“One of the traditional methods of imposing statism or socialism on a people has been by way of medicine. It’s very easy to disguise a medical program as a humanitarian project”
“First you decide the doctor can have so many patients. They are equally divided among the various doctors by the government, but then the doctors are equally divided geographically, so a doctor decides he wants to practice in one town and the government has to say to him he can’t live in that town, they already have enough doctors. You have to go some place else. And from here it is only a short step to dictating where he will go.
This is a freedom I wonder if any of us has a right to take from any human being. I know how I’d feel if you my fellow citizens, that to be an actor I had to be a government employee and work in a national theatre. Take it into your own occupation or that of your husband. All of us can see what happens once you establish the precedent that the government can determine a man’s working place and his working methods, determine his employment. From here it is a short step to all the rest of socialism, to determining his pay and pretty soon your son won’t decide when he’s in school where he will go or what he will do for a living. He will wait for the government to tell him where he will go to work and what he will do.”
NY-23 Congressman Bill Owens took one hour to break four campaign promises H/T: Big Government) I’m actually not upset about this, seeing as I knew all along that he’d break his word. Fish swim, birds fly, ‘conservative’ Democratic legislators betray their principles on cue. And so it is, here: After being sworn into the US House the New York democrat announced that he had changed his mind and would endorse Pelosi’s nationalized health care plan after all. The Gouverneur reported, via RedState:
Congressman-elect Bill Owens was sworn in at noon today.
Owens indicated in a press release that he was now in favor of the bill in direct contrast to his earlier position during his campaign.
According to Politico.com, Mr. Owens assured voters that he felt the public option had no place in the health care reform bill. Contrary to that position, Mr. Owens now indicates that he intends to vote in favor of the bill even though it now contains a public option.
[via Instapundit] Regarding the terrorist attack on Fort Hood, which the FBI assures us is not a terrorist attack, here is a quote allegedly from the now dead terrorist:
Mr Lee said Hasan repeatedly stated: ‘Muslims should rise up against the aggressors.’ [MORE]
CAIR says don’t blame Muslims. Well, this report from the Daily Mail raises issues, but let’s stay tuned and see how things shake out once they’ve settled down.
Federal law enforcement officials say the suspected Fort Hood, Texas, shooter had come to their attention at least six months ago because of Internet postings that discussed suicide bombings and other threats. One of the Web postings that authorities reviewed is a blog that equates suicide bombers with a soldier throwing himself on a grenade to save the lives of his comrades. “To say that this soldier committed suicide is inappropriate. Its more appropriate to say he is a brave hero that sacrificed his life for a more noble cause,” said the Internet posting. “Scholars have paralled (sic) this to suicide bombers whose intention, by sacrificing their lives, is to help save Muslims by killing enemy soldiers.”
FORT HOOD, Texas – Soldiers who witnessed the shooting rampage at Fort Hood that left 13 people dead reported that the gunman shouted "Allahu Akbar!" before opening fire, the base commander said Friday.
Lt. Gen. Robert Cone said officials had not yet confirmed that the suspected shooter, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, made the comment, which is Arabic for "God is great!" before the rampage Thursday, which left 30 people wounded, including the gunman.
The Big 89 will broadcast the debate of the Illinois Republican Gubernatorial candidates, November 6th at 7pm.
For this debate, we want YOUR questions. What’s on your mind? Submit your questions below.
The debate will be moderated by award-winning broadcaster and notable communications expert Chris Robling of Jayne Thompson & Associates, Ltd. And feature the following Republican Gubernatorial candidates:
Adam Andrzejewski Adam Andrzejewski is running on a platform of reform and the belief in complete financial and procedural statewide transparency. Adam’s main priorities include advancing solutions for government corruption, the unbalanced budget, affordable healthcare, and the problem of rising taxes. Adam’s campaign motto - ‘Every Dime. Online. In Real Time.’.
