Mark Halperin SUSPENDED For Obama 'D*ck' Comment (VIDEO)

"Punishmen­t is now unfashiona­ble... because it creates moral distinctio­ns among men, which, to the democratic mind, are odious. We prefer a meaningles­s collective guilt to a meaningful individual responsibi­lity."

Thomas Szasz
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

flake vs flake

a rebuttal from Mark Levin and Jeffrey Lord to George Stephanopolous's column. John Quincy Adams a Founding Father? Michele Bachmann Says Yes...

by Mark Levin on Tuesday, June 28, 2011 at 9:51am: "George Stephanopolous: Flake"

George Stephanopolous has revealed his own flakiness and ignorance in his effort to pile on Michele Bachmann.

The fact is that a number of prominent Founders did attempt to end or at least take on the issue of slavery, including Virginia's George Mason, who was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention. The inability to end slavery was among the reasons he refused to support the Constitution. While he was a slave-owner, he nonetheless opposed the institution going forward. Mason was no light-weight, either. He had authored the Virginia Declaration of Rights, which later served as the basis for James Madison's draft of the Bill of Rights.

Thomas Jefferson's first draft of the Declaration specifically condemned the treatment of blacks by the Crown as a basis for America declaring its independent from Britain.

Importantly, the final draft of the Declaration that was adopted by all the states contained the crucial recognition of God-given unalienable rights that belonged to all human beings. The phrase was borrowed by Jefferson from philosopher John Locke, who was anti-slave.

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By Jeffrey Lord on 6.28.11 @ 1:38PM - The American Spectator: "Levin: Stephanopoulos Is Foolish in Lecturing Bachmann"

"[A] French observer wrote that [James] Madison, "a young man (who)... astonishes…by his eloquence, his wisdom, and his genius, has had the humanity and courage (for such a proposition requires no small share of courage) to propose a general emancipation of the slaves." - James Madison, by biographer, Ralph Ketcham

'Hamilton became a prime mover in the early abolitionist group. He pressured the (New York) state legislature and helped to raise money to buy and free slaves. The society's founders…elected Hamilton chairman to draw up recommendations for "a line of conduct" for any "members who still possessed slaves." He also established a registry for manumitted slaves, listing their names and ages, "to detect attempts to deprive such manumitted persons of their liberty."' - Alexander Hamilton: A Life, by biographer Willard Sterne Randall

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personally, i think they're both (George and Michelle) a bit flaky... i want news from my journalists... and i want legislation from congressmen(women)... journalists should know how to research and interview... congressmen should know law and history... it's clear that neither of these people can do their jobs.

an inconvenient truth (about taxes)

Soak the rich? You can’t.

Higher taxes reduce the incentives to work, produce, invest and save, thereby dampening overall economic activity and job creation.

Although Hauser’s law sounds like a restatement of the Laffer curve (and Hauser did cite Arthur Laffer in his original article), it has independent validity. Because Laffer’s curve is a theoretical insight, theoreticians find it easy to quibble with. Test cases, in which the economy responds to a tax change, lend themselves to many alternative explanations. Conventional economists, despite immense publicity, have yet to swallow the Laffer curve. When it is mentioned at all by critics, it is often as an object of scorn.

Hauser’s Law via Hoover Institution
by W. Kurt Hauser and David Ranson

Mr. Hauser is chairman emeritus of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and chairman of Wentworth, Hauser & Violich, a San Francisco investment management firm.

David Ranson is head of research at H.C. Wainwright & Co. Economics Inc.

This essay appeared in the Wall Street Journal on May 20, 2008.


See also There's No Escaping Hauser's Law in the Wall Street Journal by W. Kurt Hauser on November 26, 2010.


EDIT:
also see the following:
Millionaires Go Missing - Wall Street Journal
excerpt:

One-third of the millionaires have disappeared from Maryland tax rolls. In 2008 roughly 3,000 million-dollar income tax returns were filed by the end of April. This year there were 2,000, which the state comptroller's office concedes is a "substantial decline." On those missing returns, the government collects 6.25% of nothing. Instead of the state coffers gaining the extra $106 million the politicians predicted, millionaires paid $100 million less in taxes than they did last year -- even at higher rates.

proof is in the pudding

Let those crackers and hillbillies in the red states wallow in their filth and their ignorance, say proud upholders of the blue state model. We blue staters believe in things like quality education — and that costs money.

