If you ask Republicans about their biggest problem with Ron Paul as President, they will cite his foreign policy. Paul wants to end or drastically reduce our foreign entanglements and bring our troops home, they say, and that's unrealistically naive... not to mention dangerous to our nation's safety. They'll throw this up as proof positive why Paul wouldn't be a good President, an ace that trumps all of his good traits.
But did you know that Ron Paul has received more donations from active duty military members than all other candidates combined, including Obama? So, let me ask you this, die-hard Republicans against Ron Paul: If the military likes him so much, are you SURE you're right? (The relevant quote is about 2 minutes into the video.)
If the video doesn't work, try this link:
http://youtu.be/rN4GT268TkM
Read the rest...
Friday, September 30, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Raise My Taxes, Please!
No doubt you've heard about this by now, but during a recent Obama campaign stop... excuse me, town hall meeting... a man identifying himself as a millionaire who is unemployed by choice stood up and begged Obama to raise his taxes.
We've heard this kind of thing before... most of you remember Warren Buffet's recent missive along the same lines.
The man who begged for higher taxes was later identified as a former Google employee named Doug Edwards.
Mr. Edwards, if you want to pay more taxes, there is nothing stopping you from doing so. You can draft a check today for any amount you deem appropriate and send it in to the IRS. They'll take it from you.
People like this use such self-sacrificing statements as "please raise MY taxes", but when it comes down to it they don't want to be alone in paying higher taxes, they'd rather have EVERYONE in their target group forced to pay higher taxes.
And that's the rub. They like to SOUND self-sacrificing, but in reality they want to force others WHO DON'T WANT HIGHER TAXES to pay them.
How do I know this?
Because Mr. Edwards actually belongs to a liberal-activist group called Patriotic Millionaires, which is a group of wealthy liberals lobbying for higher taxes on the wealthy. And what do they say about simply writing extra checks themselves?
So you see, they don't like the "voluntary" model... they'd rather every "millionaire" be forced to pay higher taxes in order to pay for unsustainably high spending by an irresponsible Congress.
Read the rest...
“Will you please raise my taxes? It kills me to see Congress not supporting the expiration of the tax cuts that have been benefiting so many of us for so long."
We've heard this kind of thing before... most of you remember Warren Buffet's recent missive along the same lines.
The man who begged for higher taxes was later identified as a former Google employee named Doug Edwards.
Mr. Edwards, if you want to pay more taxes, there is nothing stopping you from doing so. You can draft a check today for any amount you deem appropriate and send it in to the IRS. They'll take it from you.
People like this use such self-sacrificing statements as "please raise MY taxes", but when it comes down to it they don't want to be alone in paying higher taxes, they'd rather have EVERYONE in their target group forced to pay higher taxes.
And that's the rub. They like to SOUND self-sacrificing, but in reality they want to force others WHO DON'T WANT HIGHER TAXES to pay them.
How do I know this?
Because Mr. Edwards actually belongs to a liberal-activist group called Patriotic Millionaires, which is a group of wealthy liberals lobbying for higher taxes on the wealthy. And what do they say about simply writing extra checks themselves?
The group has been pushing for tax hikes on the wealthy since Obama extended former President George W. Bush's high-income tax cuts in 2010. In April, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Finance, sent the group a letter suggesting that individual members of the group interested in “making voluntary contributions to pay down the national debt” go to the website pay.gov in order “to make a tax-deductible charitable contribution.”
Republicans have had a similar response to Buffett, suggesting he send in a check rather than advocate a higher tax policy.
The group responded with a letter arguing that the proposal of voluntary contributions meant “letting people opt out” of paying for government spending. "Some problems are too big to be solved except through collective effort and shared sacrifice, and this is one of them,” the group wrote back.
So you see, they don't like the "voluntary" model... they'd rather every "millionaire" be forced to pay higher taxes in order to pay for unsustainably high spending by an irresponsible Congress.
Read the rest...
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Review For "Complete Works"
As I posted earlier, I am directing "The Complete Works of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged)" at Pratville's Way Off Broadway Theatre. We opened last weekend to enthusiastic and appreciative audiences, and we have two more weekends to run. The audiences are loving this show... and it's not too late to get tickets! Call 334-358-0297 or visit us online at wobt.prattvilleal.gov.
