Barone on US Becoming a Gangster Government

Michael Barone is one of my favorite writers, and I always enjoy his stuff on the Detroit News. Recently he wrote an excellent analysis of what is really going on with these Democrat proposals to 'regulate' the banking industry. Read about it in 'Gangster Government' ready to expand:

Almost a year ago, in a column on the Chrysler bailout, I reflected on the Obama administration's decision to force bondholders to accept 33 cents on the dollar on secured debts while giving United Auto Worker retirees 50 cents on the dollar on unsecured debts.

This was a clear violation of the ordinary bankruptcy rule that secured creditors are fully paid off before unsecured creditors get anything. The politically connected UAW folk got preference over politically unconnected bondholders. "We have just seen an episode of Gangster Government," I wrote. "It is likely to be a continuing series."

You may want to believe the denials that the Democratic commissioners timed the action in coordination with the administration or congressional leaders. But then you may want to believe there was no political favoritism in the Chrysler deal, too. It looks a lot like Gangster Government to me.

The Dodd bill, however, has it trumped. Its provisions promise to give us one episode of Gangster Government after another.

At the top of the list is the $50 billion fund that the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp could use to pay off creditors of firms identified as systemically risky -- i.e., "too big to fail."

"The Dodd bill," writes Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., "has unlimited executive bailout authority. That's something Wall Street desperately wants but doesn't dare ask for."

Politically connected creditors would have every reason to assume they'd get favorable treatment. The Dodd bill specifically authorizes the FDIC to treat "creditors similarly situated" differently.

Second, as former Bush administration economist Larry Lindsey points out, the Dodd bill gives the Treasury and the FDIC authority to grant an unlimited number of loan guarantees to "too big to fail" firms. CEOs might want to have receipts for their contributions to Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and the Obama campaign in hand when they apply.

Lindsey ticks off other special favors. "Labor gets 'proxy access' to bring its agenda items before shareholders as well as annual 'say on pay' for executives. Consumer activists get a brand new agency funded directly out of the seniorage the Fed earns. No oversight by the Federal Reserve Board or by Congress on how the money is spent."

Then there are carve-out provisions provided for particular interests. "Obtaining a carve-out isn't rocket science," one Republican K Street lobbyist told the Huffington Post. "Just give Chairman Dodd and Chuck Schumer a ----load of money."

Barone has caught on to something important- that the type of government that Obama and the Democrats are running in Washington DC is a government that is not only corrupt, it is institutionalizing corruption and making DC a pay-to-play system. This might be par for the course in Chicago, but it shouldn't be allowed in our nations capital- vote against every Democrat on the entire ticket to show them that you don't want a gangster government.

Oakland Schools Judges Green Sacrifices and Awards Prizes to Most Heavily Indoctrinated Green School

“When I was a kid, green to me was the color of one of my crayons." So says Debbie Dunn, who now runs a project to make kids see green not as a favorite color, but as a religion to worship. Look, I like the environment- I was a Boy Scout, I don't litter, I support efficient use of materials and little waste, and I go hiking and fishing and stuff. But as a teacher, who has an aggressive curriculum to teach, I get very pissed off at hearing how my tax money is being used to bribe teachers to instead preach the green religion at innocent students.

The Oakland Press has a glowing story about this called Oakland County schools reap awards for green activities in today's paper. The story is about schools in Oakland County that have adopted a 'green' curriculum and now have their students work on various 'green' projects and compete in a competition, where high priests judge the merits and worth of the sacrifices of young brainwashed students.

Students at Clarkston’s Sashabaw Middle School raised salmon in a tank of water as part of their ‘green’ activities geared to save the planet. They didn't eat the salmon- they just raised them in a sterile environment, tapped on the glass a lot, used up water and food and time and energy on it, and then tossed the fish out when it died and patted themselves on their backs over how 'green' they were.

Youngsters at Harlan Elementary in Birmingham wrote letters to government officials to protest excessive and wasteful packaging of toys, and this made them second-place winner in the competition. They were told what to write by their teachers and provided with one-sided information lacking in critical thinking, and then the teachers dictated letters to the impressionable youths who dutifully wrote them out, signed their name to them, and now can feel good about being 'green.'

One activity that Oakland Schools Superintendent Vicki Markavitch was particularly proud of was the organizing of power police teams. “There is nothing more passionate than a team of 10-year-old power police,” said Markavitch, who was excited about young kids being taught how to organize themselves in groups and then demand that other people turn off lights or turn off equipment, even though they don't own that equipment or run those facilities. Nothing like breeding 'green' thugs at a nice young age.

Maybe it's just me, but looking at the pictures from the event, I'm a little uneasy about all the crazy eyes the adults have. I mean, it's cool to be passionate about the environment and saving trees and clean water and all that, but it's almost like they are preaching a religion or something.

How the Tea Party Will Destroy the Republican Party

Republicans, especially national Republicans and moderate Republicans, are idiots, and because they are idiots, they will make the Tea Party destroy the Republican Party. Let me back up- I just read today that rather then let the conservative Republican candidate Mark Rubio win the Senate seat in Florida, moderate Republican candidate Charlie Crist is going to run as an independent if he doesn't win the Republican nomination.

Mark Rubio won the backing of the Tea Party movement and embraced its principles of limited government, personal freedom, individual liberty, and a free market, and because of that national Republicans encouraged Crist to run as an independent. The result is that the Democratic nominee will win that Senate race.

Some Tea Party people are going to assume that this means that national Republicans and moderate Republicans would rather a big government liberal Democrat win political power than allow conservatives to win power, and a growing number of them then will turn on the Republican party that turned on them and punish them at the polls, by voting independent, 'Conservative Party,' or staying home. The national Republicans are going to destroy the Republican Party in their attempt to silence their best chance at getting back in power.

The Tea Party is going to destroy the Republican Party- because the Republicans in the party are idiots.

Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day

Yesterday was Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day (April 24). The word ‘genocide’ is a recent word that means destroying, either in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group. This can be done by killing them all off, deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life that are calculated to kill them off, imposing measures on the group intended to prevent births by the group, forcibly transferring children of the group to another group, and trying to breed the group out of existence by raping the women of the group.

The 20th Century has a brutal legacy of genocide, and it all started with the Armenian Genocide from 1915-1923. Before Darfur (current day), before Bosnia (1995), before Rwanda (1994), before Cambodia (1975-1979), before the Nazi Holocaust of Jews and Poles and Gypsies (1938-1945), and before the Ukrainian Famine, there was the Armenian Genocide. Hitler once justified his Holocaust by asking “Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?”

In the Armenian Genocide, more than 1.5 million Armenians were killed out of 2 million. The main reason for this was a desire to ‘Turkify’ the Ottoman Empire and kill off all non-Muslims (Armenians were largely Christian). Armenian men were drafted into the army to fight WWI- and then were disarmed and put into labor camps, where they were soon starved or killed. Groups of government officials spread rumors of the Armenians betraying Turkey, blamed them for the losses Turkey was suffering during WWI, and demanded ‘justice.’ In April 24, 1915, all community leaders were systematically rounded up and put to death. After that, as WWI spread and became more confusing and disorganized, armed groups would come into Armenian villages and kill off the rest of the men or make them go on death marches, rape or carry off the women to use as slaves, kidnap or enslave the children, loot the village of all valuables, and then chase off remaining Armenians (who then later died of starvation, exposure, or brutality). By 1923, Armenian was simply a memory- 4000+ years of history wiped away like it never existed- churches, monasteries, schools, people, possessions were all destroyed or gone. Even the Armenian names of cities, villages, and rivers were changed.

