Aesthetic Capitalist

A Recipe For Cultural Change

2011-12-11T12:16:00.001-06:00

Yaron Brook
Ayn Rand and the Tea Party: A Recipe for Cultural Change

I particularly enjoyed Dr. Brook's answer to the question of public schools. This question is asked at the 26M:25S mark.

2011-07-29T22:38:00.001-05:00

John Allison: Debt Ceiling Crisis Is Primarily the Responsibility of President Obama

College: Destroying Education on all Levels

2011-07-22T08:56:00.000-05:00

Colleges and universities today are over-priced, over-valued, and are destroying education on all levels.

College Conspiracy

I value education. I think education, learning, and ideas are (and should be) the most important things to each and every individual in a society. And because of this, the current government public education system from pre-K to graduate school, must be ended.

R.I.P. Dr. Kevorkian

2011-06-03T08:55:00.002-05:00

Free Dr. Kevorkian

Dr. Jack Kevorkian and The Right to Assisted Suicide

"The Declaration of Independence proclaimed, for the first time in the history of nations, that each person exists as an end in himself. This basic truth--which finds political expression in the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness--means, in practical terms, that you need no one's permission to live, and that no one may forcibly obstruct your efforts to achieve your own personal happiness.

But what if happiness becomes impossible to attain? What if a dread disease, or some other calamity, drains all joy from life, leaving only misery and suffering? The right to life includes and implies the right to commit suicide. To hold otherwise--to declare that society must give you permission to kill yourself--is to contradict the right to life at its root. If you have a duty to go on living, despite your better judgment, then your life does not belong to you, and you exist by permission, not by right.

For these reasons, each individual has the right to decide the hour of his death and to implement that solemn decision as best he can. The choice is his because the life is his. And if a doctor is willing (not forced) to assist in the suicide, based on an objective assessment of his patient's mental and physical state, the law should not stand in his way." -- Thomas Bowden

2011-04-24T14:53:00.000-05:00

Phantom Federal Budget ‘Cuts’

More Dollars

2011-03-25T08:27:00.002-05:00

It's called 'inflation' when more dollars are needed to print more dollars

Nuclear Energy: Is Safe

2011-03-14T10:40:00.003-05:00

An excellent article in the Wall Street Journal: Japan Does Not Face Another Chernobyl

My favorite points from the piece:

1) The core of a nuclear reactor operates at about 550 degrees Fahrenheit, well below the temperature of a coal furnace and only slightly hotter than a kitchen oven. If anything unusual occurs, the control rods immediately drop, shutting off the nuclear reaction. You can't have a "runaway reactor," nor can a reactor explode like a nuclear bomb. A commercial reactor is to a bomb what Vaseline is to napalm. Although both are made from petroleum jelly, only one of them has potentially explosive material.

2) If the pumps are knocked out in a Generation II reactor—as they were at Fukushima Daiichi by the tsunami—the water in the cooling system can overheat and evaporate. The resulting steam increases internal pressure that must be vented. There was a small release of radioactive steam at Three Mile Island in 1979, and there have also been a few releases at Fukushima Daiichi. These produce radiation at about the level of one dental X-ray in the immediate vicinity and quickly dissipate.

3) Early speculation was that in a case like this the fuel might continue melting right through the steel and perhaps even through the concrete containment structure—the so-called China syndrome, where the fuel would melt all the way to China. But Three Mile Island proved this doesn't happen. The melted fuel rods simply aren't hot enough to melt steel or concrete.

4) Early speculation was that in a case like this the fuel might continue melting right through the steel and perhaps even through the concrete containment structure—the so-called China syndrome, where the fuel would melt all the way to China. But Three Mile Island proved this doesn't happen. The melted fuel rods simply aren't hot enough to melt steel or concrete.

5) The Chernobyl reactor had two crucial design flaws. First, it used graphite (carbon) instead of water to "moderate" the neutrons, which makes possible the nuclear reaction. The graphite caught fire in April 1986 and burned for four days. Water does not catch fire. Second, Chernobyl had no containment structure. When the graphite caught fire, it spouted a plume of radioactive smoke that spread across the globe. A containment structure would have both smothered the fire and contained the radioactivity.

Nuclear power, in the hands of private companies and without restraints from no-nothing government bureaucrats, is safe. Nuclear power is safer than gas and coal. Nuclear power is more efficient than solar and wind. Life has risk, progress comes with risk...remove risk and we are all dead. There is no way to be "completely" or "perfectly" safe. Let smart, knowledgeable, experienced people profit, and we all will be better off! Let the government make us "safe", and our biggest fear becomes ever sniveling-snoot-nose-pencil-pusher-with-a-lick-of-government-power.

ObamaCare and Pre-Existing Conditions

2011-03-11T07:27:00.002-06:00

"We don’t buy food, diapers, or car insurance through our employers, so why in the world do we buy health insurance this way? It’s not because it’s more efficient for every car dealership and paper towel manufacturer to learn the ins and outs of administering a health insurance plan. It’s because we can buy health insurance through our employer with pre-tax dollars. No such luck if you want to buy your own health insurance package. And it’s not really even insurance anymore, since we use it to pay for almost everything, from a routine blood test to a routine physical—which makes about as much sense as using car insurance to pay for an oil change.

[T]here is a category best described as “insurance blindfolds,” a category that includes the preexisting condition rule. Insurance blindfolds tell health insurance companies that they dare not take into account certain risk factors when setting insurance rates. The effect of such laws is not to erase the existence of these verboten risks, but to force low-risk patients to shoulder substantially higher premiums."

The Road To Socialized Medicine Is Paved With Pre-existing Conditions, Part 1

The Road To Socialized Medicine Is Paved With Pre-existing Conditions, Part II

Don't Let It Slip Away

2011-03-11T03:14:00.002-06:00

Yaron Brook at Tea Party Patriots Summit

Bad Words: Freedom of Speech at Home and in Public

2011-02-14T12:01:00.003-06:00

Amy Mossoff over at The Little Things has a great post on curse words and children.

My wife and I have been talking about this issue as well. We both can get down right raunchy with our language at home. From the time we were in high school, if not before, we each cussed with our friends, usually far from earshot of our parents. We like our colorful word choices...used as Amy says for "shock value", as much as it is to pinpoint our meaning as for color and laughs.

Neither of wants to give this up, and have been looking for precise explanations of the value of colorful language and why it can been harmful for children, and for parental relationships with children, to be demanding with a child's choice of language...at any age.

Amy nails several issues we hadn't even considered, and provides many, many avenues of exploration of this topic. I cannot recommend her blog post enough:

Don’t Call Me Stupid

Egypt: No Have For Freedom

2011-02-14T09:04:00.001-06:00

Editorial: What Egyptians Really Want

GOP: A Despicable Bunch of Cowards

2011-02-10T14:53:00.005-06:00

What about the GOP's "Cuts?"

Gus Van Horn nails it like usual!

Americans concerned about government spending still have our work cut out for us, and we would even if the GOP did honor its election pledge. We cannot allow ourselves to be satisfied with a party that gloats over Obama's minuscule budget cuts -- and then proposes cuts that are "large" only by comparison.

Happy Birthday, Ayn Rand!!!

2011-02-02T11:48:00.002-06:00

Forget Groundhog's Day -- Why Businessmen Should Say Happy Birthday to Ayn Rand

The heroes of "Atlas Shrugged" are a group of great achievers, mostly businessmen, who, like businessmen today, live in a world that damns, shackles, and drains them. But these achievers refuse to accept this treatment; they fight back. They go on strike, refusing to work in a society that at once depends on their achievements but brands them immoral for seeking to profit from those achievements. They let the world see what happens when their “immorality” is removed.

“We are evil, according to your morality,” the leader of the strike, John Galt, tells the world in a radio address; “We have chosen not to harm you any longer. . . . We are dangerous and to be shackled, according to your politics. We have chosen not to endanger you, nor to wear the shackles any longer.”

Spot on Parenting Advice

2011-01-28T09:07:00.001-06:00

My wife and I found out this week that she is expecting. Yay! Due date, not yet official, but we are looking at a late September delivery date.

