Archive for the ‘Wordpress Political Blogs’ Category

Trying to make sense of bailouts and other such Socialist ideas

December 2, 2008

All over the internet I keep hearing things like, or along the lines of; Obama will save us from ourselves, and other such drivil. I hear on a near constant level that this is what free market economics gets for the people. When, in point of fact, the United States does not operate in a true free market economy, much less in a  laissez faire model. Which is actually what these very same people imply has been being used in recent memory. These are most often self appointed masters of economic thought. Picking and choosing bits and pieces of what they have learned, or just heard along the way. Never mind the basic tenets of Macroeconomics and Microeconomics, after all they have an agenda to pursue. That most often being the destruction of western society in general, and capatilism in particular. They are in fact usualy espousing Social Economics. However they do so based upon emotion, not upon reasoning and most often without any sense of logic.

Hence, I will post a bit about the Natural Laws of Economics. Please follow the link, as there is a wealth of information to be had there.

A natural law is a proposition that is universal to a subject matter. In science, a natural law consists of propositions describing and explaining observed regularities. There are in economics some basic regularities which have been designated as natural laws of economics. These include:

1. The law of demand. When the price of a good falls, the quantity demanded does not fall. Usually, the quantity demanded rises with a fall in price. Strictly, the law of demand applies to the substitution of cheaper goods for more expensive goods due to a relative change in price. The law of demand also applies to the whole economy: when the whole price level falls, with the amount of money remaining constant, a greater amount of goods will be purchased. 2. The law of supply. When the price of a good rises, the quantity produced does not fall. Usually, a higher price for a produced good results in a greater quantity produced.

3. The law of diminishing returns (law of decreasing marginal productivity). Given a fixed amount of some input, when ever more amounts of the variable input are added, eventually, the marginal product (the last unit’s contribution to output) declines.

4. The law of one price. In an efficient market, a financial asset will tend to have one equilibrium price, because of arbitrage.

5. Gresham’s law. Bad money drives out good money when the bad money is legal tender.

6. The law of reflux. In competitive free-market banking, there cannot be a permanent over issue of banknotes, since any issued in excess of the quantity demanded will be redeemed.

7. Law of supply and demand. In a free market, the equilibrium price of a good is that at which the quantity supplied equals the quantity demanded.

8. The law of diminishing marginal utility. As one obtains more and more of a particular good, eventually the marginal utility (value from one more unit) declines.

9. The law of unintended consequences. Human actions, and especially governmental acts, have consequences which were not intended and not anticipated by the actors.

10. The law of iterated expectations. One cannot use the limited information at some previous time in order to predict the forecast error one would make if one had better information later.

11. Engel’s law. The proportion of income spent on food in an economy is inversely proportional to the general welfare of the society in that economy.

12. Wagner’s law. As an economy grows, government spending has increased by a greater proportion.

13. Foldvary’s law of inequality. Inequality equals the concentration of a distribution times the number of units (I=CN).

14. Say’s law of markets. The supply of goods will pay the factors of production such that the payments are equal to the value of the product, and therefore aggregate quantity supplied equals aggregate quantity demanded.

15. Law of time preference. People tend to prefer to obtain goods sooner rather than later, and will pay a premium (i.e. interest) to shift buying from the future to the present.

16. Law of the market. Statements made by market participants are assumed to be truthful, and products are presumed to be safe and effective unless stated otherwise.

17. Pareto’s law of distribution. There is a general tendency for 80 percent of the consequences to result from 20 percent of the causes, which often applies to property, 80 percent of the wealth owned by 20 percent of the population.

18. Law of cost. All costs are opportunity costs, the true cost being what is given up to get something.

19. Law of comparative advantage. Trade takes place because parties specialize in the products which have a lower opportunity cost, rather than merely a lower physical cost.

20. The law of wages. The wage level of an economy, where labor is mobile and competitive, is determined by the marginal productivity of labor at the margin of production, i.e. the least productive land in use.

21. The law of rent. The economic rent of a plot of land equals the difference between its output and the output at the margin of production, i.e. the least productive land in use, using the same quality of labor and capital goods.

