COLLECTIVE MADNESS


“Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Sarah Palin Signs In.



Cannibals in GOP Establishment Employ Tactics of the Left

by Sarah Palin on Friday, January 27, 2012 at 2:57pm
We have witnessed something very disturbing this week. The Republican establishment which fought Ronald Reagan in the 1970s and which continues to fight the grassroots Tea Party movement today has adopted the tactics of the left in using the media and the politics of personal destruction to attack an opponent.

We will look back on this week and realize that something changed. I have given numerous interviews wherein I espoused the benefits of thorough vetting during aggressive contested primary elections, but this week’s tactics aren’t what I meant. Those who claim allegiance to Ronald Reagan’s 11th Commandment should stop and think about where we are today. Ronald Reagan and Barry Goldwater, the fathers of the modern conservative movement, would be ashamed of us in this primary. Let me make clear that I have no problem with the routine rough and tumble of a heated campaign. As I said at the first Tea Party convention two years ago, I am in favor of contested primaries and healthy, pointed debate. They help focus candidates and the electorate. I have fought in tough and heated contested primaries myself. But what we have seen in Florida this week is beyond the pale. It was unprecedented in GOP primaries. I’ve seen it before – heck, I lived it before – but not in a GOP primary race.

I am sadly too familiar with these tactics because they were used against the GOP ticket in 2008. The left seeks to single someone out and destroy his or her record and reputation and family using the media as a channel to dump handpicked and half-baked campaign opposition research on the public. The difference in 2008 was that I was largely unknown to the American public, so they had no way of differentiating between the lies and the truth. All of it came at them at once as “facts” about me. But Newt Gingrich is known to us – both the good and the bad.

We know that Newt fought in the trenches during the Reagan Revolution. As Rush Limbaugh pointed out, Newt was among a handful of Republican Congressman who would regularly take to the House floor to defend Reagan at a time when conservatives didn’t have Fox News or talk radio or conservative blogs to give any balance to the liberal mainstream media. Newt actually came at Reagan’s administration “from the right” to remind Americans that freer markets and tougher national defense would win our future. But this week a few handpicked and selectively edited comments which Newt made during his 40-year career were used to claim that Newt was somehow anti-Reagan and isn’t conservative enough to go against the accepted moderate in the primary race. (I know, it makes no sense, and the GOP establishment hopes you won’t stop and think about this nonsense. Mark Levin and others have shown the ridiculousness of this.) To add insult to injury, this “anti-Reagan” claim was made by a candidate who admitted to not even supporting or voting for Reagan. He actually was against the Reagan movement, donated to liberal candidates, and said he didn’t want to go back to the Reagan days. You can’t change history. We know that Newt Gingrich brought the Reagan Revolution into the 1990s. We know it because none other than Nancy Reagan herself announced this when she presented Newt with an award, telling us, “The dramatic movement of 1995 is an outgrowth of a much earlier crusade that goes back half a century.  Barry Goldwater handed the torch to Ronnie, and in turn Ronnie turned that torch over to Newt and the Republican members of Congress to keep that dream alive.” As Rush and others pointed out, if Nancy Reagan had ever thought that Newt was in any way an opponent of her beloved husband, she would never have even appeared on a stage with him, let alone presented him with an award and said such kind things about him. Nor would Reagan’s son, Michael Reagan, have chosen to endorse Newt in this primary race. There are no two greater keepers of the Reagan legacy than Nancy and Michael Reagan. What we saw with this ridiculous opposition dump on Newt was nothing short of Stalin-esque rewriting of history. It was Alinsky tactics at their worst.

But this whole thing isn’t really about Newt Gingrich vs. Mitt Romney. It is about the GOP establishment vs. the Tea Party grassroots and independent Americans who are sick of the politics of personal destruction used now by both parties’ operatives with a complicit media egging it on. In fact, the establishment has been just as dismissive of Ron Paul and Rick Santorum. Newt is an imperfect vessel for Tea Party support, but in South Carolina the Tea Party chose to get behind him instead of the old guard’s choice. In response, the GOP establishment voices denounced South Carolinian voters with the same vitriol we usually see from the left when they spew hatred at everyday Americans “bitterly clinging” to their faith and their Second Amendment rights. The Tea Party was once again told to sit down and shut up and listen to the “wisdom” of their betters. We were reminded of the litany of Tea Party endorsed candidates in 2010 who didn’t win. Well, here’s a little newsflash to the establishment: without the Tea Party there would have been no historic 2010 victory at all.

I spoke up before the South Carolina primary to urge voters there to keep this primary going because I have great concern about the GOP establishment trying to anoint a candidate without the blessing of the grassroots and all the needed energy and resources we as commonsense constitutional conservatives could bring to the general election in order to defeat President Obama. Now, I respect Governor Romney and his success. But there are serious concerns about his record and whether as a politician he consistently applied conservative principles and how this impacts the agenda moving forward. The questions need answers now. That is why this primary should not be rushed to an end. We need to vet this. Pundits in the Beltway are gleefully proclaiming that this primary race is over after Florida, despite 46 states still not having chimed in. Well, perhaps it’s possible that it will come to a speedy end in just four days; but with these questions left unanswered, it will not have come to a satisfactory conclusion. Without this necessary vetting process, the unanswered question of Governor Romney’s conservative bona fides and the unanswered and false attacks on Newt Gingrich will hang in the air to demoralize many in the electorate. The Tea Party grassroots will certainly feel disenfranchised and disenchanted with the perceived orchestrated outcome from self-proclaimed movers and shakers trying to sew this all up. And, trust me, during the general election, Governor Romney’s statements and record in the private sector will be relentlessly parsed over by the opposition in excruciating detail to frighten off swing voters. This is why we need a fair primary that is not prematurely cut short by the GOP establishment using Alinsky tactics to kneecap Governor Romney’s chief rival.

