Saturday, April 30, 2011
EU deplores #Iran's execution of juvenile offenders #iranelections #freeiran #humanrights #p2
http://www.iranfocus.com/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=23114:eu-deplores-irans-execution-of-juvenile-offenders-&catid=5:human-rights&Itemid=27
Friday, April 29, 2011
Mark Levin Obama Cranks Up the Volume in Night of Fund-Raising #tcot #teaparty #tlot
http://www.marklevinshow.com/goout.asp?u=http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2011/04/28/obama-cranks-up-the-volume-in-night-of-fund-raising/
WORLD BRIEFING | MIDDLE EAST Syria: U.N. Atomic Watchdog Director Says Bombed Syrian Site Was Reactor
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2011/04/29/world/middleeast/29briefs-Syria.xml
RRD:But agency says he was voicing his own opinion.
RRD:But agency says he was voicing his own opinion.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Bernanke's speech & a collection of links to comments #tcot #tlot
Fed Minutes: Read Full Text of Fed Statement Here - CNBC http://www.cnbc.com/id/42782412 Did Fed Just Tip Hand to Third Round of Easing? - CNBC
http://www.cnbc.com/id/42784181 Inside Bernanke’s Brain: Did We Really Want to Go There? | UNCOVERAGE.net
http://www.uncoverage.net/2011/04/inside-bernankes-brain-did-we-really-want-t... Bernanke Is Pressed on Inflation at His First Ever Press Conference - April 27, 2011 - The New York Sun
http://www.nysun.com/national/bernanke-is-pressed-on-inflation-at-his-first/8... Bernanke's Code: a Guide to Fed Chairman's First Q&A - WSJ.com
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704729304576287402925861890.html Seth Lipsky: Questions for Ben Bernanke - WSJ.com
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703778104576286813887619884.html
Gold Slams Bernanke - Article - National Review Online
http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/265816/gold-slams-bernanke-larry-kudlow 30-Yr Treasurys Fall As Inflation Concerns Follow Bernanke, Fed - WSJ.com
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20110427-722364.html Did Fed Just Tip Hand to Third Round of Easing? - CNBC
http://www.cnbc.com/id/42784181
Bernanke acknowledges that higher gasoline prices are creating a financial hardship - The Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/bernanke-says-fed-officials-expect-mod... Live Blogging Bernanke's News Conference - NYTimes.com
http://norris.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/27/live-blogging-bernankes-news-confe...
Live Blog: Bernanke’s First Press Conference - Real Time Economics - WSJ http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2011/04/27/live-blog-bernanke-holds-first-post...
Live Blog: Bernanke’s First Press Conference - Real Time Economics - WSJ
http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2011/04/27/live-blog-bernanke-holds-first-post...
http://www.cnbc.com/id/42784181 Inside Bernanke’s Brain: Did We Really Want to Go There? | UNCOVERAGE.net
http://www.uncoverage.net/2011/04/inside-bernankes-brain-did-we-really-want-t... Bernanke Is Pressed on Inflation at His First Ever Press Conference - April 27, 2011 - The New York Sun
http://www.nysun.com/national/bernanke-is-pressed-on-inflation-at-his-first/8... Bernanke's Code: a Guide to Fed Chairman's First Q&A - WSJ.com
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704729304576287402925861890.html Seth Lipsky: Questions for Ben Bernanke - WSJ.com
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703778104576286813887619884.html
Gold Slams Bernanke - Article - National Review Online
http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/265816/gold-slams-bernanke-larry-kudlow 30-Yr Treasurys Fall As Inflation Concerns Follow Bernanke, Fed - WSJ.com
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20110427-722364.html Did Fed Just Tip Hand to Third Round of Easing? - CNBC
http://www.cnbc.com/id/42784181
Bernanke acknowledges that higher gasoline prices are creating a financial hardship - The Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/bernanke-says-fed-officials-expect-mod... Live Blogging Bernanke's News Conference - NYTimes.com
http://norris.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/27/live-blogging-bernankes-news-confe...
Live Blog: Bernanke’s First Press Conference - Real Time Economics - WSJ http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2011/04/27/live-blog-bernanke-holds-first-post...
Live Blog: Bernanke’s First Press Conference - Real Time Economics - WSJ
http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2011/04/27/live-blog-bernanke-holds-first-post...
Disgusting #Syria added to UNHRC (UN Human Rights council) despite butchering of it's citizens #march15 #tcot #p2 #humanrights
RRD:By Syria of course I mean Assad's dictatorship. American Thinker Blog: Congratulations to Syria - newest member of UN Human Rights Council Campaign to block Syria's election to UNHRC underway
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2011/04/congratulations_to_syria_newes.html
http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=217962
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2011/04/congratulations_to_syria_newes.html
http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=217962
Is Obama trying to distract us from Bernanke's actions w/ the Birth Certificate #tcot #tlot
Tweet from Sarah Palin (SarahPalinUSA) Sarah Palin (SarahPalinUSA):
Media: admit it, Trump forced the issue. Now, don't let the WH distract you w/the birth crt from what Bernanke says today. Stay focused, eh? http://twitter.com/SarahPalinUSA/status/63238478137270273 (Sent via Seesmic http://www.seesmic.com)
Media: admit it, Trump forced the issue. Now, don't let the WH distract you w/the birth crt from what Bernanke says today. Stay focused, eh? http://twitter.com/SarahPalinUSA/status/63238478137270273 (Sent via Seesmic http://www.seesmic.com)
Obama releases long form birth certificate #tcot #tlot
The Associated Press: Obama releases birth form, decries 'silliness' http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hZFgg7xUDD1Z6DNk2TJd2ztFnns...
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Aglialoro and Rearden:Atlas Shrugged producer backing off plans to expand showing,may not do part 2
'Atlas Shrugged' producer: 'Critics, you won.' He's going 'on strike.' | 24 Frames | Los Angeles Times http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2011/04/atlas-shrugged-producer-critic...
...."Aglialoro said he believes he'll recoup his investment after TV, DVD and other ancillary rights are sold. But he is backing off an earlier strategy to expand "Atlas" to 1,000 screens and reconsidering his plans to start production on a second film this fall. "Why should I put up all of that money if the critics are coming in like lemmings ?" Aglialoro said. "I’ll make my money back and I'll make a profit, but do I wanna go and do two ? Maybe I just wanna see my grandkids and go on strike." ....
....."He saw an evening when he sat slumped across his desk in that office.It was late & his staff had left;so he could lie there alone,unwitnessed.He was tired.It was as if he had run a race against his own body,and all the exhaustion of years,which he had refused to acknowledge,had caught him at once & flattened him against the desk top.He felt nothing,except the desire not to move.He did not have the strength to feel--not even to suffer.He had burned everything there was to burn within him;he had scattered so many sparks to start so many things--and he wondered whether someone could give him now the spark he needed,now when he felt unable ever to rise again.He asked himself who had started him & kept him going.Then he raised his head.Slowly,with the greatest effort of his life,he made his body rise until he was able to sit upright with only one hand pressed to the desk and a trembling arm to support him.He never asked that question again."....
