I Couldn't Agree More Mrs. Obama

Mrs. Obama told a reporter her fantasy was to just walk out the front door of the White House and keep walking.  Assuming she's taking her husband with her on that trip, I couldn't have shared a greater fantasy with her.  Hopefully, in November the voters will make my fantasy come true.

Perpetual War

A video about the atrocities of Ugandan leader of the Lord's Resistance Army Joseph Kony went viral several months ago, bringing attention to what is rightfully recognized as horrific actions in the abduction of children for sex trafficking and to force them into being soldiers. Prior to the release of the viral video "Kony 2012", President Obama authorized placing United States troops in harm's way on the ground in Uganda to assist regional forces opposed to the LRA. That was October of 2011. As with much of what President Obama does, this is a war being conducted without Congressional authorization. Say what you will about Iraq and Afghanistan, at least President Bush went to Congress for authorization to act (with the approval of then Senator Hillary Clinton (D, Wherever the hell she lives). I'm betting you didn't know we were conducting a small war in Uganda.

I'm also betting you didn't know we are conducting one in Yemen, too. President Obama has authorized the use of drone strikes against targets even when the identity of the target is not known. President Obama's authority to conduct these strikes is also in question, not that he exactly acknowledges Congressional authority anyway. The question isn't whether or not Al Qaeda in Yemen is actively a threat to the United States. They clearly are. The question isn't whether or not the Yemeni government has an issue with the strikes, they don't. The issue is why are we going to war without declaring war or at least having Congressional authorization of the action to legitimize the actions? How are Uganda and Yemen different from the illegal operations in Laos during the Vietnam war? I wonder how the Nobel committee feels about that Peace Prize they gave President I'm Not George Bush Obama. Don't get me wrong, Republicans and Democrats alike have behaved in this manner. They were and are both wrong to do so.

Environmentalists Hate the Blacks!!!

As a counterpoint to Earth Day (which I presume is the day we celebrate our victory over Mars as relayed by Orson Welles) an organization named Free Market America released this video on YouTube which attacks the environmental backlash against hydrocarbon energies such as coal and oil as the strategy which the speaker says he would take if he wished to destroy America.  It has gotten quite a lot of attention.  I doubt they could have known that just a few days after the video's release, another video would surface proving the point.  Today, video surfaced of an EPA official saying that agency's philosophy is to crucify oil and gas companies to make examples of them.  Good to know it's not personal.
I propose the only rational response is to accuse the EPA of racism, as they seem to hate the darker colored fuels, such as coal and oil.  I think that makes as much sense as a government agency determined to demonize the use of an inanimate object as a fuel.

TARP Should Have Been Named CRAP

Many on both sides of the fence, conservative and liberal, hailed the TARP program, started under President George Bush as an absolute necessity and example of when government intervention was both appropriate and good policy.  Many cited how the program would not only pay itself off as the beneficiaries of the bailout would pay back the government loans with interest.  Those of us such as libertarian leaning Congressman Ron Paul (R. TX) who believe that government intervention in the economy is pretty much universally bad were opposed to the creation of the bailout program.  As is usual, it turns out, despite a short-lived General Motors ad campaign claiming it had repaid the funds, TARP is a bit of a turkey (which is a lovely country if you're not an Armenian in the early 20th century, but don't ask President Obama about that, he's kind of vague).  The Inspector General in charge of the TARP funds announced today that $119 billion remains outstanding in TARP funds and the government expects $60 billion will never be repaid.

And that GM loan?  GM remains one of the three worst examples of the program, with the government still heavily invested in equity shares.  Maybe they should stop running those asinine Chrysler commercials that say "Imported from Detroit" reminding us all that Detroit has turned into a third world foreign nation (in my opinion due to unions and Democratic politicians).  I have no idea if what they still owe includes the TARP funds they paid back using TARP funds.  Those GM record profits and claims that President Obama saved the auto industry have less basis in reality than the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

Please President Carter, Don't Say That

If you want to know why I'm not real happy with former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney being the Republican candidate for President in 2012, here it is: former President Jimmy Carter say's he  would be comfortable with a President Romney.  I can only hope Mr. Romney gets elected and disappoints Mr. Carter very deeply.

And This is Why When I Hear President Obama Refer to President Reagan I Vomit

The Washington Post routinely does fact checking on statements by political figures on a scale of 1-4 Pinocchios. President Obama, in referring to his "Buffet Rule" which would push for a minimum tax for higher income earners regardless of the source, has referred to President Reagan, claiming he advocated for the same principles and he should be able to call it the "Reagan Rule". The Post rated that statement at two Pinocchios. I think they were being generous.

Let's be clear from the start, this is all about class warfare from the jump, a concept President Reagan would be revolted by. The Buffet Rule came about from the idea that somehow billionaire investor Warren Buffet paid less federal income tax than his secretary. She was even perched in the stands next to Michelle Obama during the State of the Union speech to further illustrate the President's false premise. What is correct is that Mr. Buffett pays a lower percentage rate on his income from investment. This is know as the Capital Gains Tax. Investment income is treated differently and taxed lower than regular income because we want to encourage investment in business. It should also be noted that the invested money was taxed when it was first earned as well.

When President Reagan was talking about tax fairness, he was talking about lowering rates for every American and removing exemptions to make a simpler tax system. President Reagan's version of the Buffett Rule would likely be to lower the secretary's tax rate to the same rate as capital gains. Almost everything Reagan stood for is the exact opposite of what President Obama advocates. Listening to him invoke Reagan is like listening to an atheist try to give a speech on the necessity for God in your life.

That Security Net is Starting to Look More Like a Security Napkin...Maye a Securty Tissue

News came out today that Social Security will run dry in 2033 and Medicare will run out of funding in 2024. Forget these programs not having enough for your grandchildren, if things are left as is, you won't be seeing anything from the money you've paid in to these systems either. This is such a short period of time that current beneficiaries could see the programs go broke. Luckily, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, a man who can't manage his own taxes, said that any plan that changes the programs will not receive support. Hmm...so the programs are going to go broke unless there is some sort of change, which Secretary Geithner says Democrats won't support. So I guess this means the only way Democrats will support keeping Medicare and Social Security is taxing the living hell out of everyone they can lay their hands on, and don't think taxing the rich alone can somehow save these systems even if they took 100% of everything they made over $200,000.00. Welcome to Greece, boys and girls.