In keeping with this news, I just came across some sage parenting advice:

Balance Through Selfishness

Art Appreciation -- VanDamme Academy

2011-01-23T08:39:00.003-06:00

This is how you do art, education, and life.

Touching the Art
Luc Travers

Inflation, Inflation Everywhere

2011-01-17T19:52:00.001-06:00

The Rising Cost of Everything: Are We In the Grip of Inflation?

2011: The Year Of Inflation

2011-01-14T09:00:00.002-06:00

Has The Fed Lit Inflation Fuse?

There will be no stopping these cycles, and our impeding bust, without taking control of the money supply out of our politicians hands.

And One More

2011-01-13T16:35:00.003-06:00

I am so ready to get back to the issues at hand: stopping Obama, repealing ObamaCare, discussing the need to start phasing out Social Security, Medicare, public education, and the post office, abolishing Freddie and Fannie, ending the Fed, the FDA, and the FCC, and destroying Islamic Totalitarianism.

The past week has been awful. Lots of meaningless chatter; lots of chatter that further showed us who our friends are, and who are our enemies. I really don't want to devote any more time to the circus that is the aftermath of the Arizona tragedy, but this piece by Dr. Michael Hurd is so good, I have to recommend:

The Hypocrisy Underlying Obama's Speech

For most people, a tragedy is a time to reflect. For a politician, especially one who has been given uncritical positive regard for all of his short career -- including his unearned rise to the Presidency of the United States -- Barack Obama has used a tragedy as an opportunity to exploit.

The gulf between this man's words and his actions is staggering -- even for a politician. Even more staggering is how he gets away with it, and how even many of his supposed foes have praised him for his speech at the memorial for victims in the Arizona shooting.

2011-01-11T12:20:00.000-06:00

Krugman's toxic rhetoric

Ms Giffords failed to tender a satisfactory reply to "What is government if words have no meaning?", was judged a fake, and...and Mr Loughner shot her in the head.

At this point, there is simply no sound reason to believe this deranged young man was fired up by "toxic" or "eliminationist" conservative rhetoric from Michele Bachmann or whomever. Why are we even having this conversation? It's nuts. It's offensive. Is there any, you know, evidence that political rhetoric is now more vitriolic or incendiary than usual? Maybe there is, but I know of none. A feeling in Mr Krugman's gut doesn't cut it. Doesn't it seem at least as likely that a 22-year-old would be inspired to an act of high-profile atrocity by violent video games or films? As far as I know there's no evidence of that, either.

Arizona Tragedy: Things That Shouldn't Have To Be Said

2011-01-10T13:02:00.005-06:00

The Arizona Tragedy and the Politics of Blood Libel
By Glenn Reynolds
Those who purport to care about the tenor of political discourse don't help civil debate when they seize on any pretext to call their political opponents accomplices to murder.

The Charlatans' Response to the Tucson Tragedy
by George Will
It would be merciful if, when tragedies such as Tucson's occur, there were a moratorium on sociology. But respites from half-baked explanations, often serving political opportunism, are impossible because of a timeless human craving and a characteristic of many modern minds.

The progressive “climate of hate:” An illustrated primer, 2000-2010
Michelle Malkin has put toether an incredible collection of images, video, and links here. But without at ounce of a hyperbole, I can say this is just the tip of the iceberg. Not only are there countless more images and links she could add from the past ten years, but the Lefts hatred, violence, and nihilism goes back another forty-plus years.

2011-01-10T12:19:00.001-06:00

"We must reject the idea that every time a law is broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions." Ronald Reagan

The Moral Case for Capitalism

2011-01-07T18:09:00.003-06:00

Eric Daniels TEDx Talk on Capitalism:

A is A: ObamaCare Reduces Competition, Drives Up Cost!

2011-01-06T06:57:00.002-06:00

Best health care political pull can buy
Barring law's repeal, medicine will serve large dose of special interests

As a result of Obamacare, fewer physicians will work in the familiar two- to five-person small-group practices most Americans prefer. Instead, doctors will be increasingly driven into large, impersonal "accountable care organizations" - not to take better care of their patients, but simply to survive economically. This consolidation is not some "unintended consequence," but rather an explicit goal, as White House health adviser Nancy-Ann DeParle acknowledged when praising Obamacare for encouraging "vertical organization of providers" and "physician employment by hospitals and aggregation into larger physician groups."

According to the New York Times, many consumer advocates thus fear Obamacare will have the perverse effect of reducing competition and driving up costs.

2010-12-29T17:28:00.007-06:00

The 6 Myths About Oil
By Alex Epstein

Why are the “experts,” so often wrong, and what can be expected for the future?

One reason is that the “experts” routinely neglect or underestimate the capacity of the human mind to discover better methods of locating and extracting oil. In industry parlance, they falsely equate “proven reserves”—the amount of oil that is known to exist and be extractable in the present—with future production: the amount of oil that will be known and be extractable in the future.

This is a fallacious tactic. As a rule, in the future companies will have the knowledge and economic incentive to discover and harness oil that they do not have the knowledge and incentive to discover today. Oil companies locate new oil supplies as and when it makes sense to do so given their production projections and given market supply and demand. They have no way of knowing the total amount of oil that exists in the earth, and no need go to the expense of finding and validating any given new deposit until it is profitable to do so.

Over time, as demand increases and/or previous reservoirs becoming exhausted, the industry locates new oil and discovers new and better ways to extract it. For example, oil companies can now discover deposits thousands of feet below the ocean floor using 3-D magnetic imaging; they can extract many times the oil from a reservoir that they once could, using methods such as horizontal drilling or high-pressure gas and water injection; today’s “easy oil” was yesterday’s “impossible” oil.

Update 1/18/2011:
Follow-up thoughts on “The 6 Myths About Oil”
by Alex Epstein

Inflation and Recovery

2010-12-29T10:05:00.002-06:00

Inflation is Not "Recovery"

In fact, housing price declines should be seen as the recovery. Housing price declines reflect liquidations of a massive misallocation of capital that took place during the preceeding boom, viz., investment in the expansion of housing. Only when this misallocated capital gets liquidated, can a true recovery take place. To the extent the government props up housing prices through inflation of the money supply, subsidies to homeowners and the like, actual recovery will be delayed and we will once again divert critical capital to a superinflated supply of housing that no one actually needs or desires.

GOP Needs Both the Moral and the Practical Arguments

2010-12-29T08:54:00.004-06:00

GOP Shifts on Fannie, Freddie Overhaul
Republicans Say Quickly Privatizing Mortgage Giants Would Squeeze Access to Home Loans and Depress Sales, Prices

And this is why we need Republican leadership that understands both economics and morality. There is no question doing things like phasing out welfare, Social Security and Medicare, privatizing Freddie and Fannie, and abolishing the Fed, the FCC, and the SEC is going to cause pain. But doing it slowly is only to draw out the pain, not lessen it. And pain or not, doing all of the above and more is the only moral action available to us.

It is no more my responsibility to make life easier for welfare recipients than it is right to force other people to "guarantee" my savings via the FDIC. We are each responsible for our own lives, and our own choices. The current system is one based on mutual slavery to slavery. We must get the government out of our lives, and allow ourselves to succeed, fail, and eventually recover based on our own effort.

Independence is a virtue!

Abolish the FCC

2010-12-28T08:22:00.003-06:00

Kill Off The FCC

"The FCC has been around for a while—it was established by the Communications Act of 1934. So it won't be abolished overnight. But its elimination is a worthy goal. Republicans, who at one time had a shutdown agenda, will control the House beginning in January. They should make the call and get the process started."

Also:

Time to Shut Down the FCC

Let the Market, Not the FCC 'Regulate' the Internet

2010-12-22T08:27:00.000-06:00

‎"Liberty is not collective, it is personal. All liberty is individual liberty." – President Calvin Coolidge

2010-12-17T15:27:00.000-06:00

Freedom Doesn’t Have a Prayer

Without Proper Principles, We All Are Impotent

2010-12-17T15:22:00.001-06:00

Who Needs Sharia?

