Rhetoric, good intentions, philosophies, ideologies, speeches- they don’t mean as much to me as good policies. Purity of candidates, good communication skills, and hard work only mean anything if they are in pursuit of public policies which work to better protect human life, liberty, and property. Recently on RealClearPolitics Alan Reynolds wrote an excellent article The Truth About Taxes and Spending in Europe comparing the results of the public policies of two different sets of nations: …Several European countries, including Cyprus, have been mired in economic stagnation or decline for five years or more. Yet other countries in Asia and [...]
economy
Hugo Chavez Legacy: Anti-Semitism, Economic Failure, And he was a Billionaire
Like so many dictators, Hugo Chavez left behind a legacy. His legacy is not a good one, contrary to what the Michaeal Moore’s. Oliver Stone’s and the Sean Penn’s of this world would tell you. In fact, even left of center sites are criticizing Chavez, and recommending that Democrats avoid praising Chavez. First up here are some observations from Think Regress. While even Chavez’s critics admit that he did attempt to address the plight of Venezuela’s poorest, the decline in economic inequality in Venezuela reflected a broader egalitarian trend in Latin America, and can’t be fully credited to Chavez’s policies. [...]
After Over a Century in Business, Oberdorfer Killed by Obama Economy
It seems that the Obama economy and ObamaCare did in Oberdorfer, a Dewitt, NY foundry, that two world wars, the Great Depression, organized labor, and event he Carter presidency. It could not, however, survive a second term of Barak Obama. The Lonely Conservative has the details. The “2008 recession” is the recession that never ends. The unit which started its operation in late 19th century had been a major producer of cylinder heads and other vital military items. Oberdorfer was the specialized manufacturer of complicated aluminium castings for airplane engines. The company which survived many recessions in its long run, [...]
The State of the Union? It Sucks!
Nancy Pelosi recently said “It is almost a false argument to say that we have a spending problem.” She went on to say that what we have is a deficit problem. Conservatives have given Ms. Pelosi a lot of flack over her statement and maybe we have been too hard on the less than brilliant Congressman from San Francisco. After all she did use a qualifier; “almost”, which can mean “not quite”. And, she was spot on when she said the US has a deficit problem. Who could argue with that? By saying that we have a deficit problem instead [...]
What Recovery? Part III: Freedom and Innovation to the Rescue?
In Part I of this “What Recovery?” series, we examined the concept of the velocity of money and how it has been declining for over two decades, which explains why most Americans are not experiencing the economic recovery that technically began in 2009. Then, in Part II, we saw how systemically high unemployment is a factor of US companies having to compete with the lower costs in emerging nations and how our Nanny Government’s fiscal policies make the situation even worse. Today, we are going to see what well-known libertarian writer, Gary North, thinks. He sees all of what we [...]
What Recovery? Part II: Systemic High Unemployment?
Here is a post from Jim at Asylum Watch discussing High Unemployment-Matt In Part I of this series, we examined money velocity (the number of times the money supply circulates in the economy over a year), which is directly related to economic growth, GDP, and found that it has been declining since 1999. The velocity of money is currently slower than it was in the Great Depression. We noted that the stock market has recovered nicely and corporate and banking profits are up and Wall Street investors are doing well. This suggest that the money supply is circulating at a higher [...]
Liberty Needs More Doers and Fewer Watchers
My father always told me there are two types of people in this world; doers and watchers. Even the revolutionary war had its share of doers and watchers. The doers were the Patriots and Tories. These people encompassed colonists who kicked in by fighting either for independence or for the King. Some of the most brutal and bloodiest battles of the war were fought between Patriots and Tories. They made up roughly 2/3 of the colonial population. The final 1/3 was made up people who either didn’t care which side won or who desired independence but really didn’t want to [...]
