Astute Observations

Astute Observations

1. In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm and three or more is a congress. -- John Adams

2. If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed, if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed. -- Mark Twain

3. Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But then I repeat myself. -- Mark Twain

4. I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle. -- Winston Churchill

5. A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul. -- George Bernard Shaw

6. A liberal is someone who feels a great debt to his fellow man, which debt he proposes to pay off with your money. -- G. Gordon Liddy

7. Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner -- James Bovard, Civil Libertarian (1994)

8. Foreign aid might be defined as a transfer of money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries. -- Douglas Casey, Classmate of Bill Clinton at Georgetown University

9. Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys. -- P. J. O'Rourke, Civil Libertarian

10. Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else. -- Frederic Bastiat, French Economist (1801-1850)

11. Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it. -- Ronald Reagan (1986)

12. I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts. -- Will Rogers

13. If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's free! -- P.J. O'Rourke

14. In general, the art of government consists of taking as much money as possible from one party of the citizens to give to the other. -- Voltaire (1764)

15. Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you! -- Pericles (430 B.C.)

16. No man's life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session. -- Mark Twain (1866)

17. Talk is cheap...except when Congress does it. -- Anonymous

18. The government is like a baby's alimentary canal, with a happy appetite at one end and no responsibility at the other. -- Ronald Reagan

19. The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of the blessings. The inherent blessing of socialism is the equal sharing of misery. -- Winston Churchill

20. The only difference between a tax man and a taxidermist is that the taxidermist leaves the skin. -- Mark Twain

21. The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools. -- Herbert Spencer, English Philosopher (1820-1903)

22. There is no distinctly native American criminal class...save Congress. -- Mark Twain

23. What this country needs are more unemployed politicians. -- Edward Langley, Artist (1928-1995)

24. A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have. -- Thomas Jefferson

25. The biggest difference between Republicans and Democrats is the spelling. -- Anonymous

All in the name....

"The greatest danger to liberty today comes from the men who are most needed and most powerful in modern government, namely, the efficient expert
administrators exclusively concerned with what they regard as the public good."
-- Fredrich August von Hayek



Public Good.

Help those that can't help themselves.

Give everyone an equal chance at the American Dream.

As a Christian I get asked how I can consider myself an Independent Conservative and not get behind these great social programs that the current administration is pushing.

Well, first of all, this is a world tainted by sin. A world that exists to try to pull a believer away from his belief. Nowhere did God say our lives here on Earth were going to be all roses and milk and honey. No, our treasure is not here, but rather where we go after we die. The American Dream was never promised, the chance to pursue it, was. If I never achieve the American Dream here, that is OK, because 'here' is a temporary situation.

Also, we have been told that if we do not work, we do not eat. For those that cannot work, the church is to take care of their needs.

Not government.

The church, through offerings given....offerings that are given by hard working Christians who give back to God in thanks for the gifts He has given.

So, if I want a society that allows me to be as fruitful as possible with the work that I do, which allows me to give as much as I can to the church - a free market, low tax, low cost government is what gives me the optimal society to grow my business.

And what about those social programs? Government programs are notorious for having people "abuse" the system. Independent Churches and their 'poor and needy' programs are notorious for not allowing people to 'abuse' the system. They are run by volunteers, and have low or very low operating costs, thereby giving as much directly to those that need the assistance. They can modify their program to the situation within their community, without any bureaucracy attached. Lastly, churches do not support programs or policies that are not consistent with my personal beliefs.

Public good... when the government starts talking about the 'public good'... freedom and liberty become secondary...

So will this make the news?

sSo, today I get a tweet on this story and have not heard about it anywhere else, yet.

In a time where the State of Arizona, along with other states of the union (man, I sould like a confederate when I talk like this), who are trying to assert their rights under the 10th Amendment, we have a response by POTUS: The Office of Urban Affairs.

First of all, if you read down to Sec. 6, this person really has no power. But will this stop them? No, they will intimidate, coerce and otherwise use the Oval Office as a tool to pass on their agenda to the States and to the operations of their metropolitan areas.

