Blessings, Blame, American Economy

Why Blame Obama?

The linked article makes the case pretty clear that Obama has a very large share of the blame for the current state of the American economy. The cornerstones that blame rests on:

• Understanding that CONGRESS sets the budget of the US. Slick Willie deserves credit for signing the budgets of the '90s that led to a surplus (under duress), but the Republican congress set them and took the blame for the reduction in the rate of growth of spending that led to the surplus (along with the Internet Bubble). 
• Understanding the difference between TARP and the Stimulus -- W helped engineer and signed off on TARP (which I also didn't like), but BO did the Stimulus with his Democrat congress cronies. 
• Understanding the history of US debt and the truly horrific effect that ONE term by ONE US president ( BO ) has had. 
• Understanding the destruction of the rule of law and it's replacement with crony capitalism and the effect that has on business investment. 

But there is still some mass confusion about "How do we get out of this?".

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/03/opinion/henry-ford-when-capitalists-cared.html

While liberals scream of the Republicans holding a convention that was supposed to be a huge lie about an America that never was by a bunch of evil folks out to hurt anyone less that super wealthy, the left wants to return to Henry Ford and 1914. Well, that's a start.

In 1914, US spending was 2.76% of GDP ...  21% LESS!! than government spending today. No doubt corporate leaders and wealthy people "cared" (as measured in $$$) much more in 1914 than they do today. They could AFFORD TO!!  The US Government forced them to outsource all that "caring" to Washington at the point of a gun and now complains that "Corporations don't care enough"!

Worse, America was highly competitive then. Today we are over regulated, over taxed, federally mismanaged, and our work ethic has been converted to "gimme" ... out of somebody else's pocket, ASAP.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/02/opinion/sunday/friedman-its-still-halftime-in-america.html?_r=1&hp&src=ISMR_AP_LO_MST_FB

Friedman is pining away for the 60's and like the entire left, he is forced to completely forget the '80s. Yes, JFK set a great goal with going to the moon, and NASA cashed the check. While fondly remembered by Friedman however, we also had a number of assassinations, civil unrest, a losing war in Vietnam, an acceleration in entitlements we couldn't pay for and the beginnings of the end of our economic world dominance.

By the '80s, the left had decided that "America's best years were behind her", and then came Ronald Reagan saying it was "Morning in America" and that the USSR (our competition for Superpower at that point) would be assigned to "The Ash Heap of History". And lo, it came to pass that the USSR was so consigned and the US set off on an economic odyssey that lasted right up through '07.

Perhaps we need to figure out what the game is again until we declare it "Halftime".  America used to be proudly pro-business and business used to be proudly pro-profit. Now what are we?? Pro-entitlement?? But what kind of a game is that?? The winners are the takers rather than the makers?

I'd say we already see how well that works. We have been sliding since 1914 or before and the '07 Democrat congress and BO just kicked in the solid fuel boosters in the wrong direction as we already hung at the edge.

There is STILL no free lunch! Figure that out, realize that competition is like gravity -- it is ALWAYS there, you just get to decide if it is to your benefit or your peril!

Let's get this country up off the mat and get back in the right game ... and then maybe we can talk about "halftime" after a couple decades of defending against the opposition and scoring some solid points!

LBJ, Reagan, BO, "Progress"

Election a stark choice on America's future - CNN.com

The second "choice" election came in 1980, when, after a decade of failed leadership, a man came galloping out of the West who seemed the most improbable of figures to get the country going again. And he was carrying with him many of Goldwater's ideas. But Ronald Regan turned out to be a strong leader with a million-dollar smile; Jimmy Carter, a man better suited to be a saint than a politician, went down decisively. Score one for smaller government.

I might actually do the list as "FDR, LBJ, Carter and BO" --- the merchants of ruin. In reality, each election once the anti-american virus of "Progressivism" entered the politics of the US in roughly 1900 has just been the "choice" between letting the disease run at the same rate or trying to speed it up.

If anything, this year's choice is starker than in 1980: Reagan had a pragmatic streak, so he was willing to compromise to get a deal done and keep moving forward (Tip O'Neill used to say that the Gipper would win more than half a loaf and come back for the rest later). Romney and Ryan, however, reinforced by the tea party, show no inclination to compromise. On the Democratic side, aides to President Obama are spreading the word that, if he wins, he has had enough of trying to accommodate the Republicans and will also be more confrontational

Ah yes, "pragmatism", it was even around in 1980. The left in no way shape or form found Reagan to be "pragmatic". He was a harsh ideologue that was itching to go to war with the USSR, hurt the poor and benefit ONLY the "rich". For the left, the Reagan administration was an unremitting disaster -- both in their minds and in reality. In their minds, because they hated the man to the core and totally believed that the USSR was  "as good as we were, and probably better". In reality, because he proved that America was far from dead while communism was on life support at best, and mostly because he allowed Americans willing to keep their eyes and ears open to see that the basic ideas embodied in the Constitution -- individual freedom, small government, free enterprise, WORK!

