The Patriot Post Digest 2-11-2011

[nChrist]

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The Patriot Post Digest 2-11-2011
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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The Foundation

"The essence of Government is power; and power, lodged as it must be in human hands, will ever be liable to abuse." --James Madison

Government & Politics
Obama's Instruction Manual for Business

In an effort to counter the notion that the White House is anti-business, Barack Obama assured the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Monday that they could all be friends. "I'm here in the interest of being more neighborly," Obama said. "Maybe if we'd brought over a fruitcake when I first moved in we would have gotten off to a better start. But I'm going to make up for it." The problem is, Obama's the kind of neighbor that talks friendly enough, but then turns you in to the homeowner's association for having a garden gnome he doesn't like in your front yard.

After Obama discussed fruitcakes and a better start, his speech quickly turned into a lecture telling businesses how to do business. "American companies have nearly $2 trillion sitting on their balance sheets," he said. "I know that many of you have told me that you're waiting for demand to rise before you get off the sidelines and expand, and that with millions of Americans out of work, demand has risen more slowly than any of us would like." He continued his challenge, saying, "Many of your own economists and salespeople are now forecasting a healthy increase in demand. So I want to encourage you to get in the game."

Such posturing is laughable coming from a man so completely lacking in private-sector experience. Furthermore, as has been well documented in this space, Obama's Keynesian stimulus failed to keep unemployment down or to stop the feeling of economic malaise. Worse yet, his regulatory frenzy and his promises to raise taxes on small business owners have created great uncertainty.

In January, the president appeared ready to deregulate, but as we noted then1, that was a farce. The pace of new regulations under Obama is historic. Monday, he talked about eliminating "burdensome regulations," while insisting that "not every regulation is bad" or "burdensome on business." In other words, businesses will take the regulations he gives them and like it.

Obama did offer what appeared to be an olive branch, saying, "If there's a reason you don't share my confidence, if there's a reason you don't believe that this is the time to get off the sidelines -- to hire and to invest -- I want to know about it. I want to fix it." Of course, if we thought the problem was bad, his solutions have been worse.

Businesses didn't even wait for the speech to provide feedback. Earlier Monday, Republicans released 2,000 pages of letters from businesses detailing the negative effects of the administration's regulatory policies. Obama's message may have been that "we can and we must work together," but he needs to stop treating the Chamber of Commerce like a prison chamber for commerce. It's called the free market for a reason.

The BIG Lie

"I didn't raise taxes once." --Barack Obama in a pre-Super Bowl interview

We guess it depends on what the meanings of "tax" is. According to The Heritage Foundation2, "All told Obamacare contains 18 separate tax increases that will cost taxpayers $503 billion between 2010 and 2019."

Hope 'n' Change: ObamaCare Will Cost How Many Jobs?

Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Director Doug Elmendorf testified before Congress Thursday that ObamaCare will cost 800,000 jobs. During the hearing, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) asked, "It's been argued ... that the new health care law will create jobs and increase labor force participation. But if I recall from your analysis, it was quite the opposite. Is that not the case?" Elmendorf replied simply, "Yes."

Rep. John Campbell (R-CA) followed up by asking, "In your estimation, the health care law would reduce employment by 800,000 in [2020]-'21. Is that correct?"

"Yes," Elmendorf replied again. "The way I would put it is that we do estimate, as you said, that ... employment will be about 160 million by the end of the decade. Half a percent of that is 800,000."

"It's about jobs," insisted then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) just days before the final vote on the so-called Affordable Care Act. "In its life, [the bill] will create four million jobs -- 400,000 jobs almost immediately." Au contraire, says the CBO, and their estimate still includes static scoring, all the phony "savings" and so forth that the law's authors inserted to make it look better. Somehow, "we told you so" doesn't quite satisfy.

