Author Archives: Bryce Buchanan

Aside

Reply

Some things worth knowing:

Kevin Williamson, at NRO, soberly assesses Romneys situation if he becomes captain of the sinking ship:

…Winning will be no bed of roses, either: The economic growth rate in January 2013 probably will be approaching zero, our international standing has been diminished by Obama’s clumsiness and timidity, and our fiscal position is untenable. Romney is working very hard to secure for himself a big box of insoluble problems.

===============

Welfare spending tops a trillion a year.  Senator Jeff Sessions reports on a recent study of spending:

“The results are staggering. The Congressional Research Service identified 83 overlapping federal welfare programs that together represented the single largest budget item in 2011—more than the nation spends on Social Security, Medicare, or national defense. The total amount spent on these 80-plus federal welfare programs amounts to roughly $1.03 trillion. Importantly, these figures solely refer to means-tested welfare benefits. They exclude entitlement programs to which people contribute (e.g., Social Security and Medicare).”

==============

If poverty was simply a question of wealth redistribution, the sheer amount of dollars spent since the not-so-Great Society programs of the 1960s should have resolved the problem. In 2011, Peter Ferrara calculated that “total welfare spending [in 2008] . . . amounted to $16,800 per person in poverty, 4 times as much as the Census Bureau estimated was necessary to bring all of the poor up to the poverty level, eliminating all poverty in America. That would be $50,400 per poor family of three.

And welfare spending has risen 32% in the last 4 years, so the figures are now much worse.  This cancer will kill us if it is not controlled.  Believe it or not, there are people who view this as a very good thing.  Just Google Cloward and Piven and read the first few entries.  Obama taught the Cloward and Piven strategy in Chicago.

================

“For Every 1 Person Added To Labor Force Since January 2009,” the chart reads, “10 People Added To Those Not In Labor Force.”

That is, in nearly the four years, since President Obama took office in January 2009, only 827,000 people have been added to the labor force, while during that same time period, 8,208,000 have been added to those not in the labor force.

=================

Mark Steyn has a good column about Who’s Politicizing Benghazi?

================

A man named Mohammad was arrested for plotting to set off a bomb near the world trade center.  He said he wanted to help destroy America so that Muslims “could be one step closer to run the whole world.”  That is the goal of Jihad, folks.  It is a supremacist ideology like Nazism.

================

Reality Batting Last

Posted on by
Reply

One by one, the wildly exaggerated claims about our glorious transition to ”green jobs” are making their rendezvous with reality.  Hundreds of millions of dollars have been given to companies which would provide “the jobs of the future”.  In many cases, owners of these companies had also provided ‘campaign cash for Obama’s future’.  So the cronies got money and Obama got both money and a photo-op to talk about his green greatness.

Later, in bankruptcy after bankruptcy, reality has re-asserted itself.  One of the latest such debacles is the bankruptcy of battery manufacturer, A123 systems. Taxpayers lost about  $250,000,000.  Think about what the taxpayers who made this money could have done with it if it had not been taken from them.  This short video is a classic display of leftist economic delusions:

 

Who Was That Guy?

Posted on by
Reply

I’m concerned.  There was someone debating Governor Romney last night who said he loved free enterprise.  He loved oil. He loved coal. He loved natural gas and pipelines.

He was a huge fan of small businesses and wanted to help them every way he could.  This man said he was very concerned about the deficit.  He thought it was important to make budgets to address that issue.  He was concerned about illegal immigration.  If only he had had a majority in Congress he would have addressed those problems.

On the Benghazi attack, he said that, right from the beginning, from the very first day, he told the American people that this was a terrorist attack.  He had not misled the American people in any way.

My concern is this:  Who was that person, and what have they done with President Obama?

 

Time To Re-Re-Open Some Old, Old Wounds

Posted on by
3

Thomas Sowell

Few issues are demagoged more than racism in our country.  Stirring up racial animosity is always part of the Democrat, pre-election playbook.  Yes, those Republicans  “want to put ya’all back in chains”; they want to reverse all the civil rights legislation; they want to keep you from voting…. etc..  That is the hateful imaginary world that is always sold to black people as a means of keeping them on the Democrat Poverty Plantation.

