The Patriot Post Brief 7-29-2013

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The Patriot Post Brief 7-29-2013
From The Federalist Patriot
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Shaved Heads for Solidarity

July 29, 2013

The Foundation

"Be in general virtuous, and you will be happy." --Benjamin Franklin

Inspiration

"Former President George H.W. Bush shaved his head [last] Tuesday, supporting a two-year-old with leukemia whose father is part of the 89-year-old's Secret Service detail. Members of the Bush Protective Division began removing their hair last week in solidarity with Patrick, who was diagnosed with leukemia last spring, Bush's spokesperson Jim McGrath told CBSNews.com. Bush said 'it was very easy for him to do,' McGrath said. Patrick's prognosis is 'good,' but his treatment and illness carry a special place in Bush's heart as his daughter Robin died of the same blood disease in 1953 when she was three. His Secret Service members have organized a website and 50-mile motorcycle ride through Maine -- where Bush resides -- to help pay for Patrick's medical bills." --CBS News1

Opinion in Brief

"What does a president in a perpetual campaign do when national disapproval rates start rising higher than 50 percent? He returns to Knox College2 in Galesburg, Ill., the site of a Lincoln-Douglas debate and, even more impressively -- as a nearly breathless White House informed us -- the place he delivered his first major economic address as a U.S. senator. ... That's not to say that Obama offered a single new constructive idea. Raise the minimum wage? Force banks to lend money more easily? Subsidize clean energy? Universal preschool? 'I'm going to challenge CEOs from some of America's best companies to hire more Americans,' says our humble leader -- because, evidently, CEOs want to stick it to workers for the heck of it. Bold. Whatever you make of these ideas in general, they are unserious policy prescriptions for a stagnant economy. If the president were earnest about moving forward, he would have offered something, anything -- regulatory slowdown or a reprieve for small businesses or a pipeline even. Instead, the GOP was presented with a grab bag of progressive hobbyhorses that he knows have no chance of going anywhere. And isn't that the point? Keep your heel on the throat of the obstructionists and win the politics of the day. The House and White House are ready to battle over the debt ceiling and budget, and that's what this is about." --columnist David Harsanyi3

For the Record

"During [Obama's] first two years in office, his party controlled both houses of Congress and rammed through its agenda. Largely as a result, Democrats lost the House in 2010, but they have retained the Senate, where Majority Leader Harry Reid has been playing the Igor to Obama's Dr. Frankenstein ever since (though reporters have yet to catch Reid actually saying 'Yetthhhh master' on tape). At Obama's bidding, the Senate failed to pass a budget for four years and refused to take up any meaningful legislation passed by the House. That's not the narrative you usually hear, because for most of Obama's presidency, the Washington press corps was enthralled with him. It wasn't until the dawn of his second term that most reporters stopped asking questions like, 'Can you create a boulder too heavy for you to lift?' It's also odd that Obama has pivoted back to the economy when, depending on whose estimates you use, he's made similar 'pivots' on average once every 2-4 months since he's been elected. As one wag told the Weekly Standard, 'You do that on the basketball court, you get called for traveling.' But the more apt image is of a basketball player with one shoe nailed to the floor, constantly pivoting in a circle." --columnist Jonah Goldberg4

Reader Comments

"After reading Mark Alexander's essay, If Obama Had a City5, I have one thing to add: The pillaging of America did not start with Obama and will not end when he leaves office. It will stop when voters stop voting for the people who are pillaging." --Barry in Merritt Island, Florida

"Mark Alexander hit the nail on the head5. Detroit plus 60 years of Democratic leadership -- what could go wrong? Margret Thatcher was right, 'eventually you run out of other people's money.'" --Retired in Georgia

"Detroit5 is a prime example of the end result of unfunded socialistic policies coupled with immoral, amoral, unethical politicians who can't, or won't, see past tomorrow's payday." --Richard in Alexandria, Virginia

Re: The Left

"'...we discussed the fact that Ho Chi Minh was actually inspired by the U.S. Declaration of Independence and Constitution, and the words of Thomas Jefferson.' --President Obama talking to reporters alongside Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang. I can't speak for you, of course, but there was no need for me to hear the words above pass the lips of the US President for me to be convinced he is a communist. ... I won't dispute that Uncle Ho may have studied our Founding Fathers and founding documents. Lots of dictators have done so. Heck, if I was a fledgling dictator, I'd be darned sure to study those men and those documents because they are dangerous to tyrants and dictators. ... Our President, Obama is a dyed in the wool socialist. ... His spread the wealth policies and statist philosophy of governing and disrespect for the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and his shallow knowledge of US history mark him for what he truly is. Ho Chi Minh was a bone fide tyrant. A communist tyrant! ... But, dear reader, what is even MORE troubling is this: With all this knowledge of Obama sympathies toward communism, roughly half the American electorate put him in office -- and kept him there for a second term. Now THAT is TRULY frightening!" --columnist J. D. Longstreet6

Essential Liberty

"Few people understand the legal origins from which our rule of law is derived, beginning with the Magna Carta, which established the principle that no one, including the king or a lawmaker, is above the law. Nor are people cognizant of the subsequent history and philosophy influencing the framers of the U.S. and many state constitutions. Sadly, this lack of understanding is what allows so many people to disregard a system of justice intended to be impartial and to afford each citizen equal protection under the law. It is this disregard which propels mobs to demand social justice and influences politicians to entertain the passion of the people. The founders and framers were afraid of mob rule. They understood that emotion impairs judgment. ... The study of our state and U.S. constitutions does not receive nearly enough attention in our nation's schools. While reading, writing, and arithmetic are critical to an educated citizenry, understanding how our rule of law is designed to limit government and maximize freedom is critical to the liberties for which our forebears fought so hard." --columnist Nancy Salvato7

Government

"According to a USA Today/Bipartisan Policy Center poll, 'Americans by more than 2-1 say the best way to make positive changes in society is through volunteer organizations and charities, not by being active in government.' Even better news: People under 30 are especially put off by politics and are 'significantly less likely than their parents to say participating in politics is an important value in their lives.' Why is this good news? There are at least two reasons. One is that the less faith people have in government, the more they are likely to have in themselves. The second is that a public loss of faith in politics and politicians increases the possibility of government becoming smaller. That could mean less spending, a smaller deficit and ultimately, one hopes, lower taxes. ... If Republicans want to regain trust, they should be focusing less on the failures of Democrats and more on the successes of Republican governors, Republican legislatures, charitable organizations ... and volunteers. They are achieving goals Washington can't. Instead, Washington continues to misspend too much money with little to show for it, except ever-increasing debt." --columnist Cal Thomas8