Tuesday -- October 18, 2005
IT ALL MAKES SENSE .....
This little controversy that is brewing over my remarks last week has been quite instructive, if not entertaining. As you know, I opined that in a time of disaster it would make sense to try to save those members of society who actually actually contribute to the economy, rather than drain it. Save the makers first, the takers later. Look at it this way. If you save the takers, and let the makers expire ... just who are the takers going to take from? Oh, the insensitivity! I'm actually quite happy that my comments on Friday afternoon have stirred the puddin' this way.. As you know, I'm writing a book named "Somebody's Gotta Say It." There will be a chapter in that book on hatred for the rich and one dealing with the manner in which we in this country enable the poor, much like a doting husband enables his alcoholic wife. The emails to me and my search of the postings on that wonderful Democraticunderground.com website and others have given me an absolute treasure trove of goodies to use in that book. The depth of hatred for the so-called "rich" is astounding. I spent some time yesterday reading through the posts on leftist websites and in the wonderful emails I received. It is not an exaggeration to say that nowhere did I see any acknowledgement that those in this country that we consider to be "rich" actually busted their rumps to get there. Instead, I found comments like "You do know the wealthy usually have inherited it or stolen it and have no idea what work is" and "Maybe that is why right-wingers lie, cheat, and kill to gain more wealth?" These people aren't just trying to create a little controversy. They really believe this stuff! They actually believe that most wealthy people in this country either inherited their money or stole it from someone. The deeply believe that the evil rich got that way by lying and cheating. The just cannot bring themselves to admit that hard studying, hard work and good decision making can lead to wealth! It just has to be cheating, stealing or inheriting. It is instructive that so many of the leftists who post their "thoughts" in these websites cite one particular person as an example of the rich in America. That person is not a business owner. The person they cite didn't work hard to become educated, and then work harder to turn that education into entrepreneurship. No ... the person most often cited as an example of the rich is none other than Paris Hilton. Well ... I have to grudgingly hand it to the leftists on this one. Outside of the circles of celebrity worship most people view Paris Hilton as an insipid spoiled rotten rich little trust fund tramp. If you hate economic liberty; if you hate individualism, there is nothing quite so irritating as one lone individual out there taking advantage of all America has to offer, from education to some semblance of economic liberty, to become wealthy. If you can paint all such people with the patina of Paris Hilton you have done a good job of denigrating their hard work and belittling their character. When you think about this bitterness toward the wealthy, it becomes easier to understand if you can somehow adopt the perspective of the left. First and foremost you have to recognize the left's war on individuality. No, I'm not imagining this. When leftist icon Ted Kennedy actually states that we are "at war against the concept of the individual" you know there's something to it. Wealth creation is an individual pursuit. You go the extra mile to gain an education then you put that education to work, working the extra hours, taking the calculates risks, all in hopes of achieving success. The left isn't fond of individual pursuits. To recognize the value of individual pursuits is to recognize the individual; and once you have acknowledged the concept of the individual you then have to deal with pesky little issues such as individual rights ... like property rights. When you acknowledge the concept of private property rights you are then faced with the difficulty of explaining just how you are going to violate those rights in order to seize that property for the benefit of your favorite constituency .. the poor. The simplest way around this is to just to worship the state while ignoring the individual. Any individual who has obtained wealth is merely another government asset to be used to further the goals of those who believe that the state is supreme in all things. Poor? We call these people poor? Do you realize that the average person identified as "poor" in the United States has a higher standard of living than the average citizen of Europe? Not the average poor European .. the average European. Let's wrap this up with a question. Can any of you cite one single program or idea from the left designed to lift people out of poverty in this country, other than government spending programs? To the left the solution is always government. They come by this honestly. They believe that American is great because of government, so naturally they're always going to look to more government as the solution to any problem they encounter. To a Democrat, more government means a greater America. The greatest anti-poverty program ever conceived in the mind of man has been capitalism. No economic system in the history of civilized man has lifted more people out of abject poverty and created a general standard of living that even approaches that brought about by free people interacting freely with one another in a system based on private property rights and economic liberty. Dive into democraticunderground.com or other leftist websites, however, and you'll see constant slams on capitalism and free enterprise and deep praise for government-controlled economies and socialism. YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK
Immediately following Hurricane Katrina, once FEMA finally got up and running, it gave evacuees each $2,000 to assist in getting back on their feet. The money was given in the form of a debit card, which evidently could be used to get cash. So just what exactly is mine and your tax dollars being spent on? Food? Clothing? Groceries? Shelter? Probably, but there's a little something more on the shopping list.
