Politico
By GINGER GIBSON
Newt Gingrich has a new unofficial campaign surrogate and her name is Sarah Palin.
As the 2008 veep nominee sees it, Gingrich is getting a raw deal from the national media and conservative elite, the very same forces who conspired against her when she was on the national ticket. Palin hasn’t endorsed Gingrich — and has no official role in his campaign — but she is repeatedly surfacing at just the right times on the national airwaves to vociferously defend him.
LINK
Saturday, January 28, 2012
State Senate Finance Committee Hears Oil and Gas Decoupling Proposal
KTUU
By Jason Lamb
By Jason Lamb
The Senate Finance Committee took up a proposal to
tax oil profits and gas profits separately, a process known as "decoupling."
It's a complex question that could cost
the state millions of dollars, if oil prices get relatively higher than gas
prices. That's because right now, oil and gas are taxed together.
Another in a long line
Anchorage Daily Planet
Editorial
Here is an incredibly lousy idea: There is legislation simmering in the Alaska Senate that would bring back the defined benefit pension program the state managed to get rid of only after a knock-down, drag-out fight in 2005.
The legislation, Senate Bill 121, is hailed, of course, by Alaska’s public employees’ unions leaders. And why not? It would allow state workers and teachers to choose between retirement accounts - a 401(k) or a traditional pension.
LINK
Editorial
Here is an incredibly lousy idea: There is legislation simmering in the Alaska Senate that would bring back the defined benefit pension program the state managed to get rid of only after a knock-down, drag-out fight in 2005.
The legislation, Senate Bill 121, is hailed, of course, by Alaska’s public employees’ unions leaders. And why not? It would allow state workers and teachers to choose between retirement accounts - a 401(k) or a traditional pension.
LINK
Outrageous
Anchorage Daily Planet
Editorial
As hard as it to believe, there is a rumor that some members of the Anchorage Assembly are balking at the notion of killing the city’s unnecessary, costly and predatory Inspection and Emissions Program.
The Environmental Protection Agency has agreed to allow the city to dump the program as of Feb. 9, but current city law calls for an additional six-month grace period to allow businesses that do the inspections time to recover.
LINK
Editorial
As hard as it to believe, there is a rumor that some members of the Anchorage Assembly are balking at the notion of killing the city’s unnecessary, costly and predatory Inspection and Emissions Program.
The Environmental Protection Agency has agreed to allow the city to dump the program as of Feb. 9, but current city law calls for an additional six-month grace period to allow businesses that do the inspections time to recover.
LINK
Delegation opposes closing of U.S. bases
Anchorage Daily News
By SEAN COCKERHAM
WASHINGTON -- Members of the Alaska delegation and others in Congress are vowing to resist a recommendation from the Pentagon to close military bases around the country.
Alaska Democratic Sen. Mark Begich said it doesn't make sense to start a round of domestic base closures at this point. He said he has been calling for the Department of Defense to close bases overseas, some of which "are designed from a World War II model.
LINK
By SEAN COCKERHAM
WASHINGTON -- Members of the Alaska delegation and others in Congress are vowing to resist a recommendation from the Pentagon to close military bases around the country.
Alaska Democratic Sen. Mark Begich said it doesn't make sense to start a round of domestic base closures at this point. He said he has been calling for the Department of Defense to close bases overseas, some of which "are designed from a World War II model.
LINK
White Blight
City Journal
By Kay S. Hymowitz
Charles Murray is back, and the debate about wealth and inequality will never be the same. Readers of the political scientist’s earlier work, especially The Bell Curve and Losing Ground, might assume that with his new book he is returning to the vexed subject of race. He is, but with a twist: Murray’s area of intensive focus (and data mining) is “the state of white America”—and it’s not what you might think.
According to Murray, the last 50 years have seen the emergence of a “new upper class.” By this he means something quite different from the 1 percent that makes the Occupy Wall Streeters shake their pitchforks.