As I said in my speech in Iowa last September, the challenge of this election is not simply to replace President Obama. The real challenge is who and what we will replace him with. It’s not enough to just change up the uniform. If we don’t change the team and the game plan, we won’t save our country. We truly need sudden and relentless reform in Washington to defend our republic, though it’s becoming clearer that the old guard wants anything but that. That is why we should all be concerned by the tactics employed by the establishment this week. We will not save our country by becoming like the left. And I question whether the GOP establishment would ever employ the same harsh tactics they used on Newt against Obama. I didn’t see it in 2008. Many of these same characters sat on their thumbs in ‘08 and let Obama escape unvetted. Oddly, they’re now using every available microscope and endoscope – along with rewriting history – in attempts to character assassinate anyone challenging their chosen one in their own party’s primary. So, one must ask, who are they really running against?

- Sarah Palin

106 comments:

  1. Sarah Palin?

    Didn't she used to be in politics?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Today's endorser of Obama for President 2012 is Lady Ga-Ga.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ruf, you two might make a nice couple.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Obama doesn't have the flag of a foreign power prominently displayed in his office.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sarah Palin is a U.S. citizen; she can support whoever she wishes to support.

    She is, simply, a political opportunist - just as is Newt, Mitt, and Obama.

    She talks "tea party," but governed as a "populist/democrat."

    Newt talks "repeal obamacare," but endorsed Mitt's "health insurance mandate."


    Don't be fooled, this election is all about "religion, energy, and the middle east." The poor folks just don't realize it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Doesn't have the flag of the United States in there either.

    DUH

    ReplyDelete
  7. A lot of us just don't have your insights, that's for sure.

    And, we are changed for you sharing them.

    ReplyDelete
  8. That's right; some people have no grasp of geography, or history (and, seem easily caught up in myths, and magical thinking.)

    ReplyDelete
  9. We're supposed to get all het up and attack a very large country, one with a large population, and very inhospitable terrain, that

    hasn't attacked another country since before the birth of Jesus Christ.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Don't be fooled

    For God's sake you are the one being buffaloed right before our very eyes.


    .....

    no grasp of geography, or history

    It wasn't me that fell off some barstool and rolled into the Marine recruiting office hence to the idiocy of Vietnam.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I'm not going to get in an argument with you Rufus, I like you too much, so I am quitting now.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Grey Hair Is Cool

    WHile I can't imagine Sarah with grey hair, it's nice to know that when my turn comes I won't be turned away by Lady Ga-Ga/

    ReplyDelete
  13. BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany is pushing for Greece to relinquish control over its budget policy to European institutions as part of discussions over a second rescue package, a European source told Reuters on Friday.

    Overreaching a bit?

    "Under the German plan, Athens would only be allowed to carry out normal state spending after servicing its debt, the FT said."

    Anyone see a Greek default coming?

    ReplyDelete
  14. .

    That's right; some people... ( seem easily caught up in myths, and magical thinking.)



    Now you are getting personal.

    :!

    .

    ReplyDelete
  15. EU rejects call for control over Greek budget
    Associated Press – 1 hr 3 mins ago

    BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union's executive body is rejecting calls from Germany to establish a eurozone budget commissioner who would directly control tax and spending decisions in debt-ridden Greece.

    ReplyDelete
  16. They will either default, and leave the "Euro," or become a colony of Germany. Either one is fine by me.

    We're "Decommissioning" that Two Heavy Armor Brigades in Europe. That's the only good news I see coming out of there.

    ReplyDelete
  17. That will probably save us between $5 and $10 Billion/Yr.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Gasoline is $3.40/Gal this morning.

    The Futures Market is predicting another $0.20 by the end of Feb.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Who Said That?
    Ten interesting questions:

    This is a fun quiz. Listed below are 10 direct quotes. You have to guess which American politician said it. Your four choices are:

    Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin
    Former VP Dan Quayle
    President Barack Obama
    Former President George W. Bush


    1) "Let me be absolutely clear. Israel is a strong friend of Israel's."
    A. Barack Obama
    B. Dan Quayle
    C. Sarah Palin
    D. George W. Bush

    2) "I've now been in 57 states I think one left to go."
    A. Barack Obama
    B. Dan Quayle
    C. Sarah Palin
    D. George W. Bush

    3) "On this Memorial Day, as our nation honors its unbroken line of fallen heroes, and I see many of them in the audience here today."
    A. Barack Obama
    B. Dan Quayle
    C. Sarah Palin
    D. George W. Bush

    4) "What they'll say is, 'Well it costs too much money,' but you know what? It would cost, about. It it it would cost about the same as what we would spend. It. Over the course of 10 years it would cost what it would costs us. (nervous laugh) All right. Okay. We're going to. It. It would cost us about the same as it would cost for about hold on one second. I can't hear myself. But I'm glad you're fired up, though. I'm glad."
    A. Barack Obama
    B. Dan Quayle
    C. Sarah Palin
    D. George W. Bush

    5) "The reforms we seek would bring greater competition, choice, savings and inefficiencies to our health care system."
    A. Barack Obama
    B. Dan Quayle
    C. Sarah Palin
    D. George W. Bush

    6) "I bowled a 129. It's like - it was like the Special Olympics, or something."
    A. Barack Obama
    B. Dan Quayle
    C. Sarah Palin
    D. George W. Bush

    7) "Of the many responsibilities granted to a president by our Constitution, few are more serious or more consequential than selecting a Supreme Court justice. The members of our highest court are granted life tenure, often serving long after the presidents who appointed them. And they are charged with the vital task of applying principles put to paper more than 20 centuries ago to some of the most difficult questions of our time."
    A. Barack Obama
    B. Dan Quayle
    C. Sarah Palin
    D. George W. Bush

    8) "Everybody knows that it makes no sense that you send a kid to the emergency room for a treatable illness like asthma, they end up taking up a hospital bed, it costs, when, if you, they just gave, you gave them treatment early and they got some treatment, and a, a breathalyzer, or inhalator, not a breathalyzer. I haven't had much sleep in the last 48 hours."
    A. Barack Obama
    B. Dan Quayle
    C. Sarah Palin
    D. George W. Bush

    9) "It was interesting to see that political interaction in Europe is not that different from the United States Senate. There's a lot of I don't know what the term is in Austrian, wheeling and dealing."
    A. Barack Obama
    B. Dan Quayle
    C. Sarah Palin
    D. George W. Bush

    10) "I have made good judgments in the past. I have made good judgments in the future."
    A. Barack Obama
    B. Dan Quayle
    C. Sarah Palin
    D. George W. Bush

    All of the correct answers are the same person. Each of these quotes are directly from President Barack Obama. And now you know why he takes his TelePrompTer with him everywhere he goes ...even when talking to a 6th grade class. And some members of the media continue to insist he is "The smartest man ever elected to the Presidency."