And since when is it the responsibility of the Federal government to regulate the operations of a city or township? Is that not the responsibility of the State? This is yet another step in the power-grab socialist agenda. Centralize power, limit the States ability to operate as a separate entity.

To me, this is a response, 'swift and bold' I'm sure, to the increasingly louder call by the States to the Federal government to "back off". Is this really the best time, with all the other problems, to add fuel to the fire behind the secessionist nutjobs? Do you really think this will bring unity?

I have posted this before, but it is a fitting quote:
"Try this thought experiment. Pretend you're a tyrant.
Among your many liberty-destroying objectives are
[...]Which would you prefer, a United States with political power
centralized in Washington, powerful government agencies
with detailed information on Americans and compliant states
or power widely dispersed over 50 states,
thousands of local jurisdictions and a limited federal government?" - Walter E. Williams.

Maybe it is Chicago Tea Party time.

Is this what we get to look forward to?

First of all, I am printing the important part of the Daily Star article here, since they only keep them up for 7 days:
Tucson Region
Rio Nuevo bond money shifted again
By Rob O'Dell
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 02.19.2009
advertisementRio Nuevo has changed course again. The City Council voted 6-0 Wednesday to redirect money from its recent bond sale to projects "like" revamping the Tucson Convention Center and a new convention hotel.
...
Details of what projects will get more money, or lose funding — or even when the city will have the new plan ready — were not available, other than the money should go toward infrastructure and revenue- and job-generating projects.
...
The council also criticized a Sunday Arizona Daily Star story that estimated it will cost taxpayers $10 million more in interest because the city went to the bond market in December, when interest rates were highly volatile and other communities were postponing bond sales.
Shawn Dralle, the city's bond adviser, said the markets were so chaotic toward the end of 2008 that no one could predict future interest rates. To look back in hindsight at the sale eight weeks later is "disingenuous," Dralle said.
Star Managing Editor Therese Hayt said the newspaper stands by its story. "They went into the market when it was sky-high. Taxpayers are now on the hook for all that interest, which is not in the taxpayers' interest," she said.
...
On StarNet: Check out a searchable database of where the Rio Nuevo money went at azstarnet.com/special/rionuevosummary


I want to draw attention to something here. The Council wanted to "jump-start" the Rio Nuevo project (and keep it alive) by stimulating it with 80 million dollars. Dollars gained through bonds. Now, governments have three ways of raising funds: raise taxes, sell bonds (at interest), or print money. Well, there is no tax base in Tucson right now since there is no business, and the only group that can print money is the Feds, so City Council sold bonds.

At a ridiculous rate.

Since NO ONE is buying bonds right now.

And Tucsonans are upset that we wasted all this money starting projects that are only partially funded or have no funding. And that it's going to cost Tucson $10 MILLION in interest to pay off these failed projects. Again: ""Taxpayers are now on the hook for all that interest, which is not in the taxpayers' interest," she said."


Fast forward a few years, if you will.

The U.S. has spent $750 BILLION on stimulating the economy by starting programs or providing intitial funding on thousands of pet projects. $750 BILLION that is raised in three ways - raising taxes, selling bonds, or printing money. Raising taxes on a society that is struggling will stall any kind of recovery quicker than anything. Printing money will create hyper-inflation and/or stag-flation. So we sell bonds.

Bonds that nobody wants to buy.

How do we make them buy the bonds? Make it lucrative to do so. And how? Issue them with a high interest rate. A rate that will come back to haunt us, just like the Rio Nuevo bonds of just last December are hauting us already!

By the way, $750 Billion is 9,375 times bigger than $80 Million. Again: ""Taxpayers are now on the hook for all that interest, which is not in the taxpayers' interest," she said."

What's the Rush update:

So, Pelosi visited the pope.

Apparently she failed to pay attention during some point in the meeting, because the Pope's comments on the meeting are a little different than the pro-baby-killing Pelosi.

Huh.

State vs. Federal

Bill of Rights - Article 10 - This gives the individual states the right to regulate those rights that are not regulated by the Federal governement, nor are prohibited by the Constitution. Arizona would like to remind everyone, especially Washington DC about these rights.

