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.

Drawing the line on Political Correctness

There's a big day coming up on December 25.  Americans are in a festive mood.  Some cities, even, are celebrating with parades - tradition, you see.  But tradition is under attack by the forces of political correctness.  See, for example, Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Apparently, Tulsa, for years, has hosted the "Christmas Parade of Lights."  But not anymore.  Instead, they are holding the "Holiday Parade of Lights."  (Just what holiday could that be?  I wonder.)

Enough already.  If a city wants to throw a Hanukkah Parade, be my guest.  If a city wants to throw a Kwanzaa Parade, have at it.  What the heck - if a city wants to throw a Festivus for the Rest of Us , go for it.

But by the same token, if the folks in Tulsa want to have a Christmas Parade, the easily offended and their "do-gooder" sympathizers should get out of the way.

Oklahoma Republican Senator Jim Inhofe, the former mayor of Tulsa who participated in the parade for years, has drawn a line.  He refused to participate last year and won't again this year, or ever, until Christ is again recognized as the reason for the celebration.  (Link to story here.)

Well done Senator Inhofe.  Keep up the fight.

You gotta love the House . . . thankfully the gavel will be passed in January

Obama loses his base

Link to story here.

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.

Congratulations!

Senator-elect Roy Blunt
Missouri

Senator-elect Rand Paul
Kentucky

Senator-elect Marco Rubio
Florida

Senator-elect Ron Johnson
Wisconsin

Senator-elect Mark Kirk
Illinois

Don't forget to vote!

And vote Republican.  Posterity will thank you.

Sam Bradford . . . a good sport

The Rams QB donned a Mizzou jersey today, paying off a bet with his formal rival, Mizzou alum Danario Alexander following Oklahoma's loss to the Tigers on Saturday.  (Link to story here.)

The Nation's Village Idiot . . . a.k.a. Joe Biden

According to the Vice President, "every single great idea that has marked the 21st century, the 20th century and the 19th century has required government vision and government incentive."

Every single great idea since 1800 . . . every single great idea for 210 years . . .

Does he really believe that Henry Ford's assembly line came about because of Washington's vision instead of his own capitalistic ingenuity?

Bill Gates wrote BASIC because of a government stimulus program?

The Frisbee?  Rock and Roll?  Fantasy football?

And this guy is next-in-line for the presidency.

But there's something deeper to learn from the Village Idiot's latest random thought . . . this is the way many, many, powerful Democrats think . . . we can't (and don't) live without government intervention, without the government taking care of us, without our "betters," the ruling class in Washington, running our lives for us.

Individuality is at stake.  The time is here to remove Democrats from power as soon as elections allow.

NATO making a deal with the devil?

Word today that the United States and NATO have apparently agreed to "cooperate" with Russia and seem to be accepting Russia's permanent occupation of the South Ossetia and Abkhazia regions of the sovereign nation of Georgia, which the Bear invaded two years ago.  In exchange, Soviet-er-Russian helicopters will, once again be fighting in Afghanistan.  (Anybody remember Rambo III?)

Have we made a deal with the devil?

"Clear Frontrunner"

After months of campaigning, Roy Blunt remains "the clear frontrunner" in Missouri's race for the U.S. Senate.  In fact, according to the latest poll from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and KMOV, Blunt's lead is extending.  (Link to P.D. story here.)

Only eight days to go until the biggest, most-important mid-term election in the nation's history.  Let's hope November 2, 2010, is the day America pulls back from the brink of Euro-style Socialism.

Keep the pressure on Roy!

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?

Why can't Sergey Brin, Steve Jobs, and Bill Gates just get along?

Or, more directly, why can't Google's "Blogger," my Apple computers at home, and the PC world just get along?  What do I mean, well, 3 of my last 4 posts were rather dependent on embedded videos.  Without those videos, they just don't make much sense.  And, much to my surprise, the videos aren't viewable if you've got a PC.  They're there and working fine on my Macbook and iMac.  So, from now on, I'm going to try to provide a link to the videos that I post.  If you can't view it on my site, follow the links.

Sorry for any confusion to the blogosphere.

Why is Roy Blunt smiling?

Because according to the latest poll (this one from CNN and Time Magazine) he's beating Robin Carnahan by 13 points.

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.)

Where's my Stimulus?

Equal time for the Carnahans

Chuckles from 24th State .

Fox News Poll Shows Blunt by 8

Despite Robin Carnahan's efforts (if standing in a cow pen and propping up cardboard cutouts of her opponent, Barack Obama, and Nancy Pelosi can be considered "efforts"), Roy Blunt has a commanding 8 point lead in the latest poll from Fox News.

That's the headline.  And it is great news.  But there is even better news in the poll results.  Missouri is breaking conservative!

58% of Missourians disapprove of Obama's performance as president (and 53% believe that Carnahan agrees with Obama too often).

A whopping 40% are "angry" about "the way the federal government is working."  Another 29% are "dissatisfied."

58% (again) want Obamacare repealed (while only 35% want to keep it in place).

And 51% of Missourians "support the Tea Party movement."

If this is what big media considers a "battleground" state, it is going to be a great November.

Rupert Murdoch and the Oxymoron

Today, Rupert Murdoch testified on Capitol Hill in favor of immigration "reform."  (Link to story here.)  

He was right in stating his belief that "All Americans should have a vital interest in fixing our broken immigration system so we can continue to compete in the 21st Century global economy."

He was right to support "complete and proper closure of all our borders to future illegal immigrants."

But he lost me when he called for amnesty under the popular euphemism - "a path to citizenship" - to be given to "responsible, law-abiding immigrants who are in the U.S. today without proper authority."

Anybody else spot the problem in that statement?  Anybody who didn't?

"Immigrants who are in the U.S. today without proper authority" are, by definition, NOT "law-abiding."

Real reform of the immigration system is necessary, yesterday.  But since we can't turn back the clock, let's start by sealing the borders now and sending home as many of those law-breaking immigrants who are in the U.S. today without proper authority as possible.