A New Direction for America… Backwards.

Guest post by Part-Time Pundit.

Today, after months of waiting, the Democrats have come up with an agenda for 2006. First, some noticeably missing items.

Iraq. For as much as the Democrats continue to criticize the President’s mishandling of the war, the peace, or whatever you want to call it, their direction does not highlight any meaningful alternative. How do they believe a free and secure Iraq should be created? Well, if Murtha has his way, apparently by surrendering to Al Qaeda.

National security. Apparently terrorism is not a problem because the polar ice caps are melting. Perhaps we were mistaken, it wasn’t planes that flew into the World Trade Center on 9/11, it was chunks of ice from the North Pole. So while they are ignoring national security, they’re stumping for Gore’s movie.

Immigration. Millions of immigrants took to the streets in protest in recent months. Millions more legal residents have also made their views known. No matter where you stand, this is one of the most charged and important issues on the minds of the people, and on this issue the Democrats are silent.

Moving on to some of the core items of the Democrats platform from items that simply haven’t been on the public radar to making current problems worse…

Raising minimum wage. Despite the fact that every time the minimum wage has been raised unemployment has gone up; they believe that having no job is better than being paid some less than some arbitrary number. There are more intelligent ways to get people earning enough to provide for their families, raising the minimum wage isn’t one of them. There is a finite amount of money in circulation, those wage increases need to be paid for somehow. It ends up being either lay offs, cut benefits, higher prices (and cost of living), or a combination of all three.

Price gouging. Who isn’t against price gouging? However, for as much as that legal term has been thrown around, there has not been any evidence provided to support that it is happening. After about two years of hearing that companies are breaking the law to stick it to Joe Consumer, I’d expect that someone would be able to prove it to nail their ass to the wall for it. However, after two years of complaining they haven’t found any evidence, it is doubtful that giving them a majority will accomplish anything except more hearings with legislators bloviating on TV so it looks like they are “doing something”.

Fiscal responsibility. One of the most appealing parts of the platform is restoring fiscal responsibility, however, the likely way of doing this will be to increase income to the treasury, not reducing spending. One of the key items to pay attention is that they specifically reference the fiscal discipline of the 90s… i.e. when Congress was run by Republicans. Cutting taxes is one thing, you have to cut spending along with it. At least on this point the Democrats are intellectually honest. They’ll at least raise taxes to pay for their spending. If we want to talk about fiscal responsibility, let’s start with earmark reform.

Slash student loan costs. This is pandering at its worst because student loans are almost essentially free. I know, because I have them. My wife’s student loans are consolidated for an APR of 1.65%. In other words, I could take the money, put it in a savings account, and use the interest to pay off the loan and still turn a profit on the loan. I know students who take student loans for the express purpose of using that money and investing it earning 8%+. Student loans are an incredible deal. Inflation is about 3%, which makes those loans essentially trivial interest. The only thing that could be done to make those loans cheaper would be to pay students interest for taking them out.

Stop tax giveaways for outsourcing. If by tax-giveaways you mean that other countries don’t tax the crap out of companies like we do, than you’re right. However, how exactly are you going to start taxing companies that aren’t in the US? Tariffs? Bring the entire world under the United States tax structure? No one is paying businesses to leave the US and outsource, it’s simply far cheaper to hire labor overseas in some industries.

Stop wasteful subsidies, Support stem-cell research. These two items are directly at odds. If there are wasteful subsidies, by all means eliminate them. However, funding stem-cell research (particularly embryonic which is what they are talking about) is in itself a wasteful subsidy. Adult stem cell research is curing people, it works. Private money is coming in hand over fist for adult stem cell research. Embryonic stem cell research does not work, which is why they have no investors and need a handout. While it might give the Democrats yet another chance to kill millions more babies and start treating people less as human beings and more as crops to be cultivated for parts, it remains that this science doesn’t work.

The Democratic platform here doesn’t address most of the issues important to Americans. The three top issues are Iraq, gas prices, and immigration for Congress. Health care is low on the list. Social security is absent. Stem cell research is absent. The minimum wage is absent.

