“Straw men” arguments
Feb 25, 2009 Obama Administration
Karl Rove’s recent article in the WSJ pin-points one of the major stumbling blocks for Americans in their desire to truly want to believe what Obama is feeding us: we don’t know who “they” are. It’s one of my pet peeves, and when I catch myself doing it I try to stop and spell out who I am talking about, but it does not further your argument to throw out a generic “they” when citing support for your side of an argument. It seems with Obama at the helm that Michael Steele, Rush, Hannity, and other conservative leaders are going to have to continually press Obama to tell us who “they” are, so that “they” can defend themselves. It is only when he either cites specific people or forgets that tactic and gets down to having some ideas of his own that we will either start to believe him, or finally determine that he is the fraud that many of us think he is. We know the media isn’t going to do the work, and instead will use terms like “general consensus” and “widely believed” to try to represent the collective American idea. Truth is, the current picture has Obama looking like the ultimate straw man.
Spurning the important tasks at hand
Feb 25, 2009 Governmental Reach
The incredibly expensive project to build “PolarNet” has failed. And, really, this isn’t a simple matter of bad timing, or even “readiness,” but rather something that should not even enter the minds of our elected officials. The government should only be concerned about core services — things EVERYONE needs — and even in those cases make sure that they really have their noses in the right business. Stick to filling pot-holes, and leave the rest to private entities, who provide all of these services more dependably, cheaper, and more efficiently. This applies even to times of economic boom, for projects like this are a sure way to hurt the economy that makes these projects possible, yet ill-advised.
Tags: PolarNet
Ignoring History
Feb 13, 2009 Blogging's Best
Dan McLaughlin points out a story about Boston College and crucifixes in the classroom, and a particularly ridiculous quote from one of its students:
But sophomore Alex LoVerde, 20, believes a crucifix “pushes the Catholic religion” and does not belong in a classroom. “I think the Jesuit tradition is more of openness and tolerance,” LoVerde said. “I think that an overt display of crucifixes is not what the Jesuits would have had in mind.”
Surely the Jesuit tradition is more about Jesus, for whom it is named, than about openness and tolerance. And surely the message of the Jesuit tradition is about openness and tolerance for Christ’s message above all other things. The harm done here is the person, like this sophomore, who are not open to that message. Surely there are other schools, with far less tradition, where a person like LoVerde would not even have to consider this idea. There are plenty of godless state schools to choose from, for instance. Besides, haven’t Jesuit schools historically (traditionally) had crucifixes in their classrooms?
Tags: Boston College, crucifix, Jesuit
They aren’t your ordinary Republicans
Feb 10, 2009 Governmental Reach, Obama Administration
There has been quite a bit of talk from disgusted conservatives over the votes of Senators Specter, Collins, and Snowe. I’m disgusted, too, but there are a few considerations to be made.
1. These aren’t your ordinary Republicans, and that might just be part of the territory, literally. Consider that both Snowe and Collins are from Maine and that this is likely the only form of “Republican” that can be elected in these areas, at least at this time. Specter has been around a while and for whatever reason keeps getting re-elected. Again, there is nothing to suggest we are going to go from him to an ultra-conservative replacement. Sometimes we get jipped in the deal, and this is one of those times.
2. We need these people on other issues. Regardless of what anyone says, a guy like Arlen Specter was likely to go along with this joke of a stimulus bill. I didn’t know tons about Collins or Snowe, but Specter has routinely pulled these kinds of stunts out of his hat at big moments. Perhaps it’s so that when running for election he can boast of “reaching across the aisle” (as if one’s true constituents really want to hear that — how about “doing what’s right and best” as an option?). Still, there are other things that come up including, yes, bigger things like Supreme Court nominations. Specter will soon “owe us one” when it comes to the (very likely) situation where we are going to have to filibuster some joker that Obama nominates for the highest court. You win some, you lose some, and pro-lifers and libertarians alike will see greater results from a less-damaging Supreme Court nomination than they will this joke of a stimulus bill. We are less than four years away from choosing a President who can get us out of this economic mess that is likely to get worse under Obama, but we would be, perhaps, 50 years or more from having recourse to a bad SCOTUS nominee.