LINK
By Kay S. Hymowitz
Charles Murray is back, and the debate about wealth and inequality will never be the same. Readers of the political scientist’s earlier work, especially The Bell Curve and Losing Ground, might assume that with his new book he is returning to the vexed subject of race. He is, but with a twist: Murray’s area of intensive focus (and data mining) is “the state of white America”—and it’s not what you might think.
According to Murray, the last 50 years have seen the emergence of a “new upper class.” By this he means something quite different from the 1 percent that makes the Occupy Wall Streeters shake their pitchforks.
LINK
Mitt's taxes: An Australian perspective
Dissecting Leftism
By John J. Ray, Ph.D.
Let’s face it. The two-year-long process leading to the inauguration of an American president has more in common with Madison Avenue and Sunset Boulevard than Pennsylvania Avenue, so we should not be surprised or shocked. But it is downright bizarre to see one Republican candidate tearing into another Republican candidate for not paying enough tax. After all, aren’t these guys supposed to favour a lower tax burden?
Newt is criticising Mitt because he pays only 15% income tax. If Mitt had been caught evading tax, Newt would be onto something, but Mitt is just complying with the tax code created by a Republican president, George W. Bush.
LINK
By John J. Ray, Ph.D.
Let’s face it. The two-year-long process leading to the inauguration of an American president has more in common with Madison Avenue and Sunset Boulevard than Pennsylvania Avenue, so we should not be surprised or shocked. But it is downright bizarre to see one Republican candidate tearing into another Republican candidate for not paying enough tax. After all, aren’t these guys supposed to favour a lower tax burden?
Newt is criticising Mitt because he pays only 15% income tax. If Mitt had been caught evading tax, Newt would be onto something, but Mitt is just complying with the tax code created by a Republican president, George W. Bush.
LINK
Sorry, Newt. Only the debt ceiling will reach the moon
Orange County Register
By Mark Steyn
Had I been asked to deliver the State of the Union address, it would not have delayed your dinner plans:
"The State of our Union is broke, heading for bankrupt, and total collapse shortly thereafter. Thank you and goodnight! You've been a terrific crowd!"
I gather that Americans prefer something a little more upbeat, so one would not begrudge a speechwriter fluffing it up by holding out at least the possibility of some change of fortune, however remote. Instead, President Obama assured us at great length that nothing is going to change, not now, not never. Indeed the Union's state – its unprecedented world-record brokeness – was not even mentioned.
LINK
By Mark Steyn
Had I been asked to deliver the State of the Union address, it would not have delayed your dinner plans:
"The State of our Union is broke, heading for bankrupt, and total collapse shortly thereafter. Thank you and goodnight! You've been a terrific crowd!"
I gather that Americans prefer something a little more upbeat, so one would not begrudge a speechwriter fluffing it up by holding out at least the possibility of some change of fortune, however remote. Instead, President Obama assured us at great length that nothing is going to change, not now, not never. Indeed the Union's state – its unprecedented world-record brokeness – was not even mentioned.
LINK
Obama Tosses Left A Bone With Anti-Bank Witch Hunt
IBD
Editorial
Politics: President Obama has unveiled a new task force to "investigate" America's banks. But he's just pinning blame for bad economic choices on the victims of job-killing mandates, while throwing a bone to his political base.
Nobody was happier than the leftists of MoveOn.org when the president announced at his State of the Union address that he'd ask Attorney General Eric Holder to form a special unit of federal prosecutors and state attorneys general to investigate "the abusive lending and packaging of risky mortgages" that led to the economic crisis five years ago.
"Did you watch the State of the Union tonight?" emailed MoveOn organizer Elena Perez within minutes of the president's speech. "President Obama did exactly what hundreds of thousands of us have been calling on him to do — he announced a federal investigation into Wall Street.
LINK
Editorial
Politics: President Obama has unveiled a new task force to "investigate" America's banks. But he's just pinning blame for bad economic choices on the victims of job-killing mandates, while throwing a bone to his political base.
