Saturday, May 15, 2010
Split the United States
At some point one reaches the point of utter exasperation. Which is where this party is now. There is no compromising between conservatives and liberals the major issues of the day. The solution: let's partition the country in two and et the blues go their way and the reds go their way. What would be the result of this: Most of the south and southwest and including Utah, Wyoming and Montana, North and South Dakota and Alaska, (West coast excepted of course) would create a new country based upon the existing US Constitution and Bill of Rights, and leave the rest of the states to proceed as they want with a "living" constitution and all of the big government programs they like and want more of, e.g. obamacare, preservation and expansion of union jobs, bigger and bigger regulatory state. It's really not all that complicated. It seems like the country is pretty evenly divided among those who like and want more government and those who want less government. Let's work out an amicabe divorce and let the chips fall where they may.
The debt challenge
This chart tells the story of where the liberals are taking us. Their philosophy of buying votes to stay in office has led to this ruin and at this point they are not willing to change their ways despite the will of the american people and the impending electoral debacle they are facing this fall.
THE LOOMING OBAMA DEBT DISASTER
Is the United States Greece? The short answer is: not yet, but it will be if the Democrats remain in control in Washington for two more election cycles.
In the Telegraph, Edmund Conway summarizes a lengthy report by the International Monetary Fund on sovereign debt that came out today:
[T]he really interesting stuff is the detail, and what leaps out again and again is how much of a hill the US has to climb. Exhibit a is the fact that under the Obama administration's current fiscal plans, the national debt in the US (on a gross basis) will climb to above 100pc of GDP by 2015 - a far steeper increase than almost any other country.
This graphic tells the story. Note what happened after the Democrats took control of Congress in 2007:
The United Kingdom, despite its rather weak economy, is in much better shape:
Conway writes:
[T]he US, according to the IMF's projections, has more to do than any other country in the developed world (apart from Japan) when it comes to bringing its debt back towards sustainable levels. Here's the killer table. The column to look at is on the far right: note how the US needs a 12pc of GDP chunk chopped out of its structural deficit (ie adjusted for the economic cycle). That's $1.7 trillion.
The Democrats in Washington are both too stupid and too ideologically committed to read the writing on the wall. They are leading the United States over a financial cliff, and they have no intention of turning back. On the contrary: if they can, they will hobble our economy further by enacting a carbon tax. There is only one way to stop them, and to save our children--from whom greedy, selfish Washington liberals are borrowing trillions of dollars--from a lifetime of debt. The Democrats must be voted out in 2010, and Barack Obama must be denied a second opportunity to deconstruct the country that he doesn't much like.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Do we really need this mosque at the site of Ground Zero?
Diana West has been sounding warnings about the spread of the Islamic faith for many years, and does so again in this article written about the Cordoba Mosque which is about to be built near the site of the 9/11 tragedy. It is very hard not to agree with her that the relentless invasion of the western world by Muslims is ongoing and undeniable. This latest move is blatant. Here we have the specter of a mosque and Mulsim center being build at great expense by whom? We don't seem to know where the money has come from to purchase the lot for 4.5 million, nor do we seem to know much about the financing of the 13 story building (which includes the mosque) either. The mayor of NYC is reassuringly unconcerned about anything to do with this project including the symbolism (for Muslims, at least) of having an Islamic faith center placed right next to the ruins of a Muslim Jihadi caused holocaust which cost 3,000 lives of innocent westerners working in good faith to support heir families. As Diana points out, this is an outrage and what's more represents a brazen affront to all western civilization. Will we ever wake up? Oh, and by the way here is a description of the project as it appeared in the Patriot Blog today:
A new structure is set to rise at Ground Zero in New York City. However, it's not a memorial to the thousands brutally murdered there in 2001 by Islamic extremists, and it's not an office building to house revitalized American business. No, it's a mosque. Writing for Family Security Matters, Gary Adelman notes that the Community Board of Lower Manhattanunanimously approved the construction of a 13-story, $100 million mosque and community center just two blocks from where the World Trade Center stood. Beyond boasting questionable funding sources, the project -- proposed by the American Society for Muslim Advancement (ASMA) and its sister organization, the Cordoba Initiative -- shows complete disregard for the lives taken on September 11, and for those left behind.
