A Congress that reasserts its power

George F. Will  "Two years into Barack Obama's presidency, we now know what he meant about "hope" and "change" - he and other progressives hope to change our national character. Three weeks into his presidency, Newsweek, unhinged by adoration of him and allowing its wishes to father its thoughts, announced that "we are all socialists now" and that America "is moving toward a modern European state." The electorate emphatically disagreed and created the 112th Congress, with its exceptionally important agenda."

Kerby Anderson: Federal Salaries

Point of View  "One article in USA Today reported that federal employees making salaries of $100,000 or more jumped from 14 percent to 19 percent during the recession's first 18 months. Many American taxpayers see this as evidence by the current administration to grow the federal government at the expense of the private economy."

Propaganda techniques in light of the Tucson shootings (Updated)

Name calling  "What does the name mean? Does the idea in question have a legitimate connection with the real meaning of the name? Is an idea that serves my best interests being dismissed through giving it a name I don't like? Leaving the name out of consideration, what are the merits of the idea itself?"

Glittering generalities  "The Institute for Propaganda Analysis suggested a number of questions that people should ask themselves when confronted with this technique:

What does the virtue word really mean?
Does the idea in question have a legitimate connection with the real meaning of the word:
Is an idea that does not serve my best interests being "sold" to me merely through its being given a name that I like? Leaving the virtue word out of consideration, what are the merits of the idea itself?

Euphemisms  "When propagandists use glittering generalities and name-calling symbols, they are attempting to arouse their audience with vivid, emotionally suggestive words. In certain situations, however, the propagandist attempts to pacify the audience in order to make an unpleasant reality more palatable. This is accomplished by using words that are bland and euphemistic."

 Transfer  "...propagandists may attempt to transfer the reputation of "Science" or "Medicine" to a particular project or set of beliefs. A slogan for a popular cough drop encourages audiences to "Visit the halls of medicine." On TV commercials, actors in white lab coats tell us that the "Brand X is the most important pain reliever that can be bought without a prescription." In both of these examples, the transfer technique is at work."

 Testimonial  "The most common misuse of the testimonial involves citing individuals who are not qualified to make judgements about a particular issue. In 1992, Barbara Streisand supported Bill Clinton, and Arnold Schwarzenegger threw his weight behind George Bush. Both are popular performers, but there is no reason to think that they know what is best for this country. "

Plain folks  "We are all familiar with candidates who campaign as political outsiders, promising to "clean out the barn" and set things straight in Washington. The political landscape is dotted with politicians who challenge a mythical "cultural elite," presumably aligning themselves with "ordinary Americans." As baby boomers approach their sixth decade, we are no longer shocked by the sight of politicians in denim who listen to rock and roll."

 More here.  The Tunnel Wall is itself propaganda; all the articles we choose reflect the beliefs expressed in our statements in the right sidebar, to wit:
  The Democrat Party is not the party of tolerance and free expression, but a party dominated by socialist-leaning people who consider business and profit-making to be anathema.
  Democrat-party-sympathisers dominate the information industry and their ideas permeate the movies, entertainment, programs and music we absorb. Our very cultural foundations and the underpinnings of a free society are undermined by their words and actions.
  "Peace" and tolerance must be preached to those who would stand up to murderous philosophies. The actions of those who murder and terrorize must be understood as caused by others who have treated them unfairly. Among the left, what was once evil has now become good.
   The philosophies and deeds of the political left are sucking the very life and energy out of American society and our can-do outlook toward challenges. More and more of our actions and choices are being determined by bureaucracies and regulations, over one hundred recently being created by ObamaCare.
  My seventy-plus years has seen decades of resistance to socialism and it's suppression of  freedom and prosperity. It is beyond comprehension to see so many Americans now so anxious to embrace it.
  All this is behind the choice of columns in the Tunnel Wall.
  Bill Hayden, the Tunnel Dweller

The comment to this post is by Laird Wilcox, who blogs at ideologicalskeptic. He writes in his blog:

The Ideological Skeptic

My intention is to help promote the study of political, religious and ideological fanaticism and extremism, to promote the objective study of political psychology with particular emphasis on the practices of propaganda, persuasion and deception, and to promote the classical liberal view of civil liberties, freedom of expression and individual rights. I have compiled large collections of quotations on these subjects which I plan to offer as free downloadable PDF files in the [n]ear future.