Elko Mike - ARB Perpetuates Benghazi Lies

Dr. Thomas Sowell argues that Hillary Clinton’s “What difference does it make?” outburst before a Senate Committee investigating Benghazi was used to mask the truth that Obama’s Middle East policy has failed.

Secretary Clinton and an uncritical media point to a report, prepared by the Accountability Review Board (ARB), to clear the administration in the Benghazi matter. But a critical examination of this report proves the opposite -- far from being resolved, the cover up and lies continue. The report is a whitewash to deceive and perpetuate the Benghazi lies and cover up.

From the ARB report summary: "The Board members believe every possible effort was made to rescue and recover Ambassador Stevens and Sean Smith.” However, the board did not interview Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, CIA Director David Petraeus, or President Obama. Moreover, the President’s orders from the night of the attack have not been released. Thus there is no factual basis to conclude the Administration did everything possible to save the brave souls at Benghazi.

From the ARB Summary: “The interagency response was timely and appropriate, but there simply was not enough time for armed U.S. military assets to have made a difference. [emphasis added]" A bit of critical thinking proves that the lie continues.

Reasoning about that moment when officials knew that the Consulate in Benghazi was under attack exposes the deceit. In that moment leadership knew the Consulate was under attack, but it was unknown, and unknowable, whether the attack would last 7 minutes, 7 hours or 7 days. Whoever in leadership was monitoring this attack – a fact not disclosed -- knew only that the Consulate was under attack and that attackers were inside of the perimeter. It is evident that the situation commander, at that moment, would have no knowledge of whether help would arrive in time. The only decision to be made was whether or not to send help.

If relief had been dispatched the report would say simply that relief was sent to Benghazi but didn't arrive in time. The report doesn't say that. It makes two specious claims to further cover up the failures of this administration.

There is not a speck of doubt that this Administration is lying to hide its malfeasance.

Elko Mike

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Retired Geek - Obama's Presidency Condensed - Part 5

The Barack Obama CZARS.

It is almost impossible to keep an up-to-date comprehensive list of Barack Obama's CZARS and various sources list anywhere from 32 to 45 Obama CZARS.

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NOTE: Anne from PA, Elko Mike, Michael from IL and Retired Geek from VA, contributed to this Article.

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Trying to understand anything by the definition of Liberal words, (especially those of Barack Obama) is futile and only leads to confusion of anyone trying to discern what is actually meant.

ObamaSpeak is quite similar to the terms introduced by George Orwell in the dystopian classic "1984", 'DoubleThink' and 'NewSpeak'.

The Orwellian term 'DoubleThink' in simple terms is tightly coupled to 'Cognitive Dissonance', where a person holds two diametrically opposed views of reality as one view, i.e. "War is Peace", "Freedom is Slavery".

The Orwellian term 'NewSpeak' in simple terms, was designed to replace and reduce the concepts of e.g. objectivity and rationalism into one term - 'OldThink'.

The ObamaSpeak term 'Czar', has little if anything to do with the original meaning of the word 'Czar'.

The ObamaSpeak term 'Czar' cannot be understood by definition and must be understood by function.

The German Socialist term 'Führerprinzip' and its intended function, reveals the intended purpose of the ObamaCzar.

This approach is basically a 'Hierarchical' structure where someone is appointed directly and has the sole responsibility of oversight of a particular function i.e. 'Energy', with little interaction with others except for the one who made the appointment.

This effectively bypasses Congress or other oversight and leaves decision making in the hands of the appointer.

In Germany this approach was used not only on business entities but Mayors, Union Leaders etc.

Allison, Herb (TARP Czar):

Fannie Mae CEO responsible for the US recession by using real estate mortgages to back up the US stock market. Caused millions of people to lose their life savings.

Bersin, Alan (Border Czar):

The former failed superintendent of San Diego . Ultra Liberal friend of Hilary Clinton. Served as Border Czar under Janet Reno - to keep borders open to illegals without interference from US.

Blair, Dennis (Intelligence Czar):

Ret. Navy. Stopped US guided missile program as "provocative". Chair of ultra-liberal "Council on Foreign Relations" which blames American organizations for regional wars.

Bloom, Ron (Car and Manufacturing Czar):

Auto Union worker. Anti-business & anti-nuclear. Has worked hard to force US auto makers out of business.Sits on the Board of Chrysler which is now Auto Union owned.

“Generally speaking, we get the joke. We know that the free market is nonsense. We know that the whole point is to game the system, to beat the market. Or at least find someone who will pay you a lot of money, ’cause they’re convinced that there is a free lunch. We know this is largely about power, that it’s an adults-only, no-limit game. We kind of agree with Mao, that political power comes largely from the barrel of a gun.”
Ron Bloom

Brennan, John (Terrorism Czar):

Anti CIA activist. No training in diplomatic or Gov. affairs. Believes Open Borders to Mexico and a dialog with terrorists and has suggested Obama disband US military.

Browner, Carol (Energy and Environment Czar):

Political Radical Former head of EPA - known for anti-business activism. Strong anti-gun ownership.

