Obama’s claiming once again that Warren Buffet’s secretary pays more in taxes. But is this true? Let me be the one to spoil his fun with some facts.
Buffet lives off investment income. But to invest he would have had to earn money or inherit it. If he had inherited it, his first tax would have been about 50 percent. But we know he is self-made and probably paid taxes pre-Reagan when the rates were high. But suppose he paid the top marginal rate of 39 percent enforce under Clinton. That money would have gone into his holding company, Bershire Hathaway (BH). It then invested the money in other businesses; call them Business A, Business B and Business C. Let’s be conservative and say these three businesses only made only enough to pay the lowest tax rate, 15 percent. The profits passed on the BH would be taxed again at 15 percent as profit to BH, before being passed on to Buffet so he could pay another 15 percent.
So it is true that the last of the four taxes is likely lower than the one tax his secretary is exposed to. But the $1 in profit from Businesses A, B and C comes to him as $0.72. After paying personal taxes, he pockets $0.61, an effective tax rate is at least 39 percent after having paid 39 percent on the original investment. And it’s likely BH Business pay much more than the minimum so his actual effective tax rate is likely well over 50 percent.
But the businesses paid the taxes, right? If you think that, you need to realize that business do not ever pay taxes; people do. If the businesses had not been taxed, $1 would have come to him instead of $0.72. The rest of what he would have gotten went to the government. I argue that is a tax.
And in case you are a fan of “Don’t tax you; don’t tax me; tax the corporation behind the tree”, you should know there are four ways corporations deal with taxes. “Just go ahead and pay them” is not one of them. They are:
1. Pass the cost on to the consumer.
2. Decrease pay and benefits to employees.
3. Shift jobs off-shore.
4. Go bankrupt and/or out of business.
Businesses typically use a combination of the four but there are always people paying the consequences.
And how does Warren Buffet feel about paying so “little” in taxes. The IRS claims BH owes nearly $1 Billion in additional back taxes. Buffet is fighting them.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Sunday, February 21, 2010
And Why Does Government Need To Do That?
As Obama’s recession continues, critics and apologists argue whether the unemployment rate is 10.1 or 9.9 percent. What is clear is that a new round of unemployment is in store as bloated state and local governments that expanded in good times hit limits in bad times, unable to print money like the Feds to keep the “good times” rolling. While most politicians cry for tax hikes, they find the electorate in no mood to suffer at the expense of unions and government bureaucrats. While most of them sound like stuck pigs, stuck in their own stupidity, a few like Christi of New Jersey are asking for spending cuts only. Why do we all not take this opportunity to ask if government is suited to do all it is tasked to do.
Whenever you propose cutting spending, the first thing you hear is “Oh no, teachers, firemen and police will be cut.” And then come things like “minority children won’t be prepared for college, houses will burn while criminals will go free.” Why don’t you ever hear things like “Oh no, second level bureaucrats, assistants to the nuts advancing the global warming hoax, and meter maids at national parks will be cut.” Why no bemoaning that “The school superintendent will have to get his own coffee now, the bureaucrat yucking it up with Joy Bahar about how stupid Palin is has a crooked tie, and the number of parking tickets handed out at the St Augustine Fort may plummet by almost one percent.”
While cuts like the latter might do the job, government threatens us with the former to preserve itself from shrinking. This is one of the greatest threats of government that we have become complacent about. Government wants to grow, profusely, endlessly, without bounds. The more we task it with, the more tools it has to threaten us with. Liberals boast that much of the stimulus went to keep police on the streets. While this is not quite true, let’s give them their argument but ask, how does it help to send our money to Washington, feed half of it to a bureaucrat that does nothing, send it to a state bureaucrat that does little more before a fraction of it finally makes it to the paycheck of my local county’s deputy Sherriff. I guess I should be grateful it did not stop off at the UN first but how about I pay my taxes to a local fund devoted only to police enforcement and leave the rest of you out of it. This would shrink government, a move that strikes fear into the heart of every government worker sitting in the cube of another government worker that has spent all day talking about the origin of the smoke monster in LOST.
So what must the government do? Between police, fire and schools, only policing needs be done by the government. Police wield power and power is essential to their job. Power is unique to the government. When it organizes that power into a military structure and limits the power of unions, it does a decent job. If cops sit at the local donut shop all day, visiting and doing nothing, it will not be long before someone will be in trouble and the union is not going to be able to save them. Firemen do not need government power to do their jobs. Fire companies could be run like grocery stores or insurance companies. They could compete for our business. The government can require that everyone carry coverage and subsidize the poor like we subsidize with food stamps. No shipping money to Washington first, no more threats when bloated governments hit the skids.
For education power is not only unnecessary but is harmful. We set standards for education and car insurance but the government does not provide car insurance; it should not provide education. Unions that bargain for deals for teachers and employees turn around and influence who gets voted onto the board. In essence, unions are on both side of the table. The power of government is then used to build greater protections for the teachers and bankrupt the People with sweetheart retirement deals. And again, the Feds get involved with taking tax dollars and routing them through Washington first. Round-trip tickets for my tax dollars again? How about round round-trip tickets for me and my wife to Hawaii instead?
Oh yes, I can hear the defenders of big government now, especially with education. The kids with the greatest needs would be left in failing schools. Nonsense! Markets invent and overcome. Money spent on overdone union deals can be spent to subsidize these kids (if parents cannot afford it) to find a school to serve them. The more money you offer to government, the more it takes. The more money you offer to free enterprise, the more it innovates and competes to solve your problem and keep you satisfied. Government has you captive and has no incentive to innovate. Customers of private companies can abandon them at a whim if they are not satisfied. Companies either satisfy their customers or go out of business (unless the government steps in to mess thing up).
As tea parties come back in vogue, remember that the original Tea Party in Boston protested a government that abused its power and overtaxed. They were not upset that London was not providing free education or health care. They did not ask for larger welfare payments. The Bill of Rights was a big box around the government which they saw as necessary evil, but evil indeed. If not constrained, it eats money, liberty and small children trying to pray in public. As Americans, we all heirs to that legacy. We need to get back to the core values of limited government. How about next time a politician complains he cannot live without the latest toy or a particular program, just say, “NO!” And if he falls to the floor in a screaming fit while threatening to hold his breath until he turns blue or fire a policeman, fireman or teacher, just leave him there, walk out of the store and drive home. Someone will bring him by later when he comes to his senses.
Whenever you propose cutting spending, the first thing you hear is “Oh no, teachers, firemen and police will be cut.” And then come things like “minority children won’t be prepared for college, houses will burn while criminals will go free.” Why don’t you ever hear things like “Oh no, second level bureaucrats, assistants to the nuts advancing the global warming hoax, and meter maids at national parks will be cut.” Why no bemoaning that “The school superintendent will have to get his own coffee now, the bureaucrat yucking it up with Joy Bahar about how stupid Palin is has a crooked tie, and the number of parking tickets handed out at the St Augustine Fort may plummet by almost one percent.”
