Free Trade

Budget - Business - Capitalism - Chicago - Communism - Congress - Cook County - Crime - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Education - Elections - Family - Free Trade - Freedom - GOP - Health - House of Representatives - Illinois - Liberals - Republicans - Socialism - Society/Culture - State Government - Taxes - The Law - Warner Todd Huston

TAPROOT: Christmas Candidate Forum

December 14, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Tonight I attended the TAPROOT Christmas event and listened to 15 Republican state-wide and DuPage County candidates all of whom came to address those gathered at the Hilton in Lisle to hear them speak. From Gubernatorial candidates, Senate candidates, judges and local county folks to… is it right to say Lt. Gubernatorial candidates? If so, it sounds odd… anyway, it was a whirlwind session of candidates and a good time was had by all.

If it could be said that there was a theme of the day then it had to be jobs and the economy. Every candidate had something to say about the subject that weighs so heavily on all of us.

15 candidates is a lot of folks to hear from and each got about 5 or 10 minutes to lay out their case and then a few minutes for questions. We were pleased to hear from two candidates for governor and there were quite a lot of candidates for Lt. Governor, as well, three in all. Three Senate candidates appeared, two Comptroller candidates, one Sec. of State candidate, one Congressional candidate, two judges and a DuPage County commission candidate.

Appearing in order were:

I know, phew!
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TAPROOT: Christmas Candidate Forum”

Anti-Americanism - Business - Capitalism - Communism - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Free Trade - Freedom - Humor - Journalism - Liberals - Media Bias - Rights - Socialism - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston - Western Civilization

This Leftist Drivel is Why Journalism is Dying

December 13, 2009 by 3 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

Today I have read a piece of “journalism” by a freelance writer whose Slate article shows me why the profession has fallen on such hard times. The piece on fast food drive thru windows is not only pretentious but it is filled with enough fluff to stuff a mattress and leaves the impression that the writer thinks it all resembles wit. It simply amazes for its vacuous nature. And, worse, it doesn’t even pay off fulfilling the premise of its headline. In fact, it is so ridiculous for its assumptions and its presumption of surety that one wonders if the writer had ever even seen a fast food drive up window or met anyone that would use one before putting pen to paper.

Upon reading this self-satisfied piece of nonsense, my first guess was that this guy is a New York metrosexual that never met an honest to God drive thru window customer in his life. Naturally, it turns out our writer friend, Tom Vanderbilt, seems to fit right in with the pretentiousness of his namesake, the Vanderbilts. I don’t know that he is actually related to that famous upper crusty clan whose name he shares but a look at his bio causes one to suspect that I was right with my first impression. He’s written for such bastions of real America as The New York Times, Harvard Design Magazine, and Smithsonian Magazine. He is, of course, from New York City.

With that sort of pedigree we can most assuredly assume he speaks for all of America, and not just the nose-in-the-air set that looks down upon the rest of us in “fly over country,” right? Dream on.
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This Leftist Drivel is Why Journalism is Dying”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - California - Capitalism - Communism - Congress - Conservatives - Constitution - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Education - Founders - Frank Salvato - Free Trade - Freedom - History - House of Representatives - Liberals - President - Religion - Socialism - Society/Culture - State Government - Taxes - The Law

American Liberty v. Obama’s Social Engineering

December 13, 2009 by

-By Frank Salvato

After the General Election of 2008 I made a conscious effort to give President Obama a chance. I wanted to give him an opportunity to be true to his word; to prove that he was committed to governing from the center. I also wanted to demonstrate that I was not of the same ilk as the Bush-hating, “he stole the election,” fact-ignoring Progressive malcontents that served to divide the country over the eight years of the Bush Administration. But now, a year after the election, and as we approach a full year of the Obama Administration, it has become abundantly clear that Mr. Obama has abandoned almost all of his campaign promises (but for his commitments to the SEIU) and is governing from the far Left. He has instituted a campaign of social engineering that can only be described as a direct threat to liberty.

Liberty
Liberty is defined as, “freedom from arbitrary or despotic government or control.” It was the single most motivating factor in the American Revolution and war for independence. Our Founders and Framers risked their lives to free the people of what would become our nation from the elitist tyranny of King George and his court, a tyranny that choked liberty – personal and societal – dead.

In addition to the limitations placed on religious freedom and freedom of speech, taxation was excessive and exploitative and it was imposed without representation. Many of the colonists believed the denial of direct representation in the British Parliament was an illegal denial of their rights, as colonists were considered Englishmen subject to the king’s rule. Thus the credo, “no taxation without representation,” served as the rallying cry for Patriots in each of the thirteen colonies as they coalesced into a movement toward American independence.