The official line in Turkey is that the number of people that died has been grossly inflated, and the evidence of this genocide comes from dubious and prejudicial sources. Turkey claims that more Muslims than Christians died during the same period in the chaos that engulfed Turkey during and after WWI. Turkey says that Ottoman officials were tried for crimes against the Armenians and were acquitted, and that the word ‘genocide’ wasn’t even around until after WWII, and that the Holocaust isn’t anything like what happened in Turkey to the Armenians. In 2004, Turkey passed Article 301, which makes it a crime to even talk about the Armenian Genocide, and Turkey today spends millions lobbying the US to try to defeat efforts here in the US to recognize the genocide. Turkey even gives millions to prestigious universities to fund studies of the ‘Turkish view’ of the genocide and offers scholarships to people who will write books or articles denying that the genocide ever took place.

Typical for the waffling spineless President that he is, Barack Obama refused to call what happened in Armenia from 1915-1923 a genocide, instead 'artfully' finding a middle ground on the issue, much like Chamberlain did when confronted by a similar display of evil. "On this solemn day of remembrance, we pause to recall that ninety-five years ago one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century began," Obama said in a statement.... " It is in all of our interest to see the achievement a full, frank and just acknowledgment of the facts." He then refused to call what took place in Armenia a 'genocide' and mouthed vague words of nothingness to mark the occasion.

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) rapped Obama for "disgraceful capitulation to Turkey's threats" and of "offering euphemisms and evasive terminology to characterize this crime against humanity," in a press release Saturday. I agree.

While it is important to maintain relations with Turkey, and while we badly need their support on a bunch of important subjects, the truth is the truth, and it is black and white. Obama should recognize the truth and quit trying to make everything so grey.

Earth Day: Is it just one big Communist Plot?

Happy Lenin’s Birthday
Is it a coincidence that I'm wishing you this today? I don’t think so. Earth Day arrives on the exact same day as Lenin’s Birthday. One of the very first Earth day celebrations took place exactly on the 100 year anniversary of Comrade Lenin’s birthday. Many former communists saw Earth Day, with its goals and interests, as being very similar to the goals and interests of the great communist Lenin. Does this coincidence convince you that Earth Day is a big communist plot? Need more evidence?

Friends of the Earth
The group that founded “Earth Day” was a group called Friends of the Earth. This group also promotes socialism- just as strongly as it does environmentalism. It advocates economic redistribution, government regulation of nearly all aspects of people’s lives, communal land ownership, control of production in the hands of the masses, etc. Its main bogeymen are: “evil” corporations (especially the Fortune 500 companies,) Big Oil, Wall Street, the World Bank, the World Trade Organization and (naturally) George Bush. Oh yeah- it also founded Earth Day too. It is not far-fetched to think that by promoting and celebrating Earth Day, perhaps some of the other aims of Friends of the Earth will be advanced. Still not convinced that Earth Day is a big communist plot? Need more evidence?

Symbol of Earth Day
The symbol of the first Earth Day is a circle with a broken cross, with the bars pointing downward. It is a New Age symbol meaning the rejection of Christianity. The goal was to replace the worship of the Christian religion with the worship of Mother Earth. Communist ideology demand you worship the state and not a Christian god, and so communists frequently also attack the church. Earth Day then fits very nicely with the goals of communists. Still not convinced that Earth Day is a big communist plot? Need more evidence?

Motives of Earth Day activists
According to wikipedia, the goal of Earth Day is to push for: Total state control of society, especially businesses and industry (to help the environment, I guess). Recognition of the sacred nature of Mother Earth, including an almost reverent worship of anything ‘green’ (to help the environment, I guess). Using force to change people’s behavior (to help the environment, I guess). Stopping or slowing ‘development’ or ‘progress’, to return to a Utopian world of equality (to help the environment, I guess). These goals are the goals of communists, are they not? Still not convinced that Earth Day is a big communist plot? Need more evidence?

More Evidence: Earthday.net
Here are some of the goals, issues, and beliefs on www.earthday.net, one of the official websites promoting Earth Day: “Join the Revolution”! Pass laws that give more power to the government, in order to ‘stop global warming’. Stop building any new energy producing plants. “Protect the poor and middle class from unfairly bearing the cost of climate crisis” by increasing taxes on the rich and redistributing that money to the poor and middle class. Unite all religions in the name of global warming. Teach children in schools less about rights and more about the environment, and their responsibility to fight poverty. Still not convinced that Earth Day is a big communist plot? Need more evidence?

More Evidence: The Wilderness Society
For teachers, The Wilderness Society (an environmental group) has resources on how to teach about Earth Day. Here are some of them: A coloring book for 3rd graders with the theme of “Stop drilling in ANWR”. A timeline that 7th graders can construct of all the laws that government passed, to see the “progress” of government. Stories to read about ‘environmental heroes’- also (coincidentally) all good revolutionary communists

Bush’s Version of Earth Day
Under Republican President George Bush, the official government version of Earth Day was a bit different. According to the EPA website then, as declared by President Bush, Earth Day was more about: Celebrating the gains we have made in protecting the environment. Achieving meaningful results in protecting the environment. Encouraging volunteer efforts to save energy, reduce or recycle, and educate yourself to be more friendly to the environment. Taking pride in America by maintaining our public lands

Obama’s Version of Earth Day
Under Democrat President Barack Obama, the official government version of Earth Day though looks very much like Lenin’s birthday. According to the EPA website now, according to President Obama, Earth Day is about: Learning about environmental justice, which is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people in the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. Earth Day is about lobbying your local school to spend less time teaching reading and math and more time teaching environmental protection. Most importantly, Earth Day is about engaging in celebrations and festivals of worship on this most holy of days.

Earth Day: A Communist Plot
So, today when the news runs story after story about Earth Day, when teachers encourage you to ‘celebrate’ Earth Day, when google and yahoo ‘go green’, you can now respond back by saying-

“Happy Earth Day too, comrade”.

So What Happened to Iraq?

Time travel back to 5 short years ago. The Democratic Party was frantically doing everything possible to pull our troops out of Iraq. Leaders in the party demanded an immediate withdrawal from the unwinnable war. Political lines in the sand were drawn, reputations were staked, bitter battles were fought, all by Democrats who were all against the War in Iraq. Our President, supported by angry demonstrators, regularly shouted about how bad the War in Iraq was. So what happened?

This question has importance, and is not asked simply to dwell on the past. It speaks to the credibility, the experience, the ability to accurately judge and predict events, of our current leadership. Obama, Pelosi, Reid, Peters- they all had the same position on Iraq, and time has proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that on that very very important issue, they were very very wrong.

Victor Davis Hanson recently wrote a great article called So What Happened to Iraq? that analyzed this very question:

Six years ago, the conventional wisdom was that Ayad Allawi, then prime minister of the appointed Iraqi Interim Government, was a puppet of the United States. Last month, though, the Allawi-led Iraqiya alliance won, by a narrow margin, more parliamentary seats than any other coalition in national elections -- and he may become the country's next prime minister.

The secular Allawi successfully campaigned on the message of curbing religious interference in government -- countering the often-argued charge that the U.S. has created a radical Islamic republic in Iraq.