While cuts like the latter might do the job, government threatens us with the former to preserve itself from shrinking. This is one of the greatest threats of government that we have become complacent about. Government wants to grow, profusely, endlessly, without bounds. The more we task it with, the more tools it has to threaten us with. Liberals boast that much of the stimulus went to keep police on the streets. While this is not quite true, let’s give them their argument but ask, how does it help to send our money to Washington, feed half of it to a bureaucrat that does nothing, send it to a state bureaucrat that does little more before a fraction of it finally makes it to the paycheck of my local county’s deputy Sherriff. I guess I should be grateful it did not stop off at the UN first but how about I pay my taxes to a local fund devoted only to police enforcement and leave the rest of you out of it. This would shrink government, a move that strikes fear into the heart of every government worker sitting in the cube of another government worker that has spent all day talking about the origin of the smoke monster in LOST.
So what must the government do? Between police, fire and schools, only policing needs be done by the government. Police wield power and power is essential to their job. Power is unique to the government. When it organizes that power into a military structure and limits the power of unions, it does a decent job. If cops sit at the local donut shop all day, visiting and doing nothing, it will not be long before someone will be in trouble and the union is not going to be able to save them. Firemen do not need government power to do their jobs. Fire companies could be run like grocery stores or insurance companies. They could compete for our business. The government can require that everyone carry coverage and subsidize the poor like we subsidize with food stamps. No shipping money to Washington first, no more threats when bloated governments hit the skids.
For education power is not only unnecessary but is harmful. We set standards for education and car insurance but the government does not provide car insurance; it should not provide education. Unions that bargain for deals for teachers and employees turn around and influence who gets voted onto the board. In essence, unions are on both side of the table. The power of government is then used to build greater protections for the teachers and bankrupt the People with sweetheart retirement deals. And again, the Feds get involved with taking tax dollars and routing them through Washington first. Round-trip tickets for my tax dollars again? How about round round-trip tickets for me and my wife to Hawaii instead?
Oh yes, I can hear the defenders of big government now, especially with education. The kids with the greatest needs would be left in failing schools. Nonsense! Markets invent and overcome. Money spent on overdone union deals can be spent to subsidize these kids (if parents cannot afford it) to find a school to serve them. The more money you offer to government, the more it takes. The more money you offer to free enterprise, the more it innovates and competes to solve your problem and keep you satisfied. Government has you captive and has no incentive to innovate. Customers of private companies can abandon them at a whim if they are not satisfied. Companies either satisfy their customers or go out of business (unless the government steps in to mess thing up).
As tea parties come back in vogue, remember that the original Tea Party in Boston protested a government that abused its power and overtaxed. They were not upset that London was not providing free education or health care. They did not ask for larger welfare payments. The Bill of Rights was a big box around the government which they saw as necessary evil, but evil indeed. If not constrained, it eats money, liberty and small children trying to pray in public. As Americans, we all heirs to that legacy. We need to get back to the core values of limited government. How about next time a politician complains he cannot live without the latest toy or a particular program, just say, “NO!” And if he falls to the floor in a screaming fit while threatening to hold his breath until he turns blue or fire a policeman, fireman or teacher, just leave him there, walk out of the store and drive home. Someone will bring him by later when he comes to his senses.
And Why Does Government Need To Do That?
As Obama’s recession continues, critics and apologists argue whether the unemployment rate is 10.1 or 9.9 percent. What is clear is that a new round of unemployment is in store as bloated state and local governments that expanded in good times hit limits in bad times, unable to print money like the Feds to keep the “good times” rolling. While most politicians cry for tax hikes, they find the electorate in no mood to suffer at the expense of unions and government bureaucrats. While most of them sound like stuck pigs, stuck in their own stupidity, a few like Christi of New Jersey are asking for spending cuts only. Why do we all not take this opportunity to ask if government is suited to do all it is tasked to do.
Whenever you propose cutting spending, the first thing you hear is “Oh no, teachers, firemen and police will be cut.” And then come things like “minority children won’t be prepared for college, houses will burn while criminals will go free.” Why don’t you ever hear things like “Oh no, second level bureaucrats, assistants to the nuts advancing the global warming hoax, and meter maids at national parks will be cut.” Why no bemoaning that “The school superintendent will have to get his own coffee now, the bureaucrat yucking it up with Joy Bahar about how stupid Palin is has a crooked tie, and the number of parking tickets handed out at the St Augustine Fort may plummet by almost one percent.”
While cuts like the latter might do the job, government threatens us with the former to preserve itself from shrinking. This is one of the greatest threats of government that we have become complacent about. Government wants to grow, profusely, endlessly, without bounds. The more we task it with, the more tools it has to threaten us with. Liberals boast that much of the stimulus went to keep police on the streets. While this is not quite true, let’s give them their argument but ask, how does it help to send our money to Washington, feed half of it to a bureaucrat that does nothing, send it to a state bureaucrat that does little more before a fraction of it finally makes to the paycheck of my local county’s deputy Sherriff. I guess I should be grateful it did not stop off at the UN first but how about I pay my taxes to local fund devoted only to police enforcement and leave the rest of you out of it. This would shrink government, a move that strikes fear into the heart of every government worker sitting in the cube of another government worker that has spent all day talking about the origin of the smoke monster in LOST.
So what must the government do? Between police, fire and schools, only police need be done by the government. Police wield power and power is essential to their job. Power is unique to the government. When it organizes that power into a military structure and limits the power of unions, it does a decent job. If cops sit at the local donut shop all day, visiting and doing nothing, it will not be long before someone will be in trouble and the union is not going to be able to save them. Firemen do not need government power to do their jobs. Fire companies could be run like grocery stores or insurance companies. They could compete for our business. The government can require that everyone carry coverage and subsidize the poor like we subsidize with food stamps. No shipping money to Washington first, no more threats when bloated governments hit the skids.
For education power is not only unnecessary but is harmful. We set standards for education and car insurance but the government does not provide car insurance; it should not provide education. Unions that bargain for deals for teachers and employees turn around and influence who gets voted onto the board. In essence, unions are on both side of the table. The power of government is then used to build greater protections for the teachers and bankrupt the People with sweetheart retirement deals. And again, the Feds get involved with taking tax dollars and routing them through Washington first. Round-trip tickets for my tax dollars again? How about round round-trip tickets for me and my wife to Hawaii instead?
