Free In Idaho!

Hmmm… CNN, eh?

Fifty-six percent of people questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Friday say they think the federal government’s become so large and powerful that it poses an immediate threat to the rights and freedoms of ordinary citizens. Forty-four percent of those polled disagree.

Well, with Obama’s approval rating below 50%, and Congress’ rating at 18%, is it any wonder that even CNN is beginning to find a majority of citizens who are more than just a little wary of their government? After all, a supermajority of Americans wants Congress to either scrap the current “healthcare” bill and do nothing (or at least start over), yet the leadership of the majority party is planning to pass it anyway using cheater’s rules and a one vote majority. That’s kinda threatening.

Most Americans are being negatively affected by the economy, yet the government is spending money it doesn’t have, on credit, so recklessly that even the Chinese recognize there is a problem. Yeah, that’s rather threatening as well.

Adding a new dimension to the term “talking points”, the same Administration that castigated Republicans for their “talking points” has set up a “how to call talk radio” webpage. Not even Richard Nixon at his most paranoid thought of using the gullible elements of the American public in such a way. Do you find that threatening?

In perusing some of the left side blogs I find some head scratching going on, and many people questioning “what has the government done to threaten anyone?  I don’t understand where this poll is coming from, the Bush administration was threatening but not this one” blah blah blah.  People, read what the poll was about.  Has the government gotten so large and powerful as to be an immediate threat to the rights and freedoms of its citizens?  It didn’t ask what rights you’ve lost, or when your guns were taken away, or anything else.  It simply asked if the government has gotten big enough to be a threat.

Is the government big enough to try to mandate what a citizen must buy?  Is it big and powerful enough to mandate that you participate in its retirement ponzi scheme, which, by the way, would land a non-governmental schemer a long prison sentence?  Is it big enough to punish you for saying or doing “the wrong thing”?  Is it big enough to take away your property and give it to someone else?  Is it powerful enough to demand that sports figures or the CEO of a foreign company go before a kangaroo court to testify and apologize?  Is it powerful enough for an unelected agency to mandate rules and regulations for businesses and citizens alike?  Is it so large now that few even talk about trying make it smaller anymore, they just argue over who gets to steer?

Only 56 percent of the folks answered yes.  That may seem like progress, until you think about it.  But if only 56% recognize the size and power of Leviathan, well, I find THAT threatening.

I heard Bob Brinker this past weekend talking about the plans that are starting to surface in Washington D.C.  Some wonderboy has seriously floated the idea that the government should take your 401k and in return give you a promise to pay you when you get old.  This subject came up before, in October of 2008 if I remember correctly.  And hmm.  Where have we heard that bright idea before?  Oh yeah, Social Security.  Now that’s security for ya.

What is wrong with the people in government today?  What is wrong with the American people?  It is NOT the government’s job to assure that the guy down the street has enough money to retire on by stealing some of yours.  Using the government’s guns to steal from one citizen in order to give it to another is theft.  Pajamas Media has an article on the subject this morning.

Unfortunately, the Republicans are little better than the Democrats with regard to respecting your rights to your own money. Republican Congressman Paul Ryan has proposed his own “Roadmap” to “reform” Social Security, where you could divert some of your Social Security money into a nominally private individual account. But you couldn’t invest your money as you saw fit. Instead, if you met certain eligibility requirements (set by the government), you would be allowed to put some of your money into special accounts (approved by the government), to be managed not by the private investment service of your choice — but by the government.

In his Newsweek interview, Ryan claimed that his plan “unapologetically applies our nation’s founding principles — individual liberty, limited government, and free enterprise — to the challenges of today.” But his plan does nothing of the sort. In fact Ryan openly admitted to the New York Times, “I make a lot of concessions here to the left.” As with the Obama administration’s plan, under the Ryan plan your money wouldn’t really be yours to do with as you wished. Instead, you could only do with it what the government permitted.

If Republicans truly wanted to respect the principles of individual liberty and limited government, they would respect Americans’ rights to save or spend their money as they wished. The government’s job is not to somehow guarantee a fixed standard of living to all retirees but instead to protect individual rights — including each person’s right to enjoy the fruits of his labor and his right to plan for his retirement according to his best judgment.

Both the Republican Party and the Democrat Party begin with the belief that everything in America belongs to the government, so government can determine who gets to do what and who gets to have how much. That goes for food, money, and property. Take a look at the death tax if you don’t believe me. The argument is not against the government stealing part of a dead man’s estate from his heirs, it is only about how much of it they will take. It’s an immoral confiscation, but nobody seems to care. Same with Social Security, and apparently, the same will soon be the case with your 401k.

This government is broke, not just financially, but morally.  The stock market bubble and the real estate bubble were simply symptoms of a dysfunctional economy overseen by a dysfunctional and corrupt government.  I have read some speculation that the retirement account takeover is a last ditch attempt to keep the whole U.S. Treasury system afloat.  Fine.  You and I can do nothing to stop them or to change it.  But please folks, take steps to protect yourself.