It cannot be said any better:

"This story exemplifies a common problem in the West that conservatives dislike, but seem almost completely impotent to address: Moslems understand that many already-existing, illegitimate laws can easily be commandeered to enforce their religious dicta. Conservatives, almost all without convincing arguments against such laws (and quite a few being would-be theocrats who would behave similarly, if given the chance) end up becoming angry at Moslems which, although justified, is not alone an effective response."

2010-12-15T12:13:00.001-06:00

How to Fix the Tax Code: Five Pro-Growth Policies for Congress

Tax Cuts and Leftists

2010-12-15T10:27:00.002-06:00

Learn to use words and concepts properly. Spending, not tax cuts, add to the deficit.

Not Increasing Taxes is Not a Tax Cut

If Republicans had just said no, they could have waited a few weeks until they have a majority and proposed a bill that permanently reduces taxes while cutting spending. This program of cutting taxes, spending, and reducing the size of government is why we elected them. Their leaders have already begun to fail, and they haven't even been sworn in.

The Obamessiah Is Losing His Flock

2010-12-13T10:00:00.002-06:00

The presidential succession begins

After 10 years of Democrats denouncing the Bush tax cuts for the rich, Obama wants them to flip the switch so he can be the big hero. For Obama, denouncing the rich was rhetoric. He’s a multi-millionaire. Come on. But for guys like Bernie Sanders and Alan Grayson, it is what they believe.

Obama should have asked them first before selling them out.

He blew it. He had the worst midterm election — worst grade — of any president since Harry Truman. Don’t hand me that Reagan crap. In his first mid-term, Reagan lost a mere 28 House seats and gained two Senate seats.

The people like Obama. They hate his policies. And over time, the charm wears off, particularly as the unemployment rate remains high.

Yes, things would be easier if we had 5% unemployment.

Whose fault is that?

Who was given trillions to blow as he sees fit?

It didn’t work.

Couldn't Be Any Other Way

2010-12-13T09:53:00.001-06:00

The Dems' Crackup

The party is, in a phrase, cracking up. Asked to decide between a radical progressive ideology of income- and wealth-redistribution and sensible economic proposals that would bring economic growth and prosperity, the Democrats have chosen the former.

The president read the tea leaves correctly and compromised with the Republicans on taxes. He got the message at least. Sadly, the same can't be said for the rest of his party.

Taxation Is Theft, Not Stimulus

2010-12-13T09:37:00.006-06:00

For the good things column, seeing a conservative focused on a distinction of principle:

Bloomberg uses the quirk of phrase that shows he hasn't absorbed the most basic message of the Tea Party movement.

Damn straight! Tax cuts are not stimulus, or putting money in people's hands. Cutting taxes is one many important actions we need to be taking to limit government, to keeping the government from stealing our money, our property, and our liberty.

Taxation is theft. No matter the type, taxation is government taking our wealth by force.

Related:
Tax Cuts Without Spending Cuts Are Meaningless

9 Years Later, No Safer

2010-12-12T21:51:00.002-06:00

Campus Media Response: Intrusive Airport Security at Home is the Inevitable Price of Weakness Abroad

Some may find it difficult to believe that our wars in the Middle East have been inhibited. But the war against Islamic totalitarianism (the ideology espoused by terrorist groups like al-Qaeda) has now dragged on for nine years, nearly twice the length of World War II. Yet the enemy we face is far weaker than Nazi Germany or Imperial Japan. Why is it that a comparatively weaker enemy continues to threaten us?

Abolish the TSA

FDA and ObamaCare vs Medicine

2010-12-12T07:09:00.003-06:00

The Avastin Travesty
A cancer-fighting drug vs. an out-of-control federal agency.
by Thomas Bowden

Defund the FDA

Privatize Space Travel

2010-12-12T06:54:00.003-06:00

PJTV: Privatized Space Exploration

The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress
by Robert Heinlein

Mars: Who Should Own It
by Ron Pisaturo

ObamaCare: No News Here, By Definition It's a Bad Bill

2010-12-10T15:24:00.005-06:00

Side Effects: Number of Waivers Grows As a Result of Obamacare Authors’ Sloppy Handiwork

The incoming Congress should exercise its oversight responsibility by instructing HHS to replace this waiver program with new, clear regulations that any business, no matter how small, can refer to and easily determine whether it needs to change its plan. That sort of clarity, certainty, and uniformity is what is meant by the phrase “the rule of law.” Without it, the exercise of government power instead becomes arbitrary and inequitable, and it invites abuse and corruption.

The incoming congress should defund, and if possible, repeal ObamaCare. The 112th Congress has absolutely no business trying to fix ObamaCare. Their mandate is to end ObamaCare and cut government spending.

Further Proof the Democrats Have One Goal, And Only Goal In Mind

2010-12-10T14:35:00.004-06:00

Last month, I blogged on S. 510: The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act

But even though it was stopped by a constitutional protection that states all bills that will raise Revenue (i.e., taxes) shall originate in the House of Representatives, Democrats are attempting to sneak through by attaching it to H.R. 3082: The Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act of 2011.

Dems Pull Fast One With Food-Safety Bill

It didn’t take long for Democrats in the House to figure a way around the constitutional roadblock that halted the advance of S. 510: The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, following its approval by the Senate last week.

When proponents found the measure couldn’t move forward in the House, they quietly attached it as an amendment to the $1.1 trillion continuing resolution (CR), H.R. 3082: “The Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act of 2011” – a measure designed to fund the government through September, that was headed to the floor for a vote.

If they can continue to finagle backroom deals to take away our rights and expand government, at what point does America cease to exist? In a better culture, every single one of these S.O.B.'s would be run out of town!

Americans for Massive Spending Cuts

2010-12-10T12:02:00.002-06:00

Another Government Program That Could Be Cut: The Job Corps

Ideas for the 112th Congress, Republicans, and Tea Partiers

Class Warfare: So 1848

2010-12-10T11:41:00.005-06:00

"Ya know, Democrats should maybe check the expiration date on that class warfare card they keep playing." - Fred Thompson

Income Mobility and the Fallacy of Class-Warfare Arguments Against Tax Relief

Bernanke and Bad, Durable Ideas

2010-12-10T08:51:00.003-06:00

Why Ben Is Addicted To Failure

Bad, disproved ideas can be remarkably durable, and Ben Bernanke's destructive behavior is a prime example.

Of course, bad, disproved ideas are durable; they are durable because people are not taught to check their premises. People are not taught to look at reality. They are not taught that A is A, that contradictions cannot exist in reality, and therefore should not exist in their own minds, in their ideas. Because people are not taught to place their own objectivity above all else, they do not know what to do when they come upon a contradiction. They merely say, such is life, and move on.

From philosophy to education, from ethics to physics, from books to movies, and from the most erudite professor to the street-corner preacher, we are taught that contradictions exist, we are taught mortal men cannot understand, issues of our day are not simple, and that the gods works in mysterious ways.

Until we recognize that Aristotle was right, that A is A, that a thing cannot be A and non-A at the same time and in the same respect, until we recognize that there is an objective reality whether we perceive it or not, until we realize that are emotions are not means of cognition, disproved bad ideas will remain with us. Why? Because if a man does not check he ideas against reality, all he can do is check them against his emotions and the words of other men. As long as people use their feelings to guide their thoughts, they will be forced to follow bad, disproved ideas. Good ideas, true ideas, new ideas require men to think, require mean to place reality above their desires.

2010-12-09T14:12:00.001-06:00

Small-Biz Killers: Who Pays for Jobless Benefits?
By Michelle Malkin

An Act of Choice, No Matter How Heroic, Does Not Necessitate An Act of Force In the Name of Honor

2010-12-09T13:49:00.008-06:00

Republicans Block U.S. Health Aid for 9/11 Workers

I have nothing but the greatest respect for those who volunteered on 9/11. Those who risked their lives to save their fellow Americans. That said, their "sacrifice" is not a claim on me, you, or any other individual. They volunteered. And if now they need help, it should be up to those of us, who have the means and desire to step up and volunteer for them. But we should no more be forced at the point of a gun to help, then they should have been forced to help those in danger on 9/11. They were not forced to risk their lives, and I do not think our government should now force me to pay their medical bills.

Private charities, private charities, private charities!!!