Atlas Shrugged pg 36. Paper Back edition
...."Aglialoro said he believes he'll recoup his investment after TV, DVD and other ancillary rights are sold. But he is backing off an earlier strategy to expand "Atlas" to 1,000 screens and reconsidering his plans to start production on a second film this fall. "Why should I put up all of that money if the critics are coming in like lemmings ?" Aglialoro said. "I’ll make my money back and I'll make a profit, but do I wanna go and do two ? Maybe I just wanna see my grandkids and go on strike." ....
....."He saw an evening when he sat slumped across his desk in that office.It was late & his staff had left;so he could lie there alone,unwitnessed.He was tired.It was as if he had run a race against his own body,and all the exhaustion of years,which he had refused to acknowledge,had caught him at once & flattened him against the desk top.He felt nothing,except the desire not to move.He did not have the strength to feel--not even to suffer.He had burned everything there was to burn within him;he had scattered so many sparks to start so many things--and he wondered whether someone could give him now the spark he needed,now when he felt unable ever to rise again.He asked himself who had started him & kept him going.Then he raised his head.Slowly,with the greatest effort of his life,he made his body rise until he was able to sit upright with only one hand pressed to the desk and a trembling arm to support him.He never asked that question again."....
Atlas Shrugged pg 36. Paper Back edition
Monday, April 25, 2011
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Obama's Internet ID program is voluntary,unless Gov decides it isn't. #freeweb #tcot #tlot #p2
Obama moves forward with Internet ID plan | Privacy Inc. - CNET News http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-20054342-281.html ...."Barbara Mikulski, a Maryland Democrat who also spoke today at the Chamber event, seemed to veer a bit off-message--and instead of touting anonymity, she stressed the importance of aiding law enforcement. Protecting civil liberties is important, Mikulski said. "But the first civil liberty is to be able to have a job, lead a life, and be able to buy what you want in the way we now buy it, which is through credit cards." "We're going to support the FBI," said Mikulski, who heads the Senate subcommittee that oversees the FBI's funding. "We're going to support the growth of the FBI." ..... .... "Another cautionary note comes from a previous public-private partnership that also sought to improve identity -related authentication. The largest company participating in the TSA's registered traveler identification program, Verified Identity Pass' CLEAR, shut down in 2009. Its assets were sold to the highest bidder. Another concern: Although the White House is describing the NSTIC plan as "voluntary," federal agencies could begin to require it for IRS e-filing, applying for Social Security or veterans' benefits, renewing passports online, requesting federal licenses (including ham radio and pilot's licenses), and so on. Then obtaining one of these ID would become all but mandatory for most Americans. "For end -users, online identification has become increasingly cumbersome and complex," says Marc Rotenberg, president of the Electronic Privacy Information Center . "But it remains unclear whether the White House proposal will solve this problem or create new problems. T
here
is the real risk that consolidated identity schemes will lead to 'hyper' identity theft."
here
is the real risk that consolidated identity schemes will lead to 'hyper' identity theft."
Obama intends to institute #Disclose act provisions through Executive order. #tcot #tlot
Pajamas Media » LEAKED: Obama Executive Order Intends to Implement Portions of DISCLOSE Act
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/leaked-obama-executive-order-intends-to-implemen... RRD:Background on the DISCLOSE Act(my old blog has been discontinued but the page is still available in the cache). Stop the DISCLOSE act hr5175 | theneointellectual http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:mp9O6Pft1ysJ:theneointellectual.wordpress.com/stop-the-disclose-act-hr5175/+http://theneointellectual.wordpress.com/stop-the-disclose-act-hr5175/&hl=en&gl=us&strip=1
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/leaked-obama-executive-order-intends-to-implemen... RRD:Background on the DISCLOSE Act(my old blog has been discontinued but the page is still available in the cache). Stop the DISCLOSE act hr5175 | theneointellectual http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:mp9O6Pft1ysJ:theneointellectual.wordpress.com/stop-the-disclose-act-hr5175/+http://theneointellectual.wordpress.com/stop-the-disclose-act-hr5175/&hl=en&gl=us&strip=1
[Misguided] #GOP voters in early states embrace Trump bid - msnbc.com #2012 #tcot #tlot #teaparty
RRD:See these two links for why Trump supporters are misguided. http://fightingstatism.posterous.com/trump-tried-to-steal-old-womans-home-via... http://www.marklevinshow.com/Article.asp?id=2163143&spid=32345 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42662888/ns/politics-decision_2012/
Monday, April 18, 2011
Iraq: Why the U.S. Must Protect Iranians in Camp Ashraf - TIME
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2065844,00.html
RRD:My loathing for the people's mujahideen notwithstanding they should not be handed over to the IRI or executed.
RRD:My loathing for the people's mujahideen notwithstanding they should not be handed over to the IRI or executed.
Ayn Rand on Racism #aynrand #teaparty #tcot #tlot
Racism — Ayn Rand Lexicon http://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/racism.html
...."Racism is the lowest, most crudely primitive form of collectivism. It is the notion of ascribing moral, social or political significance to a man’s genetic lineage—the notion that a man’s intellectual and characterological traits are produced and transmitted by his internal body chemistry. Which means, in practice, that a man is to be judged, not by his own character and actions, but by the characters and actions of a collective of ancestors. Racism claims that the content of a man’s mind (not his cognitive apparatus, but its content ) is inherited; that a man’s convictions, values and character are determined before he is born, by physical factors beyond his control. This is the caveman’s version of the doctrine of innate ideas—or of inherited knowledge —which has been thoroughly refuted by philosophy and science. Racism is a doctrine of, by and for brutes. It is a barnyard or stock-farm version of collectivism, appropriate to a mentality that differenti
ates
between various breeds of animals, but not between animals and men. Like every form of determinism, racism invalidates the specific attribute which distinguishes man from all other living species: his rational faculty. Racism negates two aspects of man’s life: reason and choice, or mind and morality, replacing them with chemical predestination."
“Racism,” The Virtue of Selfishness, 126. "A genius is a genius, regardless of the number of morons who belong to the same race—and a moron is a moron, regardless of the number of geniuses who share his racial origin. "..
“Racism,” The Virtue of Selfishness, 127.
...."Racism is the lowest, most crudely primitive form of collectivism. It is the notion of ascribing moral, social or political significance to a man’s genetic lineage—the notion that a man’s intellectual and characterological traits are produced and transmitted by his internal body chemistry. Which means, in practice, that a man is to be judged, not by his own character and actions, but by the characters and actions of a collective of ancestors. Racism claims that the content of a man’s mind (not his cognitive apparatus, but its content ) is inherited; that a man’s convictions, values and character are determined before he is born, by physical factors beyond his control. This is the caveman’s version of the doctrine of innate ideas—or of inherited knowledge —which has been thoroughly refuted by philosophy and science. Racism is a doctrine of, by and for brutes. It is a barnyard or stock-farm version of collectivism, appropriate to a mentality that differenti
ates
between various breeds of animals, but not between animals and men. Like every form of determinism, racism invalidates the specific attribute which distinguishes man from all other living species: his rational faculty. Racism negates two aspects of man’s life: reason and choice, or mind and morality, replacing them with chemical predestination."
