The Patriot Post Digest 11-12-2010

[nChrist]

________________________________________
The Patriot Post Digest 11-12-2010
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
________________________________________

The Foundation

"No pecuniary consideration is more urgent, than the regular redemption and discharge of the public debt." --George Washington

Government & Politics
Debt Commission Floats Some Ideas

Barack Obama's 18-member bipartisan deficit commission is expected to release its full report on the nation's fiscal nightmare by Dec. 1. The commission is tasked with reducing -- or at least advising Congress and the White House on how to reduce -- Obama's disastrous deficits from the current 8.9 percent of GDP to just 3 percent by 2015. The commission is the president's way of appearing to be serious about cutting federal spending, while maybe getting Republicans to agree to raise taxes while he's at it.

This week, commission members began leaking ideas. First, apparently thinking that voters were just kidding in their decisive demand that Congress control spending and cut taxes, Senators Tom Carper (D-DE) and George Voinovich (RINO-OH) urged Congress to raise gas taxes by 25 cents per gallon in order to -- get this -- increase spending on infrastructure. Carper and Voinovich say that 10 cents of the tax hike should go to deficit reduction and the remainder to transportation funding to repair bridges and roads. Voinovich claims the new revenue would create 775,000 new jobs. Ah, yes, economic growth and recovery through tax hikes -- we've seen how well that works.

Following that, Chairman Erskine Bowles, Bill Clinton's White House Chief of Staff, and former Wyoming Republican Sen. Alan Simpson, the co-chairman, released their own preliminary report on Wednesday in which they sided, at least in part, with the tax-and-spenders by suggesting a 15-cent spike in the gas tax1, part of $751 billion in total tax hikes over 10 years. The pair recommends that tax revenue level out at 21 percent of GDP, which is much higher than the historic average of 18 percent.

The proposal also includes eliminating the child tax credit and the mortgage interest deduction, while significantly reducing overall tax rates. For example, the top rate of 35 percent would fall to 24 percent, with just two lower rates of 15 and 9 percent. The corporate tax rate would be cut from 35 percent to 26 percent, which would finally be competitive with the rest of the world.

Bowles and Simpson offered ideas to cut nearly $4 trillion from the federal budget by 2020. That's a good start, but it's not nearly enough. If their measures are followed -- a big "if" -- the deficit would drop to 2.2 percent of GDP, which ends up leaving them some wiggle room to reach their mandate. Their ideas include cuts to Social Security and Medicare, two of the largest budget allocations; $410 billion in cuts to discretionary spending by 2015; a three-year pay freeze for most federal employees, on top of a 10 percent cut in the total federal workforce; and eliminating funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

"We'll both be in a witness protection program when this is all over, so look us up," quipped Simpson. Both are quick to admit that the proposal would likely be a nonstarter in Congress. With a no-holds-barred approach to so many sacred cows, it's easy to see why. First, 14 of the 18 commission members must agree on a final report -- and that's the easy part. Then Congress has to make the hard choices, which, if history is any guide, members will avoid like the plague.

Quote of the Week

"The deficit commission appears to have adopted the flawed notion that taxes and revenues are a zero-sum game -- that tax increases produce higher revenues, when more often the opposite is true. For example, does anyone doubt that the commission's proposal to eliminate the mortgage interest deduction would detrimentally impact the housing (and possibly financial) market? Equally important, how can this commission be taken seriously if it sanctions Obamacare, which not only is wildly unpopular with the American people but also greatly burdens the federal fiscal equation? Many are praising the commission's 'boldness' in proposing to reduce the growth of the federal deficit by $3.8 trillion by 2020 from its projected growth of $7.7 trillion. That's like an alcoholic promising to cut down his liquor consumption from two bottles of bourbon a day to one. Obama, who initiated (and stacked) this commission as an Alinskyite strategy to turn the tables on Republicans on the spending issue, must be laughing all the way to the statist bank." --columnist David Limbaugh2

