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Digest

Friday, September 24, 2010

The Foundation

"A good government implies two things; first, fidelity to the objects of the government; secondly, a knowledge of the means, by which those objects can be best attained." --Joseph Story

Government & Politics

The Recession Is Over?

It's over?

In case you missed the news, the recession is over. As of June 2009, no less. So say the economic sages at the National Bureau of Economic Research, the arbiter of these things. According to the NBER, the recession began in December 2007 and lasted 18 months -- the longest since the Great Depression. That it's over is good news, but there's a "but."

"On the other hand," writes The Wall Street Journal, "the recession was only two months longer than the 16-month downturns of 1973-1975 and 1981-82, the two other most serious post-World War II periods of falling economic growth. The 2007-2009 downturn was painful but not extraordinary in historical context. What is different about this period is the relative weakness of the economic recovery."

For years after 1982, GDP growth was at least 4 percent. Today, GDP remains below that of the fourth quarter of 2007. One difference is that in 1983, Ronald Reagan's cuts in marginal tax rates were taking hold, while in 2010, the economy is bracing for trillions of dollars in tax increases in January. The current administration's "recovery" policies have also been a major drag on economic growth, no matter how they may crow about their "success."

Since January 2009, the economy has lost 3.2 million jobs, and the current 9.6 percent unemployment rate is higher than the 9.5 percent in June 2009 when the recession supposedly ended. U.S. household net worth fell by another $1.5 trillion in the second quarter, and is now $10.7 trillion less than at its high point in 2007. Foreclosures are at record highs.

Perhaps all of this is why some of the jobs now being shed are those of Barack Obama's economic advisers. He may say on the campaign stump that Tea Party supporters are "misidentifying who the culprits are" for this economic trouble, but heads are rolling at the White House. "This is tough, the work that they do," Obama said. "They've been at it for two years, and they're going to have a whole range of decisions about family that will factor into this as well." As in spending more time with family.

Lawrence Summers, chairman of the president's National Economic Council, is heading back to Harvard. Apparently, the "Recovery Summers" is over. Other recent departures include budget director Peter Orszag and head of the Council of Economic Advisers Christina Romer. Meanwhile, Herb Allison, who took charge of the Troubled Asset Relief Program in April 2009, is stepping down. That leaves Treasury Secretary Timothy "Turbo Tax Cheat" Geithner as the lone remaining member of Obama's original economic team.

We'll say it again: In order to generate real economic growth, tax rates must remain level (or, even better, decline), regulation must ease and, in general, government must shrink. Of course, Obama and his refurbished economic team are unlikely to come to the same conclusion.

Baby Please, Come Back to GOP

Hoping to recapture the magic of '94 and show that they "get it," Republicans announced their new election plan to some fanfare Thursday. Called "A Pledge to America," the plan is modeled somewhat on 1994's "Contract with America." It's introduced with watered-down language from the Declaration of Independence -- "Whenever the agenda of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to institute a new governing agenda and set a different course." That's not exactly the firm stand taken by our Founders, but it's befitting the overly cautious Republican Party inside the Beltway.

That said, there are some positives in this pledge, primarily a rededication to the Constitution and the original intent of its framers. To fulfill this promise, Republicans pledge to "require each bill moving through Congress to include a clause citing the specific constitutional authority upon which the bill is justified." We have proposed just that before, and we're glad to see it in the Pledge.

The Pledge is basically divided into five areas: stopping the imminent Jan. 1 tax hikes by making current rates permanent and thereby helping to create jobs; rolling back government spending to fiscal 2008 levels; repealing ObamaCare; reforming Congress and the legislative process; and repairing damage done to our national security. They should read our Patriot Declaration for more ideas.

The Pledge, however, won't win the election for the GOP. In fact, the best thing going for them right now is that they're not Democrats. Well, not quite, anyway. Furthermore, until Republicans actually keep their promises once elected, we will remain skeptical.

On Cross-Examination

"I can't say the GOP 'Pledge to America' left me either shaken or stirred. I guess it's okay politics at the ya-boo level, but the blather quotient in this document is awfully high. To my eye it has a deckchair-rearranging look about it. ... [T]he Pledge is probably a neat tactical move at this point in the game. It's just that our problems are much bigger, deeper, and more systemic than you'd know from reading the thing. I think this is generally understood, and accounts for the feeble showing of the Republican party in polls. As evidence that congressional Republicans have truly learned the lessons of 1994-2006 and will clean up their act if given majorities in November, it's not very convincing." --National Review's John Derbyshire

Democrats Run From Their Record

How bad is it for Democrats? They're running against their own programs. ObamaCare, cap-n-tax, you name it, they're against it now. This situation reached absurdity when five Democrat members of Congress ran ads claiming to have voted "no" on TARP. The five are Frank Kratovil (MD), Dina Titus (NV), Mary Jo Kilroy (OH), Kathy Dahlkemper (PA) and Glenn Nye (VA). The inconvenient truth is, according to FactCheck.org, "None of the five lawmakers who are running these ads is listed in the roll call vote. That's because none of them had taken office yet." But if they had been in Congress, they would have been against it. Yeah, that's the ticket.

This Week's 'Braying Jackass' Award

"I still remember Sasha, when she was three months old ... had meningitis, and she had to get a spinal tap, and they had to keep her [in the hospital] for three or four days. ... I still remember that feeling of just desperation, watching the nurse take her away to provide treatment for her. But I was thinking, what if I hadn't had insurance?" --Barack Obama at a "backyard discussion" in Virginia about health care

Obama lectures the press to leave his girls alone, yet turns around and uses them as a political prop whenever it suits his own leftist policy initiatives.

However, he does "take the blame" for public opposition to ObamaCare. "Sometimes I fault myself for not being able to make the case more clearly to the country." He may think that if only he had talked more about it, voters would get it, but as the first provisions kicked in this week, it's more likely that voters will now blame Democrats for every health care problem.

Murkowski Begins Write-In Campaign

Soon-to-be ex-Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) refused to accept defeat in the August Republican primary, announcing this week that she is beginning a write-in campaign to retain her seat in November. Murkowski's loss to Gulf War veteran and former U.S. Magistrate Judge Joe Miller made her the latest in a line of establishment politicians beaten in party primaries this year. Like a few of those spurned politicians -- Florida Governor and "Independent" senatorial candidate Charlie Crist and soon-to-be former Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter come immediately to mind -- Murkowski is a sore loser.

Write-in campaigns are tough, and no one in Alaska has ever topped 27 percent. Probably the best Murkowski can hope to do is split the GOP vote and send Democrat Scott McAdams to the U.S. Senate. But Murkowski has a strategy that includes drawing out the supporters of her mentor, the late Republican Sen. Ted Stevens, as well as the anti-Sarah Palin crowd, though that group's reliability is uncertain. Despite leaving the governor's mansion a year-and-a-half early, Palin remains popular in Alaska, and her supporters there are more numerous and more motivated than her detractors.

Still, this is a task that Murkowski no doubt relishes, considering the bad blood between the two. In the 2006 governor's race, Palin ended Lisa's father Frank Murkowski's bid for re-election in the GOP primary. Palin then went on to call for Ted Stevens's resignation when he became embroiled in corruption scandals, while Murkowski stood by the longtime senator. Earlier this year, Palin threw her support behind Miller in the primary. The "Murkowski" Senate seat belonged to her father for 21 years before he became governor in 2002 and appointed her to it. Now Murkowski believes she's entitled to the seat, regardless of what the voters say. She apparently didn't catch the message that 2010 is not the year of the entitled.