Bill Brady – IL State Senator State Senator Bill Brady plans to promote and initiate a “top to bottom” examination of state spending in order to balance the budget. Senator Brady also states the Medicaid system should be renovated to require an HMO-styled managed care program and more uniformity in the state’s health care insurance program for state employees.
Kirk Dillard – IL State Senator State Senator Kirk Dillard vows to pay off the state's billions of dollars in debt by endorsing a new business-friendly atmosphere and eradicating the state’s anti-business climate. Senator Dillard plans to attract new business and expand existing in-state business by offering incentives through job-training grants from state community colleges as well as creating new jobs through tax incentives in metro-east and throughout the state.
Andy McKenna – Fmr IL GOP Chairman Andy McKenna is the only major candidate running for governor who has not spent most of his adult life in politics. As a conservative businessman, he has spent his life meeting payrolls while balancing and living within budgets.
Dan Proft Dan Proft stands behind heavy reform regarding state spending and restoring the state’s budget balance. Proft plans to cut the state income tax by 50 percent, cut the state corporate income tax by 50 percent, zero out the state estate tax, and proposes statutory spending caps. Dan Proft’s campaign slogan – “Illinois is not broken. It’s fixed.” – has Proft pledging to “UN-fix” Illinois.
Jim Ryan – Former IL Attorney General Ryan is attempting a political comeback from his 2002 Gubernatorial bid. Since leaving state government, he has been a lecturer at Benedictine University in Lisle.
Bob Schillerstrom – DuPage County Board Chairman Bob Schillerstrom Bob Schillerstrom supports the idea of limiting time for budget-related legislation and proposes all budget-related legislation should have a 72-hour “timeout period” before it is acted on by the General Assembly. Schillerstrom has endorsed a four-point program to try to improve state budgeting, including state agencies practicing “zero-based budgeting” and requiring a spending cap at a percentage level equal to the percentage increase in the state’s population and the annual inflation rate.
On Tuesday night the White House had worked to downplay the Democratic gubernatorial defeats by claiming the President did not watch the election returns. Apparently Gibbs thought it would look better if the commander in chief was watching a self-indulgent fawning documentary about himself. Interestingly, Obama apparently previewed the HBO special a few days earlier, as Gibbs himself explained to the blog Talking Points Memo: “White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs says Obama has already seen ‘By the People’...Gibbs told TPMDC Obama’s review: ‘Thumbs up!’”
Surprised?...don't be. November 4, 2009 - 12:12 ET by vrwc13 Surprised?...don't be.
Diagnostic criteria
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders fourth edition, DSM IV-TR, a widely used manual for diagnosing mental disorders, defines narcissistic personality disorder:A pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:
1.has a grandiose sense of self-importance 2.is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty or ideal love (megalomania) 3.believes they are "special" and can only be understood by, or should associate with, people (or institutions) who are also "special" or of high status 4.requires excessive admiration 5.has a sense of entitlement 6.is interpersonally exploitative 7.lacks empathy 8.is often envious of others or believes others are envious of him or her 9.shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes 10.(extra credit) like Nero, watched himself on t.v. while his party was burning
...the man in the Whitehouse scores a perfect 10! Surprised?
Conservatives owe a lot to great men like Barry Goldwater and William F. Buckley who helped keep the fires of conservatism burning when the movement was barely holding together. Without their efforts conservatism would likely not have gotten this far, this fast. That being said, in the last 30 years, conservatism has become considerably stronger, more popular, and more effective than it was in Goldwater and Buckley's heyday. There are three men who deserve to be heralded for that success above all others.
Of course, Ronald Reagan deserves the lion's share of the credit for proving that conservative ideas work in practice. For engineering the Contract with America and the Republican takeover of the house in 1994, Newt Gingrich earned his spot in the pantheon of conservative heroes as well. The other man that all conservatives owe a debt of gratitude? That would be, much to some people's dismay, Rush Limbaugh. Why Rush?
