Most of us are not economists nor historians. Yet a surface familiarization with both disciplines provided a mighty assist in understanding, in fact in predicting recent events in national politics.
The “dreamers,” the feel-good types ignore both; these who dismiss historical economic precedent and so never bother to consider policy result have just received an education, gratis of Obama.
Given the escape from McGovern there’s been nothing like it, not FDR, not Wilson. Obama-like policy wreaked havoc with the UK post WWII, and then most of Europe; yet lessons learned there went unheaded in America on election day, 2008.
Most one-time Obama supporters have now seen first hand the object of the warnings of von Mises, Friedman, Hayek and others. Obama's threatened their personal liberty; he's hit - and this really counts - their pocket books. With the exception of a few far-left looney tunes the rest will never again pull the trigger for a statist. Well, maybe never-ever but at least not until they or their kids forget, falling prey once again to what seems the easy way out.
For now we are about to fetch a grounding; damage is to be undone, repairs to be made.
Robert Craven
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
Don't Blame Us
Sen Kerry this morning, “We're in a period of know-nothingism in the country, where truth and science and facts don't weigh in....” Oh, but of course, another case of insufferable moral superiority. They’re just so wise these types, so given to profound insight - the anointed. What a crock.
Us know-nothings. Right. You mean those of us who knew nothing about the gov’t creating jobs on net, except that it can’t? You mean those of us who knew nothing about a health bill except that it was flawed, and then complained as it was jammed down our throats? You mean those of us who know nothing about business except that it is being hurt by BO’s legislation; you mean those of us who know nothing about the economy, except that a recovery is stalled because of the uncertainty surrounding energy policy, health care, housing and your outlandish spending, that economy and those businesses, that we nothing about? You mean those business leaders who know nothing at all about business but who without exception condemn your policies?
And by the way John. Us know-nothings also know perfectly well that your problem is not the Tea Party types nor the Republicans; your problem is with your own kind; it is the Democratic rank and file you and BO have ostracized, the thousands of careers you and BO have ended.
Don’t blame us.
Robert Craven
Us know-nothings. Right. You mean those of us who knew nothing about the gov’t creating jobs on net, except that it can’t? You mean those of us who knew nothing about a health bill except that it was flawed, and then complained as it was jammed down our throats? You mean those of us who know nothing about business except that it is being hurt by BO’s legislation; you mean those of us who know nothing about the economy, except that a recovery is stalled because of the uncertainty surrounding energy policy, health care, housing and your outlandish spending, that economy and those businesses, that we nothing about? You mean those business leaders who know nothing at all about business but who without exception condemn your policies?
And by the way John. Us know-nothings also know perfectly well that your problem is not the Tea Party types nor the Republicans; your problem is with your own kind; it is the Democratic rank and file you and BO have ostracized, the thousands of careers you and BO have ended.
Don’t blame us.
Robert Craven
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
The Fire of a Thousand Suns
What we will witness next Tues is the measure of rage - the fire of a thousand suns -of those who have been taken, those who voted for Obama. Being disappointed is one thing; being made out to be a fool is quite another.
It is true the BO prevaricated just a tad in the primary; almost everything he said was in conflict with his past. The fawning types believed it anyway. Big problem. BO was a run-of-the-mill Chicago politician. Every body knew that, or should have. When he ran for the Ill senate in 1996 he sued to remove opponents from the ballot. In his campaign for the US Senate in 2004, the divorce records of both his primary and general election opponents were mysteriously leaked, Chicago style.
But then we all knew that. And we all knew that in the Senate his voting record was the most partisan of any senator, either side, that there wasn’t a spending bill he didn’t embrace nor an entitlement, nor a union payoff that he didn’t endorse. And we all knew that he blocked every effort to reform the twins - ground zero.