Once again, we’re faced with a party unwilling to tackle the big issues that Americans care about. It would be nice in 2006 to have a real choice between candidates, and it looks like the Democratic party has deprived us once again.

John Bambenek is an academic professional at the University of Illinois. He’s a columnist for the Daily Illini and blogs at Part-Time Pundit.

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…The Preservation Of Our Liberty…

From the Vanishing American:

As I write this, it seems to me that our country is in dire peril. Our traditions, our way of life, which are uniquely American, are now being undermined and eroded. Our sovereignty is under attack. I could go on enumerating the challenges we are up against, but we know them all too well, those of us who care deeply about our country and our people.

But the biggest danger sign to me is that we seem to have lost our representative form of government. It appears as though ‘we, the people’ are no longer the repositories of power in our country. ‘Our’ leaders apparently no longer answer to us; they seem not only to be operating outside the will of the American people, but in open and brazen defiance of the will of the people.

There is no better evidence of this than the current borders crisis, in which ‘our’ leaders defiantly refuse to control our borders and enforce the laws of the land. The fact that they have forced this ‘amnesty’ atrocity on us, and our seeming helplessness in trying to stop the open borders juggernaut, suggests that our elected officials have gone rogue. We no longer seem to have representation, except for a few isolated voices in Congress. And one wonders if even these voices in the wilderness will eventually ‘compromise’ away what is left of our sovereignty. There is less faith in our system and our ‘leadership’ than at any time in my memory.

Since we, the people, seem no longer relevant to our electeds, who exactly are they beholden to? Whose bidding are they doing, since they are obviously not doing ours? There are many possible answers to that question. Without wandering into ‘tinfoil hat’ territory and indulging in conspiracy-theory-mongering, it’s hard to explain the behavior of our electeds.

The great Thomas Jefferson said, in 1787, ‘The people are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty.’ It is so important to remember this; we can’t expect the government to solve the problem when it seems that our leaders are compromised, and they are part of the problem.

But if Jefferson was right (and he usually was), then it’s up to us, you and me, America.

Read the whole thing.

H/T: New English Review

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I’m Ready For An Independent

Peggy Noonan wrote an op-ed that is very smiliar to what I’ve been saying here for months: the two-party system is broken and we need to look for a Third Party alternative. Republicans and Democrats alike no longer answer to their constituency. We disaffected voters need to look for someone who will.

The problem is not that the two parties are polarized. In many ways they’re closer than ever. The problem is that the parties in Washington, and the people on the ground in America, are polarized. There is an increasing and profound distance between the rulers of both parties and the people–between the elites and the grunts, between those in power and those who put them there.

On the ground in America, people worry terribly–really, there are people who actually worry about it every day–about endless, weird, gushing government spending. But in Washington, those in power–Republicans and Democrats–stand arm in arm as they spend and spend. (Part of the reason is that they think they can buy off your unhappiness one way or another. After all, it’s worked in the past. A hunch: It’s not going to work forever or much longer. They’ve really run that trick into the ground.)

On the ground in America, regular people worry about the changes wrought by the biggest wave of immigration in our history, much of it illegal and therefore wholly connected to the needs of the immigrant and wholly unconnected to the agreed-upon needs of our nation. Americans worry about the myriad implications of the collapse of the American border. But Washington doesn’t. Democrat Ted Kennedy and Republican George W. Bush see things pretty much eye to eye. They are going to educate the American people out of their low concerns.

There is a widespread sense in America–a conviction, actually–that we are not safe in the age of terror. That the port, the local power plant, even the local school, are not protected. Is Washington worried about this? Not so you’d notice. They’re only worried about seeming unconcerned.

I’ve said this time and time again - our national security remains vulnerable while politicians posture and preen. Nothing substantial ever really gets done because politicians can’t stand to risk themselves for the country. Can you imagine such selfless service from our current crop of elites, particularly among Senators? I see Congressmen and women as being a lot more accountable to their local districts, and closer to the people that put them in office. Senators, on the other hand, seem completely insulated from reality, and concerned only with their gravy train. They seem completely unaware - or uncaring - of the long-term effects of their partisan policy wars on the future of our country. Such flagrant disregard is irresponsible at best, and treasonous at worst!