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American Liberty v. Obama’s Social Engineering”

Business - Children - Conservatives - Economy/Finances - Family - Free Trade - Freedom - Illinois - Illinois Policy Institute - Jobs - Rights - Society/Culture - Truth in Accounting - Uncategorized - Warner Todd Huston - Welfare - Western Civilization

An IPI Christmas: Feeding The Hungry, Bringing Opportunity to Developing Nations

December 10, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Last night I was invited to attend a Christmas get together sponsored by the Illinois Policy Institute. This year’s theme was feeding the hungry in Africa and bringing economic freedom to developing nations. We heard some interesting presentations from Paul Wormley of the One Acre Fund as well as Tim Probasco of Opportunity International, both involved with helping subsistence farmers in Africa and India to become self-sufficient and to work toward creating financial success by selling their products at market. Both organizations take different approaches toward the same market oriented goals and both are efforts worthy of support. Best of all both organizations base their assistance on free market principles as opposed to mere charity work.

But, before the serious discussions of hunger in Africa and India and economic assistance to the impoverished began, we were serenaded by a charming group of kids from a local Chicago school operated by the KIPP: Ascend charter school program.


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An IPI Christmas: Feeding The Hungry, Bringing Opportunity to Developing Nations”

Ann "Babe" Huggett - Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Capitalism - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Europe - Free Trade - Liberals - Security/Safety - Socialism - Society/Culture - Taxes - UN

Put The Blame On Santa Claus

December 10, 2009 by

-By Ann “Babe” Huggett


The Copenhagen Climate Summit imploded on its second day over the lethal ‘Danish text” leak of the draft agreement, which further empowers First World nations over the developing and undeveloped nations, sidelines the UN and dumps the Kyoto Protocol. As the screaming developing nations let off CO2 like weenies on a grill amidst all the limos and private jets of the attendees, the Northern hemisphere is gripped in Winter’s snowy embrace while it is still Fall. Global warming is dead and it’s too late to switch back to the Global Cooling of the ‘70s. The only control freak Globalist thing left on their humanity hating agenda is Climate Change with which to bludgeon us into shivering serfs.

The Summit started off with the usual political correct nonsense of Christmas trees being banned since it is a socialist rich, post Christian environment where nothing as crass as trees sacrificed for bourgeoisie sentimentality is allowed. To paraphrase C. S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, in the bizarro world of the socialist, it’s always Winter and never Christmas.
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Put The Blame On Santa Claus”

Budget - Business - Capitalism - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Free Trade - Freedom - Liberals - Scott Cleland - Society/Culture - Taxes

Why Google is a Monopoly — Presenting the Case before the Federalist Society

December 9, 2009 by

-By Scott Cleland

Federalist Society Forum:

“Is Google Monopolizing Something and If So What?”

National Press Club, Washington D.C., December 7, 2009
Remarks of Scott Cleland, President of Precursor LLC

Thank you for the opportunity to make the case that Google is: A monopoly and a digital information distribution bottleneck; andiIs engaged in pervasive, predatory, anti-competitive behavior that is seriously harming competition, the quality and choice of information, and consumers.

I believe it is not if, but when, the DOJ will be compelled by the facts and the harms to competition to file a Sherman Section 2 monopolization case against Google.

I will make four points in my opening remarks.
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Why Google is a Monopoly — Presenting the Case before the Federalist Society”

Anti-Americanism - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Free Trade - Freedom - Liberals - Ohio - Rights - Society/Culture - State Government - The Law - Warner Todd Huston

Ohio Election Fraud: Convicted Felons Illegally Worked for Anti-Smoking Initiative

December 7, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

A just finished audit has shown that massive fraud and multiple violations of Ohio’s voting law has been uncovered in a recent ballot initiative effort. Among other violations, 47 felons were hired illegally by the advocacy group SmokeFree America to collect signatures for issue five, a ballot initiative to ban smoking in Ohio’s small businesses. Kidnappers, thieves and rapists were hired to collect signatures and addresses despite the fact that Ohio election law prohibits felons from working as petition workers. Additionally, the smoking ban was approved for being included on the Ohio ballot by state officials despite the fact that thousands of signatures were invalid and despite the fact that SmokeFree America did not meet lawful requirements. These violations were easily discovered and some of them were known by officials proving that complicit state officials quietly supported the ballot push and turned a blind eye to law breaking by the anti-smoking advocacy group.

Ohio election law prohibits convicted felons from working as petition workers, yet 47 felons have been discovered as employees of SmokeFree America in its Ohio effort. Of these felons several were convicted of rape, one accused of raping a child. Alarmingly, SmokeFree America exposed Ohio residents to rapists who were collecting their signatures and addresses! There were also forgers and thieves collecting signatures and addresses of Ohio residents. Other criminal actions by petition workers: arson, burglary, breaking and entering, weapons violations, kidnapping, drug violations, drug trafficking, grand theft, etc.