Rosemary Cain, whose firefighter son George Cain was killed on 9/11, described the project as "a slap in the face. I think it's despicable. That's sacred ground. How could anybody give them permission to build a mosque there? It tarnishes the area." Retired FDNY Deputy Chief Jim Riches, who son Jim -- also a firefighter -- died in the attacks, stated, "I realize it's not all of them, but I don't want to have to go down to a memorial where my son died on 9/11 and look at a mosque. If you ask me, it's a religion of hate."
Adelman asks, "Have we lost our minds so much that we have moved to erecting monuments to perpetrators and not victims?" With this project, it seems, we have our answer.
Also our friends at Powerline weigh in here with a post with links that discuss what's going on in Turkey under the Erdogan government. I sent this post to our guide in Turkey (from previous trip) who responded as follows:
Dear Tom,
Turkey still wants to be a part of EU but we kind of lost our hope in that.
And the people are sick of waiting but we still want to be a part of that
unity. And they should take us in. We have done what we could have. And
still working on it.
We are not afraid of speaking politics. I disagree with that there has never
been that much political talk ever. But the AKP which is ERDOGAN s party has
purchased and controlled many newspapers. So they say there is no censor in
news but i believe there is manipulation.
But i still think that we Turks still talk politics a lot.
This government has signed agreements with unusual allies such Iran for
natural gas,just yesterday they signed an agreement with Russian president
to build the first nuclear power station and Russia has declared that they
wont ask for visa to the Turks if they wont stay more than 30 days.
Our minister of foreign affairs strategy is to have good and productive
relationship with all sides?
As you know i don't like the policy of AKP and our prime minister but i have
to respect their ability to manage the economy for the very first time in my
life. We didn't get credit loan from IMF and our economy is fine.
Look at Greece and Portugal. They should increase the production of goods in
those countries.
Turkey has been to much privatised so now most of the banks are owned by
foreign investors. And our economy is getting better but we still have 15 %
unemployment.
Turkey will help Iran to be more expressive to the world to explain
themselves but we wont take their place or we wont be like them. But the
administrators in Turkey are very close to them. But never forget our
administrators are SUNNI and theirs SHIITE so they would get along
economically but they have serious philosophical differences.
When it comes to Saudis they have money and they have invested in Turkey a
lot but they don't like Ataturk and his reforms and they don't like Turkey
giving social rights to woman and they don't like to see that many women
working and involved in politics.
So we have philosophical difference with them as well.
In Turkey now we have more important issues than the points above.
We have been dealing with many internal political issues and trials.
But you should wait until you get here:)
All the best
Ziya
Ziya is a thoughtful Turk who teaches at a University in Istanbul. He is grounded in history and the real world by virtue of his job as a guide. He is acknowledged by the foremost Turkey Travel Agency as the premier guide in the country.
ADDED: Finally, Frontline Magazine editor David Horowitz recently had an encounter with a Muslim student at UCSDS university during which he asked her if she would condemn Hizbollah and Hamas. She would not. He then asked her if she would support the assertion by a Hamas representative that he would like it if the Jews all went to Israel in order to make it easier to kill them all there rather than have to track them down all over the world. She said she would support that assertion. Professor Robert Spencer comments here on this issue. Spencer is a scholar of Islamic history, theology, and law and the director of Jihad Watch. He is the author of ten books, eleven monographs, and hundreds of articles about jihad and Islamic terrorism, including the New York Times Bestsellers The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades) and The Truth About Muhammad. His latest book, The Complete Infidel’s Guide to the Koran, is available now from Regnery Publishing, and he is coauthor (with Pamela Geller) of the forthcoming book The Post-American Presidency: The Obama Administration’s War on America (Simon and Schuster).