Tea Party.  It isn’t about “anti tax”.  It isn’t a “Third Party”.  It isn’t about religion and sex.  What was that old line the Dems used to use?  Oh yeah, “it’s the economy, stupid”.   Seems like nobody in the ruling party cares about that anymore.  It’s going to cost them.  Mark Davis wrote a good short piece over at Real Clear Politics.

At long last, people who might disagree on a number of other things are uniting in a fight for strong but limited government, run responsibly and frugally. It took Democrats and Republicans to create this mess, and entrenched members of both parties could soon find themselves back in the private sector if the enthusiasm of tea parties and town halls carries all the way to the November elections.

Not really.  And neither does Michelle.

No, I don’t miss having a corporate socialist Republican in the White House any more than I like having a corporate socialist Democrat in the White House now.

Exactly right. She has 9 other worthy points on her “not so much” list. Big government is big government, no matter whether an elephant or a donkey leads the parade.

If you haven’t done anything wrong, you have nothing to hide, right?  blah blah blah…

UPDATE: I must have felt a disturbance in the force or something… milblogger Michael Yon was arrested in Seattle’s airport earlier today… returning from an overseas trip, he refused to answer a question about how much money he made… all you folks who blew me off about making a big deal of this picture, PAY ATTENTION!  Damn.  What is it going to take?

Now, legal plunder can be committed in an infinite number of ways. Thus we have an infinite number of plans for organizing it: tariffs, protection, benefits, subsidies, encouragements, progressive taxation, public schools, guaranteed jobs, guaranteed profits, minimum wages, a right to relief, a right to the tools of labor, free credit, and so on, and so on. All these plans as a whole—with their common aim of legal plunder—constitute socialism.    

But how is this legal plunder to be identified? Quite simply. See if the law takes from some persons what belongs to them, and gives it to other persons to whom it does not belong. See if the law benefits one citizen at the expense of another by doing what the citizen himself cannot do without committing a crime.

                              -Frederic Bastiat

So, “health care” passes, as you knew it would.  Are you happy about that?

Are you happy with the deficit?  You and I complained about the Bush deficit, and the way government grew and spent money.  But you aren’t saying much these days.  Why?  Are you happy with all the bribes, earmarks, and payoffs it took to get this done?  You and I complained about the political shenanigans during the past administration.  But you’re pretty quiet these days.  Why?  And we complained about what looked like corporate welfare in the past.  But you haven’t been complaining about the payoffs to the drug companies and the insurance companies and the unions.  Why?

We heard a lot about “bipartisan” this and that over the previous 8 years, and lots of complaining about Bush not listening to the Democrats.  I’m not seeing the current administration being any better.  And I can’t say I’m all that impressed with how either government listens to the people.  Are you?

I had expected to hear a lot of political talk at parties and gatherings this holiday season, and I have to say, I was dreading what I expected to be a lot of gloating from my left leaning friends, family, and acquaintences.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that most of them aren’t any more thrilled by all of this than I am.  Intelligent people on both sides of the political spectrum can see what has been going on, and they can see what the future holds if all of this continues…

Are you ready to join us?  No, I don’t mean changing sides, although that might be a thought.  I mean, it’s no longer so much Republicans vs Democrats anymore, except in D.C.  I see it more as big government vs the people, and the entire “health care” debacle is my #1 exhibit.  So, whose side are you on, the people’s or the politicians’?  Just how big of a government do you want?  Where’s your line in the sand, and what are you going to do about it?

Are you hoping he’ll eat you last?

Are you willing to spend time studying the issues, making yourself aware, and then conveying that information to family and friends? Will you resist the temptation to get a government handout for your community? Realize that the doctor’s fight against socialized medicine is your fight. We can’t socialize the doctors without socializing the patients. Recognize that government invasion of public power is eventually an assault upon your own business. If some among you fear taking a stand because you are afraid of reprisals from customers, clients, or even government, recognize that you are just feeding the crocodile hoping he’ll eat you last.

If all of this seems like a great deal of trouble, think what’s at stake. We are faced with the most evil enemy mankind has known in his long climb from the swamp to the stars. There can be no security anywhere in the free world if there is no fiscal and economic stability within the United States. Those who ask us to trade our freedom for the soup kitchen of the welfare state are architects of a policy of accommodation.
                       - Ronald Reagan 1964 “A Time For Choosing“

“Conservative” Democrat Walt Minnick voted with his party this afternoon to reimpose the death tax and to make it permanent.  I find it interesting that, in typical Democrat fashion, they have named the silly bill “The Permanent Estate Tax Relief for Families, Farmers, and Small Businesses Act of 2009″.  Oh thank you thank you thank you.

The bill would extend the 2009 estate tax level to 2010 and make permanent the estate tax at a $3.5 million level for an individual and $7 million level exemption for couples and impose a 45% maximum tax rate as proposed by the Obama Administration.

