Regret

Death - A Nice Opportunity for Regret - NYTimes.com

Death, or last Tuesday. Wait, that is redundant.

Very well done article.  Read it all,  but this really spoke to me.

If you have no sadness or remorse, you are a liar or a denier, or worse still, you haven’t lived. No one makes it through a life without words better left unsaid, poor judgments or thoughtless omissions. I can barely make it through a day without all three.

Use It Or Lose It??

There is going to be no interest in proving anything now by anyone in power in MN, and not at the federal level either since BO controls the judiciary, but there really is only one real reason to fight voter ID. 

You know there is massive fraud and you like it that way. In fact, your job and maybe even your freedom from the slammer depends on it. 

Oh sure,  those in power and the MSM can make up "disenfranchisement",  but with provisional ballots, that is a fantasy. For the sheep though, if their leaders make a noise they bleat it back. 

Apparently BO lost in every state that requires ID. I know, it proves nothing ... those states are likely more conservative and he would have lost there anyway.  Just a "factoid" ... like "the Koch brothers gave money to ...", or Mitt Romney's son had invested in some company that owned some company that made voting machines that were installed in OH. Oh, NPR had a 5min segment on that last one the day before the election because it was a "meme", and they were just saying it probably wasn't true ... repeating a meme is ALWAYS a great way toi quash it. Good thing the investment in Big Bird pays some dividends, 

One more in a long list of things there is just no curiosity about in the MSM ... you know, not like the important stuff like was W a good pilot, did Ronnie sleep in meetings, did HW know the price of a gal of milk when he was president, and could Dan Quayle spell potato. 

Oh, and did you know there is a "Fiscal Cliff" coming up?? I'll be darned -- now there was a story that just suddenly flashed up on the MSM radar Wednesday.  Good thing we spent a couple of billion to put exactly the same folks back at the levers of power that CREATED the fiscal cliff cuz they couldn't agree in the summer of '11, nor in the "double secret committee" later that year. 

Ah yes, the "free and unbiased press" ... making sure the folks in the nation that borrows 40% of it's existing budget and CURRENTLY has 10% of it's people pay 90% of the rest are all up to date on what's trump.

Oh, yes, now I guess there is a "mandate" for that 10% to pay more of the freight. They just aren't doing enough ... the greedy bastards!!

Wallowing In Bitterness

Bitterfest 2012 - Jay Nordlinger - National Review Online

After Tuesday, reality based people deserve a little bitterness!!

This is well done, a few of the points made are right on with where I'm thinking:

• Conservatives tend to be on the positive sided of pragmatism. To steal the title of the excellent Ridley book "Rational Optimists". Tuesday showed us that in the case of the US, this was unwarranted. 
• The 100 year leftward slide goes on. The Statists of course call that "Progressive" ... progress. Ever larger government, ever smaller private liberty. Reagan was an oh so tiny slowing, now the dive for the left continues to accelerate. People were NOT duped as might have been claimed after '08. This time they had a clear choice and over half of the US went for GIMME THE STUFF!!

The Meaning of Yesterday’s Defeat | Power Line, MUST READ

The Meaning of Yesterday’s Defeat | Power Line

I wish I had written this. Very much on target.  The fact that even though the vast majority of Americans thought Romney would be better on the economy, they went for the "free stuff" tells me that it is over ... we have gone over that cliff where the takers solidly outnumber the makers.

We borrow 40% of the cost of our government and 10% of the people pay for the rest. Why are we surprised that the electorate says; "good"?

What really hurts is that our educational system has convinced our youth that socialism works, when the very recent past provides many proofs that it does not. No matter, most young people believe what their teachers tell them and the primary function of our union controlled school system is to turn out more liberals.

Reality Votes

I've often said thought and felt that if it wasn't for reality, everyone would be a Democrat.

If there was no God, but a guarantee of a benevolent government to take care of you no matter how lazy, foolish, irresponsible, unlucky, etc one happend to be. A government that loved you unconditionally -- with the only real caveat being that you never, ever, questioned the divine correctness of that government and the premises of the cornucopia on which it stands. Nor would you have some other God that you considered greater than the wondrous government -- provider of all that is good to all, with no malice to any, except of course those that just will NOT get their minds right no matter how obvious the error of their ways is made.

A government that gave you birth control, abortions, cures for your venereal diseases, raised your illegitimate children and cared for you no matter how many lives you happened to damage as you careened in and out driven by the pleasure of the day.  A government that guaranteed you all the years in the womb of an education system studying anything from basket weaving to women's, minority, or deviant cultures, lifestyles or world views ... and then food, shelter, medical care, recreation and "a respectable income doing something you like" when you decided that academia was boring. Free internet, free drugs, free booze, free love, free self respect ... plus rehabilitation, counseling, analysis and more drugs if one of your "freedoms" turned out less well than you thought.

But, I believe there is a God, and a universe that contains imperfect and imperfect-able humans, incapable of creating a government that is effectively the human vision of a "good god" -- a "government god" that gives what we want with no conditions save acknowledgement of the government giving and gifts.  No rules, no payment, no downsides, no limits. Not my universe.