Still, folks pulled the trigger. One was Maureen “Moe” Tucker, former drummer for the Velvet Underground. Peggy Noonan highlighted her experience the other day in the WSJ. "Anyone who thinks I'm crazy about Sarah Palin, Bush, etc., has made quite the presumption. I have voted Democrat all my life, until I started listening to what Obama was promising and started wondering how the hell will this utopian dream be paid for?”
So there you have it. Moe just figured out she’s been had. It was fine to argue lefty politics when in the abstract; once these policies gained traction, became reality, Moe and the rest are hunting for the covers.
The rest of us - simply amused.
Robert Craven
It is true the BO prevaricated just a tad in the primary; almost everything he said was in conflict with his past. The fawning types believed it anyway. Big problem. BO was a run-of-the-mill Chicago politician. Every body knew that, or should have. When he ran for the Ill senate in 1996 he sued to remove opponents from the ballot. In his campaign for the US Senate in 2004, the divorce records of both his primary and general election opponents were mysteriously leaked, Chicago style.
But then we all knew that. And we all knew that in the Senate his voting record was the most partisan of any senator, either side, that there wasn’t a spending bill he didn’t embrace nor an entitlement, nor a union payoff that he didn’t endorse. And we all knew that he blocked every effort to reform the twins - ground zero.
Still, folks pulled the trigger. One was Maureen “Moe” Tucker, former drummer for the Velvet Underground. Peggy Noonan highlighted her experience the other day in the WSJ. "Anyone who thinks I'm crazy about Sarah Palin, Bush, etc., has made quite the presumption. I have voted Democrat all my life, until I started listening to what Obama was promising and started wondering how the hell will this utopian dream be paid for?”
So there you have it. Moe just figured out she’s been had. It was fine to argue lefty politics when in the abstract; once these policies gained traction, became reality, Moe and the rest are hunting for the covers.
The rest of us - simply amused.
Robert Craven
Monday, October 18, 2010
A Lesson From The Rescue
"It was like the Chilean miners, but he, being the man he is, rolled up his sleeves and said 'I am going to get us out of this hole,'" Sen. Reid (D-NV) said in Las Vegas on Sunday, referring to Obama.
Quite the contrary is true. It was not like the Chilean miners; BO in no way is going to get anyone out of any hole. Only profit-driven innovation got the miners out. Obama has buried the US, not saved it, by trying to kill the very same.
Daniel Henninger writes that there was nothing Obama-like about it; it was in fact all about the Center Rock drill bit. “This is the miracle bit that drilled down to the trapped miners. Center Rock Inc. is a private company in Berlin, Pa. It has 74 employees. The drill's rig came from Schramm Inc. in West Chester, Pa. Seeing the disaster, Center Rock's president, Brandon Fisher, called the Chileans to offer his drill. Chile accepted. The miners are alive. The Center Rock drill is in fact a piece of tough technology developed by a small company in it for the money, for profit. That's why they innovated down-the-hole hammer drilling. If they make money, they can do more innovation.”
Henninger notes that Chile’s health minister never knew that this, nor the rest of the high tech devices which saved these guys, even existed. He continues, “In an open economy, you will never know what is out there on the leading developmental edge of this or that industry. But the reality behind the miracles is the same: Someone innovates something useful, makes money from it, and re-innovates, or someone else trumps their innovation. Most of the time, no one notices. All it does is create jobs, wealth and well-being. But without this system running in the background, without the year-over-year progress embedded in these capitalist innovations, those trapped miners would be dead.”
And yet on the campaign trail just last week BO mocked our “blind faith in the market.” The basic idea said this clueless individual, “is that if we put our blind faith in the market and we let corporations do whatever they want and we leave everybody else to fend for themselves, then America somehow automatically is going to grow and prosper."
Well, ya, that’s right.
BO and his companion levelers are soon to be shown the door.
Robert Craven
Quite the contrary is true. It was not like the Chilean miners; BO in no way is going to get anyone out of any hole. Only profit-driven innovation got the miners out. Obama has buried the US, not saved it, by trying to kill the very same.