Nobody was happier than the leftists of MoveOn.org when the president announced at his State of the Union address that he'd ask Attorney General Eric Holder to form a special unit of federal prosecutors and state attorneys general to investigate "the abusive lending and packaging of risky mortgages" that led to the economic crisis five years ago.
"Did you watch the State of the Union tonight?" emailed MoveOn organizer Elena Perez within minutes of the president's speech. "President Obama did exactly what hundreds of thousands of us have been calling on him to do — he announced a federal investigation into Wall Street.
LINK
It's Not About Newt
American Thinker
By Joseph M. Koenig
GOP voters are sending a clarion call to the party establishment, but it seems GOP leaders are not getting the message. The statement being sent to the GOP elite isn't about Newt, and it goes beyond even Romney. It is about a deep dissatisfaction that has been building for years within the Republican rank and file.
With the proclamations of Bob Dole and others against Newt Gingrich recently, it is clear the GOP establishment fears a Gingrich nomination. In truth, however, it is the GOP establishment's own ineffectual leadership that led to the recent surge of the former Speaker of the House.
LINK
By Joseph M. Koenig
GOP voters are sending a clarion call to the party establishment, but it seems GOP leaders are not getting the message. The statement being sent to the GOP elite isn't about Newt, and it goes beyond even Romney. It is about a deep dissatisfaction that has been building for years within the Republican rank and file.
With the proclamations of Bob Dole and others against Newt Gingrich recently, it is clear the GOP establishment fears a Gingrich nomination. In truth, however, it is the GOP establishment's own ineffectual leadership that led to the recent surge of the former Speaker of the House.
LINK
Friday, January 27, 2012
US to unveil new forest rules
Alaska Journal of Commerce
By MATTHEW DALY
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration says new rules to manage nearly 200 million acres of national forests will protect watersheds and wildlife while promoting uses ranging from recreation to logging.
The new rules, to replace guidelines thrown out by a federal court in 2009, are set to be released Thursday by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. A summary was obtained by The Associated Press.
Vilsack said in an interview that the rules reflect more than 300,000 comments received since a draft plan was released last year. The new rules strengthen a requirement that decisions be based on the best available science and recognize that forests are used for a variety of purposes, Vilsack said.
LINK
By MATTHEW DALY
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration says new rules to manage nearly 200 million acres of national forests will protect watersheds and wildlife while promoting uses ranging from recreation to logging.
The new rules, to replace guidelines thrown out by a federal court in 2009, are set to be released Thursday by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. A summary was obtained by The Associated Press.
Vilsack said in an interview that the rules reflect more than 300,000 comments received since a draft plan was released last year. The new rules strengthen a requirement that decisions be based on the best available science and recognize that forests are used for a variety of purposes, Vilsack said.
LINK
State of the Union, Part 2: A Call for Votes and Resources From America’s First Nations
Today Media Network.com
By Mark Trahant
The National Congress of American Indians every year releases its “State of Indian Nations,” an alternative prospect for the Congress reported during the week of the State of the Union. This has become an important exercise for many reasons. As NCAI President Jefferson Keel says, “Tribal nations are its first governments—one of three sovereigns recognized in the United States Constitution. And our America is a place where each member of the American family of governments contributes to a prosperous future.”
That outline of how the world should be—at least from the point of view of tribes—is consistent and straightforward. Namely: The United States made promises to American Indians through solemn treaties. Those deals carry the force of Constitutional law (something that seems to be missed from those calling for a return to Constitutional principles.)
LINK
By Mark Trahant
The National Congress of American Indians every year releases its “State of Indian Nations,” an alternative prospect for the Congress reported during the week of the State of the Union. This has become an important exercise for many reasons. As NCAI President Jefferson Keel says, “Tribal nations are its first governments—one of three sovereigns recognized in the United States Constitution. And our America is a place where each member of the American family of governments contributes to a prosperous future.”
That outline of how the world should be—at least from the point of view of tribes—is consistent and straightforward. Namely: The United States made promises to American Indians through solemn treaties. Those deals carry the force of Constitutional law (something that seems to be missed from those calling for a return to Constitutional principles.)
