Archive for February, 2009

Reprint: What if it were grades…

Saturday, February 28th, 2009

I noticed a spike in views for an article published in October 2008, so thought I’d go ahead and reprint it since it does fit quite well with current events such as the mortgage bailouts:

I’ve heard lots of college students talking about how great Obama is, how he will be fair and ensure folks who have less will be taken care of by folks who have more… all in the interest of “fairness”.

They seem to have no problem with the concept of redistribution of wealth.

This seemed illogical since these very same students will, presumably, have good jobs someday and it will be their pocket Obama is picking.

Then it occurred to me, the concept of money being redistributed from one person to another may not mean much to Obama’s youth base.  After all, especially in the case of his fanatical supporters on college campuses, this seems a good thing because they have no money and are accustomed to spending other people’s money.

So what we need is an analogy that will resonate with these young minds.  Grades.

Suppose you have worked hard all semester and are looking at straight A’s.  On the other hand, your roommate has been off partying almost every night and is on the verge of flunking out.

Doesn’t seem quite fair that you should have all the A’s when your roommate is about to lose everything.  You don’t really need all those A’s, do you?  You can still get along just fine with passing grades.  Wouldn’t it just be fair to share the wealth, spread some of those A’s around to those in need of better grades; maybe we could just bump you down to straight C’s and bump your roommate up to straight C’s and you both will be able to stay in college… that’s what really matters, right?

We must be fair, and I’m sure you will have no problem working real hard to earn those A’s again next semester because we will need those grades to help out your roommate again since he plans to party until he graduates.

What’s that? You worked hard to get those A’s while your roommate was off partying?

What does that have to do with anything.  It’s about fairness and making sure everyone has an equal opportunity to have better grades, whether they work for them or not.  It’s patriotic!

That would really suck, wouldn’t it.

Well…  folks are working real hard for their money too, but Obama thinks it is only fair that he gets to decide how much is enough and who gets a check in the mail courtesy of your bank account.  Never mind that 40% of folks don’t even pay income tax, we must give them a “tax cut”, aka a welfare check courtesy of you and me.

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Top Secret End Game: Chapter 11

Thursday, February 26th, 2009

That’s got to be his plan, run up a huge debt while buying everything on his wish list, then declare bankruptcy and walk away from the debt, because he sure as hell can’t be stupid enough to think that he can pay off this debt by taxing the “wealthy”.

I just went out to the IRS website and pulled stats for 2006, the last year available.  Adding up ALL of the adjusted gross income for every tax payer who reported income of $200k or more, the TOTAL income is:  $2,501,104,714,000
or just over $2.5t.  That’s not how much tax they pay, that’s total income if we want to take every last dime.

The projected deficit (not total spending, just the deficit) for this year alone  is $1.75t…  which is almost all of the money the “wealthy” earn in a year!!!!!

So…  tell me again how the wealthy are going to pay for this?

Taxing “big business” will, of course, also be part of the answer.  Tell me, do you know of any business that will not pass on an expense and will just eat it?  If the price of flour goes up, does the pizza guy just keep making pizzas and take the loss?  Of course not.  So if his taxes go up, the price of pizza will go up and who ultimately pays the tax?  You and me.. the very people President Obama just promised, again, would not pay one dime of additional taxes… what he meant was we won’t pay one dime that we will realize we are paying.

If you are OK with “silent taxes”, then he’s your guy.

On a related topic, lying headlines…  From AP:

Obama promises to slash spending by $2 trillion

Wow!  Impressive, no?  Barack Obama is going to get control of the growth of government and relieve the burden on tax payers just days after signing legislation pushing the deficit to the highest level in history.  How is that possible though?

Well, if you actually read the article and not just believe the headline, you will learn that there is not one line in the article that supports this headline.  The closest it comes:

Obama’s budget projects $2 trillion in deficit reduction over a decade – split between tax hikes on wealthier Americans and trimming a variety of government programs ranging from subsidies paid to wealthy farmers to eliminating ineffective government programs.

So.. he is not “slashing spending by $2 trillion”, he is planning, over the course of a decade which includes 6 years after his first and only term in office, to cut spending and tax the rich… who we already know do not make enough to cover a $2 trillion bill…  but if spending cuts are that easy, why not start cutting TODAY!

It’s easy to promise something 10 years from now when he will definitely be out of office (assuming we do not have a different form of government by then).

But the point here is that the headline is misleading at best and intended to create a positive spin for Obama instead of just reporting the facts… what a surprise.

