We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.
More than 100 years ago Gustave Le Bon wrote The Psychology of Socialism (Psychologie du Socialisme). He said that socialism was a religion. “No apostle has ever doubted the future of his faith,” began Le Bon, “and the socialists are persuaded of the approaching triumph of theirs. Such a victory implies of necessity the destruction of the present society, and its reconstruction on other bases.” If we look at civilization closely, we find it to be a “tissue of ideas” and customs determined by heredity. “No society is firmly held together unless this moral heritage is solidly established,” warned Le Bon. And today we find that American society has abandoned its moral heritage – thanks to the cultural influence of the socialists. In the battle between socialist ideas and market freedom, the socialist have defeated their competition – in universities and Hollywood, in publishing houses and major media. “The modern bourgeoisie are no longer sure of their rights,” wrote Le Bon. “Or rather they are not sure of anything. They listen to everything and tremble before the most pitiable windbags.” The capitalist system cannot defend itself against its critics. The system is not a “dictatorship of the bourgeoisie,” as Marx alleged. Instead, it is a distracted uncle who naively trusts that the best ideas will triumph. What we have seen, instead, is the progressive corruption of our terminology; the abandonment of our folkways; a failure to transmit the heritage of our forefathers to the next generation; the triumph of ideals diametrically opposed to those of our nation’s Founders. When the government’s policies lead us from disaster to disaster, and the people are suffering, the outcome will devolve into an ideological battle between differing brands of nonsense.
Hopey-changey pretty butterflies and pink unicorns and peace 'n love will not alter the fact that other nations pursue their power and money interests ruthlessly, are quick to deceive, and quick to to identify and exploit weakness.
A quote from Russia and Iran get Strategic, from FPIF:
Looking at the developments of the past 90 days through the filter of the new Russian security framework, a clearer picture emerges. It's no longer a question for the United States of whether or not Russia will support additional sanctions on Iran. That won't happen. Russia is on the path to make Iran a strategic partner, a counter to the United States in the regions of rivalry.
The United States falls into a trap in assuming that Russia doesn't want a nuclear- armed Iran. Russian officials repeat over and over that they have no evidence that Iran has a weapons program. U.S. officials discount that statement but shouldn't. The United States needs to remember that Russia has nuclear engineers inside Iran working with the Iranians.
Read the whole brief article. Lovely as Persian carpets may be, the Russians are after the oil and the geopolitical leverage, not pretty rugs. This is a game for big boys.
The good and the bad about Newt. Rick Moran. He's still the best conceptualist the Conservatives have.
NYT has its panties in a bunch over nativists. I think a nativist is somebody who wants our laws followed. But I am part nativist, on my mother's side.
Stumbling over a sense of entitlement, at WaPo. It begins:
Tom Daschle still doesn't get it.
John Thain never did.
Barack Obama gets it sometimes, Nancy Pelosi and John Boehner not so much.
Corporate executives think they get it but aren't even close.
College presidents, governors and union leaders, for the most part, don't have a clue.
"It" is an understanding of how fundamentally the political and economic environment has been transformed with the bursting of the bubble economy and how that has jeopardized basic assumptions and expectations and the way we do what we do.
Tom Daschle's problem wasn't that he didn't pay his taxes. It was that he -- along with those who vetted his nomination as health and human services secretary and many of his colleagues in the Senate -- found it perfectly ordinary and acceptable that he would be able to cash in on his time in the Senate by earning more than $5 million over two years as a law-firm rainmaker, equity fundraiser, corporate director and luncheon speaker, all the while being driven around town in a chauffeured town car. Not exactly Cincinnatus returning to the plow.
For the American public, Daschle became the latest symbol of everything that is wrong with Washington -- the influence-peddling and corner-cutting and sacrifice of the public good to private interest. Now that this system has let them down, and left them poorer and anxious about the future, people are angry about it and no longer willing to accept the corruption of the public process and the whole notion of public service.
The irony, of course, is that Barack Obama understood all this and tapped into Americans' frustration as the central message of his "change" campaign. But even he, with only four years in Washington, failed to see the depth of the problem or anticipate the ferocity of the backlash.
WASHINGTON, DC) – All U.S. taxpayers would enjoy the same immunity from IRS penalties and interest as House Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel (D-NY) and Obama Administration Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, if a bill introduced today by Congressman John Carter (R-TX) becomes law.
Carter, a former longtime Texas judge, today introduced the Rangel Rule Act of 2009, HR 735, which would prohibit the Internal Revenue Service from charging penalties and interest on back taxes against U.S. citizens. Under the proposed law, any taxpayer who wrote “Rangel Rule” on their return when paying back taxes would be immune from penalties and interest.
From Bruce Kesler. I no longer will term him "guest poster" because he seems to be turning into a regular.
Above the law? Thank you Mr. Daschle.
We should all be thanking Tom Daschle for his behavior in not paying all his taxes and evading lobbying laws. The even larger issues are highlighted for public discussion that some of our rulers do not follow the same laws expected of the rest of us, and that they exploit the loopholes in the ever expanding laws.
At issue are to what standards our rulers are to be held and whether laws are enough the answer. Laws help keep honest people honest, by providing guidance, but personal integrity and shame are essential as well. Strict enforcement is also critical, especially for those who anyway breach the law and public trust.
First, we must admit that none of us are saints, nor are any solons capable of foreseeing all eventualities. Imperfect men can only make imperfect laws, and imperfect men may err in following them. Despite partisan stances toward imperfections of our adversaries, most of us do observe reasonable tolerance toward imperfect behavior.
That acknowledged, tolerance is exceeded when imperfect behavior is clearly beyond the law, blatant, or frequent. It is a matter of our basic governance in a democracy that our rulers be held to, at least, the same standards as other citizens.