1) He helped inspire a new generation of conservatives: Personally, I'm a conservative because of Rush Limbaugh. You see, back in college, I knew very little about politics, but wanted to learn more. So, I listened to my college professors to get the liberal perspective. It was an eye-opening experience to be told that America needed to abandon its military and use non-violent resistance as a defense strategy. Learning that I was a "fascist" for saying that America should retain the right to do a nuclear-first strike against the Soviet Union was quite a surprise as well. That's what I was hearing from my liberal college professors. I wasn't very impressed.
To find out what conservatives believed, I decided to listen to the most famous conservative I knew of at the time: Rush Limbaugh. After being exposed to his pragmatic, common sense ideas about how our government and country should work, I realized that I was learning more listening to his show that I was in any of my college classes. Soon thereafter, I started thinking of myself as a conservative and the rest is history. Having spoken to a number of other conservatives about how they came by their political beliefs, I can tell you that my story is by no means unique. Rush Limbaugh is undoubtedly personally responsible for bringing millions of Americans over to our cause.
2) Rush Limbaugh made the conservative media feasible: Before Rush, there was no widespread conservative media presence. The blogosphere didn't exist, Fox didn't exist, and AM talk radio was a dying format. It was Rush who blazed the trail that other conservative talkers followed. Quite frankly, he probably even deserves a lot more of the credit for Fox News and the blogosphere than he gets.
Personally, when I started blogging, my goal was to go full-time, despite the fact that I didn't have a journalism degree and almost no one else was doing it. My thought process? It was, "If Rush Limbaugh can do it, why can't I?" Today that dream is a reality and I am not sure it would have happened without Rush. How many other bloggers thought the same way? Along similar lines, ask yourself if Fox News would have considered bucking the trend and having a slightly right-of-center cable news network without Rush Limbaugh and his imitators proving that it could work? With or without Rush Limbaugh, a new conservative media was destined to eventually form. However, if Rush hadn't come along, it might have taken years or even decades longer to come into being.
3) Rush's ability to entertain and explain: In our natural environment, we political wonks can be a dull, humorless bunch. Every issue is life and death based on some principle or rule that the average person doesn't quite seem to comprehend.
Although Rush certainly isn't the only conservative to illustrate absurdity by being absurd or to make our ideology more accessible to the average person, he has played a crucial role in popularizing the idea that politics should be fun.
Rush is often called an "entertainer." He is -- and that's exactly why he has made such a spectacular impact. When you can make people laugh at the mockery of your political enemies or get them as fascinated with a political issue as they are with the latest sitcom, you're ten times more effective than any dry political commentator who always believes that politics should be deadly serious business. It was Rush's inspirational embrace of humor that played a major role in helping make conservatism more accessible to the average person.
Would you be willing to rat out a business that's cheating Chicago on taxes in exchange for a share of back taxes recovered?
City Hall is counting on it.
Mayor Daley's tough-times, 2010 budget includes a first-ever "Tax Whistleblower Program" expected to include cash bounties for informants who deliver the goods on unpaid business taxes.
The cash reward would be a percentage of the amount recovered, but specifics are still being worked out. The dreaded employee head tax and lease tax are just two of the most frequent targets for tax cheats.
"It's just another way of bringing people into compliance," said Revenue Department spokesman Ed Walsh.
"It would probably be ... a business knowing that a competitor is not remitting a tax. An employee [of the tax-dodging business] could know that, too. Typically, you need to provide some type of incentive."
The whistleblower program isn't the only new revenue initiative in 2010.
The Revenue Department is also mapping plans to start sending e-mails to motorists whenever vehicles they own get parking or red-light tickets.
They could choose to pay their fines immediately -- either the old-fashioned way or by issuing electronic checks. And, in the case of a red-light ticket, the city could be spared the cost of mailing notices.
"It might be advantageous to parents who loan the car to their kids. That way, they'd be made aware of the ticket sooner," Walsh said.