“Racism,” The Virtue of Selfishness, 126. "A genius is a genius, regardless of the number of morons who belong to the same race—and a moron is a moron, regardless of the number of geniuses who share his racial origin. "..
“Racism,” The Virtue of Selfishness, 127.
The racist #GOP Davenport should be dismissed asap;also #aynrand on racism #tcot #teaparty #bcot #aacon #jcot
RRD:Unfortunately this creature cannot be removed due to the bylaws.
Yet.
She should be removed as soon as possible.
(The following statements are directed to a minority of Conservatives,Republicans etc.)
To those who say:"But she insulted Obama....Obama is evil etc".
The fact that you believe that she insulted Obama indicates that you don't understand the nature of racism. She did NOT "insult Obama". I insult President Obama(for his vices). She insulted Allen West,Clarence Thomas,Dr.Martin Luther King Jr,Star Parker,Janice Rodgers Brown,Harriet Tubman,Frederick Douglas,all of them & every other black man and woman,whether good or evil,indiscriminately,based on something that is no more relevant to a person's character than their gender. Just as she would have insulted me,& every Jew had she directed a anti-semitic cartoon against Schumer,Soros,Axelrod,Ezekiel Emanuel etc,(even if she liked "good jews"). That there are racists on the left is also irrelevant.Nor is it relevant that racism on the Left(see Harry Reid,& Clinton's rationalization of Byrd's Klan membership),is often downplayed.
Nor are you "giving it back"(see above Douglas,King etc).The correct response to a racist is to condemn his racism,not to emulate it.
Orange County GOP official considers photo of President Obama as baby chimp 'amusing' | Top of the Ticket | Los Angeles Times http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2011/04/obama-davenport-racist-chi... Racism — Ayn Rand Lexicon http://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/racism.html
...."Racism is the lowest, most crudely primitive form of collectivism. It is the notion of ascribing moral, social or political significance to a man’s genetic lineage—the notion that a man’s intellectual and characterological traits are produced and transmitted by his internal body chemistry. Which means, in practice, that a man is to be judged, not by his own character and actions, but by the characters and actions of a collective of ancestors. Racism claims that the content of a man’s mind (not his cognitive apparatus, but its content ) is inherited; that a man’s convictions, values and character are determined before he is born, by physical factors beyond his control. This is the caveman’s version of the doctrine of innate ideas—or of inherited knowledge —which has been thoroughly refuted by philosophy and science. Racism is a doctrine of, by and for brutes. It is a barnyard or stock-farm version of collectivism, appropriate to a mentality that differenti
ates
between various breeds of animals, but not between animals and men. Like every form of determinism, racism invalidates the specific attribute which distinguishes man from all other living species: his rational faculty. Racism negates two aspects of man’s life: reason and choice, or mind and morality, replacing them with chemical predestination."
“Racism,” The Virtue of Selfishness, 126. "A genius is a genius, regardless of the number of morons who belong to the same race—and a moron is a moron, regardless of the number of geniuses who share his racial origin. "..
“Racism,” The Virtue of Selfishness, 127. YouTube - Ayn Rand: Racism VS. Individualism
Yet.
She should be removed as soon as possible.
(The following statements are directed to a minority of Conservatives,Republicans etc.)
To those who say:"But she insulted Obama....Obama is evil etc".
The fact that you believe that she insulted Obama indicates that you don't understand the nature of racism. She did NOT "insult Obama". I insult President Obama(for his vices). She insulted Allen West,Clarence Thomas,Dr.Martin Luther King Jr,Star Parker,Janice Rodgers Brown,Harriet Tubman,Frederick Douglas,all of them & every other black man and woman,whether good or evil,indiscriminately,based on something that is no more relevant to a person's character than their gender. Just as she would have insulted me,& every Jew had she directed a anti-semitic cartoon against Schumer,Soros,Axelrod,Ezekiel Emanuel etc,(even if she liked "good jews"). That there are racists on the left is also irrelevant.Nor is it relevant that racism on the Left(see Harry Reid,& Clinton's rationalization of Byrd's Klan membership),is often downplayed.
Nor are you "giving it back"(see above Douglas,King etc).The correct response to a racist is to condemn his racism,not to emulate it.
Orange County GOP official considers photo of President Obama as baby chimp 'amusing' | Top of the Ticket | Los Angeles Times http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2011/04/obama-davenport-racist-chi... Racism — Ayn Rand Lexicon http://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/racism.html
...."Racism is the lowest, most crudely primitive form of collectivism. It is the notion of ascribing moral, social or political significance to a man’s genetic lineage—the notion that a man’s intellectual and characterological traits are produced and transmitted by his internal body chemistry. Which means, in practice, that a man is to be judged, not by his own character and actions, but by the characters and actions of a collective of ancestors. Racism claims that the content of a man’s mind (not his cognitive apparatus, but its content ) is inherited; that a man’s convictions, values and character are determined before he is born, by physical factors beyond his control. This is the caveman’s version of the doctrine of innate ideas—or of inherited knowledge —which has been thoroughly refuted by philosophy and science. Racism is a doctrine of, by and for brutes. It is a barnyard or stock-farm version of collectivism, appropriate to a mentality that differenti
ates
between various breeds of animals, but not between animals and men. Like every form of determinism, racism invalidates the specific attribute which distinguishes man from all other living species: his rational faculty. Racism negates two aspects of man’s life: reason and choice, or mind and morality, replacing them with chemical predestination."
“Racism,” The Virtue of Selfishness, 126. "A genius is a genius, regardless of the number of morons who belong to the same race—and a moron is a moron, regardless of the number of geniuses who share his racial origin. "..
“Racism,” The Virtue of Selfishness, 127. YouTube - Ayn Rand: Racism VS. Individualism
Parallels between the Passover story & today re:Despots #tcot #tlot
RRD:Today,of course is the beginning of Passover.Though a religious holiday it occurs to me that it has some parallels to the present.Today we still live in a world with despots enslaving the productive to build monuments to their "greatness".Producers are still ordered to "make bricks without straw".And when they fail to do the impossible they are denounced by those who produce nothing ,for being lazy.(...Ye are idle, ye are idle...fn1).Of course there are also two notable differences(leaving aside the religious elements).Pharoah saw no need to pretend that he was acting for the good of society. And he did not lecture his slaves on how he was lashing them for their own good.