Strangely, my God is exactly that -- only heavenly. Gifts including his own Son, freely given to those that accept the gift. There is the angst of now having a desire to improve on my human self centered desires toward sin, but once having seen grace, it is hard to imagine wanting to just seek maxing out your wallowing potential.

But America has clearly voted for a "government god" in the belief that reality will not bite in the form of further economic collapse and/or a rudderless world drifting to a new world DISorder that likely includes nuclear exchanges or just destruction with Iran-Israel, Pakistan-India, N Korea - Japan, ???

The Franklin quote; "Those that trade liberty for security get neither" keeps running through my mind.

Krauthammer, Biggest Election Since '80

Charles Krauthammer: The choice - The Washington Post

A good one by Charles. I'd quibble with him on scope and Reagan effect ... "Progressivism" has been on the rise since 1900, and all Reagan did was slow it a bit. Rolling anything major back (FICA, Medicare, now Healthcare, etc) is work that remains to be done.

In 1980 we were not close to a 50/50 nation on government dependency, today, as Romney acknowledged in his 47% comment, we are.

Libertarian Voting Republican

The following is a reprint of a Kurt Bills note on the subject of sticking together in an election. I think it is one of the most well written statements on the issue I've ever seen and the Reagan quote at the end was new to me, and as many Reagan quotes, directly on point on this subject. 

In June 2009 Norm Coleman conceded his Senate race to comedian Al Franken.
He lost the race, after 6 months of recounts and legal battles, by 312 votes.
In December 2010, Tom Emmer conceded his race for Governor after a similar recount, losing by fewer than 9000 votes. 

Both races have something in common much more important than the fact that they ended after recounts: they ended with extremely liberal politicians taking power entirely due to the defection of Republicans to third-party candidates. In a very real way, Democrats didn’t win those elections as much as Republicans chose to lose them.

In my mind, that is shameful. Do any of the Republicans who voted for Dean Barkley or Tom Horner really believe our state and our country are better off with Al Franken and Mark Dayton as Senator and Governor? 

The reasons for some Republicans to defect from Coleman and Emmer are a mirror image of each other. Some Republicans expressed dissatisfaction with Coleman because he was not conservative enough for their taste; in Emmer’s case, others thought he was too conservative. 

They were looking for the “Goldilocks” candidate in the race, and voted for a third party candidate or stayed home. In the Emmer race, former Republican Tom Horner garnered over 250,000 votes, more than 25 times the margin by which Emmer lost. Not all those votes were disaffected Republicans, of course, but too many of them were.
The results are stark: Minnesota didn’t get a centrist, “goldilocks” Senator or Governor. They were saddled, instead, with two of the most liberal politicians in the country representing them in Washington and St Paul.Republicans who didn’t vote for their Republican candidates are responsible for the passage of Obamacare, a bill that would have been stopped had Norm Coleman been in the Senate.

I am not one to believe that we should abandon our principles and simply adopt the Party line. Many of you recall that I am the Republican Senate candidate today because I ran an insurgent campaign from outside the Party structure. 

I firmly believe it is our responsibility to fight within the Party to ensure it represents our principles. Ronald Reagan was an insurgent, and eventually won out against the Rockefeller Republicans after nearly two decades of work in the trenches.
During that time Reagan was both a loyal Republican and a principled warrior for his cause. 

That is what each of us needs to be today. Day in, day out each of us needs to work tirelessly to persuade other Republicans to our side when we disagree; and day in, day out we need to fight to defeat Democrats who are pushing policies which if left unchecked will bankrupt our country and undermine the constitutional foundations of our country. 

Ronald Reagan hit it on the nose when he declared: “The person who agrees with you 80 percent of the time is a friend and an ally — not a 20 percent traitor.” 

That is why I am voting for a Republican straight ticket this Election Day…and why you should, 

Obama Celebrity Endorsers

Obama’s Celebrity Endorsers of 2009: Where Are They Now? | Power Line

Ah, remember 2008, Obamamania, Obasms ... oh well, it is looking a bit like BO and Jimmuh can maybe go off on a world apology tour together.

It is short and worth the watch ... makes you wonder about America, but since we DID elect BOTH Carter and Obama, we definitely SHOULD wonder!!

Remember George Zimmerman

One of the extreme dangers of a controlled or crony/paid press (eg. Public Media) is that they masquerade as a source of information, but really become just another political propaganda arm of the government interest, or in the case of the MSM in the US, the ruling elite ... public and private unions, lawyers, the legal system and the university/educational system.

So an open and shut self defense case in FL is trumped up to a racist murder by the racial / left political industry during an election year to provide a few weeks of cover for a failed president trying to be re-elected. George Zimmerman, a private citizen, Democrat himself a minority (hispanic) has his life destroyed so he can be forced to provide the left with a diversion. Then the story stops and we are told to move long.