Indeed, as we look back at our years in Iraq, almost all of what once passed for conventional wisdom has been proven wrong.

Yes, there is still terrorist violence in Iraq -- especially recently as the leadership of the country's next government remains in doubt. And, yes, there are still around 130,000 American soldiers in Iraq. But in the first three months of 2010, the number of American soldiers killed in Iraq was about equal to those murdered in Fresno, Calif.

Meanwhile, Iraq's democracy has for some time now proven itself independent from the U.S. -- and that old anti-war accusations that we entered the war to control Iraqi oil were false. Last June, the representative Iraqi government held its first oil auction -- featuring transparent negotiations in which no American oil company was awarded an oil concession.

Instead, Chinese, Russian, British, French and other national oil consortia were given the awards. These were legitimate contracts, too -- not the sweetheart deals Saddam Hussein used to make with other governments in exchange for international political cover.

After the U.S. removed the monstrous Saddam, many argued that we were only empowering neighboring Iran -- and thus that the U.S. and the region were better off when he was in power. Putting aside the morality of playing one dictatorship off against another, has theocratic Iran really benefited from the emergence of a constitutional democracy in Iraq?

Currently, the Iranian theocracy is far more unpopular among Iranians than the Iraqi democracy is among Iraqis. Ending Saddam Hussein's reign in the short-term might have been welcome to the ruling Iranian mullahs, but a nearby functioning secular constitutional state -- with a Shiite majority -- is becoming its worst nightmare. Millions of restless Iranians must now wonder, "If Iraqi Shiites can talk freely on television, why can't we?"

Given Iraq's progress these last years, it's hard to find anyone who still argues -- as the current troika now directing U.S. foreign policy, President Barack Obama, Vice President Joseph Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, once did -- that President Bush's 2007 troop surge was a mistake.

To a then-Sen. Clinton, the surge's purported success required a "suspension of disbelief." But, as we now know, the surge saved Iraq and provided a blueprint of sorts for operations in Afghanistan.

Finally, there was the assertion that anti-war protests were all genuinely based on opposition to the American presence in Iraq rather than fueled, in large part, by partisan politics. But since January 2009, when Obama was sworn into office, there have been almost no anti-war demonstrations against the still-sizable American presence there. Popular demonstrations in the U.S. now oppose excessive government, not the war.

And Hollywood has ceased making its usual, unpopular anti-war movies like "In the Valley of Elah," "Redacted," "The Kingdom," "Rendition," "Lions for Lambs" and "Home of the Brave."

Many on the left no longer oppose the Bush-Petraeus plan of slow, graduated withdrawal from Iraq, as this strategy is now sanctioned by President Obama. In the words of Vice President Biden, Iraq may well become one of the Obama administration's "greatest achievements."

It's true that many original supporters of the three-week removal of Saddam Hussein underestimated the ordeal of establishing a constitutional state in his absence. But it's also evident that many who damned the war did so mainly to embarrass then-President George Bush.

We see all of this mostly in hindsight. Dire assertions about Iraq did not come to pass. Anti-war passion cooled once war-critic Barack Obama was no longer a presidential candidate but became president -- and commander-in-chief. And, most importantly, a successful democracy finally did arise after the fall of Saddam.

John Tucker for the Missouri 3rd

A lot of people ask me when I'll run for office. I already have- I am an elected official, although only for a local office. Although someday I may want to serve my nation and fight for life, liberty, and protection of property by running for some sort of higher office, right now I am content to help elect other people and advise them on education issues.

But, I just thought you might like to know about a conservative teacher who is running for Congress the Missouri 3rd District. John Wayne Tucker was a history teacher in the public schools for 27 years. He is running as an Independent Conservative Republican in the Missouri Republican primary, and may be a better choice to represent his district than another lawyer. In his primary he faces off against a long-time Republican insider and a noted RINO named Ed Martin, and in the general he'd face incumbent Democrat Russ Carnahan, who voted for cap-and-trade, for the stimulus/pork bill, and for the healthcare regulation bill.

Mr. Tucker was the wrestling coach, sponsor of his school's Ham Radio Club, and sponsored the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Tucker wants to limit spending and and the size of the government size, require a balanced budget, protect our individual liberties, fight for the Constitution, defend our borders, and rebuild our economy. He seems like a pretty solid conservative candidate.

If you want to know more or send him a couple bucks, go to his homepage at http://www.johnwaynetucker.com.

Obama- Actively Working on Improving Democracy in America

Via Foreign Policy:

President Obama said last Sunday that the United States is still "working on" democracy and a top aide said he has taken "historic steps" to improve democracy in the United States during his time in office.

The remarks came as Obama met with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev -- one of the U.S. president's many meetings with world leaders ahead of this week's nuclear summit.

NSC senior director Mike McFaul said on a conference call with reporters Sunday. "Both presidents agreed that you don't ever reach democracy; you always have to work at it. And in particular, President Obama reminded his Kazakh counterpart that we, too, are working to improve our democracy." McFaul further said. "[Obama's] taken, I think, rather historic steps to improve our own democracy since coming to office here in the United States."

Kazakh Ambassador Erlan Idrissov later told Wall Street Journal's Jonathan Weisman, "There was no pressure at all in the meeting," and that "Obama quoted Winston Churchill as saying that democracy is "the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried."

Churchill was wrong- there was one form of government better than democracy, and that's a republic, and that is the nation that our founding fathers built for us- a republic, if we can keep it. Democracies are not that great- they are unstable and usually lead the rise of dictatorships, or at least that his what students of history recognize.

One has to wonder- what aspects of democracy aren't working for Obama and what historic steps is he taking to improve democracy? Democracies either lead to a republic- which is a nation based on rule of law- or to a dictatorship- which is a nation based on the rule of men. Which way is Obama taking our nation, and what steps has he and his buddies in Congress like Pelosi, Reid, and Peters taken?

If you haven't already, watch this video, about the American Form of Government:

Gifted Programs in Schools Training Future Liberals

One of the other school districts that I worked in has a gifted and talented program that I thought would interest some of my readers because it shows how possible and how extensive the liberal agenda can stretch into the government-run schools in our country.

In some schools, gifted and talented programs for students may offer increased enrichment opportunities, ask students to take more leadership on important issues, hold seminars to improve critical thinking skills, or include visits to local museums. But in other schools, just the the program that I observed in a local middle school, the gifted and talented programs instead are serving as laboratories for molding future communist-left-leaning Democrats.

In this government school, gifted and talented students are usually identified in elementary and middle schools and then put into a program apart from other students, where they learn and work on an additional or alternative curriculum. They are told over and over that they are not different from other students, just unique- separate, but equal. Myself, I'd just tell these students the truth- 'hey, you're farther along and advancing more rapidly, so let's put you in a different class or give you additional projects and challenge you.' But the liberals who run the education system instead say to these students 'we're all equal, but we're going to put you in a special class to mold your unique skills.'

And the scary part is what they are trying to mold the best and brightest into. Apparently what this school is trying to mod its most gifted and talented students into is government planners, communists, bureaucrats, and solid liberal Democrats. They do this molding in several ways.