Yet another plan would let booted motorists settle their debts online.
For Carly Fiorina, the former Hewlett Packard CEO planning to run for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in California, "www" does not stand for World Wide Web; it stands for wild, wild West, and thus needs more government oversight.
As Californians become familiar with her campaign platform, they might find it surprising that a technology leader would advocate more government controls for this landmark development for freer speech worldwide, rather than be a champion of its unfettered expansion.
Ms. Fiorina made the remarks Thursday to attendees at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco, observing that the "online world" has to become more similar to the "offline world." When asked about government's role in regulating the Net, Ms. Fiorina said: "The World Wide Web and the Internet cannot be forever a sphere apart from the rest of the world. The World Wide Web cannot be forever the wild, wild West where anything goes." (You can view the one-on-one interview in its entirety on our blog, Orange Punch: www.ocregister.com/orangepunch.)
It makes no sense to welcome government overseers into the Internet's sphere. The risks that accompany giving government more control over the Internet are being played out in China and Iran – places where content is blocked, Web sites are forbidden and government censors monitor the Internet around the clock.
She justified the intrusion by stating that women and children are exploited online therefore more regulation is needed to make the digital world more like the "offline world."
We called Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, R-Irvine, Ms. Fiorina's GOP primary opponent. He rebutted the point, saying that laws already exist to protect people, and those laws are enforceable whether a law is broken while using the computer or not. We agree.
Barbara Boxer, the Democrat who is defending her Senate seat in next June's election, holds a position similar to that of Ms. Fiorina.
Carly Fiorina has impressive professional credentials, and we're interested to hear more of her positions, but her views about Internet regulation leaves us concerned about her thinking on questions of liberty.
More government control over the Internet will not make anyone safer. What it will do is restrict speech and expression, and make citizens less free.
So, after watching the fiasco going on in New York and Newt endorsing the Liberal Republican, I am really starting to get angry with the RNC. Apparently, they are NOT listening, and are putting their party before their principals. What the hell ever happened to standing up for CONSERVATIVE VALUES???????
So I decided to send Michael Steele a message on Facebook, and here's my short note to him. Feel free to contact him, too, and share your feelings on the RNC's support for Scozzafava. .................................................... Hi Michael, I have been a huge fan of yours for a long time, and was thrilled when you were selected as the Head of the RNC. I thought you would be a great leader and help Conservatives reclaim the Republican Party, but I've been apprehensive about giving any money to the RNC or any Republican candidates. The reason being, is that the so-called Conservative leadership seems to be turning it's back on Conservatives. (i.e.-the New York race between Scozzafava and Hoffman race.) The Republican in the race supported the Stimulus plan?!?! How could the RNC support this candidate? I want to be proud of calling myself a Republican again, but unless the GOP supports true Conservative values, I will be voting Libertarian. As a big fan and supporter, I urge you and the Republican Party to draw a line in the sand: Do you support Conservative values, or do you support Liberal policies that undermine what our country was founded on? I know where I stand....do you?
Proud American looking for your support, Jessica Wilkerson Plainfield, IL ............................................................ And as for Newt Gingrich endorsing Scozzafava, although I feel he does an excellent job of articulating conservatism, his actions just don't support what comes out of his pie hole and he'll NOT get my support.
When he endorsed the Tea Party Movement, it was a pretty obvious attempt at hickjacking it for his future Presidential run.
One BIG prolem Newt....we actually stand for something. You have proven once again, that you are just another establishment Republican, who thinks giving Conservatives the usual lip service will gain you power. That might have worked in the past, but those of us who TRULY want Conservatives representing us, have had it with your ilk. I just donated to Doug Hoffman's campaign....maybe you should support Hoffman, too.
If you are falling in the polls faster than Flash Gordon after a caffeine bender, don't show up at your opponent's campaign office for an impromptu press conference. Your opponent may just have people in his office with campaign signs. This is like watching a train wreck.
