Star One Smart Blog's

...whilst being 'held hostage' by the Right.

I like the guy when he slaps at his far-Left base. Yes, BHO is at times a likeable guy. A horrible President, but aren't they all ?

Oh, the 'Welfare for Tax Compromise' he's pushing? My thoughts?

Forget it. Kill it. Cut it. Drop it. It's not good enough, or strong enough. We have to do more.

All of the worst Lefty fears have to be implemented: steep cuts to Social Security, Medicare, ObamaCare, and more. The new Congress should start defunding Department after Department: the Department of Education, the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency.

The Government Teat must be collapsed, or there’ll be hell to pay, because we will lose this Republic.

I sense a desperate trap in this compromise; Obama attempting a feint within a feint. The bottom line is he’s a desire to self-preserve his chances for re-election in 2012 by not authoring the January 1 across-the-board tax hike that's coming. He knows his Leftard base’s predictible response will be short-lived: who they gonna field against Teh O!ne? No one electable, that for sure. Obama knows that.

Of course we have the same problem.

If we, the loose coalition of disparate groups (mostly) to the Right of the Leftists, do allow this deal, we will certainly lose in 2012 no matter who we run, be it Palin or Zombie Reagan.

If I had my choice, I’d say allow the Clinton-era tax rates go back into effect Jan. 1, across the board for everyone, with no extensions of the expired unemployment insurance and no new ‘death tax’. We, that undefined loose Team R coalition, must draw the line on any new unfunded spendings; if we allow this compromise, we’ve compromised our principles (again).

The New Congress must be staunch and (figuratively) bloody.

What's next for BHO?

Thought you'd never ask.




Because it's got to be better.

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Insty points to this post at Maenianum Secundum, "Hemorrhaging Federal Receipts", where Herself writes...

In September 2008, many people saw the writing on the wall, and began preparing for a Democratic-controlled Congress and a Democrat in the Oval Office.  Unlike the Carter dormancy period (the months leading up to his win and the months before he took the Oath of Office), business had no experience with which to forecast how a Democratic Congress and President would behave.  This time, we knew.

...

Going Galt is one way that individuals and business owners can signal their disapproval of the Federal government’s handling of the economy, and their ideas for programs/spending.  For many, however, Going Galt has not been an ideological choice, but a choice imposed on them.  Anecdotally, we can read the horror stories from people who are unemployed, or business owners who have seen their business receipts drop off the cliff, forcing them into a Galt-state.  But these are only anecdotes and don’t present an accurate picture of just how Galt the economy has become.

What we can do is look at Federal receipts.

Herself posts a few nice charts, one of which I will, ahem, enhance. This chart shows what's happening with federal receipts (our taxes paid to the feds) since Obama took office. The 'Galt Effect'.


Just lovely, no?

This next chart I saved on my desktop last month, from somewhere, but it fits in very nicely with this post...



Yes, that's what we're looking at. Note that these are just projected deficits; if the Galt Effect steepens, then less Federal money means more deficit.

Raise taxes, you proggressives would say? Why, that might make things worse. Remember, when Reagan lowered taxes, federal receipts went up. But with this lefty liberal proggtard in office, we are pushing 'catch-up', kid in a candy store social programs with the end result being the punishing of businesses. New taxes won't help.

The solution is (sorry, libs) to cut, cut, cut federal spending, including those out-of-control social programs. We may as well forget about Universal Health Care at this time. While we're wishing upon a star, we might as well wish for term limits on all of those serving in public offices; restoring State's rights to constitutional levels; and getting rid of tenure in our schools and universities. And, the lawyers; a few less of those wouldn't hurt either. )

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A fascinating video.



Actually, the video is only scratches the surface. Gapminder is a visual learning tool. Ignore the 'gaps'; learn to play with the SWF file. One can select any country(s) and watch the changes in life expectancy vs. income level, over 200 years. You can clearly see that capitalism and free markets have improved the life expectancies of everyone in the world; those in the developed countries will live longer because they have the opportunity to purchase and use modern supplies. But the best news is that every country in the world now boasts overall life expectancies above 40 years, and enjoy incomes that are (nearly all) above $3000 per year.

The video's author is decrying the 'gaps'. I for one celebrate the excesses, because those with excesses tend to improve the rest. Take for example, China. Modern China embraces some facets of capitalism, see how they took off? That's because of Wal-Mart I think.