From the Left: Railroading the Nation

Vice President and aspiring railroad buff Joe Biden announced this week that the Obama administration wants to spend $53 billion on developing a high-speed inter-city rail system. The federal government has already spent $10 billion on the project and has absolutely nothing to show for it. Undeterred by the cost or by the fact that the government is broke, Biden was absolutely giddy about the idea of a modern rail system for the country. Both he and the president maintain that an updated infrastructure will help make the U.S. more competitive against the rising economies of India and China. Regardless of the merits of that claim, leaving the government to fund and build that infrastructure is a nonstarter. Just take a look at Amtrak, which is a model of government meddling and inefficiency.

John Mica, chairman of the House Transportation Committee, shot down the idea as a waste of money, joking, "This is like giving Bernie Madoff another chance at handling your investment portfolio." House Republicans have vowed to kill the plan when it comes in Obama's 2012 budget. On the other side, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, rumored to have been a Republican at one time, cooed that Biden "is the conductor of the train to the future." If that's the case, we had better brace for a derailment.

News From the Swamp: Notable Exits

Sens. Jim Webb (D-VA) and John Kyl (R-AZ) joined a growing list of senators announcing their retirement3 in recent weeks. Kyl, the GOP whip, exhibited his conservative spirit, saying, "There is more to life than working in the United States Senate." If more senators realized that, the nation would be better off. Webb's decision was motivated by what he called a desire to "return to the private sector," however, his announcement comes just days after former Republican Sen. George Allen declared his intention to run to regain his seat. Webb's retirement puts Democrats in a bind. According to Democrat consultant Garry South, "It would take divine intervention to save Democratic control of the Senate in 2012. Neither party can defend 23 Senate seats in a single election year."

In news of the absurd, Rep. Christopher Lee (R-NY) resigned abruptly Wednesday after a shirtless self-portrait that he sent to a woman via Craigslist surfaced. Lee is married with a child. Citing his "profound mistakes," Lee's resignation took effect only hours after the picture hit the Internet. At least he had the decency to resign. We wonder if Sens. John Ensign (R-NV) and David Vitter (R-LA) are taking notes.

Democrats Turn Red in the South

The South is increasingly becoming a solid GOP bastion, particularly since the 2010 elections. The trend is so pervasive that Democrats are defecting to the Republican Party in droves. Since the midterms 24 state senators and representatives in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia have switched sides and joined the GOP. The region started trending Republican on the presidential level in 1964 in support of Barry Goldwater's presidential campaign, but many lower offices remained in Democrat hands.

In recent years, however, Republican support has trickled down to the state and local level. All but two of the states in the region have Republican governors, and most state legislatures are under Republican control. The reason for the change: "the increased liberalization of the Democratic Party," as stated by Emory University political science professor Merle Black. National Democrats hope to start reversing the trend in 2012, when they will hold their national convention in Charlotte, NC.

[nChrist]

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The Patriot Post Digest 2-11-2011
From The Federalist Patriot
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National Security
Egyptian President Mubarak Remains Defiant

    Update: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak waited until the latest edition of The Patriot Post was published to resign, but resign he did. Egypt will remain under military control until the next change of mind. And now back to our regularly scheduled story.

Though Egyptian officials were "confirming" the imminent resignation of President Hosni Mubarak on Thursday night, he addressed his nation and announced that he plans to remain president. He will cede some authority to the vice president and manage a transition later this year. Mubarak was supposedly going to hand control to the Egyptian Higher Council of the Armed Forces, a body roughly analogous to the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff and Secretary of Defense. "Instead," Reuters reports4, "the 82-year-old former general portrayed himself as a patriot overseeing an orderly transition until elections in September."

Mubarak told the crowds, "Your demands are legitimate and just... There is no shame in hearing your voices and opinions, but I refuse any and all dictations from abroad. I have announced my commitment to peacefully hand over power after upcoming elections." This went over like a lead balloon with protesters, who shouted, "Leave, leave."