Bestselling author and political analyst Michelle Malkin reports that Browner, on her final day as Clinton EPA chief in 2001, ordered a computer technician to delete all her computer files, in direct violation of a federal judge's order requiring the agency to preserve those files. When questioned about her actions, Browner claimed that her computer had contained no work-related material, and that she had merely purged the hard drive of such innocuous items as computer games -- as a courtesy to incoming staffers of the Bush administration.

It was later learned that three additional high-ranking EPA officials had also violated the court order and erased their hard drives. Because of this, U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth held the EPA in contempt of court.

Browner also served as a “commissioner” of the Socialist International (SI), the umbrella group for 170 “social democratic, socialist and labor parties” in 55 countries. SI's “organizing document” cites capitalism as the cause of "devastating crises," "mass unemployment," "imperialist expansion," and "colonial exploitation" worldwide. Browner worked on SI's Commission for a Sustainable World Society, which contends that "the developed world must reduce consumption and commit to binding and punitive limits on greenhouse gas emissions."

Following the disastrous BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in the spring of 2010, the White House commissioned the Secretary of the Interior, Kenneth Salazar, to issue a safety report as well as recommendations vis a vis future offshore oil drilling. A panel of seven outside advisors assisted Salazar in preparing this report, the final draft of which was sent directly to Carol Browner's office before being forwarded to President Obama. Browner’s staff promptly edited the Salazar document to imply, falsely, that the outside advisors had recommended a drilling moratorium. The tailored draft was then given to the President, who subsequently announced a moratorium on offshore oil drilling.

Carrion, Adolfo Jr. (Urban Affairs Czar):

Puerto Rican born Anti American activist and leftist group member in Latin America . Millionaire "slum lord" of the Bronx , NY. Owns many lavish homes and condos which he got from "sweetheart" deals with labor unions.Wants higher taxes on middle class to pay for minority housing and health care.

Carter, Ashton (Weapons Czar):

Wants all private weapons in US destroyed. Supports UN ban on firearms ownership in America.

Chopra, Aneesh (Technology Czar):

Worked for the Advisory Board Company, a health care think tank for hospitals and is an anti doctor activist.
Supports Obama Health care Rationing. Aneesh Chopra has 'NO' training in technology.

Crowley, Jeffrey (AIDS Czar):

Radical Homosexual.. A Gay Rights activist. Believes in Gay Marriage and especially, a Special Status for homosexuals only, including complete free health care for gays.

Davis, Cameron (Great Lakes Czar):

Chicago radical anti-business environmentalist. Blames George Bush for "Poisoning the water that minorities have to drink." No experience or training in water management. Former ACORN Board member.

DeParle, Nancy-Ann (Health Czar):

Former head of Medicare / Medicaid. Strong Health Care Rationing proponent. She is married to a reporter for The New York Times.

Devaney, Earl (Stimulus Accountability Czar):

Spent career trying to take guns away from American citizens. Believes in Open Borders to Mexico. Author of statement blaming US gun stores for drug war in Mexico.

DuBois, Joshua (Faith-Based Czar):

Political Black activist-Degree in Black Nationalism. Anti-gun ownership lobbyist.

Feinberg, Kenneth (Pay Czar​):

Top executives of companies who took bail-out money will have to come to him so he can determine their salaries.

Fried, Daniel (Guantanamo Closure Czar):

Human Rights activist for Foreign Terrorists. Believes America has caused the war on terrorism. Believes terrorists have rights above and beyond Americans.

Hayes, David (California Water Czar):

Sr. Fellow of radical environmentalist group, "Progress Policy". No training or experience in water management whatsoever.

Holdren, John (Science Czar):

Fierce ideological environmentalist, Sierra Club, Anti-business activist. Claims US business has caused world poverty. No Science training.
“The fetus, given the opportunity to develop properly before birth, and given the essential early socializing experiences and sufficient nourishing food during the crucial early years after birth, will ultimately develop into a human being.”
John P. Holdren

Holdren, when asked whether Americans would "need to reduce their living standards," said:

"I think ultimately that the rate of growth of material consumption is going to have to come down, and there’s going to have to be a degree of redistribution of how much we consume, in terms of energy and material resources, in order to leave room for people who are poor to become more prosperous."

In the October 2008 issue of Scientific American, Holdren wrote: “The ongoing disruption of the Earth's climate by man-made greenhouse gases is already well beyond dangerous and is careening toward completely unmanageable.” “Carbon dioxide (CO2),” he added, “is the most important of civilization's emissions and the most difficult to reduce. About 80 percent comes from burning coal, oil and natural gas; most of the rest comes from deforestation in the tropics.”

Today Holdren characterizes researchers who doubt whether human activity is responsible for global warming, or that global warming even poses a serious threat, as people who “infest” the public discourse with “dangerous” ideas that pose “a menace” to humanity.

Immelt, Jeffrey (Jobs Czar):

Barack Obama is creating a 'New Class' of Corporations - The ObamaCorp.

General Electric is an 'ObamaFirst' - Corporations that funded the Barack Obama Campaign in 2008 and are helping Barack Obama raise a Billion dollars for 2012 - have a 'Special Seat' at the White House and pay NO income tax.

The 'GE ObamaCorp' paid NO Corporate tax in 2010 and had operating earnings of 3.6 billion in the first-quarter of 2011 - up 58%.

