A warning to the Tea Party about Republicans (illustrated)

Here's Libertarian Party executive director Wes Benedict, shouting out a warning to the Tea Party movement:

".....Libertarians have much in common with Tea Party goals of reducing government spending and taxes. While many Tea Party supporters will admit that George W. Bush's administration grew government, Libertarians want to remind Tea Partiers about previous Republican administrations that loved big government.

"Republican Newt Gingrich and the Contract with America promised to eliminate the Departments of Education and Energy. Yet once Republicans took control of Congress, they failed even to reduce the spending on those departments.

Here's P.J. O'Rourke on Gingrich, the Republican Revolution, and the Contract With America:  "What a feckless, timid, timeserving [Republican] revolution that was in 1994, as if the sans culottes had stormed the Bastille to get themselves jobs as prison guards."

"Republican President George Bush, Sr. remains famous for coining the phrase 'Read my lips, no new taxes,' and then raising taxes.



"Republican President Ronald Reagan grew federal government spending to the highest level it had reached since World War II. He also 'saved Social Security' by raising payroll taxes.

Here's something from the Cato Institute about Ronald Reagan's small government philosophy.  Yeah, as I've acknowledged dozens of times, cutting taxes raised revenue.  But that does us no good if they keep spending. 

"Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole was a huge supporter of taxpayer subsidies for corn and ethanol.

And Bob Dole served his state well, bringing home the corporate welfare to the ethanol millionaires.  There really isn't much else to say about him, so here he is in a Pepsi commercial with Britney Spears:



"In 1971, Republican President Richard Nixon instituted wage and price controls. That made a group of free-market supporters so angry that they decided to form the Libertarian Party.

You can go here for a brief history of that godawful little experiment.  We have since learned the best way to control inflation, thanks to Milton Friedman, with publicity by Ron Paul.  STOP PRINTING SO MUCH MONEY. 

"Republicans seem to think we're idiots. For decades they have paid lip-service to shrinking government, while consistently doing the opposite in office.

"Our fear is that Tea Partiers might say 'This time it will be different.' No it won't. If you vote for Republicans this time, it will just reinforce the message that they can lie to you and grow government with impunity.

"Current Republicans are just as bad as past Republicans.

"This year, Libertarian Party co-founder David Nolan is running for U.S. Senate against Republican John McCain, who famously suspended his 2008 presidential campaign so he could rush back to Washington to bail out the banks.

Actually, it was to avoid having to make any more atrocious speeches.  But if any banks had gone under, bankers would have lost jobs and money.  This would not do. 

"Republican leader John Boehner might end up as the next House Speaker, and he voted for George W. Bush's huge 2003 Medicare expansion.

Plus, when he goes on Meet The Press, David Gregory asks him questions that he can't answer.  I mean, David Freakin' Gregory asks him simple questions about how he can cut the deficit and cut taxes at the same time.


Every Libertarian in North America screamed at the TV while watching this interview.  Look at the Reagan chart above.  Reagan cut taxes.  Revenue increased.  But you've got to stop the spending.  Cut it in half.  Or by 2/3rds. 
Godalmighty, what a monotonous robot. 

"John Cornyn, Republican senator from Texas, and current chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, voted for the TARP bailouts.

And at one point Cornyn had a campaign video showing himself proudly walking around a wind farm.  I can't find it online, but here's a pic:

Case closed. 

"Ron Paul is probably the only Republican congressman willing to point out the huge cost of America's foreign wars and empire building. Other Republicans pretend that spending trillions on the military just doesn't count as big government.

"With Social Security, Medicare, and military spending making up the vast majority of federal spending, you can't cut significantly without cutting those. But Republicans refuse to touch them.

"Libertarians welcome the Tea Party movement's focus on the problem of government growth. However, we are concerned that Tea Partiers might fall for the Republicans' trickery.