The petitions also had multiple violations of Ohio election law. Some petitions were signed by those paid to circulate the petitions — a violation of the law — and their addresses were given as hotels instead of the required permanent home addresses. Also some were out-of-state signatories instead of Ohio residents.
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Ohio Election Fraud: Convicted Felons Illegally Worked for Anti-Smoking Initiative”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Capitalism - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Free Trade - Liberals - President - Society/Culture - State Government - Taxes - Thomas Brewton

Bunkum-Babbling Ben Bernanke

December 7, 2009 by

-By Thomas E. Brewton

Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke is a devotee of Keynesian economics, which is to say that he is incapable of learning from experience. Either he can’t comprehend that the Fed’s excessive fiat money creation always precedes bubbles of economic exuberance, or he insanely proposes to continue repeating the Fed’s cheap money policies, ever hopeful of a different result.

Establishment of the Federal Reserve System in 1913 enabled arbitrary and excessive inflation of the monetary base supplied to banks and other financial institutions. In every recession since 1913, especially the 1930s Depression and our current housing and subprime mortgage bust, Fed action made bubbles larger and more pervasive and made subsequent buble-bursts more devastating than they would have been otherwise.

Over a short six-year period preceding the Great Depression of the 1930s, the Fed doubled the lendable deposits of the nation’s banks. Other over-expansions of the money supply also led to the unprecedented inflation and high unemployment of the 1970s stagflation, to the 1990s dot.com boom-and-bust, and to the current collapse of housing and financial markets.
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Bunkum-Babbling Ben Bernanke”

Anti-Americanism - Budget - Business - Capitalism - Chicago - Cook County - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Free Trade - GOP - Illinois - Liberals - Society/Culture - State Government - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Illinois Policy Institute Update

December 4, 2009 by 1 Comment

Nothing to See Here, Folks…
The leaked e-mails of the Climategate scandal have been nothing short of stunning—except, of course, to the true believers in the White House. You can watch Obama’s press secretary Robert Gibbs in full denial mode by clicking the image above. Meanwhile, stay tuned for our newest report, set for release next week, which shows the direct consequences of cap and trade schemes for Illinois.

That Better Be Some Spicy Hot Sauce!
In 2008, Illinois state government spent $7,875 on “bird testing,” $20,692.24 on “subscriptions” for the Governor’s office, $3,770 for golf carts, $2,822 on hot sauce, and $280 on soy crayons – all funded by Illinois taxpayers.
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Illinois Policy Institute Update”

Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Capitalism - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Free Trade - Jobs - Liberals - President - Socialism - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Obama Job Summit: Another Manufacturer Opts Out of U.S.A.

December 3, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

With President Obama carrying on his “jobs summit” this week blaming business for “not hiring enough workers,” it is interesting to see the reaction of at least one major U.S. business to the Obama administration’s actions during this economic downturn.

On November 11, David N. Farr, Chairman, CEO and President of Emerson Electric Co., announced at the Baird 2009 Industrial Conference in Chicago that President Obama has succeeded in chasing his multi-billion dollar industry right out of the U.S.A. Why? Onerous regulation, high taxes, and the over $1 trillion Obama debt should be reason enough for any business to consider shutting down U.S. facilities and seeking greener pastures overseas says Farr.

The federal government is “doing everything in [its] manpower [and] capability to destroy U.S. manufacturing,” says David Farr, chairman and CEO of Emerson Electric Co., in a presentation at the Baird 2009 Industrial Conference in Chicago Ill., on Nov. 11. In comments reported by Bloomberg, Farr added that companies will continue adding jobs in China and India because they are “places where people want the products and where the governments welcome you to actually do something. I am not going to hire anybody in the United States. I’m moving. They are doing everything possible to destroy jobs.”

During his slide show on the state of Emerson’s business, Farr noted that the “unprecedented job loss experienced in this recession will result in a much slower U.S. recovery” and the federal government is making matters worse. The slide reports that the job loss this time is by many magnitudes worse than previous recessions. Noted are job losses from several recessions: 1980 with 1 million jobs lost; 1982 with 2.8 million; 1990 with 1.5 million; 2001 with 2.7 million. Finally Farr notes that we’ve seen a whopping 7.3 million lost thus far (and climbing) in this 2008-2009-2010 recession.
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Obama Job Summit: Another Manufacturer Opts Out of U.S.A.”