    ReplyDelete
  20. Wouldn't it be a hoot if ol' Chavez decided to pull his heavy oil exports to the U.S. off the market in sympathy with his buddy, Imabuttfuckr?

    ReplyDelete
  21. How else would you communicate to the good farmers of Ideehoe, Bob?

    ReplyDelete
  22. If Obama had anything on the ball, he would have let those kids fool around with TOTUS. That would have given them some real memories to share with their children someday.

    "Well, son, I remember when TOTUS and I...."

    "What's that daddy, what's that? Who's TOTUS?"

    "TOTUS was President once, son. President of the Greatest Country On Earth. He was a friend of mine....The American People voted for TOTUS, son, good people, insurance salesmen, people of the soil, the salt of the earth, all voted for TOTUS, son..."

    etc

    ReplyDelete
  23. Well, that letter seals the deal.

    If there is a "brokered convention" it will not be Sarah that is the "Chosen" to sally forth to do battle with the Democrat dragon.

    No, rather than chosin, Sarah will be frozen.

    ReplyDelete
  24. As vital a part of the Republican Party as Gary Johnson.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Joined by actor Jon Voight – as well as Senator John McCain and Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell – the former Massachusetts governor came to the Fish House restaurant here in this military-heavy region on Florida’s panhandle.

    ReplyDelete
  26. And Mitt said the government does not create jobs ...

    Romney also said that while Obama is considering cutting 100,000 active duty personnel from the military, he would add 100,000 if he’s elected.

    There's no chance Mitt can beat Obama. He'll lose the Mexicans and the Librarians.

    Even if those folk do not vote for the "O", they'll stay home, rather than vote to expand the Federal government, veto the Dream Act and deport grandmothers.

    ReplyDelete
  27. .

    Re: Deuce's Palin post.


    More bullshit from Palin.

    Translation:

    We are all for Citizens United and the First Amendment until it is our ox (in this case Newt) that is being gored and then we whine foul.

    It is the MSM not independent and unbiased stations like FOX which I work for that are being used by the 'Washington establishment' to skewer a fellow Republican. Shame and Fie.

    I respect Romney but there remain questions that need to be answered about his bona fides. On the other hand, everything, good and bad, about Newt is already known so why keep bringing it up, why keep looking for more?

    She tells us Newt supported Reagan from the right despite the fact that other Republicans have publically stated that Newt was continuously criticizing Reagan. And where does she get this info?

    Rush Limbaugh of course.

    Rush, the man who creates stuff from thin air; he pulls it out of his ass. About a week ago, complaining about the left, he told his audience there are no unions allowed in China, they throw the organizers in solitary, for good behavior they send them to North Korea. Anyone with any experience in China knows this is bullshit. Not only are there unions (obviously as independant as ours) but there is often a communist apparatchik among the ruling body in many of them. But the dittoheads scream, "Tell it like it is Rush, you da man." Morons.

    And what does Rush actually say in the link Palin references? "Well, it might be true but I sure don't remember it." Take a look at the link she gave. The damn thing is of a broadcast, pages long, in which he cites all the quotes from Republicans, the press, even Newt's own spokesperson, and his bottom line, "It could be true but I don't remember it". The man is a buffoon.

    But this is not about Romney or Newt Sarah says, "In response, the GOP establishment voices denounced South Carolinian voters with the same vitriol we usually see from the left when they spew hatred at everyday Americans “bitterly clinging” to their faith and their Second Amendment rights." And mom and apple pie too. She makes me want to puke.

    "This is why we need a fair primary that is not prematurely cut short by the GOP establishment using Alinsky tactics to kneecap Governor Romney’s chief rival.

    She may get the words down pat but she will never have the music.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  28. .

    ...Not only are there unions (obviously as independant as ours) but there is often a communist apparatchik...


    correction,


    ...Not only are there unions (obviously not as independant as ours) but there is often a communist apparatchik...

    .

    ReplyDelete
  29. Dick Armey, Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich and Barack Obama, all have one thing in common, their use of the tactics written about in Saul Alinsky's "Rules for Radicals".

    Funny thing, how now every establishment politico is "running" against it.

    Peas in the pod.
    Two sides, same coin.

    ReplyDelete
  30. READERS!

    LOOK AT THIS SHIT!!

    Not only are there unions (obviously as independant as ours) but there is often a communist apparatchik among the ruling body in many of them.!!!

    Also notice this fool has made a spelling error, we will let him try to find it.

    I love it! They are as independent as ours, and have a commie apparatchik among the ruling body.

    If this moron had said "They are as dependent as ours" he might at least have been in the right solar system.

    ReplyDelete
  31. O!

    Now he tries, after further 'thought', to weasel out of it.

    Weasel, weasel, weasel, weasel.

    ReplyDelete
  32. While boobie, are the Unions here independent of government?

    I would submit that Q was correct, before his correction.

    The Unions, here in the US, are not independent of politco control, not at all. They are dependent upon Government for their very existence.

    The Boeing case exemplifies the connection.

    Boeing, Machinist Union Reach Tentative Deal To Settle NLRB Dispute

    The idea that Unions in the US are independent of the government, today, is juvenile and without foundation.

    You are still a believer in myths.

    ReplyDelete
  33. In 'Crapper World' one is in 'The Establishment' if one has even only been a governor for two years in the least populous state the furthest from Washington D.C.


    But, we've all long known the crapper is crazy.

