Nancy Pelosi, (prospective member of the ruling Triumvirate), was at Google’s HQ and made this point:

…on concerns that Democrats might control both the White House and Congress she said the following:

“Elect us, hold us accountable, and make a judgment and then go from
there. But I do tell you that if the Democrats win, and have
substantial majorities, Congress of the United States will be more
bipartisan,” said Pelosi.

Yes, of course. 

When the Far Left wing of the Socialist Democrat has firm majorities in both houses, and hold the White House, the Republicans will be more willing than ever to work with them on moving the United States firmly leftward, until it looks like a bad copy of the Soviet Union.

I don’t know why I didn’t see that before.  It’s so clear now.

Tags: Pelosi, Triumvirate

From the National Conference of State Legislatures site:

Only 7 of the 50 states require Photo ID prior to voting:

• Florida
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Indiana
• Louisiana
• Michigan
• South Dakota

An additional 17 require some form of ID, but not a Photo:

• Alabama
• Alaska
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Kentucky
• Missouri
• Montana
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Virginia
• Washington

What, exactly, constitutes ID, if it does not include a Photo?

In Washington, for examples, it includes:

• A voter’s identification card issued by a county elections officer, or a copy of a current utility bill , bank statement, paycheck, or government check or other government document.

In Texas it includes:

• A birth certificate or other document confirming birth that is admissible in a court of law and establishes the person’s identity
• U.S. citizenship papers
• Official mail addressed to the person, by name, from a governmental entity
• A copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows the person’s name and address
• Any other form of ID prescribed by the secretary of state

In Alabama:

• Alabama college/university ID with photo
• Utility bill
• Bank statement
• Government check
• Paycheck
• Alabama hunting license
• Alabama fishing license
• Alabama gun permit
• Birth certificate (certified copy)
• Social security card
• Naturalization document
• Court record of adoption
• Court record of name change
• Medicaid or Medicare card
• Electronic benefits transfer card
• Government documents showing name and address of voter

Several states accept University/College ID.

As broad as the requirements are for non-photo ID states, the other 26 states have NO ID requirement at the polls.

What this means is that in 26 states, Joe Bagadonuts can walk into the polling place, say he is Joe Sixpack, and vote FOR Joe Sixpack.

In the 17 states that require some ID, but not photo, it means that Joe Bagadonuts must obtain a document with Joe Sixpack’s name and address on it.  This is pretty easy, just ask any ID Thief.

While fraud is not impossible in the 7 states that require Photo ID, it does raise the bar another notch.  The level of difficulty is such that your run of the mill vote fraud perpetrator or ACORN contractor would find an easier path.  Like, say, Vote By Mail/Absentee ballot.

Voter Registration fraud is a negligible problem in states that require photo ID.  You can register as many dead/imaginary people as you like, but if they need to show photo ID to vote, the odds are against a false ballot being cast.

It is more of a problem in the “easy to steal a document with a name and address” state.

It is a MASSIVE problem in those states where no ID is required.  You can bet that there are thousands of deceased people voting in states where no ID is required.

Are there ways to eliminate, or at least minimize, voter fraud at the polls?  Of course.

• Blue Thumbs: Take a lesson from Iraq and South Africa.  After casting a ballot, voters dip their thumb (or finger) in a semi-permanent ink.  This, at least, ensures that the person only votes ONCE.
• Require Government issued Photo ID: This does not have to be a drivers license, but must be issued by a government agency, who has confirmed the identity of the individual before issuance.  Real ID compliant should be the standard.
• Biometrics: Finger/Thumb print scanner technology has come a long way, and some drivers licenses today (Real ID compliant) carry a 3D “bar code” of your thumbprint (though the print is, apparently, optional.  I can’t find it in the act).

Anyone voting WITHOUT photo ID should only be able to cast a Provisional ballot.

Note:  only 28 states have online sites available for you to verify your registration status.

