes to work, bucks for a raise, takes out insurance, pays for his kids’ schooling, contributes to his church and charity and knows there just “ain’t no such thing as free lunch.”

I’ll add a postscript — I don’t think we should turn the high command over to leaders who were traitors during the battle just ended.

Barry Update ~ 5.05.08

Today’s Barry Update is a personal story from an event that took place over the weekend. I think you will all enjoy this -

So, I am out yesterday afternoon for a run through Central Park, and during my “cool-down” walk, I see this 20-something female walking towards me. She looks to be mildly attractive and fairly stylish. From a distance, I can see that she is wearing a long t-shirt with big letters on it (looked to be designer) and jeans. As I get closer, the t-shirt reads in huge letters “VOTE FOR CHANGE”. I, of course, cannot let a great opportunity pass, so I proceeded to give her a high-five and let her know that she was making the right decision by voting for the most extreme candidate who has no chance of accomplishing anything over his one, four-year term. She thought it was funny that I was also voting for Barry.

Tim reminded me last night that yesterday marked the 6-month milestone to November 4. Exciting stuff!!

Maverick Update ~ 5.06.08

Given the storm in Myanmar, one can only wonder if Mike Tirico is going to have a new Katrina. Are we going to hear about Cyclone Nargis for the next three years? Will this be one last chance for the left to blame a natural disaster on Bush?

Now for the update –

Headline: McCain woos Hispanics and launches Spanish language website

Do we need go any further here? Are you as enraged by the headline as I? But, we here at the update are forced to go further, forced to give you the full scoop.

“John McCain reached out to Hispanic voters on Monday as he sought to win a constituency that has moved away from his Republican Party.”

“A report by the Pew Hispanic Center in December found that 57 percent of Hispanic registered voters called themselves Democrats, while just 23 percent considered themselves Republicans.”

This group is clearly right down McCain’s alley. Replace “Hispanics” in the above quotes with “Liberals” and you have the same crap he has been pulling for the last 8 years. The media used McCain’s favorite two words in the story again as he has “reached out” to liberals!! He is going to try to sugar-coat this for the next six months, but everything he does is designed to move the party away from the conservative base and attract more liberals. My God, this guy is an idiot.

Spanish as the official language of the US must have been the other component of the much-lauded McCain-Kennedy Amnesty Bill, we just never heard about it. John, if they can’t speak English, they shouldn’t be voting!! Oh, I forgot, John, you want to change all of that.

Barry & Maverick Update ~ 5.07.08

Ever heard of Vince and Larry? Remember the Ad Council commercials that used to run in the late 80s and 90s with the Crash Test Dummies? Yeah, that Vince and Larry.

Today, Vince and Larry can be used as a metaphor for the American people. While Vince and Larry were strapped into a car with its gears grinding, tires squealing, and engine roaring towards a brick wall at the end of a track, we are strapped into an electoral cycle with incompetence on the rise, ignorance at play, and fraudulence at work. Our brick wall is November 4, 2008 and that day is fast approaching.

Over the last 24 hours, I have been reminded and awakened to the whole concept of incompetence. Tim Russert’s joyous anointment of Barry as the nominee last night was, for me, a moment of realization. We are about to elect a man no more qualified to be in the White House than Jimmy eBay. They have the exact same resume – it’s void of accomplishment and full of fraudulent statements about false abilities and qualifications.

During the last 24 hours, I have been reminded of incompetence in the work place. It is one thing that these types of people are employed because one recognizes that given the saturation of incompetence and ignorance in society, it is only natural for some of these people to slip-through-the-cracks. It is wholly another thing, however, to elect these types of people to our highest office – we are about to have the choice between two of them.

During the last 24 hours, I have been reminded of incompetence in other levels government and in its bureaucracies. I went to the post office this morning – I know I need not say more. However, as I stood there watching Ruben struggle with the concept of printing a Priority Mail stamp, I couldn’t help but wonder if Ruben wasn’t more qualified to be the next President than John McCain or Barry Obama.

Over the last 24 hours, I have been reminded of pure, unadulterated ignorance. The lack of understanding surrounding core economic concepts, market forces, and common business sense in this country is appalling. The fact that both candidates are able to spout a line of populist, anti-free market BS and be praised for it is evidence enough that we may have forever lost the Spirit of 1776. The atrophic degeneration of education in this country because of its control by liberals is finally paying off for the socialists and communists among us. I am convinced that the majority of the American people no longer understand the greatness of free markets, free will, the pursuit of happiness, and individual responsibility. Both John McCain and Barry Obama are trophies of the socialist movement in this country, and we are about to elect one of them.

Finally, over the last 24 hours, I have been reminded of the fraud that has taken place since this whole charade started in Iowa. We have two candidates who have yet to tell the American people who they really are. During the past year, they have erected facades of lies and half-truths, offered stories of who they might be in office, and created resumes of fluff and conjecture. Now, we are going to be dependent upon one of them to “lead” the country for four years when at the same time they could no more lead the local Girl Scout troop.

Is that brick wall on November 4 feeling closer? As Vince and Larry might say “Buckle Up!”

Maverick Update ~ 5.08.08

“My country has, in its wisdom, contrived for me the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived.” ~ John Adams’ take on the role of the Vice President

As we head towards the general election, though the Democrat race might not be over, we have to start looking at the tickets and how they are going to be set, no matter how irrelevant the second half of the ticket is.

I want to update you today on one possible choice for Maverick.

Ravi and I were having some side email conversations a week ago about our next best hope for the “next Reagan”, 36-year old Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. For those of you who do not know him, I have attached an interview he did with Rush for the Limbaugh Letter about six months ago.

Governor Jindal’s name has been coming up as a potential running mate for Maverick since December, when Rush first mentioned him as a possibility. Since then, McCain has made moves and now more “pundits” are out there saying that Bobby Jindal is a very real possibility.