    ReplyDelete
  34. What is it about -

    If this moron had said "They are as dependent as ours" he might at least have been in the right solar system.

    that is so hard to understand

    ReplyDelete
  35. It is now go to the casino time, have been waiting for this all week --

    form a circular firing squad and carry on, mates!

    ReplyDelete
  36. No, boobie, being part of the Establishment is to run for Vice President as a candidate of the Republican Party.

    That is as "Establishment" as it gets.

    While to leave the office of Governor, years before the term is complete, is to be a quitter and subsequently, a loser that failed to represent her constituents as she solemnly swore to.

    ReplyDelete
  37. .

    And no comments about Sarah, Bob.

    Merely, diversion like your good buddy? We are talking about the woman you would like to see as president and yet all you can talk about is 'a' and 'e' and comment on subjects you know nothing about.

    Bobbo, red-headed stepchild to the Flim Flam man.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  38. .

    Gen. Jack D. Ripper opines on 'Precious Bodily Fluids'.


    Dr. Strangelove

    .

    ReplyDelete
  39. Some of us Have gone back and looked at how she governed, and it was indistinguishable from that of a Liberal Democrat.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Mark Alexander rebuts Obama's State of the Union address:

    In 2003, the Bush administration upgraded its concerns about Fannie and Freddie, requesting much stronger oversight. According to testimony by then Treasury Secretary John Snow, "We need a strong, world-class regulatory agency to oversee the prudential operations of the GSEs and the safety and the soundness of their financial activities." The New York Times reported that the administration's plan was "the most significant regulatory overhaul in the housing finance industry since the savings and loan crisis a decade ago," and "an acknowledgment by the administration that oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac -- which together have issued more than $1.5 trillion in outstanding debt -- is broken."

    But Democrats would not support additional oversight or restrictions. Former House Financial Services Committee chairman Barney Frank declared in congressional hearings: "These two entities -- Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac -- are not facing any kind of financial crisis. The more people exaggerate a threat of safety and soundness, the more people conjure up the possibility of serious financial losses to the Treasury, which I do not see. I think we see entities that are fundamentally sound financially and withstand some of the disaster scenarios. And even if there were a problem, the federal government does not bail them out."

    Frank insisted, "I want to roll the dice a little bit more in this situation towards subsidized housing. I believe there has been more alarm raised about potential unsafety [sic] and unsoundness than, in fact, exists."

    And roll the dice they did!

    In the Senate, Charles Schumer objected to concerns raised by Sen. John McCain, about the solvency of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac: "My worry is that we're using the recent safety and soundness concerns ... as a straw man to curtail Fannie and Freddie's mission." The "mission," as amended by Democrats, was to reach out with home loans to millions of marginal or unqualified "customers" -- thus fueling the real estate boom.

    In 2004, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan testified: "What we're trying to avert is we have in our financial system right now two very large and growing financial institutions [which subsidize loans and] that prevents the markets from adjusting appropriately, prevents competition and the normal adjustment processes that ... creates stability. ... [By] enabling [Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac] to increase in size ... we are placing the total financial system of the future at a substantial risk. If we fail to strengthen GSE regulation, we increase the possibility of insolvency in crisis."

    In 2006, Sen. McCain again went to the Senate floor warning, "The GSEs need to be reformed without delay." However, every Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee voted against regulatory reforms. That year, housing prices peaked and started to reverse.

    In 2008, amid eroding consumer confidence, the entire economy began spiraling toward collapse. Even Bill Clinton admitted, "I think the responsibility that the Democrats have may rest in resisting any efforts by Republicans in the Congress ... to put some standards and tighten up a little on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac."

    ReplyDelete
  41. Now, Obama says, "I will oppose any effort to return to the very same policies that brought on this economic crisis in the first place." This is the Big Lie he's been telling ever since he became a failed president. In fact, his policies are all about government intervention and manipulation of the economy.

    Returning to excerpts from his SOTU: "There are fewer illegal [border] crossings than when I took office. (There are fewer jobs than when he took office.) Send me a law that gives them the chance to earn their citizenship. I will sign it right away. (That law already exists -- Obama's administration has ignored it.) We have a supply of natural gas that can last America nearly 100 years. (That was in reference to his administration.) Our partnership with the private sector has already positioned America to be... (out of business.) The payoffs on these public investments... (taxpayer-funded union votes.)"

    "Take the money we're no longer spending at war, use half of it to pay down our debt, and use the rest to do some nation-building right here at home. (I think he meant "take the debt we're no longer spending," and for "nation-building here"? more like "nation wrecking." For the record, since the ratification of our Constitution, the 43 presidents that followed added, $4.16 trillion in debt. Since taking office, the 44th president has added more than $4.6 trillion in additional debt.) We'll run out of money. (We already did.) Government can't fix the problem on its own. (Government IS the problem!) We need smart regulations to prevent irresponsible behavior. They make the free market work better. (Yes, a regulated free market.) When it comes to the deficit, we've already agreed to more than $2 trillion in cuts and savings. (Not really.)"

    "Now, you can call this class warfare all you want. (OK, it is class warfare.) We don't begrudge financial success in this country. We admire it. (Just drink the Kool-Aid.) I bet most Americans are thinking the same thing right about now. (When will this guy shut up?!) Can you blame them for feeling a little cynical? (Nope.)"

    "I've talked tonight about the deficit of trust. (In fact, you increased it exponentially.) I've asked this Congress to grant me the authority to consolidate the federal bureaucracy. (More centralization?) We should all want a smarter, more effective government. (We should all want a smaller more irrelevant government.) America is determined to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and I will take no options off the table to achieve that goal. (Even sitting down for a beer summit?) Working with our military leaders, I've proposed a new defense strategy that ensures we maintain the finest military in the world ... gay or straight. (You knew where that was going, didn't you?)"

    Remember when Obama proclaimed he was going to oversee "the fundamental transformation of the United States of America"? Well, he did. "How this incredible transformation will end remains uncertain," he said in his address. "But we have a huge stake in the outcome."

    Indeed, we do have a huge stake in the outcome, as does our posterity. Patriots have staked our ground on the the side of Liberty.

