A liberal pundit was on TV earlier arguing that the free market is dead and we’re going to see government take over of more and more sectors of our economy. He said it’s what the people want and he knows we want this because Americans voted for Barack Obama.

The problem with his theory is that most people didn’t know what they were voting for, other than hope and change.

Barack Obama has promised an overhaul of the US health care system. Unfortunately, this will lead to rationing of care and huge federal debt to be paid for by our children and grandchildren. I’m sure that isn’t what people voted for.

Sure, Americans want the best medical care at the lowest possible price. But Americans also tend to be unrealistic and willing to believe promises that can’t be kept. As Thomas Sowell pointed out, politicians are good at promising the impossible. Delivery is another story.

Just look at the economy. We’re in a recession. Many economists believe recessions, in the long run, are necessary.  We can’t live in an overinflated bubble forever, especially when the bubble grew out of control due to government interference in the economy. Bubbles burst. The economy is cyclical, it has its ups and its downs. Corrections are part of the natural cycle.  But that’s not the sort of thing the people want to hear.

So we get politicians promising to print money to create jobs and save the economy. They promise to give us things that are expensive, like health care and a monthly check. So what if we already do that for retirees, the disabled and the impoverished. They aren’t going to get votes by promising to continue an existing entitlement. That wouldn’t win over any new voters.

What they fail to tell the people is that the money they spend has to come from somewhere. They can’t keep printing money and raising taxes without serious economic consequences. But those inconvenient little truths don’t fit the hope and change narrative.

Sooner or later the people will figure out what they voted for. And they aren’t going to like it. Thankfully, like the economy, politics is cyclical. Let’s hope this political cycle is a short one.

Despite all the evidence that stimulus spending doesn’t stimulate the Fed continues to print money and the politicians continue to spend it. Have the Republicans forgotten the lessons of Ronald Reagan and supply side economics? Perhaps they should use the Christmas break to bone up on economics and come out with a strategy to put the brakes on Obama’s new economic plan. (Not that it will be easy, since George Bush did such a great job of setting the table for him.)

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, despite being renounced by his own corrupt party, refuses to resign. I can almost understand why. Wasn’t he just doing what they do in Illinois, and New York for that matter? And speaking of New York, Kathleen Parker simply couldn’t pass up the opportunity to bash Sarah Palin, even while mildly criticizing Princess Caroline. Maybe Ms. Parker doesn’t have a grasp of the havoc US senators are capable of causing.

It’s reported that Oprah Winfrey can’t stand to be away from Barack Obama, so she’s looking to purchase a $50 million Georgetown mansion. Not that I begrudge anyone being able to purchase such a home, but when those people support a candidate who wants to “spread the wealth” it’s a bit offensive.

Big spending and high taxes haven’t done anything good for the state of New York. Businesses have shut down and children grow up and leave the state because it’s unaffordable. Which makes it puzzling that Governor Paterson would propose increasing an average New York family’s taxes by almost $4000 per year. After the state government’s driven all the producers and tax payers out of New York, who will be left to pay the tab for the welfare recipients left behind?

One has to wonder what the heck happened to the Republican party. They used to stand for low taxes and small government. These days they’re nearly indistinguishable from the democrats. Even if they do manage a miraculous comeback, what sort of mess will they be coming back to?

Governor David Paterson may come to be known as the Grinch who stole Christmas. The best quote of the day regarding Governor Paterson’s plans to raise taxes came from Sen. Martin Golden (R-Brooklyn) via the New York Post:

“The pain in this budget seems to be strictly for the middle class. You name it, [Paterson] taxes it. If anybody’s contemplating leaving the state of New York, this should push them over the top.”

Amen to that. It’s very sad. My husband and I love our jobs and our home. But I don’t know how much more of this we can, or are willing to, take. Taxes in New York are already out of control. Does Paterson really think this plan is going to attract business to our state?

At this point we are going to refrain from making any purchases in New York that aren’t absolutely necessary. Enough is enough. I would urge my fellow New Yorkers to follow suit. Any economic activity that isn’t essential to your survival should be avoided. Sure, it will be a sacrifice but they’re already asking for sacrifice. This just forces them to learn to live with less like the rest of us.

H/T to reader Andrew W.

I must admit, it was a brilliant move for Barack Obama to appoint “centrists”  to his cabinet early and with much fanfare. Some would argue the point that they really aren’t centrists, but why bother. We’ll find out soon enough how moderate they really are.

