Results tagged “Politics” from Bill's Words

It’s about time that the media shed the pretense of being “unbiased” and came clean right up there in the masthead.

“NEW YORK TIMES—Today’s Edition: 89% liberal”

“FOX NEWS: Trying to be 50/50, but looking a little imbalanced these days”

“WASHINGTON POST: We’re owned by a big-time Obama contributor. What do you think you’re going to get?”

“MSNBC: We’re not even trying.”

“CNN: Wait, we’re still relevant?”

A “pretty shameful day for Washington”? No. Our founders would be proud.

This is the way Washington was designed to work. The Executive branch shouldn’t get its way just because it wants it. Instead, the system of checks and balances ensures that the will of the elected one doesn’t override the will of the elected many.

So go stomp your feet, cry, throw a temper-tantrum, and vow to defeat the Constitution using some end-around play, but this is the way it’s supposed to be.

Where are the conservatives? Where’s one single voice of reason?

“There’s no immediate debt crisis, Boehner says, agreeing with Obama” - latimes.com

We may as well give up. This is ridiculous.

So true:

Public debate in Washington has deteriorated into Sesame Street sing-a-longs.

Conservatives are giving Al Gore a hard time for selling Current TV to the oil barons of Al Jazeera for $500M because it’s hypocrisy. Al’s other real hypocrisies aside (the jet, the mansions, etc.), I think he’s trying to do the right thing by selling the oil barons a steaming pile of nothing⁺ for $500M.

If he takes their money and gives them nothing in return, hasn’t he helped his so-called “global warming initiative”?

⁺ I suppose you’ve watched Current TV? No? I rest my case.

I love Ben Stein. You should read his latest missive in its entirety.

The men and women who sacrifice for us — military, police, prosecutors, fire fighters, teachers, nurses, parents — are the bedrock of the nation — and the military wife is the backbone of the entire free world.

Amen to that, Mr. Stein.

Dear Mr. Obama,

You said you wanted to do something substantial about the tragedy of yesterday in Connecticut.

Well, do you really?

Were you joking when you paraphrased Abraham Lincoln, saying “I have been driven to my knees many times by the overwhelming conviction that I had no place else to go.”?

If you weren’t joking, then you know exactly what to do, and exactly what to encourage your fellow Americans to do.

Sincerely yours,

/Bill/

William N. Eccles

In a right to work state, unions are not illegal.

In a right to work state, collective bargaining is not illegal.

In a right to work state, strikes are not illegal, either.

In a right to work state, no employee may be required to be a member of a union to hold a job.

In a right to work state, right to work laws are neither pro-union nor anti-union.

You can still have a job. The union just has to prove its value to you—just like any other organization. And if the union is a good deal, then you’ll gladly and willingly join.

Congratulations, Michigan.

Charles Kenny in Bloomberg Businessweek:

But what makes the experience of air travel truly abominable is the government agency ostensibly designed to ease anxieties about getting on planes: the Transportation Security Administration. Far from making travel safer, the U.S.’s approach to airport security is putting the lives of even more people at risk.

Where have I heard that before? Oh… right. Here. As in, here on this blog::

I’d have to venture a guess that even if we let people bring anything onboard an airplane, air travel would still be safer than the drive from home to the airport. 43,443 people were killed in 2005 while driving their cars. That’s over 200 Boeing 737’s full of people.

Six years ago.

I have long wondered about Israel’s claim to Gaza. This article summarizes the argument of John Piper wherein he makes a claim that Israel is not entitled to Gaza—at least, not right now anyway. To me, a non-scholar, it’s well-argued and Biblical. His final point:

Finally, this inheritance [of the Promised Land] of Christ’s people will happen at the Second Coming of Christ to establish his kingdom, not before; and till then, we Christians must not take up arms to claim our inheritance; but rather lay down our lives to share our inheritance with as many as we can.

If you don’t read the full text of Piper’s sermon, at least read the summary at The Gospel Coalition.

I shut off Facebook and Twitter for the foreseeable future. It didn’t take long after the elections for most of the political rhetoric on Facebook an Twitter to settle down, but the Office Christmas Party Protocol continues to face formidable opposition from the most stalwart supporters of one party or another.

Given that I have been in a funk about the changing nature of this country and its citizens recently, I decided I’d had enough. Certainly, I’d broken the OCPP, too, adding to the noise. And that’s what it was: purposeless noise. Even the non-political content is as Dennis Miller described Twitter posts: “annotated burps.” I couldn’t say it any better.

The silence has been wonderful.