"Republican leaders have brought up distractions like New York City mosques and gay marriage to distract voters from Republicans' big-government track record. We hope that Tea Partiers will see through the smoke and mirrors.

"While our nation is declining dangerously right now, a turnaround could be straightforward and simple with Libertarian steps like these: 1. Bring our troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan; 2. Stop rewarding failed companies with bailouts; 3. Cut taxes and spending and let the free market work.

"The Libertarian Party is fielding 168 candidates for U.S. House, and 20 candidates for U.S. Senate this year. Win or lose, a vote for a Libertarian sends a clear message for smaller government and more freedom. What message does a vote for John McCain send?"

For more information, or to arrange an interview, call LP Executive Director Wes Benedict at 202-333-0008 ext. 222.

The LP is America's third-largest political party, founded in 1971. The Libertarian Party stands for free markets and civil liberties. You can find more information on the Libertarian Party at our website.

Elizabeth ! Warren ! ! !

Brent Budowsky of The Hill can barely contain himself, and for good reason.  You see, there is a chance that Barack Obama will nominate....Elizabeth! Warren !!  to something or another. 

Within hours and possibly minutes I expect the president will name Elizabeth Warren to lead the new consumer protection agency, and if he does, the Democratic base will erupt and turn out to vote in far greater numbers than any current poll suggests.

Good God in heaven, how can you people even think of sleeping during a moment like this ????  Elizabeth ! Warren ! !

I could be wrong; Obama might give up at the last minute, which would be the last betrayal of the Democratic base and very possibly the death knell of the Democratic House of Representatives. But if he names Warren, the pundits be will amazed, astonished and flabbergasted by the lift this would give to the Democratic base and by the voter turnout that would follow.

Think of it, folks !   Roust yourselves from your slumbers ! ! !  Elizabeth ! Warren !!,  the Leo Gottlieb Professor of Law at Harvard Law School -- where she teaches contract law, bankruptcy, and commercial law -- and has devoted much of the past three decades to studying the economics of middle class families ! ! !  I don't mean to cuss because my mama and my Aunt Gwen both read this website sometimes, but HOLY SHIT ! !   There is a chance that Obama is going to nominate Elizabeth !  Warren !!

If Obama names Warren, consumers would have the strongest possible friend fighting for them all day, every day, at a time of major consumer rip-offs and disastrous consumer confidence that would be lifted with the Warren selection.

Think of it....you're shopping for something, something like Dill Pickles.  You reach for a jar, but then you think "Am I about to get ripped off?  Am I confident enough, as a consumer, to buy these Pickles?  Do I have someone in my corner if this all goes terribly, horribly wrong?" 
You almost put the jar back on the shelf.  But then you remember that Barack Obama has nominated, yea, verily, he has appointed Elizabeth ! Warren !! to the new consumer protection agency.  And she is there for you, Thanks Be To God. 
What do you do next?  I mean, what do you do after you decide to vote, then revitalize the Democrat party, give hope to millions and preserve the Obama presidency?  What do you do next?  Do you even have to f***ing ask???
Why, you buy the damn pickles ! ! !
Elizabeth !  Warren ! !

If Obama names Warren, veterans and military families who have endured rip-offs and abuses would have the strongest possible friend with Elizabeth Warren.

Elizabeth !  Warren ! !  She's not just For The Children ® , she would also be For The Troops ® ! !

If Obama names Warren, small business would have the strongest possible ally as she champions fair treatment by small business that has been a piñata being abused by large financial institutions.

That sentence is so screwed up, especially considering that it's from a major website.  I think Brent meant to say "of small business", and the phrase "that has been" is meant to describe the treatment, and not the businesses. 
But who am I to pick grammatical nits at a time like this, at a time when our President, when our President, Mr. Barack H. Obama, when President Obama nominated Hillary R. Clinton as Secretary of State, well, he was just warming up and clearing his throat.
Hillary was nothing. 
Elizabeth !  Warren  ! !  She might be willing to serve !  WE ARE NOT WORTHY ! ! 
And there are people on this earth who still claim that there is no God. 

