Get out your check books
Actually, no need to even do that thanks to the scam known as withholding.
Check it out America: Obama is looking at raising your taxes to pay for the “explosion” in the budget deficit. Let’s be honest. To pay for all the bailouts, “Cash for Clunkers” money and health care reform your taxes will have to go up. There is simply no other source of revenue for the government that is as easy to tap and as easy to increase as the income tax. And Obama’s administration is not just taxing the rich. No sir. He’s going to hit middle class America with tax increases. That’s you and that’s me.
The bottom line is that Obama has taken full advantage of a Democratic Congress and spineless Republican leadership to move America even closer to socialism. He’s done it by spending money like a drunken sailor on shore leave in Thailand. The good news is that now middle-class America will finally take its head out of its ass and realize that when Democrats will take only the rich, they are talking about middle-class America. The bad news is that it may be too late to stop what is already in motion. Let this be a lesson to you America. Pay attention to what your government is doing.
(Side note: I think my favorite line in the article is this one “If we want an economy that’s going to grow in the future, people have to understand we have to bring those deficits down. And it’s going to be difficult, hard for us to do. And the path to that is through health care reform,” Geithner said. How does SPENDING BILLIONS on health care reform bring down a deficit? It doesn’t!!!! This is probably the worst attempt at working the party line into an answer in the history of politics. It’s hard to believe that Geithner is the best person to head up the Treasury if he doesn’t understand simple economic concepts. Spending creates deficits; it doesn’t bring them down. I totally agree that deficits need to be eliminated for the economy to achieve robust growth. But I disagree with the idea that spending outrageous amounts of money to make health care worse is the way to do it.)
Congress sticking their nose where it doesn’t belong…again.
Congress is at it again. They are pressuring the NCAA to switch from the BCS to a play-off format.
Now, as a college football fan, I am all for a play-off, in some form. I think the BCS doesn’t really do any better than the old poll system did at deciding a national champion. I do think that the BCS does a really good job of creating a thunderstorm of media coverage every year with all the disagreements and arguments both for an against it. But ultimately, I’m in favor of a ply-off.
What I’m not in favor of is Congress mandating that NCAA switch from one format to another. Not only is this type of action a complete waste of taxpayer time and money, it’s an flagrant abuse of power. In no part of the Constitution is the right to a fair and balanced college football championship format guaranteed. There are certain congressmen who are reaching far beyond the scope of the Congress’ power to win votes in their own states and are attempting to bring big-time college football money to their state funded institutions.
With the shape of the economy (it’s recovering but not we’re not completely out of the woods yet), justices using international law to influence decisions in American cases, and a president who has forcibly taken control of an automaker and illegally changed bankruptcy laws to favor unions in the most blatant of vote buying actions, you’d think our congressmen and women would have better things to do with OUR time than tell the NCAA what to do with college football. But when you consider the actions of our president in regards to GM, then they could simply be playing a very expensive, very dangerous game of follow-the-leader.
If you are as pissed about this or any other issue as I am, I highly encourage you to contact your Senator and Representative and let them know. The only way that we can change this country is to change the leadership. And the only way they will change is if they think Americans have begun to pay attention again and aren’t simply sitting in front of the TV with their eyes glazed over as Simon Cowell yells at the latest American Idol flunky.
Make your voice heard.
P.S. – I know that a while back, I promised a few articles on the FairTax, since it was tax season at the time. Due to illness, craziness at work, a friends wedding and the launching of a new site, I was unable to sit down and write some comprehensive posts on the FairTax. I will at some point actually do it, I just don’t know when. Sorry to all those who were expecting the posts.
Economic Growth
The common theme we’ve been hearing every day since the economy started its downward spiral is: get the economy back on track. Basically, we need to economy to stop shrinking and start growing again.
Many people have offered their ideas as to how we can right the ship again. Let the bad companies fail. Set up the bad bank corporation, similar to the S&L struggles of the 80′s. Government has even thrown its hat into the ring by passing out billions of our tax dollars in bailout money and promising to pass out billions more with their spending…er, stimulus bill.
And none of these will work. They are all band-aids designed to merely stop the bleeding, but not cauterize the wound. I ask you – what good does a band aid do when you’ve cut open your leg with a chainsaw? Nothing.
But I do have a solution. It’s pretty simple and it will be FAIR to everyone.