More Signs That Obama is Jimmy Carter 2.0
Those of us old enough might remember the following speech from Jimmy Carter… Well, it appears that Obama is becoming the Jimmy Carter 2.0, and Newsmax can explain why. Americans’ optimism about their country is at its lowest since when Jimmy Carter was president in 1979, a new Gallup poll has found. The survey of 1,011 adults conducted Jan. 7-10 found that only 39 percent — or fewer than four in 10 Americans — rated the country positively on a 1-to-10 scale, Gallup reports. While the number is about the same as in 2010, it is at its lowest since [...]
Post Vice Presidential Debate Wrap-up: Biden’s Grins, Ryan’s Math
I have to admit that writing about the debates is sometime’s difficult. For one, I already know the facts, so I don’t need convincing of anything. Secondly, the debates are not meant to convert Obama voters to Romney voters or vice-versa. The base of each party already know what they are doing on election day. So then, the debate needs to be framed from the perspective that independents or undecided voters need to be swayed. There are still a lot of people that rely on the MSM for news, so this might be the first time that people have heard of Ryan, other than [...]
Romney Demolishes Obama in Debate 1: Reality Wins over Myth
This debate has the potential to be the game-changer that Romney needs. Trailing by over 3% in the polls based on the RealClearPolitics average and needing something more than a tie or marginal win that would likely only narrow the polls, Romney delivered a game-changing performance and changed the narrative of this election in the first debate. President Obama has attempted to make this election into some sort of class warfare or blame Bush election- but Governor Romney was successful in this debate into making this election into a decision on whether or not to continue Obama’s policies or change [...]
MSM, Leftists Predicting Doom for Romney: Don’t Fall for it
The MSM, and the left (or do I repeat myself?) are using the super secret campaign event video to tar Romney-for telling the truth, mind you-and are predicting doom and gloom for the campaign. To summarize, I have the following statement… DON’T FALL FOR IT! To see through the nonsense, you have to consider a few facts… 1. The MSM has been cooking the poll numbers for…well…forever. If you need confirmation of that, consult Da Tech Guy, who has been on top of it. In fact, if you want to know one poll more than any other, read this one. [...]
We Live In A Dysfunctional World
America is seizing up before our eyes, and the action necessary to reverse the sclerosis is stymied at every turn by rapacious unions, government micro-regulators, dependency-spreading social engineers, and crony capitalists who know how to weave their way through the bureaucracy. _ Mark Steyn Maybe Mark Steyn was just having a bad day when he wrote those words. Can things really be that bad? Dr. Nouriel Roubini, a world-renowned economist and also known as “Dr. Doom” for correctly predicting the 2008 burst of the housing bubble and the world-wide recession, is now seeing My ‘Perfect Storm’ Scenario Is Unfolding Now. In May, Roubini predicted four elements – [...]
Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble
My apologies to William Shakespeare whose famous line from Macbeth was: Double, Double, Toil and Trouble. The intent of both lines is to create a sense of doom. There was a time, it doesn’t seem so long ago, when the word “bubble” brought to mind visions of our childhoods when we would see who could blow the biggest bubble or just make bubbles and try to catch them. Today, the word “bubble” first brings to mind the housing bubble bursting in 2008, from which our people and our nation still suffer. We have seen many economic bubbles in the past [...]
Effective Romney Video: People That Obama Left Behind
The Romney campaign seems to be hitting the right spots-namely, the Obama economic record. The Lonely Conservative has the video… Keep it coming! Related posts: Powerful Anti-Romney Video Some Thoughts on GOP Candidates: Is it now Romney vs. Gingrich? Santorum is out: Romney now the Inevitable Candidate Unemployment not an Issue in 2012? What did David Plouffe mean? Alinsky to G. Romney to M. Romney to Soros? Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
Does the US Hold the Largest Oil Reserves on the Planet?
Quite possibly, if we listen to the following official from the GAO… So then, if we are floating on oil, and the only barrier to this windfall is government, who is the problem? I think we all know the answer to that. John Hinderaker, from Powerline, adds some more… …Green River Formation alone–it is located at the intersection of the states of Colorado, Utah and Wyoming, and mostly underlies federal lands–contains as much oil as the entire proven reserves of the rest of the world combined. America is uniquely blessed in its energy resources. Two questions remain: 1) will Obama finally abandon [...]