Budget - Business - Capitalism - Computers - Democrats/Leftists - Free Trade - Google - Inernet - Liberals - Net Neutrality - Scott Cleland - Society/Culture - Technology

Critical Gaps in FCC’s Proposed Open Internet Regulations

December 3, 2009 by

-By Scott Cleland

Like the FCC’s National Broadband Plan task force identified seven critical gaps in the path to the future of universal broadband, the FCC should resolve six identified “critical gaps” in the FCC’s proposed open Internet regulations before moving forward to regulate the Internet for the first time — by dictating Internet access pricing, terms and conditions or dictating what services which businesses can and cannot offer on the Internet.

Here are six critical gaps in the FCC’s proposed open Internet regulations:

Credibility Gap: The FCC isn’t “preserving,” but changing the Internet by regulating it for the first time.
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Critical Gaps in FCC’s Proposed Open Internet Regulations”

Budget - Business - Capitalism - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Elections - Free Trade - Freedom - House of Representatives - Jobs - Liberals - Senate - Socialism - Society/Culture - State Government - Taxes - The Law - Warner Todd Huston

Unions a Danger to Good Government

December 1, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

What happens when a private sector union gets far too many benefits to the point where the business for which its membership works goes under or whose existence is threatened? Punishment. Unions either take a reduction of benefits or pay — or both — and cuts in time or jobs in order to right the ship and keep the business afloat occur. Just like punishment comes to businesses that make bad business decisions, private employee unions also realize punishment for overreach. At the risk of losing the whole enterprise both for unions and owners, the market serves to correct excess.

Unfortunately, there is no such corrective for union overreach for government employees. These unions rarely face any punishment for excess. And therein lies the reason that unions are antithetical to good government.

Of course, we’ve discussed this theme many times here at the blog over the past few years. But to buttress the discussion I’d like to relate some statistics. The Heritage Foundation’s James Sherk recently took a look at the most current reports from labor and found that 12.4% of the American work force is made up of union members. But he notes that, while union membership has fallen to 7.3% of private sector jobs, it has risen to a never before seen 37.6% unionization of government employees — and this number is growing. Government workers now make up 51% of all unionized workers in the USA.
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Unions a Danger to Good Government”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Capitalism - Communism - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Free Trade - Liberals - President - Socialism - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Obama: King of All Statists

November 30, 2009 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

Almost 40% of William Howard Taft’s cabinet officials were from the private sector. Ike had nearly 60% of his appointees sporting private sector experience. Reagan had about 55% and George W. Bush about 53%. Even FDR and Truman had half their cabinet officials with private sector experience.

And Obama?

Less than 10%.

That means that only about 7% of Barack Hussein Obama’s cabinet appointees ever worked in the private sector. So is it any wonder that Barack Obama has become the president responsible for an unprecedented bloating of the federal government and a take over of power on a scale never before seen?

Nick Schulz published a great graph revealing the private sector experience of the appointees of every president since 1901. (Also heard Jerry Agar talking about this over the weekend on Chicago’s WGN)

Remembering that Barack Obama himself never held a real job his whole life the fact that he surrounds himself with government hacks, placemen, and hangerson yet is expected to be the one to fix the private sector economy and, well, we can see why he is failing so miserably. He has no life experiences to draw on and neither does anyone he’s asked to advise him.

No wonder America is on the fast track to socialism.
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Obama: King of All Statists”

Anti-Americanism - Business - Censorship - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Education - Free Trade - Freedom - Journalism - Liberals - Media Bias - Science - Socialism - Society/Culture - Taxes - Technology - Thomas Brewton

When Fanatical Agendas Obliterate Science

November 29, 2009 by

-By Thomas E. Brewton

Climate Emails Stoke Debate: Scientists’ Leaked Correspondence Illustrates Bitter Feud over Global Warming (Wall Street Journal, November 23, 2009).

The Wall Street Journal article notes:

Representatives of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a large professional organization, expressed concern that the hacked emails would weaken global resolve to curb greenhouse-gas emissions.

One would expect true scientists to be more concerned with pursuit of the truth than with foreclosing questions about an hypothesis. As it stands, the greenhouse-gas hypothesis is no more than a religious dogma proclaimed from closed chambers. Liberal-progressives treat all questions or challenges to it as heresy.
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When Fanatical Agendas Obliterate Science”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Capitalism - Chicago - Communism - Congress - Cook County - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Free Trade - Freedom - House of Representatives - Illinois - Liberals - President - Socialism - Society/Culture - State Government - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Stimulus Stimulated Much of Nothing in Illinois

November 25, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

The Chicago Tribune has an interesting story that shows that Obama’s $787 billion stimulus really didn’t do much by way of creating any new jobs in Illinois. Though Obama is counting “jobs saved” as some sort of success story, the fact is few jobs have been created and nothing will be sustainable after the stimulus money runs out.