Anyway, local theatre critic Michael Howley came to see the show last weekend and LOVED it. He published his review recently, which you can find here. Some excerpts from the review.
Two more weekends left. This is a show that you will regret not seeing... not to mention a show that will make you laugh very hard.
Read the rest...
Anyway, local theatre critic Michael Howley came to see the show last weekend and LOVED it. He published his review recently, which you can find here. Some excerpts from the review.
Although any one of William Shakespeare's 37-or-so plays would take over three hours to perform in its entirety, in less than two hours, Prattville's Way Off Broadway Theatre is delighting their all-too-small audiences with a merry romp through all the plays [plus the 154 sonnets and other occasional poems by the Bard]: The Complete Works of Wllm Shkspr (abridged).
Though it helps to be familiar with Shakespeare's works, it is not a prerequisite to enjoyment of this piece...and if you ever get lost or feel out of place, one of the three energetic and self-effacing actors who play all the roles is there to guide you through.
First-time director Matthew Givens is fortunate in having three capable actors to bring this piece to life. These talented actors are to be commended. They have quite a physical workout in the two-hours' playing time, and they have entertained. Good show!
Two more weekends left. This is a show that you will regret not seeing... not to mention a show that will make you laugh very hard.
Read the rest...
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Are All Libertarians Social Liberals?
I don't do this kind of thing often, but I ran across this great video explaining that you can still be a libertarian and at the same time be a social conservative. The core of the argument is this: You can be against drinking, drugs, pornography, and all that, and still not think that government should ban those activities. There you go, a socially conservative libertarian.
If the player doesn't work, try this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mq50eBifsxQ
Read the rest...
If the player doesn't work, try this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mq50eBifsxQ
Read the rest...
Monday, September 19, 2011
Ron Paul Wins California Straw Poll
There was a straw poll held in California on Saturday, and the only ones allowed to vote were members and associate members of the California Republican Party and registered guests. The result? Ron Paul won the straw poll with 44.9% of the vote.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/09/17/california.straw.poll/
Paul is surging. No telling if it will be enough to make him the front runner. However, the latest CNN poll shows Ron Paul in third place for the Republican primary. Not bad, Dr. Paul. Keep up the good work.
Read the rest...
http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/09/17/california.straw.poll/
Texas Rep. Ron Paul won a California straw poll, the state Republican Party announced in a statement Saturday night.
Paul won with 44.9% of the votes, Texas Gov. Rick Perry came in second with 29.3% of the votes, and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney came in third with 8.8% of the votes.
Paul is surging. No telling if it will be enough to make him the front runner. However, the latest CNN poll shows Ron Paul in third place for the Republican primary. Not bad, Dr. Paul. Keep up the good work.
Read the rest...
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Tonight Is Opening Night!
I know I haven't been posting much recently, and that's because I am directing a play over at Prattville's Way Off Broadway Theatre. The play is called "The Complete Works of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged)", and it opens tonight at 7:30 PM and runs for the next three weekends. For everyone in the tri-county area, I invite you to come and spend a couple of hours laughing yourself silly with us.
"The Complete Works is a hilarious romp through all 37 of Shakespeare’s plays (plus the sonnets!) that will leave the audience’s sides aching from laughter. It’s Shakespeare’s plays like you’ve never seen them before… from the histories performed as a football game to Othello as a rap song, this play is certain to delight audiences. Always an audience favorite, this comedy proved so popular in London that it ran for more than nine years!”
Performances will run September 15 through October 2, and will start at 7:30 PM, 2:00 PM on Sundays.
For tickets and more info, visit http://wobt.prattvilleal.gov/ or call 334-358-0297.
Read the rest...
"The Complete Works is a hilarious romp through all 37 of Shakespeare’s plays (plus the sonnets!) that will leave the audience’s sides aching from laughter. It’s Shakespeare’s plays like you’ve never seen them before… from the histories performed as a football game to Othello as a rap song, this play is certain to delight audiences. Always an audience favorite, this comedy proved so popular in London that it ran for more than nine years!”
Performances will run September 15 through October 2, and will start at 7:30 PM, 2:00 PM on Sundays.
For tickets and more info, visit http://wobt.prattvilleal.gov/ or call 334-358-0297.
Read the rest...