From the 'Non Compos Mentis' File

The Leftmedia are in full attack mode against Delaware GOP Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell. Just days after O'Donnell defeated longtime Rep. Mike Castle in the Senate primary, village idiot talk-show host Bill Maher dug up a 1999 interview in which O'Donnell, a devout Catholic, confessed that she "dabbled in witchcraft" because her friends in school were "doing these things."

Now, the media have become fixated on O'Donnell's high school years in a transparent character assassination attempt because, obviously, the issues don't favor Democrat Chris Coons. Few are asking questions about Coons, who called himself a "bearded Marxist" in college, nor is anyone focusing on Coons' term as Newcastle County executive, when spending and property tax increases skyrocketed. The spotlight is likely to stay on O'Donnell until the media starts "dabbling" in reporting news instead of slinging mud.

Jimmy Carter Is Still Relevant, If He Does Say So Himself

Former President Jimmy Carter offered several examples of his political ignorance this week while promoting his latest book, "White House Diary." First, he claims a strange kinship with the Tea Party movement, stating that his own campaign for the White House was similar to what is taking place in the current political climate. "I was a candidate that was in some ways like the Tea Party candidate," he said. "I was a complete outsider. I capitalized legitimately on the dissatisfaction that was permeating our society." Carter's 1976 White House victory came during a period of economic distress, distrust of the government after Watergate, and the aftermath of the Vietnam War.

That, however, is where the narrow similarity to the Tea Party ends, and the broader similarity to Barack Obama begins. Voters would soon regret turning to Carter to fix the mess, and his failed policies significantly weakened the economy and our national security and ultimately destroyed his presidency. Things were so bad, in fact, that a "misery index" was devised to qualitatively measure the amount of devastation. Carter laments the what-ifs of the 1980 election, still misreading it after all these years. "Had we not had the hostage crisis," Carter said, "Had I not had Kennedy as my opponent, who sapped away a portion of the Democratic wing, I would have been re-elected." Carter refuses to acknowledge that his Republican opponent, a man named Ronald Reagan, might have had something to do with it.

Perjury in Black Panther Case?

We're closer to the next election than we are the last, but the fallout from the Black Panther case percolates on. Recall that New Black Panther Party members stood outside a Philadelphia polling place in Nov. 2008 brandishing a billy club, shouting racial epithets and otherwise intimidating white voters. This week, the watchdog group Judicial Watch obtained internal e-mail logs from the Department of Justice that suggest that senior officials had a hand in making the decision to pull the plug on the case, contradicting sworn testimony by Thomas Perez, the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. Perez said in May that the decision was, "a case of career people disagreeing with career people."

While it's doubtful that Perez will be on the rack for these allegations anytime soon, the incident reveals both the difficulty of extracting information on how a slam-dunk case was dropped and the lengths to which Attorney General Eric Holder may be going in not pursuing certain cases based on race. It took a Freedom of Information Act request by Judicial Watch just to receive the logs and a summary of what particular e-mails stated, with a court ordering the disclosure.

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National Security

Woodward's Book Stirs Pot

Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward is publishing a new book about the Obama administration titled "Obama's Wars." Columnist Victor Davis Hanson pans "Woodward's methodology of using almost exclusively unnamed sources, which, on one hand, encourages concerned players to be preemptive and get their one-sided stories out as 'background' or face slander from others who beat them to the punch, and on the other hand, reports thoughts and unspoken impressions in the manner of a novelist." However there are some revelations that, if true, are further confirmation of Obama's positions.

Not surprisingly, Obama's primary concern in Afghanistan was not accomplishing objectives, but how to get out in a way that was politically expedient. "Everything we're doing has to be focused on how we're going to get to the point where we can reduce our footprint," he's quoted as telling aides.

Second, and a bit more shocking, Obama's cavalier attitude about terrorism was evident when he told Woodward in July of this year, "We can absorb a terrorist attack. We'll do everything we can to prevent it, but even a 9/11, even the biggest attack ever ... we absorbed it and we are stronger." What callous disregard for the lives lost on 9/11. What startling foolishness to state that we could "absorb," say, the detonation of a nuclear device in one of our major urban centers, perhaps even Washington, DC. We're not interested in absorbing anything. Obama's job as commander in chief is to protect our national security proactively, not manage its demise. Unfortunately, under this administration national security is nothing more than a distraction from a grand domestic agenda to "fundamentally transform" America.

Repeal of 'Don't Ask' Fails

Senate Republicans successfully blocked a Democrat effort to repeal the law prohibiting homosexuals from serving openly in the military, known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." The repeal was attached to the $726 billion defense appropriations bill. Republicans filibustered and Democrats fell four votes short of breaking it. Arkansas Senators Mark Pryor and Blanche Lincoln, the latter of whom faces a tough fight for re-election, voted with Republicans, as did Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), but only as a procedural move that allows him to revive the bill at a later date. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), who led the filibuster effort, said that the debate should wait until the Pentagon releases the results of its survey regarding the repeal of "Don't Ask." It's unlikely that the issue will come up again before the election, but this much is certain: Our war-fighting capability is weakened when the military becomes a laboratory for the Left's social engineering.

Democrats had also added the so-called "DREAM Act," which would create a path to citizenship for some children of illegal immigrants. We consider illegal immigration to be a national security issue, but somehow we doubt that's why Democrats attached this amendment to the defense appropriations bill.

Putin Positions for 2012 Presidential Return

It appears that what goes around comes around in Russian politics. Vladimir Putin, the current Prime Minister of Russia and president from 2000 to 2008, is positioning for another run for the presidency in 2012. Government sponsored websites for a Putin 2012 run have popped up, and Russian news services continue to publicize Putin's recent "manly" campaign-type activities, including flying, hunting whales and attending biker rallies. Dmitry Medvedev, Putin's handpicked lap dog, is the current Russian president, but it appears that he will serve only one term. The Russian constitution forbids serving more than two consecutive terms as president, and it's not surprising that Putin's plan all along has been to use Medvedev as a placeholder until he could serve again.

In reality, Putin has continued to hold the reins of power all along. After leaving the presidency to become prime minister, he had many presidential powers shifted to his prime minister position, leaving Medvedev as a figurehead who handled high-level foreign contacts and performed ceremonial roles. No doubt, those powers will be transferred back to the presidency in 2012. Additionally, Putin had the Russian constitution changed so that, starting in 2012, the presidential term will be six years instead of the current four, meaning that Putin likely will be running Russia until at least 2024.

As Putin is not a great friend of the United States or the West and seeks to recapture the former Soviet Union's glory, a return to near-Cold War relations, or worse, could be in the cards. Given this, the American people would do well in 2012 to replace the current West-loathing occupant of the White House with someone whose primary goal is the security and survival of America.

Profiles of Valor: U.S. Air Force CMSgt Etchberger

"Plausible denial" was the word in 1968, when some U.S. military personnel were taking the battle to the communist enemy in Cambodia and Laos as "civilians." What was undeniable, and what finally became crystal clear decades later, was the heroism and selflessness that was exhibited by one of those men, United States Air Force Chief Master Sergeant Richard Loy Etchberger. In March 1968, a remote radar site in Laos, known as Lima Site 85, was attacked and eventually overrun. Etchberger, one of the defenders at that site, remained in his position despite heavy fire that had killed or wounded most of his comrades. Fighting with everything at his disposal, including calling in air strikes, he battled back. When med-evac helos finally came, he put his wounded comrades aboard first, braving enemy fire to get them up to safety before he himself was mortally wounded. Though he had received posthumously the Air Force Cross for his actions that day, Etchberger will now receive his full due: the Medal of Honor.