Right now the Republicans and Democrats in Washington seem, from the outside, to be an elite colluding against the voter. They’re in agreement: immigration should not be controlled but increased, spending will increase, etc.

Are there some dramatic differences? Yes. But both parties act as if they see them not as important questions (gay marriage, for instance) but as wedge issues. Which is, actually, abusive of people on both sides of the question. If it’s a serious issue, face it. Don’t play with it.

I don’t see any potential party, or potential candidate, on the scene right now who can harness the disaffection of growing portions of the electorate. But a new group or entity that could define the problem correctly–that sees the big divide not as something between the parties but between America’s ruling elite and its people–would be making long strides in putting third party ideas in play in America again.

I’m ready.

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Breaking News: Shots Fired At Capitol = CONSTRUCTION???

FINAL UPDATE: Did we need more proof that the lawmakers in Washington live in a rarified bubble? How did they mistake “construction sounds” for 6-10 gunshots? Geez.

OR

*conspiracy theory coming up*

Are the proletariat masses being fed a cover story to… ummm…cover up something…?

***************** ORIGINAL POST below******************

Via Gribbit Online:

FoxNews is reporting that shots have been fired at the Rayburn House Office Building. The House is not in session and the Rayburn Building is on lockdown as Capital Police, DC Special Ops, and the FBI Terrorism Taskforce search for a gunman and/or victims of the shooting. Details are still sketchy at this time…

UPDATE via Gribbit: At around 10:50 am this morning, FoxNews had breaking news that shots had been fired at the Rayburn House Office Building. Reports are that gun shots were heard being fired in a garage level of the building and upon investigation gun powder was noticed in the air.

Capital Police immediately put the building on lockdown as they began to search for a gunman or victims of the shots. Announcement ordering all occupants of the building to remain where they were and move to an interior office and stay away from windows. Staffers were advised to keep their “go kits” handy.

There are also reports that a Washington DC Police Special Operations van was on scene and the AP is reporting that 4 ambulances have arrived at the Rayburn Building. FoxNews is also reporting that the FBI Terrorism Taskforce is also at the Rayburn Building.

This story is developing…

UPDATE 2: Someone on Rep. Jack Kingston’s (R-GA) staff is live-blogging.

UPDATE 3: There’s talk of two women who report seeing a white man, about 5′10″ and 175 lbs., who was hiding out in the Rayburn gym with a gun.

UPDATE 4 via HotAir: Major Garrett says not only are they not letting people out of the Rayburn building cafeteria, they’re bringing people in — including a pregnant woman. Meanwhile, the latest police news conference reports no suspects or arrests. But the search continues.

UPDATE 5 via Ogre: There is a shooting range in the parking garage area where the report came from. There is a report of a man with a gun. And, according to police, “the search and massive police deployment was triggered by a single telephone call from an unidentified individual.”

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What They Don’t Want You To Hear

In light of the Senate’s flipping the bird to the American people, we are left wondering who in the hell represents us in our own government?! Independent Conservative has an interesting post about how the media has deliberately overlooked the political representatives who ARE speaking up on behalf of Americans. But they can’t get airtime to save their lives, while we are saturated with the images, sound-bytes, and rhetoric of the opposition, like Ted Kennedy and John McCain.

It seems the media loves to highlight politicians that are advocates of amnesty and easy entry for illegal immigrants. Texas Republican Congressman Ted Poe has been saying exactly what Americans have been hoping to hear. But he does not get airtime in the MSM. A Google News search of [ted poe immigration] yields 5 results, but a search on [john mccain immigration] yields 1,850 results. This is not some kind of accident. The voices speaking on behalf of the majority of polled Americans who want the borders secured are being intentionally suppressed.

There are several audio clips you need to hear at Independent Conservative.