The Boston Herald did a little poking around, and discovered just where some of your hard-earned tax dollars are going. Ready for this? Here's the list:
--Evacuees staying at Otis Air Force Base were spotted drinking in public at a local strip mall.
--Those poor victims of Hurricane Katrina were also reported frequenting a strip club, where it was reported some of them are pretty good tippers. One stripper says they were tipping $5 a pop. Large groups were said to be coming in for lap dances.
--Some evacuees were observed streaming in and out of liquor stores, drinking out of their brown-bagged containers. Well isn't that nice. The next time you get paid, look down at your paycheck stub and know that you're furnishing Katrina victims with their very own 40 ounce refreshment.
So how much money are we talking about? FEMA has doled out $1.5 billion in cash to 607,000 Katrina victims. There are no restrictions on how the money can be spent, so bottom's up! The fact is, to someone who was sitting around doing nothing in the 9th Ward down in New Orleans before Katrina, that hurricane has been quite lucrative.
They've gotten cash, booze and free trips out of it. Such a generous society we live in, isn't it?
THE REAL UNITED NATIONS
If you ever needed any proof that the United Nations is a haven for third-world dictators and other America-haters, this is it. Robert Mugabe, the "president" (head thug) down in Zimbabwe, spoke at a UN ceremony in Rome to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
He called George Bush and Tony Blair "unholy men" and compared them to Hitler and Mussolini because they invaded Iraq. He then accused the west of trying to overthrow him from power because of his forced redistribution of white-owned farms to blacks. (Sounds like a liberal economic fantasy, doesn't it?)
Mugabe is a criminal, a thug and a terrorist. He is only in power because he rigged his own election and as such isn't even allowed to travel to many countries. But the fact that he was on the podium speaking at a UN event just goes to show who the UN represents. It is a group that celebrates tyrants, criminals and America-bashers.
Why the United States is part of an organization that supports so many people who hate it is beyond me.
KARL ROVE'S GARAGE
More idiotic leftist media bias this morning, courtesy of the Associated Press. In one article, they reveal the contents of Karl Rove's garage. No, I don't mean figuratively....we're actually talking about what's in Rove's garage at his house. Where he lives. It's evidently a million-dollar house....so this is the evil rich we're talking about.
The AP pointed out that what was in the garage was what is in most other people's garages. But that didn't stop them from specifically listing the items. Paint cans, a ladder, wicker baskets and a folding chair. What does it all mean? Absolutely nothing. Just another excuse to write about Karl Rove and his grand jury testimony.
The article, which asks the question: "can Karl Rove organize his own garage" was written by Darlene Superville. A quick search of the Internet reveals she has quite a history of being a Bush-bashing leftist.
Just wait until Rove is indicted. The media celebration will be unprecedented.
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The Powerball jackpot has hit $340 million. Proving once again that the lottery is a tax on the stupid, people are lining up to throw their money away. But hey...somebody's gonna win, right?
Things don't look so good for Tom DeLay...at least if you take a look at the judge presiding over his case. It turns out the presiding judge is a Democratic activist and Moveon.org supporter.
U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy tried to rescue some people stuck in the water in Massachusetts. Mary Jo Kopechne wasn't so lucky.
We haven't heard much these days from the Crawford Crazy Cindy Sheehan. But don't worry...she's promising to return to the ranch for Thanksgiving.
Condi Rice said on 'Meet The Press' that she wasn't going to run for president and had no interest in elected office. Dick Morris, who has written a book on the subject, says her no doesn't mean no.
Is the ratification of Iraq's Constitution the magic bullet that some believe? George Will, ever skeptical of the war there, says the Bush administration deserves praise for overseeing the process.
Thomas Sowell writes his random thoughts, one of which is this: one of the reasons for poverty in the United States is that poor people from other countries come here. Interesting column.
We hear a lot in the media about the different factions in Iraq: the Sunnis, Shiites and so on. Christopher Hitchens says there is a lot of misunderstanding out there about the subject.
David Limbaugh talks about the confirmation process of Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers. What exactly does "advise and consent" mean when it comes to the Senate's Constitutional role?
The revolt against George Bush from the right over Harriet Miers has actually been a long time coming, according to Bruce Bartlett. The list of grievances is a long one, and Miers is just the tip of the iceberg. Here's an article that appears on BlackEnterprise.com. "Tax Reform Panel Flops. You Want Real Change? Support The Fair Tax." And this editorial appeared in yesterday's Gainesville Sun. Yesterday I had some things to say about motorcycles with loud pipes and speeding crotch rockets on the winding roads through the North Georgia mountains. Here's what the Georgia Sportbike Forum has to say about my comments. Need help disciplining your children? Enroll in Irma Brown's Ass Whippin' Academy. |