Where's Berry?

So, the stock market keeps tanking. Another 400 point drop yesterday. The Dow only has so many 400 point drops left in it.
The Auto Execs are getting the crud kicked out of them on Capital Hill.
More houses are getting foreclosed upon.
Housing values are dropping and people are worried.
So, amidst all this, where is the President Elect?

My belief is that with just a few words, we could start turning this mess we call the US economy around. Those words, from PE Obama, would look like:
I'm going to hold off on my promise to raise taxes on the wealthy.
Instead, I'm going to suggest we cut Capital Gains taxes in half in the first 100 days of my administration.

If he says these two sentences, the stock market would start to rise again and people, most people, would start to feel more comfortable about spending the few dollars that they have.
But you and I both know he won't. What you may not know is why.
The answer is fairly simple, straightforward and, well, evil.
The answer to the question of Where's Berry or to why he won't say those two little lines listed above was given by Rahm Emanual earlier in the week. He said:
"we can't let a serious crises go to waste"
He laid out a case for using a crisis like we are in to move forward with an agenda that, under other circumstances, would never be tolerated.
No. I'm not kidding.
So, Obama is hiding out, purposefully NOT trying to settle peoples worries...purposefully NOT saying things that would start to calm fears, in order to make things WORSE so he can implement an agenda that we would never tolerate during any other circumstances.
Things like: Higher taxes on "wealthy" entrepreneurs. Nationalized Health care. The destruction of the coal industry. Increased taxes and regulation on industry. Increased influence over local education...I could go on, but I'll throw my computer out the window.

Folks...that's change we can believe it.
Don't blame me, I voted for Palin.

Interesting Election Result

Proposition 8, the Californian Constitutional Amendment that would dis-allow gay marriage in California, and effectively annul 18,000 marriages was narrowly approved on Tuesday.
One very interesting point of the exit polls showed that a majority of white voters opposed it.
However, over 70% of black voters voted for the ban. That overwhelming percentage, combined with the huge numbers of black voters voting this time around spelled success for the ban and spelled doom for the thousands of gay and lesbian married couples.

So, if, like some, you believe gay and lesbian issues to be civil rights issues, then what they had in California was the culmination of a civil rights dream, an African American in the White House, that directly resulted in the destruction of another civil rights dream.

Just one of those things that make you go "hmmmmmm"

Still more interesting stuff

According to DetNews.com PE Obama is tapping Dem. Gov. Jenny Granholm (not the best choice of phrases!) and Democrat Pit Yorky David Bonior as economic advisers.
Someone needs to tell Mr. Obama that the state from which these two come from, Michigan, has more economic woes than Amy Winehouse has track marks.
Asking them for their opinions on the economy is like asking Bill Gates how to install Ubuntu linux...he may know how to install something somewhere, but he doesn't know how to do what's what.

Interesting Start...

So, the first pick for PE Obama is Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel. Two things are interesting about this:
1. Staffers and Journalists alike have dubbed the Obama campaign "No Drama Obama" because there were no pit bulls or attack dogs on the Obama staff. That's all changed now with the appointment of Rahmbo to the cabinet. He's a hard core partisan who has a take no prisoners attitude toward Republicans, and particularly conservatives. This isn't criticism, it's just pointing something out. Obama ran on being different, an outsider full of change. The first thing he does is completely change from the direction of his campaign and appoint Clinton supporters to his cabinet kind of flies in the face of that 'change'
2. It annoys me to no end to listen to liberals, Bush haters, who literally get red in the face at the mention of Carl Rove. His evilness is only surpassed by that of George Bush. Rahm Emanuel is the complete embodiment of all the things that these same liberals associate with Rove, yet, they won't have the same criticism. I personally like Carl Rove and think he's the kind of guy you want to have on your side in a fight.

One other interesting thing, the appointments that Obama has made so far are most likely the EXACT same ones that Hillary would have made. Interesting. Very interesting.

President Elect Obama

Well, I guess that's that!
While I'm not particularly happy with the result, I'm very happy it's over.
The republicans got their hats handed to them last night, and, for the most part deserved it. I'm not sure how, in a state that's been governed by Democrats for several years, that's had the worst economy of the whole country for much of that time, how it could be that the ruling party PICKS UP SEATS! The only answer is that the morons the republicans ran against the morons that are in state government were, well, morons.