NPR Editor Compares Obama to Nixon, Apologizes Next Day Do you think National Pubic Radio political editor Ken Rudin took some heat for comparing President Obama to Richard Nixon Wednesday?
Such seems to be the case given his somewhat groveling apology posted at his blog Thursday.
Before we get there, here's what Rudin said about the White House's current feud with Fox News on Wednesday's "Talk of the Nation" (h/t Byron York):
Well, it's not only aggressive, it's almost Nixonesque. I mean, you think of what Nixon and Agnew did with their enemies list and their attacks on the media; certainly Vice President Agnew's constant denunciation of the media. Of course, then it was a conservative president denouncing a liberal media, and of course, a lot of good liberals said, 'Oh, that's ridiculous. That's an infringement on the freedom of press.' And now you see a lot of liberals almost kind of applauding what the White House is doing to Fox News, which I think is distressing.
According to York, "Reaction from the NPR audience was negative, and within 24 hours, Rudin was in backtrack mode."
Apparently so, for here's what Rudin wrote Thursday:
I made a boneheaded mistake yesterday, during the Political Junkie segment on NPR's Talk of the Nation, one that I'd like to correct right away. [...]
I will tell you, that the Nixon "enemies list" is the first thing I thought of when the topic came up. And obviously, that's what was going through my mind during yesterday's conversation.
But comparing the tactics of the Nixon administration -- which bugged and intimidated and harrassed journalists -- to that of the Obama administration was foolish, facile, ridiculous and, ultimately, embarrassing to me. I should have known better and, in fact, I do know better. I was around during the Nixon years. I am fully cognizant of what they did and attempted to do.
I still think the Obama administration showed a childish, thin skin in its dealings with and reaction to Fox.
But childishness is a far cry from illegal and unconstitutional activities. And for that I apologize for a dumb comparison.
Think he REALLY feels that way, or was bullied into it?
After all, just 48 minutes before his mea culpa was published, Media Matters' Eric Boehlert scolded Rudin.
But even more comical was Friday's response from NPR ombudsman Alicia Shepard:
Live radio is tricky. Some times reporters talking 'live' say things they instantly regret.
Hmmm. Why don't conservative talk radio hosts like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, and Mark Levin receive such understanding when they say things they regret?
Regardless, Shepard was quite pleased with Rudin's apology:
While it was a dumb thing to say, I applaud Rudin for quickly apologizing. Journalists are going to make mistakes -- not intentionally but they will happen.
Yeah, and I bet all that pressure put upon Rudin made him come to his senses quite quickly.
Nice backbone there, Ken. Way to stand up for yourself.
President Barack Obama's college record has officially been under strict secrecy since his run for the White House began in 2007. This record includes two years at Occidental College in Los Angeles, two years at Columbia University, and finally at Harvard Law School.
During his time at these colleges, Obama gained notoriety for being an especially bright and hardworking student. At Harvard, he was later elected as the editor of the Harvard Law Review, which many observers see as the beginning of his political career.
However, many things regarding the future President's time at these colleges have remained private. Under order of the Obama campaign, all information not directly allowed published by Obama himself, is not to be disclosed to any media. These included grades, attendance records, rewards received, and papers submitted.
With all of the secrecy regarding the President's academic record, famed Time reporter Joe Klein looked into the records for an upcoming special edition about the President. Klein included several key points in the piece, including his grades and stellar letters of recommendation. However, what has leaked along with this information was the subject of a thesis written by the young Obama while still an undergraduate at Columbia.
A political science major, Obama was seen as a top student, according to his classmates. Professors even asked the young student to lecture several times. Obama was required to write a 'senior seminar' paper in order to graduate from Columbia. The subject of this paper, which totaled 44 pages, was American government. Entitled Aristocracy Reborn, this paper chronicled the long struggle of the working class against, as Obama put it, "plutocratic thugs with one hand on the money and the other on the government."