22. The law of capital goods. Investment in capital goods and human capital expand until the expected return on investment, adjusted for risk, equals that of the long-term real interest rate.

23. Walras’ law. If there is an excess quantity supplied in one market, there must be a matching excess quantity demanded in another market.

24. The law of economizing. People tend to economize, maximizing gains for a given cost, and minimizing costs for a given gain.

25. The law of economic rationality. Human action is economically rational if one’s preferences are consistent and if one economizes.

26. The Gaffney effect. The public collection of rent equalizes the discount rate for land usage, since otherwise people would have different credit costs for purchasing land.

Fred Foldvary


The Election is not over yet

December 2, 2008

As much as most of us wish that the election was over it is not. There are still races that could determine whether the forces of freedom will prevail in some small measure. Or if the socialist juggernaut of the Democrats will simply steam roll us all into some reworked version of the Soviet Union.


Gun Rights in Jeopardy
-- All Eyes on Georgia Senate Race

Gun Owners of America Political Victory Fund E-Mail Alert
8001 Forbes Pl Suite 102
Springfield VA 22151
703-321-8585
http://www.goapvf.org

Monday, November 24, 2008

Your gun rights may be hanging in the balance, depending on the
outcome of elections in Minnesota and Georgia.

The Democrats currently control 58 seats in the Senate. If they get
to 60 (the number needed to overcome a filibuster), it will be nearly
impossible to stop the gun control agenda of incoming President
Barack Obama.

The Minnesota Senate race between radical anti-gunner Al Franken and
pro-gun Sen. Norm Coleman is coming down to the provisional and
absentee ballots. Sen. Coleman's lead of fewer than 200 votes is
slipping away, while Franken and his legal team are busily trying to
steal the election.

With the growing possibility of Democrats getting to 59 Senate seats,
all eyes are now focused on Georgia.

Pro-gun Senator Saxby Chambliss is in a tight December 2nd run-off
election.

Saxby is "A" rated by Gun Owners of America. His opponent, Jim
Martin, refused to respond to the Gun Owners of America candidate
survey, but he has an anti-gun record from his days in the Georgia
State House.

No wonder that Sen. Charles Schumer, the anti-gun extremist from New
York, is so excited about this race. Schumer, who heads the
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, is pouring tons of money
into Martin's campaign.

But the stakes are much higher than just getting another anti-gun
Senator. If Democrats can get to the magic number of 60, the minority
Senators will lose their ability to stop any gun control legislation
that is anointed by the leadership. Therefore, a world of
possibilities opens up for anti-gun Senators like Dianne Feinstein,
Chuck Schumer, Dick Durbin and Frank Lautenberg.

President-elect Obama and the Senate leadership know what is at stake
in Georgia. That's why they’re descending on the state by the
thousands and pouring in millions of dollars.

Pro-gunners need to do the same. If Saxby loses this seat, there
will be dire ramifications for years to come. Without the ability to
stop the anti-gun leadership, we could see:

* The reauthorization of the Clinton gun ban;
* Legislation to close down gun shows;
* A ban on .50 caliber rifles;
* Massive expansions of the NICS background check system;
* More and more gun stores put out of business;
* Ratification of an anti-gun UN treaty;
* Lock-up-your-safety requirements like personalized handguns, and
more.

Gun owners, sportsmen and anyone concerned about the erosion of
liberty in this country should engage in this battle in Georgia.

If you live in or near Georgia and can volunteer to make calls, knock
on doors, etc, please call or e-mail the Chambliss campaign right
away. Go to http://www.saxby.org for contact information.

Saxby also needs the financial resources to reach as many voters as
possible in the final days before the election. Please go to
http://www.saxby.org/contribute.aspx to contribute to the Chambliss
campaign.

This race is extremely close. Senator Saxby Chambliss has stood with
gun owners in the U.S. Congress. It's time for us to stand with Saxby
now. Please visit http://www.saxby.org to help Sen. Chambliss win
this election.

Sincerely,

Tim Macy
Vice Chairman

American Socio Economics

December 2, 2008

The current state of Social Economics in America made me think that perhaps a few quotable quotes might be in order.Yes, they are humorous, but come with meaning.


“If you don’t read the newspaper you are uninformed,

if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed.”