But there’s nary a soul who can make a convincing argument that his energy team is anything but a bunch of left wing, tree hugging, economy killing ideologues. The Wall Street Journal predicts big carbon taxes in the midst of a depression. Read the rest of this entry »

Barack Obama is running an ad which states that analysts at the Heritage Foundation “are acknowledging that my tax plan provides more relief to the average American than John McCain’s does.” Full story.

The Heritage Foundation calls this a lie and distortion and they are demanding that Barack Obama pull the ad. Click here for a copy of their letter to Senator Obama.

The citizens of New York State are among the highest taxed people in the US. Our state government loves to spend money, and they’re predicting a growing budget deficit in the months and years to come. This is with only two branches of the state government in the hands of democrats.

When gas was over $4.00 per gallon we all started driving a little less. Isn’t this what the liberals wanted us to do? Unfortunately for tax-and-spend New York when we started buying less gas one of their revenue sources dwindled. So they have to get creative in order to keep the money flowing into Albany. Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s Joe the Plumber’s news conference. The media tries to trip him up because of his party affiliation.

Then Joe the Plumber goes on to say what so many Americans believe. “I have two parents, I don’t need two more parents - the government.” This is great!

Update: Joe did a few more interviews. You can read about them here and here.

Listening to the pundits, you may hear that a fundamental difference in philosophy between McCain and Obama centers on the fabric of our society. In essence Obama and his liberal supporters like Pelosi, Frank, Reid, Dodd and Schumer prefer America to come more in line with the Western European socialist style democracies. McCain and his conservative supporters back a more traditional American Capitalist style of democracy.

Early this morning (afternoon here in West Yorkshire England) I caught a remote broadcast from Brian Wilson in Raleigh, North Carolina. Other than the fact that I am always amazed by the global access we have to information these days, I was taken by the undecided voters Brian was interviewing. They all had the same view. They are tired of the same old thing, but afraid of what change might bring.

I thought a little show and tell might be in order. First, I’ll assume that you are already familiar with the same old thing in terms of what you pay for groceries, gasoline, a car, or a house. I hope you also realize that the change Obama is talking about is not a return to the “good old days” whatever that might mean. Read the rest of this entry »

Obama the socialist explains to a plumber why he will take the plumber’s money. “It’s not that I want to punish your success, but…..”

He went on to say we need to “Share the wealth.” That’s code for “income re-distribution.”

The plumber learns his trade, gets up early, goes to work, provides a much needed service to his customers and Obama wants to take his earnings and “share it” with others. Nice.

The media has spent a good deal of time trying to make Sarah Palin look bad. Even though she’s at the bottom of the Republican ticket, Palin has been under much more scrunity than Barack Obama. There’s even an Obama shill moderating tonight’s debate.

Barack Obama says whatever he wants and the media refuses to question him, or have any follow up questions. Same goes for Biden. Did Katie Couric ask him a follow up question when he said FDR came on TV in 1929 to address the nation? Don’t be silly! Why would she do that?

Matt Meyer writing for Townhall has a list three short questions he would like the media to ask Obama.

#1: What share of federal income taxes should the top 25% of American pay, and how many Americans should pay no federal taxes?

#2: Specifically, what three deregulatory actions caused the current financial crisis and exactly how did those actions lead to the financial meltdown.

#3: How do higher union rates make America more competitive and, therefore, stronger economically?

The article lampoons Obama’s proposals. It isn’t even that complicated. Since the media refuses to ask these questions perhaps John McCain and Sarah Palin will.

Republicans aren’t doing a very good job at replying to Democrats attacks blaming them for the current economic crisis. There is so much evidence against the Democrats, but the Replublicans just won’t go there. I have no idea why. Maybe they figure the media refuses to report the truth, so why bother. Read the rest of this entry »

During a Florida Obama campaign event, a small plane flew over the rally pulling a banner that read “Raising Taxes is not Patriotic.” How cool is that?

Obama didn’t seem to notice the plane, but told the crowd “Don’t let them run the okey doke on you. You heard of the okey doke? Don’t let ‘em bamboozle you. Don’t be hoodwinked. I will cut taxes.”

I think Barack got bamboozled!

Yes, you read that right. In this interview, with a straight face, Harry Reid says over and over again that paying taxes in the United States of America is voluntary! How could anyone make this stuff up? He had no choice but to concede that some tax evaders are fined or even imprisoned for not paying their taxes, but then reiterates that paying taxes in the USA is a voluntary process. There you have it folks, straight from Harry Reid’s mouth. Save this video so when you decide to stop paying taxes you can tell the IRS Harry Reid said it’s voluntary.