I will say to the larger group today what I said to Ravi last week. This would be a fatal mistake on Jindal’s part. The best parallel that I can draw here is to the former Senator from Indiana, turned George H. W. Bush’s Vice President, Dan Quayle. In 1980, at age 33, Quayle became the youngest person ever elected to the Senate from the state of Indiana by defeating Birch Bayh (Evan’s father). In 1986, Quayle was reelected by the largest margin ever achieved by a candidate in a state-wide race in the state of Indiana. In 1988, Quayle was chosen to join the Bush ticket primarily for his age and ability to reach a different generation of voters. Quayle was 42 when he was elected Vice President. Quayle had strong, conservative principles and though the media mocked him and said he was an intellectual lightweight, they said the same thing about Reagan and W (they say it about all conservatives, really).

Quayle went on to be an afterthought in the Bush Administration, with no role at all. Bush-Quayle lost to Billy with the help of Perot in 1992, and Quayle’s once soaring career was essentially over. With a short track record in the Senate and the linkage to a failed presidency that governed from the center, Quayle was left without anything on which to base his own campaign in later years.

I fear that the same thing will happen to Jindal, if he joins the McCain ticket. If Maverick wins, his ego will relegate his VP to the role that John Adams described. If McCain wins, his administration will be a failure, not unlike Bush 41. He will attempt to govern from the center, which essentially means to not govern or lead in any sense at all. Jindal, who is doing great things for the State of Louisiana will not have had time to build his record as a strong, conservative governor who can drive results by implementing those principles. Instead, he will be left without a record and his conservative reputation will be tainted by the stench of McCain’s liberalism.

While I cannot say enough good things about Jindal, I certainly hope he avoids this ticket. Ravi and I both look to 2012 and see a dawn of eight years of Romney-Jindal followed by eight years of Jindal on the top of the ticket.

Barry & Maverick Update ~ 5.09.08

Today’s update comes in the form of a multiple-choice pop quiz. I have included five quotes that people have said regarding tax policy and given three possible answers for each. Please respond with your answers by noon today (make sure not to “reply all”), and I will send out the answer key at noon. I will also provide people’s scores. Please do not Google these quotes, as it will spoil the fun here.

1. “I don’t think the governor’s tax cut is too big—it’s just misplaced. Sixty percent of the benefits from his tax cuts go to the wealthiest 10% of Americans—and that’s not the kind of tax relief that Americans need.”

a. Barry Obama

b. Mrs. Clinton

c. John McCain

2. “I always thought that class warfare was to take away from the rich. I always believed that that was what class warfare was all about. As I said, there are tax breaks and money for the richest in America and the very rich, but I think that it’s clear that there’s a growing gap between rich and poor in America, the haves and the have-nots.”

a. Barry Obama

b. Mrs. Clinton

c. John McCain

3. “And many studies have indicated that, and I think that the people who need it most and need the relief most are working middle-income Americans and that’s what I want to give to them. And at the same time, the greatest benefit that I can give them is to make sure that their Social Security benefits are there.”

a. Barry Obama

b. Mrs. Clinton

c. John McCain

4. “We give the millionaire a $2,000 refund. Bush gives him $50,000.”

a. Barry Obama

b. Mrs. Clinton

c. John McCain

5. “We had an opportunity to provide much more tax relief to millions of hard-working Americans. . . . I cannot in good conscience support a tax cut in which so many of the benefits go to the most fortunate among us, at the expense of middle-class Americans who most need tax relief.”

a. Barry Obama

b. Mrs. Clinton

c. John McCain

The results are in. Yes, I was talking about noon my time – not yours. We only had two quizzes turned in, so the rest of you get zeros. I know that it was a difficult quiz.

One of the two respondents was disqualified because I gave him a head start yesterday, and told him the form and substance of today’s quiz, so Mr. Tim Larsen scored a 100% but was DQ’d. Our other respondent (who I will hold nameless) scored a 20% (i.e. answered correctly 1 out of 5).

Here are the quotes again – this time with the source of said quote and my editorial comments.

· Answer: (c) John McCain – Washington Post on January 5, 2000 – headline: “GOP rivals bicker on taxes”

· Me: Adopting the rhetoric of the left and being guided by such principles is NOT true conservatism.

· Answer: (c) John McCain – NBC’s Meet the Press on January 16, 2000

· Me: The way to close this “gap”, John, is not to confiscate the wealth of those who have worked hard and achieved success and then turn around and give it to those at the bottom. The way to do it is by getting the government the hell out of the way and allowing those at the bottom to work hard and achieve that same success. If the government continues to confiscate wealth, what is the value in working hard to build wealth? Is it an incentive to work hard and then have it taken away only because one has been a success? Hell NO. Fundamental idiocy on display here.

· Answer: (c) John McCain – NBC’s Meet the Press on January 16, 2000

· Me: The greatest benefit you could give anyone who is sitting there waiting around for a Social Security check is a wake up call and let them know that the Social Security tax is no different than the damn income tax and is used for the general operation of the government. It is a total, 100% scam and the only way to “fix” Social Security is to end it and get the government out of it. Oh, and who says “middle-income” Americans need the most relief? Maverick, did you get that study from John Two-Americas Edwards?

4. “We give the millionaire a $2,000 refund. Bush gives him $50,000.”

· Answer: (c) John McCain – Boston Globe January 27, 2000; headline: “McCain: How straight a shooter?”

· Me: You don’t “give” the millionaire anything – the millionaire has hundreds of thousands of dollars confiscated out of his pocket every year by you and your other socialist friends in Washington. The Bush tax cuts allowed him to retain a small percentage of what had heretofore been confiscated. Again, McCain exhibits a total lack of understanding about the way actual society works and about the way government works; he again adopts the premise and fundamental left-wing ideology and rhetoric.

· Answer: (c) John McCain – Senate floor statement before voting AGAINST the Bush tax cut on May 26, 2001

· Does that sound like he was worried about cutting spending or maintaining the size and power of government via wealth redistribution? Every time that liberals talk about middle-class tax cuts, they are really talking about continued wealth redistribution and continuing to expand the size and power of government.

John McCain: a true conservative.

Maverick Update ~ 5.12.08

Could the AP be back in the tank for McCain? They are writing more McCain puff pieces and spreading lies about him through headlines. Could the drive-bys be coming back to the Maverick?