Daniel Henninger writes that there was nothing Obama-like about it; it was in fact all about the Center Rock drill bit. “This is the miracle bit that drilled down to the trapped miners. Center Rock Inc. is a private company in Berlin, Pa. It has 74 employees. The drill's rig came from Schramm Inc. in West Chester, Pa. Seeing the disaster, Center Rock's president, Brandon Fisher, called the Chileans to offer his drill. Chile accepted. The miners are alive. The Center Rock drill is in fact a piece of tough technology developed by a small company in it for the money, for profit. That's why they innovated down-the-hole hammer drilling. If they make money, they can do more innovation.”
Henninger notes that Chile’s health minister never knew that this, nor the rest of the high tech devices which saved these guys, even existed. He continues, “In an open economy, you will never know what is out there on the leading developmental edge of this or that industry. But the reality behind the miracles is the same: Someone innovates something useful, makes money from it, and re-innovates, or someone else trumps their innovation. Most of the time, no one notices. All it does is create jobs, wealth and well-being. But without this system running in the background, without the year-over-year progress embedded in these capitalist innovations, those trapped miners would be dead.”
And yet on the campaign trail just last week BO mocked our “blind faith in the market.” The basic idea said this clueless individual, “is that if we put our blind faith in the market and we let corporations do whatever they want and we leave everybody else to fend for themselves, then America somehow automatically is going to grow and prosper."
Well, ya, that’s right.
BO and his companion levelers are soon to be shown the door.
Robert Craven
Monday, October 11, 2010
Castor Oil
From the left, specifically from Mark Halperin, political columnist for TIME.com. “... there is a growing perception that Obama's decisions are causing harm — that businesses are being hurt by the Administration's legislation and that economic recovery is stalling because of the uncertainty surrounding energy policy, health care, deficits, housing, immigration and spending.”
Certainly all of our cousins have know this stuff for months because they are encouraged to take this blog along with their castor oil. Instead of a cure for acne, ring worm, constipation, cerebral palsy and hair loss, our product merely provides a boost for those deficient in matters of history and economics.
And we see from our pal Halperin that the rest are now catching on, including most of BO’s once-fawning supporters. Take your medicine now kiddies.
Obams’s agenda of resuscitation had to fail, by definition. We all know why. ("Only businesses can create jobs via private investment, while economic-stimulus measures will fail to lower unemployment rates," says FedEx CEO and Chairman Frederick Smith.)
And of course the stimulus disaster was compounded by the health heist. Health was merely the vehicle anyway. There are no savings; 60% of Americans oppose the bill. That’s not the point. The point is control.
And so we have it. An extremist party that finally gained traction nearly put the US out of business; it most certainly put itself out of business.
The remedy need not be complex. To repeat, first, stop the damage - November. Next, make repairs - 2011. Finally, restore the Republic - 2012.
Robert Craven
Certainly all of our cousins have know this stuff for months because they are encouraged to take this blog along with their castor oil. Instead of a cure for acne, ring worm, constipation, cerebral palsy and hair loss, our product merely provides a boost for those deficient in matters of history and economics.
And we see from our pal Halperin that the rest are now catching on, including most of BO’s once-fawning supporters. Take your medicine now kiddies.
Obams’s agenda of resuscitation had to fail, by definition. We all know why. ("Only businesses can create jobs via private investment, while economic-stimulus measures will fail to lower unemployment rates," says FedEx CEO and Chairman Frederick Smith.)
And of course the stimulus disaster was compounded by the health heist. Health was merely the vehicle anyway. There are no savings; 60% of Americans oppose the bill. That’s not the point. The point is control.
And so we have it. An extremist party that finally gained traction nearly put the US out of business; it most certainly put itself out of business.
The remedy need not be complex. To repeat, first, stop the damage - November. Next, make repairs - 2011. Finally, restore the Republic - 2012.