Big Corporations know it 'Pays' to be an 'ObamaCorp' and Big Corporations will be punished and attacked by Barack Obama if they do not become an ObamaCorp.

Jeffrey Immelt (Jobs Czar) is Moving GE X-Ray Business - to China?

General Electric Co.’s health care unit, the world’s biggest maker of medical imaging machines, is moving the headquarters of its 115-year-old X-ray business to Beijing, China.

Jennings, Kevin (Safe Schools Czar):

A native of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Kevin Jennings was raised by a father who was a Baptist minister, and a mother who was irreligious and anti-Catholic. After graduating from Harvard College in 1985, Jennings took a job as a high-school history teacher. Three years later he became a guidance counselor for America’s first Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) at the Concord Academy in Massachusetts.

In 1988 a Concord Academy sophomore confided to Jennings that he and an adult male were having a homosexual relationship that had begun in a bus-stop bathroom. Jennings failed to report the boy’s situation (which technically amounted to statutory rape) to authorities. Instead he actively encouraged the relationship, counseling the youngster to use a condom in his sexual encounters. Two decades later, Jennings would concede that “I should have asked for more information and consulted legal or medical authorities.”

In 1990 Jennings founded the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), a Boston-area volunteer group aiming to fight “homophobia and heterosexism” in K-12 schools throughout the state. Jennings and GLSEN advocated in favor of public-school classroom curricula -- to begin as early as kindergarten -- that would feature a “saturation process” designed to imbue schoolchildren with positive impressions of the homosexual lifestyle.

In a 1995 speech, Jennings explained that in order to counter his critics’ claims that he was actively promoting homosexuality, he would emphasize the idea of “safety” instead:

“If the radical right can succeed in portraying us as preying on children, we will lose. Their language – ‘promoting homosexuality’ is one example – is laced with subtle and not-so-subtle innuendo that we are ‘after their kids.’ … In Massachusetts the effective reframing of this issue was the key to the success of the Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth. We immediately seized upon the opponent’s calling card – safety – and explained how homophobia represents a threat to students’ safety by creating a climate where violence, name-calling, health problems, and suicide are common…. This framing short-circuited [our critics’] arguments and left them back-pedaling from day one.”

Jones, Van (Green Jobs Czar):

(Since resigned). Black activist Member of American communist Party and San Francisco Communist Party who said Geo Bush caused the 911 attack and wanted Bush investigated by the World Court for war crimes. Black activist with strong anti-white views.

Jones says he became politically radicalized in the aftermath of the deadly April 1992 Los Angeles riots which erupted shortly after four L.A. police officers who had beaten the now-infamous Rodney King were exonerated in court. “I was a rowdy nationalist on April 28th,” says Jones, “and then the verdicts came down on April 29th. By August, I was a communist.”

Jones was later asked whether President Obama had been aware of Jones' controversial history before appointing him as green jobs czar. Jones replied: "I was fully candid, I mean, about my past, about the ideas that I explored...."

Kerlikowske, Gil (Drug Czar):

Devoted lobbyist for every restrictive gun law proposal, Former Chief of Police in Liberal Seattle. Believes no American should own a firearm. Supports legalization of all drugs.

Kundra, Vivek (Information Czar):

Born in New Delhi , India . Controls all public information, including labels and news releases.

Lee, Jesse (Progressive Media & Online Response CZAR):

In a newly created position, Obama's truth czar, Jesse Lee, will "coordinate rapid response to unfavorable stories" and will "be pressing to make the administration more popular on the web."

The post is a new one for this White House. Rapid response has been the purview of the Democratic National Committee (and will continue to be). Lee's hire, however, suggests that a portion of it will now be handled from within the administration. It also signals that the White House will be adopting a more aggressive engagement in the online world in the months ahead.

Lee has played that role in the past, including writing a semi-infamous White House blog post that said Fox News' Glenn Beck was lying about the administration on his show. His new gig comes with its own Twitter account, precisely for the purposes of disseminating push back.

Jesse Lee is responsible for Obama's Attack Watch. Jessie's wife is a top official at MoveOn.org who was responsible for the attack campaign orchestrated against General David H Patraeus.

Mabus, Ray (Oil Spill CZAR):

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, who oversees 900,000 Navy and Marine personnel, is inheriting an amorphous second job as the Obama administration’s leader of long-term environmental and economic planning. His task is no less than rebuilding a region still suffering after Hurricane Katrina and beset by decades of environmental problems.

Many describe Ray Mabus as the most incompetent Governor EVER in the State of Mississippi.

Mitchell, George (Mideast Peace Czar):

George Mitchell is a Former Sen. from Maine and is a Left wing radical who is Anti-nuclear, Anti-gun, Pro-homosexual and special-rights advocate.

George Mitchell believes that Israel should be split up into "2 or 3" smaller more manageable areas.

Montgomery, Ed (Auto Recovery Czar):

Black radical anti-business activist. Affirmative Action and Job Preference for blacks. Univ. of Maryland Business School Dean teaches US business has caused world poverty. ACORN board member. Communist DuBois Club member.

