Category Archives: Politics: National

Leftists: What We Are Up Against

Posted on October 4, 2010 | 6 comments

I have always maintained that the Leftist has an unfair advantage.  THEY get to preach the populist message while we’re left holding the bag for being responsible.

It’s the same dynamic at work that caused me to LOVE spending time with grandma and grandpa.  When i was with them, I got what I wanted.  It was ice cream and chocolate milk.  It was cookies for bedtime and cake for breakfast.  We didn’t have to go to Sunday School but we got to ride in the back of the pick up.

All fun. No responsibility.

Just like Ben and his post on China, slave labor and tariffs.

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Posted in Economics, Politics: National, Politics: North Carolina

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Those Damn Banks!

Posted on October 4, 2010 | Leave a comment

We’ve heard it before.  I’m sure we’ll hear it again.

Wall Street banks and their greed caused the Great Recession.  And what’s more, it’s those same banks, sitting on our money given to them via TARP, that are KEEPING us in recession because they won’t lend money!

Greedy bastards!

But is it true?

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Posted in Economics, Economy, Elections 2010, Politics: National

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The Single Best Method to Stabilize Home Prices

Posted on October 4, 2010 | Leave a comment

Here’s a note to Obama:

The single best method to stabilize home prices—-

Do nothing:

(Reuters) – Single-family home prices dipped in July, and are seen stabilizing near the lows without the homebuyer tax credit that ended in April…

This is surprising.

When left alone, people will normally buy and sell things at some market level.  When you pay people $8k to buy a house, don’t be surprised when the price of houses fluctuates between $1 and $8,000.

Econ 101.

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Posted in Economics, Politics: National

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Back at it Again: Brains or Affirmative Action

Posted on October 1, 2010 | 4 comments

Ahhh yes, my favorite morning show hosts are back at it.  Back at sounding rather, umm, well, less than intelligent.

The discussion of the moment is that Palin isn’t “smart” or “educated” but that Obama is.  And the proof of this is the fact that he graduated Columbia University and later attended, and graduated form Harvard aw School.  Further, he served as the editor of the Harvard Law Review.

And that’s where the hilarity begins.

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Posted in Politics: National, Race

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Senate Race 2010: XI

Posted on September 24, 2010 | 1 comment

Time for some status.  All the big primaries are over and we know who is running against who.

First, the Retiring Democrats:

State Status Democrat Republican Incumbent Front Runner Spread
CT Ret. Dem Blumenthal McMahon Democrat Democrat 7.5
DE Ret. Dem Coons O’Donnell Democrat Democrat 15
IL Ret. Dem Giannoulias Kirk Democrat Republican 1
IN Ret. Dem Ellsworth Coats Democrat Republican 16
ND Ret. Dem Heitkamp Hoeven Democrat Republican 27

I think we lost Delaware.  And that’s okay.  We weren’t going to take the Senate and this sent a message to the Republican establishment; Come big or Stay Home.

From my count, we moved from taking 4 to only taking 3.

The next group is the retiring Republicans.  The only news of note is that Florida is steadily moving away from I-Crist to R-Rubio.  One for the good guys:

State Status Democrat Republican Incumbent Front Runner Spread
FL Ret. Rep Crist Rubio Republican Republican 10
KS Ret. Rep Republican Republican
KY Ret. Rep Conway Paul Republican Republican 7
MO Ret. Rep Carnahan Blunt Republican Republican 5.5
NH Ret. Rep Hodes Ayotte Republican Republican 6.4
OH Ret. Rep Fisher Portman Republican Republican 13.3

We lose 0.

The biggie.  This is the one that counts; Term Limited Democrats.  In my mind, we move from taking 4 to taking 5.  Ohio went our way.

State Status Democrat Republican Incumbent Front Runner Spread
AR Term Dem Lincoln Boozman Democrat Republican 25
CA Term Dem Boxer Fiorina Democrat Democrat 5.5
CO Term Dem Bennet Buck Democrat Republican 2.4
HI Term Dem Democrat Democrat
MD Term Dem Democrat Democrat
NV Term Dem Reid Angle Democrat Democrat 0.5
NY Term Dem Gillibrand Blakeman Democrat Democrat 6
NY Term Dem Democrat Democrat
OR Term Dem Wyden Huffman Democrat Democrat 16
PA Term Dem Sestak Toomey Democrat Republican 6.8
VE Term Dem Democrat Democrat
WA Term Dem Murray Rossi Democrat Democrat 6.2
WI Term Dem Feingold Johnson Democrat Republican 8

Now, I admit, I AM ASSUMING that we win one of the three:  New York, California or Nevada.  BIG assumption.  But that’s 5 to the good.

And the Term Limited Republicans?  The news is so good I’m not even going to post it!  We lose 0.  Not even close.

That means I have the Republicans picking up 8 in the Senate.  That moves us from 59-41 to 51-49.

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Posted in Elections 2010, Politics: National, Senate

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You Can’t Do It

Posted on September 23, 2010 | Leave a comment

I’m listening to the Brad and Britt show this morning.  The topic of the hour is taxes and health care.  Both are timely and appropriate topics.  Health care reform is being implemented soon, or at least portions of it.  And taxes, well, taxes have been the hot topic because of the expiration of the “Bush Tax Cuts” as well as the new Republican “Pledge to America” that’s being released this afternoon.

Both topics are fascinating.  And, to a degree, related.

Any way, while discussing the reforms that are kicking in soon, Brad takes the stand that if you object to Health Care Reform, you can’t take advantage of it.  “You Can’t Do It” he yells, “You Can’t Do It”.

This, of course, is asinine.

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Posted in Health Care, Liberty, Politics: National

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Why Government Spending Your Money is Bad

Posted on September 22, 2010 | Leave a comment

The main objection by folks who want the government to remain small is that money in the hands of individual people gets spent faster and better than money taken from those people to be spent at government discretion.   Every single dollar the government spends is a dollar that has been taken from someone and handed to some government agency.  For every $20 an hour job created by government there is one less $20 job in the private sector.  It can’t be any other way.  The government produces nothing.

But the argument is that when folks get scared and hoard their money, the government has to intervene, take their money and forcefully interject that money into the economy.

And fast.

But does it work that way?

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Posted in Economy, Politics: National, States Behaving Badly

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What Did They THINK Was Going to Happen?

Posted on September 16, 2010 | Leave a comment

We are seeing–living–the impact of government intervention in markets.  Most notably, the housing market.

Not only has the housing market largely been responsible for the current economic  conditions we’re seeing, but it’s also responsible, in large part, for the slow and anemic recovery.

The sad part?

It didn’t have to be this way.  And THAT, gentle reader, is a text book lesson in markets and external impacts.

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Posted in Economics, Politics: National

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The Tea Party Effect

Posted on September 15, 2010 | Leave a comment

Alaska.

Delaware.

Kentucky

Watch it folks; the wave of populism is spreading and it isn’t just taking Liberal Democrats.

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Posted in Elections 2010, Liberty, Lobby/PAC, Politics: National, Senate

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New Government Policy

Posted on September 13, 2010 | 2 comments


Quick, no googlly-ogglly-Google.

What nation said this:

X-Nation announced on Monday it would lay off “at least” half a million state workers over the next six months and simultaneously allow more jobs to be created in the private sector as the socialist economy struggles to get back on its feet.

“Our state cannot and should not continue maintaining companies, productive entities and services with inflated payrolls and losses that damage our economy and result counterproductive, create bad habits and distort workers’ conduct,”

…the government “agreed to broaden the exercise of self employment and its use as another alternative for the employment of those excess workers.”

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Posted in Economics, Economy, Politics: International, Politics: National

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