The American Interest blog

one thing this blog fails to point out is the proportion of magnet, private, charter, and preparatory schools who outrank your basic, public school... perhaps this is more reason to put public schools on notice... provide tax vouchers to parents and allow them to take their children to the schools that perform... stop rewarding mediocrity... it appears that "No Child Left Behind" is leaving too many children behind... it just gives the appearance of success by setting the bar lower.

update this

Reply/Comment to Fareed Zakaria (CNN-GPS)
While the electoral college suggestions are not without merit, your suggestion about the Senate shows your total lack of understanding of how (and why) the Senate exists. Please do some research before you display your ignorance.
The House of Representatives is the portion of Congress which represents (to a degree) the "one-man-one-vote" idea. The number of Representatives are based on population numbers. A small state, like Rhode Island, doesn't have as much representation (and thus, as much power) as a more populous state. There is no way a smaller state could block any legislation of larger states. The Senate is designed specifically to prevent such "mob rule". Each state, no matter the size, must come to accords on equal footing. Therefore, a minority of populous states cannot push legislation which is detrimental to smaller states. So you need to do some more research. I (personally) think you should retract your comments and publish your new understanding of the Constitution.

Link to Comment
Selected text from article:

The structure of the Senate is even more undemocratic, with Wisconsin's six million inhabitants getting the same representation in the Senate as California's 36 million people. That's not exactly one man, one vote.

no news is never good news

Book: Liberal Media Distorts News Bias - Washington Whispers (usnews.com):

"The problem, I believe, is that such commentators mistake relative bias for absolute bias. Yes, the Drudge Report is more conservative than the average U.S. news outlet. But it is a logical mistake to use that to infer that it is based on an absolute scale." - UCLA political science professor Tim Groseclose in his book Left Turn

Perhaps the most useful part of his book is the slant ratings of the media. The numbers are based on a conservative-to-liberal 0-100 rating, with 50 being centrist:

New York Times-73.7.
CBS Evening News-73.7.
NPR Morning Edition-66.3.
U.S. News & World Report-65.8.
Drudge Report-60.4.
ABC Good Morning America-56.1.
Washington Times-35.4.

media blackout

why aren't we hearing about this?...
Nebraska Nuclear Plant at Level 4 Emergency
Airspace Over Flooded Nebraska Nuclear Power Plant Still Closed - Business Insider
Two Nebraska Nuclear Plants Partially Submerged by Missouri Floodwaters - DBKP
US Orders News Blackout Over Crippled Nebraska Nuclear Plant - EUTimes

FDC 1/6523 - CALHOUN NUCLEAR POWER PLANT, BLAIR, NE
!FDC 1/6523 ZMP FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS FORT CALHOUN NUCLEAR POWER PLANT BLAIR,NE
EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. PURSUANT TO 14 CFR
SECTION 91.137(A)(3) TEMPORARY FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS ARE IN EFFECT FOR FLOOD RELIEF EFFORTS WITHIN A 2 NAUTICAL MILE RADIUS OF
413113N/0960438W OR THE OMAHA /OVR/ VORTAC 316 DEGREE RADIAL AT 26.1 NAUTICAL MILES AT AND BELOW 3500 FEET MSL.
NEBRASKA STATE PATROL, LT. FRANK PECK TELEPHONE 402-450-1867 IS IN
CHARGE OF THE OPERATION. MINNEAPOLIS /ZMP/ ARTCC TELEPHONE
651-463-5580 IS THE FAA COORDINATION FACILITY.

"When the people fear their government, there is tyranny." - Thomas Jefferson
"Censorship reflects society's lack of confidence in itself. It is a hallmark of an authoritarian regime." - Potter Stewart
"We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people." - John F. Kennedy


EDIT
Waters Encircle Nuclear Plant - Wall Street Journal, June 27, 2011

The NRC's Mr. Dricks said temperature monitors were working properly and temperatures of key parts of the nuclear power plant were normal. Water has not seeped into any of the containment structures, he said.

quiet on the left

i really hate getting my news from the Conservative media... places like HotAir.com and FoxNews give you an obvious slant... but when main-stream refuses to report news, what else is there?... like when NOW supports misogyny:

Women Dems turned on by Rep. Anthony Weiner's politics are disgusted by his sexting antics

"I wasn't happy to discover that my congressman is a 14-year-old boy, but he happens to be one of the best politicians out there, so we're in a bad position. We're trying to give him the benefit of the doubt." - Julie Kirshner, president of the Brooklyn NOW chapter

i'd really like to find some other sources talking about this... so sad that MSNBC, CNN, and the rest of the networks just turn a blind-eye... just like when NOW supported Clinton and his extra-marital affairs while President.

a moral (amoral?) government

The headline of the full-page ad asks, "What Would Jesus Cut?—A budget is a moral document." The text continues, "Our faith tells us that the moral test of a society is how it treats the poor."