Rosenthal, Hannah (Anti-Semitism Czar):

On November 23, 2009, Rosenthal was sworn into office as the head of President Barack Obama’s Office to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism -- a position popularly known as “Anti-Semitism Czar.” Rosenthal had first met Obama in 1996 when he was gaining the support of the Marxist political coalition known as the New Party for his Illinois state senate campaign. Rosenthal's husband, Richard Phelps, was an executive from Madison, Wisconsin who worked closely with Joel Rogers, a co-founder of the New Party.

Rosenthal, Lynn (Domestic Violence Czar):

Director of the National Network to End Domestic Violence. Vicious anti male feminist. Supported male castration.

Ross, Dennis (Central Region Czar):

Believes US policy has caused Mid East wars.Anti-gun and completely pro-abortion.

Samore, Gary (WMD Policy Czar):

Former US Communist. Wants US to destroy all WMD unilaterally as a show of good faith.

Stern, Todd (Climate Czar):

Anti-business former White House chief of Staff- Strong supporter of the Kyoto Accord. Pushing hard for Cap and Trade. Blames US business for Global warming. Anti- US business prosperity.

Sunstein, Cass (Regulatory Czar):

Liberal activist judge believes free speech needs to be limited for the "common good". Essentially against 1st amendment. Rules against personal freedoms many times like private gun ownership and right to free speech.

In 1992 Sunstein expressed his view that the office of the U.S. presidency should be elevated to a position higher than that of the president's administration generally, and that the Constitution should be viewed as a "living," evolving document:

"Now, it is alarming to people who want to believe in the unitary executive, like me, that the 19th-century writers thought this was self-evident. [The unitary executive theory holds that a powerful president controls the entire executive branch.] That's the policy recommendation and the conclusion that the Constitution is largely, not entirely, but largely irrelevant. Now, I say what I've said about the Constitutional matter with considerable regret. I wish it weren't so. The executive department's vision of the Constitution, with the president on top and the administration below, has elegance and simplicity and tremendous appeal. It would make much more sense, I submit, given our current situation, to have a Constitution in which the president is on top of administration is below. But that was not the founder's original conception. The Constitution does not speak in those terms…. Because the conclusion that I've reached seems to me so unfortunate, I'm trying hard to figure out what can be done about it…. One thing that perhaps can be done about it is to say, well, we shouldn't really be originalists about the meaning of the Constitution. Maybe Judge Bork had wrong. Maybe we should think that the Constitution has a high degree of flexibility. Maybe it's a changing and living document. Now, under that conception of Constitutional interpretation, maybe we can have the ingredients of a new unitary executive idea."

Zients, Jeffrey (Government Performance Czar):

You can call him President Obama’s weed-wacker. But instead of trimming the front yard, Zients is tasked with removing the ineffective and irrelevant programs run by the federal government.

Jeffrey Zients has Never worked in Government before his appointment by Barack Obama.

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NOTE: Please leave ANY NEW or pertinent information about Obama CZARS by commenting on this article.

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Related Post: Barack Obama Administration files report to United Nations
Related post: Liberal Progressive Caucus
Related Post: Congressional Black Caucus
Related post: Congressional Hispanic Caucus

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Dr. Thomas Sowell - The Difference Between Liberal and Conservative

Dr. Thomas Sowell offers 3 questions that destroy most liberal arguments:
1. Compared to what?
2. At what cost?
3. What hard evidence do you have?

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Elko Mike - Wasteful Spending of Government

My mother passed away in Feb of 2004 and in May of 2011 Medicare paid a claim, presumably fraudulent, for a number of tests that were allegedly performed on her behalf. Worse still, remarks in the paperwork noted that according to Medicare records she was deceased.

I bring this up to illustrate the fact that fraud is rampant in this program -- more than $60 billion per year by some estimates is lost to fraud. A GAO study found $100s of billions per year of waste because of duplicate government programs. Sen Coburn (R-OK) maintains a Wastebook to illustrate out-of-control government spending. Among the things he has highlighted are studies of Farmville on Facebook, March Madness and choosing baby names, and a shrimp running on a treadmill. Why are these things worthy of taxpayer money?

While on his European junket President Obama is promising to send billions more to bolster the Arab Spring and who knows where else. Where will he get the money? Well, America will borrow it from the Chinese. This is so strange I recap: we are borrowing money from one foreign country to give to other foreign countries. What are they thinking?

Hey Washington, wake up, WE ARE BROKE. We can’t afford to waste all of this money; soon Congress will vote to grant itself authority to borrow and spend even more money. On what?

Before the debt limit is raised the government should clean up its spending mess. When they can honestly say to the American people they no longer wasting 100s of billions of dollars then, and only then, should we discuss raising the debt limit.
Just as a drinking problem isn’t solved with more alcohol, a deficit problem won’t be solved with more borrowing. Let’s not raise the debt limit until government brings its spending binge under control.

Elko Mike

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Elko Mike - Uncle Sam, the Debt, and a Buck

It is tough to grasp the enormity of the numbers involved with the budget and the debt. How large is $1 trillion dollars exactly? So let’s look at it from the perspective of a buck.

Looking at the 2010 budget, the economy for our purposes is 14-1/2 bucks. All of this 14-1/2 bucks is created by people who are working in the private sector. Uncle Sam creates no wealth, regardless of how some politicians talk. Consider this, if Uncle created wealth then why does he need to tax?