What is this magical solution I speak of? The FairTax. That’s right the way to solve our economic crisis is through the complete reform of our current tax system.
The reasons why the FairTax would get our economy growing again are to lengthy to post in one sitting, so I’ll be covering the FairTax, piece by piece in a series of posts over the next few weeks. If you don’t know anything about the FairTax or THINK you know all there is to know, I encourage you to stay tuned and learn more about what I consider the greatest idea to come from a Congressman in a long time.
Time for limits?
With the enormous amount of spending being done by our current Congress (pork included), I think the questions needs to be asked:
Do we need to impose limits to the number of terms senators and representatives can serve?
We limit the terms our President can serve (which limits his power), yet we do nothing to limit the power and influence of the Congress. Take Ted Kennedy, for example. Here’s a guy that has been in the Senate since 1962. So this man has exerted influence over the country for 47 years. Read that again.
47 years.
47 years of Kennedy’s politics. 47 years of extreme left wing ideas. 47 years of one man’s agenda affecting the outcome of bills and the money being spent by our government (read: you and I).
If there were limits to the number of terms served, you’d get more accomplished. If you knew you only had 6 years to accomplish something while in office, you’d be a lot more focused in your approach. Also, you’d be a little less worried about buying votes (through pork spending and the like) for the next election (since you wouldn’t be eligible) and more worried about making a real change.
Why do we limit the term of one man, but let 535 people serve for as long as they want, especially when they are passing garbage like the most recent spending bill? (For those wondering, “What spending bill?”, it’s the one masquerading as a “stimulus” bill.) It doesn’t make sense.
Limit the number of terms and you’ll see a more focused Congress and a more efficient Congress.
Something To Be Proud Of
During the lengthy time between my posts, I have found some things in our country to be proud of and I thought I’d share them with you.
I should start off by saying that I have been adamantly against any sort of taxpayer bailout of the big 3 American auto makers. That being said, Ford made me very proud today. Instead of seeking aid from the government (and by extension, Joe Taxpayer), they have made some tough cuts in their expenses and tapped into available credit lines in order to dig in for the rough times in 2009. I applaud Ford for going against the grain and NOT taking our money to keep themselves afloat. It is not the responsibility of the government or the taxpayer to keep poorly managed companies above water. Ford has taken the stance that they are going to take the consequences that come with the sub-par management decisions they’ve made in the past. I will be keeping my eye on Ford to see if they can turn the ship around or if they end up flushing our money down the toilet like Chrysler and GM.
The other item I’ve found that makes me proud comes from our new President. For the most part, Obama’s politics don’t align with mine. But today, I’ve found an issue on which he and I see eye to eye. Obama issued a critique today of what can only be described as outlandish bonuses for CEO’s on Wall Street in these dire financial times. And I must say that I wholeheartedly agree with him on this. It is despicable that these Wall Street fat cats needed taxpayer money to keep their companies from ceasing to exist only a few months ago and now they are raking in billions of dollars in bonuses. The most disgusting piece of it all is that these Gordon Gecko’s of the world are getting billions of dollars in bonuses after RUINING THE COMPANIES THEY LEAD!!!! If you were to perform your job at such a level that it completely ruined your department/unit/whatever, you’d be fired. These douche bags are getting rich by running companies into the ground then having you and I pay to fix their mistakes. UNACCEPTABLE.
I really hope that Obama finds a way to combat problems like these in the future. There is no doubt in my mind that 2009 will bring more taxpayer funded bailouts of companies and there need to be measures in place to prevent these CEO’s from receiving a billion dollar pat on the back for a job poorly done.
28th Amendment – The Right to Cable Television
I read this the other day and I’m just now getting around to posting it.
I tried to come up with something creative and witty to get my point across, but it’s late and this makes me more furious as I think about it. So I’ll be short and brutal in getting to my point.
Here’s the gist of the article for those too lazy to read it: Obama wants to delay to transition from digital cable because the majority of Americans who use analog TVs to receive broadcasting are unprepared for the digital switch.
Folks, this required transition was mandated by Congress in 2005. That’s 4 years to get your ass in gear. If 4 years wasn’t enough time – tough. Turn off the TV and go buy a converter box right now.
And that’s not even the part that pisses me off. The fact that Obama or any politician wants to help people receive TV broadcasting by delaying the switch to digital and passing out government (read: THE AMERICAN PEOPLE) funded vouchers is bullshit.
