Musings

Return to Common Sense

May 18, 2013

Communism – “Communism is the death of the soul. It is the organization of total conformity, in short, of tyranny, and it is committed to making tyranny universal.” Adlai E. Stevenson.

Politics – The Republican Party is using tough tactics to disrupt the Obama agenda, believing that “obstruction is better than more destruction” blocking one bad idea after another.

Politics – I guess “The Buck Stops Here” does not apply in today’s White House, since scandal after scandal is blamed on low level scapegoats and no leaders receive any punishment.

Politics – Obama’s credibility eroded during his first term as results never matched his glowing words, and now scandals and cover-ups are squandering what’s left of any trust.

Politics – With the nation’s problems unsolved and scandals emerging, the President is doing the only thing he does well, giving speeches and raising money for the Democrat Party.

Politics – Under Obama, the IRS has a history of targeting conservative organizations and leaking confidential information on conservative people and organizations.

Politics – Senior IRS officials knew agents were targeting Tea Party groups in March 2010, ordered to stop “immediately in June 2011,” but took until 2012 to update selection criteria.

Politics – Eric Holder should have been fired over “Fast and Furious” ineptitude, so his Sgt Schultz “I know nothing” defense on the AP phone records is just further reason to fire him.

Politics – Hillary Clinton accepted responsibility for State Department security shortfalls, but has not been held accountable and accepted blame for her inattention and ineptitude.

Politics – In 2007, a Pew Political Values survey found 62% of Americans view the federal government as wasteful and inefficient, but only 42% (and dropping) of young people.

Media – There are a number of family relationships shared between the White House and the mainstream media which may explain the “intellectual inbreeding” shown by the MSM.

Media – May Day protests where labor, socialist, communist, and anarchist groups destroy property, occupy parks, and denounce capitalism, free enterprise, and founding principles.

Media – As new technologies emerge, I expect Twitter will go the way of telephone party lines doomed by personal privacy issues and a lack of any viable business case.

Media – The MSM downfall has already begun, but I expect this avalanche to continue more layoffs at the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the TV Network News departments.

Communism – “Communism teaches and seeks two objectives: unrelenting class warfare and the complete eradication of private ownership.” Pope Pius XI.

Economy – Economic growth is impeded by cumbersome tax and regulatory policies and capital markets that act like casinos rather than efficient allocators of investment capital.

Finance – Federal Reserve Quantitative easing is failing, as ordinary people and companies are not running out to borrow and spend, hire, or expand, but hunkering down instead.

Taxes – Obama’s budget proposal includes a third tax increase on top of the $600 billion from the expiration of the Bush tax cuts and the trillion dollar tax increase from ObamaCare.

Social Security – Social Security Disability insurance rolls reached a record high of 8.85 million in March, an increase of 1.6 million (21%), since the start of the Great Recession in 2007.

Energy – Obama claims to pursue an all-of-the-above energy strategy, but apparently all does not include oil, coal or natural gas – the source of 80% of our energy consumption.

Energy – Obama promised to create 5 million alternative energy jobs, but instead, according to the IER, he has spent $26.32 billion to create 2,298 jobs costing $11.45 million each.

Immigration – In 1986, three million illegal immigrants were given amnesty in order to halt the flow of illegal immigrants and close the borders, but instead it spurred millions more to come.

Immigration – “Comprehensive” immigration reform CAN NOT defer border security, pretend immigrants won’t receive means tested entitlements, nor ignore the anchor baby loophole.

Healthcare – The House voted to repeal or defund at least part of the ObamaCare bill for the 37^th time with only two Democrats joining Republicans in the party-line vote.

Healthcare – The IRS official in charge of the tax-exempt department when the unit targeted TEA Party groups now runs the IRS office responsible for the ObamaCare legislation!

Healthcare – Three states have passed bills declaring ObamaCare null and void and twelve other states are in the process of passing legislation to nullify ObamaCare.

Healthcare – Oregon conducted a controlled study to understand Medicaid impact and found it “generated no significant improvement in measured physical health outcomes.”

Education – College costs have risen dramatically in recent years, so William Bennett analyzed costs concluding only 150 of America’s 3,500 colleges are worth the investment.

Education – Common Core is federal control of school curriculum with math standards two years behind international expectations by the 8^th grade and further behind in grades 8-12.

Deficit – I expect one or more states to declare bankruptcy and seek assistance to recover from the bad economic decisions of the past under federal judicial protection.

Housing – I expect that it will take four or more years at the current rate for the backlog of foreclosures to finally clear, before we see any signs of life of a robust housing recovery.

Communism – “Communism is the opiate of the intellectuals with no cure except as a guillotine might be called a cure for dandruff.” Clare Boothe Luce.

Libya – Why no Benghazi response can be told by the military officers who were fired, demoted, or retired when they were ordered to “stand-down” and not allowed to respond.

Israel – I expect that Israel will be attacked by Hamas and the IDF will retaliate by invading and then re-annexing Gaza based on defensible borders and 1920 San Remo Conference.

Israel – I expect that Israel will suffer a nuclear attack from Islamist extremists, and Obama will talk a lot, but stand aside and refuse to help defend this longtime ally.

Asia – I expect that North Korea will attack South Korea and attempt to reunite Korea, and Obama will be “unable” to support our troops and will negotiate for a stalemate.

David Coughlin

Hawthorne, NY