From the 14-1/2 bucks created by people who work the government took $2.16 in taxes. That’s not too bad, but the government spent $3.46, which means that it borrowed $1.29 for its operations. But that’s not the whole story of the government, because government activities also place a drag on economic activities.

Government red tape diverts labor, which would otherwise be available for wealth creation, to the task of compliance. The total burden of government on an economy is its taxation, borrowing (removes capital that could make the private sector more productive), and cost of regulatory compliance. The total of these various costs provides an estimate of government burden.

As we’ve seen taxes and borrowing take $3.46 from the economy. In a study of compliance with the tax code, Dr. Laffer estimates that it takes 41 cents to pay our taxes. A 2009 study by the SBA estimated that the cost of regulatory compliance to the economy was $1.75 in 2008. It has only grown since then so that this is a good conservative estimate.
Total Government Burden = $3.46 + $.41 + $1.75 = $5.52

An astonishing 38% (for the math challenged reading this $5.52/$14.5*100%, but my math is OK) of economic activity is consumed by the federal government. High-tax states can add 10% or more to that. The total government burden is approaching, or surpassing, 50% of the economic output of this nation. It is no wonder the middle class is shrinking; every private sector worker is supporting, in essence, someone who receives a government check.

This also helps us to understand why it is so difficult to close a $1.29 deficit gap that is but 9% of the economy. An economy struggling to support a 50% government burden could collapse under the weight of an additional 9% burden. That is the problem we face. But when there is a large, and growing, deficit either revenue must be increased or spending cut. That's the alternatives.

The rich people should contribute more say liberal politicians . If we tap them for that $1.29 then all will be fine. Reports on how much good this will do vary, but work in the National Review Online by Robert VerBruggen show that it might close this budget gap if we take almost all that they have. It’s OK to hate the rich, but it starts to sound like theft, even for liberals, to take it all.

No problem, let’s just cut defense spending. After all it was George Bush's two wars that created this problem. The government spent 69 cents on defense in 2010; that’s doesn't cover the $1.29 needed to close the debt. OK. We can cut defense and something else, but we can't touch entitlements, which takes $2.39 of the spending. If it is off the table and everything else is cut then the government still is out of balance by $.23 as it is spending $2.39 and tax revenues are $2.16. Thus we can see that cutting everything but entitlements from the budget and leaving the rich just a little bit could close the budget hole.

But there’s another problem, which is that entitlement spending is growing faster than the economy. So we can solve the problem perhaps for a year or so by cutting everything but entitlements from the budget and fleecing the rich. It is hard to see how this is going to work for the long term. The political chattering class, it seems, have promised more than working people can deliver and there must be cuts to entitlement spending.

That’s the deal. A buck just doesn’t go as far when the federal government gets their hands on it. Only by slowing the growth, substantially, in entitlement spending AND cutting the burden of government will we be able to extract ourselves from this hole. If we don’t do that, then take a tour of Greece to see our future.

Elko Mike

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Elko Mike - Liberals, You Are 47 Years Behind the Gipper

On April 14th, 2011 Obama gave what was billed to be a speech on his budget plan to solve the nation's debt crisis, but rather gave a speech that outlined the 2012 campaign season debate. In his speech the president gave a spirited defense of the indefensible -- liberalism/progressivism.

This paragraph:

"Indeed, to those in my own party, I say that if we truly believe in a progressive vision of our society, we have the obligation to prove that we can afford our commitments. If we believe that government can make a difference in people's lives, we have the obligation to prove that it works - by making government smarter, leaner and more effective."

from the president's speech struck me because: 1. it reminds one of a photographic negative from a paragraph in Reagan's A Time for Choosing Speech; 2. Obama, and I wonder if this was intentional, made the case for liberalism/progressivism just as Reagan had for conservativism in his October 27th, 1964 speech.

Of liberalism Reagan said;

"We have so many people who can't see a fat man standing beside a thin one without coming to the conclusion the fat man got that way by taking advantage of the thin one. So they're going to solve all the problems of human misery through government and government planning. Well, now, if government planning and welfare had the answer—and they've had almost 30 years of it—shouldn't we expect government to read the score to us once in a while? Shouldn't they be telling us about the decline each year in the number of people needing help? The reduction in the need for public housing?"

Obama recognizes this contrast and said, as he has said before, "This larger debate we're having, about the size and role of government, has been with us since our founding days." While it is true that some have chosen to continue this debate, the Founders had the debate and it was settled in the Constitution. Their vision of America was the one expressed by Ronald Reagan.

Reagan asked 47 years ago whether liberalism could stand up to a score card; it still hasn't. Obama, in what must have been a painful moment, now recognizes that without evidence that it works the progressive cause is bankrupt. Mr. President there is NO evidence. There will NEVER be any evidence that the progressive agenda is affordable, nor that it will solve social ills. The Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher, crushed this agenda when she said "The trouble with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money."

So there we have it: the Progressive in Chief asking for help to make the case that this agenda can work and be paid for. Well, President Obama liberals have had 77 years to show us the proof and haven't done it. Your agenda is as bankrupt as you've made the nation. Please go away.

