He who is drowned is not troubled by the rain.
Chinese Proverb
The Ultimate Insult Aimed At Obama:
'War Criminal' Obama 'Worse Than Bush'
He’s gone beyond George W. Bush in drones, for example. He thinks the world is his plate, that national sovereignties mean nothing, drones can go anywhere. - Ralph NaderIndeed, recall the hypocrisy of the American Left on this issue? That American military operations in Iraq or elsewhere were breeding new generations of terrorists?
Of course, some conservatives, like Pat Buchanan and Ron Paul, have been been particularly strident against interventionist policies. I have transitioned organically to such a point of view through the logical extension of fiscal conservatism:
- declining marginal benefit of defense dollars
- the unsustainability of military operations an ocean or more away
- the greater the nature and scope of alliances, bases, and other targets, the greater risk of an accident or exposure to an attack waiting to happen
- just like spenders will always find a way to fill any allocated budget (i.e., why we must starve the beast), a large military is waiting to be used
- a large military is more difficult to manage and control, it saps resources from a growing market and robust international free trade is a better way to make and keep the peace
Of all the misascriptions of the word 'conservative' during the last four years, the most amusing, in an historical light, is surely the application of 'conservative' to the last-named. For in America throughout the twentieth century, and including four substantial wars abroad, conservatives had been steadfastly the voices of non-inflationary military budgets, and of an emphasis on trade in the world instead of American nationalism. In the two World Wars, in Korea, and in Viet Nam, the leaders of American entry into war were such renowned liberal-progressives as Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman and John F. Kennedy. In all four episodes conservatives, both in the national government and in the rank and file, were largely hostile to intervention; were isolationists indeed.Calling Obama, whom has imitated Bush's policies of unpaid for entitlements, spendthrift ways and meddling in a volatile region of the world, another Bush after Obama has been constantly been bashing Bush for over 6 years running, must be the ultimate insult.
Panderer-in-Chief Santa Obama's My2K Gimmick:
Real Leadership is NOT a Slogan
Let's be clear: it was the Dems whom voted against making the Bush tax cuts permanent. Well, all these hypocrites who voted for the most spendthrift President and US Senate in American history are reaping just deserts. The fact is that the Dems for years have been arguing the Golden Age of Clinton, that the Bush tax cuts did not pay for themselves; the Demagogue-in-Chief has attempted to argue we can't afford to retain the current tax structure for the people whom pay the most taxes but we can afford them for the people whom have currently pay lesser taxes. Here's a hint: when you buy things on credit you have to pay the bill sooner or later. If you want to keep your $2K in Clinton-era taxes, elect a Congress and President next time whom won't spend it recklessly.
The political hack in the White House has disingenuously co-opted the term "shared sacrifice.' The fact is that the GOP can get almost $400B of shared sacrifice revenue per year to offset the deficit without doing a thing and still blame the Dems for not making the tax cuts permanent.
I'm finding myself increasingly irritated at the piece of work in the Oval Office. How long do we have to wait for him to get out of campaign mode and actually do something to earn his pay?
The New Wetbacks Were 'Born in the USA'
I think most Americans think of Mexico in terms of the dug war in northern Mexico and/or unauthorized immigration, but something has changed. Unemployment in Mexico is half the rate in California. Mexico is rapidly grabbing US import market share from China (producing everything from cars to TVs). EWW, a Mexico-oriented ETF is up almost 27% year-to-date . Mexico has some of the most attractive tax rates in North America.
Mexico has a number of counterproductive policies including difficulties in obtaining foreign visitor work and property ownership (not to mention blatant hypocrisy because it demands rights for Mexican nationals in the US which it doesn't extend to Americans in Mexico). There are workarounds, e.g., Americans living in lower-cost Mexico on tourist visas, etc.
Musical Interlude: Christmas Retrospective
Burl Ives, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, "Silver and Gold"