What comes after his exit? Possibly military control, which, while alien to the United States, is probably the best option for Egypt's immediate future. The Egyptian military is professional, trusted and respected by the population, which is more than can be said for just about any potential individual with the knowledge and stature to replace Mubarak. Only the military has the monopoly on force that may be required to prevent a descent into anarchy or worse. For now, though, the military is backing Mubarak's decision.

As for possible successors, Nobel Peace Prize recipient and first-rate clown Mohamed ElBaradei, no longer employed as Iran's chief nuclear enabler, is the only name known to many Westerners. Omar Suleiman, Egypt's long-serving intelligence chief, is probably too closely linked to Mubarak to satisfy the popular demand for change.

The United States military's 30-year relationship with the Egyptian military should provide the Obama administration sufficient influence to apply pressure and encouragement where each is necessary. The one outcome that must be avoided is a repeat of the Palestinian disaster, in which the Israel-hating thugs of Hamas won an election, and then proceeded to rule at the point of a gun. The Muslim Brotherhood, which was responsible for the assassination of Egypt's former president, Anwar Sadat, is the most dangerous threat to Egypt's future freedom, but they are not the only such threat. Pay close attention in the coming days and weeks, for what shakes out in Egypt will have profound effect in Libya, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and every other Middle East nation run by unelected leaders.

Patriot Act Provision Extension Fails

In what appears to be the GOP leadership's overestimation of support, the House failed this week to extend three provisions of The Patriot Act. Republicans brought up the bill under a suspension of the rules, meaning that it was expedited to the floor but required a two-thirds majority to pass. The 277-148 vote was seven short of that requirement, largely because 26 Republicans, including eight freshmen, voted no, saying that Republican leadership didn't furnish time to digest the details. Imagine that -- representatives who want to read a bill before they vote on it. However, Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) pointed out that 36 Democrats voted no this time after having voted yes on the same provisions in the past.

The three provisions in question were Section 206, which allows roving surveillance to track alleged terrorists who move from cell phone to cell phone; Section 215, which allows investigators to obtain records from businesses and other institutions without a suspect's knowledge; and Section 6001, or the so-called "lone wolf" provision, which allows authorities to track individual non-citizens who are acting without connection to an organized terror group or foreign power. Approval from the special court established under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is required for the first two provisions, while the FBI says the third one has never been used.

Najibullah Zazi, the would-be New York subway bomber, was arrested before he could set off the bombs in part because of roving wiretaps. Since 9/11, at least 36 terrorist plots have been thwarted, and many credit Patriot Act provisions with aiding in those successes.

Immigration Front: U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Discharged Over Citizenship

Luis Lopez spent 10 years in the U.S. Army, serving in both Iraq and Afghanistan, where he earned medals and accolades for his service. Lopez was also an illegal alien, brought to the United States by his parents when he was only eight years old. When Lopez graduated from high school, he joined the Army using a fake "birth abstract" showing that he was born in Los Angeles. In December, he came clean and tried to apply for citizenship under a 1952 law that provides for naturalization for foreign nationals who have "served honorably" in the military. That law is why Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) opposed the DREAM Act, which would have provided avenues for citizenship to illegals who completed college or served in the military. He said the DREAM Act was unnecessary because "there is already a legal process in place for illegal aliens to obtain U.S. citizenship through military service."

Lopez ran into some obstacles, however, when immigration paperwork asked that the Army's personnel department certify that he was serving "honorably." The chief of the division, citing the fact that he had "fraudulently enlisted," checked "No." Therefore, Lopez was discharged. The story didn't end there, though. His commanding officer, Lt. Col. Frank Stanco, wrote a recommendation letter on his behalf, saying, "I strongly recommend that SSG Lopez [be] awarded United States Citizenship for his commitment and service to the United States of America." Lopez participated in a naturalization ceremony on Wednesday.