Mark Twain



Suppose you were an idiot.
And suppose you were a member of Congress….
But then I repeat myself.
-Mark Twain



I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.
-Winston Churchill


A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.
-.George Bernard Shaw


Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner.
-James Bovard, Civil Libertarian (1994)

Foreign aid might be defined as a transfer of money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries.   -Douglas Casey, Classmate of Bill Clinton

Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.
-P.J. O’Rourke, Civil Libertarian

I don’t make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.
-Will Rogers

If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it’s free!
-P.J. O’Rourke

In general, the art of government consists of taking as much money as possible from one party of the citizens to give to the other.
-Voltaire (1764)

Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn’t mean politics won’t take an interest in you!
-Pericles (430 B.C.)


No man’s life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session.

-Mark Twain (1866)

Talk is cheap…except when Congress does it.
-Unknown

The government is like a baby’s alimentary canal, with a happy appetite at one end and no responsibility at the other.
-Ronald Reagan

The only difference between a tax man and a taxidermist is that the taxidermist leaves the skin.
-Mark Twain



There is no distinctly Native American criminal class…save Congress.
-Mark Twain



What this country needs are more unemployed politicians.
-Edward Langley, Artist (1928 – 1995)


A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.

-Thomas Jefferson


Bloomberg is a hopeless hoplophobic

December 1, 2008

Zillionare NYC Mayor Bloomberg is a hopeless hoplophobic.Some people are simply beyond any cure when it comes to certain things. Not only is Bloomberg a power mad nut case he is determined to force his will upon the rest of the country as well.

It is entirely in character then to pick on an ignorant (with regards to firearm safety) football player. He simply cannot allow those that are charged with the responsibility of enforcing the law to do their jobs without his pedantic micromanaging.

To the people of New York City I have this to say. If your leaders cannot trust you with weapons why is that? Do they fear rebellion? If so why? Are they afraid that you actually might be smart enough to make life and death decisions without their meddling in your lives? Do you think that you are too stupid to make your own choices? Is that famous Yankee Spirit a threat to them for some reason?

Mayor Bloomberg, I am sure is well aware that unarmed people are serfs, while armed people are citizens. What is it called when only the government is armed?

Obama announces national security team

December 1, 2008

There were no really big surprises this morning when Obama announced his national security team. It did a lot toward stifling rumors and such though. Do I feel safer now? Nope, not at all.

It looked more like window dressing to me than anything of substance. Eric Holder is different though, he will be a nightmare. Hillary Clinton will be a lightning rod as well. Not only will the fact that she is a woman put her at a serious disadvantage in many parts of the world her history of colorful language might be insurmountable with many world leaders. James Jones was a surprise for many, myself included. This appointment will indeed test just how thick this Marines skin is. Seems as though he was one of those evil military types that Clinton refused to allow to wear his uniform in the White House. At least that was the rumor floating around then…

Rumors have a way of never going all the way to the grave. As in the saying “In politics perception is reality.”

Good luck Obama, I wish you well, I really do. We will soon see your leadership ability put to the test. Because you will, I think, ” be herding cats.

Mumbai, picking up the pieces, or picking apart the pieces?

December 1, 2008

The atrocity committed by Islam’s extremist’s in Mumbai is on the front page of websites and newspapers all over the world. People are screaming for accountability there, just as they screamed here in the United States after the World Trade Center attacks. That is a normal, and human reaction. But it really does nothing but make people feel better.

So then what might be a better way of going about things? For one thing, don’t trash the people that are the best that you have. Granted, there are times when a brand new approach is the way to go. However when you are in the classic conundrum of limited resources with outstanding demand why, I ask, get rid of what few resources you have? Did those people make mistakes? Most likely. They are also in the best position to evaluate those failures and place new procedures in place to address those weaknesses. Sure, get some new blood in those places at some point in time. However, when your nation is reeling with grief, and running on emotion is not the time to change the only person, or people that know how to steer the vehicle.

India is looking beyond it’s borders for assistance, and that is indeed a good thing. This is a problem that the entire civilized world faces, not just India. Information is the first principle of warfare. Shared information brings strength that a single entity simply cannot possess. After all, the well known story of the quarreling brothers, and the father that taught them that as individual arrows leaves them weak, but joined together they are strong truly applies here.