Tags: Vote

This is actually several predictions in one:

Because I just can’t help myself, I’ll put the biggest one first:

For President: John McCain, by at least 4 Electoral Votes (274 to 264).

Reasoning: The huge Undecided block will break for McCain.  If they aren’t convinced to become Obamatons by this point, then it’s too late for Obama to seal the deal.  McCain gets the bulk.

I also predict that there will be charges of (and actual) widespread voter fraud, and mutiple lawsuits in various states to overturn the election.  There will be widespread irregularities.

The Supreme Court will, once again, be dragged into the fray.

Speaking of the Supreme Court, McCain will appoint two replacement justices.

Predicted McCain Cabinet (partial):

Treasury: Mitt Romney

State: Joe Liberman

Energy: Placeholder.  Palin will set the actual policy.

Justice:  Giuliani

Longer term prediction for 2012:

John McCain is a one term president.  Palin will have to run against Bobby Jindal for the nomination.  Micheal Steele and Mitt Romney are also potential candidates.

Tags: McCain

This election cycle has brought us such scenes as camo wearing teens, in formation, crying out that “Because of Obama” they can have a career and a future; small children singing Obama’s praises, bringing to mind similar spectacles in praise of Kim Jong Il in North Korea, or Fidel Castro in Cuba.

The left loves the imagery of Youth, almost as they love to take advantage of the inexperience and gullibility of the young.

Now, Obama is trying to enlist kids to convince their parents and grandparents to vote for the Obamessiah:

The site has helpful hints, like “Do’s and Don’ts”;

Don’t worry about knowing everything about policy positions before you have this conversation;

Don’t wait until the last minute — it might take a few conversations for you to convince them, so start as early as possible;

…and “Ideas to get the conversation started”:

Share Barack’s speech from the Democratic National Convention or Meet Barack, a video about who Barack Obama is, where he comes from, and what his values are.

Email them and tell them why it’s important to you that they vote for Obama.

And a special note for kids whose Parent’s aren’t already (or leaning to becoming) Obamatons:

Think about their perspective. If they are Republican, or are concerned about Barack’s policies, think about where they are coming from and what makes them think the way that they do.

And remember:

Are you sure if your parents are voting for Obama?

If not, you may be the only person who can convince them. If you haven’t already, it’s time for you to have “The Talk” with your parents and other family members.

And tell all your friends to do the same!

The site then ticks off some bullet points:

Affordable Higher Education

Barack will create a new American Opportunity Tax Credit to make the first $4,000 of college completely free for most students. In return, eligible students will be required to perform 100 hours of public service a year.

$4000 for 100 hours work? That’s $40 an hour! But, if you have to spend 100 hours working for it, is it really free?

Health Care

Barack is committed to health care reform that ensures all Americans have high-quality, affordable health care choices. He will ensure that young adults can stay covered under their parents’ insurance until age 25, to help reduce costs for young people entering the workforce.

But no word on what said coverage will cost them, or their parents.

Jobs

Barack supports doubling federal funding for basic research, expanding broadband access, and making the research and development tax credit permanent so that young people with and without college degrees can thrive in the job market. Barack will invest $150 billion in renewable energy projects to create up to 5 million new jobs, and will create an energy-focused youth jobs program to give more young Americans a good job opportunity.

If you could create 5 Million jobs by just spending $150 Billion, then why not spend $300 Billion and create 10 million jobs?  Can’t we just spend enough money to make sure everyone has a job?  Of course, the scary answer is:  Yes, if you take enough money from people that have it, you can create make-work for people that don’t.  Unfortunately, it is a temporary solution:  Once the money is gone, the people you took from have no incentive to make any more, and the well runs dry…

Iraq and Foreign Affairs

Barack opposed the war in Iraq from the beginning and has a plan to responsibly end the war. He will renew American diplomacy by reaching out to foreign leaders and will reestablish America’s moral leadership by respecting civil liberties and fighting corruption at home. Barack will continue to lead the global fight against HIV/AIDS, double U.S. funding for foreign aid, and work to end the genocide in Sudan.

