Monday, May 24, 2010

America's new culture war: Free enterprise vs. government control

WaPo  "Our leaders in Washington, aided by the unprecedented economic crisis of recent years and the panic it induced, have seized the moment to introduce breathtaking expansions of state power in huge swaths of the economy, from the health-care takeover to the financial regulatory bill that the Senate approved Thursday. If these forces continue to prevail, America will cease to be a free enterprise nation." .... "So here's a puzzle: If we love free enterprise so much, why are the 30 percent who want to change that culture in charge?" Arthur C. Brooks. Via Neal Boortz.

The Buck Stops Nowhere

Heritage "Our Founding Fathers specifically created a Constitution dividing the legislative, executive and judicial functions of government into three branches so that the separation of these powers would limit the size and scope of the federal government. Americans would know who to punish for bad policies at the ballot box because it would be clear who was responsible for creating and enforcing them. But that is very obviously not the system we have today. Our federal government has devolved into an incomprehensible mish-mash of alphabet soup government agencies and commissions that no one American could possibly understand. Why is our country in this state? What happened?
The Progressive movement happened."  More on this subject:  Senate Dems to give federal commission say over legal immigrant workers

The New Lords of Finance

WSJ "Big Finance will more than hold its own with Big Government, as it always does, while politicians will have more power to exact even more campaign tribute. The losers are the overall economy, as financial costs rise, and taxpayers when the next bailout arrives. This new power for Washington flows from the politically convenient Washington analysis that a lack of regulation caused the financial panic."

Quotes from "The Tree of Liberty"

The Tree of Liberty "The danger to America is not Barack Obama but a citizenry capable of entrusting a man like him with the presidency. It will be easier to limit and undo the follies of an Obama presidency than to restore the necessary common sense and good judgment to a depraved electorate willing to have such a man for their president. The problem is much deeper and far more serious than Mr. Obama, who is a mere symptom of what ails us. Blaming the prince of the fools should not blind anyone to the vast confederacy of fools that made him their prince. The republic can survive a Barack Obama, who is, after all, merely a fool. It is less likely to survive a multitude of fools such as those who made him their president.” Author unknown. H/t to Patti Vaughan

" "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people - it is wholly inadequate for the governance of any other" - John Adams.  We are no longer a moral and religious people. Our morality and religion has been watered down and replaced by other moralities incompatible with the liberty we were entrusted with. And Christians bought the lies and false gospels and remained silent while the entire bulwark underpinning of liberty was torn down around them. This is why fools clamored for and got a boy-king who is a tyrant.
"Look in the mirror Christians - we listened to a false doctrine, bought into the ideas of a whole new prosperity Jesus and sat down and did nothing while the culture we were entrusted to uphold and protect, rotted under our watch. Now we are surrounded by fools and the ignorant and lack any shred of wisdom as a people and nation. So we will be governed by the dictates of fools."

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Memories of Munich, Threats from Tehran

Warning Signs "In the history of the United States, no previous president has ever had less experience for the job. In contrast to George W. Bush who told nations he would invade you if you posed a threat, most of the world’s leaders have concluded Obama is an empty suit, a dunce, and an easy mark. The Iranians openly mock him while the rest have the decency to do it behind closed doors." Alan Caruba.
Hitler had a plan to conquer Europe. He began by taking Austria, then Czechoslovakia. Again, no one tried to stop him. As Winston Churchill, who became Britain's wartime leader, said, "Britain and France had to choose between war and dishonor. They chose dishonor. They will have war." Scholastic ; "World War II: An Overview"

Obama And Accountability

JustOneMinute "
"Mr. Obama all but declared victory in Iraq, praising the military, but not Mr. Bush, for turning it around. “A lesser Army might have seen its spirit broken,” he said. “But the American military is more resilient than that.” "
"The US Army has spent four years teaching these young officers the importance of accountability. One wonders what lesson they took watching their commander-in-chief duck his role in opposing the successful surge. Or was it successful? Last we checked, Obama had never said the surge worked, but he wanted one in Afghanistan."

Oil disaster: Was the Response Adequate? Part III

Powerline Blog "The Mobile newspaper story rings true. It isn't really an indictment of the Obama administration -- presumably the government didn't have fire booms on hand during the Bush administration either -- it's an indictment of the federal government. Obama stands indicted for wanting massively to increase the scope and power of the federal government."

Another Arizona Pinata approach

Glenn Foden, Townhall

At West Point, Obama offers new security strategy

NY Times  "The speech offered a glimpse of his first official national security strategy, to be released this week, including four principles: to build strength abroad by building strength at home through education, clean energy and innovation; to promote “the renewed engagement of our diplomats” and support international development; to rebuild alliances; and to promote human rights and democracy abroad."

Have the AP or Denver Post Actually Read the New Texas Curriculum?

Newsbusters "Probably no more than Janet Napolitano or Eric Holder has read the new Arizona SB1070. Ann Althouse has described the Washington Post's dereliction of duty in its description of the Texas curriculum. The AP articles are no better.
"In two articles over the last two weeks, the AP has written the following (sometimes more than once) about the new Texas curriculum:"... More: FNC’s Megyn Kelly Analyzes AZ Immigration Law, Finds Less Stringent Than Federal Law

Republican Wins in Hawaii Special Election

 Political Wire "Republicans are likely to point to this election, which breaks a string of special election defeats, as indicative of a national trend, while Democrats will note that Djou won only because the two Democratic candidates split the vote."  Yeah, Ross Perot; thanks for eight years of Bill Clinton. Third parties are a curse on the land, unless they are something like Ralph Nader. But they still taint elections.

RE: Judicial Victory

Jennifer Rubin "There are two possible conclusions one might draw. First, there is no coherent vision here, and all the mumbo-jumbo about “returning to our values” was meant to snow the left and to impugn the record of his predecessor, who prevented any attack on the homeland for seven and a half years."