Business & Economy
Income Redistribution: Taxes at '60 Year Low,' AP Says

Are your federal taxes too high? Well, stop whining, because, according to the Associated Press5, taxes are at a 60-year low. Of course, the "60-year low" is true regarding only one particular statistic: Total federal tax dollars this year will be the lowest since 1950 when compared to the total size of the nation's economy. (Not so true for the debt and deficit.) However, our individual tax rates are not based on the size of the economy, so this statistic is rather meaningless. Nevertheless, there is no doubt the Left will seize on this to say taxes are too low and must be raised, especially on the hated "rich" who benefited too much from President Bush's tax cuts. Lost on the Left is the fact that the Bush cuts actually increased federal tax revenue -- and the share of taxes paid by those in the top brackets. But since when has the Left let reality get in the way of increasing the size and power of government?

There are several reasons for this "60-year low." The primary one is, as the AP so eloquently put it, "thanks to a weak economy," which naturally leads to lower tax revenue as people become unemployed and corporate profits fall. Our ridiculously complicated tax code also leads to falling revenue. For example, thanks to the many new deductions and credits with which politicians bribe voters, a family with two children making $50,000 can avoid paying any federal income tax at all, some low-income families actually make a profit using the tax code, and, yes, the wealthy can significantly and legally cut their taxes using various loopholes.

Never fear, however. Many of us will soon pay more in taxes thanks to ObamaCare, assuming it survives. Some states have already raised taxes because, unlike Washington, they have to balance their budgets every year. There is no doubt that if the federal government doesn't get its spending and monstrous tax code under control soon, America is headed for a fiscal train wreck unlike any seen before.

[nChrist]

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The Patriot Post Digest 2-11-2011
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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Government's Tire Treads All Over Toyota

Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced this week that after a 10-month investigation, eight million recalls, hundreds of lawsuits, congressional hearings and $48.8 million in fines, Toyota's vehicles were not in fact accelerating on their own. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, with the help of NASA engineers, conducted the 10-month study to determine Toyota's culpability in the now well-known scandal involving cars that would accelerate out of control. Their conclusion was that it was due to, as LaHood delicately put it, "pedal misapplications" -- otherwise known as "driver error."

The initial panic began in 2009 when a Lexus dealer put the wrong floor mats in a loaner car, causing the gas pedal to stick. Soon, the government was demanding that Toyota recall millions of vehicles to fix defective gas pedals. No wonder LaHood had such trouble using plain English. Maybe he's as uncomfortable as we are about the inherent conflict that arises when the owner of one car company leads the investigation into another car company.

Around the Nation: Governors Take Out Spending Axes

It seems the race is on among governors countrywide to balance state budgets by cutting spending and shrinking government while avoiding (for the most part) tax increases. In stark contrast to years past, when "more is better" ruled the day, states both blue and red seem determined to make tough decisions so they can start seeing green. In Oregon, for example, Democrat Governor John Kitzhaber wants to cut Medicaid reimbursements to doctors and hospitals and cut funding for mental-health institutions. Across the country, Republican Governor Rick Scott of Florida proposed a budget this week that slashes $4.6 billion from state spending while tackling the public-employee pension system. In Iowa, Republican Governor Terry Branstad has proposed cutting state funding for preschool from $71 million to $43 million and in California, Democrat Jerry Brown is looking to cut Medicaid and higher-education funding while giving local governments more control over corrections and foster care.

Perhaps the mad dash toward fiscal responsibility is a result of reality finally having pulled ahead of fantasy. As Gov. Kitzhaber noted, "The way we responded to recessions in the past was to do less of the same, with the hope of having more money later so we could do more of the same. There's a once-in-a-generation opportunity to do some things we should have done a long time ago." Here's hoping states seize this opportunity now, as waiting until the next generation will be too late.

Death and Taxes

Benjamin Franklin once observed that "nothing is certain but death and taxes." Who would have thought the two would become so closely intertwined? The federal death tax is 35 percent this year, and many states take another cut. Thanks to a recent twist in federal law rescinding a credit for state taxes and replacing it with a deduction, buying the farm in 20 states carries a combined federal and state tax bill of more than 40 percent (including inheritance and estate taxes). The Garden State of New Jersey tops the list, where government takes a whopping 54.1 percent of an estate for a citizen's privilege of pushing up daisies. Not far behind is Maryland; dying in the supposed "Free State" costs 50.9 percent. On the low end of the top 20 (although hardly low in reality), death in Tennessee costs 41.2 percent.