Robert Craven
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Invention
Key is to close a pattern early, and with as little noise and as few words as possible.
We are pleased with results, past months.
In the case of Obama we predicted early on (Jan/10) that he would tank the Democratic party. That process is now nearing completion.
He’s put the party that JFK and Scoop would never have recognized anyway, out of business.
Extremists in the abstract are one thing. An extremist at the helm is quite another.
Americans will never forgive Obama’s attempt to steam-roll their liberties, that drastic change in life style - the major insertion of government control of their lives, BO’s plans to remake the US using health, education and energy as vehicles - the unprecedented federal intrusion into American industry and commerce. Don’t try this nonsense.
The final blow was BO’s operative's gestapo tactics in ram rodding the health heist down American throats. That was the give away. That which we had maintained all along suddenly became clear to the masses - health was the vehicle, not the end.
And so most who voted for this guy now understand that they invented their candidate.
They feel betrayed by someone who never existed.
Fools.
Robert Craven
We are pleased with results, past months.
In the case of Obama we predicted early on (Jan/10) that he would tank the Democratic party. That process is now nearing completion.
He’s put the party that JFK and Scoop would never have recognized anyway, out of business.
Extremists in the abstract are one thing. An extremist at the helm is quite another.
Americans will never forgive Obama’s attempt to steam-roll their liberties, that drastic change in life style - the major insertion of government control of their lives, BO’s plans to remake the US using health, education and energy as vehicles - the unprecedented federal intrusion into American industry and commerce. Don’t try this nonsense.
The final blow was BO’s operative's gestapo tactics in ram rodding the health heist down American throats. That was the give away. That which we had maintained all along suddenly became clear to the masses - health was the vehicle, not the end.
And so most who voted for this guy now understand that they invented their candidate.
They feel betrayed by someone who never existed.
Fools.
Robert Craven
Saturday, October 2, 2010
The Unions & Executive Ownership
Churchill: “Madam, would you sleep with me for five million pounds?”
Socialite: “My goodness, Mr. Churchill… Well, I suppose… we would have to discuss terms, of course… “
Churchill: “Would you sleep with me for five pounds?”
Socialite: “Mr. Churchill, what kind of woman do you think I am?!”
Churchill: “Madam, we’ve already established that. Now we are haggling about the price.”
GM's unions had a price; Obama paid it. Is there something nefarious hereabouts? Does a one-legged goose swim in a circle?
It’s well know that the unions and trial lawyers together own the Dem party. Let’s look at the unions.
Background: Today almost half of union members work for some level of government. Why would any independent, hard working American want to be union? Ninety-two percent of private industry workers don’t. And those that do, including their public sector brethren, are not your father’s labor movement types in hard hats. As Linda Chavez explains, “The labor movement used to be strongly pro-American, pro-defense, and very conservative on social issues. Today's union bosses have more in common with Michael Moore than George Meany.”
The media virtually ignores the corrupt relationship between the unions and the Democratic party, rarely looking at illegal campaign violations. OK, forget the crooks, just the power: For example, the two national teachers’ unions — the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) — contributed more than $70 million to campaigns during the 2007–2008 season, with 95 percent of contributions going to Democrats and left-leaning causes. When these types ask the left to jump, they ask, ‘How high?”. (worn phrase)
Specifics: Obama just announced a plan to “Renew and Expand America’s Roads, Railways and Runways.” The plan would add $50 billion more to the nearly $230 billion already allocated in the original trillion-dollar stimulus plan, for infrastructure.
Why the great urgency to pile on more $? Something to do with the midterm elections?
The president says he wants to “put people back to work” through a new “up front investment” in surface transportation, airports, and the air-traffic-control system. But guess what? Not all people, just some people. From Michelle Malkin: “The key is E.O. 13502, a union-friendly executive order signed by Obama in his first weeks in office, which essentially forces contractors who bid on large-scale public-construction projects worth $25 million or more to submit to union representation for their employees.”
