Milton Friedman speaking the truth

If the White House press secretary says it, it must be true. Right?

Check this out at Real Clear Politics . . .

"White House press secretary Jay Carney says the Recovery Act [a.k.a. the so-called 'stimulus' - SLC] added several million jobs and lowered the unemployment rate.  According to Carney, the 'goals' of the stimulus package 'have been met.'"

Though Carney hasn't been on the job for long, he's definitely qualified.  He can lie with a straight face.

The cuts go on

Wednesday, the House of Representatives voted to de-fund Barack Obama's Teleprompter.

Thursday, the House voted to de-fund eight "czars" working as advisors and who are, according to the bill's sponsor, Representative Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana), "unappointed, unaccountable people who are literally running a shadow government, heading up these little fiefdoms that nobody can seem to identify where they are or what they're doing."  (Link to story here.)

The Speaker of the House, John Boehner (R-Ohio), has thrown down the gauntlet saying, "Read my lips: We're going to cut spending."  (Link here.)

I hope that you're right, Mr. Speaker.  Too bad that the Democrats still control the Senate and the White House.

Paul Ryan's GOP Response

While it amazes me (and, frankly, embarrasses me when looking at my own life's accomplishments) that a 40-year-old man is Chairman of the House Budget Committee, I'm happy that Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) is on the job there.  His response to Barack Obama's State of the Union speech was well-written and well-delivered.  Great job Congressman Ryan.  Keep up the good work!

Here's a representative and remarkable chunk of Ryan's speech (the full text of which can be read at this link):

"We [Republicans] believe, as our founders did, that 'the pursuit of happiness' depends upon individual liberty; and individual liberty requires limited government.  Limited government also means effective government.  When government takes on too many tasks, it usually doesn't do any of them very well.  It's no coincidence that trust in government is at an all-time low now that the size of government is at an all-time high.

"The President and the Democratic Leadership have shown, by their actions, that they believe government needs to increase its size and its reach, its price tag and its power.  Whether sold as 'stimulus' or repackaged as 'investment,' their actions show they want a federal government that controls too much; taxes too much; and spends too much in order to do too much."

Paul Ryan sounds like a man worthy of belonging to the party of Ronald Reagan.  Now it is time to follow though!

How should the U.S. government attack the deficit?

CBS News Graphic

The American people are clear in their answer . . . reduce spending, don't raise taxes.  That's according to CBS News.  Check out the story here.  Is anyone at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC listening?

Thankfully, I live on the west side of the Mississippi

The Illinois House of Representatives voted today to raise the state's personal income tax from 3% to 5%.  (Link to story here.)

Missouri needs to take a Wisconsin-like approach to this.  Wisconsin's governor, Scott Walker (shown here), a Republican, has taken notice of the huge tax increase in a state that borders his - as it does Missouri (for anyone in Jefferson City who might not realize that) - and proposed tax cuts to entice business into his state.  (Link to story here.)

The time is now to cut Missouri's personal and business tax rates, or eliminate them entirely.  And let the boom begin.

Spending like nobody's ever spent before . . .

From this story at CNSNews.com . . .

The federal government has accumulated more new debt--$3.22 trillion ($3,220,103,625,307.29)-during the tenure of the 111th Congress [that's this one, folks, the Pelosi-Reid Congress with Obama in the White House] than it did during the first 100 Congresses combined, according to official debt figures pulished by the U.S. Treasury.
. . . 
The total national debt of $13,858,529,371,601.09 (or $13.859 trillion), as recorded by the U.S. Treasury at the close of business on Dec. 22, now equals $44,886.57 for every man, woman and child in the United States.
. . .
This Congress also outstripped its nearest competitor, the 110th, by an astounding $1.262 trillion in new debt.

Have you ever seen such a rush to avoid representative democracy?

Last time I checked, the American people decided to kick a bunch of Democrats out of Washington.  The election was in November but the losers remain in office until January.  That's the way it works.  Every two years there is a lame duck session of Congress.  But not every lame duck session tries to ram through legislation to enact the policy ideas that got those lame ducks fired in the first place.  This one, however, seems to be doing just that.  (Link to story here.)

The soon-to-be minority (at least in the House of Representatives) Democrats have pushed on "Don't ask - Don't tell."  They've pushed on the so-called DREAM Act.  And they've pushed on tax increases among other things.