    Obama concluded, "Anyone who tells you that America is in decline or that our influence has waned doesn't know what they're talking about." Anyone who does not think America is in decline, must be a socialist or profoundly ignorant -- but then I repeat myself.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Did GW Bush veto any legislation that related to Fannie or Fraudie, at any time during his tenure?

    Well we all know the answer to that is a resounding "NO!".

    Peas in a pod
    Two sides of the same coin.

    ReplyDelete
  43. And, of course, after that they fired Snow, and put in "the man from Sachs."

    ReplyDelete
  44. .

    In 2006, Sen. McCain again went to the Senate floor warning, "The GSEs need to be reformed without delay." However, every Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee voted against regulatory reforms. That year, housing prices peaked and started to reverse...

    And on the other side, the GOP has fought every type of regulatory reform meant to prevent another financial crisis like the one we went through in 2008.

    Surely there is enough blame to go around. Why pick sides? Just say, "Screw them all".

    .

    ReplyDelete
  45. More from Mark Alexander:

    Class Warfare Dominates Tax Debate

    As the week wore on, we couldn't help noticing a common theme: Mitt Romney's taxes, Warren Buffett's taxes, Warren Buffett's secretary's taxes. In fact, Barack Obama built his entire State of the Union address around envy, virtually declaring it the long-lost, ultimate American value and pointing to the aforementioned supposed tax disparity as proof. The tax code is indeed a glaringly obvious problem. It pits every constituency against the rest, and Leftists are especially adept at exploiting that to wage class warfare.

    Obama's tired refrain is that the rich don't pay their "fair share" -- not even as much as their secretaries. The president trotted out the secretary of billionaire Warren Buffett to "prove" his point. He claimed that she pays a rate higher than her boss, despite the obvious income disparity (Buffett says she earns about $60,000 a year). Facts, as usual, are the first casualties. For starters, he compared apples and oranges by contrasting her total tax burden with Buffett's rate on federal income taxes.

    Furthermore, the top 1 percent pays their "fair share" of 36 percent of income taxes while the bottom 50 percent pays next to nothing. That disparity only increased with the Bush tax cuts, contrary to Democrat rhetoric. Obama used his ruse to demand that those earning more than $1 million per year pay at least 30 percent in taxes. "You can call this class warfare all you want," he challenged. "But asking a billionaire to pay at least as much as his secretary in taxes? Most Americans would call that common sense." According to the Congressional Budget Office, however, the top 1 percent already pays 29.5 percent when all federal taxes are accounted for, while the middle class pays 15.1 percent. If Obama were referring to the capital gains rate, 30 percent would be the highest since 1978.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Alexander rebuttal continued:

    Leftists also found a bludgeon in Mitt Romney's taxes. By any measure Romney is wealthy, with income of more than $20 million in each of the last two years (the only years for which he released returns). Yet because his income is almost entirely capital gains and the like, his tax rate was around 15 percent. Unnoticed, however, is that most of that money was taxed already at the corporate rate of 35 percent before it was ever paid to him. Democrats decried Romney's unfairly low burden, although when John Kerry paid only 13 percent in 2004, their silence on the issue was deafening.

    Back to the SOTU, the president also called for "reforming" the tax code -- by making it more complicated. He wants to remove tax breaks for companies that move jobs overseas. The only problem is that no such breaks currently exist -- unless he means that other nations have tax rates roughly half that of the U.S. thus causing companies to leave for other shores. Obama also wants to offer special breaks to alternative energy companies and manufacturing (read: unions), while sticking it to "Big Oil."

    Real reform would lower the corporate rate to, say, 15 percent for all industries and simplify deductions. It would also lower rates for individuals, rather than raising them as if the natural order of things is a top rate of 43 percent. Furthermore, it would keep capital gains rates low. History proves that lower rates increase economic activity, and with last quarter's underwhelming 2.8 percent growth, most of which was inventory expansion, we need it. Besides, even if Obama confiscated all the wealth of the "rich," he couldn't fully pay for his agenda.

    Charitable giving sheds some light on the rationale behind the Left's demands. Mitt Romney gave more than 19 percent of his income to various charities, including the Mormon Church, in 2011 -- that's more charitable giving than taxes paid. The Obamas, on the other hand, gave just 1 percent of their income to charity between 2000 and 2004, increasing that to 5 percent by 2007. Joe Biden gave $369 -- three hundred sixty-nine dollars -- the year before becoming VP, and just $5,350 in 2010. A reasonable conclusion is that because "liberals" are so miserly with their money, they think the only way to "spread the wealth" around is through forced taxation.

    Not only are these hypocrites stingy, but they don't even pay what they owe. The IRS reports that 36 of Obama's executive office staff owe some $833,970 in back taxes, and thousands of federal employees owe back taxes totaling $3.4 billion. Obama declared in his speech, "We need to change our tax code so that people like me, and an awful lot of members of Congress, pay our fair share of taxes." Good thing his staff doesn't have to worry about that.

    ReplyDelete
  47. The 36% number falls flat when the payroll taxes are factored into the income tax receipts.

    As is the law.

    Settled in 1960, by the Supremes in Fleming v Nestor.

    Those payroll taxes are income taxes, handled in the same way, credited to the same accounts.

    To call them anything else, pure Goebbels.

    Another "Big Lie" told by the Federals, to divide the taxpayers of the United States.

    Purely Class Warfare.

    In this case practiced by the Republicans.

    Peas in a pod
    Two sides, same coin.

    ReplyDelete
  48. .

    The OWS and Tea Party represent extremes in political thought, the OWS coming from the left and the Tea party offering solutions from the right.

    However, one thing both groups agree on, the current political makeup in this country stinks. Both seem to agree that the majority of the current Dem and GOP politicos just don't get it. Much of America agrees with them on that issue.

    That seems to be a concept too hard to grasp for some here.


    .

    .

    ReplyDelete
  49. Call a tail a leg ...

    A dog will still have four legs ...

    Mislabeling does not change the truth.

    ReplyDelete
  50. Two peas in the same pod?