Obama’s plan for ending the Iraq war is the same as the Democrat plan to end the war in VietNam.  Declare victory, pull out, and ignore the Iraqis when they are overrun by Iranian backed guerrilas and terrorists.

The standard Democrat version of foreign policy is to kneel to the United Nations, buddy up with bloody handed left wing dictators, and generally cede our sovereignty to any international NGO knocking around with an issue. 

Oh, and Obama will spread more of your tax money around to countried with leaders that hate us, trying to buy their favor.

Engage America’s Youth in Politics

Barack believes we cannot improve our government without involving young Americans in the political process. He supports measures that would make it easier for young people to vote, such as Election-Day registration and no-excuse absentee balloting.

Translation:  Make it easier to stuff the ballot box. 

Global Warming

Barack has been a leader in the fight to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and minimize the effects of climate change on our planet. He strongly supports a market-based, cap-and-trade approach that will reduce our greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.

The Cap and Trade system is, like sub-prime mortgages, a system rife with potential for abuse and corruption.  And the idea that greenhosue gas emission can be cut by 80% in 42 years, just by the force of a cap and trade system is ludicrous.  Short of the implementation of Nuclear power on a massive scale, there is no alternative to the consumption of fossil fuels in the near future.

Besides, now that we are heading into a cooling cycle, we might think about whether cutting back too far on C02 emmissions is really such a bright idea…

So, here is my suggestion, if your kids try to wheedle you into voting for Chairman Obamao:

-Discuss politics with your children, and explain what brought you to your political stance, and what you believe in.

-Broaden their horizons, by explaining that, despite what they are taught in school, History did not start in 1988, when Bill Clinton was elected.  Spend a lot of time talking about Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan.

-Talk about morals and ethics - which Political Party has them, and which one doesn’t.  Give examples.

-Discuss economics.  Use examples they can understand.  Use real world examples like North Korea, Cuba, India, China, and the US.

-Discuss Rights, Responsibilites, and Benefits; and the difference between them.

-Discuss that Freedom is impossible without a Free Economy (Capitalism), and that State control of the Economy limits your freedom.

-Discuss the difference between holding a politcal position that you can logically defend, and one that is solely supported by emotion and feelings.

Always remember that you can’t argue someone out of something that they haven’t been argued into.  It’s OK to be passionate, but it’s never good to lose you temper, or allow political differences to cloud personal relationships.

Tags: Obama

I happened to trip over a commercial that is being run by Youth for Human Rights International, concerning the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The full text of the UDHR is posted here.

Overall, the basic tenants are familiar:  Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness, just expanded upon.

After reading through the UDHR, it occurs to me that there are less than a handful of nations where even a majority of the 30 (that’s right, 30!) enumerated rights enjoyed by the population.

In the vast majority of nations in the world, few if any of these “rights” are enjoyed by any but the societal elite; the United States being a one of the exceptions.

The first 21 articles deal with fairly fundamental issues, though a few venture somewhat far afield.  I think the Bill of Rights did a better job, far more succinctly.

ARTICLE 1… All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

ARTICLE 2… Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status

ARTICLE 3… Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

ARTICLE 4… No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Rights

From the WSJ:

When the Argentine government ran out of money in 2001, it blamed the market and increased its own role in the economy. Since then it has imposed price controls, defaulted on its debt, seized dollar bank accounts, devalued the currency, nationalized businesses and tried to set confiscatory tax rates with the aim of making society more “fair.”

That last part sounds a LOT like the Change championed by the Obamessiah, doesn’t it?  And Maxine Waters (S D -Cal) has already threatened nationalization (though she couldn’t remember the word) of the Oil industry.  And the very people who caused our market crisis are intruding more and more into the financial sector.