3. These three people may have done the conservative/libertarian movement a service in a couple of different ways. First, they were elected (and with a name that generally represents conservatism). Second, they botched their chance at being such, and when this plan crumbles into little pieces in the coming years, they will be exposed and the search will be on to find a true conservative to fill the roles.
There are a lot of people who said that things needed to bottom out to get better. I disagree with the idea that I should help that kind of a thing happen — those who supported this notion have hurt the current situation for themselves and me, alike — but right now we are at a spot where we have nothing else to do but oppose this crazy socialism we are getting going on and root for it’s ultimate failure. As long as there isn’t a whole lot we can do but threaten our representatives with our vote (and some of us asked for this more than others), we might as well just hope this thing bottoms out as quickly as possible and leads to a swift change starting in 2010. I doubt I will ever see the wisdom in rooting for this before election day, but we simply have no choice after it.
When it comes time, be sure to call in the favor owed to you by Senators Specter, Collins, and Snowe. As much as they have hurt us, they can also help us in the future.
“Savior-based economy”
Feb 9, 2009 Blogging's Best, Governmental Reach, Obama Administration
South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford thinks that we are better off taking the band-aid off and letting our economy heal rather than lessening the pain (and prolonging it).
We’re moving precipitously close to what I would call a savior-based economy,” Sanford also said Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union.
The South Carolina Republican said such an economy is “what you see in Russia or Venezuela or Zimbabwe or places like that where it matters not how good your product is to the consumer but what your political connection is to those in power.”
It’s scary to think, but this is exactly the description that fits right now. For instance, the original stimulus package had some unreal amount of money for the D.C. sewer system. Are they the only ones with a sewer problem? I doubt it. But it’s close enough to home for a lot of the people spending our money, and so it goes.
This is precisely the problem with universal health care. I know it sounds nice and fuzzy in a perfect world, but wait until providers that are less-qualified start getting the good gigs because of political connections to high-ranking politicians.
Tags: mark sanford, savior-based economy, Stimulus
Poor leadership, laziness by Obama costs him
Feb 6, 2009 Governmental Reach, Obama Administration
The spending bill currently advocated by President Obama and the furthest-to-the-left has done nothing but lose public support since the specifics were put on it. Ironically, public polls show that their favored solution to the economic downturn we are in would be to cut taxes, precisely what John McCain advocated while running against the big spender. Karl Rove says that part of the problem is that Obama ducked his responsibility.
Mr. Obama has only his own lack of engagement and leadership to blame. He outsourced the drafting of the bill to House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey through inaction. He refused to get his administration’s hands dirty in crafting the legislation by laying out a detailed plan in December. Then saying he looked forward to Congress passing a bill for him to sign on Inauguration Day was an invitation for liberal spenders to roll him. They did.
This is only the latest example of poor leadership in a Presidency that isn’t even three weeks old. Funny, too, that it was a presidency that was gained on the platform of “leadership” and “hope” when we, in actuality, got a man who is asking everyone else to do his work for him and even turning to the “I won” card as a part of his invalid argument. (Maybe he forgot that all of the people voting for or against this bill also, at some point, won their election.) This is, though, a telling example of things to come for the current president. This is supposed to be his honeymoon period, especially on policy matters, and it has been nothing but an old, bumpy dirt road. He’s likely to ultimately get there this time with perhaps a little less air in the tires than he was hoping. It’ll be interesting to see if those tires flatten out on him for whatever is next.
Republicans are right, both substantively and politically, to oppose this monstrosity and smart to offer a bold alternative. The GOP’s road back is about to be partly paved by Mr. Obama’s embrace of Democratic trickle-down economics. It’s terrible policy — but for Republicans, it provides an opportunity for sharp contrasts that can reset the debate on more favorable terms for the GOP.