Business & Economy

Income Redistribution: Cost per Job 'Created' Is Sky High

History shows that there are two foolproof ways to drive up costs: increase demand or involve the government. For the latest illustration of the latter, just look west. According to reports recently released by Los Angeles City Controller Wendy Greuel, for the $111 million in stimulus funds received by two L.A. departments, only 55 jobs have been created. That's a whopping $2 million spent per job. Greuel says that eventually the departments will create or save (those infamous words again) 264 jobs, but even that would still keep the price per job at $420,000, far higher than what the workers will receive.

Explaining the preposterous price tags, Investor's Business Daily notes that part of the money "goes to the capital costs and profit of the contractors. But much of it also gets absorbed into the normal process of government contracting" (read: bureaucracy). Even Greuel admits the numbers are disappointing, stating, "With our local unemployment rate over 12 percent we need to do a better job cutting the red tape and putting Angelenos back to work."

Of course, the Obama administration still wants to convince us that the stimulus is working. It seems that while Americans are stretching dollars to make ends meet, Washington is stretching our patience with its tales of economic growth, job creation and recovery.

Hillary Clinton Buys Stoves for Women

"Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has announced a new program to introduce cleaner cook stoves around the world," reports CBS News. "Clinton said the Alliance for Clean Cookstoves will set a goal of placing cleaner stoves in 100 million homes by 2020." According to Clinton, some three billion people worldwide use stoves that put out toxic fumes and chemicals that cause various respiratory illnesses. That may be a serious problem, but we're not sure why it's necessary for the U.S. government to contribute $50 million to launch this program. The answer might be that the effort also is billed as a way to fight climate change. And no amount is too high to deal with that phantom problem.

UK Considers Government Checks for Everyone

Socialism screams "power to the people," but in the United Kingdom one government agency wants to bypass the people. Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC), the nation's taxing authority, has suggested that employers send paychecks directly to the government, which will deduct taxes and send the remainder to employees via bank transfer. HMRC claims the savings to employers could be about $780 million, though the agency admits the plan is "radical."

Richard Baron, head of taxation at the Institute of Directors -- the largest business-leader membership association in Europe -- says having HMRC process salaries is "completely unacceptable." And George Bull, head of tax at Baker Tilly, notes the risks are significant: "If HMRC has direct access to employees' bank accounts and makes a mistake, people are going to feel very exposed and vulnerable." Should HMRC take too much, Tilly explains, repayment could take weeks or months. Yes, mistakes do tend to be in the government's favor.

Across the pond in New York, the United Nations is urging countries not to cut funding for the poor, national debts notwithstanding. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stated, "We should not balance budgets on the backs of the poor." Translated: the rich mustn't keep their money if it means the poor remain poor. Perhaps Ban's next idea will be for nations to forward paychecks directly to the UN so required alms could be collected. Just to be sure, you know.

Culture & Policy

Climate Change This Week: If You Can't Win the Argument, Change the Terms

Thirty years ago, environmentalists fretted about "global cooling" only to reverse field a decade or so later and warn us that "global warming" would melt the polar ice caps and inundate our large coastal urban areas. When that didn't work, the dire warnings turned to the threat of "global climate change." Still, the so-called experts can't seem to convince us mere mortals that we need to change our carbon-belching ways.

Undaunted, the climate crowd has created a new buzz phrase, one sure to induce panic among the masses: "global climate disruption." As if change isn't normal and weather oddities don't occur often enough to become nearly routine. By using this argument, these prophets of doom tried to play up Hurricane Earl as a killer storm sure to wreak destruction, while escaping blame when it turned out to be a mild nor'easter.

By making the random events of weather part of a scheme to shift power and control to a few favored interests, these eco-fascists masquerading as do-gooders hope to use the force of law to tame Mother Nature. Good luck with that. Let's hope their next outdoor gathering meets with high winds and a torrential downpour, just to show them who's really the boss.

A Tale of Two Journalists

Molly Norris used to have a life and a career in Washington, as a cartoonist for Seattle Weekly, an alternative paper. But not any longer. She has now -- at the urging of the FBI -- gone underground, forfeiting her identity and her job. Is Norris a criminal? No. She just had the poor judgment to draw a cartoon entitled "Everybody Draw Muhammad Day," which led to the issuance of a fatwa -- or Islamic death sentence -- against her. Perhaps she had forgotten the 11th Commandment: Make fun of Christians and Jews all you want, but thou shall not inflame Muslim ire.

The fatwa was issued by imam Anwar al-Awlaki, a man The New York Times described in October 2001 as "a new generation of Muslim leader capable of merging East and West." Al-Awlaki, who was born in the United States and headed a mosque in Virginia, is now conducting his dirty work from a hiding place in Yemen.

Barack Obama has remained silent on this matter, conspicuously so because only recently he lectured all of us on the freedoms afforded by this country. Of course that was in relation to the building of the Cordoba House mosque two blocks from Ground Zero. When it comes to the injustice that has befallen an average American like Molly Norris, he has nothing to say.

While some in the field of journalism are threatened with death for making a joke, others are rewarded for their hatred. Recall Helen Thomas, the poster child for women in journalism, who was canned after making incendiary comments at a conference celebrating Jewish heritage. Thomas' statement that Jews should "get the hell out of Palestine" and "go home" to Poland, Germany, America and "everywhere else" was caught on tape so that not even leftists could defend her.

Even after her weak apology, no one would touch her with a 10-foot pole. No one, that is, except the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Next month the 90-year-old Thomas will be given a lifetime-achievement award at CAIR's Leadership Conference & 16th Annual Fundraising Banquet in Arlington, Virginia. Clearly, her final flourish as a "journalist" was appreciated by someone.

Media Spikes Leftist Murder Attempt

Community College Dean Al Dimmit was minding his business the other day when he was suddenly grabbed and his throat slashed, but he wasn't the intended victim. His attacker believed he was slashing Missouri Democrat Governor Jay Nixon, who had not yet reached campus for his scheduled visit. Dimmit, fortunately, survived.

For the most part, this vicious attack has been relegated to the local Kansas City media, and there is little question why. Would-be assassin Casey Brezik's Facebook page is an ode to the brainwashing tactics of the Left. If his politics had leaned, even ever so slightly, to the right, he would have been burned in effigy by every publication from The Huffington Post to The New York Times. But Brezik, a 22-year-old student, leaves no one in doubt about his beliefs. He takes a break from his anti-religion sentiments only to declare a Holy War after the proposed burning of the Koran in Florida, and quotes his hero, Che Guevara, on the evils of "imperialism." So the mainstream media has used one of the most popular tools in its arsenal: the spike. The Associated Press, on the other hand, dutifully reported Brezik's anti-government sentiment, no doubt hoping the rest of us would associate him with a Tea Party.

And Last...

As we mentioned above, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) is waging a write-in campaign to retain her seat after losing the GOP primary. The campaign hit an unfortunate snag this week, however, when an ad ran informing voters of her continuing candidacy. As the trickiest part of the effort may be to get voters to spell her name correctly, it certainly didn't help matters that her own ad misspelled her last name. The ad suggested that viewers visit LisaMurkwski.com. To add insult to injury, that particular URL leads to an anti-Murkowski site owned by a supporter of Republican candidate Joe Miller. The ad was soon corrected, but the damage -- and hilarity -- had been done. Alaska's soon-to-be former senator can only hope that her state's voters are better spellers than she is.