Among emerging market investors Argentina is now considered one of the worst places on the planet to put your money. Now that commodity prices are cooling and the global economy is slowing, (Argentine President) Mrs. (Cristina) Kirchner is facing a $10 billion shortfall in what is due on government debt by the end of 2009. Where else to turn but to the resources of the private sector? Argentina, if little else, serves as a cautionary tale on how to ruin an economy.

And yet, with the example Argentina staring them right in the face, the Socialist lemming march unerringly towards the cliff, singing “Obama’s gonna Change it…”

Tags: Argentina, Economics, Obama

As a former USAF Staff Sergeant, I have a lot of love for my former service.

But, being a proponent of Tough Love, I reserve the right to constructive criticism (surprise, surprise).

It appears that the USAF has finally figured out that one does not have to be a qualifed F-22 Raptor pilot, to fly an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (aka Drone).

As many as 700 Air Force personnel have expressed some interest in the
test program, which will create a new brand of pilot for the drones,
which are flown by remote control from a base in Nevada. That new drone
operator will learn the basics of flying a small manned plane, but will
not go through the longer, more rigorous training that their fighter jet brethren receive.

While I applaud this far overdue realization on the part of the Air Force grand Poobahs, they stopped short:

Meanwhile, the test program for non-pilots is aimed at Air Force captains who have four to six years of experience, but no flight training. Their schooling would take up to nine months, and they would not have to meet all of the more stringent standards that jet fighter pilots must.

I understand that it takes time to change a stratified system, but the Air Force Office Corps seriously needs to get over itself.  By limiting these slots to Officers only, they are eliminating a huge (and far less costly in pay and benefits) pool of talent:  The Enlisted Corps.

There is no reason that Enlisted members cannot be trained to fly these craft.  Enlisted Air Force members do any number of complex, multi-tasking jobs today.  Flying a drone, and  coordinating with Air Traffic Control, Forward Air Controllers, and Ground Forces cannot be so complex that a talented individual should be disqualified due to his rank.

The US Army allows NCO’s to be Tank Commanders.  You can’t tell me that being a TC takes less ability to coordinate and command a platform than flying a UAV.

If it makes the Officer Corps feel better, make the UAV pilots Warrant Officers.  In the Army, Warrants are Rotary Wing (Helicopters to you civilians) pilots.

The Air Force needs to get ahead of this curve now, becuase in the long run, all aircraft will be flown by onboard computers, or remote pilots.  On board pilots will be backups, not primary.

Tags: USAF

In the death throes of the Roman Republic, there were a series of Triumvirates formed - three people sharing total power between them.  The first, and most famous, was formed by Caesar, Crassus, and Pompey.

In America today, we face a Triumvirate of Barak Obama, Harry Reid, and Nancy Pelosi.

And their minion are already scurrying around, letting their imaginations run riot on what elements of America they can Change.

Ed Morrissey at Hot Air has a piece concerning plans to overhaul, and effectively eliminate the 401(k) system, from Workforce.Com:

Powerful House Democrats are eyeing proposals to overhaul the nation’s $3 trillion 401(k) system, including the elimination of most of the $80 billion in annual tax breaks that 401(k) investors receive.

House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller, D-California, and Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Washington, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee’s Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support, are looking at redirecting those tax breaks to a new system of guaranteed retirement accounts to which all workers would be obliged to contribute.

Of course, Social Security was supposed to be exactly that - a guaranteed account with mandatory contributions.  The 401(k) system has always been voluntary, as is the degree of participation.  And employer contributions have become a major tool of employers to recruit and maintain quality employees.

The plan being considered would require workers to put 5% of their gross income into a Government bonds that would pay 3% per year.  To offset the cost for low income earners, the plan would give every worker a $600 annual subsidy.

And what, exactly, is the object of the exercise:  For the $3 Trillion currently invested in 401(k) accounts to be poured into Government Bonds, to subsidize the national debt.  Oh, and as a plus, to eliminate $80 Billion in annual tax breaks for 401(k) investors.

