Politics: The Gooferment is the Problem, imho!

Monday, December 29, 2008

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123033898448336541.html

There’s No Pain-Free Cure for Recession
Belt-tightening is required by all, including government.
By PETER SCHIFF
* OPINION * DECEMBER 27, 2008

*** begin quote ***

Governments cannot create but merely redirect. When the government spends, the money has to come from somewhere. If the government doesn’t have a surplus, then it must come from taxes. If taxes don’t go up, then it must come from increased borrowing. If lenders won’t lend, then it must come from the printing press, which is where all these bailouts are headed. But each additional dollar printed diminishes the value those already in circulation. Something cannot be effortlessly created from nothing.

*** end quote ***

When will folks recognize that GOVERNEMENT IS THE PROBLEM.

It starts from a flawed set of paradigms (i.e., perceptions) and memes (i.e., ideas).

One flawed paradigm / perception is that the “benefits bestowed” come like magic rainfall from the heavens. It’s a miracle. What we don’t see, or chose not to see, is the sausage being made. Money extracted by force (Who voluntarily pays the mob in gooferment?) to fund the “benefits”. Minus of course the huge “handling fee” to do the “extracting” and “bestowing”!

One flawed meme is that there is such a thing as “government”. In our minds, we create the Wizard of Oz illusion that there something, (or even more laughable, that we are part of something), bigger than ourselves. No, what I see are craven immoral human beings dress up in fancy clothes pretending to have power over us. To “govern” us.

In the beginnings of human civilization, there were Tyrants. Then, came Kings. Now, we have Politicians.

There are all just people. Give them no more defference than you would a street thug. Be careful they can hurt you. But, don’t kid yourself that the Politician is any different than the Mafia Don.

Keep your pitchfork and torch at hand. Their time is coming.

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POLITICAL: Gooferment bailouts mere prolong the inevitable

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

http://www.lewrockwell.com/tucker/tucker115.html

The End of the US Piano Industry by Jeffrey A. Tucker

*** begin quote ***

Today government is even more arrogant and absurd, and it actually believes that by passing legislation it can save the US car industry. It can subsidize and pay for uneconomic activities, and pay ever more every year. The government can also pay millions of people to make mud pies because mud pies are deemed to be an essential industry. You can do this, but at what cost and what could possibly be the point? Eventually, even the government will have to accord itself to the reality that economics reminds us of on a daily basis.

*** end quote ***

It’s hard to envision a sadder time in American History.

The gooferment bailing out the UAW union.

That’s what this is all about.

The unions wield enormous political power.

And, like a parasite, they eventually kill their hosts.

Look at the Teacher’s Union and education. The ports with their union. The railroads with their union. Government workers and their unions.

And, don’t make the mistake that the Union is looking out for its members.

Sure, they do from time to time, but that’s to preserve the illusion.

Example, State of New Jersey hasn’t contributed to the pension plan for several administration. It’s under funded by 3T$. Think the Union has grabbed the politicians by their privates and insisted. No, they are all in bed together.

Example, UAW hasn’t insisted that Automakers align the executive’s interest with the worker’s. It’s a scandal that a CEO makes more than the line worker in salary. CEO’s shouldn’t make more than a 1$/year anytime. Give them stock options that vest in 5 year increments (i.e., 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, …). Then stand out of the way as the thinking shifts to long term value.

Example, the Delta bankruptcy screwed all the retired pilots. Hear anything about that?

Unions are an institution that needs to be reinvented.

Where’s my “union” for bloggers?

Argh!

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MONEY: H.R. 2755: Federal Reserve Board Abolition Act

Sunday, December 7, 2008

http://www.lewrockwell.com/huff/huff24.html

*** begin quote ***

You might also ask your US Representative to co-sponsor the Bill to Abolish the Fed. So far Ron Paul’s Bill has no co-sponsor. What does that tell us?

*** end quote ***

[JR: That politicians are happy with the blank check that the current system provides them? ]

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-2755

*** begin quote ***

Federal Reserve Board Abolition Act – Abolishes the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and each Federal reserve bank.

Repeals the Federal Reserve Act.

This bill is in the first step in the legislative process. Introduced bills go first to committees that deliberate, investigate, and revise them before they go to general debate. The majority of bills never make it out of committee.

*** end quote ***

Arhhh!

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RANT: Guess who will vote for a bailout?

Thursday, December 4, 2008

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/12/03/cbsnews_investigates/main4646424.shtml

Big Three Spending Millions On Lobbying
Auto Makers Drowning In Red, But Still Give Nearly 50 Million Dollars To Politicians
WASHINGTON, Dec. 3, 2008 | by Sharyl Attkisson

*** begin quote ***

The auto industry spent nearly $50 million lobbying Congress in the first nine months of this year.

And people tied to the auto industry gave another $15 million in campaign contributions, CBS News investigative correspondent Sharyl Attkisson reports.