LINK
Newt Gingrich and the ‘moral thing’
Anchorage Daily Planet
By WESLEY PRUDEN
Politicians can’t any longer talk about “moral character” without sounding like a stuffy Baptist deacon or a stiff Presbyterian elder. “Moral character” is no longer important in a presidential campaign, even to many conservatives and evangelicals. If it is important anymore, it is only as a talking point.
This was not always so. Barry Goldwater struck the match that ignited the modern conservative movement in 1964, and the tinder that fed the fire was “moral character.” Nelson Rockefeller was the odds-on favorite to be the Republican presidential nominee that year. Everybody said so. But early in the season he discarded his wife of many years, married a younger woman named Happy and survived, but only barely, as a credible candidate. He entered the crucial California primary, which was then the final test leading to the national nominating convention, as the favorite.
LINK
By WESLEY PRUDEN
Politicians can’t any longer talk about “moral character” without sounding like a stuffy Baptist deacon or a stiff Presbyterian elder. “Moral character” is no longer important in a presidential campaign, even to many conservatives and evangelicals. If it is important anymore, it is only as a talking point.
This was not always so. Barry Goldwater struck the match that ignited the modern conservative movement in 1964, and the tinder that fed the fire was “moral character.” Nelson Rockefeller was the odds-on favorite to be the Republican presidential nominee that year. Everybody said so. But early in the season he discarded his wife of many years, married a younger woman named Happy and survived, but only barely, as a credible candidate. He entered the crucial California primary, which was then the final test leading to the national nominating convention, as the favorite.
LINK
Take that, Eastern interlopers
Anchorage Daily Planet
Editorial
There is a great piece in The New York Times today underscoring Alaska’s growing frustration with federal intrusion in this state.
A piece by Andy Newman details efforts in Juneau to have the federal government take over New York’s Central Park, “an already compromised sliver of urban wilderness....”
LINK
Editorial
There is a great piece in The New York Times today underscoring Alaska’s growing frustration with federal intrusion in this state.
A piece by Andy Newman details efforts in Juneau to have the federal government take over New York’s Central Park, “an already compromised sliver of urban wilderness....”
LINK
The Obama Energy Plan (or lack thereof)
The Northern Right
By Rep. Don Young
With the Presidential election nearing full swing and the Republican Party in the midst of choosing its standard bearer, it won’t be long until the American people are faced with a stark choice -- do they vote for an incumbent President who consistently stands in the way of developing American made energy (even though he consistently and inexplicably says otherwise) or do we head in a new direction with a Republican candidate who is committed to developing America’s enormous resource base, putting Americans back to work, and recovering the fragile American economy.
Take for instance, last week’s State of the Union speech. Taken at face value, the President’s claims regarding energy sound like a proposition any Alaskan should support. However, when the curtain is lifted, sadly, we’re left with a string of deceptive or exaggerated statements.
LINK
By Rep. Don Young
With the Presidential election nearing full swing and the Republican Party in the midst of choosing its standard bearer, it won’t be long until the American people are faced with a stark choice -- do they vote for an incumbent President who consistently stands in the way of developing American made energy (even though he consistently and inexplicably says otherwise) or do we head in a new direction with a Republican candidate who is committed to developing America’s enormous resource base, putting Americans back to work, and recovering the fragile American economy.
Take for instance, last week’s State of the Union speech. Taken at face value, the President’s claims regarding energy sound like a proposition any Alaskan should support. However, when the curtain is lifted, sadly, we’re left with a string of deceptive or exaggerated statements.
LINK
Reagan and Obama: A Tale of Two Visions for America
NetRightDaily
By Rick Manning
In the last State of the Union address in 1988, President Ronald Reagan used the opportunity to remind Americans and Congress of the greatness that America aspires to, not through increased government, but through increased liberty.