Now, they've unveiled a $1.2 trillion (yes, that is with a "T") spending bill.  It includes $8 billion in earmarks.

Certain issues, do, of course, need to be dealt with immediately and cannot wait for the new congressmen and women to take their seats in January - like taking definitive action to prevent the coming January 1 tax increase for all taxpayers.

On the other hand, most of the issues being raised by the Democrats are being raised now simply because they have no hope of passage when the breath of fresh air arrives (and takes over) in January.

But isn't Congress elected to do the will of the people?  Apparently, Democrats don't think so.

Deal or No Deal

No deal.  Link here for details.

Or deal.  Link here for possible new deal.

Unless there is a deal, your taxes will be going up in January.  And you'll have the lame duck Democrat Congress to thank for that.

If that happens, I have a suggestion for the incoming GOP majority . . . House Bill #2* should be an immediate and retroactive reinstatement of the Bush tax cuts, with no additional spending attached.  If Obama and the shrunken Dem majority in the Senate want to block that bill, be my guest.

(*HB #2 only because HB #1 is already spoken for . . . repeal of Obamacare.)

Kudos to D.C. . . . deja vu edition . . . sort of

It appears that the GOP victories in November have given Barack Obama a new perspective.  Tonight, an agreement has been reached to extend the Bush tax cuts.  (Link to story here.)  This was, by far, the most important thing on the agenda for the lame duck Congress.  I suppose, technically, it is still on their agenda but I can't really see the Congressional Dems blocking their president's compromise.  Failure to extend the tax cuts (a.k.a. a massive tax increase) would be a massive blow to the American economy.  Washington, on this one, isn't failing.  Thankfully.

Surprisingly, Obama's also seen the wisdom of cutting taxes.  Apparently included in the deal is a cut of 2% from the Social Security payroll tax . . . from 6.2% to 4.2%.  Wow.  FICA's going to be taking less of our money.  I can get behind that idea.

Now, the deal far from perfect.  The Bush tax cuts are only being extended 2 years - so we'll have this fight again in the lame duck session of the 2012 Congress.  And, the payroll tax cut is temporary too.

There are extensions of some tax credit programs too.  I don't know enough about the specifics of those to comment (sorry, I just don't have the time).

But long-term unemployment benefits were extended for an additional 13 months as well.  How working American taxpayers can continue to pay Americans who are not working for 99 weeks?  That's just four weeks short of TWO YEARS folks . . . TWO YEARS!  There's no money - but we're paying people to sit at home and watch Oprah or Days of Our Lives.

Enough, eventually, has to be enough.

But allow the criticism to wait for a little while.  Take the deal and smile.  Enjoy the boost in your paycheck.  Spend it.  And let's create an actual recovery.

Election Reflections . . . belated edition

Well, it has become clear for all to see - including me - that anyone depending on a regular blog fix should look elsewhere.  However, if you want to read something good once in a while, stay tuned.  I promise not to go away (Lord willing and the creek don't rise) without telling you all that I'm gone.

So here we go, belatedly, with SLC's reflections on the November elections.  I haven't been so happy with an election result since 1994.  This was, of course, an even bigger victory.  (Though I must admit that my mood was even better in 1994 for two reasons . . . that one came as more of a surprise but, more importantly, it was because I heard the results on CNN while on vacation in Spain.)

In January, Republicans will take a decisive majority in the U.S. House of Representatives and a significant minority in the Senate.  In the Missouri General Assembly, the GOP has an overwhelming numbers advantage.

It is time to lay the the groundwork both in our state and nationally but anyone who wants real change needs to take a look at the Governor's Mansion in Jefferson City and the White House.  There are still significant stumbling blocks in the persons of Jay Nixon and Barack Obama.  Keep 2012 in your sights.

In the meantime, Roy Blunt and the other Republicans given our trust and sent to Washington have to draw a line on spending.  The government must realize that we're broke and start cutting the budget in real ways.  It won't be easy but it must be done.  If the Democrats won't go along, that's their choice.  Let them defend a government shutdown caused by their insistence on borrowing more money and adding it to our children's and grandchildren's tab, or printing it and devaluing the dollar.