Oh yes, I can hear the defender of big government now, especially with education. The kids with the greatest needs would be left in failing schools. Nonsense! Markets invent and overcome. Money spent on overdone union deals can be spent to subsidize these kids (if parents cannot afford it) to find a school to serve them. The more money you offer to government, the more it takes. The more money you offer to free enterprise, the more it innovates and competes to solve your problem and keep you satisfied. Government has you captive and has no incentive to innovate. Customers of private companies can abandon them at a whim if they are not satisfied. They either satisfy or go out of business (unless the government steps in to mess thing up).
As tea parties come back in vogue, remember that the original Tea Party in Boston protested a government that abused its power overtaxed. They were not upset that London was not providing free education or health care. They did not ask for larger welfare payments. The Bill of Rights was a big box around the government which they saw as necessary evil, but evil indeed. If not constrained, it eats money, liberty and small children trying to pray in public. As Americans, we all heirs to that legacy. We need to get back to the core values of limited government. How about next time a politician complains he she cannot live without the latest toy or a particular program, just say, “NO!” And if he falls to the floor in a screaming fit while threatening to hold his breath until he turns blue or fire a policeman, fireman or teacher, just leave him there, walk out of the store and drive home. Someone will bring him by later when he comes to his senses.
Whenever you propose cutting spending, the first thing you hear is “Oh no, teachers, firemen and police will be cut.” And then come things like “minority children won’t be prepared for college, houses will burn while criminals will go free.” Why don’t you ever hear things like “Oh no, second level bureaucrats, assistants to the nuts advancing the global warming hoax, and meter maids at national parks will be cut.” Why no bemoaning that “The school superintendent will have to get his own coffee now, the bureaucrat yucking it up with Joy Bahar about how stupid Palin is has a crooked tie, and the number of parking tickets handed out at the St Augustine Fort may plummet by almost one percent.”
While cuts like the latter might do the job, government threatens us with the former to preserve itself from shrinking. This is one of the greatest threats of government that we have become complacent about. Government wants to grow, profusely, endlessly, without bounds. The more we task it with, the more tools it has to threaten us with. Liberals boast that much of the stimulus went to keep police on the streets. While this is not quite true, let’s give them their argument but ask, how does it help to send our money to Washington, feed half of it to a bureaucrat that does nothing, send it to a state bureaucrat that does little more before a fraction of it finally makes to the paycheck of my local county’s deputy Sherriff. I guess I should be grateful it did not stop off at the UN first but how about I pay my taxes to local fund devoted only to police enforcement and leave the rest of you out of it. This would shrink government, a move that strikes fear into the heart of every government worker sitting in the cube of another government worker that has spent all day talking about the origin of the smoke monster in LOST.
So what must the government do? Between police, fire and schools, only police need be done by the government. Police wield power and power is essential to their job. Power is unique to the government. When it organizes that power into a military structure and limits the power of unions, it does a decent job. If cops sit at the local donut shop all day, visiting and doing nothing, it will not be long before someone will be in trouble and the union is not going to be able to save them. Firemen do not need government power to do their jobs. Fire companies could be run like grocery stores or insurance companies. They could compete for our business. The government can require that everyone carry coverage and subsidize the poor like we subsidize with food stamps. No shipping money to Washington first, no more threats when bloated governments hit the skids.
For education power is not only unnecessary but is harmful. We set standards for education and car insurance but the government does not provide car insurance; it should not provide education. Unions that bargain for deals for teachers and employees turn around and influence who gets voted onto the board. In essence, unions are on both side of the table. The power of government is then used to build greater protections for the teachers and bankrupt the People with sweetheart retirement deals. And again, the Feds get involved with taking tax dollars and routing them through Washington first. Round-trip tickets for my tax dollars again? How about round round-trip tickets for me and my wife to Hawaii instead?
Oh yes, I can hear the defender of big government now, especially with education. The kids with the greatest needs would be left in failing schools. Nonsense! Markets invent and overcome. Money spent on overdone union deals can be spent to subsidize these kids (if parents cannot afford it) to find a school to serve them. The more money you offer to government, the more it takes. The more money you offer to free enterprise, the more it innovates and competes to solve your problem and keep you satisfied. Government has you captive and has no incentive to innovate. Customers of private companies can abandon them at a whim if they are not satisfied. They either satisfy or go out of business (unless the government steps in to mess thing up).
As tea parties come back in vogue, remember that the original Tea Party in Boston protested a government that abused its power overtaxed. They were not upset that London was not providing free education or health care. They did not ask for larger welfare payments. The Bill of Rights was a big box around the government which they saw as necessary evil, but evil indeed. If not constrained, it eats money, liberty and small children trying to pray in public. As Americans, we all heirs to that legacy. We need to get back to the core values of limited government. How about next time a politician complains he she cannot live without the latest toy or a particular program, just say, “NO!” And if he falls to the floor in a screaming fit while threatening to hold his breath until he turns blue or fire a policeman, fireman or teacher, just leave him there, walk out of the store and drive home. Someone will bring him by later when he comes to his senses.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Mr. Brown Goes to Town
With the election of Scott Brown as a senator from Massachusetts many have tried to draw lessons for Democrats nationally while some insist there is no lesson nationally. I see some very important lesson for liberal Democrats, especially President Obama. Here they are:
· You cannot govern from left of Massachusetts without consequences. Virginia, New Jersey and Massachusetts are just the beginning. We are not France or Denmark. We are right of center and you are not just out in left field, you, Mr. President, are not in the ball park.
· President Obama, you recently said, “The same thing that swept Scott Brown into office swept me into office. People are angry and frustrated.” You are right. Bush and the Republicans spent outrageous amounts of money. Many of the states that voted for McCain sent Democrats to Congress, just to try something new. Now you have done Republican sins times ten. What did you expect?
· Picking a fight with Fox News was stupid. It beats all the other cable news channels combined every night while your precious Air America dissolved in bankruptcy this week. Where do you think most people heard about Scott Brown?
· Your elitist hubris offends voters. Making fun of Mr. Bown’s truck reminds us of how you bemoaned how the common plebes “bitterly cling to their guns and religion.” Making fun of and attacking citizens protesting your policies is not a strategy any president has ever employed. Hate us if you will but we still get to vote.
· Million, billion, trillion; it matters which one you use. Mr. Brown was sent to Congress largely to keep you straight on that. We cannot afford Obamacare, Cap and Tax or any of the other socialist crap you keep trying to stuff down our throats. And while you’re at it, why don’t you, just for a change of pace, propose something that at least 50 percent of the country supports?
· I know it did not occur to you to use ACORN in Massachusetts like you did in Minnesota but if you let them anywhere near the 2010 census, we will call for your impeachment.