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Quick thoughts: cabinet making, auto pilots and I see ice

Wednesday, February 25th, 2009

I find the following video clip from Fox News fascinating:

So let’s summarize:

  • Our new Energy Secretary feels like he has been “dumped into the deep end of the pool”; doesn’t know the administration’s policy on OPEC and contends he is “not the administration”, and he doesn’t believe oil production is in his domain…. hmmmmm
  • Only 2 of 18 members of Obama’s new task force to fix the US auto industry drive American made cars…. guess they will bring an interesting perspective to the table
  • Oops… a satellite glitch has caused scientists to underestimate Arctic sea ice by 193,000 square miles this year! That’s a big chunk of ice to miss.  Guess Al Gore will need to make note of that for his slide show on global warming

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Back in the USSA

Monday, February 23rd, 2009

Some update lyric’s for those of us who like to sing-along as we slip quickly into socialism.  If you like and want to share, please include reference and acknowledgment:

Back in the USSA

Flew in from Havana Beach could hardly see
Man it was so dark that night
What’s left of my portfolio was on my knee
Man, that folder felt so light
I’m back in the USSA
You don’t know how lucky we are, boy
Back in the USSA

Been away so long I hardly knew the place
Man we really got the bone
Democracy has finally gone and been replaced
By socialism at my home
I’m back in the USSA
You don’t know how lucky we are, boy
Back in the US
Back in the US
Back in the USSA

Well Barack’s tax cuts are for the folks
Who never pay tax at all
And Pelosi’s gonna give away
Every single dime dime dime dime dime that I earn
I’m back in the USSA
You don’t know how lucky we are, boys
Back in the USSA

Well Gitmo guys really have more rights
Then border guards near Mexico
And global warming’s the latest sting
For congress to squeeze out every dime dime dime dime dime dime dime

Oh, protect me from Rush Limbaugh
He’s the real threat now
The war on terror went away
Consolidate the power socialistic way
Liberty is so passe’

I’m back in the USSA
Hey, You don’t know how lucky we are, boy
Back in the USSA
Oh, let me have your money

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Farewell to the 1st Amendment

Sunday, February 22nd, 2009

Paint a depiction of a crucifix upside down in a bucket of urine… that’s art.

Draw a chimp that someone assumes is a representation of a black president… that’s  “thoughtlessness taken to the extreme. … Anyone who is not offended by it does not have any sensitivity” according to NAACP Chairman Julian Bond (from FoxNews and AP).  Ummm… I’m not offended, and I’m a pretty sensitive guy.  (Side note:  Bush was depicted as a chimp multiple times and the depictions were actually labeled to indicate the reference was to Bush)

Now don’t get me wrong.  If Delonas really was stupid enough to depict Obama as a chimp riddled with bullets, I would find that extremely offensive and not the least bit funny.  I sincerely do not believe that is the case.  But let’s say it is the case, is that illegal?  Is that an “invitation to assassination” as NAACP President Benjamin Todd Jealous claims? Well, I suppose that would be a call the Secret Service would need to make.  But based upon all that was said, written and drawn about George Bush over the last eight years with no action deemed necessary, I doubt this would constitute an illegal act.

But again, that’s a hypothetical because clearly any objective individual with half a brain would be able to determine, after perhaps an initial misunderstanding and shock, that the chimp represents Delonas’ view of whoever must have written such a mindless piece of tripe as this legislation is… and that was not President Obama… since he didn’t write the bill.

So to say Delonas was referring to Obama when he clearly says “They’ll need to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill” is a major leap meant only to extort the NY Post, which is the MO for groups such as the NAACP.

If we are truly supposed to accept that President Obama is president of ALL the people, perhaps he should tell the good people at the NAACP to cut the crap.

But sadly that is not likely to happen…  it would be an infringement on their 1st Amendment rights don’tcha know.

BTW.. if you haven’t seen the comic that is causing all the fuss, you can find it here under Feb 18:  Delonas.  The guy does good work, check it out.  And check out his other stuff.  Some of it is really funny.  And when you do, tell me if you really, really believe this is meant to represent Obama and remember to explain how that is possible since Obama did not write the stimulus bill.

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Reagan debates Obama

Friday, February 20th, 2009

Hat tip to Gina Cobb/Democracy Rules:

YouTube Preview Image

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UN Report: Iran has enough nuke material to build a bomb

Friday, February 20th, 2009

From FoxNews:

Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. called for “immediate and serious action” Friday after a United Nations report showed Iran has enough uranium to build a nuclear bomb.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the report, by the U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency, represented “another lost opportunity” for Iran as it continues to “renege” on its international obligations.

Gibbs called Iran an “urgent problem that has to be addressed.” He says “we can’t delay addressing it.”

There is likely no truth to the rumor that the White House is planning to propose another stimulus bill to address this urgent crises.

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