In 1988, he said, “I don’t buy the idea that this is the last year of anything, because we’re not talking here tonight about registering temporary gains but ways of making permanent our successes. And that’s why our focus is the values, the principles, and ideas that made America great. Let’s be clear on this point. We’re for limited government, because we understand, as the Founding Fathers did, that it is the best way of ensuring personal liberty and empowering the individual so that every American of every race and region shares fully in the flowering of American prosperity and freedom.
LINK
By Rick Manning
In the last State of the Union address in 1988, President Ronald Reagan used the opportunity to remind Americans and Congress of the greatness that America aspires to, not through increased government, but through increased liberty.
In 1988, he said, “I don’t buy the idea that this is the last year of anything, because we’re not talking here tonight about registering temporary gains but ways of making permanent our successes. And that’s why our focus is the values, the principles, and ideas that made America great. Let’s be clear on this point. We’re for limited government, because we understand, as the Founding Fathers did, that it is the best way of ensuring personal liberty and empowering the individual so that every American of every race and region shares fully in the flowering of American prosperity and freedom.
LINK
Election deceptions
Enter Stage Right
By Lisa Fabrizio
As often happens in our quadrennial game of presidential pursuit, certain assumptions become accepted by the political cognoscenti by virtue of their very existence. These notions leap into the realm of established public opinion, although they are often posited by the left and should therefore be subject to the strictest scrutiny; but sadly this is not generally the case.
Conservatives frequently complain that our presidential candidates are chosen by the media for us but give little thought to how this is actually possible. It is, and has been for decades, the modus operandi of the media to work hard to predispose the attitudes of voters toward their candidate by planting the seeds of doubt about the chances of his opponents. It is also their wont to make sure that, once entrenched in the minds of an otherwise disinterested and uniformed electorate, their propaganda takes hold as if it were fact: the dreaded “everybody knows it” syndrome. Once established, it is easy for even the most ardent citizen to lose interest, roll over and play dead.
LINK
By Lisa Fabrizio
As often happens in our quadrennial game of presidential pursuit, certain assumptions become accepted by the political cognoscenti by virtue of their very existence. These notions leap into the realm of established public opinion, although they are often posited by the left and should therefore be subject to the strictest scrutiny; but sadly this is not generally the case.
Conservatives frequently complain that our presidential candidates are chosen by the media for us but give little thought to how this is actually possible. It is, and has been for decades, the modus operandi of the media to work hard to predispose the attitudes of voters toward their candidate by planting the seeds of doubt about the chances of his opponents. It is also their wont to make sure that, once entrenched in the minds of an otherwise disinterested and uniformed electorate, their propaganda takes hold as if it were fact: the dreaded “everybody knows it” syndrome. Once established, it is easy for even the most ardent citizen to lose interest, roll over and play dead.
LINK
Obama's Vision for a Spartan America
Townhall
By Jonah Goldberg
President Obama's State of the Union address was disgusting.
The president began with a moving tribute to the armed forces and their accomplishments. But as he has done many times now, he celebrated martial virtues not to rally support for the military, but to cover himself in glory -- he killed Osama bin Laden! -- and to convince the American people that they should fall in line and march in lockstep.
He said of the military: "At a time when too many of our institutions have let us down, they exceed all expectations. They're not consumed with personal ambition. They don't obsess over their differences. They focus on the mission at hand. They work together. Imagine what we could accomplish if we followed their example. Think about the America within our reach."
LINK
By Jonah Goldberg
President Obama's State of the Union address was disgusting.
The president began with a moving tribute to the armed forces and their accomplishments. But as he has done many times now, he celebrated martial virtues not to rally support for the military, but to cover himself in glory -- he killed Osama bin Laden! -- and to convince the American people that they should fall in line and march in lockstep.
He said of the military: "At a time when too many of our institutions have let us down, they exceed all expectations. They're not consumed with personal ambition. They don't obsess over their differences. They focus on the mission at hand. They work together. Imagine what we could accomplish if we followed their example. Think about the America within our reach."