    Yeah? Tell that to Rufus next time he starts his "secretary pays more than boss" schtick.

    ReplyDelete
  51. .

    Those payroll taxes are income taxes, handled in the same way, credited to the same accounts.


    If you look at the numbers put out by the government, you'll see that revenues drawn from FICA approximate those coming in from the income tax.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  52. When Newt/Clinton "balanced" the Federal budget, those FICA taxes were included in total revenues, and were balanced by total expenditures, though the money was still borrowed from the "Trust Fund".

    As Dr Paul pointed out, the other night.

    But ...

    The law is with Newt.
    FICA revenues are the same as income tax revenues. Both are paid, based upon income.
    Both are taxes on "Income".

    ReplyDelete
  53. Corporations paid, on average, about 11% last year.

    ReplyDelete
  54. "The 36% number falls flat when the payroll taxes are factored into the income tax receipts."

    What numbers do you have? How are the tax receipts distributed across tax rates?

    How flat does the 36% fall?

    ReplyDelete
  55. The Secretary pays 13% in FICA, then another 5% to 15% in "Income" tax.

    For a total of 18 to 30% of her income.

    Mr Romney did not even pay 15% on his income.

    Mr Romney not paying an equal share, based upon percentage of income.

    The Federal taxes, extremely regressive, in that regard.

    The GOP talking point, that 1% pay 36%, a lie. Pure and simple.

    ReplyDelete
  56. .

    Class warfare?


    You say that like it's a bad thing.

    In any societal relationship where there is an allocation of resources the decisions are political. Based on the numbers, over the past thirty years, those political decisions (laws, regulations, tax policies, etc.) appear to have to a great degree favored the rich to the detriment of the middle class.

    People are always looking out for their own interests. It's natural. The rich have the power to skew the process in their favor but then they shout "Class Warfare" when someone objects.

    Pardon me if I don't weep.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  57. Revenue does not equal bottom line numbers at the end of the fiscal year.

    Corporations paid on average 11% last year. What was the median? What was the upper limit? How many corporations paid the max. Average doesn't tell the whole picture.

    The fact is, we need real tax reform.

    ReplyDelete
  58. To about half that.

    I've never figured it out, exactly.

    But if FICA is half of Federal revenue, then 36% of half, is 18% of the total.

    While that 1% of earners garner 20% of the adjusted gross income of the country.

    About their "Fair Share".
    They earn 20% of the money and contribute about 18% of the revenues.

    ReplyDelete
  59. "The Secretary pays 13% in FICA, then another 5% to 15% in "Income" tax.

    For a total of 18 to 30% of her income."

    She might or she might not be paying that much. You don't know what kind of credits and deductions she gets.

    ReplyDelete
  60. The "rich" in the US are not "put upon" by the tax code.

    About $3 billion in Federal revenue could be raised, if "Carried Interest" was abolished.

    ReplyDelete
  61. .

    What numbers do you have? How are the tax receipts distributed across tax rates?


    Look it up yourself (if you are really interested)

    The tax reciepts and FICA inputs are easy. Look up the federal budget.

    The breakdown of tax revenue from various tax brackets is also available. Factoring in the FICA is the hard part since as rat pointed out it is currently a very regressive tax with the wealthy not paying it on total income but only up to about $100k.

    Someone may have already run the numbers. Check google. Why should we look it up for you?

    .

    ReplyDelete
  62. That is why there is a range, anon.

    Depending upon many inputs to the data set. We are speaking in "Grand" generalities, not auditing a specific individual..

    ReplyDelete
  63. I put some number out there. That were called lies w/o numbers to back up the rebuttals.

    ili

    ReplyDelete
  64. .

    'Carried Interest' is a joke. There is a reason a lot of this stuff is called 'unearned income' by the IRS.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  65. But you're an anoni, which does not deserve a detailed rebuttal.

    Sign in a be somebody.

    Maybe we'll dig deeper, if you do.

    ReplyDelete
  66. It's worse than a joke; it's a complete "abomination" of the tax code.

    If the average person knew what the hedgies are getting away with in the "carried interest" scam there really would be "torches, and pitchforks."

    ReplyDelete
  67. The lie is the talking point, not an anoni.

    ReplyDelete
  68. .

    I put some number out there. That were called lies w/o numbers to back up the rebuttals.


    Really?

    It was pointed out that your numbers were based on false assumptions. They were based only on income taxes, not on income plus FICA taxes, or if you want a complete and representative number, total taxes. No one called your numbers lies. We merely said they were meaningless in any discussion of the current allocation of taxes.

    You were the one demanding more explanation. I would think the one you got was sufficient.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  69. Mr Romney has not contributed to the FICA revenue stream, for at least 10 years.

    Beating the System, as designed.

    ReplyDelete
  70. What is even more outragous, the double taxation of the FICA income.

    First the Federals take it, then they tax it again as income. The FICA taxes not deductible, by wage earners, from their AGI.

    The self-employed only capable of deducting half the total payment.

    Double taxation of wage earners.

    ReplyDelete
  71. "No one called your numbers lies."


    Rat @ 2:19
    "The GOP talking point, that 1% pay 36%, a lie. Pure and simple."

    ReplyDelete
  72. The talking point is a lie.

    The 1% pay 36% is accurate, as far it goes, but it's a lie because it does not include FICA as income taxes.

    If you are to dense to figure that out, you are stupid.

    Don't bother obtaining a sign on.

    ReplyDelete
  73. To not include FICA as income taxes, pure Goebbels.

    ReplyDelete
  74. Which is what that 1% pay 36% depends upon.

    The fundamental lie that payroll taxes are not income taxes.

    ReplyDelete
  75. It's not the numbers that lie, anoni, it is the basic assumption of what is or is not include as income taxes.

    That was decided, as I said, in 1960.
    Catch up.

    ReplyDelete
  76. I did not dispute your numbers, but your definition of "Income Tax".

    Which, like the GOP talking point, does not include the FICA taxes.

    Which, as per Fleming v Nestor, is not the case, at all.

    To separate them, Federal propaganda designed to construct an environment suitable for "Class Warfare", by both sides of the coin.