These gifted and talented students have to create and run United Nations type projects. That is, the United Nations projects that are funded with other people's money, unaccountable, full of corruption, and tend to make the situation they are supposed to 'fix' worse. Students work on projects that have to deal with environmentalism (how to force businesses through government power to do certain things, or propose laws to do this, etc.), global appeasement policies (peace on earth, how to stop the war, stop the war in Iraq, how to make friends with France, etc.), tax and spend schemes (pretend money comes from air and isn't stolen from hard working people's pockets, and think up ways to spend it, etc.), wealth-redistribution schemes (collect for charities, can drives, etc.), and focus on human rights abuses (especially caused by the US).

The gifted and talented programs that some government-run school districts are setting up for their impressionable youth steer clear and never mention anything related to individualism, morality, or personal rights. In fact, not a single project touched on those issues. The goal apparently with these programs is to emphasis themes of government control and elitism, but steer clear of morality, individual rights, and individual responsibility.

The students get the time to put together these projects by being pulled out of classes that are deemed 'unimportant' by the liberal elites who run the school- they are pulled out of business or economics classes, they are pulled out of shop, home economics, or auto mechanics classes, and they are pulled out of gym and physical education classes. According to the liberals who run the school, these are 'dumb' classes for the 'dumber students', and the gifted and talented students should instead be learning how to rule us, make decisions for us, and control our behaviors.

Where gifted and talented students could take on more real life examples and challenges, and begin to train to be our future business leaders, and improve their discipline and teamwork skills, and be part of the tradition that made our nation great once- skilled mechanics, dedicated farmers, good shop keepers, smart accountants, and hard-working factory workers- these students instead spend vastly more time talking and learning about government intervention in business and society in the belief that if our country had more lawyers, bureaucrats, and communist leftist pinko's, it would be a better country.

It is a scary thought- in schools all around the nation, our future leaders- our most gifted and talented- are being put into government re-education programs designed to make students into liberal Democrats. Scary indeed.

My Kids Will Pay a 15% VAT If Democrats Aren't Thown Out

Via the New York Post:

The VAT is a type of national sales tax, levied on the value-added at each stage of production. Consider a piece of furniture: The VAT would be imposed when the raw timber is sold, when the sawmill produces lumber, when the manufacturer builds a chair, a tax at the wholesaler level and then when a retailer sells the chair to a consumer.

To avoid double taxation, each seller along the way gets a credit for taxes paid at earlier stages of the production process. So the final tax to the consumer, at least in theory, is the same as a retail sales tax of the same amount.

The VAT has its virtues: As a single-rate, consumption-based system, much like the flat tax or national sales tax, it would introduce far fewer economic distortions than today's income tax -- and a heckuva lot less paperwork.

That would be a persuasive argument -- if proponents wanted a VAT to replace the Internal Revenue code. But that's not what's intended by Volcker -- or Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who've also been chatting up the VAT. The politicians want a VAT, and they want to keep the income tax. (To be more accurate, they want a VAT and to raise other taxes as well.)

They want the cash, of course, so they can continue buying votes by spending other people's money.

The VAT is "on the table," according to Democrat Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi (source here). One of Democrat President Barack Obama's top economic advisers suggested that it's time for America to adopt a VAT. And President Obama's new debt commission, which will meet for the first time just before the elections and after Obama has added trillions in debt, was rumored to be looking strongly at suggesting that the US adopt the VAT. And although the Senate just voted Thursday to say they don't want to create a new value-added tax, 12 of the 13 senators who voted to support the possibility of a VAT were Democrats. Democrats are working today on how they can make my children pay a VAT.

The state of Michigan once used a form of VAT known as the "Single Business Tax" (SBT) as its form of general business taxation. It was the only state to have used a VAT, and it sucked. Voters voted to replace the SBT with the new MBT, which was expected to be more fair and less of a jobs and economy killer than the SBT ended up being.

One other note on the VAT. While most Democrats and liberals want a 'small' VAT, most tax rates start small and then end up going up and up and up (except when you vote Republican, then they go down). When the income tax was first put in, the highest marginal income tax rate in 1913 was only 7%, but only 5 years later the highest rate to 77%, and by the 1940's, the top rates in the US were above 90%. Expect the VAT to follow a similar trajectory- if passed by Democrats it will start small, but eventually will be a massive jobs and economic killer.

Representative Gary Peters Up to Same Old Tactics

In the last Congressional election, Democrat Congressman Gary Peters employed thugs like Bruce Fealk to harass his Republican opponent, Joe Knollenberg. The type of tactics that Peters had his thugs employ included the usual picketing, public demonstrations, and harassment at public events, but cross the line when Peters' thugs started to show up at his opponents house to continue the harassment. Once, Mr. Fealk ambushed Representative Knollenberg at a local pharmacy and video-taped himself asking the Congressman dozens of questions, not even bothering to listen for the answers, but instead simply playing political games intended to get footage that Peters campaign office could use.

Gary Peters employed guys like Fealk to record videos of themselves harassing his opponent in the hopes of getting the harassed Congressman and his equally harassed staff to snap. Once, Fealk and Peters got lucky, and Knollenberg's chief of staff Trent Wisecup snapped at Fealk and told him to "go away", and the Peters campaign ran with that footage and played up the 'mean old conservative' angle. The whole story was covered by the American Thinker, linked here. Here is a picture of Fealk, in case you are interested.

That was last election. Since then, Peters has distanced himself from Fealk, refusing to be seen in public with him because he is an embarrassment and a liability. But that doesn't mean the Congressman Peters has changed tactics- he still intends to defeat his opponent by systematically harassing them, building up dirt on them, attacking them, and lying about himself.

Today at a Tax Day Tea Party in Royal Oak, Michigan, Gary Peters had one of his staff there to harass Rocky Raczkowski, his likely opponent in the upcoming Congressional election in Michigan's 9th District. His staff member stood around the entire time, hovering about 3 or 4 feet from Rocky for about two hours, filming him. He didn't talk to anyone, didn't seem that interested to be there, and rudely tried to butt his way into every conversation, zooming in on people and attempting to capture as much video and audio as possible. Was this staffer's goal to learn more about Rocky? Document his campaign for a future movie? Nope- Gary Peters sent this guy down there to simply hang around and try to catch something that Rocky said that could be taken out of context and used against him in the campaign.

The guy said his name was 'Paul' and that he worked for Gary Peters staff. I tried to find out more information about this guy, but apparently Gary Peters does not put on his websites any information about who works for him or works in his offices. Odd, I thought he ran on a platform of transparency, yet he won't post he works for him in his offices. I was able to get some information about how works for Peters, but didn't see a 'Paul' listed- just his Chief of Staff Eric Feldman, Scheduler Caitlyn Stephenson, Legislative Director Jonathan Smith, Comm. Dir. Cullen Schwarz, Child/Family Issues LA Carly Hepola, Health LA Carly Hepola, Labor LA David Weinberg, Housing LA Jonathan Smith, Medicare/Medicaid LA Carly Hepola, and Social Security LA David Weinberg. He could be one of these people- I couldn't find pictures anywhere of them.

Gary Peters intends to dirty up this coming election. I hope voters know this and throw the bum out.

Here is a video of him video-taping Rocky.

Intercepted Email from Congressman Peters' Hired Thug

Bruce Fealk is a thug who Congressman Gary Peters uses to do his dirty work. Last election, Peters had Fealk stalk ex-Congressman Joe Knollenberg and harass him everywhere he went, shouting insults, invading his private space, and provoking him, all while a camera filmed all of these encounters. Peters idea was to harass and provoke the good Congressman into an outburst or angry confrontation, and then use that footage and try to portray Konllenberg as an angry old man. Peters is a decent guy, but his use of thugs like Bruce Fealk to do his dirty work and do typical ugly Democratic political attacks demonstrates his real character.