Media Bias: MSNBC Talking Head Does Not Take Kindly to the Narrative Being Questioned
When the POTUS is pumping out distractions, the job of the dutiful MSM is to keep these stories alive, even if they have to make fools of themselves to do so. For the latest example, The Other McCain posted the following… Well, here is the CH 2.0 Translation… There is a narrative to promote, and it will be promoted. No matter how much reality has to be ignored. The latest economic figures are not so good, so they have to keep on talking about what Mitt Romney did almost 50 years ago. Ironically, they couldn’t find the time to figure out [...]
A Simple Graph on Jobs
This is what the election is about this year. Yes, it is important that our foreign policy goals have been accomplished- killing bin Laden, finishing up in Iraq, continuing to pressure terrorists around the world, encouraging revolutions aimed at toppling autocratic dictators, etc. Yes, it is important that many of our foreign policy goals have not been accomplished- those revolutions have resulted in less friendly and liberty loving people taking control, many revolutions were not supported, free trade agreements were not passed, rogue nations have continued to advance in weaponry, our allies are collapsing economically, our enemies are growing in [...]
So Why a “War on Women,” and Now Gay Marriage?
Why have the Democrats and their media lapdogs made contraception, Sandra Fluke, gay marriage, and other inconsequential issues front page news? So you wont look at or discuss this… Uh-oh. Once they run the wheels off of the gay marriage story, what will they have to come up with next? Considering that the employment numbers look pretty weak, and have therefore not been reported, I think it’s safe to assume that we’ll see more and more social issues to distract from the economic fail. H/T: Sister Toldja Related posts: Obama Supports Gay Marriage: Yet Another Topic to Distract From You-Know-What [...]
Did Anyone Catch Obama Using Hilary Rosen to Play Good Cop-Bad Cop with Ann Romney?
Well, I get home from work and grocery shopping to see that we had an interesting story unfold. Hilary Rosen, a Dem operative, slammed Mitt Romney’s wife, Ann, for being a stay-at home mom. Legal Insurrection has the video… So then, we have a Democratic operative, belittling the wife of the likely GOP candidate. On the surface, one might just think that this was a typical Alinskyite smear, and it was. However, there is another layer to it, but we’ll get to it in a bit. As for the next move, Ann Romney fired back, and destroyed Rosen… Then, we see that [...]
MSM in Coordinated Attack Against Santorum?
Newsbusters ran this last night, featuring Rick Santorum on Hannity. This is predictable. The administration and MSM are on a quest to avoid the economy at all costs. To do that with Santorum, they have to hammer him on social issues, even if they have to do some cherry picking or making some stretches to do so. Forget that gas prices are through the roof, and expected to rise even higher. Forget that a couple million jobs are gone, and the people aren’t even bothering to look anymore. Instead, let’s talk about how Rick Santorum is going to ban condoms, [...]
Why are the Republicans Allowing the Democrats and MSM Control the Debate?
Why are we talking about contraception? Why are the talking heads of the MSM (taking notes from Spooky Dude, via Media Matters), being PERMITTED to define what is discussed? Here is the point: Obama is a loser on the economy. He has broken every promise, failed at every proposal, and has, in fact, made things worse. The economy is THE issue of this election, and everything else is secondary. Yes we can illustrate that the government, in their effort to get religious organizations to fund abortion (because the pill is just a side issue), is an affront to the First [...]
Founder of BET doesn't understand what Obama is doing
Robert Johnson, the founder of BET, has apparently been a successful man. And, as a successful man, he is in the cross-hairs of the President’s math class warfare. He has spoken out on the President’s recent attacks against the rich successful job creators. I don’t think that Mr. Johnson is quite understanding the dynamic here. The idea IS to attack the successful for being successful. You see, Mr. Johnson, the regressives are attempting to “fundamentally transform” destroy this country. In order to achieve that end, they have to cause massive economic failure via Cloward-Piven. However as they do so, they [...]