No Compromise on Principle

2010-12-09T13:37:00.001-06:00

The truly and deliberately evil men are a very small minority; it is the appeaser who unleashes them on mankind; it is the appeaser’s intellectual abdication that invites them to take over. When a culture’s dominant trend is geared to irrationality, the thugs win over the appeasers. When intellectual leaders fail to foster the best in the mixed, unformed, vacillating character of people at large, the thugs are sure to bring out the worst. When the ablest men turn into cowards, the average men turn into brutes. -- Ayn Rand

The Evil of Compromise

GOP: Stand on Principle! No New Spending!

2010-12-09T13:08:00.005-06:00

House Democrats Urge Leaders to Block Tax Vote

As I wrote yesterday, I hope the Democrats block Obama's compromise bill.

I would love to have a fight on principle. I would love to see the GOP present a new bill. One that repeals the death tax, blocks any extension of unemployment benefits, and does not add one single cent to the government's budget or the deficit.

Update:

Deal with the devil: Temporary across-the-board tax relief for more endless jobless benefits

A Political Fight Over Principles. Bring It!

2010-12-08T13:37:00.004-06:00

Liberals Try to Prevent Pelosi From Bringing Tax Bill to the Floor

In an interview with Fox, DeFazio criticizes the president and says a majority of the House Democratic Caucus does not support the tax rate compromise. "There does not seem to be a majority of the Democrats who support the deal negotiated by Vice President Biden," DeFazio said. "So we want to have a record vote in the caucus on a resolution that says this resolution should not go to the floor without a majority of Democratic votes."

Fine, go ahead and block the "compromise bill". I don't like it either. I would like to see a new bill without the $56 Billion on new spending (for the extension of jobless benefits), and a complete repeal of the both the estate tax and the capital gains tax.

If the Democrats what a fight on principle...bring it!

Don't tax virtue!

2010-12-08T13:35:00.002-06:00

I put no stock in this, but just the same it makes me smile: Olby: Obama won’t get renominated if tax deal goes through

Humphrey-Hawkins: The Contradictory Dual Mandate

2010-12-08T13:23:00.002-06:00

The Duel Over the FED's Dual Mandate
Peter Schiff

Inflation does nothing to alter the structural issues that cause unemployment. Like everything else, the labor market is governed by the laws of supply and demand. High unemployment results from a wage structure that is too high relative to demand. Demand for labor is a function of productivity, or more accurately, profitability per worker. Absent higher productivity, which takes time to develop, the only way to clear the imbalance is for wages to fall. However, government and unions typically prevent this from happening. Economists describe this as wages being "sticky" on the downside.

Repeal Humphrey-Hawkins

Bernake's Assurances: Worth the Paper He Prints

2010-12-08T10:20:00.002-06:00

Bernanke's Assurances

How can any businessman develop a new product, expand manufacturing facilities, and plan for the future, when the monetary czar actually boasts of his power to impose dictatorial fiat to change the playing field “in fifteen minutes”?

2010-12-08T10:01:00.001-06:00

Obama Opens The Door To Raid Social Security

On This We Agree: Krugman and Toohey are Soulmates

2010-12-08T09:12:00.010-06:00

For once, I agree with Paul Krugman: I’m Ellsworth Toohey!

This post by Krugman makes me think of Toohey's line: "Saving lives, officer? You ought to arrest me."

I don't think Krugman rises to the level of a Toohey in the self-awareness of his own evil. But mostly definitely Krugman has Toohey's sense of knowing what the good is and his desire to destroy it.

If You See Something, Say Something

2010-12-08T07:02:00.003-06:00

Big Sis Invades Wal-mart: 'If you see something, say something'

So in our effed up culture, it is wrong for trained professionals to profile, but the public at large Walmart customers and public transit riders are encouraged to do the same thing without any training!

2010-12-08T06:09:00.000-06:00

China: The Greatest Bubble in World History?

Trailer for 'Atlas Shrugged: The Documentary'

2010-12-08T05:49:00.005-06:00

Hierarchy: First Cut Spending, Then and Only Then Cut Taxes!

2010-12-07T20:00:00.008-06:00

Michele Bachmann and DeMint: Not so fast on that agreement with Obama on Bush tax cuts

No Compromise, I voted for Gridlock!

Note: Although, I am all for tax cuts, right now nothing is more important than spending cuts! For "giving" the wealthiest American a sliver of their own money, the government is going to spend over $50 billion to Americans for not working.

There are plenty of valid arguments for continuing the tax cuts, and in the end this political compromise may have been required. However, if America is going to survive, the 112 Congress must a better job of cutting spending and ending the government's trampling of our rights and liberty.

Tell Your Congressman To Vote No On the Public Employee-Employer Cooperation Act

2010-12-07T13:37:00.003-06:00

Stop Lame Duck Union Payoff

On Thursday the Senate will vote on S. 3194, the so-called "Public Employee-Employer Cooperation Act." Per usual, it has a wonderful name that is more or less the opposite of what the bill actually is- an unnecessary, expensive, and harmful bill that would force state and local governments to recognize union bosses as the exclusive bargaining agents for public-safety workers.

We should be repealing union protections, bills, and funding. Unions, like all industry, should live and die by the invisible hand of the free market. If people want to unionize, good for them. No individual, and no industry, should be forced to unionize.

Local governments should not be forced by Washington, D.C. to impose forced unionization on their police, paramedics, and firefighters. This bill is an unfunded mandate on state and local government that will force a higher tax burden at the state and local levels.

Tell Congress no union giveaways in the lame duck

Undo Obamacare

2010-12-07T09:05:00.000-06:00

Obamacare Waiver-mania! continues: List tops 222

2010-12-06T13:27:00.000-06:00

Is the TSA targeting women?

2010-12-06T09:24:00.000-06:00

Crowding Out Individual Rights

The government does not create wealth; it operates by taking money from those who do. But why should those who make more money (i.e. create more wealth) have to give a proportionally larger amount of their earnings to the government?

2010-12-06T09:21:00.001-06:00

Where Have All The Capitalists Gone?

2010-12-04T09:26:00.002-06:00

Not Impressed: Coming soon: the loud thud of a gold bust

Still trying to wrap my head around the idea that "we’re in a deflationary mode".

TSA: Invasive Pat Downs Are Not Fun

2010-12-03T12:26:00.002-06:00

TSA: Let's Play the I'm Gonna Touch Your Junk Game!

Now, you may think this new screening by the TSA is perfectly warranted and within acceptable limits and is the best way to screen out terrorists and protect our country. But let's leave whether or not this is a good policy (and whether or not we agree on the issue) aside for the moment, if we can.

We all need to jump through government-imposed hoops to live our lives, even if we vehemently disagree with the legitimacy of those hoops. I conscientiously object loudly sometimes, but the truth of the matter is, I have a driver's license, and file taxes for our businesses and personal income, and have never--no matter how many times I've tried--purchased alcohol at a store on a Sunday in Georgia. And you probably shouldn't get me started about the Sudafed thing.

Obamanomics in 50 Words or Less

2010-12-03T10:46:00.005-06:00

Many people complain how facebook and tweeter is dumbing-down our culture. However, in the right hands such limited word counts encourages succinctness:

If I steal $20 from your wallet and spend it on a pizza pie, did I "stimulate the economy" and help to create a pizza-maker's job? What about the person whose wallet is empty, and what that $20 would have otherwise done? Absurd--yet that is our government's entire economic policy.

Here are some great comments from the same thread:

1) It's even worse than that - out of the $20, about $18 of it is subsequently wasted prior to being put in the pocket of the pizza-maker.

2) And there's no pizza in the end.

3) They say the "rich" doesn't need tax breaks and won't spend it anyway. So, we are going to steal their money and spend it for them.

Let the Market, Not the FCC 'Regulate' the Internet

2010-12-03T10:11:00.003-06:00

A fabulous editorial at the Washington Times: Wave goodbye to Internet freedom
FCC crosses the Rubicon into online regulation

In some cases, heavy use of this sort slows the Web experience for everyone sharing the same lines. That has prompted some cable Internet providers to consider either charging the heavy users more or limiting access to the "problematic" services. Of course, if cinema buffs find themselves cut off from their favorite service, they're going to be mad. If companies don't act, they're just as likely to find irate customers who don't want their experience bogged down by others.

