[Rhodes22-list] The way things are ... (Political)

Sat Nov 1 09:14:33 EDT 2008

Rik,

You are correct, and the only candidate to address that issue in
plain, blunt-spoken language was Sarah Palin, who said in her
convention speech, "we need to live within our means".

I'm attaching the latest from Dr. Sowell who echos my sentiments and
repeats my challenge on this forum for months.  What has this "Chosen
One" accomplished?  Something, anything - ran a small business, wrote
a major piece of legislation, helped his own extended family -
something, anything? Instead, we see a long, long string of
questionable alignments and friendships with dubious and corrupt
characters. Almost every (if not every) project he was heavily
involved with in Chicago was an abject failure.  His one claim for
success is running a campaign, albeit one on funded by illegal
financing sources and managed by David Axlerod, master of illusion.

What we are witnessing is truly "the triumph of hope over experience".

Brad

--------------------------

Ego and Mouth
Thomas Sowell
Friday, October 31, 2008

After the big gamble on subprime mortgages that led to the current
financial crisis, is there going to be an even bigger gamble, by
putting the fate of a nation in the hands of a man whose only
qualifications are ego and mouth?

Barack Obama has the kind of cocksure confidence that can only be
achieved by not achieving anything else.

Anyone who has actually had to take responsibility for consequences by
running any kind of enterprise-- whether economic or academic, or even
just managing a sports team-- is likely at some point to be chastened
by either the setbacks brought on by his own mistakes or by seeing his
successes followed by negative consequences that he never anticipated.

The kind of self-righteous self-confidence that has become Obama's
trademark is usually found in sophomores in Ivy League colleges-- very
bright and articulate students, utterly untempered by experience in
real world.

The signs of Barack Obama's self-centered immaturity are painfully
obvious, though ignored by true believers who have poured their hopes
into him, and by the media who just want the symbolism and the
ideology that Obama represents.

The triumphal tour of world capitals and photo-op meetings with world
leaders by someone who, after all, was still merely a candidate, is
just one sign of this self-centered immaturity.

"This is our time!" he proclaimed. And "I will change the world." But
ultimately this election is not about him, but about the fate of this
nation, at a time of both domestic and international peril, with a
major financial crisis still unresolved and a nuclear Iran looming on
the horizon.

For someone who has actually accomplished nothing to blithely talk
about taking away what has been earned by those who have accomplished
something, and give it to whomever he chooses in the name of
"spreading the wealth," is the kind of casual arrogance that has led
to many economic catastrophes in many countries.

The equally casual ease with which Barack Obama has talked about
appointing judges on the basis of their empathies with various
segments of the population makes a mockery of the very concept of law.

After this man has wrecked the economy and destroyed constitutional
law with his judicial appointments, what can he do for an encore? He
can cripple the military and gamble America's future on his ability to
sit down with enemy nations and talk them out of causing trouble.

Senator Obama's running mate, Senator Joe Biden, has for years shown
the same easy-way-out mindset. Senator Biden has for decades opposed
strengthening our military forces. In 1991, Biden urged relying on
sanctions to get Saddam Hussein's troops out of Kuwait, instead of
military force, despite the demonstrated futility of sanctions as a
means of undoing an invasion.

People who think Governor Sarah Palin didn't handle some "gotcha"
questions well in a couple of interviews show no interest in how she
compares to the Democrats' Vice Presidential candidate, Senator Biden.

Joe Biden is much more of the kind of politician the mainstream media
like. Not only is he a liberal's liberal, he answers questions far
more glibly than Governor Palin-- grossly inaccurately in many cases,
but glibly.

Moreover, this is a long-standing pattern with Biden. When he was
running for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination back in
1987, someone in the audience asked him what law school he attended
and how well he did.

Flashing his special phony smile, Biden said, "I think I have a much
higher IQ than you do." He added, "I went to law school on a full
academic scholarship" and "ended up in the top half" of the class.

But Biden did not have a full academic scholarship. Newsweek reported:
"He went on a half scholarship based on need. He didn't finish in the
'top half' of his class. He was 76th out of 85."

Add to Obama and Biden House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority
Leader Harry Reid, and you have all the ingredients for a historic
meltdown. Let us not forget that the Roman Empire did decline and
fall, blighting the lives of millions for centuries.