If Obama names Warren, the momentum in the campaign would shift powerfully and immediately, with a rejuvenated Democratic base excited and fighting trim, ready to roll, ready to fight, ready to erupt with support that the selection of Warren would inspire.









I apologize for that gap in the blog.  I just discovered that I had wet myself thinking of the possibilities, just dreaming of the Democratic base, rolling out of their Volvos and Priuses, ready to roll, ready to erupt and fight for Elizabeth !  Warren !!

Warren should be nominated through a recess appointment, not a nomination that would bring a unified Republican filibuster in the tired Kabuki dance that the American people, and the progressive base, have suffered from for far too long.

Absolutely F'ing-A Right you are, buddy !  Elizabeth deserves better than a Kabuki dance.  A coronation is in order.  Did people "vote" for Martin Luther King ?  Heck no.  How about Napoleon?  I don't think so.  Did directors make Richard Burton or Laurence Olivier "read" for roles in movies?  Hell no.  The roles were declared to be filled as soon as Burton or Olivier said they were willing to fill them. 
Elizabeth Warren is the author of The Two-Income Trap: Why Middle-Class Mothers and Fathers Are Going Broke (Basic, 2003) (ISBN 0-465-09082-6).  Why would we even think of putting this to a vote? 
Elizabeth !  Warren !!

The Democratic base is dispirited and tired, but the Warren nomination would rally them beyond the imagination of the most cynical pundits and politicians.

Absolutely !  Just think of how they rallied for....
Barack !  Obama !!

This campaign is in the ninth inning, the bases are loaded, and if the president hits the ball out of the park and names Elizabeth Warren....

I hate to point this out, but we've all seen our President in his Mom jeans on a baseball field.  The president does NOT come up to the plate when it's in the ninth inning and the bases are loaded.  Not when your pinch hitter is....
Elizabeth !  Warren !!

 ....it will be the single most powerful inflection point in many months, to the Democrats' advantage, and change the campaign of 2010 to a rousing fight to the finish that could well save the Democratic House of Representatives.

That's all that Brent Budowsky had to say.  For those who can handle the sheer erotic overload, you can click here to see pictures of Elizabeth !  Warren !!   Some are casual, some are formal, and some actually show her on the job, teaching at Harvard !  God, I love the internet ! ! ! 
I'll leave you with this picture that I found at the link above.  Barack Obama, sleep lightly.  She might be coming for you. 

Elizabeth !  Warren !!

Don Boudreaux on "Stossel"

If you love America, the flag, the troops, baseball, and your mother....
If you oppose Satan, Osama, Stalin, Chairman Mao, Coca-Cola made with corn syrup, and CFL bulbs....

You have GOT to TIVO John Stossel's show this week. 

One of my heroes, Professor Don Boudreaux of George Mason University, kicks the living shit out of a couple of trade guild and union monopolists.  And seems calm and relaxed while doing it.  

If you don't watch "Stossel", the terrorists win. 
It's on Fox Business. 

Fidel Castro finally figures it out

Fidel Castro now says that (after decades of glorious success) his unique brand of Socialism isn't getting it done any longer:

Jeffrey Goldberg, a writer for the Atlantic Monthly magazine, wrote in a blog that he asked Castro, 84, if Cuba's model -- Soviet-style communism -- was still worth exporting to other countries and he replied, "The Cuban model doesn't even work for us anymore."


As Stephen Smith pointed out somewhere or another, "the words 'still' and 'anymore' in the question and the answer imply that there was once a time where the Cuba/Soviet scheme was succesful".  Not his exact words, but you get the idea. 
The comment appeared to reflect Castro's agreement, which he also expressed in a column for Cuban media in April, with his younger brother President Raul Castro, who has initiated modest reforms to stimulate Cuba's troubled economy.