Jobs “saved” apparently means that stimulus money went to keep a job that might otherwise have been lost. But the problem with calling it a job saved is that once the stimulus runs out that same job will still be on the chopping block.

Then there is the other thing to realize: none of these “jobs” are real, useful, and economically real jobs. They are but government handouts given to people with government jobs. The fact is not a single one of these faux jobs “created” by the Obama stimulus is in the private sector. They are all in government and government does not create wealth, it does not grow an economy. All government does is take tax money from one pocket and shift it to another pocket. None of these “jobs” are worthy of being called new jobs.
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Stimulus Stimulated Much of Nothing in Illinois”

Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Communism - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Free Trade - Freedom - Liberals - President - Socialism - Society/Culture - State Government - Taxes - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Ohio’s Ben Konop Wants Kids to Starve so he can Give Gov’t Payoffs to Unions

November 24, 2009 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

Ruinous PLAs Coming Your Way Lucas County, Ohio!

Magie Thurber is reporting that Lucas County, Ohio County Commissioner Ben Konop is trying to force unions on non-union labor in his jurisdiction. What about freedom to chose? Forget it. Konop as big brother knows better.

On Tuesday, the commissioners will discuss an agenda item ominously entitled “Incorporating Project Labor Agreements into Bidding Specifications for all County-Supported Projects.” (Download PDF) Apparently the commissioners will be pursuing PLAs in all contracts in Lucas County’s future.

What is a Project Labor Agreement or PLA? I discussed this back in February right after President Obama signed his Executive Order 13202 pushing PLAs and in October after New Hampshire faced this situation. Obama’s EO demanded that every federal construction project force a PLA on its contractors. Essentially, a PLA requires all hired contractors and their employees to pay union dues, work under union rules, and pay into union pensions (even though they will never get any benefits from them) whether they belong to a union or not. This forced unionism is to be enforced despite that up to 84 percent of all contractors in the country are not part of a union.
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Ohio’s Ben Konop Wants Kids to Starve so he can Give Gov’t Payoffs to Unions”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Capitalism - Communism - Congress - Constitution - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Free Trade - Liberals - President - Security/Safety - Socialism - Society/Culture - Taxes - The Law - Vince Johnson - Welfare

Special for the High School Class of 2010

November 23, 2009 by

-By Vince Johnson

Sixty-two years ago I was a 19 year old in the Class of 1947. Our commencement speaker emphasized how fortunate we were to be preparing for career opportunities in a world focused upon peace and prosperity rather than grieving over the death and destruction of the most devastating war in history. I had a unique appreciation for his remarks because in 1945 I quit school on my 17th birthday to join the U.S. Navy. After a tour of active duty I was finally back home graduating from high school.

During the Great Depression years of the 1930’s and the war years of 40’s, thousands of people sacrificed life and limb so their kids could live in a land of abundant opportunities rather than a world filled with the miseries of war and poverty.

In those days it would have been unthinkable to borrow trillions of dollars from the future of our children without their knowledge or consent. You may believe this could never happen in America, but this has been happening to you since before you were born! Politicians have decided that your parents and grandparents needed things they could not afford, so they paid for them with several trillion dollars borrowed from your future.
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Special for the High School Class of 2010″

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Capitalism - Communism - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Free Trade - GOP - Health - Liberals - President - Republicans - Socialism - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Senate Approves Motion to Proceed on Obamacare

November 21, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

With a 60 to 39 vote, the Senate has passed the motion to proceed to move on with the debate over Obamacare. Again, it is important to note that this is only a vote to begin the floor debate on the bill. It is not a vote to pass Obamacare.

In the Washington Examiner, Byron York has an excellent point when he asks, “why was it so hard for Democrats even to start the healthcare debate?”
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Senate Approves Motion to Proceed on Obamacare”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Capitalism - Communism - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Founders - Free Speech - Free Trade - Freedom - Health - House of Representatives - Liberals - Marie Jon - President - Religion - Republicans - Socialism - Society/Culture - Taxes - The Law - Western Civilization

Americans embrace George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, not Chairman Mao Zedong

November 20, 2009 by

-By Marie Jon

America is under siege from within. Our nation has undergone a bloodless coup that required no military action. It occurred one year ago this month, at the hands of liars, cheats, and thieves who — calling themselves “progressives” — deceived the electorate at the polls and defrauded the electoral process.

Our lives have been shaken and turned upside down and inside out as a result. “The Twilight Zone” has become a reality right here in the U.S.A. Fortunately, with the help of the Internet, blogosphere, conservative talk radio, and Fox News, the Utopian facade we’ve unwittingly accepted is being exposed for what it really is. It cannot stand the light of day, and it is crumbling as a result.