However, the cost of dying is also costing these states. According to a study by the Ocean State Policy Research Institute in Rhode Island, "from 1995 to 2007 Rhode Island collected $341.3 million from the estate tax while it lost $540 million in other taxes due to out-migration." The study found that "the most significant driver of out-migration is the estate tax." In neighboring Connecticut, a study found that from 2004 to 2007, estate-tax free states created double the number of jobs and grew 50 percent more quickly than states with estate taxes. Coincidence? We think not.

Responding to the rising expense of expiring, some states are looking to kill the death tax, a move that is long overdue. After all, as if costs of living weren't high enough, in some states, it's the cost of dying that will kill you.

Culture & Policy
The Planned Parenthood Trap

Last week, we noted6 pro-life activist group Live Action's multi-state sting of Planned Parenthood clinics, in which the latter's staff offered advice on how to help sex traffickers avoid the law and get taxpayers to pay for it. Planned Parenthood's weak attempt at defusing the situation included firing the staff person from its clinic in New Jersey, but it has become glaringly obvious that this problem isn't isolated to a few clinics.

Live Action has now released six such videos, including one filmed in New York City. Once again, a man and a woman posing as sex traffickers allegedly received "counseling" from a Planned Parenthood staff member on how to pose as an underage girl's guardian and how to get taxpayer-funded insurance to foot the bill for abortions and other services.

Planned Parenthood has announced that it will be "retraining" employees on how to report crimes such as human sex trafficking -- something one would think a "feminist" organization would already have expertise in exposing. No doubt the retraining will also include spotting pro-life activists. Spokesman Stuart Schear remained defiant, speculating that this was a "dirty tricks campaign" on the part of Live Action. Schear glosses over the fact that his staff was caught on tape, and that the organization has been caught abetting human rights atrocities, albeit fake ones.

The New York City clinic claims that the "hoax" patients didn't get past the reception desk and that staff acted appropriately, but Live Action still plans to turn this latest tape over to authorities. In New Jersey, the attorney general has launched an investigation, and it is reported that Virginia plans to follow suit, but that's not enough. Lawmakers seeking to decrease government spending should start with the annual $350 million given to Planned Parenthood.

Faith and Family: National Marriage Week

Now for the good news! Feb. 7 kicked off National Marriage Week, whereby organizations across the country will celebrate the many benefits -- emotional, cultural and economic -- of wedded bliss. The focus is on encouraging folks to take the leap, and strengthen the bonds of those who have already done so. In recent years the percentage of people getting married has plummeted, accompanied by an increase in births outside of marriage to 41 percent. All studies also show that children of single-parent families are at a much, much greater risk of experiencing poverty, increased criminal activity, substance abuse, physical abuse, and so forth in their lifetimes. National Marriage Week, which runs until Valentine's Day, is also a time to encourage elected officials to change tax laws that discourage marriage. Visit the National Marriage Week website7 to find out more.

[nChrist]

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The Patriot Post Digest 2-11-2011
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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From the 'Non Compos Mentis' File

If you believe Leftmedia propaganda, it's the Tea Party that often erupts in violent, destructive protest, creating havoc and threatening the lives of innocent politicians and other bystanders. In truth, though, the protests on the Left are the ones that often spin out of control. Witness the mob brought out by the leftist advocacy group Common Cause as they aired their grievances with a California conference organized by the libertarian-leaning brothers Charles and David Koch. Their biggest sin? Founding the group Americans for Prosperity and otherwise aligning themselves with conservative causes.

Captured on video8 are Common Cause participants who believe that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas should be impeached and after conviction we should "string him up" or "cut off his toes one by one and feed them to him." Common Cause excuses this by claiming, "every political gathering has a crude sign-painter or epithet-spewing heckler." Yet even if this is true -- and it's not -- few scream for blood like the attendees at this gathering.

