Charles Krauthammer: Free-lunch egalitarianism

Charles Krauthammer  "As an approach to our mountain of debt, the Buffett Rule is a farce. And yet Obama repeated the ridiculous claim again this week. “It will help us close our deficit.” Does he really think we’re that stupid?"
...."Clever politics, but in terms of economics, it’s worse than useless. It’s counterproductive. The reason Buffett and Mitt Romney pay roughly 15 percent in taxes is that their income is principally capital gains. The Buffett Rule is, in fact, a disguised tax hike on capital gains. But Obama prefers to present it as just an alternative minimum tax because 50 years of economic history show that raising the capital gains tax backfires: It reduces federal revenue, while lowering the tax raises revenue."

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/2012/04/13/98261

Latest posts on Zimmerman-Martin-Sharpton

Boortz: Prosecutor seemed to really be into this 15-minutes of fame thing.  "I’ve heard from people who know them that that Treyvon’s mom and dad are really good people.  But that image of Al Sharpton standing next to them last night was, to say the least, disgusting.  Al Sharpton is drenched in the blood of Crown Heights and Freddy’s Fashion Mart.  He is a vile, disgusting race hustler.  A question for you:  Have you ever seen Sharpton standing glumly next to the mother of a young black man killed by another young black man?  That happens, you know, but have you ever seen Al Sharpton in that picture? " 

The New Black Panthers’ Unpunished Threats   "This is the same Al Sharpton who has led several rallies against Zimmerman, in which he called for civil disobedience and an “occupation” of Sanford, Fla., where the shooting occurred, if an arrest wasn’t made."

"It is exceedingly strange for Holder to praise the likes of Al Sharpton and bring him greetings from President Obama. But it is even stranger that Holder should pledge to the Sharpton activists that he will take appropriate federal action against any civil-rights crime, while he appears completely uninterested in the ugly forces calling for violence against George Zimmerman."

Affidavit: Zimmerman did not use racial slur  "It is not clear what effect the affidavit's conclusion will have on the federal investigation. Martin was black. Zimmerman's father is white and his mother is Hispanic."

CNS News: D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton Praises Al Sharpton for ‘Making Social Justice a Reality’

“And we certainly did not have the likes of Reverend Al, whose megaphone with a television attached to it has been able to bring finally the beginnings of justice for Trayvon Martin,” she said.

The Rosen-Romney kerfuffle goes viral (Updated)

Let's see, what is out there today on this?
American Thinker:
Damage already done: Too late for Obama to distance himself from Rosen   "I've said before that if the conversation on election day is about contraception, abortion, or GOP "extremists," Obama wins.
"But if the conversation is about the economy, Obama loses - and may lose big. Rosen's remarks have turned the conversation away from Obama's distractions and squarely back in the economic sphere."

The Class War The Hilary Rosens Are Waging is Far from 'Faux'  "Thus many American women are asking Debbie Wassserman-Shultz and the Obama election team to address real women's concerns and spare us the Piqued on Parade trying to drum up a class war."

Stay at home moms not all 'rich': US Census


Hilary Rosen's and NOW's Karma Ate Their Dogma  "One of the last callers to Rush Limbaugh's show yesterday was a woman who asked a great question: If the Democrats can criticize Mrs. Romney for not working outside the home (and Ann Romney has MS and is a cancer survivor as well), then why don't the Democrats criticize women on welfare for not working outside the home?"  (Emphasis added)
Let me repeat that last, only this time in bold red:

"...why don't the Democrats criticize women on welfare for not working outside the home?"

Reviving the Mommy Wars  "What was it both Barbara Bush and Jacqueline Kennedy said?  If you fail at being a mother to your children, nothing else matters."


Conservative Black Chick : It’s Time for Women to Reject Feminism and Kiss Peter Pan Goodbye  "The time has come for women who believe in traditional gender roles to give Peter Pan the heave hoe and tell him don’t come knocking again until you’re wearing your man shoes and pants."


Hot Air:  NOW president: Ann Romney lacks “life experience” and “imagination” to relate to most Americans   " NOW President Terry O’Neill ignores the First Rule of Holes (stop digging!) and provides another cycle for Republicans to defend Ann Romney and stay-at-home moms."