[This is the last political entry I intend to post on this site. I don’t have a lot of readers, I don’t have a lot of time, and I don’t get paid for my effort. I’ve only ever heard from one of my recent readers—and that’s OK!—and I don’t think that my voice does much but add to the noise. Might I recommend The American Spectator for superb conservative political commentary? I’ll continue to publish computing and thought pieces, but this election cycle has made me tired of national politics. WNE]

Dear Mr. Obama,

Your victory speech was elegant as always; you have the gift of the gab, truly. You used some words that I expect you to live up to lest they fall onto the heap of broken promises of your first term. These words were, “…whether you held an Obama sign or a Romney sign, you made your voice heard…”

Though you may have heard, my question to you, Mr. Obama, is Were you listening?

If you were listening, then what you heard is your country’s saying:

Stop letting the mainstream media do your work for you. If you are a man, if you are a leader, then you should be able to convey the message you intend the country to hear without having the likes of Rachel Maddow and Chris Matthews covering for you. Let them do their job. Let them be critical of you. Stop trading access for control of the narrative. Let the people hear the truth through Jefferson’s independent fourth estate. Man up.

You’ll make mistakes. Own up to them. The rest of us have to live with the consequences of your errors, so why don’t you? Stop letting the media cover for your mistakes. Man up.

Your way isn’t necessarily the best way. Your long-held socialist beliefs are not what the country wants. You, the liberal elite, Hollywood, and their ilk certainly want this nation to become a nation of redistribution. But it’s time you listen to other sides of the story. Mr. Romney and Mr. Ryan do have a plan which could work, but you’ll have to listen to them, to avoid letting your own biases block the path “forward.” It takes guts to listen to, respect and incorporate the other side’s points of view. Man up.

Vilification of the rich is great for short term political gain, but divides the country. I have yet to understand why the “poor” hate the job-creating “rich” but worship the do-nothing Hollywood elite, why George Clooney is revered, but Linda McMahon is reviled. If you want the “rich” on your side—and by your own admission, you must have the rich to fund your spending machine—stop pissing them off. Stop dividing the country with artificial class warfare. Unify.

Speaking of warfare, listen to this:

Stop creating artificial wars. Your “war on women” is a prime example of rhetoric for the sake of inflaming your supporters. It does nothing but push your supporters and your detractors further apart. It does not build consensus. Build consensus.

Get to work. 10 weeks of golf. Celebrity basketball games. Bragging about your beer recipe. All of these are great past-times and would be great features on Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. But for a sitting President, they are inappropriate. You used your first term to prove that you’re just a regular Joe who is somehow privileged enough to hang out with stars and celebrities. Now get to work and do the job you were elected to do. Attend those briefings. Learn a work ethic befitting a president.

Strengthen this country’s defense. I do not believe it to be any coincidence that you and Bill Clinton ushered in horrific terrorist attacks. You must ensure that the world of terrorists does not see your peacemaking overtures (or whatever it is you’re doing) to the world of Arabs as indication that the US is soft on terrorism. Declaring that Al Qeada is dead does not make it so. Put ears on the ground in-country and build intel that we can use to hunt down and kill terrorists. Prevent attacks, and when warned of imminent attacks, pay attention, dammit.

Stop governing with czars and edicts. You are not a dictator, and you have no right to dictate. Only a complacent Congress has allowed this abhorrent mangling of checks and balances to continue. Do your job right.

Clean house. Your Vice-President is not a “happy warrior”—he’s the punch line to many jokes. He’s making a mockery of his office and acts the fool. Likewise, you have a staff containing tax evaders and cheats; I imagine that there are others with less-than-stellar records, too. Remove these people from office and put well-respected, well-vetted and centrist (mostly because neither the left nor the right will approve a radical of either extreme) people in front of Congress and into those jobs.

“It’s the economy, stupid.” Worry about social programs after the economy is fixed. Until we have a working economy, you can’t afford social programs. Your credit card is maxed out, and our house is so far underwater that our great-grandchildren will have no place to live in if you continue at the torrid pace you set during your first term. China is not our friend. Manufacturers must be encouraged to bring business back on shore. Likewise, stop picking winners. You clearly demonstrated that the government has no business in investing in technological fantasies, that “more money” doesn’t equate to “success.” You want to make good on that balanced budget thing? First, stop spending so you know how much you need to take in. Then tax. If you do it the other way around, you’ll never get what you need, the economy will continue to stagnate, and more generations will drown.

Innovate. If the private sector can figure out ways to manufacture items more efficiently, to break the laws of nature, to avoid paying taxes, to find new ways of doing old things better, then why can’t government? It’s because we’re asking politicians, not problem-solving experts, to fix the problems. Bring in experts from industry. Bring in the brilliant minds. Ignore their party affiliation. Leave the Hollywood elites at home. Let the brilliant people of this country solve the problems we face, because solve it they will… if you’ll let them.