It is very harmful to the country, but it accomplishes its intended purpose for the Democrats.  The voting block is secure.

This cynical game of race-baiting is called “motivating the base” and it will require much more effort for this Presidential election than the last.  The Messiah has not come through with any of the magical cures for problems that were expected.   In reality, things are much worse for minorities.

So, in the next two weeks, all the usual suspects will be opening racial sores and rubbing salt in them. There will be a racial event of some kind that is trumpeted nationwide …maybe even several events.    Romney will be found to be a racist, the Republicans will be “trying to keep black people from voting”, Trayvon Martin (or a similar media created story of mythical racism) will be in the news,  and an urgent  message will go out to black ministers that the pre-election sermon must be about voting for the Democrat party and the President.

Ann Coulter has a new book covering the sordid history of racial politics in America.  Thomas Sowell reviews the book in this column.  He starts the column this way:

If you are sick and tired of seeing politicians and others playing the race card, or if you are just disgusted with the grossly dishonest way racial issues in general are portrayed, then you should get a copy of Ann Coulter’s new book, “Mugged.” Its subtitle is: “Racial Demagoguery from the Seventies to Obama.”  Few things are as rare as an honest book about race.

His discussion of the difference between Democrat rhetoric and reality is worth reading.  And if you want to read more on the subject, there is a good post at American Thinker.

UPDATE: You can read about the race riots that are being planned if Romney wins.  Read it here ,  including a link to some Thomas Sowell audio.

 

Odds ‘n Ends

Posted on by
Reply

We addressed the arrogant condrescention of the left after Biden’s superb display of it.  Matther May at American Thinker has a very good post on that topic.  An excerpt::

You see, the left live in a rather special world.  It is a sealed bubble, impervious to logic and experience, and without regard for the facts as they are.  Biden’s rude gesticulations were a gruesome look into that special world, and we can thank him for it.

=============

Daren Jonescu  shares my fear that what needs to be fixed in our government will not be fixed as long as big government is viewed as an altruistic enterprise… as long as Republican dare not say that we must reverse course in a big way.  His critique of Ryan’s debate performance is here.  An excerpt:

But  with the election only a few weeks away, and the fate of liberty on the planet  hanging in the balance as rarely before, why must conservatives settle yet again  for having their views represented apologetically, rather than with gusto and  defiance?

The  Romney/Ryan ticket is all about balancing the budget and championing the free  market.  So champion it.

=================

Here is a powerful, honest speech about the ascendency of radical Islam and what it means to the West.  This is a very important topic covered in an intelligent way by CBS reporter, Lara Logan.  She may have a more intense interest in this topic than the average person because she was, as you recall, gang raped in the middle Tahrir Square during that wonderful Arab Spring uprising.  Here is an excerpt and the video:

“It’s amazing to me that we are still comparing Afghanistan to Vietnam.

“The Viet Cong didn’t care what you did when you went back to America. The Viet Cong didn’t fight for an Islamic caliphate. The Viet Cong didn’t fight a global struggle. It’s amazing to me that we constantly ignore … what all these groups tell us every day in their own in their own statements.”

“They share something. They share an idea. Al Qaeda is not an organization. You don’t have to have a membership card or badge… this is terrorism, it is a completely and utterly different fight from anything we have faced in our history.”

“Our way of life is under attack and if you think that’s government propaganda, if you think that’s nonsense, if you think that’s warmongering, you’re not listening to what the people who are fighting you say about this fight.”

“In your arrogance, you think you write the script, but you don’t. There’s two sides and we don’t dictate the terms. In fact after eleven years of war in Afghanistan, we’re rushing for the exits as fast as we can, not only do we not dictate the terms, but we have less power to dictate anything on the world stage.”

Biden, The Condescending Jerk

Posted on by
1

One of the most annoying traits of liberals is their presumption that they are vastly superior to conservatives, intellectually.  That incorrect presumption was very much on display in the vice-presidential debate.  And between these two people it was especially inappropriate. 

The Smirkathon won’t work out the way Joe had hoped.  He made a fool of himself.  Debates have two key elements, one is appearance and one is content.  Appearance overshadowed content in this debate.  People saw Bidens childish and disrespectful behavior and it was the main point of discussion afterward.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=b7mdnU9gFik

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCtemaHgjyA&feature=player_embedded#!