Tags: economy, Obama, Rove, spending bill, Stimulus
Obama circus isn’t as funny as first thought
Feb 4, 2009 Obama Administration
I got some good chuckles about the disastrous start to the Obama Presidency, and most of those were due to just the lack of professionalism. In the last few days I have found it less funny and I couldn’t quantify exactly what has caused this change. That is, until I read Victor Davis Hanson’s summation of concerning things. He’s nailed the very reasons I’m worried, and added a few more I hadn’t concerned myself with to date. Most concerning, is that I don’t remember anyone looking this bad. Neither has he.
This is quite serious. I can’t recall a similarly disastrous start in a half-century (far worse than Bill Clinton’s initial slips). Obama immediately must lower the hope-and-change rhetoric, ignore Reid/Pelosi, drop the therapy, and accept the tragic view that the world abroad is not misunderstood but quite dangerous.
Tags: Obama, The Corner, Victor Davis Hanson
Stimulus waste
Feb 3, 2009 Governmental Reach, Obama Administration
The GOP has put out a list of the waste embedded into the so-called stimulus package. It includes:
- A $246 million tax break for Hollywood movie producers to buy motion picture film.
- $248 million for furniture at the new Homeland Security headquarters.
- $75 million for “smoking cessation activities.”
- $25 million for tribal alcohol and substance abuse reduction.
It’s time to send messages or call your government representatives. This is your money they are using for this stuff, folks.
President Bush’s first post-presidential appearance
Feb 3, 2009 President George W. Bush
This is really cool. It’s almost as if President Bush didn’t want to be announced (by the look on his face when they made the announcement).
Tags: basketball, Baylor, President Bush, Waco
Tis the season for hopes, dreams, and political statements
Feb 2, 2009 Five Non-Negotiable Issues, Governmental Reach, Obama Administration
I had many discussions with various people leading up to the November elections regarding political duty. As it became clearer that there were only two politicians who could win the Presidency in November, the action from those who identified themselves as anything from Christians to conservatives also had a much clearer mission. (In hindsight I believe it would have taken a major international event or a major revelation about Obama to sway the situation far enough, but even that wouldn’t have done it for another candidate.) It is my firm belief, and my guilt of conscience, that leads me to believe that a person is called to be practical when they enter the voting booth. Very rarely are we presented with a good vs. evil decision in life. It is hardly ever obvious that one option is so right and one is so wrong. Only once in a blue moon, when considering all of the races we get to vote on, do we get to vote with a candidate with a real chance and can really excite me. I was very clear in stating my own voting intentions, and that I wasn’t particularly pleased to cast my vote for Coleman or McCain (though I’m convinced the latter is a great man). Yet, when I went into the voting booth with $5 and a chance to buy the milk my family really needed or a lottery ticket, it was time to be practical and do the best thing I could possibly do at the time.
That brings me to my point: now is the time to buy the lottery ticket. It’s time to take that chance on not having to worry about where the milk money is going to come from in the future. We are about 2.5-3 years away from beginning the whole mess again (if we are lucky). You’ll remember that the current President’s campaign started about a year into his Senate run. That is why it is a good time to pick out your ideal candidate. It is not time to worry about their chances of winning (about this time four years ago it seemed clear that it would be Rudi vs. Hillary) but time to make your political statement. This is a time, far from meal time, when we have all of the freedom in the world to support even the candidates with the most remote chances but the most far-reaching ideologies we can find.
Take the opportunity while you have it, though. As we draw nearer to the chance to unseat a radical pro-abortion, pro-government, pro-tax administration it will be time to start moving in the most responsible of mindsets. It will be nearing that meal time again, when the only prudent choice we have is to choose the best quality milk we can actually buy and put that lottery ticket back on hold.