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Day By Day Cartoon

(click to enlarge)

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Disaster Looms

This is directly from American Daughter:

The Senate is poised to pass S. 2611 this week, the giant amnesty bill that would change the demographics of our country and start us on the slide into rampant crime, drug culture, and third world poverty. Every thinking American is needed at this moment to phone, fax, or visit their United States Senators and oppose this legislation.

The Senators will try to convince you that this is not amnesty, just a guest worker program with provisions for a path to citizenship. Don’t be fooled. They are giving away our country to people who have not paid for it. The only legislation that makes sense, if we are to remain an educated and prosperous and freedom-loving people, is the “enforcement only” bill from the House of Representatives.

The votes on the floor of the Senate are convoluted. What is actually needed today is a NO vote on cloture for S. 2611 to allow continued discussion and prevent it from going to a vote. If you have the time and can make the effort, follow all the tricky amendments on the scorecard at

NumbersUSA

Otherwise, just find the phone numbers for your Senators here [or use our contact tool in the right sidebar] and tell them how deeply opposed you are to S. 2611.

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Missouri Responsible For Lefty Tantrums

Missouri has decided to pass a common-sense resolution acknowledging the presence of Christianity in the founding of our country and stating that voluntary prayer in schools and public religious displays are not a problem. Of course, liberals everywhere are two seconds away from burning things like their “radical” brethren. Never mind the fact that “separation of church and state” is nowhere to be found in the Constitution, or that the First Amendment was written to keep the government from mandating a church, not the church from having a role in government.

Here’s the resolution (that’s not a bill, people…do you know the difference?):

Whereas, our forefathers of this great nation of the United States recognized a Christian God and used the principles afforded to us by Him as the founding principles of our nation; and

Whereas, as citizens of this great nation, we the majority also wish to exercise our constitutional right to acknowledge our Creator and give thanks for the many gifts provided by Him; and

Whereas, as elected officials we should protect the majority’s right to express their religious beliefs while showing respect for those who object; and

Whereas, we wish to continue the wisdom imparted in the Constitution of the United States of America by the founding fathers; and

Whereas, we as elected officials recognize that a Greater Power exists above and beyond the institutions of mankind:

Now, therefore, be it resolved by the members of the House of Representatives of the Ninety-third General Assembly, Second Regular Session, the Senate concurring therein, that we stand with the majority of our constituents and exercise the common sense that voluntary prayer in public schools and religious displays on public property are not a coalition of church and state, but rather the justified recognition of the positive role that Christianity has played in this great nation of ours, the United States of America.

Whether you like it or not, America was founded by godly, Christian men. Missouri (God bless them!) simply has the balls to stand up to those who would like to see all traces of our heritage removed from society. If the Left had their way, in a few years we’d be having church in our homes.

Funny how they want us to shut up and go away, but freaks like this are encouraged to be ‘out’ and open and loud about their freakishness.

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Patriot Act Renewed by the Senate

The Senate, after adding some provisions to the new Patriot Act, voted to continue it by an 89-10 vote. Some of the changes:

Give recipients of court-approved subpoenas for information in terrorist investigations the right to challenge a requirement that they refrain from telling anyone.

Eliminate a requirement that an individual provide the FBI with the name of a lawyer consulted about a National Security Letter, which is a demand for records issued by investigators.

Clarify that most libraries are not subject to demands in those letters for information about suspected terrorists.[...]

The renewal package would make 14 of 16 temporary provisions permanent and set four-year expirations on the others.

The renewal includes several measures not directly related to terrorism. One would make it harder for illicit labs to obtain ingredients for methamphetamine by requiring pharmacies to sell nonprescription cold medicines only from behind the counter.

Another focuses on port security, imposing new criminal sanctions and a death sentence in certain circumstances for placing a device or substance in U.S. waters that could damage vessels or cargo.

So who voted no?

…Jim Jeffords, I-Vt., and Feingold, Byrd and seven other Senate Democrats: Daniel Akaka of Hawaii, Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico, Tom Harkin of Iowa, Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Carl Levin of Michigan, Patty Murray of Washington and Ron Wyden of Oregon.