Thanks, Capitalism!

Here's where we see a fine, oh-so distinguished American, a true worthy of the office of President of the United States, performing as best he knows how..

The President Is 'Keeping Score'

Chicago politics has moved into the White House.
By KARL ROVE

"Don't think we're not keeping score, brother." That's what President Barack Obama said to Rep. Peter DeFazio in a closed-door meeting of the House Democratic Caucus last week, according to the Associated Press.

A few weeks ago, Mr. DeFazio voted against the administration's stimulus bill. The comment from Mr. Obama was a presidential rebuke and part of a new, hard-nosed push by the White House to pressure Congress to adopt the president's budget. He has mobilized outside groups and enlisted forces still in place from the Obama campaign.

Senior presidential adviser Valerie Jarrett and her chief of staff, Michael Strautmanis, are in regular contact with MoveOn.Org, Americans United for Change and other liberal interest groups. Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina has collaborated with Americans United for Change on strategy and even ad copy. Ms. Jarrett invited leaders of the liberal interest groups to a White House social event with the president and first lady to kick off the lobbying campaign.

Its targets were initially Republicans, as team Obama ran ads depicting the GOP as the "party of no." But now the fire is being trained on Democrats worried about runaway spending.

Why not target members of both parties? When someone has the Machinery of Chicago Politics in place, when all one knows is 'community organization', why CHANGE now? MoveOn.Org, ACORN, all these 'communities' are kept running at high speed, and pressuring anyone who questions the schemes of Barack Hussein Obama. Even now, 5 months after the election, I'm still getting e-mails from David Plouffe, Obama's campaign manager, asking for money.

What sort of 'score keeping' is O! up to? Why, it 's the trusty well-used Alinsky Narrative..

Members of Congress should also worry about how Mr. Obama is "keeping score." He is steeped in the ways of Chicago politics and has not forgotten his training in the methods once used by Saul Alinsky, the radical Chicago community organizer.

Alinsky's 1971 book, "Rules for Radicals," is a favorite of the Obamas. Michele Obama quoted it at the Democratic Convention. One Alinsky tactic is to "Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it." That's what the White House did in targeting Rush Limbaugh, Rick Santelli and Jim Cramer.

Well, Mr. Obama, there's plenty of scorekeeping going on around here. Every single time you open your mouth, it seems, you screw up, and that ever-watchful scorekeeper, the Stock Market, is reacting. There's some numbers you can't threaten. You can come out and fire GM's CEO Rick Wagoner (instead of that idiot Tim Geithner) and watch the market react, down, down, down baby. Or, as lovely and talented Ann Coulter points out

Apparently, it's OK for Obama to fire the head of General Motors, but Bush can't fire his own U.S. attorneys.

It is generally agreed that the Obama administration's demand that Rick Wagoner resign as chairman of General Motors is the price of GM's accepting government money.

To promote the sales of GM vehicles, Obama says the government will stand by your GM car warranty. And all the taxpayers will get a lube job. The new GM owner's manual will come with a disclaimer: "Close enough for government work."

Now that we're all agreed that the government can make hiring and firing decisions based on infusions of taxpayer money, I can think of a lot more government beneficiaries who are badly in need of firing.

Just off the top of my head, how about Barney Frank, Chris Dodd and everybody at the Department of Education?

How about firing all the former Weathermen, like Bill Ayers, Bernardine Dohrn and Mark Rudd, whose university salaries are subsidized by the taxpayer?

None of those crooks, liars and real-live terrorists who deserve to be fired (at best, fired: some need imprisonment) are getting pink slips, but damned if Obama doesn't put it to a Capitalist.

Meanwhile, Tim Geithner's Treasury Dept. machinations are worrying to Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz..

What the Obama administration is doing is far worse than nationalization: it is ersatz capitalism, the privatizing of gains and the socializing of losses. It is a “partnership” in which one partner robs the other. And such partnerships — with the private sector in control — have perverse incentives, worse even than the ones that got us into the mess.

And no happy moment for taxpayers, who are stuck with these losses. Mortages that were thoughtlessly created; greed-fueled and government-mandated. We should not suffer these losses; let the bankers and politicians and fund managers who enabled these losses suffer mightly. The gilloutine of capitalism is bankruptcy: let's hear it sing. There will be a turn around eventually; we will come back stronger than ever, if we allow the free market to work. Government stimulus, Keynesian economics, those are losing propositions.