It's not clear why the FCC thinks it needs to intervene in a situation with obvious market solutions. Companies that impose draconian tolls or block services will lose customers. Existing laws already offer a number of protections against anti-competitive behavior, but it's not clear under what law Mr. Genachowski thinks he can stick his nose into the businesses that comprise the Internet. The FCC regulates broadcast television and radio because the government granted each station exclusive access to a slice of the airwaves. Likewise when Ma Bell accepted a monopoly deal from Uncle Sam, it came with regulatory strings attached.

Abolish the FCC

Facts and Values

2010-12-03T08:21:00.002-06:00

Facts from the NY Times for a change: Disappointing Job Growth in U.S. as Jobless Rate Hits 9.8%

If the economy is improving, that is news to Ms. Barone. “It doesn’t seem that way here,” she said.

And over at the Washington Examiner, we've got a accurate evaluation of those facts: Mark Tapscott: Washington is why the economy is not growing

If you want the economy to grow, get the government out of the way!

Cause and Effect

2010-12-03T08:15:00.003-06:00

I love me some Instapundit!

OH, GOODY: Delaying Tax Vote Could Crash Stock Market. “Failure by Congress to extend the Bush tax cuts, especially locking in the 15 percent capital gains tax rate, will spark a stock market sell off starting December 15 as investors move to lock in gains at a lower rate than the 20 percent it would jump to next year, warn analysts.”

We’re already seeing some actions taken in anticipation of higher taxes.

GOP: Want to Cut Spending?

2010-12-03T07:52:00.002-06:00

Abolish the IRS

IRS Paid $130m in Fraudulent Tax Refunds to 50,000 Prisoners

Tax Cuts Without Spending Cuts Are Meaningless

2010-12-03T07:41:00.003-06:00

Obama Seeking Aid for Jobless in Any Deal on Tax Cuts

The Obama administration is holding out for an extension of unemployment assistance and of a variety of expiring tax breaks for low-wage and middle-income workers as part of a deal with Congressional Republicans to extend all the Bush-era tax cuts.

What the hell! Given the size of the government and our level of spending relative to GDP, it is utterly senseless to talk about cutting taxes, without cutting spending. But in true Obama form, much like a consumer who continually shifts balances from one credit card to another, there is never a positive step out of a whole...only more digging.

We must slice spending. We must obliterate it. Only after cutting spending, can tax cuts mean anything.

Capitalism Must Sometimes Be Defended From It's Own Heroes

2010-12-03T05:50:00.004-06:00

Peter Foster: Bill Gates, irrational statist

After reading Bill Gates' piece, Africa Needs Aid, Not Flawed Theories, on the Wall Street Journal website, I couldn't agree more.

2010-12-02T11:01:00.000-06:00

Some say ‘gaming the system’ has gone on too long

2010-12-02T10:53:00.002-06:00

Coming: Gov't By Regulation Instead Of Law
By Phyllis Schlafly

2010-12-02T10:48:00.001-06:00

Woman Strips Down to Her Lingerie, Gets TSA Pat Down Anyway—Twice

Abolish the effing TSA and The Department of Homeland Security already!

Bizarro World: The Simpson-Bowles Plan

2010-12-02T09:34:00.005-06:00

The Simpson-Bowles Plan is proof that we are living in Bizarro World.

Social Security is broke now, Not In 25 Years, and most definitely not in 2075!

It won't be easy. The Simpson-Bowles plan aims to shore up Social Security in part by raising the retirement age to 69 by 2075. That makes Democrats cry foul. Wealthy Americans may be living longer and enjoying more affluence in their old age than ever, but poorer ones are lagging behind. Low-income women have actually seen a slight decline in life span. "So you've got some janitor who has to work longer because lawyers or Wall Street tycoons are living longer?" asks Democratic Representative Jan Schakowsky of Illinois, a fiscal-commission member.

What does this person mean by, 'it won't be easy'? By 2075 all of the baby boomers will be long dead. Hell, by 2075, I, who am not currently 37, will mostly likely be dead -- childhood dream of living till I'm 120 not withstanding. The baby boomers will be dead, Social Security will be non-existent, and if some plan to phase out Social Security and Medicare is not enacted soon, America will be bankrupt...bankrupt decades before 2075.

We need to raise the Social Security retirement age to 69 within the next year or two. We then need to raise it to 71, then 73, then 75. We need to keep raising the retirement age and lowering payments until Social Security payouts are ZERO!

As much as Social Security is financially bankrupt, it is morally bankrupt. It must be ended.

Social Security: It Can't Be Fixed

Congress: Hands Off the Internet!

2010-12-01T14:29:00.003-06:00

Cantor Statement on FCC, Net Neutrality

There is only one item in this statement that I take issue with: "Rest assured we intend to conduct rigorous oversight and explore all our legislative options to put things back on the proper track."

Like usual when a conservative talks their statements do not always gel into a coherent whole. Every word in Cantor's statement, says 'Hell No' to the government. Every word, every sentence, save for this one. I say, 'Hell No' to any and all government intervention, regulation, oversight, and taxation of the internet. Hands off! The internet, like the free market, can regulate itself.

Protect me from my enemies, foreign and domestic...live me free to handle the rest!

Art As It Should Be: Motivating and Beautiful

2010-12-01T13:12:00.005-06:00

This used to be a blog that focused on art as much as did politics. However, since the mid-term election, I have not posted a single piece on art. I've been contemplating changing the name of the blog because of this oversight. However with this post, I might be able to get my priorities reset again...and, thereby keep my good name.

Over at NoodleFood, Diana Hsieh as a fantastic write-up on her recent art purchase:

This painting was love at first sight for me. When I look at it, I don't feel like I'm looking at a stranger: I feel like I'm seeing myself in some ideal way. I experience that calm ease of preparing myself, mentally and physically, for some important work that I've chosen for myself. I love that feeling, and this painting seems to capture that so perfectly for me, in a very immediate and intimate way. -- Diana Hsieh

As a former art dealer of Bryan Larsen's work, I cannot recommend his work enough.

Rush to GOP: Hell No!

2010-12-01T12:27:00.002-06:00

Rush: What Is It About "Hell No" That Republicans Do Not Get?

GOP: Don't Be the Party of 'No', Be the the Party of "Hell No"!

GOP: Standing On Principle Works

2010-12-01T10:28:00.004-06:00

In Tax Cuts, the Options Run Short
By DAVID LEONHARDT

Because of their strong position -- refusing to compromise with the Left -- it looks like the GOP is going to win another round. At this point, it looks as if the Bush Era Tax Cuts are going to be extended. And if I read the NY Times article correctly, there is an option for additional Tax cuts. Wow!

There is lots in this article to pick apart. But I mainly wanted to respond to it from the positive angle, standing on principle works! However, I can't let the following slide by:

At the same time, the wealthy have received a much bigger tax cut over the last three decades than any other group.

.
This is true, because the wealthy pay a much higher percentage than any other group. Taxes on the poor and lower-middle class is virtually non-existent. So there is nothing to "cut"!

As Leonhardt goes on to report, "The total federal tax rate on households making more than $1 million — including the income tax, the payroll tax and others — was above 50 percent in 1980. In recent years, it has been about 33 percent." When you are being taxed at 50% there is a lot that can be cut. There is still a ton to be cut, when your tax rate is 33%.

I strongly believe that anyone who makes more than $1 million a year, does more good for the world than all of the charity workers and saints combined. And for this reason they should be praised, not punished. I am against any form of taxation on production, i.e., on income. I want to see the 16th amendment repealed. But if we are going to have an income tax, I'd much rather see everyone taxed the same. Something like 7 percent across the board seems quite just. Then to reward virtue, exempt all monies earned over $1,000,000.

Give Me Gridlock!

2010-11-30T13:07:00.003-06:00

Obama Appoints Geithner, Lew to Negotiate on Tax Cuts

“The American people did not vote for gridlock,” Obama said. “They’re demanding cooperation and they’re demanding progress.”