    ReplyDelete
  77. rufus really thought he was a participant in a Social Security Insurance program.

    Lied to all his life, he was.

    He was a believer, too.

    ReplyDelete
  78. .

    How many times have we seen these 'Class Warfare' spouting types when confronted with the truth brush it away.

    CNBC is notorious for it. Taxes are a bugaboo for Larry Kudlow. He usually has three pretty well off conservatives on a panel plus one lib. When they talk class warfare and taxes and the lib brings up FICA, Larry says "we don't have time to talk about that right now; let's stick to a discussion of rationalizing (lowering in Larry-speak) the tax brackets".

    Same for the panel programs in the morning with Joe Kernan or with any of the money chicks there.

    When Steve Leisman put on this big show about the debt limit last summer, he conveniently left out any mention of the driving forces behind much of the argument, taxes on the rich. When questioned, his response. "I didn't want to make the discussion too political."

    It's the dirty little secret those on the right do not want to talk about.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  79. :)

    Honestly never worried about it, Rat.

    ReplyDelete
  80. Just figured it was another contract. Had it's good points, and it's bad.

    ReplyDelete
  81. Not worthy of worry, rufus.

    It is what it is.

    A tail will NEVER be a leg.

    ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  82. .

    You made a good point regarding the double taxation on SS benefits, rat. The class warfare and anti-tax proponents always bring up 'double taxation' on dividends, etc; but they never mention the double taxation on FICA.

    Federal revenues are divided approximately 42% individual IT, 40% FICA taxes, 9% corporate tax, balance is misc. excise, etc.

    Who is hurt more by double taxation the guy making in excess of $100k with the fat 401k or the poor smuck making $12 per hour and trying to get by?

    .

    ReplyDelete
  83. “Today the oil industry enjoys billions of dollars in tax subsidies while the renewable fuels industry has none,” said Shaw, proceeding to name off all of the subsides unique to the oil industry.

    It’s a long list that requires a high-price accountant to understand – not a problem for the oil industry! Percentage depletion allowance, marginal oil well incentives, enhanced oil recovery credits, intangible drilling costs expensing, deduction for tertiary injectants, exception from passive loss limitations for oil and gas, etc. According to a DTN analysis, the total comes to about $17.9 billion a year.

    All of it goes back to the inception of the tax code in 1913. What that means is simply that these subsidies, unlike the meager tax credit that helped the ethanol industry for a fraction of that time, are EMBEDDED in our tax code. They are never going to expire.

    ReplyDelete
  84. .

    Someone recently suggested (I assume in jest) that taxes should not be progressive but that everyone should pay the same absolute amount, not based on income but on proportionality.

    Given the way out government operates, it would only be a short time before half the country was paying more in taxes than they grossed.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  85. Let's just pretend that 40% of revenues are not taxes based upon income.

    Let's take that leg, call it a tail.

    Only then can we begin to debate how much weight each leg should carry...

    ReplyDelete
  86. While Andrew Mellon, arguably the most successful Secretary of Treasury in US history thought that income from labor should be taxed at a lower rate than income from capital.

    The fairness of taxing more lightly income from wages, salaries or from investments is beyond question.

    In the first case, the income is uncertain and limited in duration; sickness or death destroys it and old age diminishes it; in the other, the source of income continues; the income may be disposed of during a man’s life and it descends to his heirs.

    Surely we can afford to make a distinction between the people whose only capital is their mettle and physical energy and the people whose income is derived from investments.

    Such a distinction would mean much to millions of American workers and would be an added inspiration to the man who must provide a competence during his few productive years to care for himself and his family when his earnings capacity is at an end.

    ReplyDelete
  87. Being the third richest man in the country, I do not think that Mr Mellon suffered from "class envy".

    ReplyDelete
  88. The Black Bra (as told by a woman)

    I had lunch with 2 of my unmarried friends.
    One is engaged, one is a mistress, and I have been married for 25+ years.
    We were chatting about our relationships and decided to amaze our men by greeting them at the door Wearing a black bra, stiletto heels and a mask over our eyes. We agreed to meet in a few days to exchange notes..

    Here's how it all went.

    My engaged friend:

    The other night when my boyfriend came over he found me with a black leather bodice, tall stilettos and a mask.

    He saw me and said, 'You are the woman of my dreams.

    I love you.' Then we made passionate love.

    The mistress:

    Me too! The other night I met my lover at his office and I was wearing a raincoat, under it only the black bra, heels and the
    Mask over my eyes. When I opened the raincoat he didn't say a word, but he started to tremble and we had wild, sweet sex all night.

    Then I had to share my story:

    When my husband came home I was wearing the black bra,
    Black stockings, stilettos and a mask over my eyes.
    When he came in the door and saw me he said,










    What's for dinner, Zorro?"

    ReplyDelete
  89. Rufus: What that means is simply that these subsidies, unlike the meager tax credit that helped the ethanol industry for a fraction of that time, are EMBEDDED in our tax code. They are never going to expire.

    The word "subsidies" sounds like there's a transfer of wealth from Uncle Sam to Exxon. Liberals use the same sleight-of-hand when they say tax cuts have to be "paid for" as though there's a sacrosanct baseline.

    ReplyDelete
  90. Anonymous: Tell that to Rufus next time he starts his "secretary pays more than boss" schtick.

    An ant can lift forty times her own weight too. Still can't lift a beer.

    ReplyDelete
  91. This is from a 2007 American Enterprise Institute article:

    "10. Does the tax distribu­tion look a lot different if we factor in other federal taxes, such as the payroll tax?

    It’s true that the distribution of taxes is somewhat more equally divided when payroll taxes are accounted for—but the change is surprisingly small. Payroll taxes of 15 percent are charged on the first dollar of income earned by a worker, and most of the tax is capped at an income of just below $100,000. The Tax Policy Center, run by the Urban Institute and the Brookings Institution, recently studied payroll and income taxes paid by each income group. The richest 1 percent pay 27.5 percent of the combined burden, the top 20 percent pay 72 percent, and the bottom 20 percent pay just 0.4 percent. One reason that the disparity in tax shares is so large is that Americans in the bottom quintile who have jobs get reimbursed for some or all of their 15 percent payroll tax through the earned-income tax credit (EITC), a fairly efficient poverty-abatement program."

