Propagandists at Time Magazine put Reagan and Obama together on cover

Rick Moran   In fact, the irony escapes the propagandists at Time. Reagan's largeness of spirit in granting that his political foes were wrong, and not evil, only makes The Gipper look that much better compared to his arrogant, incompetent successor. Obama's weapon of choice is belittlement of his opponents. It is not attractive, and reveals a pettiness that shrinks the stature of Obama and the presidency - especially when compared to a man who understood all Americans; even those who disagreed with him.

Victor Davis Hanson: Obama’s rhetoric has swung from hard-left to moderate to hard-left to conciliatory. The problem is, his policies were real, not rhetorical.  "...Obama waged psychosocial warfare against private enterprise. In the space of just two years we learned from the president himself that we were two countries: Those who made above $250,000 were greedy and deserving of higher taxes; those below were okay for now and should receive rather than pay out. Traveling to Vegas or the Super Bowl (but not Martha’s Vineyard or Costa del Sol) was inexcusably self-indulgent. The president alone knew at what point we should cease making money. Doctors were limb-loppers. And so on. When an employer believes his efforts are considered unimportant or perhaps even nefarious, he is not going to be bold and risk-taking."

Iranian Regime Hails New Islamic Middle East Taking Shape

Gateway Pundit  "The Iranian prayer leader today Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami hailed the new Islamic Middle East that is taking shape. The radical prayer leader said the recent developments in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, and other Arab states echo the 1979 Islamic Revolution."
These things happen under presidents like Carter.

And now, from HOLLYWOOD...

Now That Obama’s President, Richard Gere Silent on Tibet  "The 2009 Nobel Peace Prize winner recently hosted a dinner for the man who’s holding the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize winner in prison. The Hollywood community and their human rights lobby were oddly silent on this event. Could it be because Hope and Change has been placed over all those “Free Tibet” bumper stickers in Hollywood?"

Danny Glover Blames Conservatives for Tucson Tragedy  "You know what I miss most about being a Lefty? Being able to say whatever the hell I want. Reason, truth, facts be damned… It’s so 1984-ish. In your fevered, unreasonable, little, angry mind you carefully affix brown pieces of paper over what’s inconvenient, rewrite it a bit, and then memory-hole the rest.  I really do miss that. There’s no effort, no time wasted on Google, none of that pesky self-awareness. Cold weather is proof of Global Warming — stuff like that."

'Entertainment' Media Join Chorus Blaming Conservatives for Shooting  "Whenever a tragedy or important issue occurs, someone inevitably seeks out the opinions of left-wing singers and actors."

Fathers aren't TV dunces  "The NFI has also taken a particular interest in the way fathers are being portrayed on entertainment television, which regularly present dads as laughingstocks and lamebrains. There is reason for concern, too. Hollywood has taken the typical image of Dad from Ozzie Nelson to Ozzy Osbourne. As NFI's Roland Warren puts it, "Too many TV shows today tag fathers with the '3-D' image -- dumb, dangerous and disaffected. Such images must be reversed to demonstrate to viewers that fathers are there for their children and/or need to be.""

Allow me to express my personal opinion here:  PC rule: Female characters must always dominate males and make them look like fools; they must be smarter and more confident. Males must always be helpless, confused and clueless. After every encounter with a female -in which she, of course dominates-there must be an "I showed you" expression on her face. When male and female children compete in anything, she must be the winner. If not, then there is sexism.
If this inequity is addressed by women's right activists, they are crusaders; when men make these claims, they are whiners.
The Tunnel Dweller.

Did Obama administration stretch health care stat?

AP  "The higher number includes people with common health conditions such as asthma and obesity listed by insurers in their own coverage guidelines as warranting higher premiums, exclusion of coverage for a particular illness or denial, HHS said."

Do You Think The Next Generation Will See a Solvent Social Security System?

ABC News  "The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projects that if Congress does not act Social Security will run deficits every year until it eventually runs dry in about 2037. Once its $2.5 trillion surplus hits zero in 2037 the program would collect enough money to repay about 78 percent of benefits."
Have a nice day. 