So, what type of people does Congressman Gary Peters associate with? I intercepted a recent email that one 'bfealk' (likely Bruce Fealk) sent out to groups who are the core of Democratic Congressman Gary Peters support group. The groups that were contacted to disrupt the upcoming Tea Parties and support Peters are the Workers World Party and the MichiganEmergency Committee Against War & Injustice. Peters, through his henchman Fealk, wants (and I quote from his email) "all progressive individuals and groups to protest this racist, anti-worker, neo-fascist movement."

That's right boys and girls- Congressman Peters thinks that everyone who goes to a Tea Party event is a racist, anti-worker, neo-fascist. Oh, I know he didn't say it, but that's the beauty of it- he doesn't have to, because his thugs and henchmen do it, and then he pretends to be some sort of nice moderate who just coincidentally sports a 95% record of voting the Democrat party line.

If you'd like to call Bruce and tell him that you are not a racist, anti-work, neo-fascist, go ahead and call him. Be nice- I'm sure he is a decent hard working interest group paid thug, but still, be nice, and have a good conversation with him. I'm sure after a couple dozen phone calls, he'll be happy to talk with you and try to understand a little bit better where all you tea party people are coming from.

If you'd like to join Bruce's mailing list, go ahead and subscribe at DetroitActivists-subscribe@organizerweb.com. Just shoot an email over there and you can find out all you ever want to know about the organizing efforts of Gary Peters communist and socialist buddies.

See you all at the next tea party!

UPDATE: Bruce Fealk informs me that I may need to clarify something- the message that I received in my inbox may not be from Bruce Fealk- there is the possibility that it is instead from a guy named David Sole, sent from an email address labled "bfealk". If the email was really not from Bruce, I do apologize- you can see how I would assume that it was you, since it was from a group that you are associated with and support and it says "bfealk" on the email. Oddly enough, the bfealk@wideopenwest who emails me claiming to be Bruce Fealk has a very similar email address to the one that sent out the email message. He has another email address as well- bfealk@gmail.com. But, there is a possibility it is not him. If it's not, then that his your number above and it isn't his mailing group, so no big deal. I did call Bruce Fealk a thug, and I stand by that based on earlier actions harassing the good ex-Congressman Knollenberg, and Bruce Fealk is a friend of Congressman Peters, so nothing that I said there is false. For the record, here is the beginning of the original message...

-----Original Message-----> From: detroitactivists-bounces+bfealk=wideopenwest.com@organizerweb.com
> [mailto:detroitactivists-bounces+bfealk => wideopenwest.com@organizerweb.com]> On Behalf Of David Sole> Sent: Thursday, April 08, 2010 4:38 PM> To: undisclosed-recipients:> Subject: [DetroitActivists] Protest vs. Tea Party Express Sunday Apr. 11>> Friends- The right-wing, racist Tea Party Express is scheduled to rally> in Clinton Township this Sunday, April 11 at 10 AM....

UPDATE II: Welcome readers of Bonsai from the Right! Seems there is a lively discussion going on over there, provoked by my post above. How fun!

UPDATE III: Bruce continues to email me and threaten me with all sorts of lawsuits. Apparently this is a tactic that he tries on everyone- I told you that he was a thug, and he is going to try to silence my free speech with threats of harassing lawsuits. But, out of the spirit of bipartisanship, I took off the phone number above and changed the above post to be nicer to Bruce.

A Note About This Blog

This blog is my personal opinion on items, and does not represent anything more than that. If I offend communists, fascists, socialists, progressives, thugs, or any other group out there, know that I only publish items that I believe to be true, and do not do so to maliciously damage anyone based on false pretenses, but publish information out of a desire to inform or entertain my audience.

Obama Bows to Chinese Communist President

The President of the United States recently bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia. Then the President of the US bowed to the Emperor of Japan. Neither of these people bowed to our President, and in fact, no other chief of state ever bows to our President. And yet, our President bows to these people, in order to show 'proper respect' to them. And now President Obama has done it again, bowing to the the Communist Chinese President Hu Jintao during the official arrivals for the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington.

President Obama did not bow, tilt his head, lean over, or make any motion that resembles a bow when he met the leaders of America's top allies and friends. But he did bow and scrape and act like an obsequious doggie when he met a despotic king, an emperor of a nation that fought us in a world war a generation ago, and the ruler of a communist nation. Obama believes that the United States should now willingly prostrates itself before the rest of the world, because, not only is the United States is a country like any other country, but we are worse, because we have so much for which to apologize, and thus he bows to foreign leaders (but not to foreign leaders who are our friends and allies). Obama is not a humble man- just the opposite, he is very arrogant and believes strongly in himself- but he is willing to humble himself to tyrants and dictators, and that will not make our nation a stronger and better place.

Here is Obama bowing to the the Communist Chinese President Hu Jintao, via the AP.

Also keep in mind that President Obama has also bowed to Burger King. The photo of that is here.

1930's Are Root of All That is Wrong

The last time our nation had such a progressive President was back when FDR ran the US through the Great Depression, and not surprisingly, that's the last time we had a recession last this long and this deep. It was during the 1930's that communism and fascism were popular around the world. And it was during this time when the Republicans were discredited by the trauma of the stock market collapse and the start of the Depression, and so Democrats under FDR could put in place all of their progressive policies.

At one time, I thought the 1930's were at the root of all that is wrong about America, and compiled a list of all of the laws and taxes and liberal decisions passed during that time. For history's sake, here is that list:

Unemployment Compensation Tax (MI), 1936
Oil and Gas Severance Tax (MI), 1929
Horse Race Wagering Tax, (MI), 1933
Sales Tax (MI), 1933
Use Tax (MI), 1937
Beer Tax (MI), 1933
Wine Tax (MI), 1933
Intangibles Tax (MI), 1939
Commercial Forest Tax (MI), 1925
Gasoline Tax (MI), 1925
Diesel Fuel Tax (MI), 1947
Motor Carriers Privilege Tax (MI), 1923
Aviation Gasoline Tax (MI), 1929
Aircraft Weight Tax (MI), 1923
Employment Security Act (MI), 1936
Social Security Act (USA), 1935
Wagner-Peyser Act (USA), 1933
Fair Labor Standards Act (USA), 1938
US v Miller (US Supreme Court), 1939
National Firearms Act (USA), 1934
Federal Reserve Act (USA), 1913
Motor Carrier Act (MI), 1933
Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act (USA), 1930
Crime Control Laws (USA), 1934
Hoover Tax Hike (USA), 1932
Amendment 16 (USA), 1913
Amendment 17 (USA), 1913
Baron-Davis Act (USA), 1931
National Labor Relations Act (USA), 1935
Walsh-Healy Act (USA), 1936
Copeland Act (USA), 1934
Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (USA), 1938
Michigan Labor Unions, Act 176 of 1939 (MI), 1939
Private Schools, Act 302 of 1921 (MI), 1921
Insurance Regulation, Act 66 (MI), 1933
Regulation of Hospitals, Act 108/109 (MI), 1939
Roosevelt moves traditional Thanksgiving Day, 1939
Regulating Firearms, Act 373 (MI), 1927
Liquor Control Act, PA 8 (MI), 1933
Sidewalk Regulation, Act 246 (MI), 1931
Government ownership of sewers, Act 316 (MI), 1931
US moves off gold standard, 1933
Ownership of private gold now a crime, 1933
State Printing Act, Act 153 (MI), 1937

Look through that list and think of how much America was changed by one generation, by one President, by one party, by one decade (mostly). What the heck happened to allow that? The rise and influence of communism and fascism? Trauma from WWI? Some sort of generational cycle? Did something happen to the children in 1900 so they were fools when they came to power in the 1930's? Was it just Great Depression freak out? The lack of expansion of our borders? The rise and feminization of society? Some new invention? A religious movement? Something in the water? Email me if you have any theories.