The ad was produced by Sojourners, a self-described "evangelical" organization whose slogan is "Faith in Action for Social Justice." The ad was signed by Sojourners president Jim Wallis and more than two dozen Religious Left pastors, theologians, and activists. They urge our legislators to ask themselves, "What would Jesus cut?" from the federal budget.

How would you answer that question? My answer would be, "It's a nonsense question. Your premise is faulty. Your priorities are not His priorities."

Jesus had many opportunities to confront the Roman government about its spending priorities. It was, after all, one of the most brutal regimes in history. If the question "What would Jesus cut?" has any biblical relevance, we should be able to cite instances where Jesus lectured the Roman oppressors the same way the Religious Left lectures America.

Just compare ancient Rome with America today. Rome sent its armies out to conquer; America sends its soldiers out to liberate. Rome demanded tribute from other nations; America sends aid and emergency relief around the world. Rome enslaved nations; America rebuilds nations.

If the federal budget is a "moral document," what does it say about America? It suggests to me that America may be the most moral nation on earth! Name one other country that has spent $15 billion fighting AIDS in Africa. Name one other country that has provided more disaster relief, that has built more schools and water treatment plants, that has supplied more food aid around the world, that has sent more doctors, teachers, and technical advisers to developing nations.

Even America's military budget—much of which is being spent to rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan—reflects the basic compassion and unselfishness of the American people. Clearly, America hardly deserves any scolding from the Sojourners soapbox.

Did Jesus ever lecture the Roman Empire about its budget priorities? In Matthew 8, when the Roman centurion approached Jesus in Capernaum, our Lord could have said, "How dare you, a Roman warmonger, come to Me asking favors? Change your priorities! Tell your bosses in Rome to stop buying chariots and start funding welfare programs!" But Jesus didn't lecture the centurion. He said, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith!"

In Matthew 22, when the Pharisees asked if it was right to pay taxes to Caesar, the Lord could have thundered against Caesar's misplaced budget priorities. Instead, He said, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."

In John 18, Jesus stood before Pontius Pilate, the Roman prefect, a friend of Caesar. Why didn't He give Pilate an earful about the injustice of Roman rule? If ever there was a time for Jesus to "speak truth to power" and become the "social justice Messiah," that was it!

But Jesus didn't preach the social gospel to Pontius Pilate. Oh, he spoke truth to power, all right. He delivered a profound message to Pontius Pilate—and to you and me: "My kingdom is not of this world."

Now, I'm not saying that Christians are never called to confront their government. God bless Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Confessing Church for standing against Nazi genocide. But that's not the situation here.

And I'm not saying there isn't a social and compassionate dimension to the Christian gospel. There certainly is! Jesus had great compassion for the poor.

He preached in Nazareth, "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor." He sent word to John the Baptist, "The deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor." Jesus presented the obligation to help the poor as an individual responsibility, a Kingdom responsibility—not the duty of the secular government.

Both the religious and secular Left in America seem to want government to replace the church in ministering to the poor and needy. One of Barack Obama's first proposals as president was a plan to slash tax deductions for charitable donations by high-income taxpayers. President Obama reasoned that a tax deduction "shouldn't be a determining factor as to whether you're giving that hundred dollars to the homeless shelter." Maybe so—but since private charities do so much good for the poor, why eliminate incentives for charitable giving? Could it be that liberals see private charities as competing with the big government welfare state?

In Romans 13, Paul tells us that we pay our taxes and support the government so that we will have a just, orderly society in which law-abiding citizens are protected from wrongdoers. But the responsibility for mercy and compassion belongs to the church—not the government.

What would Jesus cut? When He stood before the Roman Empire, He didn't suggest cuts. He received cuts. His flesh was cut by Roman nails and a Roman spear. He was bruised for our transgressions, and with His cuts we are healed. That's the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Stay tuned. In Part 2, we'll see how Jesus dealt with the "radical leftists" among his disciples.

- by Michael Youssef, Ph.D. (Master's degree in theology at Fuller Theological Seminary in California and a Ph.D. from Emory University in social anthropology.)