Elko Mike

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Elko Mike - Moving the Funnel Wrecks the Economy

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."
Thomas Jefferson

Citizens can’t be ignorant about the economy if they expect to remain a free people. A person’s right to use the fruits of their labor as they wish is a key tenant of liberty and a bedrock principle of the Framers. For they knew that without a right to one’s property there is no liberty. They also knew (see Madison’s Federalist #2, par. #2) that individual citizens must cede some liberty to government in order to have a functioning society. Jefferson cautioned citizens, who grant some of their liberty to government, that they must be informed and vigilant to ensure that their government remains constrained to its limited role.

Each day citizens lose more liberty because they don’t understand the impact of government economic interventions. Thomas Paine and Thomas Jefferson are both credited with saying “That government is best that governs least.” Nowhere is it more true than when applied to meddling in the commerce among free people.

What is an economy? There is general agreement that it is a system for the production, distribution, and consumption of goods. Under this definition socialism and capitalism are types of economies. In the socialist system the government owns the means of production and manages the economic activities of its citizens. In the capitalist system citizens own the means of production and exercise their free will as to how they will engage in economic activities.

So, what is a system? In the spirit of Russell Ackoff, a “purposeful system”, such as an economy, is one in which entities (people, their tools, and their organizations) interact with each to achieve a common goal. Participating in the US economic system are citizens, institutions, and government. Citizens participate to satisfy their needs; institutions participate to create wealth (business) or to help distribute wealth (social institutions); government participation is limited (or should be) to providing infrastructure that enables commerce and provides safety. In essence, therefore, an economy is a system that provides for the needs of a nation’s citizens and creates wealth for society.

Dr. W. Edwards Deming was a giant in the field of systems thinking, especially as it relates to quality. His teachings apply to an economic system quite well, and that is where we turn our attention.

Tampering with a system, according to Dr. Deming, is to change it without understanding the underlying sources, as well as amount, of variability. All systems have natural variability, which is sometimes called “The Voice of the System”. When natural variability is mistaken for a problem and a change made on that basis the system will become even more variable. For this reason, tampering with a system always causes more problems than it solves.

An archer, who shoots arrows at a target, provides a good illustration of this principle. The bow, archer, and arrow are the entities of the system. When shooting arrows outdoors, the environment in which the system must perform, such as a gusting wind, can impact the archer and arrow. When the wind blows the archer will have trouble remaining steady to sight on the target. The wind will buffet an arrow in flight, which may cause an otherwise good shot to miss the bullseye. Small differences in the manufacture of the bow and arrows cause some variability as well. Where the archer places the arrow in the bow will not be precisely the same each time and that will cause small differences in the results. Even more sources of variability in the archer’s performance, such as crowd pressure, time limits on a shot, or even the illness of the archer on a particular day, can be identified. So clearly there are a number of uncertainties in, and affecting, this system.

The archer can only follow a process of putting the arrow in precisely the same place each time, sighting the same way each time, and releasing the arrow consistently. The archer might be able to compensate for steady winds after a shot or two. Practically speaking some variables, such as changing wind directions or speeds, are random and for these the archer can apply no effective corrections. Indeed if the archer tries to correct for uncertainties that can’t be measured or are even unknown, the archer’s performance will be worse. This is the idea behind Dr Deming’s tampering -- do not compensate for variation that is not understood or is natural in the system.

To illustrate this point, Dr. Deming created The Funnel Experiment. This experiment, including a simulator, is explained: Click Here The experimental apparatus is a funnel, a stand, and a target on a table. The funnel is mounted on a stand and lined up as precisely as possible over a target. The goal of the experiment is to hit the target with the marble. The marble won’t always hit the target and so experimenter moves the funnel after each trial so that the marble hits as close to the target as possible every time. As it turns out every rule for moving the funnel makes matters worse and not better. This is because the deviations from hitting the target are caused by the system’s arrangement and no adjustment in targeting will improve the outcome. What is needed is a change to the system. One change would be to lower the funnel so that it is closer to the target.

This same concept applies to economic systems for which governments do not understand the variability or sources of variability. Any change they make to improve economic performance creates more variability in the system. Bubbles and busts that occur across the entire economy are caused by government tampering (e.g. moving the funnel) and not by the normal business cycles as is often asserted.

Moreover, when there are busts the government grabs more regulatory authority for itself or it passes more legislation to fix a problem that it created in the first place. As Jefferson said, “The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground”. Clearly elected officials justify more government power to solve the problems that their tampering creates. Citizens who are not informed about economic systems fail to understand that they lose liberty in hopes of gaining economic security that government can not provide.

This is an admittedly technical piece, but as Jefferson says citizens can’t be ignorant and free. Informed citizens must demand that the government stop tampering with the economy in order to preserve their freedoms.

Elko Mike

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Elko Mike - Repealing ObamaCare

My home state of Idaho is ready to nullify the health care act, and it is about time. Nullification is a practice where States declare a law unconstitutional and refuse to follow it. Both Madison and Jefferson thought that states had the duty to do this, and that it was a legitimate part of checks and balances. They wrote of this in the Virgina and Kentucky Resolutions. It hasn't been used formally since that time, but sanctuary cities and marijuana laws can be considered forms of nullification.