UPDATE: Also add Reapportionment Act of 1929 to the list.

Tea Party Express Stop Southeast Michigan: My Report, with Pictures and Video

Just got back from the "National Tea Party Express III, Just Vote Them Out! Tour" stop in Clinton Twp, MI. Clinton Twp is a little north of Detroit in southeastern Michigan. It was a pretty good event- I'm not good at estimating crowds, but people just kept coming, and I guess there was anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 people there.

Although the Tea Party doesn't endorse any particular party, there were no candidates there from the Democratic Party, and not a single Democratic candidate for any office was out there talking about liberty, freedom, or limited government.

I did see four of the five Republican candidates for Governor of Michigan there- Mike Cox, Pete Hoekstra, Mike Bouchard, and Tom George- and they all gave a speech to get the crowd fired up. Mike Cox gave the best speech and still remains a guy I like for our Governor. I'll also point out that the one candidate for Governor who was not there was Rick Synder- apparently he doesn't support the things that Tea Party people believe in, like limited government, constitutional government, human freedom and liberty, less regulation of society, less bureaucracy and red tape, and lower taxes.

There were other candidates there as well, all Republicans running for various state offices here in Michigan- Judge Mikael Warren was there promoting his book America's Survival Guide, Mike Bishop was there just hanging out with his family (he is also running for Michigan Attorney General but really wasn't campaigning today), and I also saw my good friend and chairman of the The Michigan Taxpayers Alliance Leon Drolet there enjoying the crowd and talking to friends (he also is running for State Senate but wasn't really campaigning today).

Okay, enough name dropping, because the real fun of being at a Tea Party event to me is not the speakers and comedians and music- which the Tea Party Express had going- but talking to real people. There were discussions that I overheard about the Constitution, about our Founding Principles, and about how we should never compromise in our fight for liberty. There were more specific discussions that touched on economics and history. People talked about how they don't like all the bailouts for companies, about how the alliance between big business and big government and the big unions is bad for America, about how the nationalized healthcare plan that Obama is setting up is going to be bad for our country, about how cap and tax will destroy our economy, and about how our energy policies are holding back American industry. People talked about drilling, lower taxes, less regulation, less red tape, and less control over our lives will lead to greater freedom and prosperity. Average every day people talked about this stuff- I talked to a retired janitor for a good bit who said that government isn't the solution to our problems, it is the problem, and he was right on.

It was a good day- there were the smells of hot dogs cooking on the grill, people selling flags and shirts that talked about freedom and liberty, petitions circling, and lots of good people. Here are some sights and sounds from the event- pictures that I took on my cell phone- enjoy, and try to get to one of these events yourself in the future!


UPDATE: For another report, check out theblogprof's REPORT (with pics and video): More than 3,000 show up at Tea Party Express in Clinton Twp, MI.

Obama's Strategy for his Judicial Nominee

The one thing you have to admire about Obama is his ruthless arrogance. He is the most divisive, partisan, and destruction President for America ever, and whenever the people have risen up and protested this, he has just doubled-down. Maybe that is what I'll call him- Double-Down Obama. After jamming through unpopular legislation like Obamacare, he now sets aim at putting in place the most controversial, divisive, partisan Supreme Court judge he can, and doesn't give a donkey's arse if the Republicans, the moderates, independents, or the people don't like his chance.

The AP story is titled "Obama emboldened for another Supreme Court pick", but emboldened turns out to be just another way of saying 'screwing America and laughing about it'. Apparently he was happy that he jammed his divisive and partisan pick on the Court the first time around, and recognizing that the window of opportunity for him to screw the country in every way possible is closing, he has decided that he is going to pick the Supreme Court nominee he wants and let the confirmation fight proceed from there. The main thing that he wants in a Supreme Court justice is someone who will ignore the Constitution and instead fight for communism and progressivism.

Look for Obama to continue his aggressive tactics as he continues his never-ending campaign to change America into something else (fascist Germany or soviet Russia?). Among the factors that he is going to consider when choosing a justice: dedication to the cause of the People and the fight for a new progressive America, gender, race, liberal philosophy, and the ability to hide or disguise any controversial rulings or statements that could turn confirmation from tough to untenable.

The Republicans will likely work to block the nominee, but since Republicans are more moderate and sensible and not as partisan by nature, a couple will vote for cloture and thus a filibuster is likely not possible. The Democrats, who have demonstrated that they are much more partisan and extreme then Republicans and are okay with jamming votes through without even a single GOP vote, will likely vote in bloc. There are no moderates in the Democratic Party, there are no Blue Dogs- only liberal dogs telling the rest what to do, and so the vote will be 61-39 to confirm, no matter how extreme or bad a candidate that Obama nominates.

Calorie Count Mandate was in Obamacare Bill

One of the many little provisions in Obamacare that will threaten your property and liberty is one where the federal government will now order restaurant chains to post calorie counts on menus, menu boards and drive-through displays as well as provide additional nutrition information upon request. The law also applies to convenience stores and grocery outlets that serve ready-to-eat meals as well as many vending machine operators. According to the Detroit News, this new federal mandate will go into effect next year after the FDA writes the rules, and will affect more than 200,000 restaurant chains nationwide and several thousand in Michigan.

According to restaurant owners and operators, the rules are expensive, make menus overly complicated and prompt few changes in eating habits. From The Detroit News:

Anytime anyone talks about piling additional costs on the industry, it's a problem," said Andy Deloney of the Michigan Restaurant Association. Restaurateurs in New York City, where chains have been required to post nutritional information since 2008, say the law puts them at a competitive disadvantage with smaller eateries. "The ... guy who owns the pizzeria across the street doesn't have to do it," said David Melton, who owns four Domino's Pizza shops in Manhattan.

Proponents of the law say that it is okay to reduce choices and burden companies with expensive regulations because it may encourage the slaves of the state on state-controlled healthcare to eat different foods then they would like to. I disagree, and feel that this yet another provision in Obamacare that is designed to hurt businesses. From the Detroit News:

Nicole Wilski, who owns a Checkers Drive Thru in Clinton Township, believes most diners will still base food choices on quality, taste and service. She expects a costly transition to the new rules.

"All components of our menu boards will need to be replaced," Wilski said. "Any printed materials, including menus, advertisements or promotions, will be changed to comply with the new law. (Employees) will need to have the knowledge to answer any questions our guests may have. There will be costs for the time to train them and the materials to train them with."

Tyranny will come a bit at a time, and one day, you'll wonder what a free world looked like. Probably you didn't imagine that it might look a menu of items to buy with only the prices next to them, without calorie counts and government warnings.

Bamm-Bamm Obama?