On Cross-Examination

"It's important to understand why we have had deficits of 10% and 8.9% of GDP for the past two years, with another 10% or so anticipated in fiscal 2011. The most important reason is the burst of spending from the 111th Congress that has taken federal outlays as a share of GDP to 25% in 2009, 23.8% in 2010 and back to an estimated 25% in 2011. This is unheard of in the modern era, when the average has been under 21%." --The Wall Street Journal3

This Week's 'Alpha Jackass' Award

"If people are, in fact, concerned about spending, debt, deficits and the future of our country, then they're going to need to be armed with the information about the kinds of choices that are going to be involved, and we can't just engage in political rhetoric." --Barack Obama, engaging almost exclusively in political rhetoric

News From the Swamp: Democrat Leadership Shakeup ... Not

Outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has decided to defy the message sent by the nation's voters last week, as well as the desire of many members of her own party, and run for House minority leader in the 112th Congress. The 70-year-old legislator was one of only eight House Democrats who enjoyed a larger margin of victory in 2010 than in 2008. That achievement is tempered by the fact that she hails from leftist San Francisco.

Pelosi was uncharacteristically quiet in the days immediately following the election, as speculation began over whether she would retire. Even after her party lost 60 seats (so far) and the majority to an electorate positively fed up with big government, Pelosi announced her decision to cling to power. Many Republicans are downright gleeful about Pelosi's decision, because she will remain the unpopular face of big-spending congressional Democrats, and she will be a living example of just how deaf her party is to the concerns and desires of voters.

Several Democrats published a letter requesting that Pelosi step aside as party leader. In calling for new leadership, they stated their belief that her presence will only harm Democrats in the new Congress and might even reduce their chances to recruit candidates for 2012. Pelosi refuses to acknowledge any personal role in her party's defeat, and she vowed to continue pursuing the same far-left policies that the vast majority of Americans clearly despise.

Current Majority Leader Steny Hoyer has no plans to step aside either. He's running for minority whip in a tough campaign against James Clyburn of South Carolina. Hoyer has been a bit more contrite in his post-election comments than Pelosi, but not so much that he thinks he should step aside for the good of his party. Rep. Chris Van Hollen may have been the only member of the Democrat leadership who read the results of the midterms correctly. He stepped down as chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. No word on who might replace him. There don't seem to be many clamoring for the job right now.

[nChrist]

________________________________________
The Patriot Post Digest 11-12-2010
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
________________________________________

More Swamp Things

Mark Kirk, the Illinois Republican who won Barack Obama's former Senate seat last week, won't be seated in time for the start of the lame-duck session beginning Nov. 15. Illinois state officials claim they won't have finished processing the paperwork declaring Kirk the election winner until Nov. 29. For the record, Delaware and West Virginia seem to have had no trouble expediting the swearing in of Chris Coons and Joe Manchin, two Democrats also filling Senate vacancies. No coincidence there.

Meanwhile, the Congressional Black Caucus announced this week that it would allow two black Republican representatives to join the group if they so desired. Tim Scott of South Carolina and Allen West of Florida were elected last week, and they are considering whether to join the 42 Democrats in what has been traditionally a leftist caucus.

West believes his membership in the group could offer a new perspective, but he shouldn't count on it. The CBC has had only two Republican members in its four-decade history, and the actions and rhetoric of its members suggest that being a black lawmaker is not enough for the CBC. One must also be a big-government leftist.

From the Left: Kerry Still Hasn't Paid His Taxes

Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) is so busy lamenting the "know-nothingism" of America that he has "forgotten" to pay the $400,000 state tax bill on his $7 million, 76-foot yacht. Just as he promised several years ago to release his full military records without result, he promised several months ago to make prompt payment to the state of Massachusetts. He said, "We've reached out to the Massachusetts Department of Revenue and made clear that, whether owed or not, we intend to pay the equivalent taxes as if the boat's home port were currently in Massachusetts. That payment is being made promptly."