I know I've blogged on this several times already, but since Obama insists on repeating himself, I must do the same. I voted for Gridlock!

Republicans: I Voted for Gridlock!

My Vote Was For Gridlock and Extermists, Not Common Ground and Centerists

Letter to the Editor

I am appalled by the Obama agenda. I do not want to compromise with the Left. I do not want Obama to do anything for the next 2 years. If I had my way, he would be sent on a two year vacation to Cuba, where Castro can show him that socialism doesn't work.

I think the Bush-era tax cuts should be extended, that spending should be slashed, that there should not be another stimulus bill ever, and that the 16th Amendment should be repealed. No new taxes, only new tax cuts!

Defund, Repeal, Abolish!

Earmarks: A Means to Redistribute Taxpayer Wealth

2010-11-30T09:32:00.003-06:00

Senate Rejects GOP Proposal to Ban Earmarks

House Republicans have also given up the practice, but most Democrats say the earmarks are a legitimate way to direct taxpayer money to their constituents.

Translation: Democrats say the earmarks allow congress to redistribute taxpayer wealth however they damn well please.

2010-11-30T09:15:00.002-06:00

Drudge Fought The TSA...And Drudge Won

Update: I agree with Jonathan Adler's update on this very story. So instead of typing my own, I will simply post Adler's:

The link is from Prison Planet which, I’ve learned from Stewart [Baker], is a website that occasionally traffics in various conspiracy theories, including birther and 9/11 truther stuff. I’m glad he pointed this out, as I’ll know to be more careful next time I see a link to their site. In this case, however, I don’t think the source discredits the message, nor do I think it’s fair to suggest (as Stewart does) that Drudge (and others?) linked to the story because it “really want[ed] to run a story” but couldn’t “find a respectable source for it.” As I pointed out in the comment thread to Stewart’s post, the Prison Planet story here was largely a collection of links to other, quite reputable, sources, including the Newark Star-Ledger, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and Politico. These accounts are also consistent with much anecdotal reporting on what TSA did (or didn’t) do this past week. It may well be, as a general matter, that “the line between using Prison Planet as a source and just plain making things up is too thin for comfort,” but in this case shooting the messenger won’t make the story go away.

Extremism Is No Vice

2010-11-30T09:10:00.002-06:00

"Extremism" Redux
by Gus Van Horn

David Limbaugh would have done far better to replace those last two, wishy-washy paragraphs with something like the following:

If an uncompromising stand is to be smeared as "extremism," then that smear is directed at any devotion to values, any loyalty to principles, any profound conviction, any consistency, any steadfastness, any passion, any dedication to an unbreached, inviolate truth -- any man of integrity. (From "'Extremism' or The Art of Smearing", Chapter 17 of Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal)

Abolish the TSA

2010-11-30T05:17:00.001-06:00

TSA 2010

"How did this happen and why? I do not pretend to know the answers. I do know that, as the TSA furor reached its Thanksgiving climax, something happened and we lost our rights. Judging by personal experience and observation, Americans did what, unfortunately, (today’s) Americans do. They choked. Rather than take ideas seriously, when faced with imminent and grave threat to their individual rights, they opted for total submission to government control; faith in the state. There were no serious, widespread protests in opposition, no outbursts, no real resistance to the molestation. I think the public’s submission began in earnest with a line that has been improperly interpreted by some as having sparked an uproar."

Abolish the U.N.

2010-11-28T11:40:00.003-06:00

Lorne Gunter: UN outdoes itself on loopiness scale (x3)

As I have said before, the best solution to the UN would be to dismantle its agencies, tear down its buildings and pour salt in the foundations so this kind of contamination can never again infect the world.

Common Ground: Liberty

2010-11-28T10:43:00.004-06:00

SoCalTRC Says NO to Social Issues in the Tea Party

Wholeheartedly agree, social issues have no place in the tea party. But I will go even further, social issues have no place in politics.

As I wrote in Tea Party and Religion, the government is a big, dumb, slow tank.

We need to be mum on our personal ideas about nutrition, health care, child raising, marriage, interior design, transportation, energy, morality, and religion. The government must be thought of as a big, bloody, unwieldy tank. It can have no position save protecting its citizens from attack by its enemies. Any and all other issues must be deferred to its citizens. Its private and free citizens should have the right to make the biggest, most successful economy the world has ever seen, or the poorest most destitute. Whichever its people choose, the tank can do nothing to help. It’s a bloody tank! The government is a big, dumb, slow tank. It can only destroy. It can only force others to submit.

“As a Democrat who has been with this movement since its inception, I want note that the Tea Party is the place where Americans of all backgrounds, parties, social agendas and lifestyles intersect on the need for smaller, more efficient, responsible government,” said Leslie Eastman, Media Director

$#*! My President Says

2010-11-27T13:29:00.003-06:00

Jimmy Carter: North Korean Dictators Deserve Our Respect

No one can completely understand the motivations of the North Koreans, but it is entirely possible that their recent revelation of their uranium enrichment centrifuges and Pyongyang’s shelling of a South Korean island Tuesday are designed to remind the world that they deserve respect in negotiations that will shape their future.

With ObamaCare, I thought President Obama took a commanding lead over President Jimmy Carter in the worst-president-in-America-history-contest. However, with the above quote it is apparent the Carter thinks the race is still on.

North Korea's consistent message to the U.S.

GOP: Don't Be the Party of 'No', Be the the Party of "Hell No"!

2010-11-26T07:18:00.003-06:00

I cant recommend this piece by Michael Swartz enough, "Republicans, will Atlas shrug in Maryland?"

And while it may not be popular with Democrats or the media, Republicans in Maryland indeed can't just be the party of "no" -- we must be the party of "hell no." Sometimes there can't be a compromise made; as Rand herself pondered, what is the compromise between food and poison? We must refuse the siren song of budget "fixes" involving new and expanded taxes, and fight tooth and nail against additional regulations and misguided ideas like the "green jobs" boondoggle.

We must be the party of "hell no".

I wrote a similarly themed piece a few weeks ago:
Republicans: I Voted for Gridlock!

Lay Off Federal Workers

2010-11-26T06:58:00.000-06:00

Pay Cuts Aren’t Enough: Time to Lay Off Federal Workers
Massive redundancies, dedicated conference room schedulers, and job security that might as well be tenure plague federal agencies.

The Lost Lesson of Thanksgiving: Selfishness is Good

2010-11-24T16:23:00.003-06:00

JOHN STOSSEL: The Lost Lesson of Thanksgiving

In other words, the people of Plymouth moved from socialism to private farming. The results were dramatic.

"This had very good success," Bradford wrote, "for it made all hands very industrious, so as much more corn was planted than otherwise would have been. By this time harvest was come, and instead of famine, now God gave them plenty, and the face of things was changed, to the rejoicing of the hearts of many."

Because of the change, the first Thanksgiving could be held in November 1623.

What Plymouth suffered under communalism was what economists today call the tragedy of the commons. The problem has been known since ancient Greece. As Aristotle noted, "That which is common to the greatest number has the least care bestowed upon it."

Tea Party and Religion

2010-11-24T13:32:00.007-06:00

This afternoon, I received an email from the Tennessee Tea Party wishing me Happy Thanksgiving. As you can see from my previous posts (1, 2, 3), I am big fan of Thanksgiving as a holiday.

However, this was not a Happy Thanksgiving message from a political group, celebrating all that American's have to be thankful for. But a religious tract:

GREETINGS FROM TENNESSEE TEA PARTY STAFF—WISHING GOD’S PROVIDENTIAL CARE AND BLESSING ON YOU AND YOURS!

We pray God’s continued blessing and loving hand over each and every one of you…for it is right that we do this in memory of Him who came to give of himself for our redemption and salvation. This is the greatest gift ever given mankind…compassionate, ever-merciful, and sacrificial. At this particular time one may ask, do we ever give in this way…unconditionally, without expectation, having given out of the abundance of our minds, hearts, soul? Out of what has been extended to us, grace everlasting, though we have fallen short, sitting on this mercy seat, it is right that through this abundance that has been extended to us, that we live in right relationship and the overflow of “streams of living water” is extended to all….we live only out of Him who first gave to us.