"Stick around to the end to see Rep. Maxine Waters keep it classy by calling the presumptive Republican nominee “Mitt Rot-ney,” but O’Neill is the real show here.  Once again, we get to see the professional Left’s utter disdain for women who chose to stay home with their children rather than work in the workplace. "

Jennifer Rubin:  Hilary Rosen on ‘Meet the Press’? Seriously.  "Going on “Meet the Press” is, to say the least, a risky move for the president and Rosen’s reputation. It will also be an interesting test for “Meet the Press” host David Gregory. Will he grill Rosen or ease her way in managing her damage control? Will her ask her how many times she visited the White House and on what matters she advised the president? We’ll have to watch and find out." Bear in mind that this will be NBC; keep expectations low.


Big Government: Questions arise over Rosen's role in the furor surrounding the Sandra Fluke incident.  Via Lucianne.


Don Surber : It is that she is Missus Romney  "Liberals want to transform marriage into something that is not marriage. Liberals want to transform American society and they have done so by replacing every American institution." Daily Mail

National Review Online
Gender Hysteria/ If Romney wins the argument over the economy, he wins the election.
"If Romney’s vision for the country’s future is compelling enough, the women’s vote will take care of itself." Rich Lowry

Ann Romney

Michelle Malkin:  Real Moms of the GOP  "President Obama never met a payroll in his life, but that hasn’t stopped him from dictating what business owners across the country should and shouldn’t be doing. But I digress."



Who Is Hilary Rosen? Crass? Gilded? Stern?   "The AP reported that her meetings were primarily about promoting Obama’s health-care-reform plan, suggesting that she can take a share of the credit for the popularity and public trust that the Obamacare law enjoys today"


The Economics of Ann Romney "The Romneys, who are notably charitable people, have given away far more money than Mrs. Romney probably would have earned in a career that would be considered by most of us wildly successful and highly paid."

http://www.tobytoons.com/td/

Update: Obama Mega-Donor Bill Maher Attacks Ann Romney: “She Has Never Gotten Her A** Out Of The House To Work At 7AM”…

This and more Maher opinions here.


Debbie Wasserman Schultz on appearing with Maher on his show:

Does the left and their media not understand economics at all?

 President of the Twilight Zone ; Obama’s rhetoric on the budget deficit is not grounded in reality.

"And, of course, what presidential speech would be complete without a denunciation of Ryan for wanting to “end Medicare as we know it.” The president’s rhetoric raises the specter of seniors being wheeled out of their hospital beds tomorrow morning. But Ryan has not proposed any changes to the program for current recipients. It is true, of course, that Ryan would restructure Medicare for those under age 55 to give recipients a choice between the traditional program and a voucher that would allow them to purchase private insurance. But, his plan, drafted together with Democratic senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, hardly slashed Medicare spending — in 2022, it would spend just $21 billion less than the president’s budget. 

"The president manages to leave out his own proposal for Medicare, which is to have an unelected 15-member board further reduce payments to physicians. Even Medicare’s own actuaries warn that those cutbacks could lead to hospital closures and reductions in access to care or the quality of care."

...."In reality, his proposed tax increases fall on families and small businesses earning as little as $250,000 per year. In fact, according to economists Kevin Hassett and Alan Viard, “fully 48% of the net income of sole proprietorships, partnerships, and S corporations” would be subject to the president’s tax hike.”   (Emphasis added)

http://terrellaftermath.com/

Catholic bishops issue 'call to action' on religious freedom

The Hill   ""We need … to speak frankly with each other when our freedoms are threatened. Now is such a time," the document says. "As Catholic bishops and American citizens, we address an urgent summons to our fellow Catholics and fellow Americans to be on guard, for religious liberty is under attack, both at home and abroad.""....
"The church leadership's relationship with the Obama administration hit new lows after the administration announced in January that employers would have to offer birth control without co-pays under President Obama's healthcare reform law.
But the ACLU takes issue on this and this is their position:
"....we do not believe that any religious institution has the right to use religion as an excuse to discriminate or deny services to the public, and certainly should not expect to receive government funds to do so," the ACLU said in a statement."
So anything, anything at all the government says must be provided MUST be provided or you will be accused of denying it. Yet contraceptives are not being denied; they are easily available over the drug store counter.

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/2012/04/13/98217

Mona Charen: You Pay for Warren Buffett’s Medicare   "....Democrats nearly always argue that the pre-Obamacare health system was a “free market” system that failed.

"On the contrary, the pre-Obamacare health system was already badly distorted by government. The open-ended Medicare entitlement, which pays for every medical expense incurred by the elderly without regard to income, is an invitation to overuse. Consumers have no incentive to shop for value, and thus have no idea what the care they receive costs. Medicaid is even worse."   Via NRO