What is it with all these collectivists who are having such a hard time stimulating their economies? 

Goldberg said Julia Sweig, a Cuba expert at the Council on Foreign Relations think tank in Washington who accompanied him to Havana, believed Castro's words reflected an acknowledgment that "the state has too big a role in the economic life of the country."

It has taken Fidel more than 50 years in power to figure that out.  Obama will only be president for 2 and a half more years.  Castro (and this isn't saying much) is a lot smarter than Barack Obama.  Therefore, we are doomed. 

Readers who like my schtick will possibly like this earlier posting about Castro stepping down as CEO of Cuba, Inc.

A brief rant about Compact Flourescent Lights (CFL's)

I started wearing reading glasses about two years ago, and now I can't read anything without them. 
Tonight I started a new book, and trying to be a good, environmentally-conscious citizen, I turned off every light in the house except one reading lamp.
 
I couldn't see the freakin' book. 

I knew that just a few months ago I could read with only that one lamp for illumination. 

Then I found the culprit.  My eyesight is getting worse, but there was another factor.  The lamp now had a CFL bulb. 

These things might be great at saving energy, but they aren't worth crap at producing light.  I've never seen one that was fit to read by. 
I had to turn on the overhead fan lights to compensate, which I think defeats the purpose. 

These CFL's are like the water-conserving toilets with the smaller tanks that Congress mandated a couple of decades ago.  You know, the ones that you have to flush two or three times to take care of bidness? 

Here's U.S. News on the CFL's:

The incandescent light bulb, one of the most venerable inventions of its era but deemed too inefficient for our own, will be phased off the U.S. market beginning in 2012 under the new energy law just approved by Congress. Although this will reduce electricity costs and minimize new bulb purchases in every household in America, you may be feeling in the dark about the loss of your old, relatively reliable source of light.

They got that right. 
Can you imagine the uproar there would have been if Congress had tried this 40 years ago?  The hardware stores would have instantly sold out of pitchforks.

And then there's the mercury issue.  These things, like the familiar long flourescent lights, contain some mercury. 
Here's the EPA on how to dispose of the soon to be mandatory CFL bulbs:

1. Open a window and leave the room (restrict access) for at least 15 minutes.



2. Remove all materials you can without using a vacuum cleaner. Wear disposable rubber gloves, if available (do not use your bare hands). Carefully scoop up the fragments and powder with stiff paper or cardboard. Wipe the area clean with a damp paper towel or disposable wet wipe. Sticky tape (such as duct tape) can be used to pick up small pieces and powder.

3. Place all cleanup materials in a plastic bag and seal it. If your state permits you to put used or broken CFLs in the garbage, seal the CFL in two plastic bags and put into the outside trash (if no other disposal or recycling options are available). Wash your hands after disposing of the bag.

4. The first time you vacuum the area where the bulb was broken, remove the vacuum bag once done cleaning the area (or empty and wipe the canister) and put the bag and/or vacuum debris, as well as the cleaning materials, in two sealed plastic bags in the outdoor trash or protected outdoor location for normal disposal.

Actually, that info is now out of date.  Most communities now want you to put the bulbs into a disposal pouch and take it to a recycling center, or use a special compact bulb recycling pail. 
When you've finished doing that, calculate how much energy you've consumed driving to the recycling center, as opposed to the energy consumed by chunking your old incandescent bulbs into the trash. 

Here's a video on one possible way to recycle your old CFL bulbs.  I know that everyone in America is going to do this instead of throwing them into the trash.  You are going to do this, aren't you?   



You might be asking yourself....Why are we having to go through all of this?

Well, General Electric lobbied for the ban of the old bulbs, and they donate to more campaigns than you do.  Here's The Washington Examiner:

“Government did us in,” says Dwayne Madigan, whose job will terminate when General Electric closes its factory next July.
Madigan makes a product that will soon be illegal to sell in the U.S. - a regular incandescent bulb. Two years ago, his employer, GE, lobbied in favor of the law that will outlaw the bulbs.
Madigan’s colleagues, waiting for their evening shift to begin, all know that GE is replacing the incandescents for now with compact fluorescents bulbs, which GE manufactures in China.