That said, I know people who are SCARED now. Very scared.
Scared for the auto industry, which is my personal Bread and Butter.
Scared for their future where they believe they will be targeted for higher taxes.
Scared for a future where government bureaucrats decide what health care they will receive.
Scared for the further indoctrination of their children regarding issues that are strongly held, either religious, personal or both.

To that, I say....Let's wait and see.
Sen Obama won, and now let's see what he'll do with it. Give him a chance...we've got no choice.
For this, I have a great example of what can happen.

The last time the Dems had this much power was (anyone? anyone?): 1992.
Bill Clinton was elected Presmenent and both Houses of Congress were controlled by democrats. And they got all frisky.
If you remember, there was talk of nationalizing health care (Hillary was put in charge of that), there was talk of raising taxes to fund more social programs, particularly drug awareness and family planning. As well as huge deficits "as far as the eye could see" was the quote of the day back then.
All that changed with the Contract With America, Newt Gingrich and the 1994 Republican House and Senate victories.
What we ended up with was 6 years of: lower taxes, welfare reforms and *gasp* a balanced budget (for like 15 minutes).
We also ended up with a Smoking hot economy, a wildly successful auto industry, a housing market that just recently busted and 401(k) plans that went through the roof.
We won't mention the bombing of our embassies, the USS Cole nor the first bombing of the World Trade Center...I only bring those up to remind everyone that just cause a Democrat is in office doesn't mean the world loves us.

So, here's hoping Barry does well and we don't need to elect a bunch of Republicans in two years.
Or, here's hoping that he over-reaches his bounds, like Clinton, and we get an active, smart conservative movement growing in this country again and the balance of power is again shared between the two parties.
Or, here's hoping that the world hates us less and at least doesn't start bombing our stuff again.
Or, here's hoping that we move to Australia.

On Something

Most of my initial posts on this blog are going to be based on very specific topics. These topics are generally hot button topics that are fodder for argument on TV, radio and in the office.

The first "On" topic for this blog is 'being right'. It is an interesting thing being right. It is something we all think we are, but are often unsure or unable to verbalize what we are right about.
I've often said "Everything I believe is right." I stand by that statement. Everything I do believe is correct. If it wasn't correct I wouldn't believe it. I would change my mind and believe something else. Then, again, everything I believed would be correct.

When I tell people this, they often think me smug. "How can you say that?" they would ask. To which I reply, "What do you believe, fundamentally believe, that is incorrect?" Generally I get a hem or a haw from this, but think about it. What is it that you believe is wrong? A better question is: If it's wrong, why do you believe it?

You see, when I tell people this, they think it's the same as me saying that I'm right and they are wrong. Also, it can be thought that my believing I'm right makes me inflexible or narrow minded. Neither can be further from the truth!

First, my believing in something is never contingent upon what others believe. In a real sense, I doesn't matter to me what people believe (other than my family and a few select friends). Whether or not you are right or wrong in your beliefs is irrelevant to why or how I believe.

Second, and this may be hard to believe but it is true, if you can convince me that something I believe is wrong, then I WILL change my mind. My goal isn't in being inflexible or thinking that I am perfect. No, my goal is to be right in everything I believe. If I am convinced to be wrong then I will change. At which point, I can say again, that I am right about what I believe.

So, I'm right. The cool thing is, so are you. However, when our opinions disagree, that is where the fun begins.

A Simple Philosophy

Hello World!
This is my first attempt at political blogging. In it, I'm going to write about topical issues, such as the War in Iraq, politics and society at large.

To bin me into a party would be difficult. I have, recently, voted Republican and could probably be considered a fiscal republican. However, I'm not even near being Republican on most social issues.

If asked, I'd say I'm some kind of libertarian. Not one of those nutty libertarians that smoke dope, join militias and ignore state speed limits. No. More like what I understand as a Jeffersonian Liberal.

I believe that the government should stay out of our lives and our wallets, and I mean it. Tons of people say that, but don't mean it.
Right wingers want government out of our lives, but they think that people can't be trusted with their own judgment or bodies (re: illicit drugs, prostitution, and abortion).
Left wingers think that people should be left to their own devices but only some of the time and only some people (re: right wing radio should be balanced, rich people should be taxed higher, and businesses are mostly evil).

I kinda think that, in part, both have decent ideas. Neither follows through with them, and neither have the courage of their own convictions.

Over the course of this blog, I'd like to discuss these ideas, philosophies and beliefs.

To sum up, my political beliefs can be boiled down to a simple statement: Never vote for a tax increase; and never, ever, under any circumstance trust a draft dodger!