Saturday, January 31, 2009

A game we all can play - name that political leader

A new politician is rushed on the scene. He is young, good looking, physically fit, intelligent, speaks in complete sentences – in a radical departure from the old, tired, inefficient leader. The media is taken aback by this new persona, and most TV channels are solidly behind him. His opponents are maligned and ignored by the media. The new leader promotes a new tone, a radical departure from the worn out policies of the past. The country begs for a new leader – the country is in the midst of the economic crisis and an unpopular war. The government is corrupt and the country’s reputation is at its lowest in long time. A new man will turn things around! Even though conservatives have serious doubts about him, it is said by the right-wing leaders that this new man is a good person, who deeply cares about his country and who believes in freedom. There are of course some troubling signs – the new leader has nefarious contacts in the past with fascist, anti-Western groups, but it is believed that it was a mere shrewd political move on his part. His political life started in one of the most corrupt and criminal city in the nation, but that too is considered too controversial topic to discuss. Lastly, he betrays a peculiar irritation with minor negative comments about his appearance, but this is neglected. He wins the elections triumphantly, and soon his portraits start appearing in small private stores and large supermarkets.
Name that man...

Let me give you a hint. His name is Владимир Владимирович Путин.

What, you thought of someone else? SURPRISE!

I will try to jinx the Messiah

Since the 2008 presidential elections, the liberals were using a peculiar tactic to silence any opposition and criticism of Obama presidency. A response to any negative comment about their leader was met with a surprising claim that conservatives were not giving Obama a chance to lead this country. It sounded as if mere criticism of the Anointed One would result in his failure. In short, the liberals claimed that conservatives were jinxing the Messiah. I don’t believe in superstitions, but I still hope we can stop Obama, because I now believe he is far more dangerous to the republic that I initially expected.

After Obama’s lead over McCain became evident, I found consolation in the idea that Obama may well a better candidate, since his inevitable failure to improve the state of the economy would result in a massive shift of electorate to the progressive right-wing conservatives. I had little hope in McCain’s desire and ability to do the right thing, so it was not a choice between a good and a bad policy, but rather on which party should take the blame for the next 4 years. Still, I had an instinctive feeling that Obama economic failures won’t necessarily lead to DNC failure. It sure looks this way now. The main reasons are simple – Obama will use the federal power and money to fundamentally undermine if not completely abolish American democratic system. Here are the steps that I anticipate Obama to take in the next 4 years.



1. Pay or perish

From now on, most of large companies would strongly depend on the benevolence of Obama’s regime. A company which does not contribute to Obama’s political machine won’t get the handouts; it will face continuously increasing costs of numerous arbitrary regulations. The old communist slogan – if you don’t serve the regime, you are no longer allowed to exist will be applied nation-wide.



2. Tight media control

It is widely reported that today’s media is fighting for its survival. Every day brings the news of a media outlet cutting its workforce or going into bankruptcy. I expect Obama regime to use a two-fold approach to this issue. Firstly, Obama will use the government means to prop up friendly media conglomerates. It’s difficult to imagine for example, that Obama would allow his top political ally, the ultra-liberal New Your Times to go under. It is also clear, that any bailout would be given only if the NYT owners guarantee that the newspaper will blindly support the regime. One can also expect increases in government funding to reliably liberal outlets like NPR and PBS, which too will be required to cleanse their personnel of any and all remains of a right-wing opposition.
The second prong of the regime attack on the free press would include new regulations, which will be arbitrary used against the remaining opposition to Obama’s regime. This will surely include some remnants of the “Fairness Doctrine” as well as general attempts to withhold or prevent from obtaining the broadcasting licenses. Expect the radio stations, which broadcast Rush Limbaugh to see numerous “issues” with the local, state and federal government. Also, as part of this strategy, it’s obvious to expect some new regulations or rulings punishing “hate speech”, “slander”, “misinformation”, “false advertising” and the like.
The third prong will include attacks on the corporate advertisers, who are stupid enough to use the media outlets critical of Obama. This approach will make it much more expensive for a company to buy air-time on a station, which broadcasts Rush Limbaugh. For example, a new ad on his program will bring not only new customers, but also a myriad of federal, state and local officials, from IRS to EPA as well as local licensing administrators and government funded activist groups. Don’t be surprised when a small restaurant, which places an ad in an independent media outlet gets a visit from a fire inspector, who will find numerous code violations.
It is quite conceivable, that pro-American media personalities like Hannity, Limbaugh, Larson and others may well lose their jobs or have their influence greatly diminished through the above mentioned means.