We must stop funding these bailouts. We've got to allow the markets to sort themselves out, without government meddling. Any further government meddling. Any more money spent on GM and Chrysler; on absorbing toxic assets held by banks, is money coming out of our grandkid's future earnings in the form of punishing taxes and lower standards of living. And, a government that's more socialist than we've ever known. Not America as I know her; but America as dreamed of by a petty scorekeeper.

TANSTAAFL: and the lunch we eat today, the bailouts on the Obamenu, represent food taken from out of the mouths of our children, tomorrow.

Republicans poised to leap on spending abuses

House Republicans are setting up "a stimulus-watch program" that will allow watchdog groups and private citizens to report findings as contractors and agencies start spending billions of dollars on roads, schools, renewable energy projects and other initiatives, said House Republican Whip Eric Cantor.

"We'll be taking a look in detail" and "really providing accountability and transparency," Cantor said in an interview Wednesday.

...

If the much-maligned financial sector bailout is a guide, then "unchecked efforts to rapidly spend billions of dollars involve significant risks of waste, fraud and abuse," Issa said in a letter to the inspectors general of the major federal agencies. The letter asks several questions, including, "Is the Office of Inspector General implementing any initiative to preemptively combat waste, fraud and abuse?"

Every. Penny. Accounted. For.

Every favored Democrat program designed to garner Democrat votes (ACORN, the Census, the Unions, whatever) needs special attention.

We know the Democrats pulled this off with the ultimate goal being to retain power for as long as possible. We know they favor socialist goals and, with BHO at the helm, the Alinsky Narrative is never far from his mind; his constant campaigning and his desire for more and more 'community organizing' groups...formed to keep his sheep in herd.

So, we've got to be vigilant, form our own groups and watchdogs to keep 'em honest. After all, it's our money (oh, and our grand kids, but if you're leftist Democrat, that's not as important as is the immediate gratification of getting OPM..after all, if you can support aborting a fetus without a second thought, what but an idle thought is a grand kid to you?)

Ever watchful we must be.

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h/t Insty

Salon dot com claims the South is conducting an 'economic Civil War' against the North's auto industry, because (now get this!) we subsidize Japanese, Korean and German transplant factories, and these factories undermine the rights of the UAW to help foist overly expensive junk on American consumers. This insufferable prick (Michael Lind) calls for a 'Third Reconstruction' to 'put an end to it' (preceded by, I suppose, another Shermanesque march to the sea, and followed by carpet baggers from the North installing Unions in every business with more than 3 employees..) Lind calls for 'national action', including raising the minimum wage to $12/hr. and 'federal revenue-sharing' (as if there aren't enough bailouts already?) to properly fund public education and services..this paid for by further taxes on the 'rich'.

Fortunately, Velociman posted an excellent Insta-launched retort that circumcises Lind quite effectively. I'll quote briefly..

The man is simply mad. Here's the Ray Bolger he sets up: the South is exploiting labor by providing jobs in a low-service environment, as opposed to the North, which provides some ephemeral "adequate public service funding". The Southern model is obviously immoral and grievious, and must be corrected by forcible Federal intervention. This is of course of a sort with all liberal fantasies of the proper use of power: the armed forces are never to be used against a belligerent enemy; Federal bayonets are only suitable for use in coercing fellow citizens to toe the fucking line. Most especially stupid redneck sisterfuckers.

...

I noticed, by the by, that Mr. Lind never states the blindingly obvious: Detroit isn't bankrupt because of a few automobile plants in the South. They are insolvent because their business model is as putrid as Gacy's date in a crawlspace. The combination of managerial greed, union greed, and insufferable government mandates combined to slay an industry that has been essentially producing unwanted junk for 35 years anyway. These Yankee protectionists need to take the buggy whips out of their collective asses and throw them upon the bonfire of history. It's not broke, idiots: it's fucking dead. And unless the next CEO of General Motors is Jesus H.M.S. Christ it will stay dead. Unless the Corkers of the Senate have their way, and the industry is reborn with a foundation of economic viability, shareholder oversight, and viable product offerings.

That, my friends, is a Southern-style lynching. Velociman is now installed in my RSS reader, right up there with Iowahawk and Jeff Goldstein.