Though not connected to Passover, Ayn Rand's essay "The Monument Builders" offers insight into the combination of grandiose delusions & neurotic insecurity that motivates dictators.Regrettably the full text is not available online to link to. Prestige — Ayn Rand Lexicon
http://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/prestige.html
..."The desire for the unearned has two aspects: the unearned in matter and the unearned in spirit. (By “spirit” I mean: man’s consciousness.) These two aspects are necessarily interrelated, but a man’s desire may be focused predominantly on one or the other. The desire for the unearned in spirit is the more destructive of the two and the more corrupt. It is a desire for unearned greatness; it is expressed (but not defined) by the foggy murk of the term “prestige.” . . . Unearned greatness is so unreal, so neurotic a concept that the wretch who seeks it cannot identify it even to himself: to identify it, is to make it impossible. He needs the irrational, undefinable slogans of altruism and collectivism to give a semiplausible form to his nameless urge and anchor it to reality—to support his own self -deception more than to deceive his victims."...
“The Monument Builders,” The Virtue of Selfishness, 88. Footnotes:
fn1.
"But he[Pharaoh] said, Ye are idle, ye are idle.."Exodus 5:17 Media attribution links:
Ryugyong Hotel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryugyong_Hotel
File:Triumphal Arch and Ryugyong Hotel, Pyongyang.jpg - Wikimedia Commons
File:Paying Their Respects.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Though not connected to Passover, Ayn Rand's essay "The Monument Builders" offers insight into the combination of grandiose delusions & neurotic insecurity that motivates dictators.Regrettably the full text is not available online to link to. Prestige — Ayn Rand Lexicon
http://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/prestige.html
..."The desire for the unearned has two aspects: the unearned in matter and the unearned in spirit. (By “spirit” I mean: man’s consciousness.) These two aspects are necessarily interrelated, but a man’s desire may be focused predominantly on one or the other. The desire for the unearned in spirit is the more destructive of the two and the more corrupt. It is a desire for unearned greatness; it is expressed (but not defined) by the foggy murk of the term “prestige.” . . . Unearned greatness is so unreal, so neurotic a concept that the wretch who seeks it cannot identify it even to himself: to identify it, is to make it impossible. He needs the irrational, undefinable slogans of altruism and collectivism to give a semiplausible form to his nameless urge and anchor it to reality—to support his own self -deception more than to deceive his victims."...
“The Monument Builders,” The Virtue of Selfishness, 88. Footnotes:
fn1.
"But he[Pharaoh] said, Ye are idle, ye are idle.."Exodus 5:17 Media attribution links:
Ryugyong Hotel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryugyong_Hotel
File:Triumphal Arch and Ryugyong Hotel, Pyongyang.jpg - Wikimedia Commons
File:Paying Their Respects.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Daily #debtceiling update.Will the #GOP leadership betray us on the debt ceiling and more #tcot #tlot #tpot
Geithner Says GOP Prepared to Lift Debt Limit - WSJ.com
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704204604576268881682315782.html
...."In interviews aired on the Sunday talk shows, Mr. Geithner said House Speaker John Boehner and other senior Republicans told President Barack Obama in discussions last week that they were aware of the risk of a credit default and were open to lifting the limit even in the absence of a comprehensive deal to slash the country's debt load. The White House has promised to push ahead on a sweeping long-term deal to pare government spending, but officials say that might not come together until late June at the earliest. The Treasury Department says the U.S. will exceed the current limit, now set at $14.3 trillion, by mid-May and could default on its debt in early July if no action is taken to raise the ceiling. Mr. Geithner said the two pursuits—sealing a long-range deal and lifting the ceiling—may have to run on parallel tracks. "But if by the time we need to raise the debt limit, we haven't worked all that out, Congress still has to raise the debt limit," Mr. Geithner
said on NBC's "Meet the Press." Republican leadership, he said, "recognizes that." But differences remain between the two sides on what steps will be needed to reach agreement on lifting the debt limit. ......"
RRD:Ryan denies this.
Ryan: GOP has told White House it wants cuts for debt ceiling vote - The Hill's On The Money
http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/budget/156511-ryan-gop-has-told-white-h...
...." House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R -Wis.) said Sunday that he has not been informed of any communication from House GOP leaders to the White House that they will back a raising of the debt ceiling no matter what. Ryan articulated a nuanced position on “Face the Nation,” saying the GOP is calling for a spending cuts deal “in conjunction” with the raising of the nation's $14.3 trillion debt ceiling but refusing to say he would vote against a clean debt ceiling bill. ....." ....." Ryan said that, as he understands it, GOP leaders have told the White House: “In addition to raising the debt limit, we want financial controls, we want cuts in spending accompanying the raising of the debt ceiling.” “Nobody wants to play around with the country's credit rating, nobody wants to see default happening, but we also think it is important to get a handle on future borrowing as we deal with raising the debt ceiling,” Ryan said. "..... Coburn has vowed to vote against the debt ceiling increase unless his demands are met.He continues to push ahead with the "gang of six" deficit negotiations.
Said six being:Sens. Saxby Chambliss (Ga.), Tom Coburn (Okla.) Mike Crapo (Idaho); Sens. Dick Durbin (Ill.), Kent Conrad (N.D.), and Mark Warner (Va.). Coburn, Van Hollen draw battle lines on debt ceiling - The Hill's Blog Briefing Room
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/156501-coburn-van-hollen-dra...
RRD:Further links.Pressure is being applied to "educate" i.e.:harass,bribe,threaten,pressure,(& possibly seduce & blackmail) Republican freshmen into raising the debt ceiling. As debt ceiling vote nears, the pressure’s on House Republican freshmen - The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/as-debt-ceiling-vote-nears-the-pressur...
RRD:Previously(fn1) I argued that Obama's goal is to reverse the Reagan Revolution by increasing social welfare spending,increasing taxes & slashing defense.It seems that in Rand Paul he has found an enemy on taxes,& an ally on Defense spending.
ANY cuts to the Defense budget should come only after the size of the Government is drastically shrunk.And then only if it does not compromise our security.Neither of these conditions have been met. Rand Paul, Anthony Weiner make their case on the budget and debt ceiling - 44 - The Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/44/post/rand-paul-anthony-weiner-make-the... ...."Asked if he could agree to a tax increase to help with the debt, Paul, like most conservative Republicans, said raising taxes was not the answer to the nation’s fiscal problems. “The compromise is not to raise taxes. The compromise for conservatives is to admit the military budget has to be cut,” said Paul, adding that Democrats would have to agree to similar cuts in “welfare” programs."..... RRD:Corker seems to be holding firm. The Daily Times - Corker: No spending change, no debt ceiling hike
http://www.thedailytimes.com/Business_News/story/Corker%3A_No_spending_change...
RRD:As are some Tea Party freshmen(possibly including Renee Ellmers who betrayed us on the budget deal). Tea Party: Cut Spending Before Raising Debt Ceiling - ABC News http://abcnews.go.com/m/story?id=13394544 ..." Representative Joe Walsh, R-Ill., said. "If you're going to ask this Congress to support a raise in the debt ceiling, there's got to be something structural on the spending side." Representative Steve Southerland, R-Fla., agreed that guarantees on spending cuts must be made to secure his vote. "We've got to have some guarantees going forward … that if we raise that debt ceiling, that we get this economy on a trajectory to where we service our debt," Southerland said. "It's going to have to be a lot more than just sweetening it. It's going to have to be concrete."