It went on like this for some time, before concluding with, "In Humble Gratitude, Allegiance, and …..In Liberty!"

I cannot express just how incensed I was by this. What is it about conservatives...why is that they so strongly need religion, so strongly need to force it on their neighbors? I personally do not care what other people think, how they live their lives, who they pray to, if they pray. My family is religious, I have friends who go to all sorts of different churches. But even though I am an atheist, I enjoy spending time with these people because of the shared values we have, and the respect we show for one another.

But political conservatives seem to live on an entirely different plane. They regularly fail to recognize the very thing they say to be supporting. Conservatives say they are for freedom, but what they push is Christianity. They want the pledge to be to God, they want the Ten Commandments in the courthouse, they want abortions to be illegal, the want marriage to be only between a man and woman. They want freedom for their religion and only for their religion. And nine times out of ten, you are consider a heathen if you disagree.

I want freedom. I want my rights respected. I want to live my life as I choose to live it. I want the freedom to make my own mistakes. I want the freedom to pursue my own happiness. As long as I do not infringe on another's rights, I think I should be free to live my life. God is a non-issue when it comes to politics. Anybody should be able to practice any religion they choose. As they say, if we are wrong about which God we pray to (or don't pray to), then we will have to deal with that when we die. If on the other hand you disagree with this, if you think your personal holy book tells you that no institution personal or public should be free from religion, your personal chosen religion, then who is to say? Who gets to make that decision? If Christianity is to rule, then everything becomes a war. Why shouldn’t Buddhism, or Judaism, or Islam be the one in charge? Look at the Middle East…is this the type of single minded, repressive, place you want to live? A place where you are killed for disagreeing with the state religion.

My biggest fear when it comes to the Tea Party is they will let the Religious Right dictate their positions. The Religious Right destroyed the Republican Party. The Religious Right gave us George W. Bush -- a man who in action, in policy, and in political principle is indistinguishable from Barrack Obama. If the Tea Party is to be a right wing movement, a movement for freedom and limited government, no matter what their individual personal beliefs, supporters of the Tea Party must ruthlessly campaign for keeping religion out of the movement. The platform of reducing spending, cutting taxes, dismantling social programs, shrinking the size of government, and defending American interests at home and abroad must be the only issues.

We need to be mum on our personal ideas about nutrition, health care, child raising, marriage, interior design, transportation, energy, morality, and religion. The government must be thought of as a big, bloody, unwieldy tank. It can have no position save protecting its citizens from attack by its enemies. Any and all other issues must be deferred to its citizens. Its private and free citizens should have the right to make the biggest, most successful economy the world has ever seen, or the poorest most destitute. Whichever its people choose, the tank can do nothing to help. It’s a bloody tank! The government is a big, dumb, slow tank. It can only destroy. It can only force others to submit.

Here is the email I have put together to the Tennessee Tea Party:

I most respectfully wish to share my feelings and thoughts upon receiving your Happy Thanksgiving email.

First, I was appalled. I did not know if this was from a church, the Religious Right, or from the Tea Party organization I recently signed up to join and asked for information about volunteering for.

I want to get the government out of my daily life, and out of my pocketbook. If we get the government out of the business of legislating morality, we will each be free to support whatever personal beliefs we want. If we don't, in the end, like during the Dark Ages or in present day Saudi Arabia, we will not get to decide whose religious ideals are imposed upon us. Please consider that some of your members disagree, and would rather see the Tea Parties go away, then become a vehicle for the Religious Right.

I am an active blogger, and as a recent transplant to Tennessee, I would like to financially support your organization and potentially contribute my time and energy. I am not here to force my philosophic or moral ideals upon you. I am here to let you know as a supporter of limited government that I have moral ideals, moral ideals I won't compromise. We have shared political ideals which I think we, qua political movement, should keep in front of us at all times. If you desire limited government, then support limiting it. Get the government out of education, out of economics, and out of religion. I want political leaders who protect my individual rights, and moral leaders who teach me about right and wrong. But as history shows, these two should not be the same. There should not be an overlap.

A separation of church and state. Religion out of government, government out of religion. It is a two way street. If the government stays out of religion and we can keep our personal religion ideals out of government, we all will be free to grow and support the ideals we believe.

Certainly, you should be free to wish your members the Happiest of Thanksgivings and the Merriest of Christmases. However, please understand that you are a political organization. Your supporters have many beliefs. And even if they didn't, politics is politics. The goal of politicians and political activists should be protecting individuals form the government – not injecting their personal beliefs into the government.

Here are just a few people with different ideas on Thanksgiving than you:

http://www.aynrand.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5263
http://townhall.com/columnists/MichelleMalkin/2010/11/24/giving_thanks_for_american_ingenuity/page/full/
http://www.capitalismmagazine.com/culture/philosophy/5057-an-american-holiday-the-moral-meaning-behind-thanksgiving.html

We are all active Tea Party supporters. We all want to fight for a limited government. But that fight needs to be free of religion. God was no more a capitalist or an American, than he was a support of the Inquisition. We support limited government, because that is what human life requires. We all must be free to make our decisions, or own mistakes, and our own successes.

Please keep God out of the Tea Party!

The Producer's Holiday

2010-11-24T13:13:00.002-06:00

Thanksgiving: The Producer's Holiday
Sunday, November 12, 2000
By: Gary Hull, Ph.D.

Thanksgiving Is Designed to Celebrate, Not Faith and Charity, But Thought and Production

Thanksgiving celebrates man's ability to produce. The cornucopia filled with exotic flowers and delicious fruits, the savory turkey with aromatic trimmings, the mouth-watering pies, the colorful decorations -- it's all a testament to the creation of wealth.

Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday, because this country was the first to create and to value material abundance. It is America that has been the beacon for anyone wanting to escape from poverty and misery. It is America that generated the unprecedented flood of goods that washed away centuries of privation. It is America, by establishing the precondition of production--political freedom--that was able to unleash the dynamic, productive energy of its citizens.

Thank You, Michelle Malkin

2010-11-24T12:48:00.005-06:00

Giving Thanks for American Ingenuity
Michelle Malkin

Last summer, President Obama opined that the proper role of private entrepreneurs is to fulfill "the core responsibilities of the financial system to help grow our economy" -- and that "at a certain point you've made enough money." Last month, Vice President Joe Biden boasted that "every single great idea that has marked the 21st century, the 20th century and the 19th century has required government vision and government incentive."

Such command-and-control narcissism is completely alien to the unique American culture and marketplace that have bred so many successful inventors. Consider the electric carving knife that so many of you will use without a second thought this Thanksgiving holiday season. Jerome L. Murray, the New York City man who invented the ubiquitous kitchen appliance, was an insatiable tinkerer from his teens until his death in 1998 at the age of 85. He was driven not by a social justice agenda or by the need to "grow the economy" to boost government employment figures, but by a constant desire to solve problems, cut costs, satisfy his own intellectual curiosities and pursue the profit motive.

And I say, thank you Michelle Malkin for recognizing this. Americans have lots to be proud of, lots to be thankful for.

I'm Thankful For America's Founding Fathers

2010-11-24T12:02:00.004-06:00

An American Holiday: The Moral Meaning Behind Thanksgiving
by Debi Ghate

We're taught that Thanksgiving came about when pilgrims gave thanks to God for a bountiful harvest. We casually think about how lucky we are and how much better our lives are than, say, those in Bangladesh. But surely there is something more to celebrate, something more sacred about this holiday.

Extremism

2010-11-24T10:14:00.001-06:00

The “Extremist” Smear

As Ayn Rand pointed out long ago, in her article “Extremism” or The Art of Smearing, holding an extreme position is not immoral. It is only the substance of the position one holds that can be good or evil. To be extreme in one’s position merely means one is being consistent – and it is this consistency that is being denounced, whether the people using the label realize it or not. The implication is that only “moderates” (another anti-concept) are good, while the “extremists” are evil. And what does being a “moderate” actually mean? Pragmatism.

The Enemies of “Extremism”

The non-definability of “extremism.” Package-dealing as a means of evading epistemological commitment.