· Mr. President, you lied about earmarks, putting lobbyists and tax cheats in the government, and open-door meetings on TV. Didn’t you think we would notice? If your policies were so wonderful, why do you have to bribe lawmakers to vote for them. Mr. Brown was sent to stop this crap or at least keep it from passing. Would you have actually signed the Cornhusker kickback into law?
· Very high in the polls in Massachusetts was the incompetence this administration has used in fighting terrorists. Shutting down New York for your date night was bad enough, but shutting it down for a show trial of terrorists who already confessed does not play well outside of Tehran. The way you coddle terrorists has got sales of “Depends” disposable underwear sky rocking in the Middle East (some of those terrorist leaders are quite old and making them laugh so hard at your ludicrous policies gives them bladder-control problems) but can you not find a better way to stimulate the economy.
· And while we’re at it, it’s the economy , stupid. Trying to spend our way to prosperity is stupider. Try tax cuts. It’s so simple even Sarah Palin could to it!
· Stick a fork in you legislative agenda; you’re done! Enough government intrusion; enough socialism. Go play golf in Hawaii or tour the balconies of Europe where they love you. You might be surprised how much the economy at home recovers while you are gone.
· Most of all, get to know Scott Brown. Love him or hate him, come November we have about fifty more like him coming to a Congress near you.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Haiti and Denmark: Lessons in Destroying a Nation
When Oprah Winfrey was in Denmark to help the Olympic bid for Chicago, she took the opportunity to create an exposé of this socialist utopia. She was absolutely giddy to discover how wonderful Denmark was with free education, free healthcare and free sunshine. She aired her special this week just as Haiti had its terrible earthquake. For liberals such as Oprah and her good friend President Obama Denmark may be their dream for America but Haiti would be the reality.
In a socialist utopia the idea is to redistribute the wealth so that there are no poor. No country in Europe has undertaken such radical wealth redistribution such as the Danes. Free education through college and free medicine are among the reasons they have been rated the happiest people on earth. They are held up as health conscious and environmentally conscious; nearly all adult Danes ride bicycles on a daily basis with children and groceries in toe, according to Winfrey. It makes you want to just bring all that happy socialism here, does it not?
Now with all due respect to Oprah, it’s time for the truth. Denmark does have an advantage over other socialistic experiments such as the USSR and Cuba. It introduced socialism without violence; it just ignored its own constitution and slowly implemented it one law at a time. Sound familiar? There are no poor living on the streets because the government pays 90 percent of your salary when you get laid off or fired. But there are no rich there either. Taxes take 70 percent of the Danes’ income, preventing people like Oprah from every becoming wealthy.
But the high taxes pay back in the form of great social services. The Danes think so, which accounts for the high rating of contentment. But this mindset is set more in cultural thinking than reality. The Danish lifespan has not increased since 1970 and now rates near the bottom in the European Union. Like all universal health care systems, it rations care and people die regularly waiting for needed operations. Many blame this on drinking and smoking; Danes smoke at almost twice the rate as Americans. Oprah’s claim that Danes are health and environmentally conscious seems ridiculous. How could all the smoke be good for either their health or environment? It owes more to the fact that the government forces them out of cars with 90 percent sales tax, 180 percent registration fee, annual car taxes, fuel taxes and green taxes. Trust me, they are not riding bicycles in subzero weather because they want to.
But at least all that free education is providing them with greater opportunities, right? Actually, the US has twice the percentage of college graduates as Denmark. People here choose what they wish to study and the free market rewards them. Denmark tells students what to study although applicants are allowed to make requests. People are increasingly requesting social studies and less math and science. Maybe the schools do a lousy job preparing scientist or maybe the stark right-and-wrong nature of math and science is too harsh for a socialist society. Maybe something a little less concrete, like global warming, will get more interest in “science.” Maybe they should host a world conference on the subject. Oh, wait, they did, just before being plunged into the coldest winter of the last 50 years. Oh, well.
Denmark does such a lousy job planning its economy, it relies heavily on Germany to provide what it does not (sort of like those Canadians we have). People who want to leave find the government continues to strip them of their wealth through taxation of pensions after they leave, even though they lose all rights to vote as an expatriate. Some have proposed laws requiring repayment of education expenses first which would create a new iron curtain. For those who stay, pensions are capped at inflation plus three percent. Savvy investors are taxed 100 percent beyond that. I bet they forgot to tell Oprah that.
For all this socialistic engineering Denmark is just Haiti in the making. Haiti is overrun with corruption. Denmark has allowed judges and politicians to say the constitution means whatever they want it to and are now selling judgments and votes in return for money and favors. Haiti takes most of the wealth of its people through criminal extortion and corruption. Denmark does it through taxation. Crime in Haiti is out of control, especially violent crime. Crime in Denmark since 1960 has gone up 700 percent, although the population has hardly changed. Violent crime has risen steeper. Both Haiti and Denmark invent nothing and export little. Neither has a military developed well enough to repel an invasion from a country like Iran and are, therefore, dependent on other nations for their own defense. Because the incentive to work in Haiti has been destroyed by criminals, few are employed and crushing poverty is spread equally. In Denmark less than 10 percent lived on the dole in 1970. Today it is eclipsing 20 percent. Counting that with government employees, about 40 percent of the population lives off the government. Destroying the work ethic through the welfare state means some good times for now but Haiti is coming to a Dane near you.
Now as the US goes off to rescue Haiti, let’s try to learn some lessons while we are there. Corruption destroys nations. It isn’t just about sex and I don’t care what the senators from Louisiana and Nebraska said, you can’t go around buying votes. You can’t keep taking from us, even if you think we are rich. High taxation is just legal extortion. Governments cannot spread the wealth around, just the poverty. And the constitution says what the founders meant. It was put there precisely to stop you from cramming universal healthcare down our throats. Go help the Haitians but then help us by getting out of our way, out of our lives and out of our pockets. Then go help the terrorists and I don’t mean with clean water, art therapy and tax-payer funded tours of New York!
In a socialist utopia the idea is to redistribute the wealth so that there are no poor. No country in Europe has undertaken such radical wealth redistribution such as the Danes. Free education through college and free medicine are among the reasons they have been rated the happiest people on earth. They are held up as health conscious and environmentally conscious; nearly all adult Danes ride bicycles on a daily basis with children and groceries in toe, according to Winfrey. It makes you want to just bring all that happy socialism here, does it not?
Now with all due respect to Oprah, it’s time for the truth. Denmark does have an advantage over other socialistic experiments such as the USSR and Cuba. It introduced socialism without violence; it just ignored its own constitution and slowly implemented it one law at a time. Sound familiar? There are no poor living on the streets because the government pays 90 percent of your salary when you get laid off or fired. But there are no rich there either. Taxes take 70 percent of the Danes’ income, preventing people like Oprah from every becoming wealthy.