Representative Allen West,R-Fla.: "I don't believe in leadership by fear and intimidation. I think that leaders have to come up with viable solutions,"
RRD:Though Ellmers was included in the story her quote was on entitlement reform & the Ryan plan,not the debt ceiling.I am unsure of her position.
Forbes columnist Lawrence Hunter (somewhat sneeringly),offers his recommendations on what the Republicans can reasonably expect to get.I am not endorsing it but it interests me.He also denounces the Budget deal arguing: ...."if so-called “emergency spending” is included in the totals, the budget deal actually increases spending by $3.3 billion. "... In Passing The Most Recent Budget, Congress And The President Lied - Lawrence Hunter - Back on the Margin - Forbes http://blogs.forbes.com/lawrencehunter/2011/04/17/in-passing-the-most-recent-... ...."As a condition of raising the debt ceiling sufficiently to accommodate all projected spending growth less a 25-percent reduction in discretionary spending (requiring debt growth of about seven percent compared to anticipated nominal GDP growth of four percent), Republicans should insist that the law also be changed to require a two -thirds majority vote in both Houses of Congress to increase the debt limit in the future by a percentage larger than the GDP increased in the previous year. ".... ....."Second, Republicans should insist that the Toomey/Vitter/DeMint proposal be enacted into law. This provision would prioritize spending on debt service and Social Security to give them both first-call on revenues in the event the debt limit is reached. It would ensure that neither interest on the debt nor Social Security payments would be defaulted on if the federal government were precluded from borrowing more money. Under this hard budget constraint, the rest of the government would have to live on whatever revenues are left over after debt service and Social Security benefits are paid unless Congress is wi
lling
to vote for more new borrowing, by super-majority vote if it wants to increase the debt more than the economy is growing.".... Footnotes:
fn1.
Link to full text of Obama's Budget speech with some very brief comments by me #tcot #tlot #teaparty - fightingstatism http://fightingstatism.posterous.com/link-to-full-text-of-obamas-budget-speec...
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704204604576268881682315782.html
...."In interviews aired on the Sunday talk shows, Mr. Geithner said House Speaker John Boehner and other senior Republicans told President Barack Obama in discussions last week that they were aware of the risk of a credit default and were open to lifting the limit even in the absence of a comprehensive deal to slash the country's debt load. The White House has promised to push ahead on a sweeping long-term deal to pare government spending, but officials say that might not come together until late June at the earliest. The Treasury Department says the U.S. will exceed the current limit, now set at $14.3 trillion, by mid-May and could default on its debt in early July if no action is taken to raise the ceiling. Mr. Geithner said the two pursuits—sealing a long-range deal and lifting the ceiling—may have to run on parallel tracks. "But if by the time we need to raise the debt limit, we haven't worked all that out, Congress still has to raise the debt limit," Mr. Geithner
said on NBC's "Meet the Press." Republican leadership, he said, "recognizes that." But differences remain between the two sides on what steps will be needed to reach agreement on lifting the debt limit. ......"
RRD:Ryan denies this.
Ryan: GOP has told White House it wants cuts for debt ceiling vote - The Hill's On The Money
http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/budget/156511-ryan-gop-has-told-white-h...
...." House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R -Wis.) said Sunday that he has not been informed of any communication from House GOP leaders to the White House that they will back a raising of the debt ceiling no matter what. Ryan articulated a nuanced position on “Face the Nation,” saying the GOP is calling for a spending cuts deal “in conjunction” with the raising of the nation's $14.3 trillion debt ceiling but refusing to say he would vote against a clean debt ceiling bill. ....." ....." Ryan said that, as he understands it, GOP leaders have told the White House: “In addition to raising the debt limit, we want financial controls, we want cuts in spending accompanying the raising of the debt ceiling.” “Nobody wants to play around with the country's credit rating, nobody wants to see default happening, but we also think it is important to get a handle on future borrowing as we deal with raising the debt ceiling,” Ryan said. "..... Coburn has vowed to vote against the debt ceiling increase unless his demands are met.He continues to push ahead with the "gang of six" deficit negotiations.
Said six being:Sens. Saxby Chambliss (Ga.), Tom Coburn (Okla.) Mike Crapo (Idaho); Sens. Dick Durbin (Ill.), Kent Conrad (N.D.), and Mark Warner (Va.). Coburn, Van Hollen draw battle lines on debt ceiling - The Hill's Blog Briefing Room
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/156501-coburn-van-hollen-dra...
RRD:Further links.Pressure is being applied to "educate" i.e.:harass,bribe,threaten,pressure,(& possibly seduce & blackmail) Republican freshmen into raising the debt ceiling. As debt ceiling vote nears, the pressure’s on House Republican freshmen - The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/as-debt-ceiling-vote-nears-the-pressur...
RRD:Previously(fn1) I argued that Obama's goal is to reverse the Reagan Revolution by increasing social welfare spending,increasing taxes & slashing defense.It seems that in Rand Paul he has found an enemy on taxes,& an ally on Defense spending.
ANY cuts to the Defense budget should come only after the size of the Government is drastically shrunk.And then only if it does not compromise our security.Neither of these conditions have been met. Rand Paul, Anthony Weiner make their case on the budget and debt ceiling - 44 - The Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/44/post/rand-paul-anthony-weiner-make-the... ...."Asked if he could agree to a tax increase to help with the debt, Paul, like most conservative Republicans, said raising taxes was not the answer to the nation’s fiscal problems. “The compromise is not to raise taxes. The compromise for conservatives is to admit the military budget has to be cut,” said Paul, adding that Democrats would have to agree to similar cuts in “welfare” programs."..... RRD:Corker seems to be holding firm. The Daily Times - Corker: No spending change, no debt ceiling hike
http://www.thedailytimes.com/Business_News/story/Corker%3A_No_spending_change...
RRD:As are some Tea Party freshmen(possibly including Renee Ellmers who betrayed us on the budget deal). Tea Party: Cut Spending Before Raising Debt Ceiling - ABC News http://abcnews.go.com/m/story?id=13394544 ..." Representative Joe Walsh, R-Ill., said. "If you're going to ask this Congress to support a raise in the debt ceiling, there's got to be something structural on the spending side." Representative Steve Southerland, R-Fla., agreed that guarantees on spending cuts must be made to secure his vote. "We've got to have some guarantees going forward … that if we raise that debt ceiling, that we get this economy on a trajectory to where we service our debt," Southerland said. "It's going to have to be a lot more than just sweetening it. It's going to have to be concrete."
Representative Allen West,R-Fla.: "I don't believe in leadership by fear and intimidation. I think that leaders have to come up with viable solutions,"
RRD:Though Ellmers was included in the story her quote was on entitlement reform & the Ryan plan,not the debt ceiling.I am unsure of her position.