Facts and truths are being laid out before us regarding the current Marxist “coup.” Americans are growing more than just a tad concerned about President Barack Obama and his handpicked and unaccountable “Czars.” These elitists hold to un-American ideologies that are certainly not mainstream. One cannot reconcile the radical, leftist philosophies of Obama and his cohorts with the noble goals of our Founding Fathers. We who love the American ideal embrace George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, not Chairman Mao. View: Does it Matter?

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Americans embrace George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, not Chairman Mao Zedong”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Capitalism - Communism - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Free Trade - Health - Liberals - President - Senate - Socialism - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Harry Reid Wants to Vote on a Phantom Bill (Dem Dirty Tricks Edition)

November 19, 2009 by 2 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

Either today or later this week, Senate Democrat Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev) wants the Senate to vote on a “motion to proceed” on the Senate’s version of the healthcare bill. That wouldn’t be so bad except for the fact that it has barely been seen by anyone in the Senate. At least not as far as most Senators are concerned. Why is that? Because the bill has not been shown to them with sufficient time to study it, that’s why.

What Reid wants is for the Senate to vote to proceed on a bill that has not been seen, not read, not studied by the very Senators from whom he wants to force a vote. If this bill is so important, why isn’t it imperative that our Senators actually get to see the thing they are expected to vote on?

And that isn’t the worst of the unconscionable dirty tricks that Reid is playing with this “important” legislation. He’s also planning on a bait and switch tactic once he gets his vote to proceed.
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Harry Reid Wants to Vote on a Phantom Bill (Dem Dirty Tricks Edition)”

Anti-Americanism - Budget - Business - Capitalism - Communism - Congress - Constitution - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Free Trade - GOP - Liberals - Patriotism - President - Republicans - Socialism - Society/Culture - Taxes - The Law - Warner Todd Huston

Where is THIS Republican Party?

November 19, 2009 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

An excerpt of the 1924 Republican Party Platform:

The prosperity of the American nation rests on the vigor of private initiative which has bred a spirit of independence and self-reliance. The republican party stands now, as always, against all attempts to put the government into business.

American industry should not be compelled to struggle against government competition. The right of the government to regulate, supervise and control public utilities and public interests, we believe, should be strengthened, but we are firmly opposed to the nationalization or government ownership of public utilities.

In 1924 the GOP ran Calvin “Silent Cal” Coolidge for president. And he won on this platform.

Even then Democrats were trying to tun this country into a less powerful version of Europe by emulating its socialist systems. A proud Republican Party repudiated these socialist tendencies and reiterated its pride in the American way. These principles appealed to the true American spirit and also won elections.

Unfortunately, the very next president, himself a Republican, turned toward socialist, collectivist concepts and set the stage for what later became Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal destruction of the American economic system that compounded a market correction and turned it into “The Great Depression.” And save for a brief time under Ronald Reagan, it appears that the GOP has never recovered its principles as espoused in its 1924 platform.
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Where is THIS Republican Party?”

Barack Obama - Budget - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Free Trade - GOP - Liberals - Republicans - Socialism - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Charlie Crist: A Serving of Pork Sounds Good

November 18, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

On November 11, I wrote of the statements that Charlie Crist made denying that he ever supported Obama’s $787 billion stimulus bill in his role as Florida’s Governor. Unfortunately for his obfuscation, though, I noted that he and 17 other governors signed a letter in February of this year announcing support for the Stimulus. Apparently Crist forgot that he signed this letter… conveniently. Yes, he was for the porkulus bill before he was against it.

Well now there is even more proof than that mere signature on a piece of paper showing Charlie’s support for the porkulus bill. From Ed Morrissey we find an interview that Rolling Stone hackster Tim Dickinson did with Crist back in the spring. In that piece Dickinson was celebratory that Crist was a stimulus supporter.

Dickinson then noted, “For his part, Crist is weighing a run for the Senate — where, he tells Rolling Stone, he would have given the president a fourth Republican vote on the stimulus bill.”
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Charlie Crist: A Serving of Pork Sounds Good”

Budget - Business - Capitalism - Computers - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Free Trade - Google - Inernet - Liberals - Scott Cleland - Socialism - Society/Culture - Technology

Google-AdMob’s Antitrust Problems

November 17, 2009 by

-By Scott Cleland

Google’s acquisition of AdMob, “the world’s largest mobile advertising marketplace,” will receive serious antitrust scrutiny focused on whether the deal lessens competition by extending search advertising monopoly to mobile devices.

Expect the review process to be a magnet for a host of antitrust, competition, and privacy product/services concerns, much like the proposed Google Book settlement has been a magnet for antitrust, competition, and privacy content concerns.

First, Google is misleading with its blanket statement: “We don’t see any regulatory concerns with this deal.”