Lordy, that's cold. 
People should be able to manufacture whatever they want to, wherever they want to, as long as it doesn't harm someone else.  But lobbying for a ban on your old product line so you can have a succesful launch of the new stuff?  That's cold. 

This guy is suggesting that we all mail some busted CFL's to our Congressman on September 30th. 
The current bunch of Congressmen would probably hire 30 union members, 5 environmental impact experts, and half the D.C. police force to supervise the cleanup. 
So let's not mail our dead CFL's anywhere.
Let's re-name them.   

Those inadequate, squishy, little light bulbs reminded me of something.  Or someone.  I couldn't figure it out for the longest time.  And then it hit me....

Thomas Sowell on the people "who drove the car into the ditch"

Please stand for this month's reading from The Gospel According To Saint Thomas....

Economist Thomas Sowell, the smartest man in the world now that Milton Friedman is dead, has given us new insights into those "who drove the car into the ditch", as our president keeps claiming has happened. 

Another political fable is that the current economic downturn is due to not enough government regulation of the housing and financial markets. But it was precisely the government regulators, under pressure from politicians, who forced banks and other lending institutions to lower their standards for making mortgage loans.


These risky loans, and the defaults that followed, were what set off a chain reaction of massive financial losses that brought down the whole economy.

So it doesn't matter who was driving the car when it inevitably went into the ditch?  Perhaps we should question those who dug the damn ditch that was running across the middle of the interstate?  Give us more, O Saint Thomas, give us more....

Was this due to George W. Bush and the Republicans? Only partly. Most of those who pushed the lowering of mortgage lending standards were Democrats-- notably Congressman Barney Frank and Senator Christopher Dodd, though too many Republicans went along.

At the heart of these policies were Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, who bought huge amounts of risky mortgages, passing the risk on from the banks that lent the money (and made the profits) to the taxpayers who were not even aware that they would end up paying in the end.

However, anyone who reads the scriptures of Saint Thomas would've seen this coming from afar.  As the good Doctor Sowell has pointed out many times, the stated goals and objectives of any policy do not matter.  All that matters are the incentives that are created.  In this case, Fannie and Freddie were incentivized to take insane risks because they knew that someone would be there to bail them out if things went badly.  That someone would be....you. 
You have their undying gratitude. 
Let us continue with the next verses:

When President Bush said in 2004 that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac should be reined in, 76 members of the House of Representatives issued a statement to the contrary. These included Barney Frank, Nancy Pelosi, Maxine Waters and Charles Rangel.

If we are going to talk about "the policies that created this mess in the first place," let's at least get the facts straight and the names right.

The current policies of the Obama administration are a continuation of the same reckless policies that brought on the current economic problems-- all in the name of "change." Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are still sacred cows in Washington, even though they have already required the biggest bailouts of all.

Why? Because they allow politicians to direct vast sums of money where it will do politicians the most good, either personally or in terms of buying votes in the next election.

The man has spoken.

Thus endeth the reading from The Gospel According To Saint Thomas.
You may be seated.

Quote Of The Day

From Jim Davidson's Facebook page:

‎"When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men living together in society, they create for themselves in the course of time a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it." ~ Frederic Bastiat

I think we're there. 

If twice as much was a big failure, half as much should be perfect

Taking out a $100,000,000,000.00 loan (that's one hundred billion) on our Chinese credit card and then blowing it on Democrat wish-lists didn't get the U.S. economy going again. 

Giving your credit card to some of Fort Worth's East Lancaster crack whores so they could blow a lot of your money on their wish lists, well, that wouldn't get your economy going either.  It would earn you the gratitude of a few crack dealers, but it wouldn't get your economy going.  It would simply leave you with a lot of debt.  You would have the support of the crack dealers if you ran for public office, though, and that's what the Porkulus Package was all about.     