Forbes columnist Lawrence Hunter (somewhat sneeringly),offers his recommendations on what the Republicans can reasonably expect to get.I am not endorsing it but it interests me.He also denounces the Budget deal arguing: ...."if so-called “emergency spending” is included in the totals, the budget deal actually increases spending by $3.3 billion. "... In Passing The Most Recent Budget, Congress And The President Lied - Lawrence Hunter - Back on the Margin - Forbes http://blogs.forbes.com/lawrencehunter/2011/04/17/in-passing-the-most-recent-... ...."As a condition of raising the debt ceiling sufficiently to accommodate all projected spending growth less a 25-percent reduction in discretionary spending (requiring debt growth of about seven percent compared to anticipated nominal GDP growth of four percent), Republicans should insist that the law also be changed to require a two -thirds majority vote in both Houses of Congress to increase the debt limit in the future by a percentage larger than the GDP increased in the previous year. ".... ....."Second, Republicans should insist that the Toomey/Vitter/DeMint proposal be enacted into law. This provision would prioritize spending on debt service and Social Security to give them both first-call on revenues in the event the debt limit is reached. It would ensure that neither interest on the debt nor Social Security payments would be defaulted on if the federal government were precluded from borrowing more money. Under this hard budget constraint, the rest of the government would have to live on whatever revenues are left over after debt service and Social Security benefits are paid unless Congress is wi
lling
to vote for more new borrowing, by super-majority vote if it wants to increase the debt more than the economy is growing.".... Footnotes:
fn1.
Link to full text of Obama's Budget speech with some very brief comments by me #tcot #tlot #teaparty - fightingstatism http://fightingstatism.posterous.com/link-to-full-text-of-obamas-budget-speec...
Daily #debtceiling update.Will the #GOP leadership betray us on the debt ceiling and more #tcot #tlot #tpot
Geithner Says GOP Prepared to Lift Debt Limit - WSJ.com
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704204604576268881682315782.html
...."In interviews aired on the Sunday talk shows, Mr. Geithner said House Speaker John Boehner and other senior Republicans told President Barack Obama in discussions last week that they were aware of the risk of a credit default and were open to lifting the limit even in the absence of a comprehensive deal to slash the country's debt load. The White House has promised to push ahead on a sweeping long-term deal to pare government spending, but officials say that might not come together until late June at the earliest. The Treasury Department says the U.S. will exceed the current limit, now set at $14.3 trillion, by mid-May and could default on its debt in early July if no action is taken to raise the ceiling. Mr. Geithner said the two pursuits—sealing a long-range deal and lifting the ceiling—may have to run on parallel tracks. "But if by the time we need to raise the debt limit, we haven't worked all that out, Congress still has to raise the debt limit," Mr. Geithner sa
id on
NBC's "Meet the Press." Republican leadership, he said, "recognizes that." But differences remain between the two sides on what steps will be needed to reach agreement on lifting the debt limit. ......"
RRD:Ryan denies this.
Ryan: GOP has told White House it wants cuts for debt ceiling vote - The Hill's On The Money
http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/budget/156511-ryan-gop-has-told-white-h...
...." House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R -Wis.) said Sunday that he has not been informed of any communication from House GOP leaders to the White House that they will back a raising of the debt ceiling no matter what. Ryan articulated a nuanced position on “Face the Nation,” saying the GOP is calling for a spending cuts deal “in conjunction” with the raising of the nation's $14.3 trillion debt ceiling but refusing to say he would vote against a clean debt ceiling bill. ....." ....." Ryan said that, as he understands it, GOP leaders have told the White House: “In addition to raising the debt limit, we want financial controls, we want cuts in spending accompanying the raising of the debt ceiling.” “Nobody wants to play around with the country's credit rating, nobody wants to see default happening, but we also think it is important to get a handle on future borrowing as we deal with raising the debt ceiling,” Ryan said. "..... Coburn has vowed to vote against the debt ceiling increase unless his demands are met.He continues to push ahead with the "gang of six" deficit negotiations.
Said six being:Sens. Saxby Chambliss (Ga.), Tom Coburn (Okla.) Mike Crapo (Idaho); Sens. Dick Durbin (Ill.), Kent Conrad (N.D.), and Mark Warner (Va.). Coburn, Van Hollen draw battle lines on debt ceiling - The Hill's Blog Briefing Room
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/156501-coburn-van-hollen-dra...
RRD:Further links.Pressure is being applied to "educate" i.e.:harass,bribe,threaten,pressure,(& possibly seduce & blackmail) Republican freshmen into raising the debt ceiling. As debt ceiling vote nears, the pressure’s on House Republican freshmen - The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/as-debt-ceiling-vote-nears-the-pressur...
RRD:Previously(fn1) I argued that Obama's goal is to reverse the Reagan Revolution by increasing social welfare spending,increasing taxes & slashing defense.It seems that in Rand Paul he has found an enemy on taxes,& an ally on Defense spending.
ANY cuts to the Defense budget should come only after the size of the Government is drastically shrunk.And then only if it does not compromise our security.Neither of these conditions have been met. Rand Paul, Anthony Weiner make their case on the budget and debt ceiling - 44 - The Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/44/post/rand-paul-anthony-weiner-make-the... ...."Asked if he could agree to a tax increase to help with the debt, Paul, like most conservative Republicans, said raising taxes was not the answer to the nation’s fiscal problems. “The compromise is not to raise taxes. The compromise for conservatives is to admit the military budget has to be cut,” said Paul, adding that Democrats would have to agree to similar cuts in “welfare” programs."..... RRD:Corker seems to be holding firm. The Daily Times - Corker: No spending change, no debt ceiling hike
http://www.thedailytimes.com/Business_News/story/Corker%3A_No_spending_change...
RRD:As are some Tea Party freshmen(possibly including Renee Ellmers who betrayed us on the budget deal). Tea Party: Cut Spending Before Raising Debt Ceiling - ABC News http://abcnews.go.com/m/story?id=13394544 ..." Representative Joe Walsh, R-Ill., said. "If you're going to ask this Congress to support a raise in the debt ceiling, there's got to be something structural on the spending side." Representative Steve Southerland, R-Fla., agreed that guarantees on spending cuts must be made to secure his vote. "We've got to have some guarantees going forward … that if we raise that debt ceiling, that we get this economy on a trajectory to where we service our debt," Southerland said. "It's going to have to be a lot more than just sweetening it. It's going to have to be concrete."
Representative Allen West,R-Fla.: "I don't believe in leadership by fear and intimidation. I think that leaders have to come up with viable solutions,"
RRD:Though Ellmers was included in the story her quote was on entitlement reform & the Ryan plan,not the debt ceiling.I am unsure of her position.