Not “any” concerns implies Google does not expect: any DOJ/FTC discussion over who reviews the deal; no second request for information; no CIDs (subpoenas); no hearings; or no serious competitor objections that authorities will have to explore. If that is true, why does Google say it could it take “several months” to close?
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Google-AdMob’s Antitrust Problems”

Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Capitalism - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Free Trade - Freedom - Health - House of Representatives - Liberals - President - Socialism - Society/Culture - Taxes - Thomas Brewton

Why Place Your Bet On The Horse That Always Loses?

November 16, 2009 by

-By Thomas E. Brewton

Why believe that Obamacare will “bend the cost curve,” when government has repeatedly failed to cut costs of existing healthcare entitlements?

The Obama administration and fellow liberal-progressive-socialists in Congress have based much of their rationalization for Obamacare on its purported reductions in healthcare costs. But, for at least two decades, proposals by the Social Security Administration and Congress to cut Medicare costs have come to naught.

This is hardly surprising, since Congress’s modus operandi is spending money, and the more of it the better, from politicians’ viewpoint. Alexis de Tocqueville, celebrated author of Democracy in America, put his finger on the insurmountable problem in mid-19th century. The theory of socialism is “from each according to ability, to each according to need,” but, while the public’s needs may be quantifiable, its wants are unlimited.

Efficiency is a negative criterion in any government project. Remember that the Employment Act of 1946 committed the government to maintaining full employment. From the politicians’ viewpoint, it is better to employ excessive numbers of people, at higher costs, to enhance the image of helping the people. Congress’s $787 billion so-called stimulus extravaganza is a recent example.
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Why Place Your Bet On The Horse That Always Loses?”

Anti-Americanism - Business - Capitalism - Conservatives - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Free Trade - George W. Bush - GOP - Liberals - President - Republicans - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston - Western Civilization

The George W. Bush Institute: Free Markets, Small Government… Since When

November 13, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Get ready because I am going to slap George W. Bush around a little bit. Now, don’t get me wrong, it isn’t like I hated him. After all I voted for him twice. There was a lot that Bush did that I supported, mostly on the security and war fronts. But, I really stood against his domestic agenda almost completely. I was against no child’s behind left alone — er, I mean no child left behind — I was against the bailouts and against the drug benefit for seniors program. I disagreed with his “compassionate conservatism” narrative because it really was just an excuse for a little less big government than what the Democrats full-blown socialism would have been. About the only thing he wanted to do that I supported, the privatization of Social Security, he never pushed hard enough to implement.

With that in mind, George W. Bush made his first major appearance before the general public today in a speech announcing the George W. Bush Institute, a new public policy think tank to be housed in the Bush Presidential Library at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.

Mr. Bush wants his new institute to foster free market policies, small government thinking, education, global health and “human freedom”… to which I have to ask, so where were you for eight years on these things Mr. Bush?

During his speech, Bush said that with the $700 billion bank bailout he implemented in the waning days of his presidency he “went against” his free-market instincts. He said it was one of the “most difficult” decisions of his presidency. I’d say he failed the test. Juxtaposing his bailouts with the free-market, small government policies that he wants his new institute to push causes one to raise an eyebrow, of course. How do past actions jive with his future policy ideals?
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The George W. Bush Institute: Free Markets, Small Government… Since When”

Budget - Business - Capitalism - Chicago - Cook County - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Free Trade - Illinois - Liberals - Society/Culture - State Government - Taxes - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Another Trade Show Dumps Chicago Over Union Ripoffs

November 13, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Another trade show is leaving Chicago this time for Atlanta, Georgia. The Chicago Tribune is reporting that the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society meeting which has been held in Chicago’s McCormick Convention Center for quite some time is leaving the city due to the high costs that unions force upon its exhibitors.

In October we posted that the Plastics Industry Trade Association is also contemplating fleeing Chicago for southern hospitality for the same reason.

The HIMSS reports that 2009 attendance in Chicago’s McCormick Center was down by 5 percent compared to 2008. Attendance also dropped from 29,100 in 2008 to 27,500 this year. Additionally, HIMSS reports that they lost exhibitors over 2008, as well.
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Another Trade Show Dumps Chicago Over Union Ripoffs”

Anti-Americanism - Business - Cable - Capitalism - Computers - Congress - Economy/Finances - Entertainment - Free Trade - Google - Inernet - Liberals - Net Neutrality - Scott Cleland - Society/Culture - Taxes - Technology

Why Google Is Not Neutral

November 13, 2009 by 2 Comments

-By Scott Cleland

After discussing whether Google should buy The New York Times, Google decided against it because it “would damage its ‘neutral’ identity,” per Ken Auletta’s just-published book “Googled: The End of The World as We know It.”

