The Left’s “Fairness” vs. the Right’s “Justice”

The left loves to throw the word “fair” around a lot.  The President uses the word “fair” as often as he says “let me be clear”.

So……let me be clear (sarcasm intended), fairness and justice are NOT the same thing.  Furthermore, we are a nation founded on the concept of justice, not fairness.   Fairness has nothing to do with our system of government, and should not be a criterion for our laws or policies.

Before you freak out, allow me to explain further.

Simple – Not Easy – Solutions

The biggest long term threat to the US economy and federal budget is the unfunded liabilities related to federal entitlement programs.

Over the next 20 years, these programs if left unaltered will consume every tax dollar collected by the federal government.  All spending on any other program, from national defense to environmental protection, would need to be reduced to zero or be funded with borrowed money.

Its a big problem, and so far no one has advanced an acceptable solution.  But maybe the solutions are not at complex as the political class would have you believe.

The Free Market ALWAYS Wins – Why Socialism Can Never Succeed

Capitalism, with its reliance on the rules of a free market, has been under very public assault for the last 3 years. Recently, the President himself stated that economic models based on the rules of supply and demand have never worked. Occupy Wall Streeters echo this sentiment and call for a European Socialist economic model in the US.

As stunningly brazen as these statements are, they are just the most recent of their type. We have heard arguments against capitalism for over 100 years. Socialism, and its evil twin communism, have been advocated by egg headed academics since before the turn of the 20th century.

This thinking is rooted in the ever present desire of the left to ignore human nature entirely and advocate policies based on how they WISH people would behave. The truth is that socialism cannot work, because the laws of the free market say so.  Those laws are as immutable and irresistible as the law of gravity and will not be violated.

Denying the laws of the free market and advocating socialism is like jumping off a cliff expecting to float away in utopian bliss. Sure, you will be airborne for a while feeling weightless, but eventually you will realize, very painfully, that gravity was always there even when you didn’t “feel” it.

Tax the Rich…Entertainers!

The left, led by the President of the United States, has for many years been calling on increased taxation of “the rich”.  Nevermind that the definition of ”the rich” has changed more times than Lady GaGa’s wardrobe.  The left sees whoever they define as “the rich” today as fair targets for punitive taxation.

What I find most interesting is that most of the entertainment industry, dominated by liberals, supports this call without reservation.  Hollywood and other assorted media millionaires even went so far as to join Occupy Wall Street to lend credibility to the cause, and promote the left’s call for increased taxes on “the rich”.

I have a simple proposal that will allow us to determine the genuineness of their beliefs on this subject.

I call on the GOP Senate members and House members to draft and propose a simple piece of legislation:  The Entertainment Industry Fair Share Tax Act (aka – The Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is Act)

What Does “Poor” Really Mean?

My previous posting (link) discussed the data related to inflation adjusted incomes over the last 43 years (1967 to 2010).  The data showed that all income quintiles (20% segments of the population by income) saw real income growth in that time.  All quintiles saw double digit increases, including the bottom 20% of incomes (17% increase).

The next question I asked myself is what does it mean to be at the Federal Poverty line of $22,350, or roughly the bottom 20%, in monetary terms?  You see that number and probably think “How can anyone live on so little money?”.

I endeavoured to determine what that amount really means, after you include all the things beyond actual earned income that the quintile analysis leaves out.   I was stunned to say the least, and I think you will be too.

A Time For Choosing…Again.

Today the people of America step forward in another time for choosing.  The choice is not new.  Today marks another battle in a long fight.

If you have seen this speech, watch it again.

If you have not seen it, take 30 minutes and listen carefully.  Every word remains relevant today.

Commit this message to memory.  Make it a part of you, learn it and live it.  This is the most profound and articulate description of the fight against socialism and Progressivism that still rages today in America.

I vow to leave my children the light of freedom and liberty, and not to condemn them to “1000 years of darkness”.

Rest in peace, Mr. President.  We will carry your fight forward without fear until we achieve victory!

GOP Takeover Not a Cure All

Should the GOP take control of the House, the Senate, or both on Nov. 2, it will not necessarily be the cure for all that ails the US economy.

In fact, looking at a very basic and fundamental economic equation, it may be the final domino in a chain reaction that the 111th Congress and Obama administration started a little less than 2 years ago.

For nerds like me who remember their macro economics classes, MV=PQ is a pretty easily recalled equation that makes the economy’s condition easy to diagnose.  For the rest of the known universe, the reaction to MV=PQ is “What is that and who cares?”

Shocker: Barack Obama Named NFL Commissioner

In a stunning and unforeseen move, Barack Obama has resigned the office of President and has been named the new NFL Commissioner.  Obama replaces former NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, effective immediately.

Commissioner Obama announced some drastic changes to the NFL at his first appearance as the new head of the league.

The following is the full text of Commissioner Obama’s statement.

Democrats Unwittingly Prove ‘Reaganomics’ Works

From the LA Times on 8/31/10:

“Home prices rose in June, according to a closely watched national index released Tuesday, but many experts predict a drop in values this year with the expiration of popular federal tax credits for buyers.”

This could be restated as:

“Home prices rose in June, according to a closely watched national index released Tuesday, but many experts predict a drop in values this year with the increase in taxes for buyers.” 

RIP John Maynard Keynes

Our President and his advisors love John Maynard Keynes. So did FDR. So who is this guy and why does it matter?

Keynes was a British economist at the turn of the century and developed a new macroeconomic theory. In plain English, he said that the government, through deficit spending and changes to the supply of money, could control the business cycle. This means, in theory, that that recessions and booms are muted and the swings less violent.