But the high taxes pay back in the form of great social services. The Danes think so, which accounts for the high rating of contentment. But this mindset is set more in cultural thinking than reality. The Danish lifespan has not increased since 1970 and now rates near the bottom in the European Union. Like all universal health care systems, it rations care and people die regularly waiting for needed operations. Many blame this on drinking and smoking; Danes smoke at almost twice the rate as Americans. Oprah’s claim that Danes are health and environmentally conscious seems ridiculous. How could all the smoke be good for either their health or environment? It owes more to the fact that the government forces them out of cars with 90 percent sales tax, 180 percent registration fee, annual car taxes, fuel taxes and green taxes. Trust me, they are not riding bicycles in subzero weather because they want to.
But at least all that free education is providing them with greater opportunities, right? Actually, the US has twice the percentage of college graduates as Denmark. People here choose what they wish to study and the free market rewards them. Denmark tells students what to study although applicants are allowed to make requests. People are increasingly requesting social studies and less math and science. Maybe the schools do a lousy job preparing scientist or maybe the stark right-and-wrong nature of math and science is too harsh for a socialist society. Maybe something a little less concrete, like global warming, will get more interest in “science.” Maybe they should host a world conference on the subject. Oh, wait, they did, just before being plunged into the coldest winter of the last 50 years. Oh, well.
Denmark does such a lousy job planning its economy, it relies heavily on Germany to provide what it does not (sort of like those Canadians we have). People who want to leave find the government continues to strip them of their wealth through taxation of pensions after they leave, even though they lose all rights to vote as an expatriate. Some have proposed laws requiring repayment of education expenses first which would create a new iron curtain. For those who stay, pensions are capped at inflation plus three percent. Savvy investors are taxed 100 percent beyond that. I bet they forgot to tell Oprah that.
For all this socialistic engineering Denmark is just Haiti in the making. Haiti is overrun with corruption. Denmark has allowed judges and politicians to say the constitution means whatever they want it to and are now selling judgments and votes in return for money and favors. Haiti takes most of the wealth of its people through criminal extortion and corruption. Denmark does it through taxation. Crime in Haiti is out of control, especially violent crime. Crime in Denmark since 1960 has gone up 700 percent, although the population has hardly changed. Violent crime has risen steeper. Both Haiti and Denmark invent nothing and export little. Neither has a military developed well enough to repel an invasion from a country like Iran and are, therefore, dependent on other nations for their own defense. Because the incentive to work in Haiti has been destroyed by criminals, few are employed and crushing poverty is spread equally. In Denmark less than 10 percent lived on the dole in 1970. Today it is eclipsing 20 percent. Counting that with government employees, about 40 percent of the population lives off the government. Destroying the work ethic through the welfare state means some good times for now but Haiti is coming to a Dane near you.
Now as the US goes off to rescue Haiti, let’s try to learn some lessons while we are there. Corruption destroys nations. It isn’t just about sex and I don’t care what the senators from Louisiana and Nebraska said, you can’t go around buying votes. You can’t keep taking from us, even if you think we are rich. High taxation is just legal extortion. Governments cannot spread the wealth around, just the poverty. And the constitution says what the founders meant. It was put there precisely to stop you from cramming universal healthcare down our throats. Go help the Haitians but then help us by getting out of our way, out of our lives and out of our pockets. Then go help the terrorists and I don’t mean with clean water, art therapy and tax-payer funded tours of New York!
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Current American Politics For Dummies (But Conservatives Will Like It Too)
He was hailed as the great Messiah, ushering in the death conservatism as Democrat registrations soared in 2008. Both houses of Congress went Democrat in his honor as he rode in on the back of the Clintons. A year later some still argue which was the savior and which was the ass but just like Jesus, only a short time has passed since fawning praise has given way to cries for his execution, if only in a political sense. And while Jesus stood with grace and forgiving majesty as the previously palm-throwing crowd now called for Barabas, the fact that a near majority of Americans wish Bush were back has got be gulling to the man-child president Obama whose skin is thinner than his excuses for not turning the economy around. This week we now hear that the number of people who self identify as conservative has reached a 20-year high. What?! I thought that dragon had been slain? And how did Palin sell so many books before they were released in bookstores? And what do we make of the tea party movement? Whoever can make sense of this political landscape and articulate conservatism at least as well as Obama can say nothing while reading from a teleprompter, could emerge as the leader of a movement. Although I do not have that as my goal, I would like, nevertheless, to try. In this blog I explain the political landscape.
Everyone understands that the political landscape is divided between right, middle and left. Skin-heads and racists make up the extreme right but are considered whacko and have been rejected by the political main stream since the David Duke was ousted from the Republican Party in the 1980s. On the extreme left, you have socialists and communists. In recent years, the extreme left has found its way into power. Although it is every bit a minority as the racists, it has captured the imagination of some very rich people such as the Hollywood elite and the Billionaire George Sorros.
Under Ronald Reagan conservatism coalesced as economic conservatives (less government, less spending, lower taxes) and moral conservatives (traditional Judeo-Christian values such as pro-life, pro-family policies). This left the Democrats with everyone else. While it’s common to find gun-toting, Jesus-loving patriots who want lower taxes and to protect the unborn, how often to you find anti-war, men-hating, gay activists who belong to a teacher’s union, want to ban guns, protect abortion, raise taxes and think that the nation’s founders were evil white slave-owners. Ok, so MSNBC seems to find plenty of them but how many of them are there really. If they existed in any great number, don’t you think ACORN would try to register them to vote instead of going after dead people and cartoon characters?
Among the American political spectrum we have four categories of voters. First there are issues voters. They cling to a party because it coincides with their view on one or more issues important to them; abortion or taxes, for example. The second category is the no-matter-what voter. They will not budge on how they vote not matter what information they get. The third category is a mixture of the previous two. They vote based on an issue based on how they think a party feels about that issue regardless of what evidence is presented that the party does not coincide with their position. The fourth category is the rice-bowl voters. Filling their rice bowls, their very existence and livelihood, depends on the government. A voter can be in more than one category and these categories exist in both sides of the political spectrum but not in equal numbers. This is largely due to the difference between conservatism versus liberalism and the way politicians/office holders have packaged and presented them.