3. Violence, voter fraud and intimidation will be subsidized


It is also easy to predict that numerous fascist groups like Obama’s alma mater “ACORN” will receive massive financial support and legal impunity. Those groups will no doubt increase their “participation” in American politics. It is well-known that ACORN was not shy in using physical violence and intimidation against progressive businesses, which refused to support their agenda. We can expect much more “direct action” of ACORN and its political twins against “offending” businesses, media outlets and the like. It’s also obvious that those groups will be co-opted into the electoral process - their leaders will get high positions in election commissions, voter registration, voter status checking and the like.
We should not forget one of the most important interest groups in the US – the labor unions. On one side, I expect unions to get a much easier access to the US workers through abandonment of secret ballot voting. Moreover, union violence against non-unionized workers and belligerent companies will be tolerated by the legal system and the federal law enforcement agencies. This too will come at a price, since Obama will hold the keys to union economic well-being. If a union strays away from supporting the One, the regime will tacitly invite the employees to renegotiate the union contracts, while the regime bureaucracy will use its government powers to force the unions to agree with new conditions. Moreover, the previously allowed tactic of worker intimidation may immediately call for a high-level FBI investigation. In short, a union thug who supports Obama will be allowed to prosper. A union thug that suddenly finds Obama’s policies disagreeable will also find himself in jail. All in all, disagreement with Obama will become extremely costly to the unions and its bosses.



4. Use the federal government to investigate the opponents

It is also easy to predict that IRS, FBI, CIA, INS and numerous other federal and state agencies will used to investigate and harass the people and groups, which dare to disagree with Obama. It’s obvious that major right-wing think-tanks like Heritage Foundation, Cato Institute as well as media personalities can expect unending harassment from IRS, immediate leaks of any damaging information, etc., etc.


5. Illegal immigrants have a right to vote!


I also expect a major acceleration in the federal process of legalizing the illegal immigrants, giving them a citizen status and a right to vote. Imagine a havoc that will ensure if 20 million illegal aliens were given a right to vote in the federal and state elections. This tsunami will likely swing to the side of the DNC in general and Obama in particular. Moreover, expect a quick liberalization of the immigration policy in general – particularly for uneducated masses from the Third World.


Will the Republic survive the rule of an unprincipled neo-Marxist Chicago-school Messiah? I am not very optimistic.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Bush versus Obama, different economic plans for recovery

After the Al Qaeda attacks on America in 2001 and the US economy on the brink of a major recession, president Bush asked American people to go shopping. For some reason, he believed that this would help the US economy. Today our economic situation is also dire. And president Obama is following a completely different path for economic recovery - he is calling on the American people to watch how the Democratic party will go on a massive shopping spree with the taxpayer money.

A dialogue with imaginary liberal....

I chose to debate an imaginary liberal for the obvious reasons - it's much easier to point to the errors in his thinking. Note that an imaginary liberal is not necessarily a straw man - since I try to preserve liberal arguments in their undiluted pure shape and form (sobbing and tears are added for purely theatrical effects and can be ignored). The true reason is much simpler - a real liberal normally tries to deflect the questions, misdirect the debate, and is quite unresponsive to actual arguments. An imaginary liberal is actual a real liberal plus honesty, integrity and ability/desire to stay on the subject. Anyway, here it goes.

Hyphenated-American (with a serious expression on his face): President Obama and liberal establishment propose a nearly trillion dollar spending bill. They claim it will slow down or even reverse the recession. Can you explain the reasoning?

Imaginary Liberal (enthusiastically): Yes, this is a very good question. Thanks for giving me an opportunity to explain our progressive views. President Obama's bill will jump start our country by injecting large amounts of money into the economy. Government spending will trickle down through economy, increase demand, and thus promote employment, raise real wages and defeat the recession.

Hyphenated-American (enthusiastically): In other words, what American economy needs right now is a drastic increase in spending and consumption. Correct?

Imaginary Liberal (with a look of intellectual superiority): That is essentially correct. You are very perseptive, my unenlightenned friend.

Hyphenated-American (with a nice smile): So basically, the current recession is caused by the US consumers who stopped spending money, and the federal government is now filling the gap due to this lack of spending.