You’ll notice a few names not in that “no” list. Kennedy, Kerry, Clinton… Maybe they were sleeping. Well, in Teddy’s case, I’m guessing he was just drunk.

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Kennedy Missed His Calling

His outstanding performance on the floor of the Senate was simply extraordinanry, and I watched in amazement and with a nagging sense of familiarity. It was about the third time his voice cracked on a high-pitched screech that I realized that Kennedy had truly missed his calling…

Ted Kennedy was meant to be a televangelist. He was full of hellfire and brimstone!! His arms were flailing, his voice was cracking, and the spittle was flying - all this while hollering at the top of his lungs and pounding on the podium. What a sight!

“If Judge Alito is confirmed to the Supreme Court, the world as we know it will end! Our founding fathers wrote slavery into the Constitution* and Alito will bring it back!! Women will no longer be able to get jobs! Their rights to privacy will be stripped away!! The disabled will be thrown out on the streets and no longer considered part of the American family! Discrimination will soar, racism will tear the country apart! The Supreme Court will not stand for the working man or woman!! Children won’t be included in schools - Alito will throw them out!! Everything we know as the March of Progress will be destroyed by Judge Alito!

YEAAAARRRRRRGGGHHHH!!!

[Oops, soory - that was Howard Dean. I just got caught up in all the screaming and podium pounding.]

If you don’t believe me when I paraphrase Kennedy’s histrionics, go check out the transcript here. *Chad points out the fact that the Founding Fathers did NOT “write slavery into the Constitution”, as per Kennedy’s rant. Could Kennedy get more extreme? He was just pulling stuff outta his butt and saying it out loud.

Aw, really…this is when ya just gotta love the Democrats for stuff like this. It’s truly a gift - a gift of side-splitting laughter.

Hug a Democrat today!!! And don’t forget to say “Thanks, guys.”

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Asshats In Glass Houses…

Is this gossip? Who the hell cares? Certainly not the Dems, so what goes around comes around.

So get this: Ted Kennedy, the biggest fattest hypocrite smearing Alito, dug as deep as he could into Alito’s life and came up empty. Well, big fat men in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones!

The champion swimmer of Chappaquiddick has just a few tiny things he’d rather not face: like a living, breathing 21-year old luuuuuuv-child.

Back in 1983, Kennedy, then 51, took up with Caroline Bilodeau, an attractive brunette, several months before divorcing Joan, the mother of his three kids — Kara, Ted Jr. and Patrick.
Bilodeau’s friends told the Enquirer the local lass became so smitten with the senator, she “had dreams about being the next Mrs. Ted Kennedy.” But the love affair came crashing down when Bilodeau told Ted a baby was on the way, the mag reports.

“Caroline announced to the family that she was two months pregnant around May 1984,” blabbed a Bilodeau confidante. “Ted was not happy about the news. He already had three kids with Joan and knew a baby out of wedlock could hurt him politically.”

According to the Enquirer, the scandal-scarred senator begged Bilodeau to have an abortion, but she refused. “He told her he couldn’t undergo another scandal — not after Chappaquiddick, not so close to his divorce from Joan” said the source. “He was very angry when she defied him and had the child.”

Uh-oh. So this is why poor Teddy so fervently supports abortion on demand - he’s got a vested interest in such conveniences, seeing as he desperately wanted to kill off the evidence of his own mistakes. Awww, Teddy, don’t you just hate it when your 21-year old “indiscretion” grows up instead of dying the way a good abortion should?

H/T: Publius Rendezvous

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Is He Delusional???

What’s wrong with this guy? Tom Daschle, the former Dumocrat Senate leader, was unceremoniously DUMPED by his own state of South Dakota. And I do mean DUMPED!

Former South Dakota Sen. Tom Daschle is weighing the possibility of running for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008.

“I have received a lot of encouragement,” Daschle said in an email today to the Argus Leader.