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Comments

William

New stoves? 100,000,000 homes by 2020, according to sir hillary? Of course.

It's all part of the "livable communities" green act which has one goal: make US homes unaffordable for their owners to keep. It's called wealth REdistribution. Why? Check the money trails back to her and her friends bank accounts.

Posted September 24, 2010 at 11:07:15 AM

Jack C. Pickard

Concerning the Republicans Pledge, in the part about obamacare, they seem to have a plan to replace it. They still do not get it. The federal government needs to keep its nose out of the Medical Insurance Business period. Maybe they should concentrate on fixing Social Security or Medicare or Medicaid so the older folks have something to look forward too instead of dreading the future.

Posted September 24, 2010 at 11:22:10 AM

Robert A. Hall

It doesn’t matter who the candidates for the US House of Representatives are in your district, or who the candidates for the US Senate are in your state (if one of your seats is up for election this year). It’s very easy to decide who to vote for.

Here’s a handy guide.

• If you approve of the job the US Congress has done for the last four years under Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, you should vote for Democrats for the House and Senate to keep the same leadership in charge. If you disapprove of the job the Reid-Pelosi Congress has done, you should vote for Republicans to give the Congress new leadership.

• If you believe you and the country are better off now than in 2007 when the Democrats took control of the Congress, you should vote for the Democrat candidates. If not, you should vote for the Republican candidates.

• If you support the restructuring of our healthcare system passed this year (called “Healthcare Reform” by the Democrats who voted for it and “ObamaCare” by the Republicans who opposed it) you should vote for the Democrat candidates. If you oppose the new healthcare law, you should vote for Republicans.

• If you support keeping taxes at their present level, you should vote for the Republican candidates. If you support raising taxes to their old levels, before Bush became president, you should vote for the Democrat candidates.

• If you think the record deficits of the past two years under President Obama and the Democrat Congress are a serious problem for the future of the country, you should vote for the Republican candidates. If you think record deficits and massive increases in government spending are a good thing, you should vote for the Democrat candidates.

• If you are among the 47% of Americans who pay no Federal Income Taxes, who are thus benefited by government spending and taxing other citizens more, you should vote for Democrats. If you pay taxes, you should vote for Republicans.

• If you approve of the government bailout and takeover of GM and Chrysler, you should vote for the Democrat candidates. If you think government taking over large sections of the economy is a bad idea, you should vote for the Republican candidates.

• If you think the huge “stimulus” bills have helped the economy, and the deficits are worth it, you should vote for Democrats. If not, you should vote for Republicans.

• If you believe that President Obama is a strong and experienced military leader who can win the war in Afghanistan, stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons and keep the country safe from terrorists, you should vote for Democrats. If you don’t think so, you should vote for Republicans to provide balance in Washington.

• If you think that open borders and unlimited illegal immigration are not a threat to Americans’ culture, standard of living and safety, if you approve of the US government suing Arizona over its immigration law and if you think creating incentives to give citizenship to “illegal immigrants” or “undocumented workers” (take your pick) is a good idea, you should vote for Democrats. If not, you should vote for Republicans.

• If you think that ever-larger government, growing numbers of public employees and large increases in government employees’ pay during a recession are bad for the economy and a danger to liberty, you should vote for Republicans. If you support increasing the size and cost of government every year, you should vote for Democrats.

• If you think we need more regulation on small business, you should vote for Democrats. If you think the increasing burden of regulations on small business is one of the things that are killing job growth, you should vote for Republicans.

• If you think our current economic problems, which started under President Bush and the Democrat-controlled Congress in 2007, are all Bush’s fault, you should vote for Democrats. If you think the policies followed by President Obama and the Democrat congress over the last two years have made the economy worse, you should vote for Republicans.

• If you think parents should be able to chose what school to send their kids to, you should vote Republican. If you think they should go to whatever school the government says, you should vote Democrat.

• If you think America should be more like European high-tax, high welfare countries, you should vote for Democrats. If you think America should be more like it always was, you should vote for Republicans.

• If you are for shutting down international trade through trade barriers and high tariffs, and are willing to accept the damage to the economy to support the unions in certain industries, you should vote for Democrats. If you are aware that free trade always increases economic activity, and that the passage of the Smoot-Hawley tariff bill in 1930 turned a recession with 9% unemployment into a depression by 1932 with 25% unemployment, as international trade collapsed, you should vote for Republicans. (Yes, this question is worded in a more biased manner than the others, as so many people are ignorant of basic economics. See this column by the brilliant economist, Dr. Thomas Sowell, for a fuller explanation of how killing trade kills jobs: http://www.capitalismmagazine.com/politics/taxation/4258-Unhappy-Birthday-Hawley-Smoot.html. Better yet, read his terrific books Basic Economics and Applied Economics.)

• If you thought Republican scandals in 2006 were a good reason to vote Democrat, then you may want to consider the growing list of Democrat scandals since then, including among others Charlie Rangel, Maxine Waters, William Jefferson Clinton, Eddie Bernice Johnson and Jesse Jackson. Jr. If you think Speaker Pelosi has done a good job of eliminating corruption and “draining the swamp,” as she promised, you should vote for Democrats. If not, you should vote for Republicans.

Of course, you may come down on different sides on different questions. No problem, just put all the “Vote Democrat” reasons on one list and all the “Vote Republican” reasons on another list. Then give each reason a value of three for “highly important,” two for “important” and one for “not important.” Add up the totals and vote for the candidates of the party with the highest score.

Don’t let local considerations or the individual candidates sway you from your course. This is a watershed election. The fundamental transformation of America into something different than it was or was intended to be, promised by President Obama and the Democrats, is well underway, and will likely be irreversible if they continue to hold all power after November. Do you think that’s a good thing, or do you want to keep the America we grew up in? That’s the choice.

Posted September 24, 2010 at 11:26:58 AM

Randall Ferrari

I am a regular reader and have never disagreed with any of your articles or insights. I believe our current president is an "empty suit" who was propelled to the presidency by limousine liberals.

I believe his philosophy and policies are destructive to American exceptionalism.

However, he does not belong on the poster you are selling in the Patriot Shop with two of the worst mass murderers in the history of the world.

Posted September 24, 2010 at 11:36:51 AM

Editor's Reply:

Neither Stalin nor Hitler began as murderers when they set out to displace liberty with tyranny. The terminus of the rule of men is always tyranny, and tyranny is always ugly.

Fritz

My spouse and I are 75 and 79. This administration has put us in a situation where we cannot look forward with much peace. We are on Medicare, which has been a very good plan until now. Our doctor tells us many physicians treating Medicare patients will give up their practices. We cannot envision our future or that of our beloved country.

Posted September 24, 2010 at 11:39:58 AM

Ted Hensley

The State of the Union address to the American People on January 20th 2011 as delivered by President Barack Obama as written by Ted Hensley on August 25 – Sept 15, 2010.

My Fellow Americans:

It is with great respect for each of you that I humbly come before you tonight to deliver my 3rd State of the Union address. During the short time we will spend together this evening, I will be outlining a new course for our country, a course which I believe will help steer us back onto the road to Peace and Prosperity.