Headline: McCain urges free-market principles to reduce global warming

Anytime I see a headline like that, my first thought is that the author has no idea what “free-market principles” really are. Then I start reading, and my suspicions are affirmed.

First line of the story:

“Republican John McCain, reaching out to both independents and green-minded social conservatives, argues that global warming is undeniable and the country must take steps to bring it under control.”

You have to be kidding me – does this guy do anything but “reach out”???????????????????????? For the 1,000th time, we get a story about this idiot “reaching out” – damn, I am sick of it!!

“Take steps to bring it under control” – how does one centralized agency bring anything “under control”? It is certainly not through the “free market”.

“I will not shirk the mantle of leadership that the United States bears. I will not permit eight long years to pass without serious action on serious challenges. I will not accept the same dead-end of failed diplomacy that claimed Kyoto. The United States will lead and will lead with a different approach – an approach that speaks to the interests and obligations of every nation,” he said.

John, your job as the President of the United States is simple: to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, so help you God, and that statement above runs in opposition to your job. Your job, Senator, is NOT to subvert the interests and the success of the American people to some stupid, inane world governmental body to control the environment and economies. Your job, Senator is to make sure stupid, inane world government bodies do not have any place on our shores and have no ability to control our persons, places, or things. (Can you tell that I am shaking with rage as I type this?)

“In his speech, he highlighted his personal experiences viewing evidence of glacial recession. He also cited evidence of a shift in animal migration patterns.”

McCain’s major solution is to implement a cap-and-trade program on carbon-fuel emissions, like a similar program in the Clean Air Act that was used to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions that triggered acid rain.

Industries would be given emission targets, and those coming in under their limit could sell their surplus polluting capacity to companies unable to meet their target.

“As never before, the market would reward any person or company that seeks to invent, improve, or acquire alternatives to carbon-based energy,” he said. “More likely, however, there will be some companies that need extra emissions rights, and they will be able to buy them. The system to meet these targets and timetables will give these companies extra time to adapt – and that is good economic policy.”

I am starting to sweat, my stomach is turning, and my mouth is watering … I think I am going to be sick. McCain wouldn’t know “good economic policy” if it hit him in the face. How could anyone call this a “free market” solution? Maverick, a free market solution is when consumers decide to alter their spending and buying habits because they have decided that they want to consume a different good or type of good than they have historically been buying. A free market solution is not when you or some other pinhead decides to “cap” a company’s emissions at a certain level and then through your actions raises the price of their good because they have to “trade” for some stupid emission credit.

Last week we talked about Bobby Jindal as the VP, tomorrow we are going to talk about the more likely VP for Maverick – none other than Algore.

Maverick Update ~ 5.13.08

captrade

There simply aren’t words to describe my emotions today. Restraint is no longer an option in this election.

The Republican Party is over, finished, done, dead, deceased, wiped-out, eviscerated, terminated, expired, entombed, discontinued, concluded, and wrapped-up.

The world and our country as we know will be vastly different for the next 20 years. I feel like The Sons of Liberty who in 1765 said enough is enough following the Stamp Act. John Adams, Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, John Hancock, Patrick Henry, Joseph Warren, James Otis, Isaac Sears, and so many others would no longer allow the Crown to infringe upon their unalienable rights.

Starting today, May 13, 2008, I found the Sons of Conservatism. Our mission is clear: To return America and her 50 states to the principles of her founding. The Sons of Liberty fought from 1765 to 1783 to throw off the Crown – today we must fight the same battles to throw off the socialists among us. To throw off those who seek to raise taxes, increase government control over the lives of individuals, increase government regulation of industry, and those who seek to increase the size of government.

It matters not what these tyrants call themselves – Republicans or Democrats. We have traded one tyrant 3,700 miles away in the King of England for millions of little tyrants here at home. It is time to begin anew the call for independence:

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

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. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Maverick Update ~ 5.14.08

Today’s Update is my open letter to the GOP.

Sadly, I must write today to inform you that I am no longer a registered member of the Republican Party. Instead of withdrawing my name from the Party ranks quietly, I feel it my duty to tell you why I have left the Party.

In 1776, the delegates to the Second Continental Congress began the Declaration of Independence by saying:

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

In the spirit of a Declaration of Political Independence, I contend that adherence to conservative principles of capitalism and a federal system of government limited in its reach by the boundaries of the Constitution is the only way to prosperity, greatness, and freedom. This system of government must first and foremost acknowledge the undeniable Truth that we are endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights that among them are “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. Furthermore, the Constitution sets boundaries for our government to do no more than “establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty”. It is, therefore, imperative for such a society to have an active, engaged, and informed citizenry prepared to hold all levels of government accountable to such standards. Should the citizenry believe the government to have reached past its aforementioned boundaries, it is the citizenry’s responsibility to replace the elected representatives and the parties to which they belong with new members ready to return the government to its intended roles.

The Republican Party has moved away from the government’s founding principles and so it is that I must leave the Party to seek individual representatives who will hold fast to the founding principles. The Party’s violations of such principles are as follows:

The Party, over the last 11 presidential election cycles (including 2008), has only twice nominated a leader guided by our founding principles (Reagan) and has only twice more nominated a candidate (W. Bush) whose views were mostly aligned with the founding principles.

The Party, after the Reagan Revolution and the Contract with America, turned away from the principles of conservatism and has not looked back to the success of the conservative platform as ideals that win elections and advance the cause of the founding principles.

The Party, during its time in control of the Senate over the last decade, appointed two of the most ineffective leaders ever to hold the office (Frist and Lott).

The Party, and its leadership in the Senate, was unable to control its most outspoken and wayward member (McCain) over the last eight years and ended up capitulating to the advancement of policies and programs that stand in contrast to the founding principles.

The Party, in the most recent election cycle, has nominated a candidate (McCain) whose views on the majority of the issues are formulated in opposition to the founding principles.

The Party has embraced the fraudulent, baseless, ignorant views of its candidate and seeks to advance those causes as headline platform goals such “cap and trade”, which has been touted by GOP.com as a “pledge to reverse global climate change”.

The Party has turned its back on conservative members who have been targeted by the enemy combatants of the American left. Instead of supporting and fighting for the founding principles through these conservative members, the Party has written them off in an effort to encourage “bipartisanship” and avoid conflict.