A new structure is set to rise at Ground Zero in New York City. However, it's not a memorial to the thousands brutally murdered there in 2001 by Islamic extremists, and it's not an office building to house revitalized American business. No, it's a mosque. Writing for Family Security Matters, Gary Adelman notes that the Community Board of Lower Manhattanunanimously approved the construction of a 13-story, $100 million mosque and community center just two blocks from where the World Trade Center stood. Beyond boasting questionable funding sources, the project -- proposed by the American Society for Muslim Advancement (ASMA) and its sister organization, the Cordoba Initiative -- shows complete disregard for the lives taken on September 11, and for those left behind.
Rosemary Cain, whose firefighter son George Cain was killed on 9/11, described the project as "a slap in the face. I think it's despicable. That's sacred ground. How could anybody give them permission to build a mosque there? It tarnishes the area." Retired FDNY Deputy Chief Jim Riches, who son Jim -- also a firefighter -- died in the attacks, stated, "I realize it's not all of them, but I don't want to have to go down to a memorial where my son died on 9/11 and look at a mosque. If you ask me, it's a religion of hate."
Adelman asks, "Have we lost our minds so much that we have moved to erecting monuments to perpetrators and not victims?" With this project, it seems, we have our answer.
Also our friends at Powerline weigh in here with a post with links that discuss what's going on in Turkey under the Erdogan government. I sent this post to our guide in Turkey (from previous trip) who responded as follows:
Dear Tom,
Turkey still wants to be a part of EU but we kind of lost our hope in that.
And the people are sick of waiting but we still want to be a part of that
unity. And they should take us in. We have done what we could have. And
still working on it.
We are not afraid of speaking politics. I disagree with that there has never
been that much political talk ever. But the AKP which is ERDOGAN s party has
purchased and controlled many newspapers. So they say there is no censor in
news but i believe there is manipulation.
But i still think that we Turks still talk politics a lot.
This government has signed agreements with unusual allies such Iran for
natural gas,just yesterday they signed an agreement with Russian president
to build the first nuclear power station and Russia has declared that they
wont ask for visa to the Turks if they wont stay more than 30 days.
Our minister of foreign affairs strategy is to have good and productive
relationship with all sides?
As you know i don't like the policy of AKP and our prime minister but i have
to respect their ability to manage the economy for the very first time in my
life. We didn't get credit loan from IMF and our economy is fine.
Look at Greece and Portugal. They should increase the production of goods in
those countries.
Turkey has been to much privatised so now most of the banks are owned by
foreign investors. And our economy is getting better but we still have 15 %
unemployment.
Turkey will help Iran to be more expressive to the world to explain
themselves but we wont take their place or we wont be like them. But the
administrators in Turkey are very close to them. But never forget our
administrators are SUNNI and theirs SHIITE so they would get along
economically but they have serious philosophical differences.
When it comes to Saudis they have money and they have invested in Turkey a
lot but they don't like Ataturk and his reforms and they don't like Turkey
giving social rights to woman and they don't like to see that many women
working and involved in politics.
So we have philosophical difference with them as well.
In Turkey now we have more important issues than the points above.
We have been dealing with many internal political issues and trials.
But you should wait until you get here:)
All the best
Ziya
Ziya is a thoughtful Turk who teaches at a University in Istanbul. He is grounded in history and the real world by virtue of his job as a guide. He is acknowledged by the foremost Turkey Travel Agency as the premier guide in the country.
ADDED: Finally, Frontline Magazine editor David Horowitz recently had an encounter with a Muslim student at UCSDS university during which he asked her if she would condemn Hizbollah and Hamas. She would not. He then asked her if she would support the assertion by a Hamas representative that he would like it if the Jews all went to Israel in order to make it easier to kill them all there rather than have to track them down all over the world. She said she would support that assertion. Professor Robert Spencer comments here on this issue. Spencer is a scholar of Islamic history, theology, and law and the director of Jihad Watch. He is the author of ten books, eleven monographs, and hundreds of articles about jihad and Islamic terrorism, including the New York Times Bestsellers The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades) and The Truth About Muhammad. His latest book, The Complete Infidel’s Guide to the Koran, is available now from Regnery Publishing, and he is coauthor (with Pamela Geller) of the forthcoming book The Post-American Presidency: The Obama Administration’s War on America (Simon and Schuster).
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