These past two years have been tumultuous for all of us. We have witnessed an unprecedented number of financial crises which today show no sign of turning around. During this time I have taken advice from my many supporters and chosen staff and have acted in good faith to try and correct the worst of these problems. However, I have now come to the realization that even the best of advice from well meaning folks can sometimes be either inaccurate, inappropriate, or at worst, completely contrary to the action needed to solve the problem. Considering the size of the problems we face as a Nation, I am now going to take charge of the situation by going in a new direction.

There will be those who will cry foul and point fingers at this group or that, continuing to try and place blame for this problem or that problem. I for one hereby pledge that I will no longer be among those, for it is time to stand up, take whatever blame I am due, and be the one to turn a deaf ear to those who wish to find someone or something, to blame. Our problems are what they are. Each of us had a part and responsibility for getting us to the present. I now say that each of us have a part and responsibility for resolving the current problems and delivering us to a more sound future – one where families can once again have a home, plan and invest for their own futures, involve themselves in community organizations designed to help folks right there in their own neighborhoods, save for their retirement, feel confident that if they get sick or need medical help that the services they need will be there for them – all the while living the American Dream and fulfilling the hopes and desires of those generations who came before who sacrificed themselves, both on the battlefield and in the field of their labors, so that we might profit from those investments, improve upon them, and pass along an even better future to our offspring.

I know that when I came into office there was much excitement , hope, and enthusiasm – partly because of my high ideals for the future, and partly because what I represented to so many of you – that of an individual with a mixed background who had risen to the highest office in our country. I was held up as an example so that others would once again believe in our system of social justice and reaffirming that indeed our country is a Land of Opportunity. However, I have come to realize that mere ideals are not enough to run a country – that a country is run primarily by the hard-working men and women of the workplace, those who have started a business while providing opportunities to others, those who have been fortunate enough to have the responsibility of overseeing the private wealth of our country and where it needs to be invested, those entrepreneurs who plow the fields or visualize a new neighborhood, those who bet everything they have on building that new shopping mall or other place of business not only because they see a need but who also see the potential for profit, those who work diligently every day just to make sure that the products their factory turn out continue to be competitive given the fierceness of the world economy, those who attend the House of Worship of their choice while donating on a regular basis to see that the wisdom of their faith is not only kept alive but growing as well, those who contribute their own sweat equity to help the less fortunate in their communities, those who have chosen a profession not based on pay but based on their own desire to serve their fellow man, those who have chosen to defend our nation while putting their lives on the line by joining our military forces – and the list goes on. In short, it is you the American People who make this country work – and not your government. For I have come to realize that your government is here merely to assist you along the way by providing those services as provided for in our Constitution.

For over many decades our country has veered from this path and it is now time to begin the process that will return us to the Principles of our Founding.

Over the next two years, I will be working very closely with the New Congress to try and bring about the type of Change that I now believe the public truly wants and needs, so I will be encouraging Congress to bring me bills quickly in order that I can sign them into law and our recovery can begin.

Therefore, this coming Monday morning at 8:00 a.m., I will be asking of Congress the following:

First, we will find entire programs and services of dubious need that can be eliminated entirely.

Secondly, we will slash the budgets of all non-essential remaining programs by 20% beginning immediately. And if the department heads cannot find these savings, they will be replaced by someone who can. These cuts will be dramatic and will include previously ‘safe’ salaries, pensions, and benefits, as well as operations. Only our Military will be spared this cut.

Thirdly, I am calling for the immediate shelving of any ‘new’ legislation that has been discussed over the past two years, such as Cap and Trade, Card Check, additional regulations on our financial institutions, more ‘stimulus spending, or other programs which have served to cause uncertainty in the marketplace and among our friends the businesspeople and investors who make this country run.

In addition, I am also going to call for the repeal of what some call Obamacare. It has been totally unfair to the American People to slide this through in the 11th hour without the transparency I promised and now that the truth is out regarding the details, most of us agree that this is not the health care program we want or need. I do propose that once we get our financial house in order, which will take a few years, that we once again debate a program that would provide health care for all, albeit one we can agree on and more importantly, afford.

In order to help restore our competitive position in the world, I am asking for a 5 year freeze of the Minimum Wage fixed at the rolled back rate of $5 per hour. It may be necessary for our youth and unskilled to live with others or stay on with mom and dad while earning this wage, but realize with me that something is better than nothing and that we sometimes have to back up in order to gain our footing so that we may once again move forward. I believe that this will also work to help restore the work ethic in our youth, for all work is honorable, regardless of pay, and seeing the fruits of one’s own labor is the best way to visualize yourself progressing forward by learning new skills and pulling one’s self up by the bootstraps.

To help streamline the operations of those programs which will continue to be provided by your government, I will be seeking the stalwarts of industry to come forward in response to my plea for help so that we might learn efficient business methods from those whose very survival depends on efficiency. Among others too long to list here, I call on FedEx and their experts to essentially ‘take over’ our Postal Service so as to completely redesign its operations of delivery, compensation to employees, and fee schedules for the public customers. I call on the efficiency experts at Walmart who are responsible for purchasing and distribution, so that your government may better deal with its own problems in these areas. I call on Blue Cross/Blue Shield to set up and advise our own healthcare folks dealing with Medicade and Medicare as to how to better provide ongoing funding and care of those in our charge. I call on the folks of Ford to basically take over the operations of what was previously GM and Chrysler so that these companies can quickly get back on their feet and return to the private sector. I call on CSX and Delta to assist with Amtrac to see that it becomes profitable and a regular way for folks to move around the country. Now there are many more areas where I will be directing successful private companies to help your government and I will report to you regularly as we go along as to how well this is working. Also understand that although I promise to veto any sort of tax increase, I do advocate a business-like approach where those who utilize a particular service should be the ones who foot the bill for that service.

In this Age of Austerity and Refound Beginnings, each remaining Department Head of each Agency shall set up for Public Inspection their own set of Goals. These Goals will be measurable, will achieve publicly agreed upon benchmarks, and will be based upon achieving a ‘return of investment’ to the treasury. There will be publicly open examination of the progress made by each department towards achieving these goals. Any group not being able to achieve their stated goals will be replaced by those who are committed to the process.

Stay with me for we aren’t through yet!

Your government will be working fervently to remove itself from all activities that are operated more efficiently by private enterprise. We will be getting out of housing, banking, insurance, automotive, construction, and healthcare, among others. This effort alone will open up many of these areas for competing private businesses to begin providing these services. No one believes in a monopoly, especially your government, yet as the largest ‘business’ in the world, we have become just that and must begin divesting itself of all but the essential elements that our government was designed for.

To ease the financial uncertainty among our many fine manufacturers of everything from simple medicines to airplanes – I hereby call for outlawing ‘Class Action Suits’. The genius who designed this cash cow for attorneys has choked the life out of some of our industries. Not that folks shouldn’t be held accountable for their actions - they should be. But the laws we have in place are sufficient to protect the innocent. We will also be working to place reasonable caps on awards so as to sufficiently punish offenders while providing for those offended. No more million dollar settlements for a burn from hot coffee.

I will ask a pledge from Congress that we not consider any sort of tax increase on the public, whether direct or hidden as a fee, for a minimum of five years. Included in this effort will be a request for a three year ‘tax holiday’ on any profits made by any new company which starts up during the next 24 months and is able to hire new employees.