Despotism vs. Democracy
This video was originally the last regular post at the original CH. I thought it might be a good idea to post it here… What do you think? Related posts: More Union Shenanigans: "Democracy" Means Stopping Democracy CH 2.0 Labor Day Video: This is What Democracy Looks Like? America Was Never Intended To Be A Democracy We Are NOT a Democracy This is What "Democracy" Looks Like? Progressives Attempting to Stop a Vote on "Amazon Tax" Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
Double Dumb Is Leading To Double Dip
The markets, although a tad late in my opinion, are signaling that they have no faith that Europe or the United States are going to be able to get their economies growing again any time soon. The bad news doesn’t let up. Here are just a couple of headlines to demonstrate my point: Stock futures signal another day of losses. Report: Bank of America cutting at least 3,500 jobs Does anyone doubt that the markets are right not to have any faith in our leaders to get the economy going again? Have you seen any evidence coming from either the [...]
Graph: Results of Tax Cuts on Revenue to the Federal Government
Democrats, led by President Obama, frequently advance the argument that the deficits that the federal government has been running since 2001 (~$500 billion under Bush’s 8 years, ~$1500 billion during Obama’s 3 years) are the result of the Bush Tax Cuts (which Obama and the Democrats continued and extended), thus it is the Republicans and George W Bush’s fault for the current nation-destroying federal debt. Let’s look at the data: Drawing on data provided by the White House’s Government Printing Office, we can see here a history of the revenue or money collected by the national government since 1980. I [...]
More Shrugage: Another CEO Rips Obama
This one is fiery! Let’s play by the liberal rules and say that anyone who disagrees with her is a sexist that wants women barefoot and pregnant! No related posts.
Must Read Interview by IBD with Home Depot Founder Bernie Marcus!
Just read this interview that Investors Business Daily had with Bernie Marcus, the co-founder of Home Depot, one of the largest home improvement stores in the nation and employer of lots of people. The interview is stunning because Marcus says what we’re all seeing- that the biggest barrier to wealth creation is now the government, that Obama and the Democrats are contributing to the problem, that the White House doesn’t even know how to talk to wealth creators, and that the reason why no one is speaking out is that they are all afraid of the powerful wealth destroying government targeting [...]
Unemployment not an Issue in 2012? What did David Plouffe mean?
Obama troll-master, David Plouffe, made a statement on Wednesday that mystified quite a few people. I heard Limbaugh talk about it during my Friday lunch break, and Lonely Conservative posted about it later. Here is the comment, via The Hill… “The average American does not view the economy through the prism of GDP or unemployment rates or even monthly jobs numbers,” Plouffe said, according to Bloomberg. “People won’t vote based on the unemployment rate, they’re going to vote based on: ‘How do I feel about my own situation? Do I believe the president makes decisions based on me and my family?’ [...]
Latest Twist to Leftist Narrative: Republicans Sabotaging the Economy
We talk about the left’s tendency to project a great deal here at the CH 2.0. And now, we see more proof that the left always accuses the Conservatives of they are doing themselves. During the course of this past week, the accusation has been raise that the GOP is somehow sabotaging the economy to improve their hopes for 2012. This started with some Dem congressmen, and was quickly picked up by the MSM, and other lefty outlets. I have to admit it, as a Conservative, we’re interested in causing misery so we can win in 2012. And, in [...]
Democratic Strategy for 2012 Revealed? MSM Concentrating on Social Issues, Avoiding Economy
I picked up on this in the CNN debate, and the saw a story from Catholibertarian that shows a possible campaign strategy for 2012. In both examples, it seemed as if an inordinate amount of time was spent on the social issues; abortion and gay marriage, when compared with the most pressing issue of the day-the economy. It would be my estimation that more people are concerned with the following: 1. They don’t have a job. 2. They fear losing the job they have. 4. They can’t afford gas for their cars. 5. Inflation is causing prices to rise across [...]