In the paper, in which only the first ten pages were given to the general media, Obama decries the plight of the poor: "I see poverty in every place I walk. In Los Angeles and New York, the poor reach to me with bleary eyes and all I can do is sigh."
In part, the future President blames this on the current economic system: "There are many who will defend the 'free market.' But who will defend the single mother of four working three jobs. When a system is allowed to be free at the expense of its citizens, then it is tyranny."
However, the President also singled out the American Constitution: "... the Constitution allows for many things, but what it does not allow is the most revealing. The so-called Founders did not allow for economic freedom. While political freedom is supposedly a cornerstone of the document, the distribution of wealth is not even mentioned. While many believed that the new Constitution gave them liberty, it instead fitted them with the shackles of hypocrisy."
It is yet unknown if more of this thesis will be released. It was also noted that the President received an A- for the paper, which later led to his graduation. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ So according to our dear leader, taking money away from one group of people to give to another group of people, is Economic Freedom. And don't you just love how he refers to Jefferson, Washington, Franklin, Adams, Madison, Hamilton, and Hancock as the 'so-called Founders'.
I think it is more than obvious that Obama studied Constitutional Law, not to ensure our founding documents were upheld, but to discover a way of dismantling and rewriting them. ....................................................................................................... UPDATE: Okay so, no one has seen any references for this story, however let's not forget Obama is already on the record saying the Constitution is flawed. , and that the Supreme Court should have ventured into 'Redistributive Change'.
If anyone has a link supporting this story, please let me know.
There’s only one thing dumber than picking a fight with people who buy ink by the barrel -- picking a fight with people who don’t even have to buy ink. The Obama administration’s war on Fox News is dumb on multiple levels. It makes the White House look weak, unable to take Harry Truman’s advice and just deal with the heat. It makes the White House look small, dragged down to the level of Glenn Beck. It makes the White House look childish and petty at best, and it has a distinct Nixonian -- Agnewesque? -- aroma at worst. It is a self-defeating trifecta: it distracts attention from the Obama administration’s substantive message; it serves to help Fox, not punish it, by driving up ratings; and it deprives the White House, to the extent it refuses to provide administration officials to appear on the cable network, of access to an audience that is, in fact, broader than hard-core Obama haters.
Sure, it’s legitimate -- and standard practice -- to dispense access and coveted interviews to favored reporters and news outlets. So is subtly doing the opposite: letting a reporter who’s filed a tough story know that he or she is in the doghouse by leaking a scoop to a competitor. The Bush administration routinely briefed conservative columnists before a big presidential speech; the Obama White House tends to call in ideological sympathizers. This is the way the game is played.
Where the White House has gone way overboard is in its decision to treat Fox as an outright enemy and to go public with the assault. Imagine the outcry if the Bush administration had pulled a similar hissy fit with MSNBC. “Opinion journalism masquerading as news,” White House communications director Anita Dunn declared of Fox. Certainly Fox tends to report its news with a conservative slant -- but has anyone at the White House clicked over to MSNBC recently? Or is the only problem opinion journalism that doesn’t match its opinion? On "Fox News Sunday," host Chris Wallace replayed a quote from an Obama interview: “I don't always get my most favorable coverage on Fox, but I think that's part of how democracy is supposed to work. You know, we're not supposed to all be in lock step here.”
I am a Conservative Mama, who loves her family & country, and who's willing to take a stand to protect both. By getting involved in the Community in small ways and figuring out this whole bloggin' thing, I'm trying to make a difference in this crazy world of ours.
Thomas Sowell's Random Thoughts: "Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, Muammar Qaddafi and Vladimir Putin have all praised Barack Obama. When enemies of freedom and democracy praise your president, what are you to think? When you add to this Barack Obama's many previous years of associations and alliances with people who hate America — Jeremiah Wright, Bill Ayers, Father Pfleger, etc. — at what point do you stop denying the obvious and start to connect the dots?"