I here direct our National Guard, Homeland Security, and our Military in general to immediately establish a protected zone along our border with Mexico while all those recent arrivals must show proof of citizenship or go home and apply to be accepted into our country just as all previous generations have done. After a moratorium on all new immigration, I believe we can have a clear set of rules established for those who wish to relocate here, including that they learn our language and be able to stand up publicly to say our Pledge, be able to serve our military if called up, and other responsibilities that defines one as a Citizen of the United States. Those able to meet these requirements will be welcomed into our society as an equal.

I urge the Leadership of the City of New York to consider an area of one mile in diameter centering on the previous site of the World Trade Center to be Hallowed Ground – an area respected for those who perished in the greatest act of aggression by a sworn enemy upon our own soil. It is my belief that the enemies of our country would take advantage of our openness and goodwill towards others in order to rub our noses in it. We must find a way to prevent this brazen attempt to break our will of resistance and I will step forward to do so if the Mayor and others there cannot find the will to do so as this is a national issue affecting us all and not just your fine City. We must not allow ourselves to choose the rights of one group over the rights of another and there are times that the wisdom of a decision must be taken into account.

Lastly, I warn our enemies wherever they are in the world: we are once again unified in purpose – that our country shall not only survive – it will thrive – that we have the strength of will and commitment to our future and will resist your designs on us. We will once again become an economic powerhouse in the world’s markets and will support a military that can protect not only our interests but the interests of freedom loving peoples around the world against those who would bring destruction to our fellow man.

To those of you who are shocked by my turnaround of policies and procedures I say this: Our country has been and continues to be the greatest country on Earth. This is not a mistake and did not happen by chance. Our Forefathers had the brilliance to take advantage of an historical opportunity afforded them by the brave Patriots who through their own hardship and suffering were able to break our ties with England. Once given this opportunity, they drew on every available historical account, philosophical study, and most importantly, the Holy Bible, to find the wisdom needed to create a new form of government, one which holds up the Individual and his freedom before all else, while adhering to His Moral Principles. In their wisdom, they instilled the mechanisms necessary so that our government could be flexible enough to combat any adversity, enemy, or other unforeseen event which might come its way. All these generations since have struggled along in their fields of endeavor, fought in the battlefields, and otherwise pledged themselves to the preservation of this nation. It is likewise our responsibility to pick up the torch and carry it forward, so that those who come after us have at least the same if not better chance as did we in our pursuit of Life, Liberty, and Happiness. Let the new direction I have outlined here be only the beginning of great things to come.

God Bless You and God Bless This Country.

Now let’s get out there and Make Good Things Happen!

Barack Obama by Ted Hensley

Posted September 24, 2010 at 11:45:32 AM

traveller

I swear I thought I read in the Patriot Post that Murkowski was correctly spelled M-I-L-L-E-R.

Miller needs to run an ad telling the voters such!!!

Posted September 24, 2010 at 11:49:04 AM

Marvin

All of the Polls, Media and forecasters said that Dewey would beat Truman, so the Republican voters

stayed home - Dewey LOST - Make sure you VOTE!

Talking and writing does no good if you don't VOTE.

REMEMBER IN NOVEMBER - "TAKE OUT THE TRASH".

Posted September 24, 2010 at 12:04:26 PM

wallace Skalyo

I am Lisa Murkwski and I approve this message!!

It's Miller Time !!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

Posted September 24, 2010 at 12:07:18 PM

Anton D Rehling

I find it ironic that the so called Tea Party Pace Car is one fron a car manufacturer that was seized by our marxist government and bailed out with tax payor dollars. A real Tea party icon.

Posted September 24, 2010 at 12:15:58 PM

Grandson of Liberty

Fritz,

Worry not, sir, about our country, for we will not squander what our Father has given us. It will take time to undo the injustices that have been done - and it looks bleak! However, as long as we turn towards God and have respect and concern for our fellow man, we will be OK. Americans are a peculiar breed of man, made up of stalwart people who refuse to bow to anyone but God - you can see it through our history. How can our people be anything but free? Unlike the rest of the world, people have come here for the idea of freedom - and once you taste freedom, how can you subject yourself to tyranny? I saw it in Iraq and Afghanistan - once you taste it, it is liberating and the only way people will go away from it is for security's sake. That is the tactic of the Left - destroy all discretionary income and get our citizens to where we are only concerned with needs and you can control just about anyone. However, we know our history and the greatness of it - and as long as we remember, we will never settle for anything less than what we can become. We are strong and our numbers are growing. They have fooled us before, but we are wise to them now and we can now defeat them because they have shown their hand and their tactics. The left is becoming less relevant every day!

Posted September 24, 2010 at 12:17:46 PM

Rick

In addition to the current "Throw The Bums Out" message of the Tea Party, a post November effort should be to "Boycott the Left-Media", who support Obama's destructive policies and helped get the Marxist elected. I would love to see Anti-American leftist rags like the New York Times and, in my neck of the woods, the Oregonian, defunded. With the momentum of victories in both houses of congress, this would be an effective and likely a successful Phase II strategy.

Posted September 24, 2010 at 12:25:03 PM

Bobbie LaDue

Ted Hensley, permission to reprint and forward your State of the Union address??? It was PERFECT!!!!

Posted September 24, 2010 at 12:37:25 PM

Bill Petrucci

Great read, Ted Hensley! Sure wish it would happen like that.

Posted September 24, 2010 at 12:40:27 PM

GeorgeH. Suffolk, VA

It’s all about ME! It’s so easy to see how our Megalomaniac-in-Chief thinks when he suggests, "We can absorb a terrorist attack. We'll do everything we can to prevent it, but even a 9/11, even the biggest attack ever ... we absorbed it and we are stronger" in Woodward’s book "Obama's Wars." I’m not convinced that he’s not praying to Allah for just such an attack because he’s convinced that is the only way Bush II was able to get re-elected. Ergo, Obama thinks that he too needs something similar to happen in time to rally the country around a disaster and an embattled President in the middle of what he’ll portray as a War, even though he’s chosen to pretty much ignore it and get in the way of a successful conclusion up until now while he's been so busy with his vacations and his Ending Capitalism and Political Calculus homework. Worrying about the death and horror that would befall the residents of whatever city struck by such an attack is clearly not on his mind. He probably figures that the statistical chance of actually suffering personally from a terrorist attack is low enough that the political benefits outweigh that risk.

Posted September 24, 2010 at 1:00:41 PM

bob

I read somewhere that Murkowski is spelled

em, eye, El, El, eeh, are.

"M-I-L-L-E-R"

:)

Posted September 24, 2010 at 1:43:04 PM

Mike F

"This is tough, the work that they do," Obama said. "They've been at it for two years, and they're going to have a whole range of decisions about family that will factor into this as well." As in spending more time with family.

Is Obama describing his Tsar Baby Friends who a lamenting having been thrown into the Brier Patch?

Or is he paraphrasing that guy Tony Hayward from BP who wanted HIS life back?

Posted September 24, 2010 at 1:56:02 PM

G Dub

UK Considers Government Checks for Everyone -

After reading it ask yourself since the O’Bozo –Reid – Pelosi regime is obviously Marxist, how long do you think it will take for this UK proposal to come to the USSA ?

Haven’t they already gotten access to our Bank Accounts thru O’BozoCare ? Not much of a leap to forcing businesses to comply – does not O’Bozo now own GM, Chrysler, soon ALL of the HealthCare industry, Many Banks, etc., etc., etc.. ?

You better get serious about 2 Nov. These Bastards must be removed.