Conservatism is largely an intellectual pursuit; liberalism is largely an emotional pursuit. Category 1, the issues voters, overwhelms the political right and much of the middle. When Republicans went to Washington as the majority, promising the usual stuff, they drank the power Kool-aid, betrayed their voters and found themselves ousted by an angry electorate in 2008. Much of the new Democrat majority came from states that went for McCain. What was thought to be the death of conservatives was just issues voters doing what issues voters do, throwing out the bums. And if you are a pro-abortion Republican running against a pro-life Democrat in a right-leaning district, you are going to have a problem, even if you like lower taxes and Grandma’s apple pie. The converse it not true. Harry Reed comes from a conservative state but gets no grief on the national stage from liberals for his voting record as a pro-life, pro-gun rights Democrat. He got a pass on his recently revealed racist remarks concerning Obama made during the campaign because voters from categories two and three dominate the Democrat party. The same courtesy was not afforded Trent Lot for his comments during Strom Thurmond’s birthday party. An us-versus-them mentality evolves among these voters. They make excuses for the offenses of their own while vehemently attacking the other side for the same or similar offense. Bad behavior is often defended with “Well, Bush did the same thing”. That was the crux of circling the wagons around Clinton while subsequently engaging in Bush bashing, even long after Bush has left the public scene.
Recently the ueber-liberal Joy Bahar stated that she did not understand how Sarah Palin sold so many books considering most of her fans cannot read. The data show (there goes the truth messing up the left again) that among voters lacking a high-school diploma, they vote majority Democrat. Many of them are category two, no-matter-what voters that are not educated and refuse to be educated. Emotional speeches about nothing will get them excited but make sure you bus them to the polls. Their lack of commitment to education and improvement make them fickle voters. They may even fall for hoaxes about election day being on a Wednesday this year. Often they spill over into category three. They are usual poor and are appealed to through emotional campaigns like class warfare and minimum wage. Over taxation of the wealthy has caused a drag in the economy and the recent raise in minimum wage has inflated the unemployment. But these facts have no effect on them; their brains just do not process it. Many vote Democrat because they think it promotes minority rights. The Civil Rights act of the 1960s was passed in the face of most Democrats voting against it because an overwhelming number of Republicans (the minority at the time) voted for it. While we have seen the black family disintegrate under welfare and affirmative-action pats on the head that substitute for actual education, black voters continue to vote Democrat.
The fourth category makes up those that live off the government. Expanding the government and government programs is crucial to expanding liberal power. The health care bill coming out of the senate does not cover everyone, does not lower health care costs but does raise taxes. The president is still interested because it expands the number of rice-bowl voters. Professors also belong to this category but Obama also loves them because they provide hare-brained theories to try out on the American economy.
Into this political cauldron we have three new phenomena that provide the golden opportunity for a new conservative leader. First, the conservative voters have been largely abandoned. Only after 2008 have Republicans in Congress put their foot down and said “no” to all the liberal crap being jammed down our throat. But too often, even as the majority, they let the Democrats set the agenda, proposing only modifications to liberal bills. This political pull to the left is in response to the second new phenomena; the whacko far left has become issue oriented and rich. Obama, who ran as centrist, winked at the radical left as he collected their money. But he is now trying to govern from the left and has enraged the regular left, middle and right, giving rise to the third phenomenon, the tea-party movement.
To exploit this opportunity we need a leader with three key qualities. Quality one is genuineness. Campaign from the right and government from the right. If you are Christian, Jew or agnostic, be that. But be conservative and live conservative values the best you can. Category one voters are the only ones you can reach and they live on the right. And remember that independent voters are just conservative voters that do not want to be labeled. The political right and the right-leaning middle make a political voting majority. The left (including the press) will be vile and nasty so you need quality two. Have a spine. Remember, bipartisanship to a liberal means shut up and do it my way so stand up to them. Third, and most important, teach, preach and explain conservativism. You cannot let the left define you like Gingrich and Bush did. Reagan was always speaking to the people and not just from a teleprompter. Pushing the political landscape back to the right (where it wants to be naturally) will make it all the more difficult for Obama to get his socialist agenda through. This will save the country grief but also further anger his financial donors. If they get mad enough, maybe they will stop donating or maybe even move to France like they keep promising. Then the tea-party people can go back home and get back to living their lives, assured the country is safe and leave all the rally stuff to the out-of-power, whacko left. Don’t forget your ace in hole: Conservativism works and liberalism does not. Be true to us and we will be true to you, quietly voting you back into office election after election, regardless of what Katie Curic or Rosie O’Donnel say. And we can keep Joy Bahar scratching her head until her finger hits her brain or whatever is underneath that thick skull. Wow! Image if that stuff leaked out. Can you say "Clean up aisle 9"! I wonder if you would have to call the CDC or the EPA?
Everyone understands that the political landscape is divided between right, middle and left. Skin-heads and racists make up the extreme right but are considered whacko and have been rejected by the political main stream since the David Duke was ousted from the Republican Party in the 1980s. On the extreme left, you have socialists and communists. In recent years, the extreme left has found its way into power. Although it is every bit a minority as the racists, it has captured the imagination of some very rich people such as the Hollywood elite and the Billionaire George Sorros.
Under Ronald Reagan conservatism coalesced as economic conservatives (less government, less spending, lower taxes) and moral conservatives (traditional Judeo-Christian values such as pro-life, pro-family policies). This left the Democrats with everyone else. While it’s common to find gun-toting, Jesus-loving patriots who want lower taxes and to protect the unborn, how often to you find anti-war, men-hating, gay activists who belong to a teacher’s union, want to ban guns, protect abortion, raise taxes and think that the nation’s founders were evil white slave-owners. Ok, so MSNBC seems to find plenty of them but how many of them are there really. If they existed in any great number, don’t you think ACORN would try to register them to vote instead of going after dead people and cartoon characters?
Among the American political spectrum we have four categories of voters. First there are issues voters. They cling to a party because it coincides with their view on one or more issues important to them; abortion or taxes, for example. The second category is the no-matter-what voter. They will not budge on how they vote not matter what information they get. The third category is a mixture of the previous two. They vote based on an issue based on how they think a party feels about that issue regardless of what evidence is presented that the party does not coincide with their position. The fourth category is the rice-bowl voters. Filling their rice bowls, their very existence and livelihood, depends on the government. A voter can be in more than one category and these categories exist in both sides of the political spectrum but not in equal numbers. This is largely due to the difference between conservatism versus liberalism and the way politicians/office holders have packaged and presented them.
Conservatism is largely an intellectual pursuit; liberalism is largely an emotional pursuit. Category 1, the issues voters, overwhelms the political right and much of the middle. When Republicans went to Washington as the majority, promising the usual stuff, they drank the power Kool-aid, betrayed their voters and found themselves ousted by an angry electorate in 2008. Much of the new Democrat majority came from states that went for McCain. What was thought to be the death of conservatives was just issues voters doing what issues voters do, throwing out the bums. And if you are a pro-abortion Republican running against a pro-life Democrat in a right-leaning district, you are going to have a problem, even if you like lower taxes and Grandma’s apple pie. The converse it not true. Harry Reed comes from a conservative state but gets no grief on the national stage from liberals for his voting record as a pro-life, pro-gun rights Democrat. He got a pass on his recently revealed racist remarks concerning Obama made during the campaign because voters from categories two and three dominate the Democrat party. The same courtesy was not afforded Trent Lot for his comments during Strom Thurmond’s birthday party. An us-versus-them mentality evolves among these voters. They make excuses for the offenses of their own while vehemently attacking the other side for the same or similar offense. Bad behavior is often defended with “Well, Bush did the same thing”. That was the crux of circling the wagons around Clinton while subsequently engaging in Bush bashing, even long after Bush has left the public scene.