The Party through its inability and lack of desire to fight for the founding principles has surrendered in the War of Ideas that was once waged against those on the left who seek to harm the country and the founding principles.

The Party no longer offers a viable alternative to the policies of the left. Today, the Party has adopted many of the policies of the left – the policies that seek to destroy the founding principles.

The Party and its leadership, advocates more government regulation of the free market (e.g. cap and trade), new entitlement programs (e.g. prescription drug plan), infringement upon free speech (e.g. campaign finance reform), expanded federal government control of education (e.g. No Child Left Behind), class warfare (e.g. rebates for the middle class and McCain’s middle class tax cuts), and a weakened position in the War on Islamofacism (e.g. closure of Guantanamo Bay and Terrorist Bill of Rights).

The Party has failed to advance Social Security and entitlement reform, fundamental tax reform, government spending reductions, deregulation, and further tax cuts.

The Party has failed in its role as an educator with its inability to advance clearly what the founding principles are and why adherence to them are vitally important to the future of our Republic.

The Party has sought to reach out and attract new citizens to its cause by adopting views of the left, not by advocating and convincing others that the founding principles are the views of liberty and prosperity.

The Party has failed in attracting good candidates for all offices across the country because it has been unable to advance the cause of the founding principles on a national level and has turned away most of the inspirational and visionary candidates who are willing to take up the cause.

The Party, through its nomination of John McCain, has become a tool of liberalism and is no longer a vessel for conservative thought.

In all of these areas, I and other conservatives, have been vocal over the last number of years, but have received no support or recognition from the Party. I, and others like me, have warned the Party to not take us conservatives for granted. We have warned that the continued advancement of a moderate-liberal agenda would be the end of the Party as it stood. In 2006, the first shot was taken when the Party was routed in the Congressional elections. However, the Party decided to take no action. In 2008, it is clear that the Party has decided that its moderate-liberal agenda is a winning agenda and the right one for the American people. This election will prove that to be as faulty as it was in 2006 because as Barry Goldwater said “moderation in the defense of liberty is no virtue.”

The Party’s abandonment of conservative principles has, over the last 20 years, evolved to the point of disaster. The Republican Party over the last century has been the vessel of conservatism in our country. Conservatism and the movement found its home among the ranks of the Party, though not always welcomed by the party’s leadership. From Taft to Goldwater, and from Reagan to Gingrich, conservatives have been able to advance the cause of free markets, American greatness, and limited government through the Republican Party’s platform. However, over the last 20 years, with the exception of Gingrich in 1994 and George W. Bush’s vision for the advancement of democracy around the world, the Republican Party has abandoned the ideals, which made her and her country great.

Today, I renew my pledge as an American citizen to first and foremost serve, protect and defend the Constitution – not the Republican Party. It is to that Constitution, to our founding principles, and to my fellow citizens, with a firm reliance on Providence, that I pledge my life, fortune, and sacred honor.

Barry & Maverick Update ~ 5.15.08

First, the Maverick Update:

From the LA Times Blog Top of the Ticket this morning – headline: Breaking News: McCain sees Iraq combat over, US troops home before 2013.

“McCain’s surprising remarks this morning are an early indicator of a significant shift in the former fighter pilot and POW’s stance on the controversial and unpopular war.

“McCain going right after former Gov. Mitt Romney for even hinting at a vague timetable for U.S. troop withdrawals because the Arizona senator alleged it would be taken by the enemy as a sign of surrender and a date they need only await.

“How times change, now that McCain has the GOP nomination sewed up and confronts an unpopular war and an unpopular president of his own unpopular party.”

There it is – while Maverick has not tried to outflank Democrats to the left on Iraq; however, he has begun his leftward shift on the issue. I have to give him credit here because he describes this scenario as a timetable not of a date certain, but of a date in which a series of objectives have been shored up. He sees 2013 as the projected date for those objectives to have been met.

We’ll be watching Maverick in the coming weeks to see if he continues to change his mind on the issue to the point where this becomes a withdrawal on a date certain, then it’s a “we aren’t doing so well over there, and it’s all Bush’s fault”, and then a “it’s over, we lost, time to leave.”

Now, for the Barry Update (haven’t had one in a while):

The ticket is set, gentlemen – Barry-Breck Girl 2008 – at least that is what the pundits are out there saying.

John “Two Americas” Edwards has thrown his support behind Barry. [By the way, we will henceforth refer to Edwards as TA (stands for Two Americas)] Does this come as a surprise to anyone? These two were practically making out during their debates. The Breck Girl has been kissing Barry’s backside for the last year.

However, I think there is less of a chance for this ticket than some might think. With these two on the same ticket, they would no doubt set a record for the most inexperienced ticket in the history of our democracy. What has Edwards done that qualifies him to be on the ticket? He hurt the Kerry ticket, failed to help Kerry in the south, performed poorly in the debates, cannot appeal to the union crowd that Barry struggles to win, and would further the tone of elitism on the ticket.

Here’s are my probabilities for each of the candidates to be Barry’s VP:

Kathleen Sebelius (Kansas Gov) – 50%

Edwards – 25%

Wesley Clark – 10%

Bill Bradley – 10%

Bill Richardson – 5%

Clinton – 0%

Barry Update ~ 5.16.08

In case you haven’t heard, W made this comment yesterday in Israel –

“Some seem to believe that we should negotiate with the terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along. We have an obligation to call this what it is – the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history.”

The reaction? Barry automatically assumes that Bush is talking about him. Guilty conscience, Barry? I don’t see the words “Barry”, “Obama”, “Barack”, or even “Democrat” in what Bush said.

Of course W was talking about Barry, but he was also talking about the rest of the Left. The entire Left – from Biden to Kennedy to Hillary to Pelosi to Barry to Wolf Blitzer – are up in arms about this comment. They claim “it is below the office of the President” or it is “not right to conduct politics overseas”. Democrats, do you really know what is not right? To root for our defeat, to hype up the enemy, to advance the enemy’s cause, to attempt to enact legislation to end the war, and to advance a policy of surrender are “below the offices that you hold” and are “below the actions of US citizens, in general”.