It appears that many nations do realize that and that India is allowing it’s friends to help them in their time of need. Mass casualty planning is far from an easy thing to do. The various contingencies involved can be mind boggling. This is where nations can be greatly enabled by one another. Terrorism is no different than any other disaster situation. With one very big difference. It is wholly human caused. Humans are easier to figure out than earthquakes for example. They (humans) are much more predictable.

I submit that many nations working in concert will be much more effective at combating terrorism than single nations, or small groups of nations can, or will ever be. Both India and Pakistan need to work together to help fight this cancer called terrorism.

It is not simply a thing of tracking Muslims either. There are several groups in the general region that have their own agendas. The rattling of nuclear sabers will not do anything but make a few blowhards feel better.

Valor, Navy Crosses, and United States Marines

November 23, 2008

Marines to be awarded Navy Cross posthumously

By Dan Lamothe – Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Nov 22, 2008 7:46:45 EST

Two Marines who died in Iraq stopping a small water tanker filled with explosives will be posthumously awarded the Navy Cross, the nation’s second-highest combat honor, a Marine spokeswoman said.

Lance Cpl. Jordan Haerter, 19, and Cpl. Jonathan Yale, 21, were standing guard April 22 in Ramadi when a truck filled with 2,000 pounds of explosives roared toward a joint Marine-Iraqi headquarters, Marine officials said. The two riflemen opened fire and stopped the vehicle before it reached the gate, but the truck exploded, killing the two Marines.

Maj. Gabrielle Chapin, a Marine spokeswoman in Iraq, confirmed the award decision, first reported Thursday on the Web site of the Los Angeles Times.

Haerter, of Sag Harbor, N.Y., was assigned to Camp Lejeune, N.C.-based 1st Battalion, 9th Marines. The Sag Harbor-North Haven Bridge on Long Island was renamed the Lance Cpl. Jordan Haerter Veterans Memorial Bridge on Nov. 15, according to the New York Daily News.

Yale, of Burkeville, Va., was assigned to Lejeune-based 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines. He was described by family as an outdoorsman who participated in the school robotics and drama clubs in high school, according the Washington Post.

In May, the Corps said the actions of the pair saved 33 Marines, 21 Iraqi police officers and numerous civilians resting beyond the gate of the outpost.

“They saved all of our lives,” Lance Cpl. Benjamin Tupaj, a rifleman with 1/9 on post that morning, said in the Corps’ statement. “If it wasn’t for them that gate probably wouldn’t have held. The explosion blew out all of the windows over 150 meters from where the blast hit. If that truck had made it into the compound, there would’ve been a lot more casualties. They saved everyone’s life here.”

Haerter and Yale were both posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and nominated for “an award for valor,” according to the statement released in May. It did not specify which award they were nominated to receive.

SOURCE

If Democracy Doesn’t Work, Try Anarchy

November 23, 2008

Chuck Norris lands a knock out blow with the following piece. Just think! Anarchy as a respectable alternative to Democracy?

If Democracy Doesn’t Work, Try Anarchy
By Chuck Norris

Protestors of Proposition 8 in California (the marriage amendment) shoved aside a 69-year-old woman who was bearing a cross. They reportedly spit on her and stomped on her cross. They then aligned themselves in a human barricade, blocking the media from getting to or interviewing the woman.

Prop. 8 supporter Jose Nunez, 37, was assaulted brutally while distributing yard signs to other supporters after church services at the St. Stanislaus Parish in Modesto.

Calvary Chapel Chino Hills was spray painted by vandals after they learned that the church served as an official collection point for Prop. 8 petitions.

Letters containing white powder (obviously mimicking anthrax) were sent to the Salt Lake City headquarters of the Mormon church and to a temple in Los Angeles. (Thankfully, the FBI said the substance was nontoxic.)
The 25-year artistic director of the California Musical Theatre, who also happens to be a Mormon, was muscled to resign because of his $1,000 donation to the campaign to ban gay marriage in California.