Recently the ueber-liberal Joy Bahar stated that she did not understand how Sarah Palin sold so many books considering most of her fans cannot read. The data show (there goes the truth messing up the left again) that among voters lacking a high-school diploma, they vote majority Democrat. Many of them are category two, no-matter-what voters that are not educated and refuse to be educated. Emotional speeches about nothing will get them excited but make sure you bus them to the polls. Their lack of commitment to education and improvement make them fickle voters. They may even fall for hoaxes about election day being on a Wednesday this year. Often they spill over into category three. They are usual poor and are appealed to through emotional campaigns like class warfare and minimum wage. Over taxation of the wealthy has caused a drag in the economy and the recent raise in minimum wage has inflated the unemployment. But these facts have no effect on them; their brains just do not process it. Many vote Democrat because they think it promotes minority rights. The Civil Rights act of the 1960s was passed in the face of most Democrats voting against it because an overwhelming number of Republicans (the minority at the time) voted for it. While we have seen the black family disintegrate under welfare and affirmative-action pats on the head that substitute for actual education, black voters continue to vote Democrat.
The fourth category makes up those that live off the government. Expanding the government and government programs is crucial to expanding liberal power. The health care bill coming out of the senate does not cover everyone, does not lower health care costs but does raise taxes. The president is still interested because it expands the number of rice-bowl voters. Professors also belong to this category but Obama also loves them because they provide hare-brained theories to try out on the American economy.
Into this political cauldron we have three new phenomena that provide the golden opportunity for a new conservative leader. First, the conservative voters have been largely abandoned. Only after 2008 have Republicans in Congress put their foot down and said “no” to all the liberal crap being jammed down our throat. But too often, even as the majority, they let the Democrats set the agenda, proposing only modifications to liberal bills. This political pull to the left is in response to the second new phenomena; the whacko far left has become issue oriented and rich. Obama, who ran as centrist, winked at the radical left as he collected their money. But he is now trying to govern from the left and has enraged the regular left, middle and right, giving rise to the third phenomenon, the tea-party movement.
To exploit this opportunity we need a leader with three key qualities. Quality one is genuineness. Campaign from the right and government from the right. If you are Christian, Jew or agnostic, be that. But be conservative and live conservative values the best you can. Category one voters are the only ones you can reach and they live on the right. And remember that independent voters are just conservative voters that do not want to be labeled. The political right and the right-leaning middle make a political voting majority. The left (including the press) will be vile and nasty so you need quality two. Have a spine. Remember, bipartisanship to a liberal means shut up and do it my way so stand up to them. Third, and most important, teach, preach and explain conservativism. You cannot let the left define you like Gingrich and Bush did. Reagan was always speaking to the people and not just from a teleprompter. Pushing the political landscape back to the right (where it wants to be naturally) will make it all the more difficult for Obama to get his socialist agenda through. This will save the country grief but also further anger his financial donors. If they get mad enough, maybe they will stop donating or maybe even move to France like they keep promising. Then the tea-party people can go back home and get back to living their lives, assured the country is safe and leave all the rally stuff to the out-of-power, whacko left. Don’t forget your ace in hole: Conservativism works and liberalism does not. Be true to us and we will be true to you, quietly voting you back into office election after election, regardless of what Katie Curic or Rosie O’Donnel say. And we can keep Joy Bahar scratching her head until her finger hits her brain or whatever is underneath that thick skull. Wow! Image if that stuff leaked out. Can you say "Clean up aisle 9"! I wonder if you would have to call the CDC or the EPA?
Saturday, December 12, 2009
The Bush Made Me Do It!
As President Obama’s approval ratings drop, it is important to remember an important fact. This poignant fact was repeated this week in recent speeches made by the president including the momentous speech in Norway this week. The problems we face in this country are actually George Bush’s fault. In a speech to the UN in 2006, Hugo Chavez told us the reason why Bush is so ominous; he is the devil. Chavez’s nose, which is extraordinarily large and sensitive, could even smell the sulfur as Bush left the chamber. It is natural that Bush, being the devil, would sabotage the most historic presidency in history, that of the great American messiah, the great Barack Obama. The evidence of this sabotage is clear if you just look for it.
First, there is the war. Bush used torture to get information that ended the fight in Iraq. The fighters have gone to Afghanistan to embarrass Obama who said this was the necessary war. Now Obama has to send more troops even as he received his well-deserved Peace Prize. How embarrassing is that?
And just look at the horrible economy Bush left. While Barney Frank and Chris Dodd were in Congress trying to get Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to lend money for homes to poor minorities, the evil George Bush was out there touting that home ownership was at its highest, as if he were responsible for it. He knew these mortgage companies were on the verge of collapse and even convinced them to give copious amounts of money to Dodd and Obama (the highest two recipients of cash, in fact) just so these great individuals would be tainted when the scandal broke. At the end of Bush’s term, he abandoned the free market, not because he believed it would save the economy, but because he wanted Obama to be branded a socialist. In fact, Bush started months earlier to send evil brain waves to Obama to force him to vote so liberal in the senate that he would be rated the most liberal of all senators. Then during the campaign, Obama broke away from his liberal sins by telling us moderate things like “a government takeover of health care is over-kill.” Just when Obama had come to his senses, Bush tricked him into approving a multi-billion dollar stimulus package. Obama recently pointed out how flawed that package was but everyone knows it was passed during the Bush administration without any input whatsoever from Obama and any enthusiastic support Obama may have expressed at the time were just more of Bush’s evil brain waves. Even the press knows that, which is why they never play clips of Obama talking as if the stimulus package had been his idea.
Furthermore, there are these outrageous deficits. Obama keeps reminding us that we need to do something about the spending. But Bush’s evil brain waves have overrun the Congress which keeps passing more spending and they keep tricking the President into signing them. Recently the banks paid back the TARP money and now the Devil Bush has got Congress talking about spending it instead of paying back the deficit. Money meant for stimulus has been spent on projects no sane person would invest in. An example is an airport in rural Pennsylvania servicing fewer than 10,000 people per year but it got $800,000 in stimulus money. But does Bush get blamed for whispering evil seductions in lawmakers’ ears? No, he convinces people to name it after Congressman John Murtha, as if Murtha had anything to do with it. How evil is that?!