Here is the instant review of the debate from Twitter:

TIME’s Michael Scherer: “Not sure debate cameras have been light tested for Biden’s teeth. Best to watch with sunglasses.”

Washington Examiner’s Philip Klein: “Biden’s strategy seems to be to laugh at Ryan constantly. Will it work to infantalize Ryan, or backfire like Gore sighing?”

NBC’s David Gregory: “Biden’s smile is out of control.”

BuzzFeed’s Ben Smith: “So did Biden practice laughing at Ryan???”

ABC’s Rick Klein: “Biden on verge of breaking down in laughter when Ryan talks.”

Former Eric Cantor staffer Brad Dayspring: “Joe Biden needs to realize this isn’t a Senate Foreign Relations Hearing. His laughter and condescending attitude is a disaster.”

Radio host Neal Boortz: “Looking like Biden’s gameplan is to laugh his way through this.”

Townhall.com’s Guy Benson: “Will Biden laugh his ass off at the terrible economy, too?”

MSNBC’s S.E. Cupp: “Biden needs to laugh a little less through the Libya, Middle East, nuclear Iran segment.

Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza: “Ok. I have decided. I find the Biden smile slightly unsettling.

PBS’ Jeff Greenfield: “Biden has always had a smile that at times is really, really inappropriate.”

Washington Examiner’s Paul Bedard: “Can’t tell yet if Biden’s smirking, laughs, eye-rolling, head shaking, works for him or not against the oh-so-young looking eager Ryan.”

Former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer: “Biden is at risk of having his laugh come across like Gore’s sighs. He should knock it off.”

The New York Times’ Ashley Parker: “Biden’s grin is Chesire Cat caliber.”

Republican strategist Ron Bonjean: “Biden laughing does not come off with the intended effect. It is actually hurting him. Looks very condescending.”

Movie critic Roger Ebert: “Joe! Stop smiling and laughing!”

Washington Times’ Emily Miller: “Biden laughing when he disagrees with Ryan is so annoying. Like a child in time out.”

Washington Post’s Jennifer Rubin: “Biden’s laughing is losing the debate- obnoxious”

Comedy Central’s Indecision: “If this keeps up much longer, Joe Biden’s going to sprain his laugh muscles.”

————————–

Biden and Obama both have a vastly overinflated view of their greatness.

Aside

1

Quotes to ponder:

“For too long in this society we have celebrated unrestrained individualism over the common community.”    Joe Biden

“We must abolish the cult of the individual decisively, once and for all.”   Nikita Kruschev

“We must stop thinking of the individual and start thinking about what is best for society.”   Hillary Clinton

“The smallest minority on earth is the individual. Those who deny individual rights cannot claim to be defenders of minorities.”           Ayn Rand

Taxes, Lies and Marxism

Posted on by
1

Kerry Pickett has a short must-read column in the Washington Times.  There are so many lies about taxes that it is nice to see a concise statement of the facts.  It is a fact that top earners in the U.S. pay a larger share of the tax burden than in any industrialized nation.  It is a fact that cutting tax rates on the wealthy has often resulted in them paying more tax and a larger share of the tax burden.

From the article:

Consider what happened each time the U.S. reduced the tax rate  significantly:

1920s: The top tax rate fell from 73 percent to 25 percent,  yet the rich (in those days, those earning $50,000 and up) went from paying 44.2  percent of the tax burden in 1921 to paying more than 78 percent in 1928.

1960s: President John F. Kennedy slashed the top tax rate  from 91 percent to 70 percent. In the ensuing three years, those making more  than $50,000 annually saw their tax payments rise by 57 percent, and their share  of the tax burden climbed from 11.6 percent to 15.1 percent.

1980s: The Reagan years saw the top rate fall from 70  percent in 1980 to 28 percent in 1988. What happened to the rich? The top 1  percent went from shouldering 17.6 percent of the income tax burden in 1981 to  paying 27.5 percent of the total in 1988. The top 10 percent saw their share of  the burden climb from 48 percent in 1981 to over 57 percent in  1988.

===========

In the Marxist world, power comes from stirring up class envy.  No matter what share of the burden is carried by the most productive people, the Marxist cry will always be,  “The rich are not paying their fair share.  Stick with me and we will take more of their property”.