Imaginary Liberal (with a look of intellectual superiority): You are correct. All the years of evil hitler-bush regime made people very suspicious of the US government and the US corporations, and effectively no one trusts anyone anymore, and the the demand for goods is down. When that happens, the economy slows down. This is how we got into this recession.

Hyphenated-American (with a nice smile): But theoretically, if people start trusting the government and the business again and start spending money, then this recession will be over. Correct?

Imaginary Liberal (with a look of intellectual superiority): Correct. This is what president Obama is trying to achieve with his policy. I wonder if I am slowly turning you into a liberal...

Hyphenated-American (with a nice smile): Yes, sure I am turning into a liberal. Do you think it's fair to say that president Obama is one of the most trusted figures in our country?

Imaginary Liberal (visibly pleased): Absolutely. Just recently there was a poll that said that 75% of Americans trusted president Obama. In fact, I have no doubt that majority of Americans are glad that the bad days are over, and they can finally trust their president. Barack Obama brings hope and change to Washington DC. He inspires people. Obama's presidency is a monumental achievement of American people. We know he is one of us, he will lead us to prosperity. There is nothing we cannot do now, with proper leadership of our Dear Leader, Barack Obama. Imaginary Liberal's eyes visibly tear up. He is starting to sob uncontrollably.

Hyphenated-American (with a nice smile): No doubt. Do you believe that Obama's public announcements have a very large influence of what people think?

Imaginary Liberal (still in tears): Yes! American people respond very well to Obama's message of hope and change. They surely trust him. The world trusts him.

Hyphenated-American (fakes a puzzled expression): President Obama is telling the American public that our economy is in shambles, that we may be on the brink of a Great Depression. So, the people who trust him, which is a large percentage of the US population, indeed cut their spending because of his predictions. Is it fair to say?

Imaginary Liberal (stops sobbing): Well, but the US economy is in bad shape, people don't spend the money...

Hyphenated-American (fakes a puzzled expression): But it is fair to say that if Obama were to persuade American people that the US economy is doing well, then they would start spending, the recession would be over, and there would be no need for the increase in the government spending. Correct?

Imaginary Liberal (feeling that the conversation is taking a strange turn): I think it's a fair assessment. I don't see how it is relevant though.

Hyphenated-American (drops the fake expression of puzzlement): So, when Obama claims that US economy is in horrible shape, and things will get much worse, he is for all intents and purposes actively and efficiently undermining the US economy. This is particularly true given his high rating among the American people. If he were to speak well about the US economy, the demand would rebound and the need for extra government spending would drop. Correct?

Imaginary Liberal (on the defensive): Well, based on logic, what you are saying seems correct. I would have to think about it.

Hyphenated-American (running on all cylinders): On one side, Obama is proposing a humongous government spending, which is supposed to raise demand. On the other side, Obama is trying to suppress private consumption and private demand with his statements. Correct?

Imaginary Liberal (on the defensive): Yes, it would be appear to be so.

Hyphenated-American (running on all cylinders): So let me propose two hypothesis here. One - Obama does not believe his spending bill will improve the US economy, and he is not actually talking down the economy - he is simply trying to diminish the expectations for his first term in office. Second - Obama does believe that more spending is good for the economy, but he believes that government spending is more beneficial to his party than private spending. If the kickbacks to Obama and DNC will be only 0.1% of his new spending bill - still, they will enjoy a campaign contribution of ONE BILLION DOLLARS annually. Do you think this sounds like a pretty good explanation for his activity?

Imaginary Liberal (meekly): But bush-hitler destroyed the economy, not Obama. You know, Halliburton, torture, Iraq war, Enron.

Hyphenated-American (running on all cylinders): Please stop spouting slogan for a minute and think about Obama's actions. Don't turn Obama into an idol, think about his actions, be critical. Don't take his words at face value. Question his authority. Don't be afraid to disagree with him. Dissent is patriotic! You clearly see a contradition in Obama's ideas and speeches. How can you explain that?

Imaginary Liberal (meekly): But bush-hitler lied us into war for Haliburton and 9/11 was an inside job.
Imaginary Liberal (starts crying- but this time these are not tears of joy): You are en evil racist bigoted person, you promote hate and disagreement. I don't want to listen to you any more. Please, leave me alone. I need to pray to Lord Obama and ask forgiveness for listening to all the bad things you said about Him. I don't want to get into trouble with Higher Authorities...