Google has long claimed to be neutral. Their corporate philosophy statement claims: “We never manipulate rankings to put our partners higher in our search results and no one can buy better PageRank. Our users trust our objectivity and no short-term gain could ever justify breaching that trust.”

As the world-leading corporate proponent of an industrial policy to mandate net neutrality for all its potential broadband competitors in cloud computing, and as the beneficiary of “The Google Loophole” in the FCC’s proposed open Internet regulations (para 104), it is fair to stress test whether Google’s claim of a “neutral’ identity is true or just cleverly-executed PR.

Is Google Neutral?
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Why Google Is Not Neutral”

Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Feminism - Founders - Free Trade - Freedom - GOP - Liberals - Republicans - Society/Culture - State Government - Warner Todd Huston

Meghan McCain’s Latest: Too Stupid Not to Comment Upon

November 12, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Just hearing her name causes me pain and normally I wouldn’t waste a minute’s time worrying about what this vacuous little child has to say on much of anything — as is evidence by the fact that this is the first time my keyboard has shuddered out her name. However, Meghan McCain’s latest blog post is a piece of conventional wisdom that, while not unique to little Meaggie’s fallow mind (which itself is de rigeuer for the girl, sadly), it is one that has been heard since the day women began to stride into the world of western politics. However, it is one that I think no longer applies. So, I’d like to address the empty reasoning on women in politics despite that it emanated from McCain’s somewhat barren pen.

Here is McCain’s prosaic premise: The attacks on Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton have made it harder for women and is proof that no woman will ever be “just right” for politics. To which anyone not looking to make excuses can only say a resounding “yeah, right.”

The simple matter of fact is that anyone that clamors for great power will stir great passions in those whom they wish to govern. And those that find wide support among the people will find that such support is ephemeral once decisions start having to be made. It doesn’t matter if the powerful is man or woman.
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Meghan McCain’s Latest: Too Stupid Not to Comment Upon”

Barack Obama - Business - Capitalism - Communism - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Free Trade - Freedom - House of Representatives - Liberals - President - Socialism - Society/Culture - State Government - Taxes - Thomas Brewton

Government As Narcotics Dealer

November 11, 2009 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

Since the advent of the Federal Reserve System in 1913, monetary authorities have repeatedly upped the narcotic dosage as a remedy for the pains of easy money and credit addiction.

An exceptionally clear and insightful analysis of the precipitating and sustaining causes of the twelve-year-long Great Depression is to be found in Banking and the Business Cycle: A Study of the Great Depression in the United States. Published in 1937, this book provides a wealth of statistics and quotations from Federal Reserve officials, bankers, and economists of that era. It can be obtained from the Ludwig von Mises Institute via its website.

At the end of World War I, when the Federal Reserve System was only five years old, the Fed decided to prevent prices across the economy from falling back to the levels prevailing before the war. To do so, the Fed pumped so much money into the economy via the banks that total bank lendable deposits more than doubled in the six years from 1914 to 1920. To make the perspective clearer, the Fed pumped more lendable funds into the banking system in six years than had been created in the prior 131 years since the ratification of the Constitution.
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Government As Narcotics Dealer”

Afghanistan - Barack Obama - Capitalism - Congress - Constitution - Democrats/Leftists - Free Trade - Health - House of Representatives - Joe Wilson - Liberals - Senate - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Rep. Joe Wilson on Healthcare and Afghanistan

November 9, 2009 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Does Joe Wilson or any of his colleagues on the Hill care about the Constitution?

I participated in a conference call last Friday with Representative Joe Wilson (R, SC) who wanted to rally the troops against Pelosi’s healthcare bill. He also talked of Afghanistan, as well. But I think he made a revealing comment about the Constitution that distresses me.

Rep. Wilson started off his comments with his condolences to the families of the victims of the criminal actions at Fort Hood which had only recently happened at the time. “As a 21-year veteran of the military myself with three sons in the Army, one in the Navy, and a nephew in the Air Force, I truly do have a deep sympathy for the families at Fort Hood,” Wilson said.

Wilson then went into the issues of the day and said he was pleased to see the “clean sweep” that Republicans in Virginia saw in the governor’s race there.

This has also been an extraordinary week with the elections on Tuesday in the state of my ancestors, Virginia. I’m so grateful for the Commonwealth that there was a clean sweep and as it pointed out to me the Republican clean sweep there was for limited government and extending freedom is in the tradition of Thomas Jefferson.

Wilson also remarked that Jon Corzine, the incumbent Dem. gov. in New Jersey, had some “pretty strong things to say about me” and was happy that he lost his re-election bid.
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Rep. Joe Wilson on Healthcare and Afghanistan”