Republicans in Washington must also target Obamacare.  All of it.  Repeal the monstrosity.  Only then will we be in a position to negotiate substantial but incremental, reasoned, and conservative changes to America's healthcare system.  Changes that would improve the private system rather than scrap it entirely  and replace it with a Socialist single-payer government behemoth.  A repeal of Obamacare should be the first one passed by the new House.  And its repeal should be tacked onto other bills sent to the president's desk.  Again . . . and again . . . and again.  Let Obama be responsible for veto after veto if he must.

The Jeff City Republicans have a chance to make a real difference too.  I heard Arthur Laffer on KMOX a while back, talking about a proposal to repeal Missouri's income tax in favor of a new, and surprisingly low, sales tax (coupled with refunds to cover the tax on purchase of necessities).  Slashing income taxes would likely draw business like pigs on . . . well, you know.

And, I read in Sunday's St. Louis Post-Dispatch about another pro-Missouri jobs measure that will be pushed by GOP in the General Assembly . . . the Right to Work.  Simply put, passing a Right to Work bill would prevent labor unions from automatically deducting or taking (some might say stealing) money from non-members paychecks and workplaces covered by union contracts.  It sure seems like a good idea to me.

So, here's to the GOP for the next two years and beyond.  Push the agenda to save America and build Missouri.  If you can't get everything you want, get what you can.  But don't settle.  2012 is not too far away.

Catching up . . .

I clipped a couple of articles from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch last week and didn't find the time to write about them.  Thinking that I would have time, I didn't bother to note the date that the article appeared either so I apologize for no links.  But each article bothered me.

The first article was headlined "Stimulus payment sent to the dead, imprisoned."  According to the Associated Press story, $18,000,000.00 in "stimulus" payments were sent by the federal government to 72,000 dead people last year.  72,000!  See, you don't need to worry about Washington bureaucrats running the entire American healthcare system.  They're efficient and on-the-ball!

The second article (also from the AP) contained the positive-spin headline "TARP repayments help cut deficit slightly."  Yet the year's budget deficit remains, get this, "a little under $1.3 trillion [YES, TRILLION - WITH A "T"]."  But here's the kicker . . . "that means the government borrowed 37 cents out of every dollar it spent."  Who is going to pay that back?  Obama?  Pelosi?  Or you, me, and our kids and grandkids?

Does anybody know what happened to $162 million of our money???

The federal government doesn't.  "Recipients of 352 federal [so-called] stimulus contracts, grants and loans have failed to report how they spent the money, the status of their projects or how many jobs were funded, according to the Office of Management and Budget."  Those 352 payouts are totaled $162,000,000.00 of our money.  Poof!  Gone!

And the Democrats want more stimulus.  Vote them all out in November.  Every one you can.

(Link to story here.)

Did anybody have a have a child in 2010?

I did.  And, according to the Congressional Budget Office, she's already in debt . . . big time . . . and its getting worse.  For full details, link here, but here are some lowlights:

The personal share of America's public debt for each child born this year is $29,178.00.

On their tenth birthdays, in 2020, their share of the debt will have risen to $49,694.00.

By the time most of them graduate from high school, in 2028, each of those children's debt share will be $80,650.00.

When these kids reach age 30, their share of the federal government's debt will be $166,500.00.

And, get this, "if government spending is not immediately restrained, our nation's public debt is projected to increase from $9.1 trillion in 2010 to $122.8 trillion by 2050.  As a result, when children born today reach 40 years old, their share of the U.S. public debt will be $279,738--an increase of 859 percent above what it is today.  For a family of four, the total household debt share would be approximately $1.119 million."

Sorry baby.

The truth . . . from Barack Obama's own budget director

Barack Obama's Fiscal Commission met last week.  Peter Orszag, the President's Budget Director spoke.  Surprisingly, he told the truth.  Not so surprisingly, we haven't seen much reporting of what he said.  Here are a couple of excerpts . . .

"Sustained, growing long-term deficits will increase our reliance on creditors from abroad, reduce investment in our labs, factories and businesses, and weaken confidence in the federal government's creditworthiness."

Translation:  The federal government is spending borrowed money like a bunch of drunken sailors, steadily destroying the country's economic engine, and increasing our indebtedness to the Chinese.

"Under current policies, our projected deficits amount to about 5 percent of GDP in the second half of this decade, much higher than would be prudent or sustainable."


Translation:  Unless the federal government stops spending borrowed money like a bunch of drunken sailors - soon - the country will be in deep sh#@!