A key phrase from the Kentucky Resolutions is "where powers are assumed which have not been delegated, a nullification of the act is the rightful remedy". This refers to powers assumed by the federal government, which were not delegated in Article 1 Section 8 of the Constitution. Key to this language is that the powers belong to the States and are delegated to the federal government. By nullification they are saying that within the sphere of influence of their sovereign State -- the Founders considered the states as sovereign entities that formed a compact to deal with common defense, trade, treaties and a few other things -- the offending act is null. This is the root of the term nullification.

Nullification is a direct challenge by Idaho to the constitutional authority of the federal government to pass this health care bill. Under this concept the federal government has no way to challenge a State's decision. Not all of the Founders agreed with this, but if Madison, the Father of the Constitution, says it works this way then I'm inclined to agree.

It has seemed to me for a time that this is the best and most direct way to tackle the overreach by the federal government. Taking it to the Supreme Court as the lawsuits do is to grant the government the power to set the limits of its powers. That really doesn't make sense in a limited republican form of government. It makes more sense to let the states check the power grabs by the federal government as part of a system of checks and balances.

My hats is off to Idaho and I wish them well.

Elko Mike

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Elko Mike - Government - Let the Economy Recover!

Big Ben Bernanke, Chairman of the Fed, assures America that he can continue to print money out of whole cloth, pump it into the economy, and prevent inflation. Well that sounds impressive.

Looking at the federal government's contribution to the economy we have a set of liberal Democrats doing their best to smother the patient with a pillow and we have Bernanke with his paddles trying to keep the patient's heart pumping. Government needs to stop it with the depressants and stimulants so that the economy can recover.

Anyway, about Big Ben's confident pronouncement, I would remind everyone that he told us 2005 -- just before the housing bubble burst and the economy went into the tank for those who need a history refresher -- that the fundamentals of the economy were good and the rise in housing prices wasn't a bubble, but rather was reflective of a strong economy. Yeh, right Big Ben.

Big Ben is playing with fire, which is terrifying given his economic forecasting track record. Interest rates in this country rose beyond 18% to stop Carter's runaway inflation. If Bernanke lets that genie out of the bottle the rising cost to service interest payments on our huge debt could bankrupt the country. 

Elko Mike
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Elko Mike - Cure the Disease: Debt and Deficit are Symptoms

The Debt Commission's recommendations are in, and they speak of a fiscal day of reckoning. This is the wrong debate and discussion. Debt and deficit are the symptoms of the disease; they are not the nation's disease.

Every shade-tree mechanic knows that a problem must be found before it can be fixed. It does not seem our "leaders" in Washington know what mechanics know. The debt commission set about to make recommendations for finding a way to solve the debt and deficit crisis, and within this narrow scope there are but two alternatives: cut spending and increase revenue. But the debt commission is addressing a question that assumes, among other things, the government is operating as it should.

We must not assume the Federal Government is functioning correctly when it got us into this mess. Like the shade tree mechanic we must find the structural problems with government that created the problem, and then we can set about fixing the problem.

Even that is not the fundamental debate. For if we are to decide how government got us into this mess, we must first decide what it should do. What is the role of the federal government in the United States? The Founding Fathers debated this and left us a republican form of government that had a limited role, spelled out in Article 1 Section 8 of the Constitution, for the federal government. Today, by any measure, the federal government has exceeded its legitimate scope under the limited powers of the Constitution.

So let us decide if we want a nanny state first; then let us determine how much nanny state we want; then let us figure out how to put controls on the federal government so that it can't do more than we want and drive us into a ditch again; and finally let us figure out within this set of objectives how we will solve the debt and deficit crisis. These are the questions that must be addressed in order to fix the nation's problems.
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Elko Mike and Barack Obama's Start Treaty

Team Obama breathlessly came to Congress to demand passage of a new START Treaty to replace the one that expired last December. Team Obama knew the situation and status on this treaty, yet they waited for 18 months before dealing with it. They then rushed breathlessly to Congress and demanded that it be handled in the Lame Duck session.

Jon Kyl, as he has for months, had some questions and concerns about the implementation, especially in the area of budgets and funding of the upgrade to the nuclear stockpile. He received one of those good-as-gold Obama promises that his issues would be dealt with. In other words, just vote for the START Treaty Jon; you don't need to read it. Later on we can find out what is in it. This was negligent for health care reform, and it nearly rises to the level of criminality for a treaty that deals with nuclear stockpiles.

In spite of a barrage of criticism, Senator Kyl held his ground. He argues, rightfully, that there are concerns with the treaty itself, as well as funding for other tasks Team Obama needs to perform to ensure the security of the American people when the treaty is enacted. Among those concerns is the modernization of America's aging nuclear stockpile. The nuclear countries of the world, except for America, are modernizing their weapons. We are not. Moreover, Obama's promise to deal with this rings hollow when his budget gimmicks allow him to claim he funds modernization when in fact he does not. Of course there is the other small detail that the Democrats have failed to pass a budget resolution and there is no funded plan by which to evaluate America's implementation of START.