In my previous post (Obama = Naive), I called Obama Bam-Bam. That was a reference to Bamm-Bamm Rubble, and I was trying it out as a nickname to possible call President Obama in order to demonstrate my lack of respect for his knowledge, understanding, and sophistication with dealing with foreign affairs (see post Obama Abandons Insane US Nuke Policies: Ignores Sun Tzu and Demonstrates Lack of Understanding Again).

In response to the emailed questions, Bamm-Bamm Rubble is the adopted son of fictitious characters Barney and Betty Rubble. He is most famous in his infant form on the animated series The Flintstones, but has also appeared at various other ages, including as a teenager on the early 1970s spinoff The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show and as an adult in three made-for-television movies. Bamm-Bamm lived in the fictional prehistoric city of Bedrock, a world where dinosaurs coexisted with barefoot cavepeople. The cavepeople enjoyed "primitive" versions of modern conveniences such as telephones, automobiles and washing machines, often utilizing the prehistoric animals.

It's a bad nickname for Obama and I won't use it again. Bamm-Bamm was known for yelling "bamm, bamm!" and swung his club, and Obama has demonstrated that he is a weak man who would roll over rather than fight back. Bamm-Bamm is also noted for his excessive strength, and we've all by now seen Obama throw the baseball (snicker). Although when he got older, he did become more passive in his manner and tended to be dominated easily by women with aggressive personalities, so maybe he is kind of like Obama after all.

Obama = Naive

Bam-Bam (Barack Obama) is the most naive president our nation has ever have, surpassing even Jimmy Carter in his lack of experience, understanding, or sophistication. This is seen most clearly in foreign policy, where enemy world leaders are laughing at our nation and allied world leaders are disgusted and annoyed. And the most common word that all of these world leaders associate with Obama, on a range of policy decisions, is "naive".

Iran's hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, an enemy of the US, on Wednesday ridiculed President Barack Obama over his new nuclear strategy, which includes a vow not to use nuclear weapons against countries that do not have them, even if they attack us using chemical or biological weapons. He said this: ""Mr. Obama, you are a newcomer (to politics). Wait until your sweat dries and get some experience..." That's a pretty clear statement that Ahmadinejad thinks that Obama lacks experience, understanding, or sophistication.

In this story, America’s Wounded Ally, it talks about how India is growing increasingly annoyed by Obama's lack of understanding, experience, or sophistication in dealing with US-India relations. The line that jumped out at me in this article was "Indian officials feel that Obama has little experience in South Asia and has displayed remarkable naivete in public statements." The whole article is filled with examples of how Obama and his advisers have reacted and responded towards India, the world's largest democracy, with an utter lack of understanding or sophistication, and have displayed over and over again their inexperience.

Again, the definition of naive is "lack of experience, understanding, or sophistication". And that describes Obama and his approach to policy, both foreign and domestic.

I guess being a naive idiot is better than being a narcissistic popularity whore, as I suggested in my last post (Obama Abandons Insane US Nuke Policies: Ignores Sun Tzu and Demonstrates Lack of Understanding Again). Still, one can only wonder how much damage he is going to do to America in his remaining 2 and half years in office.

Obama Abandons Insane US Nuke Policies: Ignores Sun Tzu and Demonstrates Lack of Understanding Again

"To plan secretly,to move surreptitiously, to foil the enemy's intentions and balk his schemes, so that at last the day may be won without shedding a drop of blood"- that is how Sun Tzu described how to win in warfare. Further, Sun Tzu wrote this about the Art of War:

It is through the dispositions of an army that its condition may be discovered. Conceal your dispositions, and your condition will remain secret, which leads to victory,; show your dispositions, and your condition will become patent, which leads to defeat

One of my degrees is in International Relations and just recently I was talking to some of my high school students about the United States policies with regard to the use of nukes. The one that they were the most fascinated by was the policy of Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD).

Via wikipedia, Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD) is a doctrine of military strategy and national security policy in which a full-scale use of nuclear weapons by two opposing sides would effectively result in the destruction of both the attacker and the defender. In theory, by adopting this policy in which your nation is prepared to destroy everything if attacked, it will deter your enemy from attacking you since he'll be terrified that you might just be insane enough to blow up everything rather than just lose the war. The strategy is effectively a form of Nash equilibrium, in which both sides are now forced to entertain the possibly that the worst possible outcome of a nuclear attack- the nuclear annihilation of the world- is now on the table if one side attacks the other.

I've always felt that MAD is an insane policy- but its very insanity is what made it work- I mean, no country in their right mind would be willing to destroy the world rather than just get nuked. But a nutty one might, and you have to respect that crazy will to win, and in this case, the fear of MAD just may have played a role in deterring nuclear attacks on the United States during the height of the Cold War.

After 9/11, the United States adopted a similar policy towards nations that might support or encourage terrorist attacks on our own nation, stating that we would respond with nuclear attacks if any nation in the world attacked us using chemical or biological weapons. Once that genie gets out of the bottle, it will be hard to put back in, and terrorist groups around the world would be unleashing deadly chemical and biological weapons on our innocent civilians here. Bush said that if a nation helped or supported something like that, they would be wiped out.

That policy was an insane and totally disproportionate response- but that's why it works. Nations know that we would never nuke them if they gave a terrorist group some chemical to release into the water supply of a major city, killings thousands... but maybe we would. Maybe we're just that crazy, especially with a wild card cowboy like Bush at the helm. Americans are nutty- the whole world knows this- and don't think rationally or act normal like other countries. Perhaps we might use those nukes.

Except now, we won't. Faced with no threats, under pressure from no one, with no barbarian invaders on the horizon, our nation willingly disarms and lays down our arms and our threats and our deterrents in a sad and stupid belief that this will lead to a better world. The threat of MAD saved millions, and the threat of wild American nukes lobbed at terrorist nations might have saved thousands, but now, that threat is off the table.

"We're a nice sane nation just like any other nation, no different than France or Germany, and now you can beat us soundly if you just test our defenses," we now tell our enemies. "Chemical and biological attack us- it will make us upset and we'll think long and hard about it, call for a months long review, and then allow a smaller attack than the ones that the Republicans want, but will pull out soon," is our new policy. "We're not insane, we're totally rational, and thus, rational calculations about our political will to do what is done will hold true." Our new administration announces.

President Obama is expected to announce soon that he will restrict US nuclear weapons use, even in self-defense. According to the Times Online, he will announce the new doctrine that the US will no longer threat the use of nukes in response to biological or chemical attacks on our nation. President Obama wasn't briefed on the U.S. nuclear-strike plans until some months after he had taken office, and when he found out about these policies that my high school students study, "he thought it was insane," says sources. Soon after, he decided that nuclear weapons would be taken off the table and no longer be an option that we would consider as a deterrent, and now is telling anyone who will listen this new policy change.

Obama is hoping that he will be showered with accolades and the world will all say what a great person he is. But the truth of the matter is that he made this decision with very little thought or understanding of warfare. So what if you think it is insane and you pull the option off the table- that's nice. Just don't tell anyone about it. Then the 'insane' option is gone, the world is a nicer place, but the deterrent remains. The only reason you go ahead and announce this policy change is not to improve or help the security of the United States, but to lessen and hurt the security of the United States in order to be showered with praise by other world leaders, world leaders who might possibly mean the United States harm and no longer be deterred by our crazy nuclear policies.

Obama has once again made the world just a little more unsafe for democracy and showed once again why the American people really need to be more careful about who they elect President.