Never in our history has a political party sought the defeat of our own country. Through their reaction yesterday, it is clear that they know full well what policy it is that they advance. They have guilty consciences, but they don’t care – they’ll blame Bush.

My only regret is that Bush doesn’t talk this way more. He ought to blast and embarrass these people on a daily basis. In the late 1700s and early 1800s, the left would be tarred and feathered or would have had their citizenship revoked and put on ships back to Europe. Today, they constitute more than half of our “political leadership” – what a sad shift.

Barry Update ~ 5.19.08

Barry Obama, yesterday:

“We can’t drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times … and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK. That’s not leadership. That’s not going to happen.”

I am trying to find words to describe my reaction to this. This is just insulting to the intelligence of American citizens.

Clearly, Barry has decided that he needs to get to the left of Maverick on the issue of climate change. This whole notion of man-made climate change, along with political correctness and liberalism are the greatest threats we face today as a nation. We can beat the Islamofascists, but we may not be able to beat internal idiocy on this level.

Get ready, whoever is elected president will for four years attempt to control our lives beyond anything we have seen before. Barry just told us that he is going to take away our SUVs, ration our food, and control the temperature our homes. That is not far from controlling which school we attend, determining what job we will have, capping our pay, mandating our retirement age, reducing our pay to the same level, controlling prices, and removing private ownership of all property.

“[The Founding Fathers] knew that governments don’t control things. A government can’t control the economy without controlling people. And they know when a government sets out to do that, it must use force and coercion to achieve its purpose.” ~ Ronald Reagan, October 27, 1964

Gentlemen, Barry is Karl Marx. This is just another example of how, if elected, this guy would be so radical that he would be unable to accomplish anything.

Barry & Maverick Update ~ 5.23.08

I have to apologize for the absence of the Barry and Maverick Updates the last couple of days. I have been traveling and been swamped, so writing has been difficult this week. Because I have been absent, we have three updates today.

America Update -

Before I get into the political updates, let’s take a second to remember the meaning behind this weekend. Let us remember the sacrifices of so many – those who have sacrificed everything and those who have been every bit as willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. We remember our soldiers, their families, and the greatness of the cause for which they fight.

While the storm clouds gather far across the sea,

Let us swear allegiance to a land that’s free,

Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,

As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer.

God Bless America,

Land that I love.

Stand beside her, and guide her

Thru the night with a light from above.

From the mountains, to the prairies,

To the oceans, white with foam

God bless America, My home sweet home.

Now to the Barry Update –

Barry has been busy the last few days, but let me deviate from the news and talk about a unique insight. In this week’s issue of National Review, my favorite living writer Victor Davis Hanson had an article titled “Beneath the Hope”. The topic of the article is Barry’s history and role in the “black community”, which includes Rev. Wright. What struck me most in the article was something that didn’t have anything to do with the premise of the article. Hanson writes,

“Wright, of course, said nothing on April 28 [in his speech to the National Press Club] that he had not said previously. To his credit, Wright has been consistent in his views, odious thought they may be. It is Obama who on five or six occasions has changed his story about Wright – always under pressure, and always in reaction to the public’s, rather than his own, outrage at Wright.”

As I read that passage, I could only think about how telling this is about Barry’s principles and core leadership ability (or inability). If we have learned anything from the whole Wright saga it is that Barry is governed by polls – no more or no less than Bill Clinton or John F. Kerry. Barry saw that Wright was a losing issue, so he cut him off. Will Barry see that surrender in Iraq, negotiations with terrorist states (e.g. Iran), and tax increases are not popular in the polls and decide to change his mind? One can only wonder.

Barry should take a poll and figure out whom he should pick for VP. For now, Barry has hired a guy to screen VP candidates – the same guy who filled that role for Walter Mondale and John F. Kerry. It is good to know that Barry has chosen someone with a track record of huge success. My ideal pick for Barry is Algore – man, would I love to see Al back on the stage. I was watching some old Gore clips on YouTube tonight – such good material. The guy is an epic idiot.

Maverick Update –

In the same issue of National Review that I referenced above, Ramsesh Ponnuru wrote an article titled “A Heap of Troubles – and how McCain should try to surmount them”. He offers McCain seven suggestions, and the most important of which he says is that McCain should come out and announce that he will only seek election for a single term. Ponnuru says that this will diffuse the age issue and it will give more importance to who McCain chooses as his VP. He argues that it will allow the VP four years on the national stage to position himself as the next President. The second most important suggestion is to “reconsider global warming”.

On National Review Online today, Jonah Goldberg wrote a column that piggybacked on Ponnuru’s suggestions. Goldberg offered one new suggestion of his own – a suggestion based solely on what gives McCain the best chance to win in November. JG says that McCain is really in a tough spot when it comes to the selection of a VP candidate – (i) if McCain picks a moderate Republican, the conservative base will stay home or (ii) if he picks a true conservative, the independents and Democrats may leave his camp. JG says that Maverick has a third option, though – pick a Democrat. Goldberg says that this “national unity ticket” would allow McCain to really make the argument that he is a bipartisan uniter and steal the argument from Barry, the Drive-bys would love it, and Maverick could lock-up the Hillary supporters.

Goldberg also says that the choice of a Democrat along with a one-term pledge might be a positive for true conservatives.

“For movement conservatives, the next four years could be a time for much-needed rebuilding. Obviously, a Joe Lieberman or Sam Nunn would NOT be the presumptive front-runner for the GOP nomination in 2012. And the lack of an heir apparent would encourage a healthy and vigorous debate for the future of the party.”

This is a really interesting thought and a unique way to think about this whole thing – such a situation might give me something to ponder.

Barry Update ~ 5.27.08

I saw this endorsement for Barry over the weekend -

“Is Barack the one we have been waiting for? Or is it the other way around? Are we the people we have been waiting for? Barack Obama is giving voice and space to an awakening beyond his wildest expectations, a social force that may lead him far beyond his modest policy agenda.” ~ Tom Hayden (’60s Marxist, former State Senator from California)

Modest policy agenda? Far beyond? Tom, have you listened to Barry speak? Barry doesn’t have a policy agenda – all he has is a vision of hope and change, and by looking to his friends, we can only deduce that “Hope and Change” means the chains and slavery of socialism and government control. Tom, you don’t have to worry about “far beyond” because Barry is going far beyond anything this country has heretofore experienced.