Now hear this: Your victory wasn’t quite “decisive” as the mainstream media are so quick to report. No, you won through the grace of the Electoral College. The fact that you won by a thinner margin of the vote this time means that more people are listening, learning, and understanding the deficiencies of hiring a community organizer to do the job of a world leader. Unfortunately, not enough understood this problem and the net result is you get four more years to make good on the promises of your “one term proposition.”

For the rest of us who did understand, we are left praying first for our families, then for our country, and then for you and the rest of our elected leaders. Because in spite of the “us” and “them” rhetoric you bludgeon us with each day, we are all in this together.

Sincerely yours,

/Bill/

William N. Eccles

“My message to the governors as well as to the mayors is anything they need, we will be there, and we will cut through red tape,” Mr. Obama said. “We are not going to get bogged down with a lot of rules.”

We’ve had a few natural disasters during your presidency, Mr. Obama, and yet you still have not streamlined the government and eliminate the red tape you vow to “cut through.” Why not? It’s because your solution is typical of liberals: Make government bigger, trying to cure the symptom instead of solving the problem.

Obamacare is a prime example. It does not do anything to address the basic problems of health care costs, instead trying to find ways either to pay inflated costs or to force costs to be lower with magic, all the while increasing demand for health care without adequately addressing supply. Obamacare is nearly 2,000 pages of legislation which sticks a BandAid on the patient’s knee instead of trying to figure out why the patient has cancer in the first place.

If red tape can be cut through, don’t just cut through it: get rid of it.

Dr. Barbara Bellar, candidate for Illinois State Senate, District 18, sums up Obamacare in one (very long) sentence.

Don’t want to or can’t watch? Or you’d like to share the text on Facebook (just to really piss off your liberal Obama-worshiping friends)? Here’s what she said:

So, let me get this straight… We are going to be gifted with a health care plan we are forced to purchase and fined if we don’t, which purportedly covers at least 10 million more people without adding a single new doctor but provides for 16,000 new IRS agents, written by a committee whose chairman says he doesn’t understand it, passed by a Congress that didn’t read it but exempted themselves from it, and signed by a President who smokes, with funding administered by a treasury chief who didn’t pay his taxes, for which we will be taxed for four years before any benefits take effect by a government which has already bankrupted Social Security and Medicare, all to be overseen by a Surgeon General who is obese, and financed by a country that’s broke. So what the “blank” could possibly go wrong?!

I’ll say it again: the ideas might have been good, but the implementation absolutely, without a doubt, sucks.

(via Blonde Sagacity who did 95% of the transcription)

Obama never promised us “better off”. His campaign slogan was “Hope and Change”, which he has delivered (to his constituents, anyway).

Now he’s all on about “Firewood”. I’m not exactly sure what that’s all about, but it might have something to do with energy independence—I’m not sure.

If only all of them were this easy.

Keepin’ it classy, y’all…

These buttons are being distributed by the Illinois delegation to the Democratic convention.

Ah, President Obama. The only thing missing from your tribute to Neil Armstrong is working yourself into the caption. How your campaign missed that, I’ll never know.

Year-old stock photo of celestial bodies shining down upon The Chosen One can be found here.

Oh, wait, I guess he did work himself into it, but not as blatantly as usual.

(The references to Obama have been removed from the presidential histories, for what it’s worth.)

Charlie Crist, apparently still off his meds:

“I applaud and share [Obama’s] vision of a future built by a strong and confident middle class in an economy that gives us the opportunity to reap prosperity through hard work and personal responsibility,” said Crist, in an op-ed published in the Tampa Bay Times.

Wait, what? Is he endorsing the same guy who said, “It must be because I worked harder than everybody else. blah blah blah …you didn’t build it. blah blah blah”? Is he endorsing the same guy who gutted the workfare requirement of welfare?

Obama doesn’t even begin to understand “personal responsibility.” In his view, if the government isn’t responsible for your prosperity, then nobody is.

via MM

Chock full of data and explanation, such as:

In 1972, when the highest tax rate on the rich was 70 percent and the top capital-gains tax rate was 35 percent, the richest 1 percent of Americans assumed 18 percent of the income-tax burden. Today, with a top income-tax rate of 35 percent and a capital-gains rate of 15 percent, their share is 39 percent, more than twice as much. This is true because, faced with high tax rates, the rich of 40 years ago put more of their income into tax shelters or foreign countries. They invested less, and they worked less. And the rest of us suffered during the years of stagflation—as we will again, if rates are raised.

Read the rest of this article by Stephen Moore, Senior Economics Writer, Wall Street Journal Editorial Board.

If you think this year’s presidential election is about anything other than the economy, you’ve been listening to the Democrats too long.