Friday, September 9, 2011
My Review: Obama's Newest "Jobs" Speech
So our President has delivered yet another speech on jobs. My initial reaction to the speech before it was given is that he's given 99 other speeches on jobs, so what difference will speech number 100 make?
But now the speech has been given, and it's time to tell you my reactions to it. In summary, this speech announces his plans for a stimulus II... the plan may have a smaller dollar amount ($450 billion) than his first one, but the philosophy behind the proposals is exactly the same.
To start my review, let's pull from his speech a short phrase that he uttered at least 13 times: "Pass my bill now!"
First, there is no bill, there's only a speech. PresBo PROMISES to have the actual legislative language for a bill out on Monday, but at the present time there is no bill to pass.
Second, this "do it now!" mentality echoes his other major pushes. Whether it was his $800 billion stimulus package or ObamaCare, PresBo insists that all his proposals are critical and must be passed IMMEDIATELY! Remember Pelosi's famous comment that we would have to pass ObamaCare in order to find out what's in the bill? That's Obama's SOP, and it carries over to this proposal. Even though he announced this speech weeks ago and made us wait to hear his proposals, even though there is no legislative language yet written to back up his speech, he wants the (unwritten) bill passed NOW!!!!!!!!!! It's a simple and transparent ploy to rush approval before us normal folks have much of a chance to tell him how little we like his plans... assuming that's what will happen.
Now let's move on the actual substance of his proposals. I will address them in the order I wish, not the order they were presented.
Extend long-term unemployment benefits
This one isn't a new proposal, it's been part of the Democrat playbook since before PresBo took office. Note that this proposal isn't about newly laid-off workers, but about unemployment benefits for those that have been out of work for more than two years. At what point do temporary unemployment benefits become long-term welfare? I submit we've already reached that point. As to boosting the economy, those benefits have been extended numerous times during the Obama administration, and we can see that they apparently didn't stimulate much of anything, so why do we think yet another extension would have a different effect?
Extending unemployment benefits encourages the unemployed to remain unemployed longer. Studies have shown this, and even PresBo's economic adviser Alan Krueger has admitted this. Analysis shows that by extending the unemployment benefits to 99 weeks, that raised the unemployment rate from 0.5% to 1.5%... so further extensions will come at an economic cost.
Mortgage refinancing
PresBo already has such a program in place that was funded by his $800 billion stimulus bill, so again, this isn't a new proposal. He pledges to "work with" Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and "industry leader" to make his existing program work better. The bottom line here is that our Federal government doesn't have a clue how to make that happen, so PresBo is making a promise that he hopes somebody else can tell him how to deliver. Chances that this program will work any better than the old are slim, and PresBo was silent on how much this program would cost.
More infrastructure construction spending
PresBo wants to funnel billions to the state for building and repairing roads and bridges. Sound familiar? Yeah, this is the same kind of "infrastructure construction projects" that Obama's $800 billion stimulus used... and it didn't work then. Which means this is another recycled proposal instead of something truly new. What makes anybody think it will work differently this time? Remember the President joking a while back about how those "shovel-ready" projects weren't quite as shovel-ready as they had thought? How is this time different?
He also wants to create a national infrastructure bank, which means an entire new DC bureaucracy, and that's never a good thing.
So far we've seen a series of proposals that are simply restatements of long-standing Democrat proposals... most of which don't have huge chances of passing, and none of which will do anything to boost the economy. So, let's continue.
School Construction/Repair & "Save the teachers"
PresBo proposes several spending programs to "keep teachers employed" and to build new schools. Let's deal with these separately.
First, the schools. Building new schools and repairing existing schools has traditionally been a state prerogative, which means this is an expansion (possibly unconstitutional) of Federal authority. We've already seen how "construction" projects don't work to stimulate the economy, and this proposal is little more than that.
Second, the teachers. Way back in the 1950's, there were almost 2.5 teachers for each administrator... these days the figure is closer to 1 to 1. And student achievement hasn't increased at all, in spite of massive and ever-increasing amounts of money being spent on education. So maybe saving these "teachers" isn't such a great thing after all...
Keeping in mind that each dollar spent by the federal government has to first be removed from the economy via taxation or borrowing, it's hard to see how this will boost anything.
Also, PresBo has been steadily expanding spending on education since he took office, so these proposals ALSO aren't anything new.