Unfortunately, there is no sentiment at the White House to listen to Mr. Orzag.  It is too difficult, you see, to buy the votes the Democrats need to retain power on a fiscally responsible government.

"Simply put," Orszag said, "it may be easier to ignore long-term problems, but we will pay a severe price if we do so . . ."  (Emphasis added.  Link here.)

DeMint: The President's Way

Republican Senator Jim DeMint (South Carolina) on the impasse on financial services reform legislation:

"What it [Barack Obama and the Democrats' proposal] is is a takeover of the financial and credit system.  This seems to be the president's way is it's not about fixing the problem, just like with healthcare, it's about getting more federal control over something.


. . . 


The president is the one who put the kibosh on working together, and now he's just trying to use the mainstream media to confuse the American people.  The fact is I think he thinks Americans are stupid, and he's going to play this out until he gets a headline in every paper that Republicans are obstructionist.  The fact is, he's the one who's obstructing real bipartisanship." 


Stand firm Republicans.  There is more than enough federal control over more aspects of American life than necessary or desirable.  Stop Obama's agenda whenever it conflicts with the best interests of the country.  The people won't call it obstructionist.  We'll call it representative democracy.

From the "Gosh, couldn't see that one coming" Department

From CNNMoney.com:  "The recovery is picking up steam as employers boost payrolls, but economists think the government's stimulus package and jobs bill had little to do with the rebound, according to a survey released Monday."  

What a waste of $800 billion of our children and grandchildren's money.  Nobody in their right mind thought the so-called stimulus bill would bring back the economy but with that much money spent, you'd think that Barack Obama and the Democrats could have bought some popularity.

Obama flips . . . but not far enough

When running for president in 2008, Barack Obama, campaigning in Jacksonville, promised to "keep in place the moratorium here in Florida and around the country that prevents oil companies from drilling off Florida's coasts."  (Link here.)

Today, Obama pulled a John Kerry and flip-flopped on that position and lifted the moratorium on such drilling "along the southern Atlantic coastline [which includes Florida, last time I checked], the eastern Gulf of Mexico [ditto] and part of Alaska."  (Link here.)

Kudos to President Obama for that decision . . . BUT . . . as House Republican Leader John Boehner points out, Obama has NOT lifted the ban on drilling off the Pacific Coast, the majority of Alaska's shoreline, "as well as the most promising resources off the Gulf of Mexico."  (Link here.)

This is a good first step - an encouraging one even - but in an age of energy dependence on foreign nations . . . America needs to stop dabbling in reality and confront it.  Develop ALL available resources.

What does the Obama debt mean to your household?

The Congressional Budget Office released a revised report on Thursday projecting new budget deficits of $9.75 trillion over the next ten years.  $9,750,000,000,000.00!  (Link to story here.)

This $9.75 trillion will be added to the national debt, of course, and the CBO projects that by 2020, the federal government's debt total will be $20.3 trillion.  $20,300,000,000,000.00!

Again, a trillion dollars is a lot of money.  This many trillions of dollars are so far beyond human comprehension that these deficits risk being ignored as incomprehensible.  But the story linked above breaks the debt story down to meaningful terms:

When Barack Obama took office in 2009, the debt was $6.3 trillion or $56,000.00 per American household.

Today, the debt is $8.2 trillion or $72,000.00 per household.

By 2020, if something doesn't change - fast, the $20.3 trillion debt will divide to more than $170,000.00 per household!

In other words, on Obama's watch, the federal government has already saddled you and your family with $16,000.00 more in debt.  And if he and his liberal Democrat friends are allowed to spend what they plan to spend, your family will be borrowing another $98,000.00 or more for D.C. to spend in the next ten years.

This spending is not sustainable.  That's simply put but it is reality.  We can't do this.

The spending must be stopped.  The spenders must be stopped.

2010 is your next chance - maybe the last chance.  After seeing what happened in the healthcare "reform" battle, realize this, a vote for a Democrat, any Democrat, in 2010 is a vote for unbelievable and out-of-control spending of money that doesn't exist and will have to either be printed (with resulting massive inflation) or confiscated from you in the form of crippling taxation.  

Ever wonder how the Carnahan family can afford to be the "first family" of Missouri?

Stimulus money for Tom Carnahan's wind farm.  $90 million of stimulus money.  (Link here.)

By the way - the "first family" reference is a joke.  Link here (if you're looking at this post alone) or just look at yesterday's post, right below this one.