And now The Teleprompter Jesus has proposed borrowing another $50,000,000,000.00 (that's fifty billion, if you have problems with all the zeroes) to prime the Keynesian pump some more and get our economy going.  China's banks are probably delighted, but is there anyone out there who could pass a lie detector test claiming that it will get our economy going?  We're almost out of silly stuff to spend the borrowed money on. 

Hit this link to see what you owe on your Bank Of China credit card.  And remember, all of this spending is for a good cause.....

And here's what you owe to all other governments. All of this is based on you having the average U.S. household income of around $55,000.00
Your share is much higher if you are among the "more fortunate".

Please remember to keep making those minimum payments each month !  Those stimulus package signs cost $1200 each, and your government needs your support. 

Quote Of The Day

I'm all for Open Borders.  Why people prefer to think of themselves as some government's livestock instead of "free range" is beyond me. 
However....I had to smile when I read Denny's "quote of the day" at The Grouchy Old Cripple.
It's from Ben Stein:

"Fathom the odd hypocrisy that Obama wants every citizen to prove they are insured, but people don't have to prove they are citizens".

A fresh coat of Whitening to Scotty Starnes for the pic. 

Wiener Dog barrel racing

Everybody needs a goal.
Some people want to save the world.
Some people want to train dachsunds to properly do a barrel race.
Mission Accomplished ! ! !

Stop Stealing My Stuff !

From my friend, fellow Libertarian, and all-around great guy John Jay Myers.  John Jay is running for Congress in the Texas 32nd district. 

Originally the message of the Tea Party seemed clear “Less taxes and spending”. Simple enough, Right? Somehow they have gotten distracted. Very, very distracted. I know that all the Tea Parties and their participants are different, so it is not fair for me to throw them all under the bus.

So for those who are distracted, let me attempt to recapture your attention.

You wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of breaking glass.  When you stumble out of your bed and into the living room you find a man standing there with your TV in his arms.
Of course your first reaction is to exclaim loudly and with all of your energy “Should gays be allowed to marry?”
Wait, I am sorry, but no you don’t.  You scream “Should they build a Mosque in New York City?”
No, wait, you say “What’s your stance on abortion?”

Of course not.  You scream “Stop stealing my stuff!”

When your City Council says they are going use your money to build a hotel, or favor one small business over another, you need to scream “Stop stealing my stuff!”

When your State government declares eminent domain over your land so they can build roads, and then sell the land to a foreign company so it can put tolls on the roads you paid for, howl like a lunatic “Stop stealing my stuff!”

When your Federal government sends billions of dollars in foreign aid to other countries when our country is broke, or spends trillions on wars that benefit oil companies, or wants to put government in control of the entire health care industry, or when they take all the money out of the economy before a recession and give it to banks, or engage in preferential treatment of the car companies they just took over, then you should scream from roof tops “Stop stealing my stuff!”

Most people did not seem to notice that while they thought they were standing up for America, they were actually being corralled into voting for the exact same groups that got us into this mess. Has no one noticed that their Republican Congressman who was in power when the bail outs were passed is still in power?  Did no one notice that these same people who are now clamoring for the Tea Parties affection doubled the debt?

My point to this is simple - if 80% of the people in America believe that our government is corrupt, what is the point of dividing ourselves? As long as you are preoccupied with these other topics, you won't have time to focus on the real issues. You can argue about gay marriage, abortion and other religions after we get these people out of office so they will “Stop stealing our stuff!”

John Jay Myers is running for Congress in Texas 32nd district


He serves on the Texas Executive Committee and is the Vice-Chair for the Dallas County Libertarian Party.

Here's the video, should you need it. 

Go here to donate to John Jay's campaign.  If nothing else, go to the site and look at his position statements on personal freedom and economic freedom.