Tax Increases
Though Obama asked the deficit reduction committee to "pay for" his proposals, he did recommend how they should do this: tax increases on higher earners. Tax increases do not create jobs, they destroy jobs. Tax increases do not boost economic growth, they suppress it. So this proposal flies in the face of everything Obama told us his plan is supposed to achieve.
Hiring tax credit
This is another recycled proposal that most definitely isn't new. In fact, it's been tried before and it didn't work then. Why? Employers seldom make permanent hiring decisions based upon temporary tax benefits. The most likely outcome, and one we've seen in the past, is that this tax credit will go towards new employees that companies had already decided to hire. Again, hard to see how we get any boost out of this.
Payroll tax cuts
The problem with payroll tax cuts is that they only effect how much is taken from your paychecks... the IRS is still going to charge you the same total in taxes, you'll have just paid less over the year. And as to a reduced Social Security contribution... that won't change at all how much SS has to spend during this time, which means any shortfall has to be made up out of the general budget. So this LOOKS like they're doing you a favor, but they aren't really.
There were other proposals, but all along the same vein. These are the major proposals, and you see how they went. Nothing new, and nothing effective.
And now for the last component of his plan, and that's how this $450 billion in new spending will be "paid for" as he promised it would be. His answer? "I don't know, but I'll pass the buck." Yes indeed, he promised it would be paid for, and asked the deficit reduction committee to handle it. They are already supposed to find $1.5 trillion in deficit reduction over ten years, and he asked them to expand their mandate to include his additional $450 billion in spending. And if they can't find all that? Automatic spending cuts in the defense budget.
Note another thing... he's claiming his $450 billion in new spending increases THIS YEAR will be paid for with $450 billion in spending cuts or tax increases OVER THE NEXT TEN YEARS. That's not paid for, by any stretch of the imagination.
So that's the "new" plan by PresBo. Tell me, do you see anything in it that will jump-start the economy? Do you see much in it that is "new," even?
Yeah, me either.
UPDATE:
A new mantra is emerging from the Democrats, in addition to "pass it now." That new mantra? Pass it as one bill, and don't break it up into smaller chunks. So, not only do we have to pass PresBo's bill IMMEDIATELY, we have to accept his proposals as is. That's compromise?
Read the rest...
But now the speech has been given, and it's time to tell you my reactions to it. In summary, this speech announces his plans for a stimulus II... the plan may have a smaller dollar amount ($450 billion) than his first one, but the philosophy behind the proposals is exactly the same.
To start my review, let's pull from his speech a short phrase that he uttered at least 13 times: "Pass my bill now!"
First, there is no bill, there's only a speech. PresBo PROMISES to have the actual legislative language for a bill out on Monday, but at the present time there is no bill to pass.
Second, this "do it now!" mentality echoes his other major pushes. Whether it was his $800 billion stimulus package or ObamaCare, PresBo insists that all his proposals are critical and must be passed IMMEDIATELY! Remember Pelosi's famous comment that we would have to pass ObamaCare in order to find out what's in the bill? That's Obama's SOP, and it carries over to this proposal. Even though he announced this speech weeks ago and made us wait to hear his proposals, even though there is no legislative language yet written to back up his speech, he wants the (unwritten) bill passed NOW!!!!!!!!!! It's a simple and transparent ploy to rush approval before us normal folks have much of a chance to tell him how little we like his plans... assuming that's what will happen.
Now let's move on the actual substance of his proposals. I will address them in the order I wish, not the order they were presented.
Extend long-term unemployment benefits
This one isn't a new proposal, it's been part of the Democrat playbook since before PresBo took office. Note that this proposal isn't about newly laid-off workers, but about unemployment benefits for those that have been out of work for more than two years. At what point do temporary unemployment benefits become long-term welfare? I submit we've already reached that point. As to boosting the economy, those benefits have been extended numerous times during the Obama administration, and we can see that they apparently didn't stimulate much of anything, so why do we think yet another extension would have a different effect?
Extending unemployment benefits encourages the unemployed to remain unemployed longer. Studies have shown this, and even PresBo's economic adviser Alan Krueger has admitted this. Analysis shows that by extending the unemployment benefits to 99 weeks, that raised the unemployment rate from 0.5% to 1.5%... so further extensions will come at an economic cost.