This is not a matter of policy differences, unless one wants to argue that our rulers are or should be above the law for whatever reasons of need or effectiveness.
Here, some minds might wander into consideration of some of the measures taken by the Bush administration, and some by the Clinton administration, in their efforts against terrorism. What makes them qualitatively different is that they literally involve national security, almost all were within or not outside the law as it existed, that they were not for personal enrichment, and that reasonable, qualified experts differ on them. As evidenced by the Obama administration¿s initial adoption or non-rejection - yet - of most of these measures, despite Obama's campaign rhetoric, these are policy differences.
Regarding Tom Daschle, we had two clear choices, allowing him to skate or holding him accountable. Tom Daschle had the third choice, having the shame and sense to withdraw, which he now has. If he had been confirmed, our Senators would undermine public confidence in and compliance with the laws and respect for themselves. If Daschle were rejected, our legislators' job would not be complete. They owe us more. Daschle's withdrawal still leaves their job incomplete.
for all to be subject to regular comprehensive tax audits is worthwhile. The Congressional ethics committees need to be more independent and active. That requires the addition of independent special investigators, as with the executive¿s agencies. Their work should be fast and their reports published immediately, avoiding burying by legislators. Laws passed by the Congress should apply to Congress itself, with any exceptions being at least justified by supermajorities. Lastly, our major media must take more seriously its self-professed role as nonpartisan guardians of truth-to-power. The extent to which it has not is far beyond evident.
These will go a long way toward ending attitudes of our rulers or perceptions of them being above the law. They may well, also, further more careful consideration of the laws passed, as their effects are more applied to themselves.
We deserve no less. Thank you Mr. Daschle for your contribution to our government's integrity. Now, go away in rightful shame.
Two tax cheats remove themselves from consideration today, despite admin support. Furthermore, Europe and Canada are freaking out about "Buy American." A trade war? It's been a bad week for the O, and it's only Tuesday. I do not wish the admin ill; I wish them wisdom and honesty - and quickly.
Obama does dhimmitude? Powerline. That is not wise.
The proposed performance Czar. These Dems have no clue how much time I spend to pay my taxes properly. No wonder they don't mind raising taxes - they don't pay them.
This is becoming a joke. Maybe paying honest taxes is for chumps, as Leona Helmsley used to say.
I don’t think my blog –or the blogs of any of us, including its founders–will live or die by the success of PJ Media. We all define success differently; right now, I consider this blog to have been successful, if not beyond my wildest dreams, then certainly beyond what I considered any realistic expectations. Great readers, and plenty of them–what more could a person want?
If a certain sort of conservative tends to be moralistic about sex, liberals tend to be moralistic about money. That makes Tom Daschle the equivalent of a televangelist caught in a sex scandal.
Since his re-election defeat in 2004, Daschle has mastered the art of turning humiliating political loss into high-roller riches, much of it coming from his work for a well-connected law firm where he didn't technically operate as a lobbyist but gave policy advice to companies with business before the government.
But trading on his name, his political connections, his ability to tap into Democratic donors and becoming wealthy by virtue of his past public service isn't what has Daschle in trouble. Failure to pay taxes is.
These aren't "very modest differences", they are profoundly different versions of the role of government and people in a free society. Also, only one of these will actually work, while the other does nothing more than empower government for generations.
Back from NH. Image of your NJ above. Man, do I enjoy that funky old Cannon Mountain. It's like the anti-Vail. Thanks to all for filling in for me. While away, I see that Pajamas Media is having problems with its biz model. That's too bad, because I like them. But business is business. It's a tough game to appeal enough to make people part with their money or time. We don't even bother trying to make money here. Not worth the hassle, and ads take up space. No, we aren't Commies, nor do we want gummint money. We just do what we like to do.
The War on Rush. Trouble is, Lefties, every time you hit him he gets stronger. Besides his quick intelligence, his talents are his humor, his self-deprecation, and his obvious genuine warmth towards callers regardless of view.
The labor movement takes its pound of flesh. "Movement"? Maybe it was a "movement" in 1920, but now it's just an antiquated, corrupt, political power and money base of insiders.
The end of hunting season is always a sad time. After all, how many hunting seasons does a fellow have left? Maybe 25, maybe none. Image above from Mr. Free Market.
"Any dictator would admire the uniformity and obedience of the U.S. media." - Noam Chomsky. That seems to apply right now. (Found that quote while perusing Kos to try to find out whether the Kos Kidz are happy yet. They are not, nor will they ever be).
The prima facie immorality of wealth. Come on, Ron. That's nonsense. Does that apply to Barbra Streisand, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Jimmy Buffet, Donald Trump, A-Rod, J-Lo, Paul McCartney, Hillary Clinton, Rafael Nadel, Luciano Pavarotti, Jim Carey, John Updike, Yo Yo Ma, Rush Limbaugh - and my local neurosurgeon? And my high-school drop-out friend who built up a 50 store-and-gas chain of mini-marts from one run-down gas station, beginning when he was 19, and then sold his chain for many millions? Populist envy, I think. People at the top of competitive fields often end up making lots of money. Why would it be different for bankers? Good on all of 'em, say I.
Why they want to terrify us about this recession: Time for a new world order? And is this recession really so unique? If any things are unique about it, they are the fragile banks and that it is globally simultaneous.
Theater of the Absurd: It's 9 degrees here, after the coldest January since Christ was born. Or since Moses - I forget. 
Hopey-changey pretty butterflies and pink unicorns and peace 'n love will not alter the fact that other nations pursue their power and money interests ruthlessly, are quick to deceive, and quick to to identify and exploit weakness.
I hadn't heard about 
Neoneo quotes herself from several years ago 