From who?? The voices inside his head?! Talk about delusions of grandeur. I almost feel sorry for the guy.

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Alito a Go?

I have a new article up at Blogger News Network; it’s just a quick wrap-up of the Alito hearings. However, over there I didn’t give any editorial opinion.

Alito needs to be confirmed. His presence, combined with that of new Chief Justice John Roberts, will be a welcome, refreshing change from the often out-there liberals and “centrist” that have resided on the court in recent years. By the way, the fact that the media refers to O’Connor as a “centrist” only solidifies the widening knowledge that the media itself is highly biased to the left.

Will he be confirmed? I think so. The Democrats know they don’t have a reason to contest it, and it’s not like they could seriously stop the process. That’s what happens when you can’t get enough of your people elected to have a majority. At any rate, there’s really nothing they can say against Alito, who had praise from both sides of the conservative-liberal debate, and a stellar record in law.

Bottom line: Alito will replace O’Connor. The confirmation will be a victory for Bush, and for the conservative base that were incensed by Bush’s attempt to ’sneak’ a moderate by the Democrats. Alito will hopefully send the message that the frontal assault is better. The Dems can’t really counter it, since they’re built for the snipping, underhanded tactics. Besides, the conservative base loves a full frontal assault.

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Rep. Sullivan Has My Vote

I recently wrote Rep. John Sullivan (R-OK) an email regarding U.S.-Israel relations. Those familiar with my writing are well aware that I am a strong supporter of Israel, and that I have no respect for the “Palestinian cause,” nor do I believe the terrorist scum masquerading under a manufactured, bastardized name like “Palestinian” should be allowed their own state.

I’ve written other members of Congress at other times from other places, and never once received a personalized response. In most cases I received an impersonal form letter written by an aide that encompassed maybe 3 lines and simply said, in effect, “Yeah, he read your stuff.” I was pleasantly surprised to see that Rep. Sullivan emailed me back himself. I was definitely pleased to see his unequivocal response.

Dear Kit,

Thank you for contacting me regarding U.S. relations with Israel. I appreciate hearing from you and welcome the opportunity to respond.

I continue to be a strong supporter of Israel and their right to protect themselves from those who seek to destroy Israel. Historically, our ongoing support for Israel has benefited the United States both economically and in terms of defense strategy. For example, Iraq fired missiles at Israel during the Persian Gulf War and Israel refrained from retaliation at the request of the United States. This assured an Arab-United States coalition against Saddam Hussein’s Tyranny in Iraq. Israel plays an intricate role in United States foreign policy and provides the United States with a staunch ally in the region. Israel is the only example of a free market economy and a viable democracy in the Middle East.

In August 2003, I went with several of my colleagues in the House of Representatives on a trip to Israel. While there, I learned many hard lessons about the reality of terrorism in Israel. I had the opportunity to tour the A-Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem, where I met victims of a suicide bus bombing. I was deeply moved meeting the victims of this violence. With on- going mediation efforts by the United States and the international community, the current level of violence in the region should continue to decline.

I believe that no lasting peace can be achieved unless Hamas and other terrorist organizations in Palestine are disarmed and their ideologies taken out of the mainstream of Palestinian society. I agree that the Palestinian’s must accept the rights of the Jewish people. Israel is a valuable asset to the United States and must be supported. Please know that I will continue to support any fair, fact-based legislation that provides a just basis for the rights of the people of Israel.

Again, thank you for contacting me. It is an honor to serve you in Washington. If you would like more information on issues, or would like to share your thoughts with me via e-mail, you may visit my website at http://sullivan.house.gov. Please do not hesitate to contact me again should you have further concerns on federal legislation or programs.

While I was very happy to see Rep. Sullivan shared my views on Israel, I was completely won over by the personal response. With a simple email, he’s gotten himself my vote.

Since Sullivan resides in Tulsa when he’s not in Washington, I plan to contact him again. As it stands right now, I plan to support his re-election, and will probably be giving him a lot more publicity in the months to come.

Sullivan’s website is here.

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