Apparently, "promptly" is completely relative. No money has been sent and, when asked, Kerry's spokesperson claimed that the senator is waiting to receive a bill. Meanwhile, the boat remains berthed in Rhode Island so that Kerry can duck out of further Massachusetts taxes and fees.

W's Memoir Hits the Shelves

George W. Bush's long-awaited memoir, "Decision Points," is finally in bookstores, and the former president has hit the talk shows to discuss it. The book focuses primarily on his eight years as president, and he reflects on the major decisions he made during that time. September 11th and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan loom large, but Bush also discusses his decisions on stem cells, Hurricane Katrina, the Scooter Libby fiasco and the economic meltdown.

Interestingly, he expressed regret about one aspect of a signature achievement -- The Patriot Act. "My one regret about The Patriot Act is its name," he wrote. "When my administration sent the bill to Capitol Hill, it was initially called the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2001. Congress got clever and renamed it. As a result, there was an implication that people who opposed the law were unpatriotic. That was not what I intended. I should have pushed Congress to change the name of the bill before I signed it."

In one curious section of the book, Bush took aim at the big-spender label he acquired, claiming that government spending averaged 19.6 percent of GDP during his term, which, at first glance, appears better than the records of Ronald Reagan or Bill Clinton. However, both Reagan and Clinton managed to leave office with government expenditures lower than when they started. Bush can't say that, as spending was 18.2 percent of GDP at the beginning of his term and went as high as 20.7 percent. Furthermore, the trend of growing the size of government began with Bush, and it is now reaching fearful new heights with his successor. The first stimulus package was Bush's, as was TARP and its gross misapplication to the auto industry. Setting the table for trillion-dollar deficits certainly isn't the brightest spot of his legacy.

National Security
Immigration Front: Texas Could Follow Arizona's Lead

The Texas state legislature joined Arizona's war on illegal immigration in a characteristically big way last Monday. State Rep. Debbie Riddle actually camped out before the chief clerk's office to get low docket numbers for her illegal immigration bills. One would criminalize trespassing in Texas by illegal aliens, and a second would require state-issued voter IDs. Almost simultaneously, state Sen. Dan Patrick also offered two bills, one outlawing sanctuary cities and a second empowering law enforcement to question suspects' immigration status.

All told, nine bills attacking problems caused by illegals were offered, including imprisoning unlicensed drivers who cause serious accidents, requiring schools to report illegal students and making burglary of a motor vehicle a felony. Since the new legislature is strongly conservative, chances are good for passage of all nine.

Of course, the usual suspects vow to fight for illegal immigration forever. Democrat state Rep. Mike Villarreal argued that every study has shown that stopping illegal immigration would "strangle the state's economy." However, a recent report from the Federation for American Immigration Reform puts the total annual price tag for handling Mexico's overflow population at $113 billion, of which the states pay three-fourths unaided, or $84 billion. Texas' share is nearly $9 billion, a tidy sum that, freed up, could spark considerable investment and employment, or even zero-out the state's total deficit. Far from strangling it, the end of Ted Kennedy's dream of a third-world America would strengthen the state's economy.

Airport Security Theater Upsets Passengers

Which in-flight movie will it be? "Invasion of the Body Scanners," or "Grope Wars: Americans Strike Back?" It appears that the flying public and the professionals who serve them have reached their breaking point when it comes to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and its new search procedures. Under regulations implemented last week, pilots, flight attendants and passengers must go through either a full-body scan machine or a more extensive manual search, including open palm patting of genital and breast areas.

The body scanners, derisively known as "strip-search machines," use radio waves that penetrate clothing to scan a person going through security. The machine then generates a three dimensional image of the person's body sans clothes, as well as any objects in or under the clothes. While effective at seeing hidden objects, privacy advocates, and most normal people, have concerns because the technology amounts to a virtual strip search that allows screeners to see the surface of the skin under clothing, as well as medical equipment that is normally kept hidden, such as colostomy bags or breast prostheses.