What is different is that since Reagan we have had ONLY progressive presidents -- HWB, Slick, W and BO ... and had we elected McCain he would have also been on that list. In my book, so is Romney -- but I suspect that the real danger the left sees is Ryan. Ryan has the potential to be as beneficial to America and as dangerous for the left has Reagan was.

I do agree with their assessment on the gravity of the election, only more so.

But there should be no doubt that the two tickets stand behind radically different visions of the role of government and individuals. Under President Obama, federal spending is now 24% of GDP, far higher than in recent decades. While Obama talks of trimming, his most thoughtful advisers think the government is likely to grow in coming years no matter who wins (see Larry Summers's provocative column in the Financial Times this week).

Of course these guys are pretty far left. The entire US Gov spending -- Federal, State and Local is about 50% of GDP, 9% of which is borrowed. http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/percent_gdp

Like a lot of things in government though, it's worse than that http://ntu.org/tax-basics/who-pays-income-taxes.html

The bottom 50% of US earners pay only 2% of taxes while the top 25% pays 87% and the top 1% pays 37%.

One might say that the class war is over and the productive class LOST! When 50% of the country essentially pays no income tax, and 75% pays very little, it is easy to see why "make the rich pay more" seems like such a great idea to over 50% of the people. We hear a lot about Romney "only" paying 14% and hear very little about that coming to $6.2 M. They also hear very little about the $7 M he gave away.

So we come to an election where although there are many unemployed, the vast vast majority of Americans are really hurting very little, while the top 25% shoulders nearly 90% of the cost of the "progressives" massive government.  Even worse, 49.1% of US citizens receive some level of assistance from the government http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2012/05/26/number-of-the-week-half-of-u-s-lives-in-household-getting-benefits/.  No wonder our politics are polarized!! 25% of the people are not only paying the freight, 50% of the people are RIDING THE TRAIN!!

The "progressive" progrom is much the same as the communist one. In communism, you "win" when there are no other alternatives available and each tiny ember of hope that arises gets snuffed in the Gulag.

With "progressivism", you "win" when you put over 50% of the population in the non-productive / dependent class to continue to vote you into power so you can extract even more from the productive.

BO managed to bump the dependents by 4% in 4 short years -- putting him right at the cusp of the 50% needed. A quick look at these numbers tells you how vulnerable we are to getting close to 75% of the population firmly on the dependency side of the equation ... "make the top 25% pay!".

It really comes down to Paul Ryan being the last best hope -- by some miracle Romney-Ryan wins, 8 years of at best holding ground, and then MAYBE we start the long slog back to a nation of 80-90% productivity that can compete in the real world.

Republican Women for Obama

Republican Women For Obama? [UPDATED: Another Fake "Republican" Exposed] | Power Line

Yea, right. Good takedown. 95% of the time the "long time Republicans" that call in to shows and rant about the current crop of Republican candidates either never were Republican at all, but rather quite left-wing Democrats,

In a few cases they were  such RINOs that they apparently staggered into the "R" label like a college freshman into the next kegger ... totally unaware what the heck the "R" even meant.

"Hh my God, those people believe making money is good, the government ought to live within it's means,  and that people bear some individual responsibility for their actions! Wow, I never realized people could be so misinformed -- no wonder they are so partisan. When I saw Mitt Romney, I realized how scary the R's really are and came to my senses!"

BO's Silent 2nd Term Agenda

Strassel: The Silent Second-Term Agenda - WSJ.com

"DestrOY America!" ... with the BO O in the Destroy would be my pick for the BO campaign motto, but as this article explains, "FOward" isn't bad.

America will keep getting what it has the last 4, only deeper, harder and faster.

New Issue in 2012: Money In Politics

Will money buy the White House? - CNN.com

I'm sure this fine reporter just forgot about 2008, or didn't have the 2 sec it took to google up a number.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=anLDS9WWPQW8

Conservatively, BO spent $740 M, although many place the number closer to $1B because of many of the loopholes he used (eg. not reporting contributions of <$50).

This is a CNN HEADLINE article, and the previous presidential election bears no mention?