LINK
Mr. and Mrs. Cranky Pants
Human Events
by Michelle Malkin
So, it turns out that the cool cat billed as "No Drama Obama" by his sycophants is actually quite the drama queen. While the White House publicly pretends to ignore conservative detractors of his administration, Chief Touchy-Touchy seems to be personally consumed by our critiques. Yes, mine included.
On Wednesday, the president had himself a mini-"Toddlers and Tiaras"-style meltdown with Arizona GOP Gov. Jan Brewer after landing in Phoenix for a post-State of the Union dog-and-pony show. As Brewer told pool reporters on the scene, Obama took umbrage at Brewer's recent memoir. She minced no words on the cover: "Scorpions for Breakfast: My Fight Against Special Interests, Liberal Media, and Cynical Politicos to Secure America's Border."
LINK
by Michelle Malkin
So, it turns out that the cool cat billed as "No Drama Obama" by his sycophants is actually quite the drama queen. While the White House publicly pretends to ignore conservative detractors of his administration, Chief Touchy-Touchy seems to be personally consumed by our critiques. Yes, mine included.
On Wednesday, the president had himself a mini-"Toddlers and Tiaras"-style meltdown with Arizona GOP Gov. Jan Brewer after landing in Phoenix for a post-State of the Union dog-and-pony show. As Brewer told pool reporters on the scene, Obama took umbrage at Brewer's recent memoir. She minced no words on the cover: "Scorpions for Breakfast: My Fight Against Special Interests, Liberal Media, and Cynical Politicos to Secure America's Border."
LINK
Green Lebensraum: The Nazi Roots of Sustainable Development
American Thinker
By Mark Musser
Ratzel is the father of modern political geography which is commonly called geopolitics. He believed history was largely a natural evolutionary development of peoples looking for geographical living space. Ratzel also held that expanding borders reflected the biological health of a nation. The National Socialists adopted Ratzel's mixing of evolutionary theory, biology, and geopolitics in their own version of lebensraum.
LINK
By Mark Musser
Much of the European Union's green sustainable development plans are largely based on government controlled land use planning theories rooted in the lebensraum tradition. Literally, lebensraum means "living space." Lebensraum was originally developed by German geographer Friedrich Ratzel (1844-1904) and then greatly expanded under the banner of National Socialism (1933-1945).
LINK
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Military engineers dig in to support Border Patrol
KTAR
by Associated Press
NOGALES, Ariz. - On Jan. 6, members of an Alaska-based Army airborne engineer brigade parachuted out of an Air Force plane at Fort Huachuca. Since then, they've been working to cut 0.7 miles of border access road through rugged terrain approximately three miles west of the Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales.
Project organizers say the experience, from the parachute drop-in to the remote road-building and eventual departure on Feb. 27, mirrors the type of mission the 40 soldiers might conduct if they were deployed to a place like Afghanistan.
LINK
by Associated Press
NOGALES, Ariz. - On Jan. 6, members of an Alaska-based Army airborne engineer brigade parachuted out of an Air Force plane at Fort Huachuca. Since then, they've been working to cut 0.7 miles of border access road through rugged terrain approximately three miles west of the Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales.
Project organizers say the experience, from the parachute drop-in to the remote road-building and eventual departure on Feb. 27, mirrors the type of mission the 40 soldiers might conduct if they were deployed to a place like Afghanistan.
LINK
Schools of education
Anchorage Daily Planet
By Walter E. Williams
Larry Sand's article "No Wonder Johnny (Still) Can't Read" - written for The John William Pope Center for Higher Education Policy, based in Raleigh, N.C. - blames schools of education for the decline in America's education.
Education professors drum into students that they should not "drill and kill" or be the "sage on the stage" but instead be the "guide on the side" who "facilitates student discovery." This kind of harebrained thinking, coupled with multicultural nonsense, explains today's education.
LINK
By Walter E. Williams
Larry Sand's article "No Wonder Johnny (Still) Can't Read" - written for The John William Pope Center for Higher Education Policy, based in Raleigh, N.C. - blames schools of education for the decline in America's education.