Posted September 24, 2010 at 2:08:51 PM

Alice Teller

It is okay to make fun of Christians and Jews??? Who are you kidding? Anyone who, like Helen Thomas, disagrees with the Zionist orthodoxy and dares to voice it will be punished. Amend that to say it is fine to make fun of Christians.

Posted September 24, 2010 at 2:10:43 PM

karl anglin

It's not tyranny we desire;

it's a just, limited, federal

government.----Alexander Hamilton

(1755-1804)

Posted September 24, 2010 at 2:28:37 PM

Bruce

Robert Hall - very good list. Here's mine.

If you are a communist hell bent on destroying the US and placing every American in bondage to a UN controlled dictatorship, vote demoncrat.

If you aren't, you need to vote republican and then prepare to fight to the death for liberty.

Posted September 24, 2010 at 2:45:38 PM

Tbird

Ted Hensley, Well said and right on. If only it could be so.

Posted September 24, 2010 at 3:18:34 PM

Jiggs

When I first read this "Pledge to America" thing, the first thing that popped into my mind was 'Here we go with more of the same.' Can't they come up with something a bit more original then trotting out a re-run of 'back in the day?' I, as a fervent Tea Partier, want to see just as many of the old line Republicans voted out as I do the Democrats. I guess this is why I don't vote the tired, old party line anymore. I want more substance and less "Yada, Yada, Yada."

Posted September 24, 2010 at 3:21:06 PM

Mike

I would love to see the TeaPartyPaceCar leading the racers to the green flag when the NASCAR Sprint Cup series runs at Talladega on Halloween.

Posted September 24, 2010 at 4:58:04 PM

Gary

We should advise the Alaska voters considering voting write in for the U S Senate seat that spelling is important. The corect spelling for the write in is M-I-L-L-E-R. Thank you for letting me make this important public announcement

Posted September 24, 2010 at 5:03:05 PM

Jim G

@Randall Ferrari

Mr. Ferrari I have to agree with the Editors reply to your post complaining of the image grouping of Obama with some of history's notorious Socialist Tyrants. We have seen, over recent decades, a undeniable increase and abuse of power, from the local, to the state, to the federal levels of our government. Over the last couple of years however, that concentration of power over our lives and liberty appears to be achieving hyper-speed.

Some recent examples of the creeping tyranny we've see these days include:

"Seventh-grader Ansche Hedgepeth was handcuffed, booked and fingerprinted for eating French fries in a northwest Washington subway station." - Washington D.C.

_________________________________________

"Government agents can sneak onto your property in the middle of the night, put a GPS device on the bottom of your car and keep track of everywhere you go. This doesn't violate your Fourth Amendment rights, because you do not have any reasonable expectation of privacy in your own driveway - and no reasonable expectation that the government isn't tracking your movements.

That is the bizarre - and scary - rule that now applies in California and eight other Western states. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which covers this vast jurisdiction, recently decided the government can monitor you in this way virtually anytime it wants - with no need for a search warrant." - Time, Aug 26 2010

__________________________________________

"The City of Palo Alto arrests 61 year old grandmother. Kay Leibrand’s “offense” was that her street-side xylosma bushes were more than two feet tall. After this cancer-ridden grandmother had her fingerprints taken, had posed for a mug shot, and was arraigned, she was faced with a criminal fine or jail time. This was all because Palo Alto bureaucrats had suddenly decided to engage in hyper-aggressive enforcement of one of its municipal code provisions and to make an example of dangerous scofflaws like Mrs. Leibrand." - Palo Alto, CA

__________________________________________

"Boy Scout Miles Rankin Miles... handcuffed in class, marched through his school by uniformed police officers, and taken away in a squad car to a juvenile detention facility. What was his offense? He did not take his coveted Boy Scout pocket knife out of his pocket before leaving home that morning." - Henry County, GA

__________________________________________

"If you did not know that you were supposed to affix a federally mandated sticker to your otherwise lawful UPS package, should you be arrested face down on the pavement by FBI agents training automatic weapons at you?... George Norris, a 67-year-old husband and grandfather, ended up spending almost two years in federal prison. Some of Norris’s paperwork for his home-based orchid business did not meet all of the technical requirements of an international treaty. None of his orchids were illegal to import, possess, or sell, but that did not stop the government from prosecuting and imprisoning him." - Houston, TX

_________________________________________

I can go on and on here Mr. Ferrari, but I believe the point is made. Again, not all of these cases happened under Obama's watch, but they are indicative of the creeping tyranny that has been going on within this country for decades now. Obama is the current 'poster child' for Big Government and is symbolic of a ruling elite who think they know best what is and isn't good for us.

Case in point - Before President Barack Obama took over the White House, no United States citizen had ever been forced by the federal government to buy a product against their will. But now, thanks to the passage of Obamacare, Americans, by dint of their mere existence, are now required to purchase Obama administration approved health insurance or face a penalty assessed through the Internal Revenue Code.

"Arbitrary power is most easily established on the ruins of liberty abused to licentiousness." ~ George Washington, 1753 - Circular to the States

"Of those men who have overturned the liberties of republics, the greatest number have begun their career by paying an obsequious court to the people, commencing demagogues and ending tyrants." ~ Alexander Hamilton, 1787 - Federalist No. 1

"The keystone of the Fascist doctrine is its conception of the State, of its essence, its functions, and its aims. For Fascism the State is absolute, individuals and groups relative." ~ Benito Mussolini

Posted September 24, 2010 at 5:37:31 PM

Brian

Ted Henlsey: Spot on, sir, spot on! Someone out there on the interwebz see if you can't hack that into O's teleprompter! I bet he can't get past "... I will be outlining a new course for our country,..." before his head explodes. He is not the type to EVER admit his mistakes.

Posted September 24, 2010 at 6:30:38 PM

Ross

Appears the Pledge was written by a 4th grader with a 3 day deadline. Very repetitious. The GOP has all kinds of plans but WHAT ARE THEY? Read a bill in three days. Are you serious? What happened to weeks, months? Bush was a part of the spending problem as well. Why not for starters, start at his mid term levels. Most that was mentioned is pointing fingers at OB. A lot of the problems have existed prior to him taking office. You have a long way to go to right this ship. Bigger issues of World Order, Global economy, trading/borrowing from China, USA Bankrupt, term limits,all aspects of the financial world, restructor Congressional benefits, retirement as the rest of America has it. Retain only that part of the Dept of Ed that would be responsible for providing state financial assistance only. On and on and on.

Posted September 24, 2010 at 7:43:10 PM

Lee Morris

A Pledge To America?

Are the Republicans out of their minds? Rolling back government spending to fiscal 2008 levels would still leave spending at a rate that bears the burden of years of Republican profligacy plus a couple years of Democrat spending added on for good measure.

They still don't get it.

Posted September 24, 2010 at 8:24:43 PM

Guy L W Hardy

I know this goes against the grain, but I propose returning Pelosi to the office of representative for CA - but not as speaker. Further, I recommend that she remain until 2016 - long enough to watch EVERYTHING she built crumble.

Vindictive? You bet your ass I am!

Posted September 24, 2010 at 8:59:32 PM

Robert Brown

The GOP Pledge to America sounds great. The real problem is that even IF the GOP wins both the Senate and House and passes all the pledged agenda, unless they have a veto proof Congress, THE ONE, will just veto them. We will still have all the garbage already crammed down our throats plus the garbage the lame duck Socialist in power now will, no doubt, ram through. The only thing we can hope for is that the general public does not become disillusioned and blame the GOP for not holding to their pledge.