*** end quote ***

So, the congresscritters have been bribed?

Argh!

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POLITICAL: My economic recovery plan

Monday, November 24, 2008

http://www.lewrockwell.com/giles/giles30.html

Fallen Angel
by George Giles

*** begin quote ***

Our one party has two wings blue state socialists and red state fascists, they only disagree on minor conjectures like should we fleece the public fisc through the Federal Reserve, or the Internal Revenue service, or both?

*** and ***

If eternal vigilance is the price of liberty then Americans, as a culture, have been found wanting. The immense debt, the vanishing equity, and the struggling economic infrastructure are the waves upon which our ship of state sails.

*** end quote ***

Wonder if the sheeple will realize they have been had? If we have faith in the “American experiment”, then we can return to our roots of rugged individualism, cast out the socialists, and let the truly free market return us to prosperity. Enlightened individual self-interest is a powerful engine of prosperity. But, we have to be the “home of the free and land of the brave”.

(1) Let the bad actors in the marketplae fail. Citi, GM, NBC, or whomever has a problem; it’s just that. Their problem. Hard bitter medicine? Yes, but essential into correcting the “moral hazard” that our politicians have allowed to happen.

(2) Restore the “uptick rule” that prevents bear raids. FIre the genius at the Treasury, Fed, SEC that changed that one historical gem of an idea.

(3) Restore the marketplace in mortgages. Home ownership may not be for everyone. 20% down! Review every mortgage for criminal fraud. (Rumor hath it that Organized Crime went into the mortgage business.)

(4) End the “Drug Prohibition” policy. Sorry, but it’s nobody’s business what anyone puts in their own body. Pardon all non-violent drug offenders. Allow WalMart to battle the “illegal violent drug dealers”. (The cost of impure illicit drugs will dissolve overnight when Sam Walton’s children become “drug dealers”.) Clean safe drugs at everyday low prices will take all the profit and sexiness out of the drug culture. Hard to imagine a drug war over aspirin level prices. Pot, heroin, crack, and speed for $4 for a month’s supply? Maybe then as a society, we can focus on the medical problems that addicition represents. And, stop killing children both directly and indirectly. Eleimate all the drug agencies: DEA, FDA, and on and on. Consumers Reports, Underwriters Labratory, and “Drug Stores” like WalMart will do a far better job of keeping us safe.

(5) Downsize governemnt at all levels. Let’s conduct a raid on all these bloated kingdoms of waste. Let’s cut 5% per year. Every year.

(6) Let’s cut taxes. Business tax should be 0, but let’s start but cutting it to 10%. (Ireland is 11%!) We know that businesses don’t pay taxes; people do! Personal income tax ditto 10%. And, ONLY ONE ENTITY can collect our 10%. Either Federal, State, or Local gooferment. How they divide it up I care not, but no more than 10%. Property taxes should also be 0. Let the police, fire, and trash be supplied on a competitive basis.

(7) Let’s all MYOB. Marriage should be left to churches; not the gooferment.

How’s that for an economic recovery plan?

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LIBERTY: Time to end “government education”?

Saturday, November 15, 2008

>The book is called “Raising the
>Grade: How High School Reform Can
>Save Our Youth and Our Nation.”

Maybe as a society, we are finally going to escape the “government education” paradigm. We can’t ‘afford’ it from both the input side (i.e., taxes) and the output (i.e., quality of what it produces). Socialists have used it to undermine our national commitment to individual achievement and rugged individualism that made America great. And, put them in control of everyone’s lives.

The purposes of the education system we imported from Prussia was to make cannon fodder soldiers and malleable factory workers. All that could be easily let by a powerful “elite”. Seems to have worked.

Unfortunately, cannon fodder soldiers are not how wars are fought today. Factory workers don’t exist any more in the USA. And that “smart elite” isn’t very ‘smart’ and have clay feet.

Time for a paradigm shift? Not just more meaningless diplomas.

imho!

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MONEY: WASHDC eyes your 401k?

Thursday, November 13, 2008

http://www.carolinajournal.com/articles/display_story.html?id=5081

Dems Target Private Retirement Accounts
Democratic leaders in the U.S. House discuss confiscating 401(k)s, IRAs
By Karen McMahan
November 04, 2008

*** begin quote ***

RALEIGH — Democrats in the U.S. House have been conducting hearings on proposals to confiscate workers’ personal retirement accounts — including 401(k)s and IRAs — and convert them to accounts managed by the Social Security Administration.

Triggered by the financial crisis the past two months, the hearings reportedly were meant to stem losses incurred by many workers and retirees whose 401(k) and IRA balances have been shrinking rapidly.

The testimony of Teresa Ghilarducci, professor of economic policy analysis at the New School for Social Research in New York, in hearings Oct. 7 drew the most attention and criticism. Testifying for the House Committee on Education and Labor, Ghilarducci proposed that the government eliminate tax breaks for 401(k) and similar retirement accounts, such as IRAs, and confiscate workers’ retirement plan accounts and convert them to universal Guaranteed Retirement Accounts (GRAs) managed by the Social Security Administration.

Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor, in prepared remarks for the hearing on “The Impact of the Financial Crisis on Workers’ Retirement Security,” blamed Wall Street for the financial crisis and said his committee will “strengthen and protect Americans’ 401(k)s, pensions, and other retirement plans” and the “Democratic Congress will continue to conduct this much-needed oversight on behalf of the American people.”

Currently, 401(k) plans allow Americans to invest pretax money and their employers match up to a defined percentage, which not only increases workers’ retirement savings but also reduces their annual income tax. The balances are fully inheritable, subject to income tax, meaning workers pass on their wealth to their heirs, unlike Social Security. Even when they leave an employer and go to one that doesn’t offer a 401(k) or pension, workers can transfer their balances to a qualified IRA.

{Extraneous Deleted}

*** end quote ***

Clearly a very scarey idea.

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MONEY: If printing money could solve all our problems, then why not just print up ten million dollars for every household in America?

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

The title says it all.

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RANT: The local leftist media faults the right for not coming out!

Monday, November 10, 2008

http://channel-surfing.blogspot.com/2008/11/vanishing-republicans-of-south.html

Friday, November 07, 2008
The vanishing Republicans of South Brunswick

*** begin quote ***

I’ve heard some rumors that there are Republicans living in South Brunswick.

Yes, according to these rumors, there are actual, died-in-the-wool members of the Grand Old Party going about their business, meeting at Pierre’s and going through the electoral motions.

*** and ***

I am at a loss as to how the Republicans can turn this around, how they can remake themselves so they offer a reasonable alternative, an opposing voice at a time of Democratic control. This year’s candidates, for instance, were the best the party has had to offer in years and still they barely registered. Part of it was a lack of message — it’s not enough to say a different voice is needed. You still have to explain what that voice would say and how it might have an impact on council business. That was never offered.

But still, it is difficult for me to understand how candidates for Township Council can manage to get so few votes in a year of record turnout. It just boggles my mind.

*** end quote ***

Posted by Hank Kalet at 1:25 PM

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Libertarian at 08824 said…

Why bother? The people of South Brunswick are content with the chains of the status quo. They have drunk the progressive Democratic kool aid. They must love the high taxes, “fat” bureaucrats, and the Jersey corrupt system. The sheeple are just “free riders” on a waste of effort. Until there is some indication of life, or some minimal support of Liberty in the sheeple, why bang your head against the wall?

“If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.”—Samuel Adams

Before the current Democratic / Republican duopoly came across the land, Republicans were the party of smaller government and the Democrats were the party of individual liberty. Now it’s a disgrace. No difference. The politicians, aided and abetted by the Teachers Union, the Trial Lawyers, and the Unions, have figured out how to feather their own nest, while rewarding their friends and punishing their enemies.

They don’t want anything to disturb the status quo. Just try to get third party on the ballot in New Jersey. What a joke. “They”, the entrenched power elite, make the rules to prevent any change. The sheeple don’t get that the game is rigged. Take for example, school budgets! When the activists in town actually can mount a defeat of the bloated school budgets, there are six levels of appeal that will over ride the will of the people.

Property tax reform? It’ll come when no one can afford to own a home in New Jersey. Ethics reform? When the people refuse to speak to any elected official in any party, caucus, or pact with a corrupt official. State pension reform? When taxpayers, who don’t have a pension, refuse to endow the bureaucrats with a plush lifetime pensions and healthcare. Education reform? When senior citizens refuse to fork over their meager social security to “educate” other people’s children; not that it is “education” to pay unionized teachers to babysit bored children. And on. And on.

The only way to upset the applecart is to have a revolt. Gandhi showed how to do it. Just don’t cooperate. As this country gets more severely divided into producers and drones, eventually the producers will say “why bother”! When they stop producing, there would not be anything for the drones to take. Why do you think there is the continual drain of people out of New Jersey?

No, when my fellow sheeple are ready to lie down in the streets to prevent the schools from opening, storm the municipal building to stop them from stealing any more of our money, and march on Trenton to drive the thieves from the Golden Dome, I’ll be right there with them.

Till then, I object to you castigating “Republicans” who are just being realists.

See you at the demonstrations.

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RANT: We have an “economic illiterate” as US Senator!

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2008/11/how_stupid_is_senator_menendez.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7FJX5QiCrw

November 04, 2008

How stupid is Senator Menendez?

Larrey Anderson

*** begin quote ***

Either he is stupid or he is intentionally confusing the difference between the income tax and capital gains taxes.

Watch this interview of Senator Robert Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, by Neil Cavuto on FOX news.

*** end quote ***

Well, we have Lautenberg too.

<Just shaking my head!>

I don’t think we have ANYTHING to worry about. There won’t be any tax cuts period.

Then sheeple have been fooled again.

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