Unfortunately, the new regulations have only increased many TSA screeners' power-tripping. Accounts are spreading of screeners using coercion and shame to get passengers into the body scans when someone would rather have a pat down. Additionally, some screeners have reportedly become much more aggressive during those pat downs, pawing and groping both passengers and flight crew members in clear cases of physical intimidation and obvious cheap thrills. Pilot and flight attendant unions are up in arms over the new procedures, and even the ACLU is requesting fliers to report to them any instance of physical or psychological abuse.

The TSA, of course, denies all this, saying they're just trying to keep the skies safe. We're not sure if the skies are any safer, but the ground most definitely is not. Air travelers and workers should continue to complain loudly about this situation and report all instances of physical abuse and coercion. Government abuse in any form must not be allowed to stand.

[nChrist]

________________________________________
The Patriot Post Digest 11-12-2010
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
________________________________________

Veterans Day 2010

A heartfelt thank you to all veterans from all of us here at The Patriot Post.

It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the soldier, not the campus [or community] organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.
It is the soldier, who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag.
—Father Dennis Edward O'Brien, USMC

Don't miss Mark Alexander's Veterans Day profile8.

Business & Economy
Income Redistribution: The Bush Tax Cuts

Both the White House and the House Republican leadership have been sending each other signals this week on extending the Bush tax cuts. Republicans, of course, want equal treatment under the law -- in other words, make the tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 the permanent rates for everyone. Democrats prefer class warfare -- penalize the "rich" because we "can't afford" to let them keep that much of their hard-earned money. Democrats have insisted that the top two rates, 33 and 35 percent, return to their pre-2001 level of 36 and 39.6 percent, respectively. It appeared the two sides were at an impasse. Massive tax hikes loom for nearly all Americans if nothing is done before the end of the current congressional session.

Wednesday, the White House appeared to concede that in order to extend current tax rates for the middle class, they would have to accept extending them for the upper brackets as well, if only temporarily. Republicans so far have refused to decouple the upper rates from the lower.

Preventing tax hikes for the "rich" will, according to Democrats, "cost" the government $700 billion over 10 years. "At a time when we are going to ask folks across the board to make such difficult sacrifices, I don't see how we can afford to borrow an additional $700 billion from other countries to make all the Bush tax cuts permanent, even for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans," Barack Obama said. "We'd be digging ourselves into an even deeper fiscal hole and passing the burden on to our children." We once again remind him that it's not his money.

This Week's 'Braying Jackass' Award

"I want to make sure that taxes don't go up for middle class families starting on January 1st. ... I also believe that it would be fiscally irresponsible for us to permanently extend the high income tax cuts. I think that would be a mistake, particularly when we've got our Republican friends saying that their number one priority is making sure that we are dealing with our debt and our deficit." --Barack Obama

Around the Nation: Job Numbers Still Bleak

Last Friday's job numbers showing that businesses created 151,000 jobs in October gave Barack Obama fodder for touting progress, but all is not as it appears. As the Heritage Foundation's Rea Hederman and James Sherk note9 in explaining the two surveys released by the U.S. Labor Department, "employment fell by a net 330,000 jobs ... the number of unemployed workers grew by 76,000 ... [and t]he median length of time workers stay unemployed rose from 20.4 weeks to 21.2 weeks." In fact, the only reason unemployment stayed at 9.6 percent is that "a net 462,000 Americans dropped out of the labor force and thus do not count as unemployed."

So bleak is the actual labor landscape that more than 25 percent of adult men are neither working nor looking for work, representing the highest recorded rate in post-war years. Overall, the labor force participation rate dipped to 64.5 percent, falling by 0.2 points.

According to Hederman and Sherk, at best, the job creation numbers signal only "a tepid recovery. At this rate, it will take years for the economy to recover the nearly eight million jobs lost during the recession." But not to worry. As Joe Biden says, "No doubt we're moving in the right direction."