Walter Williams, a Professor of Economics, has this to say: "Try this thought experiment. Pretend you're a tyrant. Among your many liberty-destroying objectives are extermination of blacks, Jews and Catholics. Which would you prefer, a United States with political power centralized in Washington, powerful government agencies with detailed information on Americans and compliant states; or power widely dispersed over 50 states, thousands of local jurisdictions and a limited federal government?" Now, instead of the 'blacks, jews and catholics' quote, insert any group you want. Or just take that sentence out all together!

There is a reason the Founding Fathers included Article 10 in the Bill of Rights. It is yet another check and balance in a document full of checks and balances. You lose this balance, and you gain power. Just as the Office of President is meant to be a check against runaway legistlation from the Congress; and the Supreme Court is meant to be a check against both of them. Well, we have all three branches on the 'same team'. So, we look to the media to be a check and balance - yeah, we've lost that too, for the most part. What is our last check and balance?

State's rights.

Think about it.

"Today, when a concerted effort is made to obliterate this point, it cannot be repeated too often that the Constitution is a limitation on the government, not on private individuals -- that it does not prescribe the conduct of private individuals, only the conduct of the government -- that it is not a charter for government power, but a charter of the citizen's protection against the government" - Ayn Rand

What's the rush, people?

All I have heard for the last three weeks is "pass this stimulus, we cannot afford to waste anymore time", "swift and bold", and other rhetoric.

It makes it's way through the House and Senate in an all night session - and it was so important that POTUS, in his eagerness to pass it, decided to ***wait for it**** go on a date! IN ANOTHER CITY!! That required air travel on AF1, along with several cargo planes of support staff!!! Yeah, and he couldn't sign it in the air on the way?

Yes, this bill that could absolutely not wait the promised 48 hours by Rep. Pelosi because it was so urgent (and let's not forget her urgency was due to a junket trip to Italy to get an award and see the Pope, who will HOPEFULLY excommunicate her!) and was rushed through both sides of Congress, will be signed, well let's see....Saturday (1), Sunday (2), Monday (3), Tuesday (4)... Four days later!

Oh, and this doesn't fulfull POTUS's promise to allow for 5 days of inspection before it is signed into law. In fact, it is not supposed to be up on the White House website until late Tuesday - AFTER it is signed by Pres. Obama.

Yeah, no transparency, failed campaign promisses, junkets, and personal trips... glad to see business as usual in Washington. At least we can proudly say the Republicans had nothing to do with this (and yes, I am saying Spectre, Snow, and Collins are no longer Republicans - RINOS for sure, but not Republicans)!!!

Ahhh....done venting now... now to sit back, and see what I can do as one person to make a change. After all, if we collectively decide to do nothing, then once again, the Kool-Aid drinkers will get their way...

"Democracy is a form of government that cannot long survive, for as soon as the people learn that they have a voice in the fiscal policies of the government, they will move to vote for themselves all the money in the treasury, and bankrupt the nation." - Karl Marx

-added tuesday- apparently great minds think alike -

Let's drink the kool-aid yet again today....

"If pigs could vote, the man with the slop bucket would be elected swineherd every time, no matter how much slaughtering he did on the side" - Orson Scott Card

"The reason this country continues its drift toward socialism and big nanny government is because too many people vote in the expectation of getting something for nothing, not because they have a concern for what is good for the country. A better educated electorate might change the reason many persons vote. If children were forced to learn about the Constitution, about how government works, about how this nation came into being, about taxes and about how government forever threatens the cause of liberty perhaps we wouldn't see so many foolish ideas coming out of the mouths of silly old men." - Lyn Nofziger

I am a member of Gen X. Then we had Gen Why? Now we enter Generation Entitlement. We have had it so good for so long, we have forgotten what has made it that way.

Here's another quote: "Democracy is a form of government that cannot long survive, for as soon as the people learn that they have a voice in the fiscal policies of the government, they will move to vote for themselves all the money in the treasury, and bankrupt the nation."

Does anyone recognize who gave us this warning? Jefferson? Franklin? Ghandi? No, it was Karl Marx. Today, with the passing of this big-government spendulus package, we officially begin this slide into Socialism.

Let's hope we can get off the slide before it's too late and gravity takes over.