Oh, and:

Since 1976, the presidential public financing system included matching funds for small contributions in primaries and equal grants for the two general election nominees. Beginning with George W. Bush rejecting public matching funds in the 2000 primary campaign (and the spending limits that went with them), that system was diminished incrementally until 2008 when Obama's rejection of general election funding spelled its final demise.

Uh, lets "blame Bush". He didm't accept funds for the PRIMARY??? Does CNN even care which Republican gets selected?? Oh, I suppose they DO want to make sure it is the weakest one, and since fundraising is clearly important, I guess W bypassing the primary rule WAS painful for them. 

BO spening a Billion??? Not a problem in '08 ... at least we had ONE election in which money in politics was just fine!

BO Fails to Spell Ohio

Oiho?? I’m Sure It’s One of the 57 States | Power Line

Never mind, he is a brilliant man. Ohio is much harder to spell than "potato".!

Praise to Thee Oh Newspeak!! BO Has Gotta Go!!

Niall Ferguson on Why Barack Obama Needs to Go - Newsweek and The Daily Beast

Hats off to NewsWeek! I had written this publication off as sunk permanently in the leftmost ditch, but here they come with a great cover and a SUPERB article by one of my most admired historians! Wow!

Just read it. If you can honestly read this an believe that BO deserves another shot, then you can write yourself up as a solid lefty ideologue, and say goodbye to reason and reality.

Gird Your Loins

Articles: Will Obama Keep Power 'by Any Means Necessary'?

The reports of many DOMESTIC government agencies buying 100's of K or millions of rounds of hollow point ammo are very widespread and well sourced enough that I believe there is certainly a major movement of these organizations to prepare to wage war on Americans.

This article doesn't cover the executive orders that allow US government agencies to fly armed drones over domestic airspace. BO has already assassinated US citizens via drone abroad, can doing it domestically be far behind?

This article also doesn't touch on BOs first book. He dedicates the book to Saul Alinsky who openly advocated the overthrow of the US government, and dedicated his book "Rules for Radicals" to Satan. In that book, BO expresses respect for the Black Panthers, lots of distrust of white folks, and finds his mission as a Luo Tribesman to destroy "The Colonial Powers"  ... including the US.

"Forward" is a good slogan -- he may already have fatally wounded us, but the hated (by him) Stars and Stripes still flys, so BO's work is not yet complete.

Solo Wing 2700mi

View Rochester - Austin TX in a larger map

In the years I rode my CX500 back in the early '80s and on occasion during my 24yr hiatus from riding, I tended to think of the "big ride" and what kind of daily distances were doable / enjoyable on a Gold Wing.

I've got my answer. 820 mi Rochester - OK City in coolish temps wasn't too bad, but clearly at my limits for that day. Leg and shoulder stiffness are the items that start to make it unpleasant for me after about that amount of time on the bike ... 12 hours, 7:30AM to 7:30PM.

The next day, to Bertram TX was only 450, but with 102-105 heat most of the way, it took more out of me physically and took from 9am-8pm to accomplish with many hydration stops. Oh, and also an EXCELLENT BBQ stop at "Hard Eight" in Stephenville TX http://www.hardeightbbq.com/

Wed brought zero time on the bike, but good TX Hill Country views, some successful shopping for hot weather motorcycle apparel, and and excellent lunch at Chuys in Austin along with enjoyable time spent seeing some old friends from IBM days.

Thursday AM saw a 6:30 launch with a great 600+ mi ride from Bertram to Beebe AR,  just north of Little Rock. Both East TX and AR are areas that I want to return to. Very much like the upper midwest terrain and greenery look, although I realize with a lot more heat in the summer -- but much less winter to deal with as well. A houseboat on one of the big impoundments?

Friday I spent a little too much time wrestling with the GPS on the bike for my liking ... "Shortest Time vs Distance" became an issue. The Wing seems to like routing through "fun motorcycle roads" which is fine, but when interspersed with a constant penchant to go all the way over to I-35 to make time, it can cause an on-bike tiff. Much like dealing with a wife, we worked it out by doing it the Wings way ... I hit I-35 just N of KC. Excitement of the day was a life flight chopper landing on US 13 right ahead of me and having to turn around and make my own "detour".

The biggest disappointment of the trip was pulling off at Albert Lea, less than 100mi from home as it was solid dark and I decided that the risk of tagging a deer the wrong way on that section of highway was just too great after 14 hours in the saddle. So I stayed the night and chipped it at 9AM Sat.