Tom, though, is right – Barry is the one for whom the Marxists have been waiting. This is just more proof that Barry is more extreme than Jimmy Carter, the supreme leader of Hamas and Hezbollah in America.

Pause for a moment – can you imagine this guy having been considered seriously for President during a time of war at any other point in this country’s history? It is appalling.

Barry Update – 5.28.08

The daily Bible verse that I get in my email came from Isaiah 45:2 today: “I will go before you, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron.”

As I reflected on those words this morning, I couldn’t help but to think of the crooked places here in 2008. We sit here with “gates of brass” and “bars of iron” in the form of a progressive income tax, a stupid energy policy, backwards regulation, expanded Iranian influence in the Middle East, and an increasingly amoral society. In the same year, we have two nominees for President seeking to make the “crooked places straight” by erecting more “gates of brass” and reinforcing the “bars of iron” by espousing populist economic policies, appeasement, and more government.

The reflection and prayer below the verse read, in part, “Be encouraged today because right now in your life, God is going before you. He’s preparing a way. He’s making your crooked places straight. He’s making your rough places smooth. You may be going through a difficult time right now, but it’s not the end. It’s only the beginning. God has equipped you for this journey. You may feel like you’re in a dry season, but don’t look at your circumstances. Look at the promise of God today!”

In hindsight, doesn’t the reflection sound like 1976, knowing that 1980 was around the corner? I wonder who is being lined-up to run in 2012?

__________________

Tim has asked me today to share with you my thoughts on former Bush press secretary Scott McClellan and his new book What Happened.

Tim could be right in that McClellan is positioning himself for McCain’s press secretary or to be Russert’s replacement on Meet the Depressed. In an election season where everyone is trying to move farthest to the left, McClellan has joined the crowd by spewing things as Karl Rove put it, “like a left-wing blogger.”

I read a story this morning on Politico about the book and the most telling sentence in the story read: “most of his friends had expected him to take a few swipes at his former colleague in order to sell books”.

Why does everyone who leaves office in Washington have to come out with a book bashing the people with whom the person worked? Is it only negative stories that “sell books”? Even if it takes negative stories to “sell books”, why do people write them? What does this act tell us about the author?

I think the act of writing a bunch of lies to “sell books” tells us quite a lot about the character and quality of people we have “serving” the public in Washington. Good people are an endangered species in Washington. One reason is the constant sniping and attempted character assassinations that are brought about by a bunch of hacks and half-wits that have no role in society once they have left the Beltway. These people have no role in corporations or communities because they have no talents on which to stand.

By writing this book, Scott McClellan has told us more about who he is than who President Bush is. By writing the book, McClellan has reaffirmed my faith in President Bush and lost forever any respect I might have had for him.

Barry Update – 5.29.08

I thought we could all use a little humor today. I was planning to write about Barry’s latest gaffe; if any conservative made half of the gaffes that Barry is making out there, he would be labeled stupid, ignorant, and embarrassing and then put into a camp with Dan Quayle and said to be “unfit for office”. Instead, the media says: “he is not getting enough sleep,” “the campaign is tough,” “mistakes when one speaks this much should be excused,” etc.

I found this gem this morning – Congresswoman Gwen Moore was exciting the crowd before a rally yesterday in Milwaukee and had this to say about Barry:

“He’s the candidate of the people. Skinny young man. Big ears. Funny name. Armed with the experience of humble beginnings. Educated in Ivy League suites. Trained in legislative seats. Toughened in inner-city streets. Wearing the helmet of good judgment. The breastplate of hope. Wielding the shield of unity. Carrying the sword of truth. And feet marching to the beat of change!”

Normally, I like to give you my own take on things like this, but Jim Geraghty at The Campaign Spot took the words right out of my mouth:

“Other magical items carried by Obama include the Aura of Inevitability, the Cult of Personality, the Complex of the Messiah, the Cloak of Invisibility for Unsavory Associates and Mentors, the Wand To Declare Unfavorable Issues ‘Distractions’ and most powerful of all, the Amulet of Journalists’ Devotion to a Heroic Narrative.”

Barry Update ~ 5.30.08

Barry gave the commencement address at Wesleyan University last Sunday. He was filling in for Ted Kennedy. If you want to torture yourself, his prepared remarks are on his website.

The speech is classic American liberalism on display. While his general theme of service is honorable, his argument that greedy capitalism and thus the engine of America is somehow at odds with service and “caring” is offensive. The worst lines of the speech are as follows:

Through service, I discovered how my own improbable story fit into the larger story of America.

Each of you will have the chance to make your own discovery in the years to come. And I say “chance” because you won’t have to take it. There’s no community service requirement in the real world; no one forcing you to care. You can take your diploma, walk off this stage, and chase only after the big house and the nice suits and all the other things that our money culture says you should by. You can choose to narrow your concerns and live your life in a way that tries to keep your story separate from America’s.

This kind of thinking, ignorance of free markets, and disgust for capitalism is absurd. America’s “story” is built upon the truth that we are born with “unalienable rights that among them are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” America’s “story” – the pursuit of happiness – is built upon individual and therefore collective success garnered through freedom, free markets, trade, commerce, and capitalism. The success of our society depends upon rugged individualism and personal responsibility because the free market succeeds when it best fulfills the needs of the consumers in its market. Barack has this concept backwards; service depends upon the success of individuals who are enabled to be generous with their hard-earned money and personal time.

Americans are the most generous people in the history of the world. Why? Because we all “care” – some display that caring attitude by volunteering in their free time, others by working for service organizations, and still others by donating money to the service organizations so those employed by them can do their jobs. Yes, even those citizens chasing after “the big house and nice suits” are part of America’s “story” – and in more ways than one. Barack’s insinuation that only those who devote their lives to service are the ones who truly “care” is insulting and ignorant.