My Vote Was For Gridlock and Extermists, Not Common Ground and Centerists

2010-11-24T08:53:00.006-06:00

I read the following in my local newspaper this morning:

It’s time for centrists to take charge

John Rutherford tries to make the case that the recent mid-term elections were a mandate for centrists. I can't speak for Mr. Rutherford anymore than he can speak for me, but I can tell you that I voted for gridlock.

The job of Congress and the White House is to define the common ground that exists on any given issue and then build on it. There is a danger in this toxic and extreme partisan environment that the desired functioning of checks and balances might not work. Some of the newly elected members seem to believe that compromise is collaboration, when compromise is actually the key to governing.

I totally disagree. I don't want to see Congress or the Whitehouse doing anything. I want to see them locked in a bloody stalemate. My rights have been completely trampled upon for the past 100 years (or more), I want this to come to a complete and screeching halt. I don't want compromise, I don't want common ground to lead to more bills, more laws, and more taxes. I want it all to stop.

With Republicans in firm control of the House and the Democrats holding narrow control of the Senate, the real power in Congress now resides in the center, especially if centrists will reach across party lines to build a moderate coalition. From deficit reduction to energy independence and immigration reform, there are many areas where the center can lead in proposing new solutions.

Why would we want centerists in charge of anything? Centerists are by definition people who do not hold any firm position. They do not originate ideas. They are conformists. They go where ever the wind blows them. They are not leaders. They are not thinkers. Compromising on principle is the worst of all possible evils.

Again, I do not know or care what Rutherford voted for, I voted for gridlock.

Moderate voters, independents in particular, believe unified control leads to ideological arrogance and legislative overreach. Checks and balances do not necessarily mean gridlock. Along with the message of divided government is the conscious attempt of the voters to essentially force the two parties to work together on issues of national importance.

The only thing of national importance is our national security. The government has a single job to do...to protect the rights and lives of it's citizens. To protect Americans from all enemies, foreign and domestic. On everything else the government should be silent.

I have written a lot over the past few months on what Republicans should be doing. Programs they should be abolishing, bills they should be repealing, and taxes they should be reducing. All should be tried. But there is little prospect for success until we have more congressmen and a president who understand that individuals are sovereign, that wealth is earned, that property is rightfully-owned, and the government should be limited. Until that time, I want my government to be as stagnate as possible.

I'm a Domestic Extremist And Proud Of It

2010-11-24T08:35:00.004-06:00

DHS & TSA: Making a list, checking it twice
By Doug Hagmann

"Department of Homeland Security is not only prepared to enforce the enhanced security procedures at airports, but is involved in gathering intelligence about those who don't."

"The terminology contained within the reported memo is indeed troubling. It labels any person who “interferes” with TSA airport security screening procedure protocol and operations by actively objecting to the established screening process, “including but not limited to the anticipated national opt-out day” as a “domestic extremist.” The label is then broadened to include “any person, group or alternative media source” that actively objects to, causes others to object to, supports and/or elicits support for anyone who engages in such travel disruptions at U.S. airports in response to the enhanced security procedures."

“Gate Rape” of America
By Douglas J. Hagmann

"Under Obama, the nation’s health care industry has essentially been nationalized, and facing financial difficulties, the government became heavily involved in the auto industry to the point of de-facto nationalization. Why not the air travel industry, which in 2007, was responsible for generating just over $1.3 trillion in economic activity, or 5.6% of the total U.S. economy. The airline industry employed over 11 million Americans who earned about $396 billion.

"The enhanced screening at our airports is not helping the airline industry, a vital part of our economy and infrastructure, but hurting it. This nonsense has the capacity to deliver a death blow to the airline industry. Could this be part of the larger agenda? Just look at the history over the last two years, and I believe the answer will become quite evident."

Check out Bosch Fawstin's latest political cartoon: I’m A Domestic Extremist

Abolish the TSA and the Department of Homeland Security

Defund the FDA

2010-11-23T16:48:00.004-06:00

How the FDA Violates Rights and Hinders Health
Stella Daily

Abigail Alliance

In August 2007, the Appeals Court of the District of Columbia struck a blow against the Abigail Alliance, and against individual rights, when it ruled that patients, even the terminally ill, do not have the right to receive treatment that has not been approved by the FDA.

If the Republicans are serious about reducing spending, promoting job growth (by removing the hurdles created by government), I recommend looking at the FDA. Not only does the FDA drive up the cost of healthcare, it makes healthcare less efficient, it reduces incentives for private companies, and it destroys our health.

Repeal 1906 Food and Drugs Act
Repeal Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act of 1938
Repeal The Kefauver-Harris Drug Amendments
Repeal Fair Packaging and Labeling Act
Repeal The Orphan Drug Act
Repeal The Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984
Repeal The Prescription Drug User Fee Act
Repeal Food and Drug Modernization Act of 1997

The FDA's history, as told by the FDA: Promoting Safe and Effective Drugs for 100 Years

There is no single strategy the new congress should be taking. As the above shows, there are a range of options form Abolishing the FDA outright to defunding it. Also the teeth could be removed from the FDA, by repealing one or more of the above bills.

Update 12/12/10:

The Avastin Travesty
A cancer-fighting drug vs. an out-of-control federal agency.
by Thomas Bowden

Repeal the Oil Pollution Act of 1990

2010-11-23T12:32:00.005-06:00

While reading the latest NYTimes Editorial, Energy and the Lame Duck, I was once again reminded how badly the Left needs to be beat, and how badly they need to be removed from any position of power. They are relentless.

It is also worth noting, within the same article, just how bad, confused, and utterly aimless the Republicans have been.

Why are the Republicans supporting a bill that would would ramp up the use of natural gas in heavy-duty trucks? If the Republicans were a bunch of greedy, free-market capitalists, like the Left is found of calling them, why would they be supporting this bill? The problem with America today is that the Republicans are not, and have not been pro-capitalism. They haven't even been consistently pro-America.

There is hope that the next congress will be better, but they will not be any better unless they veto every bill of this kind. The government should not be in the business of creating jobs, producing energy (oil, natural, or "clean"), or regulating any industry.

Renewable energy sources are not yet ready to compete with cheaper and dirtier fuels like coal, oil and natural gas. But there has been real progress in recent years, and past experience shows that when the tax credits are allowed to expire, investors disappear.

This is a red herring, a non sequitur. If the technology, the know-how, was available today, if the technology was possible in the near-term, investors would be flocking. Of course, tax credits will spur investment, but why would we provide that to one industry and not another. Tax credits are being used as a carrot for investing in one industry, and taxes are being used as a stick in others. The government should not be in the business of picking the winners and losers. The government should be making sure that rights are not be infringed, not regulating businesses and the economy.

I would like to see the new congress repealing energy bills, not creating new ones.

Repeal the Oil Pollution Act of 1990.
Repeal the Clean Air Act
Repeal the Clean Water Act
Repeal the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, & Liability Act
Repeal the Superfund Amendments & Reauthorization Act
Repeal the Emergency Planning & Community Right-to-Know
Repeal the Chemical Safety Information, Site Security and Fuels Regulatory Relief Act
Repeal the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act

Congressman are no better at regulating the oil industry, than they are at delivering the mail. As FedEx and DHL are much more efficient than the Post Office, Exxon and BP are better at drilling oil than the government could ever hope to be. Get the government out of BP's way. Don't force oil companies to drill hundreds of miles off shore, in mile deep water. Let them decide what the safety standards are. Don't tax Big Oil, because don't like oil, and don't limit their liability when they make a mistake. Allow them to rep Don't attack them for providing a product that people are willing to pay for, don't attack them because they are not providing the product you prefer.

To all the people who think alternative energy is so great, go invest in it. But don't get in our way, because we disagree. In a free society, everyone has a voice. Everyone is free to take their own risks, and make their own decisions.

Investigate Big Congress, Not Big Oil
In Defense of Oil
Analyst speaks In Defense of Oil

Let NPR Live Or Die On Its Own Merits

2010-11-23T08:58:00.003-06:00

Time for NPR to cut the taxpayer cord
By Bruce Edward Walker, Boston Herald

I couldn't agree more, Defund NPR. This would be much more than a symbolic gesture. The government needs to be scaled back, and the only way to do that is to start cutting.