And the way they are going to justify this money grab?

At that hearing, the director of the Congressional Budget Office, Peter Orszag, testified that some $2 trillion in
retirement savings has been lost over the past 15 months.

So, the Government engineered housing and credit crash, which has now rippled through the stock market, is the justification for nationalizing the last control you have over your retirement.

“This is a battle between liberalism and conservatism,” said Christopher Van Slyke, a partner in the La Jolla, California, advisory firm Trovena, which manages $400 million. “People are afraid because their accounts are seeing some volatility, so Democrats will seize on the opportunity to attack a program where investors control their own destiny,” he said.

Oh, and don’t forget that you are already paying 6.2% of your gross income into Social Security (which pays an average of 2%, assuming the system stays solvent).  Now you can add another 5% for the new Retirement Bond program.  So now, 11.2% of your gross pay is gone, right off the top, plus the 1.45% employee contribution into Medicare, means that you are now going to be handing over 12.65% of your gross pay over to the Federal Government. And you have NO SAY in any of it.

Also, this hurts employers and workers, by taking away a system which has allowed employers to offer matching funds for employee contributions into 401(k) accounts.  It will make it harder for employers to recruit and retain quality employees, and will cost employees the monies that their employers formerly contributed into their retirement accounts.

The only one who wins in this scenario is the Federal Government.

And the Triumvirate that controls it.

Tags: Economics, Obama, Trimvirate

-A claim for equality of material position can be met only by a government with totalitarian powers.

-Perhaps the fact that we have seen millions voting themselves into complete dependence on a tyrant has made our generation understand that to choose one’s government is not necessarily to secure
freedom.

-Even the striving for equality by means of a directed economy can result only in an officially enforced inequality

-an authoritarian determination of the status of each individual in the new hierarchical order.

Above from Brainyquote.

-To be controlled in our economic pursuits means to be controlled in everything.

-The system of private property is the most important guaranty of freedom, not only for those who own property, but scarcely less for those who do not.

Above from Famous-quote.net.

-“It is rarely remembered now that socialism in its beginnings was frankly authoritarian. It began quite openly as a reaction against the liberalism of the French Revolution. The French writers who laid its foundation had no doubt that their ideas could be put into practice only by a strong dictatorial government. The first of modern planners, Saint-Simon, predicted that those who did not obey his
proposed planning boards would be “treated as cattle.”

-“Who can seriously doubt that the power which a millionaire, who may be my employer, has over me is very much less thanthat which the smallest bureaucrat possesses who wields the coercive power of the state and on whose discretion it depends how I am allowed to live and work?”

-“To act on the belief that we possess the knowledge and the power which enable us to shape the processes of society entirely to our liking, knowledge which in fact we do not possess, islikely to make us do much harm.”

From Thinkexist.com.

Tags: Economics, Hayek, wisdom

In the Kansas City Star, Lewis Diuguid has this perspective:

The “socialist” label that Sen. John McCain and his GOP presidential running mate Sarah Palin are trying to attach to Sen. Barack Obama actually has long and very ugly historical roots.

J. Edgar Hoover, director of the FBI from 1924 to 1972, used the term liberally to describe African Americans who spent their lives fighting for equality.

There is a very good reason that Hoover used this term to describe radical members of the African American community:  They were socialists.

Duiguid then lists M.L. King Jr. [1] [2], W.E.B. DuBois [1] [2], and Paul Robeson [1] [2] [3], supposedly as examples of African American leaders who were not socialists.  Discussions of their socialist leanings are in the numbered links.

McCain and Palin have simply reached back in history to use an old code word for black. It set whites apart from those deemed unAmerican and those who could not be trusted during the communism scare.

So, because a number of African American leaders were Socialists, somehow, in the minds of Caucasians, the word Socialists conjours up racist images of African Americans.