Mortgage refinancing
PresBo already has such a program in place that was funded by his $800 billion stimulus bill, so again, this isn't a new proposal. He pledges to "work with" Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and "industry leader" to make his existing program work better. The bottom line here is that our Federal government doesn't have a clue how to make that happen, so PresBo is making a promise that he hopes somebody else can tell him how to deliver. Chances that this program will work any better than the old are slim, and PresBo was silent on how much this program would cost.
More infrastructure construction spending
PresBo wants to funnel billions to the state for building and repairing roads and bridges. Sound familiar? Yeah, this is the same kind of "infrastructure construction projects" that Obama's $800 billion stimulus used... and it didn't work then. Which means this is another recycled proposal instead of something truly new. What makes anybody think it will work differently this time? Remember the President joking a while back about how those "shovel-ready" projects weren't quite as shovel-ready as they had thought? How is this time different?
He also wants to create a national infrastructure bank, which means an entire new DC bureaucracy, and that's never a good thing.
So far we've seen a series of proposals that are simply restatements of long-standing Democrat proposals... most of which don't have huge chances of passing, and none of which will do anything to boost the economy. So, let's continue.
School Construction/Repair & "Save the teachers"
PresBo proposes several spending programs to "keep teachers employed" and to build new schools. Let's deal with these separately.
First, the schools. Building new schools and repairing existing schools has traditionally been a state prerogative, which means this is an expansion (possibly unconstitutional) of Federal authority. We've already seen how "construction" projects don't work to stimulate the economy, and this proposal is little more than that.
Second, the teachers. Way back in the 1950's, there were almost 2.5 teachers for each administrator... these days the figure is closer to 1 to 1. And student achievement hasn't increased at all, in spite of massive and ever-increasing amounts of money being spent on education. So maybe saving these "teachers" isn't such a great thing after all...
Keeping in mind that each dollar spent by the federal government has to first be removed from the economy via taxation or borrowing, it's hard to see how this will boost anything.
Also, PresBo has been steadily expanding spending on education since he took office, so these proposals ALSO aren't anything new.
Tax Increases
Though Obama asked the deficit reduction committee to "pay for" his proposals, he did recommend how they should do this: tax increases on higher earners. Tax increases do not create jobs, they destroy jobs. Tax increases do not boost economic growth, they suppress it. So this proposal flies in the face of everything Obama told us his plan is supposed to achieve.
Hiring tax credit
This is another recycled proposal that most definitely isn't new. In fact, it's been tried before and it didn't work then. Why? Employers seldom make permanent hiring decisions based upon temporary tax benefits. The most likely outcome, and one we've seen in the past, is that this tax credit will go towards new employees that companies had already decided to hire. Again, hard to see how we get any boost out of this.
Payroll tax cuts
The problem with payroll tax cuts is that they only effect how much is taken from your paychecks... the IRS is still going to charge you the same total in taxes, you'll have just paid less over the year. And as to a reduced Social Security contribution... that won't change at all how much SS has to spend during this time, which means any shortfall has to be made up out of the general budget. So this LOOKS like they're doing you a favor, but they aren't really.
There were other proposals, but all along the same vein. These are the major proposals, and you see how they went. Nothing new, and nothing effective.
And now for the last component of his plan, and that's how this $450 billion in new spending will be "paid for" as he promised it would be. His answer? "I don't know, but I'll pass the buck." Yes indeed, he promised it would be paid for, and asked the deficit reduction committee to handle it. They are already supposed to find $1.5 trillion in deficit reduction over ten years, and he asked them to expand their mandate to include his additional $450 billion in spending. And if they can't find all that? Automatic spending cuts in the defense budget.
Note another thing... he's claiming his $450 billion in new spending increases THIS YEAR will be paid for with $450 billion in spending cuts or tax increases OVER THE NEXT TEN YEARS. That's not paid for, by any stretch of the imagination.
So that's the "new" plan by PresBo. Tell me, do you see anything in it that will jump-start the economy? Do you see much in it that is "new," even?
Yeah, me either.
UPDATE:
A new mantra is emerging from the Democrats, in addition to "pass it now." That new mantra? Pass it as one bill, and don't break it up into smaller chunks. So, not only do we have to pass PresBo's bill IMMEDIATELY, we have to accept his proposals as is. That's compromise?
Read the rest...
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