    ReplyDelete
  92. This is from a May 2011 article from the Center by the Policy and Budget Priorities.

    "Moreover, low-income households as a whole do, in fact, pay federal taxes. Congressional Budget Office data show that the poorest fifth of households as a group paid an average of 4 percent of their incomes in federal taxes in 2007 (the latest year for which these data are available), not an insignificant amount given how modest these households’ incomes are — the poorest fifth of households had average income of $18,400 in 2007. [4] The next-to-the bottom fifth — those with incomes between $20,500 and $34,300 in 2007 — paid an average of 10 percent of their incomes in federal taxes.
    Even these figures understate low-income households’ total tax burden, because these households also pay substantial state and local taxes. Data from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy show that the poorest fifth of households paid a stunning 12.3 percent of their incomes in state and local taxes in 2010.[5]
    When all federal, state, and local taxes are taken into account,the bottom fifth of households paid 16.3 percent of their incomes in taxes, on average, in 2010. The second-poorest fifth paid 20.7 percent. [6]"

    ReplyDelete
  93. So?

    The Congress has decided to provide welfare, not only for senior citizens, but for low income folk, as well.

    The welfare payments, made through the tax code, merely skew the numbers to maintain those economic distinctions so necessary for "Class Warfare".

    Two sides of the same coin.


    Those that earn little, pay little.
    Those that earn more, pay more.

    Can't get blood from a turnip.
    No matter how you cut it.

    ReplyDelete
  94. Today's endorser of Obama for President 2012 is Lady Ga-Ga.

    The Elephant Bar's tireless endorser of Sarah Palin is the descendant of a Viking. The Vikings had a good run about a thousand years ago, but they've since mellowed quite a bit, and now send us crap like VOLVOs (Very Odd Looking Vehicular Objects) and "Mamma Mia".

    ReplyDelete
  95. The Mellon Plan
    Without FICA Taxes

    Andrew Mellon's plan had four main points:

    Cut the top income tax rate from 77 to 24 percent
    Cut taxes on low incomes from 4 to 1/2 percent
    Reduce the Federal Estate tax
    Efficiency in government

    Mellon believed that the income tax should remain progressive, but with lower rates than those enacted during World War I. He thought that the top income earners would only willingly pay their taxes if rates were 25% or lower. Mellon proposed tax rate cuts, which Congress enacted in the Revenue Acts of 1921, 1924, and 1926. The top marginal tax rate was cut from 73% to 58% in 1922, 50% in 1923, 46% in 1924, 25% in 1925, and 24% in 1929. Rates in lower brackets were also cut substantially, relieving burdens on the middle-class, working-class, and poor households.

    By 1926 65% of the income tax revenue came from incomes $300,000 and higher, when five years prior, less than 20% did. During this same period, the overall tax burden on those that earned less than $10,000 dropped from $155 million to $32.5 million.
    ...
    Mellon's policy reduced the public debt (largely inherited from World War I obligations) from almost $26 billion in 1921 to about $16 billion in 1930, but then the Depression caused it to rise again. By 1935, Franklin Roosevelt had gone back to high tax rates and wiped out Andrew Mellon's initiatives.

    ReplyDelete
  96. AP FACT CHECK: Are rich taxed less than secretaries?

    "The 10 percent of households with the highest incomes pay more than half of all federal taxes. They pay more than 70 percent of federal income taxes, according to the Congressional Budget Office."

    ReplyDelete
  97. So, anoni, the poor are paying the "high" rate of the pre Mellon Plan days, 4%.

    While the "super" rich are paying about 15%, re: Mitt Romney.
    9 points below the Mellon Plan.

    The Government is going broke.
    The "rich" have to pay close to 24%, keep the poor at 4% net.

    The budget would move to surplus, the debt would slowly be paid down.

    Mr Mellon had it about right.

    ReplyDelete
  98. While the low income of today are paying a tax rate, 4%, that was considered "high", when the rich were being taxed at over 70%.

    Now those of high "unearned" income are paying less, 15%, the great middle, those that pay FICA and income taxes are paying closer to 30%.

    FICA should be abolished, the taxes consolidated at progressive but lower rates.

    From 4% to 25% as per Mr Mellon's program as implemented from 1921 through 1931.

    With similar results of increased economic activity and debt reduction.

    ReplyDelete
  99. Define "income tax", AP referencing anoni.

    ReplyDelete
  100. Treat all income equally, regardless of the source. Labor or capital.

    ReplyDelete
  101. Eliminate most all deductions.
    To include charity and mortgage interest.

    The government should not be subsidizing charity or home mortgages.

    Remove the tax code from being an instrument of the Federal's social engineering efforts.

    ReplyDelete
  102. The ethanol subsidy that the Republicans constantly screamed about was just a "Tax Credit," T.

    And, it was mostly returned to the consumers through lower prices for E10.

    ReplyDelete
  103. .

    From NYT editorial page,

    On Dec. 29, security forces raided as many as seven nongovernmental groups in Cairo, including three American-financed democracy-building groups — the International Republican Institute, the National Democratic Institute and Freedom House. Employees were hauled in for questioning in a bogus criminal investigation.

    On Thursday, the Egyptian government confirmed that it had barred at least six Americans — including I.R.I.’s Egypt director, Sam LaHood, the son of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood — from leaving the country.

    The generals make the specious charge that recent unrest was caused by “foreign hands.” Outside forces didn’t drive Egyptians to courageously rise up against Hosni Mubarak. And outside forces aren’t driving them to keep pressing the military to keep its promises and move fully to civilian rule. If Egyptians want outside help to make that transition, they should be allowed to accept it.

    I.R.I.’s president, Lorne Craner, said that in his organization’s 30-year history, it has never been treated like this by any country, including Russia, China and Venezuela...



    .

    ReplyDelete