Now, speaking as a Caucasian (I dislike the word “white”, becuase I am more of a pale pink color, generally - except when I forget to wear sunscreen on the beach, when I become more of a steamed-lobster red), when I head the word Socialist, the images that come to my mind Lenin, Marx, Hugo Chavez, Daniel Ortega, and most Europeans.  Images of King, DuBois, and Robeson are way down the list, and I usually don’t get to them.

To my mind, and I think I am fairly typical on the Right Wing, the word Socialist is only Code for “Redistribution of Wealth” and “From each According to his abilities, to each according to his needs”.  It is Code for am economic theory that destroys productivity and inexorably leads to the loss of individual rights, in favor of collective rights.  With the Socialist pied-pipers being More-Equal than the rest of us.

I agree that the McCain campaign is using the Socialist label to draw a distinction in the minds of the American people between those that support our free market system, and those that wish to take America fully down the road to being just another failed Socialist state.  The Socialists and Communists could not be trusted during the red scare, and they cannot be trusted with the reins of power now.

Mr. Duiguid should probably read Animal Farm, to understand where the Socialist movement wants to take us.

Tags: Socialist

Note: I have reformatted the below for readability, but all text remains the same.
I have added my comments below Friedman’s, in italics.

Excerpted from the book Free to Choose, Milton and Rose Friedman, 1980 edition, Page 311:

SOCIALIST PLATFORM OF 1928

(NOTE: Herewith the economic planks of the Socialist party platform of 1928, along with an indication in parenthesis of how these planks have fared. The list that follows includes every economic plank, but not the full language of each.)1

1. “Nationalization of our natural resources, beginning with the coal mines and water sites, particularly at Boulder Dam and Muscle Shoals.”
(Boulder Dam, renamed Hoover Dam, and Muscle Shoals are now both federal government projects.)
[The Federal Government now controls vast tracts of land, and the resources thereupon, including over 80% of the state of Alaska]

2. “A publicly owned giant power system under which the federal government shall cooperate with the states and municipalities in the distribution of electrical energy to the people at cost.”
(Tennessee Valley Authority.)
[Bonneville Power Administration, many others]

3. “National ownership and democratic management of railroads and other means of transportation and communication.”

(Railroad passenger service is completely nationalized through Amtrak. Some freight service is nationalized through Conrail. The FCC controls communications by telephone, telegraph, radio, and television.)
[Currently, the only means of uncontrolled communications is the Internet.]

4. “An adequate national program for flood control, flood relief, reforestation, irrigation, and reclamation.”
(Government expenditures for these purposes are currently in the many [non-adjusted] billions of dollars.)
[In addition, FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) is no longer considered to be a Reactive agency, but is now expected to be a Proactive agency, in place prior to a disaster, greatly increasing their scope.]

5. “Immediate government relief of the unemployed by the extension of all public works and a program of long range planning of public works …”
(In the 1930s, WPA and PWA were a direct counterpart; now, a wide variety of other programs are.)

“All persons thus employed to be engaged at hours and wages fixed by bona-fide labor unions.”
(The Davis-Bacon and Walsh-Healey Acts required contractors with government contracts to pay “prevailing wages,” generally interpreted as highest union wages.)

6. “Loans to states and municipalities without interest for the purpose of carrying on public works and the taking of such other measures as will lessen widespread misery.”
(Federal grants in aid to states and local municipalities currently total [non-adjusted]
tens of billions of dollars a year.)

7. “A system of unemployment insurance.”
(Part of Social Security system)

8. “The nation-wide extension of public employment agencies in cooperation with city federations of labor.”
(U.S. Employment Service and affiliated state employment services administer
a network of about 2,500 [in 1980] local employment offices.)

9. “A system of health and accident insurance and of old age pensions as well as unemployment insurance.”
(Part of Social Security system.)

