Recently the House of Representatives passed a huge tax bill masked as an energy plan. HR 2454, which none of the House read prior to the vote, adds artificial costs (just another form of tax) to energy production and distribution. The goal of the bill is to make green energy more palatable and competitive so that market conditions will coax the nation to develop and switch to these new technologies. This is sort of a round about way to answer the critics of green energy who say that these sources of energy are cost prohibitive and that the market does not want them. Rather than letting market forces work, Congress wants to make the energy we currently use so expensive that other sources will become magically attractive. This is in keeping with the motto of the Democratic party: “If you can’t beat them, tax them into submission.”
Unfortunately, certain Republicans in the House of Representatives thought that you and I do not spend enough on utilities and voted with the majority to dip into your wallet. It is my hope that the eight voting for the bill will face serious primary opposition and be removed from office next time around.
The eight who voted to raise the consumer’s cost of energy:
Mary Bono Mack (R CA)
Michael Castle (R DE)
Mark Kirk (R IL)
Leonard Lance (R NJ)
Frank LoBiondo (R NJ)
John McHugh (R NY)
Dave Reichert (R WA)
Christopher Smith (R NJ)
Recently a very influential local Republican expressed what he thought was key to winning the next election. He advised getting along and not fighting. While this last election was plagued with party infighting, what did the leadership think would happen when they ran a candidate with a long history of opposing the party? Were we, as loyal Republicans, to march in lockstep and vote for whomever they gave us? What about the parties responsibility to seek and field candidates that uphold the principles of the party?
When the anticipation of the upcoming election mixes with the sting of the last one those of us on the right can get uptight. Until this last weekend I was feeling better about the prospects of wrenching control of Congress from the Pelosi/Reid cabal. From much of what has come out of Republican circles I was confident the party had learned its lesson and was returning to its principles. Then came last Saturday.
Isn’t it nice to live in a warmer, friendlier world? Sorry, I forgot a warmer world was bad—that pesky global warming and all. But at least the world we live in is so much friendlier than when George Bush was in office. I know North Korea is rattling its nukes, Iran has an unchecked nuclear program while in a near civil war and Pakistan is fighting for its life with the Taliban. Regardless of all this, according to a June 22nd article on Military.com we are going to fight a new gentle form of warfare in Afghanistan.
General Stanley McChrystal, commander of international forces in Afghanistan, has made two policy changes that will be sure to get soldiers killed and lengthen the war by years. He has said the new standard for success will not be how many insurgents are killed, but how many civilians are “shielded from violence.” Besides this, he will be issuing orders that troops are to break off fights with the enemy if the enemy are hiding in civilian homes. To have an order that is so blatantly bad from one I can only assume to be a fine, dedicated warrior can only mean it comes from higher up, perhaps the Commander in Chief.
Many of the bleeding hearts out there will be singing the praises of this new order, but I wonder what they say when it turns out to have the opposite effect. It is actually likely to get more civilians hurt because once the enemy knows that civilian homes are a safe place from which to launch attacks they will use more of these tactics. The US is in effect handing the civilians over to the mercy of the insurgents. When you face an enemy who will drive a bomb into a mass of civilians you do not give him a single place of safety. You must be willing to follow him anywhere and root him out. It is true that we want to win the hearts and minds of the population, but if President Karsai wants safety for his people he needs to find a way to strengthen his own army and mobilize them against the enemy.
Is anyone surprised that the military under our current Commander in Chief would limit our ability to win this war? After all liberal democrats are good at getting us into wars that last a long time. People often forget that is was the democrats who got us into Vietnam. I can only hope that our current Liberal in Chief isn’t setting our boys up for another bloody defeat.
As a child I was taught: “If you can’t find anything nice about a person then say nothing at all.” In an effort to conform to the manners my mother repeatedly (and futilely) tried to instill in me, I have decided to find something nice about President Barack Obama and the current leadership of the United States Congress.
Recently Congressman Mike Pence (R-IN) stated, “House Republicans are more united than they have ever been before in our commitment to fiscal discipline and limited government.” When I hear these quotes I am torn. Part of me wants to believe. I have twenty five years with the Republican part and want to see the GOP succeed. I don’t mean merely succeed at winning elections, but succeed at effective leadership. Unfortunately, I am skeptical. The most recent Republican majorities were committed to bigger budgets, bailouts and expansion of government. For too long the only difference between parties was one of honesty and hypocrisy. The Democrats at least admitted their plan to expand government power and increase taxes. They claimed these were needed for the good of America, but stupidity is not the same as dishonesty. The Republicans preached limited government and lower taxes while spending like sailor on shore leave and increasing entitlements.
Symbols of hatred were proudly displayed before the world on every visible inch of his skin. Fortunately, I met him in the one place such people are safely observed—behind the double wire fence of a state prison. Whether inspired by race, gender or eye-color such hatred makes us uncomfortable. We imagine living in a world without hate—where everyone loves everyone else, with no war, no discrimination and no violation of rights. Congress is attempting to create just such a world with HR 262 currently moving through Congress as the Ray Richardson Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Like most liberal legislation this bill will accomplish nothing but the abrogation of our rights.
Obama supporters were sure that Barry would improve America’s relations. Well Barry has been president for several months now and are we better off? Does the world respect us any more? The simple answer is no. According to the AP North Korea is threatening to use nukes against us and our allies. Ad this to the growing problems with the Taliban inside nuclear Pakistan and I think we have to admit the world is worse off with. While the left couldn’t get over President Bush’s pronunciation of nuclear, their man seems to be able to do little more than talk. (more…)