Remember, theirs is the side that called for "civility" in the wake of the Tucson shooting, yet they tried to create the perception that the shooter was allied with Sarah Palin and a Tea Party regular -- in truth, he would have been more at home in the group of Common Cause protesters. As always, those on the Left want us to do what they say and not what they do. Hypocrisy on parade.

Village Academic Curriculum: Arabic Classes in Elementary School?

It's amazing what gymnastics a local school district will go through to receive federal money. Take the example of the Mansfield Independent School District in Texas, which obviously isn't independent enough to pass up the opportunity for $1.3 million over five years from Beltway bureaucrats in exchange for integrating Arabic studies into their elementary and intermediate school curriculum.

Still, the Mansfield district claims9 the program was installed because Arabic is a "critical language" that not enough Americans speak. "This means that our country has a shortage of Arabic speakers and there is a need for people who are not only proficient in the Arabic language, but also possess knowledge about its cultures and traditions." It also "supports the diversity within MISD."

The Arabic curriculum, while voluntary for 5th through 8th graders, drew an outcry among parents and interested observers who worried about it being a backdoor method for indoctrination to the Islamic religion. Bowing to this pressure, the district placed the program "on hold" but didn't close the door to future implementation.

Ironically, the Foreign Language Assistance Program this Mansfield grant came from is part of the No Child Left Behind package of reforms spearheaded by George W. Bush. It shows what happens when the best of intentions are left to bureaucrats in Washington instead of being kept at the local level.

Political Correctness Claims Even a Muslim Leader

The "get out of jail free" card Islamic leaders seem to have in this politically correct nation of ours doesn't seem to apply when they run afoul of the homosexual lobby. Such was the case with Sheik Abdallah Adhami, who was slated to become chief imam of Park51, better known as the Ground Zero mosque10.

While Adhami contended the resignation was to "devote my time to the completion of my book which assists English readers in understanding and facilitating the language of the Quran," the timing was suspect since the New York Post had revealed remarks by Adhami claiming homosexuality stemmed from "violent emotional or sexual abuse at some point in (a homosexual's) life." The sheik also postulated that those who leave Islam should keep their experiences private or risk jail.

Still, the equation of homosexuality to a "painful trial" doesn't play well among those already sensitive to the prospect of a mosque near the former World Trade Center site, so Adhami had to go. However, the door remains open for him to lead prayers "informally" according to Park51 president Sharif El-Gamal.

And Last...

During his State of the Union address, Barack Obama debuted a key phrase for his administration's plans this year: "Win the future." As the pop-culturally savvy know, this phrase reduces to the rather unfortunate acronym "WTF." Since this is a family journal we won't spell it out, but it's actually shorthand for a fitting reaction to most of the administration's actions.

Enter Joe Biden, he of "BFD" fame11, to straighten things out. Announcing the aforementioned $53 billion rail system, Joe the Gaffer used the phrase "seize the future." This time, the unfortunate acronym is STFU12. Of course, that's what Obama has been trying to tell Biden since day one.

(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://patriotpost.us/edition/2011/01/21/digest/
   2. http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2011/01/obamacare-and-new-taxes-destroying-jobs-and-the-economy
   3. http://patriotpost.us/edition/2011/01/28/digest/
   4. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/10/us-egypt-idUSTRE70O3UW20110210
   5. http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/one-measure-federal-taxes-lowest-1950
   6. http://patriotpost.us/edition/2011/02/04/digest/#4
   7. http://www.nationalmarriageweekusa.org/
   8. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3ctO7fdrcc
   9. http://www.mansfieldisd.org/curriculum/foreign-language/pdf/ArabicStudiesFAQ.pdf
  10. http://patriotpost.us/edition/2010/08/20/digest/
  11. http://patriotpost.us/edition/2010/03/26/digest/
  12. http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/STFU