Lead Federal Investigator: Gulf Spill Not Caused by 'Dollars Over Safety'

Puncturing the narrative that oil company greed caused last spring's Deepwater Horizon rig explosion and ensuing oil spill, lead government investigator Fred Bartlit announced that there was "no evidence" of cost cutting in construction or safety practices in the days leading up to the disaster. The explosion killed eleven rig workers and spilled some four million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Of course, litigators for those affected by the accident called Bartlit's remarks "absolutely absurd," claiming that he's attempting to deflect blame from BP and square with the oil giant's own account of events.

Yet the question of whether the federal government can be a trustworthy party in the investigation needs to be raised in the wake of revelations that the White House fudged the report10 that led to its drilling moratorium. The administration implied that the report was peer-reviewed when in fact it was not. A copy of the unreleased allegations from the Interior Department's inspector general was leaked to the press.

In the meantime, oil companies continue their exemplary safety record on existing rigs while exploration is all but idled in the wake of the accident. Oil prices approached $90 a barrel this week, and gasoline continues to edge toward $3 per gallon.

Culture & Policy
Faith and Family: Five Governors-Elect Favor Same-Sex Marriage

The big news last week was the Republican victories that swept the nation, but there were several other important developments that went largely unnoticed. One is the election of five governors who have vowed to legalize same-sex unions in their states. Considering the left-leaning politics in these states -- namely New York, California, Illinois, Rhode Island and Hawaii -- the election of these candidates is no surprise. But same-sex marriage is one of the few hot-button issues that crosses party lines.

New York State legislators -- including Democrats from New York City -- recently voted down a same-sex marriage bill. Outgoing Democrat Gov. David Patterson voiced his disappointment with the decision, but didn't take unilateral action. Governor-elect Andrew Cuomo, on the other hand, has vowed to make legalizing same-sex marriage a top priority of his administration.

Throughout the ongoing battle in California, Governor-elect Jerry "Moonbeam" Brown made it clear which side of the debate he's on, even when it conflicted with his duties as state attorney general. Although bound by his office to advocate for the marriage amendment known as Proposition 8, Brown repeatedly refused, perhaps with an eye toward his political future. After being elected last week, he said he would continue to be a "champion of LGBT Californians." But what of the Californians who elected him and voted for Prop 8? Apparently Brown cares for their votes only when they're cast in his direction.

Former Republican (in the loosest sense of the word) senator and now-independent Lincoln Chaffee, who was elected Rhode Island's new governor, has said he will sign a bill allowing civil unions. Chaffee lost his LGBT endorsement shortly before the election after saying he favors the issue being put before the voters.

Finally, the governors-elect in Hawaii and Illinois have made their intentions known. Neil Abercrombie told the Hawaii legislature to "try again" when he takes office. He's referring to the same-sex marriage bill vetoed by the outgoing Republican governor, Linda Lingle. And Illinois Democrat Pat Quinn wants a civil union bill on his desk by the time he begins his next term. One thing's for sure: This issue isn't going away any time soon.

[nChrist]

________________________________________
The Patriot Post Digest 11-12-2010
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
________________________________________

Judicial Benchmarks: Judge Blocks Oklahoma Sharia Ban

Well, that didn't take long. According to Clinton-appointed U.S. District Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange, 70 percent of Oklahoma voters are wrong and one man is right. That man is Muneer Awad, who is the head of the Council on American-Islamic Relations for Oklahoma. He filed suit to block the adoption of the state constitutional amendment to prevent judges from considering international or Sharia law11 in their decisions, claiming the amendment "stigmatizes his religion." Miles-LaGrange agreed, and the state cannot now certify the results of its election until a Nov. 22 hearing where Miles-LaGrange will rule on whether to grant a preliminary injunction to block the amendment.