It's "Unexpected" Time Again: Unemployment Up, Job Creation far Below Expectations
Well, I guess it time for the regularly scheduled “unexpected” economic reports, or as they should be called, “duh!” It still amazes me that those of us on the right have repeatedly predicted that Obama’s policies will have a detrimental effect on the economy, yet the talking heads in the media and the useful idiots are still surprised. At any rate, here are the completely unexpected numbers… Employers spooked by a sputtering economy hit the brakes on hiring last month, postponing the upswing needed to put 14 million unemployed Americans back to work. The government’s snapshot of the labor market [...]
Milton Friedman: Free to Choose Part 9
Here is Part Nine of Milton Friedman’s Free to Choose. H/T: The Daley Gator Related posts: Milton Friedman: Free to Choose Part 2 Milton Friedman: Free to Choose Part 4 Milton Friedman: Free to Choose Part 3 Milton Friedman: Free to Choose Part 5 Milton Friedman: Free to Choose Part 6 Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
Glenn Beck Exposes Leftist Plans: Collapse the Economy to Take Power
We’ve talked about Cloward-Piven many times before. In essence, the Cloward-Piven strategy is meant to undermine and overwhelm a system, or systems, and bring them to a state of collapse. Then, as the idea goes, the resulting crisis creates an opportunity for “change.” And, for our left, this “change” will necessarily consist of tyranny. For some striking evidence of a current Cloward-Piven type plan, take a look at this video from The Blaze. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgOEraouhxU&feature=player_detailpage For our leftists, it isn’t a matter of which system is better, it only matters that the dominant system is not theirs. And since Marxist states cannot [...]
Blog Focus: U.S. Economic Meltdown
The following is a post from our good friend, The Classic Liberal. Give it a read, and please share your thoughts. Too many Americans continue to think the problems facing our country can be solved via Democratic or Republican politicians. That somehow, someway, the 545 people responsible for all of U.S. woes, are also the same people we should count on to get us out of the mess. Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them. Have you ever wondered why, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, we have [...]
A Primer in Economics, Explained over Beer
I received this via email from one of my non-blogging friends. I loved it, and thought you might too. I cannot vouch for the “author.” It is a viral email, so you never know. THE TAX SYSTEM EXPLAINED IN BEER Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100… If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this… The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing. The fifth would pay $1. The sixth would pay $3. The seventh would pay $7.. The [...]
When Does Unexpected Become Expected? The Left is Surprised by Reality
It seems that every month, economic indicators are released that take the elites and the MSM (redundant?) by surprise. Hence, the MSM leads with headlines like, “unexpected,” “surprising,” and the like. Here is the latest “unexpected” story, from CNBC. New U.S. claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly climbed to a nine-month high last week, yet another setback to the frail economic recovery. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 12,000 to a seasonally adjusted 500,000 in the week ended August 14, the highest since mid-November, the Labor Department said on Thursday. Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast claims slipping to 476,000 [...]
Real News from CNBC???
First off let me say that rumors of my demise are greatly exaggerated. I am still here and workin’ hard on stayin’ here. Without going into details, I have been battling my heart condition and have had a rough go of it as of late. I tell you all this because I felt the need to explain my absence for the last several weeks. Now to my post… I got this vid link in an email. Once I viewed it, I had to share it with all the loyal CH2.0 followers. Here is Las Vegas Hotelier and all around mogul, [...]
The Jobs Situation is Grim
I never thought that I’d quote Ezra Klein. However, it’s been a screwy day, so I am. Here is a graph from the WaPo, via Brookings. That’s job growth per month on the X axis, and how many months that level of job growth would take to get us back to pre-recession levels on the Y axis. Notice that adding new jobs at a rate of 200,000 a month would take us 150 months — or 12.5 years — to get back to normalcy. So far, only April has seen more than 200,000 in non-census jobs growth — and even [...]
Democrats & Independents Hardest Hit By Soaring Unemployment
The unprecedented increase in unemployment has no doubt effected every U.S. citizen in one way shape or form. If you have not been laid off, then chances are you are close to someone who has been. You probably even have one or more within your family that has been let go in the past year. It touches the heart to hear of loved ones losing so much and then struggling month after month to find a way to replace the lost income. But who has been hurt the most throughout this financial recession? Believe it or not, it is the [...]