A pro-homosexual, pro-anarchy organization named Bash Back marched into the middle of a church service and flung fliers and condoms to the congregants. They also hung a banner from the balcony that featured two lesbians in provocative positions at the pulpit.

And lastly, the tolerance-preaching activists also have taken their anger to the blogosphere, where posts have planted ideas ranging from burning churches to storming the citadels of government until our society is forced to overturn Prop. 8. You even can find donor blacklists online. The lists include everyone who financially backed Prop. 8 — even those who gave as little as $46 — with the obvious objective that these individuals will be bantered and boycotted for doing so.

What’s wrong with this picture? Lots.

First, there’s the obvious inability of the minority to accept the will of the majority. Californians have spoken twice, through the elections in 2000 and 2008. Nearly every county across the state (including Los Angeles County) voted to amend the state constitution in favor of traditional marriage.

Nevertheless, bitter activists simply cannot accept the outcome as being truly reflective of the general public. So they have placed the brainwashing blame upon the crusading and misleading zealotry of those religious villains: the Catholics, evangelical Protestants, and especially Mormons, who allegedly are robbing the rights of American citizens by merely executing their right to vote and standing upon their moral convictions and traditional views.

What’s surprising (or maybe not so) is that even though 70 percent of African-Americans voted in favor of Proposition 8, protests against black churches are virtually nonexistent. And everyone knows exactly why: Such actions would be viewed as racist. Yet these opponents of Prop. 8 can protest vehemently and shout obscenities in front of Mormon temples without ever being accused of religious bigotry. There’s a clear double standard in our society. Where are the hate-crime cops when religious conservatives need them?

There were many of us who passionately opposed Obama, but you don’t see us protesting in the streets or crying “unfair.” Rather, we are submitting to a democratic process and now asking how we can support “our” president. Just because we don’t like the election outcome doesn’t give us the right to bully those who oppose us. In other words, if democracy doesn’t tip our direction, we don’t swing to anarchy. That would be like the Wild West, the resurrection of which seems to be happening in these postelection protests.

I agree with Prison Fellowship’s founder, Chuck Colson, who wrote: “This is an outrage. What hypocrisy from those who spend all of their time preaching tolerance to the rest of us! How dare they threaten and attack political opponents? We live in a democratic country, not a banana republic ruled by thugs.”

Regardless of one’s opinion of Proposition 8, it is flat-out wrong and un-American to intimidate and harass individuals, churches and businesses that are guilty of nothing more than participating in the democratic process. Political protests are one thing, but when old-fashioned bullying techniques are used that restrict voting liberties and even prompt fear of safety, activists have crossed a line. There is a difference between respectfully advocating one’s civil rights and demanding public endorsement of what many still consider to be unnatural sexual behavior through cruel coercion and repression tactics. One thing is for sure: The days of peaceful marches, such as those headed up by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., seem to be long gone.

The truth is that the great majority of Prop. 8 advocates are not bigots or hatemongers. They are American citizens who are following 5,000 years of human history and the belief of every major people and religion: Marriage is a sacred union between a man and a woman. Their pro-Prop. 8 votes weren’t intended to deprive any group of its rights; they were safeguarding their honest convictions regarding the boundaries of marriage.

On Nov. 4, the pro-gay community obviously was flabbergasted that a state that generally leans left actually voted right when it came to holy matrimony. But that’s exactly what happened; the majority of Californians — red, yellow, black and white — voted to define the margins of marriage as being between one man and one woman. California is the 30th state in our union to amend its constitution in doing so, joining Florida and Arizona in this election.

Like it or not, it’s the law now. The people have spoken.

source

Profiles of valor: U.S. Army Sgt. James Brasher

November 23, 2008

United States Army Sgt. 1st Class James Brasher was serving as platoon sergeant for 2nd Platoon, Company A, 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment in December 2007. His company was part of Operation Mar Kararadad, a mission to clear the Taliban stronghold of Musa Qal’eh, Afghanistan. On the night of 7 December, the company flew by helicopter to a point just outside the city and occupied a hill overlooking it. At dawn, the company began taking enemy fire from a town at the bottom of the hill, so they moved to clear the town. At one point, Sgt. Brasher killed an attacking jihadi before he could injure or kill any U.S. soldiers, and Brasher also took out an enemy position with a fragmentation grenade.