Keep Jesus Out of Your Socialism - MichaelYoussef.com
Keep Jesus out of your socialism (Part 1) (OneNewsNow.com)

http://twitter.com/MichaelAYoussef
http://www.youtube.com/user/MichaelAYoussef

war on poor

'Let's not look at the intentions behind minimum wage,' he said. 'We have to ask, what are the effects? Put yourself in the place of an employer who must pay $7.25 no matter whom you hire. Will that employer hire a person who can only add $3 or $4 of value per hour?' [says Walter Williams of George Mason University.]
He will not. And so fewer young people get hired and 'get their feet on the bottom rung of the economic ladder.' This hurts all young people, but black teens most, he says, because 'many of them get a fraudulent education in the public school system. So a law that discriminates against low-skill people has a doubly negative effect on black teenagers. The unemployment rate among black teens today is unprecedented in U.S. history. In the '40s, black teenage unemployment was less than white teenage unemployment.'

by John Stossel in his article, Government Against Blacks

while it may be statistically true that the minimum wage laws have hurt (primarily) young blacks, the real problem here is that a minimum wage hurts poor people, regardless of color/race/ethnicity... the idea behind minimum wage was to protect the poor from the corporate wage-masters... but has it kept more people down than it has raised up?

so, my question is this: knowing what has been painfully obvious for decades, what is the solution?... can we simply remove minimum wage laws without leaving workers unprotected against unfair employers?... if we overturn the Davis-Bacon Act, do we leave ourselves open to the lowest bidder who pays slave-like labor rates?... have we gone too far down the rabbit-hole to return from whence we came?

two words - Chris Lee

Anthony Weiner Admits Sending Racy Pictures, Refuses To Resign

i hear "libs" say Weiner shouldn't resign... that's BS... if it had been a conservative, the same people would lust for his blood!... several have resigned in shame over the years... but, somehow, if you're a liberal, you are not held to the same standard.

one of the arguments is, "conservatives are hypocrites, claiming they run on platforms of family values; while liberals don't claim this, so aren't held to that standard"... so, if i run on a platform of anti-baby-rape, and you don't, then it's by default okay for you to rape babies... that's not just illogical, it's plain stupid.

let's accept the "hypocrisy" argument... does it really make this right?... of course not... one thing that makes this so wrong is it calls to question the man's judgement... can we expect this person to make the right decisions in the legislature when he makes poor decisions in his personal life?

but, this isn't the worst of it... what are the implications of a Congressman making these poor decisions and a foreign entity finds out about it?... and what happens when that entity then blackmails the Congressman for certain favors or access?... for example, if John Edwards had won the Presidency a few years ago, only to have his extra-marital affair to be disovered by a Mexican drug cartel?... would a bill which increased Border Patrol funding ever get past his desk?... can you think of worse scenarios?... i know i can.

the point is simple... it doesn't matter what your political affiliation, your philosophy, or your platform... when you are given power as a representative of the people, what you do in your private life matters.

earn less + opt out of Obamacare = profit?

So it's a penalty on earning a certain amount of income and self insuring. It's not just on self insuring on its own. So I guess one could say, just as the restaurant owner could depart the market in [a landmark 1964 civil rights case], someone doesn't need to earn that much income. - Neal Kumar Katyal, the acting solicitor general for President Obama

Philip Klein - Beltway Confidential - Washington Examiner

there... they finally said it... "It's a penalty on earning"... if you earn money, you should be punished.

at long last, they have been honest about their intent... "from each according to their ability, to each according to their need"... thanks, Uncle Karl!

the healthcare proponents dislike being called Socialists (they prefer Progressives), but when you quote Karl Marx in front of the U.S. Court of Appeals as your argument for government mandated purchases, what do you expect to be called? (i know i'd like to call them several other things!).

if you are punished for success, then why work to succeed?

the true face of immigration

Main Article:
Some Immigrants Turn to Tea Party

Why do immigrants leave their country? Because they don't have opportunity and they don't have freedom, because politicians control everything. We come to America and we are going to have the same crap? Then we might as well go back there.

Maxine Waters (D-CA) Wants To Socialize Oil Companies

Vera Martin moved to the U.S. from what is now the Czech Republic when she was 5 years old. Now, she is hitting the campaign trail for her husband, who is running for state Senate, and Mancheno-Smoak.
"I come from a socialist country," said Martin, who worked for a consulting firm that helped her country's transition to capitalism after the fall of the Communist Soviet Union. "I know what socialism means. I know what socialized health care is like and I know what you pay to support that system."

Obamacare won't cover illegal immigrants? Yes it will, says Congressional Research Service

"To me, anyone that left their country to come to this country is a tea partyer," said Marta Saltus, one of Smoak's supporters whose family is Argentinean.

A Legal Immigrant's Take on Illegal Immigration
Legal immigrant opposed to amnesty