Obama made it clear that the important thing to him was to bring down the rich, when, in an interview, he was confronted with the fact that raising the capital gains tax may decrease the amount of revenue for the government.  He said he would raise the tax burden anyway, “for purposes of fairness”.

Obama is much more ideological than practical.  Even if he understood, as Kennedy and Reagan understood, that cutting taxes increases economic activity and increases government revenue, he would still propose punishing the evil rich.

 

5 Claims…… All False

Posted on by
Reply

Obama’s campaign speeches regularly contain the claims that:

  1. Bush’s tax cuts and de-regulation caused the recession,
  2. Obama stopped the second Great Depression,
  3. His policies are working,
  4. A very slow recovery was inevitable, and
  5. No one could have done any better.

Investor’s Business Daily columnist, John Merline, shows that these claims are false.  The chart below is from the column.

The housing bubble, created primarily by government mandated easy loans for people who had little prospect of making payments, created the collapse.  Actually, a community agitator in Chicago, named Obama, had worked to increase the number of these loans.  Banks were threatened.  Later, regulators for President Bush, made many attempts to rein in the insane lending practices, warning of the disaster ahead.  They were rebuffed and even ridiculed by Democrats like Barney Frank.  The party who now blames lack of regulation, actually fought the regulators.

Yes, they are shameless.  And with the help of a media that never holds them to account, Mr. Frank and Mr. Dodd went on to create more economic damage with Dodd-Frank.

I wish Mr. Merline’s column had address one more big economic lie that is a regular part of Obama’s repertoire of lies.  That is the lie that wealthy people have paid an ever-decreasing share of government, while the burden has been shifted by evil Republicans onto the backs of the poor.  The facts clearly refute this absurd claim.

At a deeper level, there is a way that big spending politicians are increasing the burden on the poor and middle class.  It’s just not very visible    ….yet.   Romney and Ryan should be talking about this hidden tax.

There are two parts to government spending, that which is paid for and that which is borrowed.  The borrowed portion is more massive than the world has ever seen, and is growing fast.  The debt problem is so enormous, and politicians are so unwilling to face it, that there are probably only two possible outcomes, both bad.  One is to default on the debt and one is to pay the debt with inflated, relatively worthless money.

In the past, big-spending governments have chosen the inflationary route.  They do pay their debts, but with worthless money.  Think of this as the inflation tax.  Your savings accounts, your investments, all of your dollar denominated assets will be worth less.  You didn’t write the government a check for the inflation tax; they just took the value of your money.  You may have a hundred-dollar bill in your pocket, but  you may only be able to buy a loaf of bread with it.   People with limited means will be harmed the most.

In September, the Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank and the Bank of Japan all announced plans to inflate their currencies. We should see this as a big announcement of the coming inflation tax.  It’s full speed ahead on irresponsible printing of paper money.  It is unavoidable that the money will be worth less. The Fed plans to expand our money supply by at least 85 billion per month, and they explicitly stated that they could do this indefinitely.  They are kicking the can down the road.  We know where the road leads, and so do they.

 

Aside

Reply

I have been gone for about 10 days, traveling in Eastern Canada and New England. The picture at left was from Maine, the one below frow Boston.  Boston is the epicenter of Revolutionary history.  It’s a treat to walk the Freedom Trail and re-live the events that led to The Only Real Revolution.

 

Those American settlers risked so very much for liberty.  All of the people who threw tea into Boston Harbor knew that they may be hanged for their defiant acts. Many of those who left their farms and families to face the British at Lexington and Concord never returned home.  And the citizen soldiers on Bunker Hill were heavily outnumbered and outgunned, but they fought valiantly for their liberty anyway.  We are truly the beneficiaries of their bravery.

If these soldiers could see America today, I imagine they would be amazed at our material prosperity, but shocked at the size of our government and sad to see how pathetically docile we are in the face of ever-increasing government control of our lives.

This brought to mind two quotes, the first from Benjamin Franklin, the second from Thomas Paine:

He who would trade liberty for some temporary security, deserves neither liberty nor security.

——————–

The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as freedom should not be highly rated.

 

Posted by Bryce Buchanan