Lots of time to think of "why am I doing this?" and stuff on especially the interstate.

Some thoughts:

* an over 40  rider is 20x as likely to die riding a bike than in a car
* by not drinking when riding I cut that risk in half ... 10x
* by wearing a helmet, hi viz gear and taking a cycle safety class I cut the risk close to in half again ... 5x
* so since I drive about 20k mi a year and ride < 10k, I'm "only" about 2.5x as likely to die on my bike

Which is called RATIONALIZATION!

There is something irreplaceable about the experience of a trip like that. The danger is part of the thrill. Lots of guys are out there with no helmets, ape hangers, and riding "care free". They have a more fatalistic attitude ... But it is the same principle, just a matter of degree. Same with driving our cars and a lot of life activity. A safe life isn't a life. A risk free economy isn't an economy, it is a gulag.

It is a huge blessing to have made it to 55 with good health. The only way to be alive is some level of risk... One person's "reasonable risk" is completely insane for another, but be sure to embrace SOME risk that makes you less than fully comfortable. Lest you fail to have lived while alive.

I'm An Extremeist

Are You an Extremist? - Bill O'Reilly - Page 1

Worth a read. Wanting your nation  to live within it's means and limiting taxation on people to something less than 50% of their income is now "extreme" ... along with being a Christian (but not a Muslim), honoring marriage between  a man and a woman as it has always been, supporting the right to beat arms as enumerated in the Constitution and a bost of other things.

It has never been easier to be an "extremist" in America, and I have to say I'm proud to count myself in that group!

A $222 Trillion US Vision Gap

Great news: The US fiscal gap just jumped $11 trillion … to $222 trillion « Hot Air:

Something over 50% of Americans get to age 50 and throw up their hands realizing that their net worth is negative and they have no time for investment growth to build enough for their retirement even if they DID finally start saving. They "waited for tomorrow" for 3 decades and now it is too late.

They have a lot of company. Something over 90% of americans have no clue about the net present value of the future obligations of the US government which include caring for that 50% that neglected to care for themselves.

Much like worn out tires, siding, roofing, disease, death, etc, the future is most likely to happen. True, we could have a giant earth shattering disaster of the meteor, plague, super volcano sort that would wipe out 100's of millions and essentially cancel the future, but one doesn't really like to focus on such as a "solution".

So we blithely keep rolling up future obligations at a rate that is 10x our actual yearly deficit with over 90% of the population that is supposed to be self-governing being completely unaware.

90% of people need to have the individual responsibility to cover their own retirement with assets left at the end to pass on. We need a complete re-make / return to what we were founded to be -- a nation of FREE PEOPLE, which includes freedom from individual and public debt.

Right now we are a nation of fools where a bloated government hobbles our productivity while promising us "security" as it saddles us with debt to destroy our future.


'via Blog this'

BO Recovery Worst Since WWII

GDP Data Show Obama's 'Recovery' Has Been Worse Than Any Postwar President's - Investors.com:

Don't expect to see this make the news much ... but it would be helpful to the ability of americans to govern themselves if it did.

'via Blog this'

Democrats and Media Protect Pedophile

Reid puts GOP in a bind over Romney's taxes - CNN.com:

Gee CNN is really worried about the Pedophile Majority Leader "putting Republicans in a bind".

Oh, you didn't hear that Harry Reid is a Pedophile?? Well, I have it FROM A VERY GOOD SOURCE that I'm not able to share at this time that the charge is 100% true!

Oh, you don't think that is "fair"? Hmm, then why is there a story on Reid's unsubstantiated accusations "causing Republicans problems" vs a story on how his fellow democrats, media, liberal organizations are ALL demanding he immediately cease and desist from this calumny and apologize, or be removed from his post???

Unbelievably, Pedo Harry is Senate Majority Leader -- not talk radio, not Fox News, not Huffpo, not even some first term back bencher in the House.

Is ANYONE going to deny that the MSM would be raising holy hell if the source of this was from the right and the target was on the left??

'via Blog this'

Wingvana

Haven't been doing nearly enough posting on my motorcycle. Here it is, pretty much the way I purchased it.

Wing as purchased

Had I not added the Kury pegs, http://wingstuff.com/products/27625-switchblade-highway-peg-w-mini-arms?from_search=1  I would have never been able to make the 1800 miles out to the Black Hills and Gillette WY and back (I'm  6'4" tall).