Awad filed suit because he claims his will, which is based on Islamic law, would be made invalid by the amendment. "We are humbled by this opportunity to show our fellow Oklahomans that Muslims are their neighbors and that we are committed to upholding the U.S. Constitution and promoting the benefits of a pluralistic society," he said.

Awad didn't comment on whether those benefits of a "pluralistic society" would include honor killings or stonings of adulterous women, both of which are permissible in some interpretations of Sharia law.

Keith Olbermann Survives Traumatic Slap on the Wrist

MSNBC uber-leftist host Keith Olbermann was reinstated on Tuesday after only two nights off the air. The leftist network's shining star had been suspended "indefinitely" after his bosses learned that he had contributed to the political campaigns of several Democrat candidates. The network prohibits political contributions by its "journalists," and Olbermann's rebuke sparked a debate about such policies and their weak attempt to demonstrate impartiality in an era when news reporting is mostly anything but. Ironically, the host claims he was told of his suspension not by the network but by the media.

Other networks have similar policies, and the question often turns on a particular person's role at the network. Fox News powerhouse Sean Hannity, for example, contributed to Republican Michelle Bachman's campaign. However, Fox was quick to point out that Hannity is a conservative "host" rather than a journalist per se, and therefore is not bound to appear neutral. If MSNBC doesn't want to appear left-leaning, perhaps they should have chosen someone besides Chris Hayes, editor of the left-wing rag The Nation, as Olbermann's temporary replacement. That was until they found out that Hayes, too, had made political donations to Democrats.

Political hairsplitting aside, the whole charade was clearly nothing more than a publicity stunt to increase MSNBC's viewership. According to the prime time cable ratings for election week, they have good reason to be running scared. With a total viewership of 1.052 million, MSNBC ranked #17. Fox News Channel, with more than 3.5 million viewers, was #2.

And Last...

In 2009, former Clintonista James Carville wrote a book titled "40 More Years: How the Democrats Will Rule the Next Generation." As we all know, that prediction lasted all of 18 months. Now, Democrat staffers in Washington are finding out that Barack Obama's "stimulus" plan didn't "create or save" their jobs, either. Come January, numerous such staffers will be looking for work. There is, however, one position that seems to be doing just fine.

"A staffer for a congressional Democrat who came up short on Tuesday reports that a team of about five people stopped by their offices this morning to talk about payroll, benefits, writing a résumé, and so forth, with staffers who are now job hunting," Politico12 reports. "But one of the staffers was described as a 'counselor' to help with the emotional aspect of the loss -- and a section in the packet each staffer was given dealt with the stages of grief (for instance, Stage One being anger, and so on)." The Democrats have had the "anger" and blame part of grieving down for several years: It's all Bush's fault! Now it seems they're angry that voters just aren't buying it anymore. Acceptance will come -- just talk to the counselors.

(Please pray for our Armed Forces standing in harm's way around the world, and for their families -- especially families of those fallen Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen, who granted their lives in defense of American liberty.)

Links

   1. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-11-10/deficit-reduction-panel-s-plan-would-seek-to-cut-social-security-medicare.html
   2. http://patriotpost.us/opinion/david-limbaugh/2010/11/12/dont-be-taken-in-by-the-deficit-commission/
   3. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703848204575608610971091280.html
   4. https://patriotpost.us/donate/
   5. https://patriotpost.us/donate/mail/
   6. http://patriotpost.us/about/team/#the_editorial_team
   7. http://patriotpost.us/about/team/#national_advisory_committee
   8. http://patriotpost.us/alexander/2010/11/11/passing-the-torch/
   9. http://www.heritage.org/Research/Reports/2010/11/Heritage-Employment-Report-A-Mixed-Bag-of-Tricks-and-Treats
  10. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101110/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_gulf_oil_spill
  11. http://patriotpost.us/commentary/2010/11/11/sharia-law-in-the-us/
  12. http://www.politico.com/blogs/maggiehaberman/1110/Grief_counseling_after_the_wipeout.html