Obama’s “project labor agreement” forces contractors to hand over exclusive bargaining control, pay inflated wages and benefits and fork over dues-money and pension funding to corrupt labor organizations. These agreements undermine a fair bidding process on projects which locked-out, nonunion laborers fund with their own tax dollars! Too much! (Keep in mind dear readers that in the construction industry, 85% of the workers are non-union by choice.)
The result? Well, Boston’s notorious Big Dig was a union-only construction project thanks to a Massachusetts government-mandated PLA. The original $2.8 billion price tag for the project shot to $22 billion in state and federal taxpayer subsidies thanks in large part to ballooning labor costs. Oh, that.
BO’s connection at the hip to unions costs all of us plenty. It’s a scheme that raises the cost of doing business and bars ten of thousands of skilled, non union workers from securing work.
Oh sure, BO’s concerned with our highways and byways, concerned with America, sure he is.
Robert Craven
Socialite: “My goodness, Mr. Churchill… Well, I suppose… we would have to discuss terms, of course… “
Churchill: “Would you sleep with me for five pounds?”
Socialite: “Mr. Churchill, what kind of woman do you think I am?!”
Churchill: “Madam, we’ve already established that. Now we are haggling about the price.”
GM's unions had a price; Obama paid it. Is there something nefarious hereabouts? Does a one-legged goose swim in a circle?
It’s well know that the unions and trial lawyers together own the Dem party. Let’s look at the unions.
Background: Today almost half of union members work for some level of government. Why would any independent, hard working American want to be union? Ninety-two percent of private industry workers don’t. And those that do, including their public sector brethren, are not your father’s labor movement types in hard hats. As Linda Chavez explains, “The labor movement used to be strongly pro-American, pro-defense, and very conservative on social issues. Today's union bosses have more in common with Michael Moore than George Meany.”
The media virtually ignores the corrupt relationship between the unions and the Democratic party, rarely looking at illegal campaign violations. OK, forget the crooks, just the power: For example, the two national teachers’ unions — the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) — contributed more than $70 million to campaigns during the 2007–2008 season, with 95 percent of contributions going to Democrats and left-leaning causes. When these types ask the left to jump, they ask, ‘How high?”. (worn phrase)
Specifics: Obama just announced a plan to “Renew and Expand America’s Roads, Railways and Runways.” The plan would add $50 billion more to the nearly $230 billion already allocated in the original trillion-dollar stimulus plan, for infrastructure.
Why the great urgency to pile on more $? Something to do with the midterm elections?
The president says he wants to “put people back to work” through a new “up front investment” in surface transportation, airports, and the air-traffic-control system. But guess what? Not all people, just some people. From Michelle Malkin: “The key is E.O. 13502, a union-friendly executive order signed by Obama in his first weeks in office, which essentially forces contractors who bid on large-scale public-construction projects worth $25 million or more to submit to union representation for their employees.”
Obama’s “project labor agreement” forces contractors to hand over exclusive bargaining control, pay inflated wages and benefits and fork over dues-money and pension funding to corrupt labor organizations. These agreements undermine a fair bidding process on projects which locked-out, nonunion laborers fund with their own tax dollars! Too much! (Keep in mind dear readers that in the construction industry, 85% of the workers are non-union by choice.)
The result? Well, Boston’s notorious Big Dig was a union-only construction project thanks to a Massachusetts government-mandated PLA. The original $2.8 billion price tag for the project shot to $22 billion in state and federal taxpayer subsidies thanks in large part to ballooning labor costs. Oh, that.
BO’s connection at the hip to unions costs all of us plenty. It’s a scheme that raises the cost of doing business and bars ten of thousands of skilled, non union workers from securing work.
Oh sure, BO’s concerned with our highways and byways, concerned with America, sure he is.