Brasher then led his men against other enemy positions as they systematically cleared the town. Repeatedly exposing himself to enemy fire, Brasher continued to lead the Americans in pursuit of retreating insurgents, killing several more. The Taliban consolidated behind a defensible compound, but Brasher kept fighting even after he was hit in the right forearm and bicep by an enemy round. In fact, the medics had to force him to take medical care. On 9 October 2008, Brasher was presented the Silver Star for “daring acts of intrepidity and gallantry in the face of a numerically superior and determined force,” according to the citation. “SFC Brasher’s fearless actions and dedication to mission accomplishment enabled Second Platoon to destroy over 20 well trained Taliban fighters. His quick decisions and aggressive stance against the enemy saved the lives of his men.”

The more things change, the more they stay the same: Poly Sci 101

November 23, 2008

Change! That was the mantra of the Obamasia was it not? Well, so far it appears that we will be having a rerun of the Clinton years. Are we really wanting to see things going on like that again? I mean, after all is said and done can we truly be proud of the things that went on with the “Crew.” From one thing after another it was a very bad time for America. So much change that Hillary Clinton will be Secretary of State?

What follows is from last Fridays Patriot Post, enjoy.

As the Obama administration begins to take shape, “change” has become little more than a bag of recyclables from the Clinton years. On a near-daily basis, it seems, Barack Obama has stocked his shelves with Clinton retreads or other longtime Swamp-dwellers. The next attorney general, for one, will be Eric Holder, Bill Clinton’s deputy attorney general from 1997-2001. Holder was instrumental in returning young Elian Gonzales to Communist Cuba at gunpoint, and in processing that rogue’s gallery of Clinton pardons in January 2001. Nothing like the smell of change…

The post that everyone is talking about, however, is that of secretary of state. Swamp gossip points to Hillary Clinton as the prime candidate, but despite some wishful thinking, it is not a done deal. History has proven that the best secretary of state is the one who acts as the mouthpiece of the president. Think Henry Kissinger or James Baker III. Those who do not promote the president’s ideological stance tend to be failures, pushing America’s foreign policy off the rails. Think Colin Powell. With that in mind, it’s hard to picture Hillary Clinton as the person charged with acting as the international mouthpiece of President Obama.

On the campaign trail, these two held strongly opposing views on American foreign policy. It could be said that Obama wants Clinton on board precisely because she can make up for his own inadequacies in foreign policy. If that is the case, then what does one do about the elephant in the room — i.e., Bill? As we all know, he has made a cottage industry of the ex-presidency, raking in millions of dollars from overseas speeches, consulting and philanthropy. As a private citizen, he’s of course allowed to keep many of his dealings secret, but how many of those secret deals will run into direct conflict with the interests of the United States if his wife is secretary of state? Clintonistas say this is not an issue, which means it’s a huge issue.

Furthermore, Hillary still has a future to consider. She has made a name for herself in the Senate, and another run for the White House isn’t out of the question. However, if she is tied to Obama’s administration and it falters, then she is likely to absorb a share of the blame. Perhaps the best advice came from former UN ambassador John Bolton: “Obama should remember the rule that you should never hire somebody you can’t fire.”

Meanwhile, what happened to John Kerry, who was openly vying the secretary of state post? He was recently named chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee — ironically, the very committee to which he testified in 1971 that U.S. soldiers in Vietnam were committing war crimes. According to Kerry, our military personnel in Vietnam “personally raped, cut off ears, cut off heads, taped wires from portable telephones to human genitals and turned up the power, cut off limbs, [blew] up bodies, randomly shot at civilians, razed villages in fashion reminiscent of Genghis Khan, shot cattle and dogs for fun, poisoned food stocks, and generally ravaged the countryside of South Vietnam in addition to … the normal and very particular ravaging which is done by the applied bombing power of this country.” Kerry then added, “There are all kinds of atrocities and I would have to say that, yes, yes, I committed the same kind of atrocities as thousands of other soldiers have committed.” So now we have a confessed war criminal in charge of the Foreign Relations Committee. That’s a change, all right.