10. “Shortening the workday” and “Securing to every worker a rest period of no less than two days in each week.”
(Legislated by wages and hours laws that require overtime for more than forty hours of
work per week.)

11. “Enacting of an adequate federal anti-child labor amendment.”
(Not achieved as amendment, but essence incorporated in various legislative acts.)

12. “Abolition of the brutal exploitation of convicts under the contract system and substitution of a cooperative organization of industries in penitentiaries and workshops for the benefit of convicts and their dependents.”
(Party achieved, partly not.)

13. “Increase of taxation on high income levels, of corporation taxes and inheritance taxes, the proceeds to be used for old age pensions and other forms of social insurance.”
(In 1928, highest personal income tax rate, 25 percent; in 1978, 70 percent; in 1928,
corporate tax rate, 12 percent; in 1978, 48 percent; in 1928, top
federal estate tax rate, 20 percent; in 1978, 70 percent.)
[Current: Personal - 35%, Corporate - 35%, Estate - 45%]
[Note 1:  Combined State and Federal Corporate Tax is 39.3%, 2nd highest in the world.  Only Japan is higher, with Germany, Canada, and France behind, in that order.]
Note 2: The Reagan Era tax cuts coincided with tremendous growth in the economy, through the 80’s, HW Bush/Clinton era increases resulted in recessions and slower growth.  GHW Bush cuts spurred new growth.  See Laffer Curve.]

14. “Appropriation by taxation of the annual rental value of all land held for speculation.”
(Not achieved in this form, but property taxes have risen drastically.)

Just for reference…

Tags: Economics

Joshua, over at One Free Korea, has a wonderful piece on the historic mistake that Bush has made, removing North Korea from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list.

I wanted to do a piece on it, but just don’t have the chops for it that Joshua does:

Two years ago, our Treasury Department nearly strangled Kim Jong Il’s palace economy.  Today, in exchange for an incomplete freeze, partial disclosure, and no disarmament at all, we’ve thrown away our best economic leverage.

It’s already clear enough that meaningfully disarming North Korea will not be a part of President Bush’s legacy, but this move will badly damage relations with out most important ally in the Pacific and could
begin a long decline in U.S. influence in that region.  The message received by everyone in Japan is that the United States can’t be relied on, and they will feel greater pressure to build a defense that doesn’t
rely on us, either.  Our decision makers have placed their own egos over statesmanship, our national interest, and the interests of our friends.

You can’t help but think that it serves Bush right that Colin Powell, who stayed Bush’s hand against North Korea for the duration of his first term, has turned around and kicked Bush in the teeth by endorsing Obama.  Then again, if you’re watching closely enough, Obama can seem more like
a continuation of the Bush administration than Bush’s co-partisan.  It tells you something about what’s in store for us that McCain opposed Bush’s decision and Obama supported it.  Not long ago, Obama said he’d oppose de-listing without a strong verification mechanism.

A lot more to the post, you should really read the whole thing to get the full effect.

In my personal opinion, this is the second worst debacle that Bush has overseen.  The first was not putting enough boots on the ground in Iraq to do the job right in the beginning.  The new Third (used to be second) is the whole Harriett Miers fiasco…

Tags: North Korea

Courtesy ABC News:

“Mark my words,” the Democratic vice presidential nominee warned at the
second of his two Seattle fundraisers Sunday. “It will not be six
months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy.
The world is looking. We’re about to elect a brilliant 47-year-old
senator president of the United States of America. Remember I said it
standing here if you don’t remember anything else I said. Watch, we’re
gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the
mettle of this guy.”

Because Obama has no “street-cred” in Foreign Policy… Or Crisis Management… Or Military Affairs…  But he does know how to organize a community!

“I can give you at least four or five scenarios from where it might
originate,” Biden said to Emerald City supporters, mentioning the
Middle East and Russia as possibilities. “And he’s gonna need help. And
the kind of help he’s gonna need is, he’s gonna need you - not
financially to help him - we’re gonna need you to use your influence,
your influence within the community, to stand with him. Because it’s
not gonna be apparent initially, it’s not gonna be apparent that we’re
right.”