2010 was the final year of the Bush tax cut that would have removed the inheritance tax altogether. But we just can’t have that, can we? What was that idiot Bush thinking?  Governments don’t have any money of their own, they have to take it from the citizens.  A year without death taxes?  Preposterous!  Certainly, what families, farmers, and small businesses have worked hard to build all their lives will be much better given to the Democrats Federal government, don’t you think? I think we need to relieve the anxiety in Washington D.C. about not having enough tax money.  And the best way to do that is to relieve the citizens of their burden.  And I’m glad Walt Minnick thinks so too. Hey, all you Idahoans who thought Bill Sali might not be right enough for Idaho… how ya liking pro-abortion, pro-taxes, pro-death taxes Walt Minnick? Shoe getting a little tight for some of you yet?

Please don’t be fooled by all the bleating and excuses being made by Democrats in the press.  There is no bigger or more blatant example of wealth distribution than a death tax.  IT IS NOT THEIR MONEY.  Government doesn’t have any money, unless they run the presses.  So don’t be fooled by the “government will lose blah blah amount of revenue” or “the deficit will grow by xx percent”.  They don’t “lose” what isn’t theirs.  And the deficit will only grow by the amount of money they spend that they do not have and can’t steal from a citizen. 

A gentleman by the name of James Pethokoukis gives us two unicorns in one blog post over at Reuters.  One is a lefty unicorn, more taxes.  In this case, the so-called ‘value added tax’.

Liberals love the idea of a VAT because it’s, well, so European — also because it does raise tons of revenue to expand government. And that is what Obama wants: more revenue to pay for bigger government. Is a VAT better than the soak-the-rich approach favored by Democrats such as Nancy Pelosi and Charlie Rangel? Sure. Of course, the concern is that a VAT would be in addition to new soak-the-rich taxes.

The other is a righty unicorn, Reaganism.

Obama wants a VAT? First, it should be part of broader tax reform, including getting rid of capital gains and corporate taxes. Second, it should accompany an Economic Bill of Rights much like Ronald Reagan used to suggest. Its elements: a) a balanced budget amendment, b) a line-item veto, c) a spending limit such as inflation plus population growth, d) and a two-thirds vote in the House and Senate for any tax increases. (Reagan also wanted a prohibition on wage and price controls. That would likely kill ObamaCare.)

Wow, both ideas in the same article. How very, well, bipartisan. Or something.  Looks like the herd is growing.  A VAT would find favor with both parties too.

And it’s also no secret that economists love the idea of a VAT. It promotes savings over consumption, and its hidden nature may mean it has less behavioral impact on taxpayers. Conservative economist Bruce Bartlet puts it this way, “As a broad-based tax on consumption, it creates less economic distortion per dollar of revenue than any other tax–certainly much less than the income tax.” Indeed, a VAT is part of cash-strapped California’s newly proposed tax reform.

But the primary point remains, and remains ignored, this government is not only broke, it’s broken. And the perpetual answer of the ruling elite (which just happens to be the Democrats at this time) is always higher taxes. And new taxes. And hidden taxes. Oh I know, Mr Obama promised not to raise anyone’s taxes, except of course those of the evil rich. No, the tobacco thing wasn’t a tax. And the healthcare shenanigans won’t raise your taxes either. No, you’re wrong, cap and tax won’t raise your taxes either. You’re kind of a racist, aren’t you? 

This government is broken.  It is stuck on GROW ( I would also say STUPID, but that is a registered trademark of the GOP).  Both parties do it, and neither party has the brains or the stones to cut, prune, or rein in what has gone before.  If the healthcare “crisis” debate was really about providing better health coverage and access for the American people, that $400 billion in wasteful spending that the Democrats tell us they can cut out of Medicare would be the first thing they would do and they would do it right now as a stand alone, because it would be the right thing to do for the American people…  but no, they walk on by, “we’re sorry you’re being mugged, but we really can’t help you with that, we’re busy doing something important over here”.  Thanks for that.

Name one significant reduction in the size of government during the Bush administration.  Name one reduction in the size of government during the Clinton administration.  I won’t ask about the Obama administration.  Even a blind man can see where that is going.   So when I hear that the politicians are planning their next assault on the American taxpayer, my first reaction is to get in the car and drive down to the antique mall… I saw an old pitchfork in one of the booths the other day.  I think I know a way I could use that.  There’s a stable in Washington D.C. that needs mucking out, and that herd just keeps getting bigger every day.

I have to agree with Concerned American over at Western Rifle Shooters, the following video ought to make everyone’s blood run cold because this does indeed look like the largest theft in history.  This woman is one of the most clueless people I’ve seen in quite awhile… either that or she is just evil.

He has more in his post. Pay attention folks, it isn’t about Democrats vs Republicans, or even right wing nuts vs left wing wackos, this is about good people vs evil people.  By the way, this was done by BOTH parties… a pox on them all.

The state is the great fiction by which everybody tries to live at the expense of everybody else.
    -Frederic Bastiat