For more commentary, be sure to check out Belmont Club's post Unthinking the unthinkable.

Only US State With Booming Economy: Texlahoma

There is one state in the United States that has continued to boom in spite of Democrat policies. Obama, Reid, Pelosi, and Peters high-tax, high-regulation policies haven't managed to take a dent out of this state's booming economy, even though they have deepened and lengthened the current US recession and damaged the economy of every state in the union except it. Truly, this state is the one state that has managed to prosper even through the mandates and controls and commissions and regulations and bureaucracy that has bogged down the rest of the United States and is destroying our economic drive.

The one state that is still booming, the one US state still growing, the one state in the United States that continues to have a booming economy: Texlahoma.

You see, Texlahoma has defied Democrats and avoided their snake-poison prescriptions for economic disaster, liberalizing their economy rather than socializing it, and championing human liberty in the face of increasing centralization, bureaucracy, and communism that marks the modern day Democratic Party.

Texlahoma cut taxes, at all levels, which led to increased revenue for the state, as predicted by the Laffer Curve. Texlahoma allows sensible energy exploration and development, letting the most environmentally friendly citizens in the world explore and develop natural resources rather than having its citizens importing them from other much-less environmentally friendly nations. Texlahoma has disbanded the public employee labor unions, since these unions are designed to correct for the corruption and abuse by private employers and are not needed when union employees work for a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Texlahoma has allowed private schools to compete for customers in their educational system, awarding each student a certain amount of dollars that will go to the school that they want to go to, and further awarding monetary bonus' for grades, sports, achievements, clubs, and many other merit-based reasons. Texlahoma does not play games with race, sex, religion, or sex, and treats everyone equally, and judges them based on their conservative character only. Texlahoma has toll roads competing with public roads, creating an efficient, vibrant, dynamic transportation grid in what were once known as 'Forgotten Counties.' Texlahoma does not have any business taxes, excise taxes, or sales taxes- only the income tax.

The people of Texlahoma are blessed with freedom and liberty. Defying the Supreme Court as much as possible, they have restricted the right to abortions and championed a lifestyle that looks to human life as the next hope of the world. They have relaxed gun control laws, everyone has a concealed weapon, and crime rates are non-existent. Cops don't harass citizens, real criminals are kept in prison, and it is a truly great place to live and work.

Sadly, Texlahoma isn't a real state. As designed by Oklahoman A. P. Sights in the early 1900's, forty-six counties in Texas and twenty-three in Oklahoma would join to form Texlahoma. People in rural places such as northern Texas and western Oklahoma were especially desperate for decent roads, but politicians in the faraway state capitals weren't listening, so the Texlahoma proposal was created. Legislators of the new state could focus on building better roadways and providing all the other services that these "forgotten" counties believed they weren't getting. "Cactus Jack" (John Nance Garner IV) championed the idea. Sadly, it never came to be, but sometimes, it is fun to imagine a state where the people still believe in the Founding Principles of our nation and practice life, liberty, and protection of property. It is a happy fantasy much different then the increasing tyranny of our current government as set up by liberal Democrats.

The Current Jobs Picture

Via TigerHawk, here is an updated look at the jobs picture. Remember, 1/3 of the job gains last quarter were the government hiring temporary census workers that are paid for by higher taxes or higher debt, both of which hurt the economy in the end. My prediction, for what it is worth, is for a double-dip recession that will never make it out of negative. I'm basing this on watching what liberal policies have done in Detroit, or in a larger sense, Michigan- I predicted long ago on this blog that this job situation would happen because that's what happens when you elect liberal Democrats to office. Here is the graph, go over to Tigerhawk's page for better resolution:

Happy Easter!

US Decline Looks a Lot Like End of Rome

One of the great things about teaching social studies is helping students to make connections between things that they are learning about and the world around them. In my classes, it isn't just 'economics,' 'us history,' 'world history,' or 'government'- it is how their knowledge of economics, history, or political science can help them better understand the world around them and make better choices with their lives.

For example, another teacher friend of mine just gave this article to her students and had them read it, and I think it is a great example of good teaching. Sadly, I don't teach world history this year, so I can't use it, but what this teacher did is give her students the following article and have them discuss it. The article is called U.S. Decline, Sloth Look a Lot Like End of Rome and makes connections between the end of Rome and the fall of the United States.

Is the United States falling apart like Rome? I happen to think that there are some similarities, but that since the US is exceptional and different it can still be saved, but the point is, it doesn't matter what I think- the goal of the exercise is to get students thinking and have them start realizing that it is important to learn about the fall of Rome because it may provide lessons for our nation, real lessons about what types of politicians to elect into office, what types of policies to lobby in support of, what types of ballot resolutions to vote down, or what types of investments to put their hard-earned money into. The fall of Rome teaches us, and teaches students, and we need to learn from the wisdom of the past, and once students get that, once they understand that, it opens up a whole new world to them.

U.S. Decline, Sloth Look a Lot Like End of Rome is the article that that other teacher used in her classroom- if you are a teacher, you may also want to use it, and then afterwards pose questions to your students that asks them about the history of Rome, the recent policy decisions in the US, how those might be similar or different, and if the results will be similar or different. Enjoy the fun discussion that results and watch the learning occur!

This isn't the whole thing- I recommend you read the whole thing- but here are a couple teasers from it:

Historians cite the late second century as the turning point of the Roman Empire, when the once- proud, feared society began its descent into infamy. As the ruling class was undermined by civil wars and attacks by outsiders, the Romans’ respect for law and social institutions began to erode. In the end, a combination of political and economic mistakes led to the empire’s downfall.

The U.S. today is a mirror image of the Roman Empire as it tipped into chaos. Whether we blame our bloated government, a greedy elite or a lethargic population, the similarities between the two foreshadow a gruesome future.

The Roman economy grew fat from the plunder of conquered territories and the added productivity offered by new lands. The waning of expansionism didn’t bode well for the empire.

While the U.S. ascended quite differently, it also used its position as a superpower to fuel economic expansion. Because the country had the strongest military and economy in the post-World War II era, the U.S. dollar became the de facto global reserve currency, ensuring endless competitive advantages -- which have vanished in the last decade.

Americans have become less productive while relying more on social safety-net programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security -- and now expanded health-care insurance. Worse, like the ancient Romans, a sense of entitlement has replaced the drive and motivation we once championed. With easy access to abundant government handouts, it’s no wonder so many jobless people have stopped looking for work....

Obama Is a Great President.........Video

Obama is a great president, Obama is the best president ever, Obama kept all his promises, Obama is historic, and Obama solved global warming by having us all fly unicorns powered by rainbows. Here is the video evidence!

April Fools!

Most Ice in Decades on St. Clair River Even More Evidence of Global Warming

You may have missed this story, but it is even more evidence to add to the 100% proven science of global warming. The U.S. Coast Guard and Canadian Coast Guard just wrapped up an effort to clear ice jams on the St. Clair River, and Chief Warrant Officer Mark Stauffer said in a statement that it was the most ice that he had seen flushed out of the St. Clair River in decades.

An unnamed environmentalist that I interviewed said that the presence of record amounts of ice is a sure sign that the globe is uncontrollably heating up due to human activity, since in the entire history of the globe there has never been this much ice in northern Canada and United States.

This report of extensive ice is expected to give further momentum to President Obama's attempt to destroy industry and protection in the United States in the name of defending the globe from the evils of human-caused run-away global warming.