Education professors drum into students that they should not "drill and kill" or be the "sage on the stage" but instead be the "guide on the side" who "facilitates student discovery." This kind of harebrained thinking, coupled with multicultural nonsense, explains today's education.
LINK
What then?
Anchorage Daily Planet
Editorial
Here’s something Alaskans already know: government is too big and is getting bigger; oil production is declining; and debts, well, they are just accumulating. The state eventually is going to have to rely on savings, perhaps running at a deficit by 2015.
That was the jist of an analysts evaluation of the state’s financial situation, the Associated Press reported.
LINK
Editorial
Here’s something Alaskans already know: government is too big and is getting bigger; oil production is declining; and debts, well, they are just accumulating. The state eventually is going to have to rely on savings, perhaps running at a deficit by 2015.
That was the jist of an analysts evaluation of the state’s financial situation, the Associated Press reported.
LINK
Ice in Bering Sea threatens crab fishery
Anchorage Daily News
By MICHELLE THERIAULT BOOTS
Sea ice is encroaching unusually early on the central Bering Sea, threatening to grind Alaska's economically important snow crab fishery to a halt at the peak of the season, leaving crabbers facing major losses.
Earlier-than-expected ice is moving south over prime crabbing grounds, forcing boats away from their catch and putting millions of dollars of equipment in jeopardy.
LINK
By MICHELLE THERIAULT BOOTS
Sea ice is encroaching unusually early on the central Bering Sea, threatening to grind Alaska's economically important snow crab fishery to a halt at the peak of the season, leaving crabbers facing major losses.
Earlier-than-expected ice is moving south over prime crabbing grounds, forcing boats away from their catch and putting millions of dollars of equipment in jeopardy.
LINK
Economics for the Long Run
Hoover Institution
by John B. Taylor
As this election year begins, a lot of people are wondering what we can do to restore America's prosperity and create more jobs. Republican presidential candidates are offering their ideas, and at his State of the Union message on Tuesday President Obama presented his. I believe the fundamental answer is simple: Government policies must adhere more closely to the principles of economic freedom upon which the country was founded.
At their most basic level, these principles are that families, individuals and entrepreneurs must be free to decide what to produce, what to consume, what to buy and sell, and how to help others. Their decisions are to be made within a predictable government policy framework based on the rule of law, with strong incentives derived from the market system, and with a clearly limited role for government.
LINK
by John B. Taylor
As this election year begins, a lot of people are wondering what we can do to restore America's prosperity and create more jobs. Republican presidential candidates are offering their ideas, and at his State of the Union message on Tuesday President Obama presented his. I believe the fundamental answer is simple: Government policies must adhere more closely to the principles of economic freedom upon which the country was founded.
At their most basic level, these principles are that families, individuals and entrepreneurs must be free to decide what to produce, what to consume, what to buy and sell, and how to help others. Their decisions are to be made within a predictable government policy framework based on the rule of law, with strong incentives derived from the market system, and with a clearly limited role for government.
LINK
Shut up, they explained
The Boston Globe
By Jeff Jacoby
FOR SHEER ANTIDEMOCRATIC GALL, it is hard to top the so-called "People's Pledge" signed on Monday by US Senator Scott Brown and Harvard law professor Elizabeth Warren. The agreement is designed to keep third-party advertising from playing a role in their closely-watched race for the seat that Brown won in a special election in 2010. Of course there is not the slightest chance the deal will actually keep independent ads off the airwaves or the internet between now and November's election. Yet Brown and Warren claim to be sincere in their determination to keep third parties from trying to influence this year's campaign.
If so, shame on them.
LINK
By Jeff Jacoby
FOR SHEER ANTIDEMOCRATIC GALL, it is hard to top the so-called "People's Pledge" signed on Monday by US Senator Scott Brown and Harvard law professor Elizabeth Warren. The agreement is designed to keep third-party advertising from playing a role in their closely-watched race for the seat that Brown won in a special election in 2010. Of course there is not the slightest chance the deal will actually keep independent ads off the airwaves or the internet between now and November's election. Yet Brown and Warren claim to be sincere in their determination to keep third parties from trying to influence this year's campaign.