Let us not forget that the Democrats need to deal with the looming tax increases, the tax increase for millions of Americans from the AMT if nothing is done, there is no budget resolution, there is a mess needing attention at TSA, and the START treaty. At the top of the Senate calendar for next Monday when they return is S.510, which is a bill about food safety. The Dems claim that START is a priority when they are scheduling Senate votes for the DREAM act, food safety, and don't ask, don't tell strain one's credulity.

This is all disturbing and it appears that the administration was hiding their intent regarding the nuclear stockpile or they were looking for issues rather than solutions.

Now we have a breaking news story that Team Obama was holding secret talks regarding START with the Soviets since May. It is not known at this point what that is all about, but Congress has written a letter to the Administration asking about the meeting and requesting documents so that they know what was discussed. Imagine that, the most transparent administration in the history of the world conducts backroom deals with the Soviets and offers them who knows what while browbeating Congress to ratify START.

It is time to slow this thing down and find out what is going on with Obama's Chicago-style foreign policy. Who knew that Reagan was talking about Democrats when he said "Trust, but verify"?
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Elko Mike - Insanity and problem solving

Insanity and problem solving

Einstein is credited with creating the definition of insanity when as a patent clerk in Germany he said it was "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." Not as widely quoted, but just as applicable to our current situation, was this observation: "No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it." Our debt and deficit problems were created by an elite class in Washington and now many of them have been replaced. Perhaps with this new level of consciousness we can solve this problem. Conservative voters need to keep an eye on the current chattering class in Washington to make sure they fix the debt and deficit problem.

The Debt and Deficit Problem
Politicians talk mindlessly about stimulus, tax cuts, and policies as means to solve our ills. As most of us manage a household budget, we understand the problem:

• If you spend more than you earn, then you run a deficit
• If you run deficits consistently then you have a debt problem
• If you have a debt problem then you need to make some spending cuts

However many in the chattering class believe they have more options to solve the debt and deficit problems.  They can raise taxes to increase revenue.  A family trying to make ends meet can't ask their employer for a raise because they are spending more money than they earn, but government thinks nothing of levying more taxes upon us to fund their spending.  They also control the printing presses and can print more money.  Finally there are some who argue that government spending gets the economy going.  Let's deal with these ideas.

Government Spending for Stimulus
It doesn't work as Bastiat pointed out in 1850.  He used the example of a broken window to illustrate the fallacy of this idea, and his refutation of this idea is called the Broken Window Fallacy.  In this illustration, Bastiat observes that wayward politicians only highlight the benefits of their programs and never the costs.  Almost all government proposals are examples of this fallacy and when this is understood it is easy to see through a politician's argument in support of their pet project. 

More Taxes Will Fail to Close the Deficit Gap
The first fallacious point in the government's case is that they actually raise taxes.  They don't.  To be picky about it, government sets the tax rates; whether or not taxes go up depends upon how the victims of the intended tax increases respond.  George Will captured this in an essay about the Kennedy taxes on luxury yachts.  The unintended consequences of this tax rate change was that tax revenue to the government went down and the luxury yacht business was decimated in Massachusetts.  Eventually this luxury tax, which was created to sock it to the rich, was repealed as a matter of fairness to craftsmen who build luxury yachts.

The other problem for the government -- they are generally in denial about this -- is that increased government spending reduces economic growth.  Government taxation is at such a level now that the private sector will be unable to recover the jobs lost during the past recession.  If the government tries to tax their way out of this, the economy will shed even more jobs and with fewer taxpayer revenue shortfalls will increase.  This argument is captured well in a Work For All Report, and a critical graphic from that report is inserted directly below.  With this graphic it is clear that more government reduces economic expansion and job creation. 

So the government has now gotten large enough that it can't tax its way out of this problem. 

Printing Money
There is no free lunch and the government can't print money to cover its debt.  But what if they tried?  The money supply will be greater than the value of the goods and services produced by the economy; that is printing money brings on inflation.  With inflation the value of savings is diminished and those on a fixed income can buy less with their money.  By printing money the government has, in essence, implemented a tax on the value of money and reduced its value.  So while this in principle can solve the debt problem it will take money from everyone.  Moreover it will cause the greatest harm to the most vulnerable in society.  The final issue with it is that it is difficult to stop inflation once it is started.  The medicine is higher and higher interest rates until inflation is stopped.  This is the Jimmy Carter idea and it isn't very attractive.

Cutting Spending
All we hear from Washington is how we can't cut spending for essential services.  This statement presumes that all government spending is essential, and we all know that is not the case.  Since Obama has assumed the presidency federal spending has risen by 25%.  So there is room to cut spending.  Despite what the pundits say this is really our only viable option.  We need to shrink the size of government of we want to have economic growth and a reduction in the unemployment rate.  This is our only viable alternative.

Conclusion
The federal government has spent obscene amounts of money over the past few years.  It was all of them doing it, not just Democrats or Republicans, but all of them.  The new Republicans entering the Congress seem to understand that they have a 2nd chance.  Right now they are on message that they need to cut spending in Washington and they need to repeal Obamacare. 

As is clear with a little bit of thought, reducing spending and the size of the federal government is the only way to eliminate the debt and deficit problem.  Government must do what families do when economic times are tough and reduce their level of spending.

We the voters need to watch them to ensure that they actually implement spending discipline.  If they don't then we need to elect candidates who will cut spending in Washington. 

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