And what about the fight over health care. When Bush was president, the Republicans went along with expanding Medicare. Now that Obama needs them, they all stand together in stern opposition. Some of them claimed they learned a lesson from 2008 but we all know it is Bush whispering in their ear to oppose Obama. Even some Democrats are succumbing to Bush’s evil whisperings and are opposing things such as publicly funded abortions. Since when did Democrats start opposing free abortions? You know evil forces are at work when that starts happening. Some fearless souls, such as Harry Reed, know that the American people demand health care reform. But when pollsters go out to measure the support, Bush causes them to misprint the result, showing the opposite of the truth. People have attempted to turn out in droves in support of health care reform but Bush has been so powerful in keeping them from turning out at the rallies that network news teams have had to do close-ups on all ten demonstrators who managed to escape Bush’s grasp so that people think millions showed up, which was what would have happened if Bush’s evil brain waves had not gotten in the way. Meanwhile fringe movements, such as the tea-party movement, have otherwise peace-loving people filled with Nazi hate and showing up to oppose the benevolence of the great Obama. Only evil forces, like that mustered by Bush, could behind all this.
Now 2010 approaches, an election year. Things will go badly for the Democrats if unemployment does not come down and the economy does not start growing again. Obama has done everything he can to spend our way back to prosperity, and in spite of huge employment gains in government, Bush’s hold on greedy corporations and business owners has them hoarding their money instead of hiring. This has caused unemployment to rise above even Joe Biden’s highest estimate and we know he is always right otherwise. And just when Bush’s evil friends, the Rich, have been brought to their knees, evil brain waves have penetrated Congressmen who suggest we cut taxes to stimulate the economy. These good soldiers, who were expected to lay down their congressional seats for Pelosi and Reed’s agenda, are now trying to save themselves from the unemployment lines. Even Obama has suggested tax cuts for small business owners. (Et tu, Obama?)
So as we move into the new year, try to focus on important things like global warming and the terrorist trials in New York exposing the evil plots of the Bush administration. Be patient as we sacrifice jobs, wealth and even the Constitution as the Democrats try to save us from Bush and his evil wealth-creating brain waves. And if Obama cracks once in a while and suggests tax cuts or fighting terrorist abroad, cut him some slack. After all, the Bush made him do it!
First, there is the war. Bush used torture to get information that ended the fight in Iraq. The fighters have gone to Afghanistan to embarrass Obama who said this was the necessary war. Now Obama has to send more troops even as he received his well-deserved Peace Prize. How embarrassing is that?
And just look at the horrible economy Bush left. While Barney Frank and Chris Dodd were in Congress trying to get Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to lend money for homes to poor minorities, the evil George Bush was out there touting that home ownership was at its highest, as if he were responsible for it. He knew these mortgage companies were on the verge of collapse and even convinced them to give copious amounts of money to Dodd and Obama (the highest two recipients of cash, in fact) just so these great individuals would be tainted when the scandal broke. At the end of Bush’s term, he abandoned the free market, not because he believed it would save the economy, but because he wanted Obama to be branded a socialist. In fact, Bush started months earlier to send evil brain waves to Obama to force him to vote so liberal in the senate that he would be rated the most liberal of all senators. Then during the campaign, Obama broke away from his liberal sins by telling us moderate things like “a government takeover of health care is over-kill.” Just when Obama had come to his senses, Bush tricked him into approving a multi-billion dollar stimulus package. Obama recently pointed out how flawed that package was but everyone knows it was passed during the Bush administration without any input whatsoever from Obama and any enthusiastic support Obama may have expressed at the time were just more of Bush’s evil brain waves. Even the press knows that, which is why they never play clips of Obama talking as if the stimulus package had been his idea.
Furthermore, there are these outrageous deficits. Obama keeps reminding us that we need to do something about the spending. But Bush’s evil brain waves have overrun the Congress which keeps passing more spending and they keep tricking the President into signing them. Recently the banks paid back the TARP money and now the Devil Bush has got Congress talking about spending it instead of paying back the deficit. Money meant for stimulus has been spent on projects no sane person would invest in. An example is an airport in rural Pennsylvania servicing fewer than 10,000 people per year but it got $800,000 in stimulus money. But does Bush get blamed for whispering evil seductions in lawmakers’ ears? No, he convinces people to name it after Congressman John Murtha, as if Murtha had anything to do with it. How evil is that?!
And what about the fight over health care. When Bush was president, the Republicans went along with expanding Medicare. Now that Obama needs them, they all stand together in stern opposition. Some of them claimed they learned a lesson from 2008 but we all know it is Bush whispering in their ear to oppose Obama. Even some Democrats are succumbing to Bush’s evil whisperings and are opposing things such as publicly funded abortions. Since when did Democrats start opposing free abortions? You know evil forces are at work when that starts happening. Some fearless souls, such as Harry Reed, know that the American people demand health care reform. But when pollsters go out to measure the support, Bush causes them to misprint the result, showing the opposite of the truth. People have attempted to turn out in droves in support of health care reform but Bush has been so powerful in keeping them from turning out at the rallies that network news teams have had to do close-ups on all ten demonstrators who managed to escape Bush’s grasp so that people think millions showed up, which was what would have happened if Bush’s evil brain waves had not gotten in the way. Meanwhile fringe movements, such as the tea-party movement, have otherwise peace-loving people filled with Nazi hate and showing up to oppose the benevolence of the great Obama. Only evil forces, like that mustered by Bush, could behind all this.
Now 2010 approaches, an election year. Things will go badly for the Democrats if unemployment does not come down and the economy does not start growing again. Obama has done everything he can to spend our way back to prosperity, and in spite of huge employment gains in government, Bush’s hold on greedy corporations and business owners has them hoarding their money instead of hiring. This has caused unemployment to rise above even Joe Biden’s highest estimate and we know he is always right otherwise. And just when Bush’s evil friends, the Rich, have been brought to their knees, evil brain waves have penetrated Congressmen who suggest we cut taxes to stimulate the economy. These good soldiers, who were expected to lay down their congressional seats for Pelosi and Reed’s agenda, are now trying to save themselves from the unemployment lines. Even Obama has suggested tax cuts for small business owners. (Et tu, Obama?)
So as we move into the new year, try to focus on important things like global warming and the terrorist trials in New York exposing the evil plots of the Bush administration. Be patient as we sacrifice jobs, wealth and even the Constitution as the Democrats try to save us from Bush and his evil wealth-creating brain waves. And if Obama cracks once in a while and suggests tax cuts or fighting terrorist abroad, cut him some slack. After all, the Bush made him do it!
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