On Sat, Nov 1, 2008 at 7:59 AM, Rik Sandberg <sanderico1 at gmail.com> wrote:
> Ed,
>
> Here's a link to the Obamaphoric black woman.
>
> http://video.nbc6.net/player/?id=797441
>
> While I agree with most of what you are saying in your post, let's keep
> in mind that it is not only the gov't or the bankers, etc., etc. that
> have brought on the problems we are about to endure. WE must shoulder a
> good deal of the responsibility ourselves. This standard of living we
> have created and will now begin to pay for was never sustainable. Why?
> Because it was not built on equity, but rather on leverage. Simply put,
> Americans have been buying things they didn't really need with money
> they didn't really have and the weight of the pile of debt is finally
> overcoming the ability to create more leverage.
>
> As reprehensible as I feel the actions of the big bank's and mortgage
> company's, etc. actions have been leading up to all of this, it does not
> absolve the average American consumer of the responsibility for living
> within his means.
>
> Rik
>
> Will Rogers often said, "There's nothing quite like money in the bank." He went on to say, "I'm not so concerned about the return on my money as I am about the return of my money."
>
>
>
> Tootle wrote:
>> The other day I posted that I thought the members of this forum were in my
>> opinion equal to or of greater intellect than Obama.
>>
>> Then yesterday I caught a news video of an interview with a Black Lady in
>> Florida after an Obama rally.  She said to the reporter, "I am voting for
>> Obama because I will not have to buy gas or pay mortgage payments."
>>
>> I do not have a Utube reference, I leave that to the experts among us.  But,
>> to willingly accept this ladies reasoning … , I now have to question others…
>>
>> I guess many believe in the efficacy of government provided medical care
>> too.  I understand that the truth just ain't as sheep believe.  Fema, Fannie
>> Mae, etc. just being illustrations of real results.
>>
>> Why do the most of the best doctors from socialized countries come to the
>> USA?  The truth speaks in two answers.  First is why the USA is the first
>> choice of any seeking emigration.  The second is that professional medical
>> practice under Socialism (call it any name that makes you comfortable) is
>> not professionally satisfying.
>>
>> For those who seek to call government control of medical care anything but
>> Socialism which is otherwise Marxism and claiming it is not, is just lying
>> to either yourself or others.
>>
>> Such self deception is no different from what that lady believes.
>>
>> Obama has admitted that he is a Progressive, Socialist or what ever you may
>> tag him.  Yes he may have other attributes such as Charisma, but then so did
>> Hitler, Lenin, Mao, Castro, etc.
>>
>> Are there any who lost relatives under the above and still support Obama?
>> I never knew the relatives I lost.  However, I understand Socialism, Marxism
>> was at the cause.
>>
>> Is not having lost relatives to Marxism a justification to support Obama?
>> Then you must have the same reasoning ability of that lady in the news.
>>
>> The American Capitalists system has created the highest standard of living
>> ever achieved for mankind.  And Obama and socialist programs will destroy
>> it.  And then what will your grandkids have?  Will they even understand what
>> was lost?
>>
>> Why is understanding human behavior and wealth important?  Reread the post
>> about Ronald Reagan and the Red Hen (see below).  For those like Obama who
>> believe in using government power to distribute wealth, they forget the most
>> import fact.  That is people's work or efforts create wealth.  When they
>> lose control of their work product, then their output ceases.
>>
>> Ed K
>> Addendum:
>> Red Hen
>>
>> A modern day little red hen may not sound like or appear to be a quotable
>> authority on economics but then some authorities aren't worth quoting.
>>
>> About a year ago I imposed a little poetry on you. It was called "The
>> Incredible Bread Machine" and made a lot of sense with reference to matters
>> economic. You didn't object too much so having gotten away with it once I'm
>> going to try again. This is a little treatise on basic economics called "The
>> Modern little Red Hen."
>>
>> Once upon a time there was a little red hen who scratched about the barnyard
>> until she uncovered some grains of wheat. She called her neighbors and said
>> 'If we plant this wheat, we shall have bread to eat. Who will help me plant
>> it?'
>>
>> "Not I, " said the cow.
>>
>> "Not I," said the duck.
>>
>> "Not I," said the pig.
>>
>> "Not I," said the goose.
>>
>> "Then I will," said the little red hen. And she did. The wheat grew tall and
>> ripened into golden grain. "Who will help me reap my wheat?" asked the
>> little red hen.
>>
>> "Not I," said the duck.
>>
>> "Out of my classification," said the pig.
>>
>> "I'd lose my seniority," said the cow.
>>
>> "I'd lose my unemployment compensation," said the goose.
>>
>> "Then I will," said the little red hen, and she did.
>>
>> At last the time came to bake the bread. "Who will help me bake bread?"
>> asked the little red hen.
>>
>> "That would be overtime for me," said the cow.
>>
>> "I'd lose my welfare benefits," said the duck.
>>
>> "I'm a dropout and never learned how," said the pig.
>>
>> "If I'm to be the only helper, that's discrimination," said the goose.
>>
>> "Then I will," said the little red hen.
>>
>> She baked five loaves and held them up for the neighbors to see.
>>
>> They all wanted some and, in fact, demanded a share. But the little red hen
>> said, "No, I can eat the five loaves myself."
>>
>> "Excess profits," cried the cow.
>>
>> "Capitalist leech," screamed the duck.
>>
>> "I demand equal rights," yelled the goose.
>>
>> And the pig just grunted.
>>
>> And they painted "unfair" picket signs and marched round and around the
>> little red hen shouting obscenities.
>>
>> When the government agent came, he said to the little red hen, "You must not
>> be greedy."
>>
>> "But I earned the bread," said the little red hen.
>>
>> "Exactly," said the agent. "That's the wonderful free enterprise system.
>> Anyone in the barnyard can earn as much as he wants. But under our modern
>> government regulations productive workers must divide their products with
>> the idle."
>>
>> And they lived happily ever after, including the little red hen, who smiled
>> and clucked, "I am grateful, I am grateful." But her neighbors wondered why
>> she never again baked any more bread.
>>
>> From Ronald Reagan...  Reagan In His Own Voice (Audio book/download) ^ |
>> November 1976 | Ronald Reagan
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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