Robert Craven
The Unforgiven
(We borrow from Eastwood.)
McGovern never got traction, thus he did not disable his entire party. The warm and fuzzy stuff sounds just great until it hits the pocket book, no longer the abstract. This is why BO put the Dems out of business.
The rank and file will not forgive Obama. He made them out to be fools.
At the family picnic in April there was the sense of loss, the sense of, “We’re sunk.” Not so fast we told out dear cousins. But conventional wisdom has it that none of this stuff can be reversed, especially the health plan they lamented. Wrong.
Americans throw some slack from time to time, around the margins; they don’t capitulate wholesale.
Robert Craven
McGovern never got traction, thus he did not disable his entire party. The warm and fuzzy stuff sounds just great until it hits the pocket book, no longer the abstract. This is why BO put the Dems out of business.
The rank and file will not forgive Obama. He made them out to be fools.
At the family picnic in April there was the sense of loss, the sense of, “We’re sunk.” Not so fast we told out dear cousins. But conventional wisdom has it that none of this stuff can be reversed, especially the health plan they lamented. Wrong.
Americans throw some slack from time to time, around the margins; they don’t capitulate wholesale.
Robert Craven
Obama's & McGovern's Fine Work
The last candidate who triggered a similar problem for the Democrats was of course our progressive pal George McGovern; that would be 1972. We recall the convention - a free for all. Nominated for the VP slot besides Eagleton were: Mao, Jerry Rubin, Ben Spock and Archie Bunker. By the time this part was over, it was 3am; thus, McGovern’s prime time acceptance speech was prime time only for Guam.
Just as well. McGovern’s progressive ideas were even loonier than BO’s, shocking even the normally toady media. The Wash Post called McGovern’s welfare state “horrendous,” and a “pernicious extension of the power of the state.” Wow!! Time called McGovern’s proposals a “radical scheme,” and calculated that his proposals for expanded welfare, universal health care and other social programs would break the bank.
McGovern lost every state but two. However, he did not take his entire party over the cliff; many Dem’s remained loyal to the rest of the ticket.
Obama’s work has simply been more thorough.
Naturally BO will continue to blame conservatives and Tea Party types for his problems. Big mistake. His problem is the Democratic rank and file, who as Vic Hansen illustrates, “are now discovering that just as Obama could take them individually to great heights.....so too could he being them down collectively to unprecedented depths.”
These, our deer-in-the-headlights.
We must admit this is fun; in fact it’s exquisite to watch WH staffers (Rahm the latest) who like BO are just soooo wise and soooo sure they were the best and brightest, and soooo contemptuous of the rest of us who needed their guidance and who would surely bend over as they spun the crisis for big government; it’s plain fun to watch these types crawl out the back door.
Robert Craven
Just as well. McGovern’s progressive ideas were even loonier than BO’s, shocking even the normally toady media. The Wash Post called McGovern’s welfare state “horrendous,” and a “pernicious extension of the power of the state.” Wow!! Time called McGovern’s proposals a “radical scheme,” and calculated that his proposals for expanded welfare, universal health care and other social programs would break the bank.
McGovern lost every state but two. However, he did not take his entire party over the cliff; many Dem’s remained loyal to the rest of the ticket.
Obama’s work has simply been more thorough.
Naturally BO will continue to blame conservatives and Tea Party types for his problems. Big mistake. His problem is the Democratic rank and file, who as Vic Hansen illustrates, “are now discovering that just as Obama could take them individually to great heights.....so too could he being them down collectively to unprecedented depths.”
These, our deer-in-the-headlights.
We must admit this is fun; in fact it’s exquisite to watch WH staffers (Rahm the latest) who like BO are just soooo wise and soooo sure they were the best and brightest, and soooo contemptuous of the rest of us who needed their guidance and who would surely bend over as they spun the crisis for big government; it’s plain fun to watch these types crawl out the back door.
Robert Craven
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