Here are some pictures from the trip ... a really good ride. http://www.flickr.com/photos/67173429@N00/sets/72157630412159566/

The trip convinced me that I needed to do something more, so I added Kury boards including the wide brake pedal ... BIG improvement! https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/yTBRzM0cQyYAyambcxwpsaEu3piSopWgtluch9Wsgbo?feat=directlink

Why Honda doesn't make floorboards standard on the Wing is beyond me. Lots of tweaking and setting to get them just right, but once I got it done, it is hard to imagine how I rode without them.

On the trip I also was bothered by a lot of wind buffeting. In general it was windy, there were a lot of trucks and since I am tall and wear a helmet, a lot of the time my helmet was up in the turbulent air. I did a lot of web / Gold Wing forum searches and decided that the Laminar Lip was the way to go https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/VNXxOGhqXfsiu6aF7SeIi6Eu3piSopWgtluch9Wsgbo?feat=directlink at least to start. I've put a couple hundred miles on the bike since installation, and so far I'm VERY impressed. It produces a very quiet pocket of air behind the windshield that seems to be exactly what I was looking for.

After reading a number of the forums I decided that a real fork brace was something that I ought to add, so I added the Kury Gen II, WOW ... huge low speed "wander" improvement, but more solid at all speeds. Very hard to understand why Honda doesn't put a solid brace on from the factory.

Christ Muslims Gays Double Standards

Radical imam OK but not Chick-fil-A - BostonHerald.com

There is only one true radical, the risen savior, Christ Jesus. All questions ultimately come down to Christ.

Case in point. Boston Mayor Tom Menino had no trouble assisting a Muslim in development of a mosque as well as speaking at its ribbon cutting, even though the official position of Islam, stated by one of the leaders of that mosque is that Gays must be put to death.

We all know of his comments on Chick-fil-A, and the comments of many on the left about a Christian owned business that clearly practices what it preaches by being closed on Sunday, yet is the highest profit per store fast food outlet.

WHY is this true and what does it mean???

1. It is strong evidence of the primacy and radical effect of Jesus and Christian teachings / life. What the Gays, atheists and left hate is not "religion", or even "radical violent fundamentalist religion". What they really hate is CHRIST and CHRISTIANS!! The left's willingness to "forgive and forget" Muslim violence, doctrine and treatment of women is limitless. The swiftness and vehemence of their anger and intolerance to any display of Christian belief or doctrine is a strong proof of the primacy of Christ. 
2. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend". Many of the left mostly secretly mourned the loss of the USSR. They WANT the power of US to be "counter balanced" and reduced, at least to extent that the US is seen as "a Christian Nation". Todays counter balances are Islam and China, but China is less loved by the left than most communist nations as it has embraced a lot of capitalism and competition. Capitalism and competition mean individual initiative and differential outcomes. The left demands that individual lives be meaningless and only the "state collective" matter. Christ, capitalism, competition and the Constitution ALL celebrate the dignity and meaning of the life of the individual. This is anathema to left-statist-collective thought.
3. "Liberalism - Progressivism" are of course both lies. "Liberal" is in fact a label of the RIGHT, which is LIBERTARIAN. "Progressive" is allusion to the  myth that "newer is better / modern is smarter / old is bad / etc".  The USSR, Nazi Germany and Maoist China ought to have been enough to bury these foolish thoughts forever, but "false hope springs eternal". The left thinks that we are "better / smarter" than what has gone before and that there is an "arrow of evolution" that is "upward / better". Some tiny creature that just consumes organic matter, breeds prodigiously, is resistant to extermination and consumes the entire biosphere leaving only a "gray goo" would be the ultimate, but species costly "we told you so" rebuttal. If evolution means that we are just getting better, how did we end up with Obama/Carter/Franken/Pelosi/etc ... or for the lefties Bush/Reagan/Bachmann/Palin ... Seems like we ought to be able to easily determine the fallacy of the progress myth very easily without exterminating ourselves ... but maybe not. 

I could go on, but the REAL issue here is that a "christian / conservative / true liberal / libertarian / fact based / transcendent / etc" world view is not actually able to understand the inconsistencies of a "statist / atheist / progressive / vision based / materialist" world view. And of course, vice-versa!!

Which means that we generally CAN'T just "all get along" unless we actually decide that facts are more important than visions, or liberty is more important than "fairness", etc.

But if liberals were going to make those changes, then they would no longer be "liberals". Or conservatives would just have to decide that God is dead and facts don't matter.

Two things are "hopeful" -- aging tends to move people to the right, as do massive disasters -- natural, political, financial. "Reality has a way of creeping up on you", or "liberalism only seems to work until you run out of other peoples money" to say it even more simply.