"Dershowitz also mentions a suspicion I’ve harbored since the weird, circus-like press conference at which Corey announced the charges: they’re a political instrument designed to buy time for everyone to cool down, leading to a long trial that dismantles some of the hysteria built up around the Trayvon Martin case.  If true, the strategy is understandable… but utterly outrageous.  The United States does not do “show trials.”  The justice system is not a safety valve for releasing unhealthy levels of political tension.  Individual citizens are not pawns to be shoved around in media games by gun-control advocates, race hustlers, or opportunistic politicians.  The purpose of law enforcement is to protect the public, not appease certain segments of it."

But we see in the Zimmerman case, the US now IS the kind of nation where people become pawns of the political/legal/media system and are powerless to prevent it.

Unless of course those of us in "undesirable groups" ... white, male, christian, conservative, etc follow the "stay in your car strategy", or maybe better put "sit down and shut up" strategy. When the corruption of the system gets to a certain point, the siren call is to keep your head down and stay quiet and they will leave you alone. Unfortunately, as millions found out in the 20th century, that doesn't work. First they come for a few George Zimmermans ... eventually they come for you.

It’s difficult to see how any of that might convince a jury to hand down a “guilty” verdict to Murder Two charges.  How does that “stay in your car” principle work?  Do you have to stay in your car when you seeanyone acting suspiciously in your neighborhood, or do the age, sex, and racial background of the subject matter?  Does everyone have to stay in their cars, or only members of certain age, sex, and racial groups?

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Stop Stealing Dreams

Take the 20 min and watch this, it is critical to our future as a nation.

I agree with most of what he says, but it is much worse than he thinks. For all his brilliance, Seth seems to have an anti-industrialist bias. It is true that "industrialists" like compliant workers and consumers, but it is even MORE true that growing and potentially oppressive governments love them even more.

They want compliant and predictable voters so it seems like a "Democracy". What is more, the unions that support them want predictable and non-competitive jobs that they can sleepwalk through to a lucrative retirement, and are willing to provide millions in campaign contributions and vocal support to keep that gravy train running.

YES! We must get out of the 19th century in education, but we are not going to do it with the vested interests of teachers and government UNION employees + the existing university elite calling the shots!

Harvard and Yale will definitely agree that losing their status as "elite" is a VERY bad thing!!

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It's The World View Stupid

George W. Bush Haunts Mitt Romney - Bloomberg

The media succeeded in making W an unpopular president, ergo whatever principles he governed by are discredited. Being "unpopular" is equivalent to being wrong.

US savings rate is pitifully low (although less pitiful than it used to be), therefore saving money is "wrong/bad".

The doctor used approved medical procedures to treat the patient, but they died, therefore we ought to return to blood letting, it is "obviously" just as good.

Many countries around the globe moved to more market based competitive economic policies in the '80s and saw long term economic booms. Many backslid from those policies ... US, England, Ireland. Some didn't ... China, India, Brazil. The ones that backslid have fallen on hard economic times, the ones that stayed the course are largely still rolling. Therefore a market based competitive approach to economic activity is discredited??

If all the other kids jump over a cliff, are you going to follow them?? I guess in a liberal house, the answer to that question is "Sure, if everyone else thinks it is a good idea, it must be ... we believe in democracy!!"

Can Big Bird Leave the Government Nest??

Mark Steyn: Will Big Bird ever leave the government nest? | big, bird, mitt - Opinion - The Orange County Register

It's a bit wordy but it is great. Steyn may be Canadian, but he is good!

Good Jobs??

Obama’s Jobs Failure, In One Chart | Power Line

As a long time NPR listener, I know that whenever there is a "good jobs number" (lower unemployment, good number of jobs for a month/quarter, etc) ... well, at least during the Reagan years and the W years, the question was always "Are those good jobs ?? or low paying dead end jobs??"

Is the person "underemployed"? Meaning are they in a job that is below their skill level?

How about "disenchanted workers"?? Those folks that have gotten so sick of looking for work that they are just sitting it out??

Those are all good questions, but they are good questions no matter who is in the WH, and the ANSWERS are also important.

Unfortunately, for BO, the answer on especially the disenchanted front is terrible as the linked chart clearly shows.

Chris Matthews Missing Leg Shiver

Chris Matthews Freaks Out At Obama: "What Was He Doing?" | RealClearPolitics:


Wow, Matthews of "Obama sends a shiver up your leg" fame seems to think "the one" didn't do so well!

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MSM Sampling Reality on Libyan Ambassador?

Editorial: Shifting Libya attack story raises red flags:

Were this W in '04 vs BO in '12, the MSM drumbeat would be deafening --- "gross administration incompetence", "failed intelligence", etc ... the call for a scapegoat would be shrill. Give us a Sec State resignation!, give us a CIA director resignation!, SOMETHING! The admin clearly went with a story they thought would sell, and now it has unraveled ... raw meat for the MSM maw with a Republican in the WH.

I guess it is just a lot quieter when your guy is in the WH.

Three weeks after an attack in Libya killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans, we now know that it did not spring from a spontaneous protest, spurred by an anti-Muslim video, as the Obama administration originally described it. In fact, every aspect of the early account — peddled most prominently by U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice — has unraveled.

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