If so, shame on them.
LINK
Fearing Newt Gingrich
Worth Reading
By Matt Barber
What do establishment Republicans and liberal Democrats have in common? They've long labored under a shared misconception: conservative candidates are unelectable.
In 1980, conventional wisdom held that Ronald Reagan didn't stand a chance against Jimmy Carter. The GOP leadership, the mainstream media and liberal politicos alike lined up against the Gipper in an attempt to derail his presidential campaign.
Rush Limbaugh recently addressed this phenomenon on his radio program: "Gerald Ford said that Ronald Reagan was unelectable. George H.W. Bush said that Ronald Reagan was unelectable. The entire Republican establishment thought Ronald Reagan was unelectable because they were governed and informed by the Goldwater landslide defeat. That's what they think will happen to every conservative."
LINK
By Matt Barber
What do establishment Republicans and liberal Democrats have in common? They've long labored under a shared misconception: conservative candidates are unelectable.
In 1980, conventional wisdom held that Ronald Reagan didn't stand a chance against Jimmy Carter. The GOP leadership, the mainstream media and liberal politicos alike lined up against the Gipper in an attempt to derail his presidential campaign.
Rush Limbaugh recently addressed this phenomenon on his radio program: "Gerald Ford said that Ronald Reagan was unelectable. George H.W. Bush said that Ronald Reagan was unelectable. The entire Republican establishment thought Ronald Reagan was unelectable because they were governed and informed by the Goldwater landslide defeat. That's what they think will happen to every conservative."
LINK
The State of the Union Stinks
YDS: The Clare Spark Blog
By Clare Spark
Other writers have impressively discussed the flaws in the State of the Union speech last night. But neither Bryan Preston nor Barry Rubin has focused on the emotional appeals of Obama’s plea for national unity, nor on the underlying whiff of fascism (or authoritarianism) that was apparent to my nose as a student of fascist movements and their characteristic propaganda tropes—that are collectivist in the extreme.
Hitler, for one, wanted autarky; similarly Obama pleaded for green energy initiatives and also claimed that domestic oil production was up. He distinctly was appealing to an imagined self-sufficiency with respect to energy.
LINK
By Clare Spark
Other writers have impressively discussed the flaws in the State of the Union speech last night. But neither Bryan Preston nor Barry Rubin has focused on the emotional appeals of Obama’s plea for national unity, nor on the underlying whiff of fascism (or authoritarianism) that was apparent to my nose as a student of fascist movements and their characteristic propaganda tropes—that are collectivist in the extreme.
Hitler, for one, wanted autarky; similarly Obama pleaded for green energy initiatives and also claimed that domestic oil production was up. He distinctly was appealing to an imagined self-sufficiency with respect to energy.
LINK
Why, Precisely, is America so Great?
American Thinker
By Herbert E. Meyer
The one thing that President Obama and all the GOP contenders for his job agree about is that America is the greatest country in the world. They all use this line in every speech they make, and it always brings the crowd cheering to its feet. But none of these politicians ever quite gets around to explaining precisely why we're the world's greatest country. That's too bad, because it's a serious question that deserves a serious answer -- right now, before Republicans choose their candidate and before the voters make their choice in November.
The key lies in understanding that "politics" isn't just about choosing one candidate or another, or even about choosing one party or another. Politics is the relationship between the individual and the State.
LINK
By Herbert E. Meyer
The one thing that President Obama and all the GOP contenders for his job agree about is that America is the greatest country in the world. They all use this line in every speech they make, and it always brings the crowd cheering to its feet. But none of these politicians ever quite gets around to explaining precisely why we're the world's greatest country. That's too bad, because it's a serious question that deserves a serious answer -- right now, before Republicans choose their candidate and before the voters make their choice in November.
The key lies in understanding that "politics" isn't just about choosing one candidate or another, or even about choosing one party or another. Politics is the relationship between the individual and the State.
LINK
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)