This from a man who hasn’t been right about ANYTHING concerning foreign policy in recent memory.  He’s the guy that thought that the only way to “save” Iraq was to Partition it to separate the Sunni’s, Shiites, and Kurds, because the Surge wouldn’t work…  But that’s only his latest mistake…

“I’ve forgotten more about foreign policy than most of my colleagues
know, so I’m not being falsely humble with you. I think I can be value
added, but this guy has it,” the Senate Foreign Relations chairman said
of Obama.

Again, considering Biden’s track record, I’m not sure he should have this high of an opinion of his foreign policy skills.  Nor should he be considered an authoritative source on other peoples FP chops. Lorie Byrd has some of Biden’s more recent FP pronouncements at Townhall.Com.  Donald Douglas has more posted at RealClearPolitics.

“This guy has it. But he’s gonna need your help. Because I promise you,
you all are gonna be sitting here a year from now going, ‘Oh my God,
why are they there in the polls? Why is the polling so down? Why is
this thing so tough?’ We’re gonna have to make some incredibly tough
decisions in the first two years. So I’m asking you now, I’m asking you
now, be prepared to stick with us. Remember the faith you had at this
point because you’re going to have to reinforce us.”

Translation:  We are going to make a hash of this, while we fumble around, but we have a Plan, really…

“We do not have the military capacity, nor have we ever, quite frankly,
in the last 20 years, to dictate outcomes,” he cautioned. “It’s so much
more important than that. It’s so much more complicated than that. And
Barack gets it.”

I quess Biden wasn’t paying attention in 1991, when we moved 500,000 men and their war materials into the Gulf in under 6 months, and spent less than a week crushing the best Arab military force in the region.  Even today, as the Surge proved, we can dictate the outcome.  It’s just a matter of the will to win, which neither Obama or Biden seem to have.

After speaking for just over a quarter of an hour, Biden noticed the media presence in the back of the small ballroom.

“I probably shouldn’t have said all this because it dawned on me that the press is here,” he joked.

I wonder what else he would have said, if he hadn’t noticed the press?  Like Obama in San Francisco, the only time they tell the truth is when they think there is no one recording them.

Tags: Biden, Obama

Jack Cashill, writing in the WorldNetDaily certainly thinks so:

…there is considerable and growing evidence that Bill Ayers made a significant contribution to Obama’s “Dreams from My Father.”

Among other indicators, I have cited the stunning parallels in nautical metaphors and postmodern themes, as well as the nearly miraculous transformation of Obama from struggling hack to literary giant in just a few years.

Ayers’ involvement in Obama’s memoir is not nearly as improbable as it might sound. Ayers served as something of a literary guru for his radical Hyde Park neighbors in Chicago.

Rashid Khalidi attests to this in the very first sentence of the acknowledgements in his 2004 book, “Resurrecting Empire.”

“There are many people without whose support and assistance I could not have written this book, or written it in the way that it was written,” he writes. “First, chronologically, and in other ways, comes Bill Ayers.”

And it’s obvious that Obama was grateful for the help:

Obama, for instance, wrote a short and glowing review of Ayers’ 1997 book, “A Kind and Just Parent,” for the Chicago Tribune.

Obama, whose photo is shown with the review, describes Ayers’ book as “a searing and timely account of the juvenile court system.”

In that same book, perhaps with a self-congratulatory wink, Ayers cites the “writer” Barack Obama as one among the celebrities in his neighborhood.

And it bears repetition to state exactly why Obama’s relationship with Ayers is important this election season:

What is at issue is that, if my thesis is correct, Obama has maintained
an intimate working relationship with a self-described “communist”
whose actions Obama now calls “despicable” and “detestable” only
because he has to.

Tags: Ayers, Obama