I have made my point that the daily work contribution is vitally important to the engine of America, but that is not to mention the “sacrifice” that is excessive taxation and payments to a government that seeks to replace service with its own work. Even if citizens do not partake in some kind of overt service, volunteerism, or monetary donation, these hard-working men and women pay exorbitant taxes to fund a system that dolls out billions of aid and grant money every month. If it is service that Barack wants, then he should advocate policies of lower taxes and smaller government. If people didn’t have to work until May to pay their tax bill and if the government didn’t override private service, the market would create more service. We don’t have to look any further back than the 1980s to see this phenomenon in action. The annual rate of giving in the 1980s was 55% higher than that of the prior 25 years. It increased from $77.5 billion in 1980 to $121 billion in 1989. The compounded growth rate, which was 3.3% from 1955-80, rose to 5.1% annually under the vastly improved economic climate and lower tax rates.

In what I have written so far, I have not dabbled in a specific policy raised by Barack, but I feel I must cite an example here to support my claim. In Barack’s words from the speech,

“At a time when there are children in the city of New Orleans who still spend each night in a lonely trailer, we need more of you to take a weekend or a week off from work, and head down South, and help rebuild.”

We will mark the three-year anniversary of Katrina this August, and still Barack talks about sending more aid, more money, and more resources to rebuild. The “need” still exists because the government stepped into the relief effort, and by doing so stunted the work of the private sector, perverted the incentive for individuals to rebuild, and cut short the work of other service groups. The government poured billions into trailer parks, reconstruction, and cleanup, but we still have a “need” to do more almost three years later. In sharp contrast, both Katrina and Rita hit the people of several Caribbean islands, yet we do not constantly hear about their citizens living in trailers and still in need of help. Instead of turning to government, the island peoples turned to themselves and rebuilt. They did not sit around and wait for government workers, government checks, and government trailers – they rebuilt on their own. What a novel concept! Now, I am not saying that we shouldn’t help in the case of a disaster – hearts went out, people “cared” for others, and checks were sent. However, my personal check wasn’t sent. It wasn’t because I didn’t “care” about the people in New Orleans; rather, I decided not to send a personal check in addition to the one the federal government decided to send on my behalf.

I knew government money would be poorly spent, would encourage laziness, and would create a welfare program, so it defeated the purpose of independently trying to help. Because Katrina and the aftermath is still a headline almost three years later, my suspicions have been validated. The government threw individual responsibility and the free market out the window and created an opportunity for people to abuse the system. The people still in trailers did not flee the hurricane because they were waiting for government to come and help them leave; they have been so dependent upon some level of government for so long that they have forgotten (or never known) what it is like to do something for themselves. It is nearly criminal what the governments have done to people, but Barack, the last thing in which I will engage is a weekend filled with assisting the lazy, government-dependent citizens who have yet to rebuild. These are NOT the most unfortunate among us; these are the individuals who are trying to string-out the taxpayer-funded free ride for as long as possible. It is not the time for further assistance; it is time for tough love and individual responsibility.

It is service rooted in the success of the free market that drives America. America is built on capitalism, which funds the government and enables service – not the other way around. One will have to go to the ash heap of history and ask Lennon, Khrushchev, and the KGB how government force and coercion work to “encourage” service.

Barry Update ~ 6.2.08

My 2008 presidential vote is back in the undecided column. Over the last week, it has become apparent that Barry Obama is even more radical than I first thought (I’ll cover many of these issues this week). I now surmise that the best for which we could hope of his presidency would be for him to bring about Carter’s second term. This guy makes Gore Vidal’s views look conservative and coherent.

The difference between 1976 and 2008 is that we face an enemy today who seeks to attack us here at home. While it is scary to think what might have happened in 1978 had the Russians threatened to launch an attack, it is much scarier today to have an enemy who is willing to do more than threaten.

The man with whom Barry would seek to negotiate a peace deal – Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said this yesterday:

“I must announce that the Zionist regime (Israel), with a 60-year record of genocide, plunder, invasion and betrayal is about to die and will soon be erased from the geographical scene. Today, the time for the fall of the satanic power of the United States has come and the countdown to the annihilation of the emperor of power and wealth has started.”

That is pure evil. Barry does not understand that evil exists in the world. Barry does not understand that we must deal with evil in such a way that we eradicate it. This is not the first time the Mahmoud has said this; this kind of filth is a weekly occurrence.

The threat that Iran poses (through its terror groups Hamas and Hezbollah), is so catastrophic that I don’t know if we can afford to have four years of horrendous leadership on this front. In four years, Iran will be so close to building its own nuclear weapon that we just cannot risk Barry in charge of foreign policy.

Barry Update ~ 6.3.08

Today’s update is the first in a series called, “How far left is Barry?”.

In 2007 (last year), Barry recorded a series of short videos for the “Caucus for Priorities”, a far-left, pacifist organization. The most notable of the videos has a runtime of less than two minutes, but those are two of the scariest two minutes of film I have ever witnessed. All of these videos can be found on YouTube. Here’s the part of the scary one -

“As president, I will end misguided defense policies and stand with Caucus for Priorities in fighting special interests in Washington. First, I’ll stop spending $9 billion a month in Iraq. I’m the only major candidate who opposed this war from the beginning — and as president, I will end it. Second, I will cut tens of billions of dollars in wasteful spending. I will cut investments in unproven missile defense systems. I will not weaponize space. I will slow our development of future combat systems, and I will institute an independent defense priorities board to ensure that the Quadrennial Defense Review is not used to justify unnecessary spending. Third, I will set a goal of a world without nuclear weapons. To seek that goal, I will not develop new nuclear weapons; I will seek a global ban on the production of fissile material, and I will negotiate with Russia to take our ICBMs off hair-trigger alert and to achieve deep cuts in our nuclear arsenals. You know where I stand.”

Yes, Barry, we know where you “stand”. You stand on the wrong side of history, on the wrong side of foreign policy, and the wrong side of the future. Barry has absolutely no clue about the ways of the world and this short collection of phrases demonstrates that the number of reasons for him to be elected president and given the control of foreign policy is less than one.