Forbes columnist Lawrence Hunter (somewhat sneeringly),offers his recommendations on what the Republicans can reasonably expect to get.I am not endorsing it but it interests me.He also denounces the Budget deal arguing: ...."if so-called “emergency spending” is included in the totals, the budget deal actually increases spending by $3.3 billion. "... In Passing The Most Recent Budget, Congress And The President Lied - Lawrence Hunter - Back on the Margin - Forbes http://blogs.forbes.com/lawrencehunter/2011/04/17/in-passing-the-most-recent-... ...."As a condition of raising the debt ceiling sufficiently to accommodate all projected spending growth less a 25-percent reduction in discretionary spending (requiring debt growth of about seven percent compared to anticipated nominal GDP growth of four percent), Republicans should insist that the law also be changed to require a two -thirds majority vote in both Houses of Congress to increase the debt limit in the future by a percentage larger than the GDP increased in the previous year. ".... ....."Second, Republicans should insist that the Toomey/Vitter/DeMint proposal be enacted into law. This provision would prioritize spending on debt service and Social Security to give them both first-call on revenues in the event the debt limit is reached. It would ensure that neither interest on the debt nor Social Security payments would be defaulted on if the federal government were precluded from borrowing more money. Under this hard budget constraint, the rest of the government would have to live on whatever revenues are left over after debt service and Social Security benefits are paid unless Congress is wi
lling
to vote for more new borrowing, by super-majority vote if it wants to increase the debt more than the economy is growing.".... Footnotes:
fn1.
Link to full text of Obama's Budget speech with some very brief comments by me #tcot #tlot #teaparty - fightingstatism http://fightingstatism.posterous.com/link-to-full-text-of-obamas-budget-speec...
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704204604576268881682315782.html
...."In interviews aired on the Sunday talk shows, Mr. Geithner said House Speaker John Boehner and other senior Republicans told President Barack Obama in discussions last week that they were aware of the risk of a credit default and were open to lifting the limit even in the absence of a comprehensive deal to slash the country's debt load. The White House has promised to push ahead on a sweeping long-term deal to pare government spending, but officials say that might not come together until late June at the earliest. The Treasury Department says the U.S. will exceed the current limit, now set at $14.3 trillion, by mid-May and could default on its debt in early July if no action is taken to raise the ceiling. Mr. Geithner said the two pursuits—sealing a long-range deal and lifting the ceiling—may have to run on parallel tracks. "But if by the time we need to raise the debt limit, we haven't worked all that out, Congress still has to raise the debt limit," Mr. Geithner sa
id on
NBC's "Meet the Press." Republican leadership, he said, "recognizes that." But differences remain between the two sides on what steps will be needed to reach agreement on lifting the debt limit. ......"
RRD:Ryan denies this.
Ryan: GOP has told White House it wants cuts for debt ceiling vote - The Hill's On The Money
http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/budget/156511-ryan-gop-has-told-white-h...
...." House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R -Wis.) said Sunday that he has not been informed of any communication from House GOP leaders to the White House that they will back a raising of the debt ceiling no matter what. Ryan articulated a nuanced position on “Face the Nation,” saying the GOP is calling for a spending cuts deal “in conjunction” with the raising of the nation's $14.3 trillion debt ceiling but refusing to say he would vote against a clean debt ceiling bill. ....." ....." Ryan said that, as he understands it, GOP leaders have told the White House: “In addition to raising the debt limit, we want financial controls, we want cuts in spending accompanying the raising of the debt ceiling.” “Nobody wants to play around with the country's credit rating, nobody wants to see default happening, but we also think it is important to get a handle on future borrowing as we deal with raising the debt ceiling,” Ryan said. "..... Coburn has vowed to vote against the debt ceiling increase unless his demands are met.He continues to push ahead with the "gang of six" deficit negotiations.
Said six being:Sens. Saxby Chambliss (Ga.), Tom Coburn (Okla.) Mike Crapo (Idaho); Sens. Dick Durbin (Ill.), Kent Conrad (N.D.), and Mark Warner (Va.). Coburn, Van Hollen draw battle lines on debt ceiling - The Hill's Blog Briefing Room
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/156501-coburn-van-hollen-dra...
RRD:Further links.Pressure is being applied to "educate" i.e.:harass,bribe,threaten,pressure,(& possibly seduce & blackmail) Republican freshmen into raising the debt ceiling. As debt ceiling vote nears, the pressure’s on House Republican freshmen - The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/as-debt-ceiling-vote-nears-the-pressur...
RRD:Previously(fn1) I argued that Obama's goal is to reverse the Reagan Revolution by increasing social welfare spending,increasing taxes & slashing defense.It seems that in Rand Paul he has found an enemy on taxes,& an ally on Defense spending.
ANY cuts to the Defense budget should come only after the size of the Government is drastically shrunk.And then only if it does not compromise our security.Neither of these conditions have been met. Rand Paul, Anthony Weiner make their case on the budget and debt ceiling - 44 - The Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/44/post/rand-paul-anthony-weiner-make-the... ...."Asked if he could agree to a tax increase to help with the debt, Paul, like most conservative Republicans, said raising taxes was not the answer to the nation’s fiscal problems. “The compromise is not to raise taxes. The compromise for conservatives is to admit the military budget has to be cut,” said Paul, adding that Democrats would have to agree to similar cuts in “welfare” programs."..... RRD:Corker seems to be holding firm. The Daily Times - Corker: No spending change, no debt ceiling hike
http://www.thedailytimes.com/Business_News/story/Corker%3A_No_spending_change...
RRD:As are some Tea Party freshmen(possibly including Renee Ellmers who betrayed us on the budget deal). Tea Party: Cut Spending Before Raising Debt Ceiling - ABC News http://abcnews.go.com/m/story?id=13394544 ..." Representative Joe Walsh, R-Ill., said. "If you're going to ask this Congress to support a raise in the debt ceiling, there's got to be something structural on the spending side." Representative Steve Southerland, R-Fla., agreed that guarantees on spending cuts must be made to secure his vote. "We've got to have some guarantees going forward … that if we raise that debt ceiling, that we get this economy on a trajectory to where we service our debt," Southerland said. "It's going to have to be a lot more than just sweetening it. It's going to have to be concrete."
Representative Allen West,R-Fla.: "I don't believe in leadership by fear and intimidation. I think that leaders have to come up with viable solutions,"
RRD:Though Ellmers was included in the story her quote was on entitlement reform & the Ryan plan,not the debt ceiling.I am unsure of her position.