Take a look at the Bill of Rights. While you’re at it, take a look at all 27 amendments of the Constitution.
Go ahead. I’ll wait.
Show me the one that guarantees you and I the right to cable television. You can’t because it’s not there.
So why are we wasting taxpayer money on converter box vouchers so people can watch TV? Why is the Congress now going to waste our time (and it is OUR TIME since we voted them into office as our voice in government) discussing a potential delay in the digital switch?
The answer is simple. Americans see television broadcasting as a right and not a luxury. The Government knows this and will use that fact to further our reliance upon them. No need for us to make sure that my TV will work after the switch – government will take of me.
Welcome to the death of individualism.
Auto Bailout Update
Quick update on the auto bailout.
First, I pointed out a while ago that Union’s will do anything to retain their considerable power. They’ve already flexed their muscle regarding the bailout by stating they they would make no wage or benefit concessions with the auto companies and they expect the government to step in to make sure that the American auto industry doesn’t crumble. Now they are showing their true colors. After some Southern Republicans sank an auto bailout bill in the house, UAW leaders accused these Senators of conspiring with the foreign auto makers to drive UAW wages down so that there would be no benefit to joining the union. The UAW knows that their time of controlling the auto industry and having enormous political power is ending, so they will do whatever is necessary to retain that power. Even if it means accusing members of Congress of conspiring with their competitors.
Personally, I think these Senators should be commended for saying enough is enough. I’ve made my thoughts on the bailout of the auto industry quite clear but I’ll reiterate them here. The American auto industry has been completely mismanaged for decades and they are going to die with or without our money. Don’t drag out their death by wasting our money; let them die now.
The truly sad part of this whole story is that the actions of these Senators will be all for naught in the end. The Bush administration has that they will make money available to the auto industry, possibly from the $700 billion bailout kitty.
The second thing I wanted to comment on is this announcement from GM. They are temporarily cutting production and jobs in order to adjust to declining demand for their cars.
I don’t what’s funnier – that it’s taken GM 20+ years to make a sensible business decision or the fact that this is all a temporary move. They are facing extinction and their answer is to temporarily cut production as opposed to permanently cutting capacity and costs.
Do they think that the American public will one day again clamor for poorly made American crap?
Public Works Project
It’s late, so I’ll try to be brief in voicing my displeasure.
Obama hasn’t even taken oath yet and he’s already got big plans for your money. He plans to institute a public works project on the scale of the construction of the interstate highway system in the 1950′s. This is his plan for reviving the economy and creating jobs.
You are probably asking yourself, “Where is he going to get the money to pay for all this?”
Well, there are really on 2 viable options. 1) Raise our taxes. 2) Borrow it.
I think I’ve made my views on the government dipping into my wallet to pay for garbage like this very clear. So let’s take a look at option 2 – borrowing to pay for the public works project. Obama could potentially take us even further into debt to pay for his project. It would be refreshing if someone in the government would acknowledge that part of the reason companies and individuals are in the mess that they are in financially right now is because they carried an unhealthy amount of debt. Yet, as a country, we have saddled ourselves with ENORMOUS debt to pay for various pet projects, socialist programs and vote buying schemes. In fact, if you were to calculate our country’s credit score, it would be somewhere in the neighborhood of 0. If America was an individual, the phones at the Capital would be ringing off the hook with calls from collection agencies, Ari Force One would have been repossessed and the White House would be in foreclosure. That is unacceptable. Yet Obama could very well INCREASE the amount of debt we carry. How is this a good idea?
There is an easy solution to avoid rasing taxes and borrowing to pay for Obama’s plan – DON”T DO IT! We don’t need to “create jobs”. If you have to create a job, then the job is not needed. It’s basically the same as a rich uncle giving his idiot nephew a job to make sure that he’s got money to live on, because he’s too stupid to get a job elsewhere. The government is basically creating jobs to make sure that their idiot nephews (those who chose to go to work in dying industries and are too dumb or lazy to try and get a job anywhere else) will have somewhere to go. And I haven’t even looked at the vote buying aspect of this scam…er, plan.
Corporate America understands that when times are tough, you tighten the belt, make some tough choices and cut spending. Our government doesn’t get it. They think that they should borrow more money (this is on top of the $8.5 trillion and counting spent bailing out various companies) to try and improve the economy. It’s absurd.