Karl Rove weighs in

On Tuesday, Republicans offered an alternative to the president's big-government vision.

"After Tuesday night's address, the president sent supporters an email about his speech. The subject line read "We Do Big Things" and the message was signed simply "Barack." The familiarity was touching, but the theme was misplaced. Tuesday's speech gave no evidence that Mr. Obama will do the big things this country needs in the next two years."

The GOP's Health-Care Offensive Has Just Begun "Seasoned Democratic observers like pollster Pat Caddell believe that opposition to ObamaCare helped drive turnout and draw independents into the Republican column. The GOP would have deeply damaged its credibility if it failed to follow through on its pledge."

Karl Rove breaks down president's speech, responses. Video

Photo from Huffington Post

Our Sputnik Moment

Investors.com

Brian Farrington

Why Cruise Lines are sailing away from California: avoiding high taxes and Mexican violence

Coach is Right "Since California already has a “reported” $26 billion deficit, the notion that a liberal Democrat like Jerry Brown, supported by a liberal Democrat Legislature, will raise taxes is as sure a bet as the daily tides. They’re fleeing the new taxes they KNOW are coming.
"Second is the extreme violence taking place in the “Mexican Riviera.” It isn’t hard to see the cause and effect between the sickening carnage Acapulco awoke to on Saturday January 15 when 28 bodies... were found on its streets and the unusual ...Saturday afternoon announcement that the major Cruise Lines had paid enough seen enough and were leaving almost immediately. "

Iranian Book Celebrating Suicide Bombers Found in Arizona Desert

Fox News "The book, "In Memory of Our Martyrs," was spotted Tuesday by a U.S. Border Patrol agent out of the Casa Grande substation who was patrolling a route known for smuggling illegal immigrants and drugs.

"Published in Iran, it consists of short biographies of Islamic suicide bombers and other Islamic militants who died carrying out attacks."
Hat tip to Harley Standlee, Placerville, Ca.

Confronting the Unsustainable Welfare State

Robert Rector and Chuck Donovan Fourteen years ago, an energized Republican Congress voted to reform a vital part of the nation's fast-growing welfare system. President Clinton signed the bill into law, promising that the measure would "end welfare as we know it."
"But what began as a promising era of reform has completely collapsed. Government welfare spending is climbing rapidly, and at an unsustainable rate." 

We’re going to pay poor people to inflate our tires and tell us how to save energy. Yes, really.  "Some of the more astute liberal critics also recognize that workfare poisons the labor market. When companies or government agencies have access to cheap workfare labor, there’s no incentive for them to offer entry-level jobs. Unemployment increases and more people go on workfare. It becomes a never-ending cycle." Pajamas Media, 2009

Conservatives Must Lead Where Obama Has Failed

Heritage  "...President Barack Obama said Americans must “understand [that] if we don’t take meaningful steps to rein in our debt, it could damage our markets, increase the cost of borrowing, and jeopardize our recovery—all of which would have an even worse effect on our job growth and family incomes.” This is all true. But then in a total failure of leadership, President Obama went on to completely abandon his own deficit commission’s spending cut proposals."
I honestly cannot see how conservatives can lead; the Democrats will demagogue them into the ground, aided by the press and the entertainment industry. Things will have to deteriorate past the tipping point before the left will get on board and by then it may be too late.

ObamaCare

500 more waivers granted for Obamacare "Note: Darrell Issa and his investigative team have targeted recipients of these waivers to see if some political shenanigans were involved. They might want to start here:"

Medicare Chief Actuary confirms Obamacare a tissue of lies  "In essence, in response to direct questions, Foster blew up the rationale for Obamacare and placed the president and his party in the uncomfortable position of having to explain why they lied to the American people about the two main selling points for the program."  Also here.  Astute Blogger has this: "Obama so-called health care reform is an epic fail and a series of lies perpetrated upon the American people."

GOP invokes 1700s doctrine in health care fight  "They are introducing measures that hinge on "nullification," Thomas Jefferson's late 18th-century doctrine that purported to give states the ultimate say in constitutional matters."