Let’s go through these points one-by-one:

He is wrong on Iraq. Yes, he opposed the war, and yes, he was wrong to have done so. The war was about eliminating a security threat posed by Sadam through either his holding of or ability to obtain WMDs, Sadam’s funding of suicide bombers in Israel, the humanitarian nightmare inside Iraq, his assassination attempt on Bush Sr., his repeated violations of 14 UN resolutions passed since 1991, his continual firing upon our planes patrolling the “no-fly zone”, and his harboring and training of Al Queda forces. That doesn’t even mention the havoc he would be causing today with Iran and Syria.
Barry will cut missile defense spending and “slow the development of future combat systems.” Barry, have you ever heard of a little country called CHINA? Do you realize that we need to be fighting not only today’s war but thinking ahead about how to fight (or deter) tomorrow’s? This all comes back to the old Goldwater principle of Peace through Strength – liberals never have and never will understand it. Because of short-sighted, ignorant policies like these are the reasons we have massive wars throughout history. As Reagan said in 1984 on the 40th anniversary of D-Day: “We have learned bitter lessons from two World Wars: It is better to be here ready to protect the peace than to take blind shelter across the sea, rushing to respond only after freedom is lost. We’ve learned that isolationism never was and never will be an acceptable response to tyrannical governments with an expansionist intent.” And in case Barry has missed it, Iran has “an expansionist intent.”
“A world without nuclear weapons” – stop the insanity. Barry, this is simple: evil people live in this world, nuclear weapons exist, evil people are always going to want nuclear weapons, and evil people want to use nuclear weapons. We will always need to maintain our own set of superior nuclear weapons to combat those held by evil people. Barry, as ideal as this sounds, not everyone lives in your liberal utopia – some people live in the real world.

Barry Update ~ 6.4.08

How far left is Barry? – Part II

I wrote the following email to colleague who asked me what I thought of the Obama nomination acceptance speech last night.

The speech was very well delivered to a very excited, emotional, and jubilant audience. It is also clear that the message or the messenger is resonating with a much larger audience than what was contained in St. Paul, MN tonight. I am not yet sure whether people are attracted to the message or the messenger, and that will be an interesting dynamic to watch develop over the next five months. It certainly concerns me, if they are more attracted to the message.

I stand in opposition to most all of the policy points that Barack made tonight because the premise of each point was that government, and not individual responsibility, is the solution. It is on this point where there exists the age-old, fundamental disagreement between American liberals and conservatives. Obama knows what he is advancing – he knows he is furthering the ideology of American liberalism, and he speaks it well. Unfortunately, the party to which I formerly belonged decided to nominate a guy who is going to try to beat Obama by attracting Hillary Clinton’s voters.

If Obama missed one point completely tonight, it is on the notion that he is going to have a lively debate with John McCain. Obama and McCain will find more areas of agreement than disagreement in this election. Their debate will be over small strategies and similar hues of the same color, but not the bold differences of liberalism versus conservatism. The one exception is on their Iraq policy (notice I don’t expand this point of their disagreement to the broader War on Terror).

It is because the debate over issues will be so limited in scope that the ultimate debate and the election will come down to a comparison of the likeability, character, and personality of the two messengers. This is most unfortunate.

Barack said in his conclusion that he wants to “remake this great nation”. Conservatives like myself know what that statement means, and because we conservatives are without a dog in this fight, that statement is like rubbing high-grit sandpaper in our eyes.

_______

What I want to do this morning is to expand on the second paragraph in that email. Obama closed last night’s speech by saying:

Because if we are willing to work for it, and fight for it, and believe in it, then I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless; this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal; this was the moment when we ended a war and secured our nation and restored our image as the last, best hope on earth. This was the moment—this was the time—when we came together to remake this great nation so that it may always reflect our very best selves and our highest ideals.

The best way to summarize this is to re-write this paragraph in the way that truly defines it:

Because if we are willing to expand the size of government far enough, and spend enough, and raise taxes high enough, then I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when government took control of America, when government usurped control of the private economy, when government monopolized healthcare, when government socialized key industries; this was the moment when we decided to care more than everyone else in the world; this was the moment when we surrendered to terror and weakened our nation and erased our image as the last, best hope on earth. This was the moment—this was the time—when we came together to finally demolish this once great nation so that it may never reflect our past greed and success.

Maverick Update – 6.5.08

I can’t go more than a week without a Maverick Update, so let’s look at McCain’s speech from two nights back. Let me set this up by saying that he was down in Louisana again – I don’t know if he likes it down there because (a) he gets a chance to visit Jindal or (b) he gets to bash Bush on Katrina from Katrina’s home state. I haven’t figured it out yet. Now to the painful speech:

The next president must be willing to break completely with the energy policies not just of the Bush administration, but the administrations that preceded his. Senator Obama voted for the same policies that created the problem. In fact, he voted for the energy bill promoted by the president and Vice President Cheney, which gave even more breaks to the oil industry. With forward thinking Democrats and Republicans, I proposed a climate change policy that would greatly reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Our approach was opposed by President Bush and by leading Democrats, and it was defeated by opposition from special interests that favor Republicans and those that favor Democrats.

Senator, your bill was opposed because it is the worst piece of legislation since The New Deal. Yes, you have even found a way to top LBJ’s Great Society. Mav, can you tell me how your bill creates any more supply? Can you tell me how your bill acts to lower prices by taking the handcuffs off of the free market? Oh, that’s right, your bill breaks out a shiny new pair of handcuffs, cement blocks, and a ball and chain for energy supply and for the economy. I, quite frankly, don’t think he is smart enough to know just how bad this bill is.

And the morning after on Good Morning America, his answer to a question from the host:

Question: Why would Democrats that have supported a liberal Democrat, why should they vote for you, a conservative Republican?

MCCAIN: They respect the fact that I’ve reached across the aisle to Democrats. If I’m going to win this election, a key to winning this election will be independent voters and Democrats as well.

In other words, [Maverick's voice] “forget conservatives”, “what conservatives?”, “who says I am a conservative?”, “I am a Maverick – the media likes that”, “why are you calling me a conservative?”

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Published on February 18, 2009 at 1:17 AM Leave a Comment

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