Curtains.

Americans got themselves a real lemon this time....

Four years from now, people won't believe they voted for Obama...

It's all inevitable, like a hangover after a big party....

Germans are returning to their roots...

http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2009/01/germany-oks-hamas-flags-at-rallies-rips.html

Of course, one would say that any welfare democracy is likely to be eager to appease the enemies of freedom, while wary of any country or movement defending it - which means Germany's move is indicative of its today's political structure, and has little to do with German crimes against the Jews. After all, most of EU is solidly pro-Hamas and anti-Israel...

Sunday, January 11, 2009

It's all about the ice-cream - from townhall.com

http://townhall.com/columnists/JohnMcCaslin/2009/01/09/buckle_up,_barack?page=2

The most eye-opening civics lesson I ever had was while teaching third grade. The presidential election was heating up and some of the children showed an interest. I decided we would have an election for a class president. We would choose our nominees. They would make a campaign speech and the class would vote.
To simplify the process, candidates were nominated by other class members. We discussed what kinds of characteristics these students should have. We got many nominations and from those, Jamie and Olivia were picked to run for the top spot.
The class had done a great job in their selections. Both candidates were good kids. I thought Jamie might have an advantage because he got lots of parental support. I had never seen Olivia’s mother. The day arrived when they were to make their speeches Jamie went first. He had specific ideas about how to make our class a better place. He ended by promising to do his very best. Every one applauded. He sat down and Olivia came to the podium. Her speech was concise. She said, "If you will vote for me, I will give you ice cream.” She sat down. The class went wild. “Yes! Yes! We want ice cream.”
She surely would say more. She did not have to. A discussion followed. How did she plan to pay for the ice cream? She wasn’t sure. Would her parents buy it or would the class pay for it. She didn’t know. The class really didn’t care. All they were thinking about was ice cream. Jamie was forgotten. Olivia won by a land slide.
Every time Barack Obama opens his mouth he offers ice cream, and fifty two percent of America reacts like nine year olds. They want ice cream. The other forty eight percent know they’re going to have to feed the cow."

Robert Reich, Clinton's appointee is afraid the new jobs will go to the people who can do the jobs best.

On his blog, Bobby Reich III is raising a issue of tremendous importance - what if all jobs generated by Obama's stimulus package will go to the usual suspects - good trained workers and white males - while leaving the bums, convicts and folks dependend on the government handouts on the sidelines. After decades of our fight for social justice - the evil hard working men are still winning - even though it is fair to note that it is getting harder and harder for them to keep their unfair and unjust advantage.

I think Dr.Reich is quite right in raising this important issue. Firstly, it's reactionary to think that people should be hired because they can do the job well. As we all know, social justice demands us to hire people based on their race, color, ethnicity and sex. Moreover, a person who was in jail, used drugs or does not have any work experience should stand in front of the job line, while the evil people who stayed out of trouble, worked hard should be pushed aside.

Lastly, I have a feeling that Dr.Reich is a perfect example of this treatment - I mean, I would want to know a single person who believes that Dr.Reich got his job within the Clinton administration or in the university due to his actual skills and knowledge. Dr.Reich is a man of great personal integrity, and it's impossible to think that he would have taken these jobs - unless he was 100% sure he was the last person who could do them well.

P.S. On a more optimistic note - it's highly unlikely that the stimulus package will go to the most productive workers. I have a feeling that Obama is trained well in the Illinoys-Chicago school of politics, and that the money will most likely go to people who need it most - lobbyists, interest groups, and the suffering minorities like Obama himself.

Sunday, January 4, 2009

American Liberals - pathetic creatures...

It's interesting that American government is probably among the least competent in the entire civilized world. Just look at American K1-K12 education - US spends more per student than any other nation, yet American students are worst educated in the entire civilized world. And yes, don't forget, ultra-liberal teacher unions are running the schools. American cities and now states are going bankrupt - all run to the ground by liberal congresses, governors and mayors. The state of California, the jewel of American industrial power - has the highest tax rates in the nation - and it will go down in March. Amazing.

In a few weeks, Obama will be sworn in, and the most liberal Congress will be in session. What can we expect from them - unless Americans wake up in 2012 and throw these bums out? Well, it's quite simple - US will have Canadian tax rates and Mexican government services.

As I said, American liberals are pathetic creatures.