Would a smart, financially savvy individual borrow more money than they could ever payback in an attempt to improve their financial situation? No. Going into debt weakens your financial strength.
Obama’s public works project will weaken the US even further financially and give all our idiot cousins jobs.
YAY GOVERNEMENT!
Waste of Money
I’m sure you’re already aware that Congress wastes your money. Sometimes it’s wasted on pork spending. Sometimes its wasted saving poorly run auto companies from themselves. But, no matter how bad we think those are, they are no where near as bad as this.
That’s right. Congress will now spend time on legislation designed to scrap the BCS and implement a play-off in college football. Now, I want to make it clear, that as an avid football fan (and a rabid Alabama fan), that I am in favor of some sort of play-off system in college football. But I don’t think that the American public’s time and money should be wasted in an attempt to get a play-off implemented.
Does Congress have nothing better to do right now? We’re in the middle of the worst recession since 1980 and Congress is going to waste our time and money debating the merits of this legislation. And did anyone notice who it was that introduced this garbage legislation? That’s right, Republican Joe Barton from Texas. Anyone care to take a guess as to which team felt they got screwed by the BCS this year? That’s right! The Texas Longhorns. This jackass is TAKING A DUMP ON THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS so that he can maybe score a few more votes from the Longhorn fans.
I might not be this pissed off, if this wasn’t a persistent problem in all levels of government. Last year, the legislature in my home state of Georgia passed legislation supporting the implementation of a play-off in college football. This was after the Georgia Bulldogs felt they were screwed out of the title game. Last year and earlier this, the US Congress spent an insane amount of time and resources investigating steroids in baseball.
Government needs to stay the hell out of sports. The American people have their hard earned stolen from them by Congress and in turn, Congress wastes that money on bullshit like this. Write your Senator and your Representative and tell them NOT to waste your time – and it is your time if you elected them to serve you – on crap like this. Make sure they know that there are worse problems in this country than the Texas Longhorns not playing for the national title. The last thing we need is for Congress to ignore the demise of the country in favor of getting their hands into sports.
Besides, government has already screwed up education; they’d probably screw this up too.
Random Stuff
I’m taking a page from my compadre and posting a few random thoughts about the economy and the runoff election in Georgia.
First, there was a report issued by the National Bureau of Economic Research that states the US has been in a recession since December of 2007. That’s right, it’s taken almost a year for the NBER to figure out what the American public has known for quite some time. What was it that clued them in? Was the housing crash? The financial crisis/credit crunch? The drop in the Dow? Hard to believe that these academics are almost a year late in determining that we are in a recession. Further proof that you college folks shouldn’t take everything your professors say as gospel. Do they teach you some good stuff? Yes. Are they the foremost experts on every economical and political issue? No. They spend too much time patting themselves on the back for their perceived intellectual prowess to realize what’s going on in the real world.
Up next: Ford. Ford’s CEO, Alan Mulally, must have giant brass balls. He has stated that he will work for only $1 a year if the government supplies them with bailout dollars to keep the company afloat. That’s a very generous gesture. I’m assuming that it would be modeled after Ed Liddy’s contract at AIG ($1 in salary but loads of company stock). Here’s the problem. If Mulally really wanted to see Ford succeed, he would have cut executive salaries and reduced his own salary long before Ford hit rock bottom. Instead, he has waited until it looks like his company might not get the tax payers money and made one last desperate grab at our money. He sacrificed everything he could before he was willing to cut his own bloated salary. And anything over $0 is bloated for a man who has helped destroy one of the largest companies in the world through poor management. Sadly, I think that Congress will fall for this move and give Ford and the other automakers $25 billion of our money.
Finally, Georgia held its runoff election today between Democrat Jim Martin and incumbent Republican Saxby Chambliss. As of 9PM, Chambliss leads Martin 59% to 41% (50% of precincts reporting). This lead is good for 2 reasons. First, if Saxby retains his seat, then the Democrats will not have a super majority in the Senate. This is good for the long term health of our country. Nothing would be worse than a liberal president and more than enough votes in the Congress to back anything he wants to do (like expand social programs and government run health care). Second, and perhaps most importantly, there will be no more Chambliss and Martin campaign ads on TV. And after enduring 6 months of these ads, I’m sick of seeing them.