Posted September 24, 2010 at 9:25:25 PM

Guy L W Hardy

"Some recent examples of the creeping tyranny we've see these days include:

"Seventh-grader Ansche Hedgepeth was handcuffed, booked and fingerprinted for eating French fries in a northwest Washington subway station." - Washington D.C."

I don't know what passes for recent nowadays, but the date stamp on this was January 7th, 2006 (http://abcnews.go.com/US/t/story?id=94999&page=1)

Still pretty pathetic, though...

Posted September 24, 2010 at 9:31:47 PM

Robert Brown

It seems to me that a lot of people have forgotten why Jimmy "The Peanut" Carter was elected. Gerald Ford was runnig for election. Note that I said election, not re-election. Ford had been appointed to the Presidency following Nixon's resignation. He was connected, therefore to both Water Gate and Nixon. Any Democrat running against Ford could have won. Carter didn't help his re-election efforts during his four years, but that's another story.

Posted September 24, 2010 at 9:45:46 PM

Morning Glory

TOO FUNNY! How hilarious the last little ditty was in today's PatriotPost! How could anyone overlook such a blatant error as the misspelling one's own last name--especially someone who has been in a position of "power" as long as Ms. Murkowski? To add insult to injury, the unintentional referral to a site supporting Mr. Miller had me laughing out loud! Truth certainly is stranger than fiction. LOVE IT! Thanks for making my long day end on such a great note~~

Posted September 24, 2010 at 9:57:35 PM

Mar Michael Abportus

On stoves. The type of stoves use fuel (wood or charcoal in most places) much more efficiently. Many third world nations are undergoing serious deforestation for cooking. These efficient stoves in the long run will give many countries a weapon against deforestation.

Posted September 25, 2010 at 1:18:23 AM

GEORGE ROPER

As much as I deplore the Left's social engineering, I cannot agree that defeating repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" represents anything more than a continuation of injustice and the support of bigotry in the armed forces. I am a Vietnam veteran who is honorably retired after 26 years service including surviving the Tet Offensive in 1968. I am also a devout Christian and a partner in an exclusive same sex relationship for 35 years. We have always had gays serving their country in the armed forces with professionalism and honor. But they have been required to suppress a large part of their humanity in favor of the sensitivities of religious extremists, bigots and a minority of young men who are insecure in their own sexuality--those who are truly homophobic in the original sense of the word. All this under the convenient cover of unit cohesion and readiness. But the price is injustice to a group of Americans who are willing to put their life on the line for their country.

It galls me that only the leftists, with whom I vehemently disagree on most issues, are leading the charge for justice in this issue; it bothers me even further, that they attached this issue to the defense funding bill rather than debating it openly on its own merits. But it does not change the fact that gays should be able to serve openly in the military while abiding by the highest professional standards of conduct.

Posted September 25, 2010 at 4:46:03 AM

William V. Wood

So the so called leadership of the Republican Party says they want all bills to have Constitutional justification. That just blows my mind. Is the Republican Party admitting that DC has been blowing smoke from both sides of the political spectrum? Are we to now believe that the leadership is now Constitutionally literate? Who's view of the Constitution is going to be used, the revisionist history version, the Supreme Court (pluck from air meaning) view or will staff come up with a back room deal as to meaning? As much as I want to believe, I require proof and I believe that all conservatives will require it also.

Posted September 25, 2010 at 7:16:58 AM

Anton D Rehling

The only contract for American I want to see are our elected to hold up not their interpetation of the progressive agenda but hold up the constitution saying we will fulfill our oath of office and protect what this historical Document established for the people of THIS country.

The only work other than national defence our elected should undertake is 100% transformation of this country to the limits imposed by our contitution. Anything less is unaceptable.

Posted September 25, 2010 at 12:19:15 PM

RiverKing

Since Lisa M????ski is apparently drawing more support from Democrats than from Miller supporters, let's not be too quick to tell her that "2010 is not the year of the entitled." I had several good laughs from the LisaMurkwski.com site by the way. Thanks for the URL.

Posted September 25, 2010 at 1:59:24 PM

RiverKing

"The fatwa [on Molly Norris] was issued by imam Anwar al-Awlaki ..." Does this not constitute solicitation of murder? al-Awlaki should be hunted down and arrested (or shot while resisting arrest) just like any other self-confessed, dangerous felon.

Posted September 25, 2010 at 2:10:32 PM

Rifleman

Show me an inner city in America, filled with "minorities," and I'll show you voter fraud for votes. What nobody has had the courage to say is that the Democrats refused to allow the emancipation of slaves in the 1870s. Former Union General and Democrat, George McClellan, opposed Lincoln (a Republican) in 1865 on a platform of not disturbing the institution of slavery. Democrats authored and defended Jim Crow laws in the South from the end of the War of Northern Aggression until Dr. King and the National Guard forced them to recant. Even so, Democrats fought integration tooth and nail and now, Democrats continue to keep black people on welfare -- keep them dependent -- so that they have no choice but to continue to vote for their Democrat Massa or be cut off from their welfare checks. The Democrats can sing the song any way they wish. They're still the Party of Slavery.

Posted September 25, 2010 at 3:17:15 PM

Rifleman

Bill Maher is proof that a good, old-fashioned spell does work. I'm thinking that the "Damage Over Time" spell has had its progressive influence on Maher. Either that or he's been using alum in his nose spray.

Posted September 25, 2010 at 4:11:07 PM

enemaofthestatistquo

RE: George Suffolk, VA, "He [Obama] probably figures that the statistical chance of actually suffering personally from a terrorist attack is low enough that the political benefits outweigh that risk." That's what all the vacations are for, to get Obama & his entourage out of the DC kill zone as often as is possible. His [obamas] comment that "we can absorb a terrorist attack", reminds me of the Stalin quote, "one death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic".

Posted September 25, 2010 at 4:24:44 PM

enemaofthestatistquo

While I agree the GOP pledge to return to 2008 spending levels does seem to lack a certain conviction to principle, BUT going further back say to 1998 spending levels, could cause currency and price deflation on a scale likely to cause global economic depression.

Posted September 25, 2010 at 4:29:33 PM

Trp878

From a contrary point of view I do not agree with the statements by the "main stream media" that the recession is over. What they are trying to tell us is that things are getting better. To me that is more rhetoric as I still see unemployment terribly high, many people are eking by, and tax increases are very near and realistic. With just some factors I can not accept their rhetoric. On the other hand, if they meant the recession was over because we moved into a Depression, then I could accept that without question. However knowing how the cabinet and the "main stream media" twist any and all information I can only arrive at one conclusion and that is they are figuring if they tell the story enough times people will begin to believe it.

Posted September 26, 2010 at 10:36:25 AM

Bob Shearer

About Hillary Clinton Buys Stoves for Women.

Who makes the stoves? Who or how many got a commission on the sale? What is the Congressional authorization for this act?

Bob Shearer

Posted September 26, 2010 at 11:09:17 AM

Shorty Feldbush

There is a report available that you might be interested in reviewing. Since it came from my Congressman (who had been Chairman of the Rules Committee) in response to some questions I had, I thought the report might have some inside information. I think it did! However, the MSM did not think so since it never saw the light of day.

http://rules-republicans.house.gov/ShortTopics/Read.aspx?id=401

Posted October 1, 2010 at 3:55:50 PM

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