Forbes columnist Lawrence Hunter (somewhat sneeringly),offers his recommendations on what the Republicans can reasonably expect to get.I am not endorsing it but it interests me.He also denounces the Budget deal arguing: ...."if so-called “emergency spending” is included in the totals, the budget deal actually increases spending by $3.3 billion. "... In Passing The Most Recent Budget, Congress And The President Lied - Lawrence Hunter - Back on the Margin - Forbes http://blogs.forbes.com/lawrencehunter/2011/04/17/in-passing-the-most-recent-... ...."As a condition of raising the debt ceiling sufficiently to accommodate all projected spending growth less a 25-percent reduction in discretionary spending (requiring debt growth of about seven percent compared to anticipated nominal GDP growth of four percent), Republicans should insist that the law also be changed to require a two -thirds majority vote in both Houses of Congress to increase the debt limit in the future by a percentage larger than the GDP increased in the previous year. ".... ....."Second, Republicans should insist that the Toomey/Vitter/DeMint proposal be enacted into law. This provision would prioritize spending on debt service and Social Security to give them both first-call on revenues in the event the debt limit is reached. It would ensure that neither interest on the debt nor Social Security payments would be defaulted on if the federal government were precluded from borrowing more money. Under this hard budget constraint, the rest of the government would have to live on whatever revenues are left over after debt service and Social Security benefits are paid unless Congress is wi
lling
to vote for more new borrowing, by super-majority vote if it wants to increase the debt more than the economy is growing.".... Footnotes:
fn1.
Link to full text of Obama's Budget speech with some very brief comments by me #tcot #tlot #teaparty - fightingstatism http://fightingstatism.posterous.com/link-to-full-text-of-obamas-budget-speec...
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Link to full text of Obama's Budget speech with some very brief comments by me #tcot #tlot #teaparty
RRD:Obama's goal all along has been to undo the Reagan Revoution.He believes(probably coorrectly) that Reagan deliberately starved the social welfare state of tax revenue.He intends to reverse this by spending massively(fn2), & then proclaiming that it would be irresponsible not to raise taxes & cut defense spending.
We must point this out at every opportunity.
We must also point out that he is a student of Alinsky:a man who openly advocates deception as a means of advancing one's goal.More fundamentally,Obama understands the Republican leadership,even if they do not understand him.He understands that they are unwilling to challenge him on the key political issue:The role of the Government.He understands that he is dealing with David Brooks types(albeit less extreme versions) not with principled champions of Individual Rights & Economic Liberty.
The Republican leadership(fn2),cannot win if they do not understand,--& will not fight for--Individual Rights.
Indeed,it is likely that the GOP leadership defines "winning" very differently than the Tea Party.Whether this is the case(and I think it is),or whether they are bumbling incompetents,they must go. Obama's fiscal speech -- full text of prepared remarks | Philip Klein | Beltway Confidential | Washington Examiner http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2011/04/obamas-fisca... Footnotes: fn1. Yes Bush did too but for different ends,in any event Bush is gone,Obama isn't. fn2
And probably many Republicans officeholders.
We must point this out at every opportunity.
We must also point out that he is a student of Alinsky:a man who openly advocates deception as a means of advancing one's goal.More fundamentally,Obama understands the Republican leadership,even if they do not understand him.He understands that they are unwilling to challenge him on the key political issue:The role of the Government.He understands that he is dealing with David Brooks types(albeit less extreme versions) not with principled champions of Individual Rights & Economic Liberty.
The Republican leadership(fn2),cannot win if they do not understand,--& will not fight for--Individual Rights.
Indeed,it is likely that the GOP leadership defines "winning" very differently than the Tea Party.Whether this is the case(and I think it is),or whether they are bumbling incompetents,they must go. Obama's fiscal speech -- full text of prepared remarks | Philip Klein | Beltway Confidential | Washington Examiner http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2011/04/obamas-fisca... Footnotes: fn1. Yes Bush did too but for different ends,in any event Bush is gone,Obama isn't. fn2
And probably many Republicans officeholders.
Ayn Rand on Sacrifice (as she defines it) #tcot #teaparty #tlot
Sacrifice — Ayn Rand Lexicon
http://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/sacrifice.html
.... “Sacrifice” does not mean the rejection of the evil for the sake of the good, but of the good for the sake of the evil. “Sacrifice” is the surrender of that which you value in favor of that which you don’t. If you exchange a penny for a dollar, it is not a sacrifice; if you exchange a dollar for a penny, it is. If you achieve the career you wanted, after years of struggle, it is not a sacrifice; if you then renounce it for the sake of a rival, it is. If you own a bottle of milk and give it to your starving child, it is not a sacrifice; if you give it to your neighbor’s child and let your own die, it is. If you give money to help a friend, it is not a sacrifice; if you give it to a worthless stranger, it is. If you give your friend a sum you can afford, it is not a sacrifice; if you give him money at the cost of your own discomfort, it is only a partial virtue, according to this sort of moral standard[Altruism]; if you give him money at the cost of disaster to
yourself—that is the virtue of sacrifice in full. If you renounce all personal desires and dedicate your life to those you love, you do not achieve full virtue: you still retain a value of your own, which is your love. If you devote your life to random strangers, it is an act of greater virtue. If you devote your life to serving men you hate—that is the greatest of the virtues you can practice. A sacrifice is the surrender of a value. Full sacrifice is full surrender of all values. If you wish to achieve full virtue, you must seek no gratitude in return for your sacrifice, no praise, no love, no admiration, no self -esteem, not even the pride of being virtuous; the faintest trace of any gain dilutes your virtue. If you pursue a course of action that does not taint your life by any joy, that brings you no value in matter, no value in spirit, no gain, no profit, no reward—if you achieve this state of total zero, you have achieved the ideal of moral perfection. You are tol
d that
moral perfection is impossible to man—and, by this standard, it is. You cannot achieve it so long as you live, but the value of your life and of your person is gauged by how closely you succeed in approaching that ideal zero which is death . If you start, however, as a passionless blank, as a vegetable seeking to be eaten, with no values to reject and no wishes to renounce, you will not win the crown of sacrifice. It is not a sacrifice to renounce the unwanted. It is not a sacrifice to give your life for others, if death is your personal desire. To achieve the virtue of sacrifice, you must want to live, you must love it, you must burn with passion for this earth and for all the splendor it can give you—you must feel the twist of every knife as it slashes your desires away from your reach and drains your love out of your body. It is not mere death that the morality of sacrifice holds out to you as an ideal, but death by slow torture. ".... Galt’s Speech, For the New Intellectual, 139.
...."Concern for the welfare of those one loves is a rational part of one’s selfish interests. If a man who is passionately in love with his wife spends a fortune to cure her of a dangerous illness, it would be absurd to claim that he does it as a “sacrifice” for her sake, not his own, and that it makes no difference to him, personally and selfishly, whether she lives or dies. Any action that a man undertakes for the benefit of those he loves is not a sacrifice if, in the hierarchy of his values, in the total context of the choices open to him, it achieves that which is of greatest personal (and rational) importance to him. In the above example, his wife’s survival is of greater value to the husband than anything else that his money could buy, it is of greatest importance to his own happiness and, therefore, his action is not a sacrifice. But suppose he let her die in order to spend his money on saving the lives of ten other women, none of whom meant anything to him�
�as
the ethics of altruism would require. That would be a sacrifice. Here the difference between Objectivism and altruism can be seen most clearly: if sacrifice is the moral principle of action, then that husband should sacrifice his wife for the sake of ten other women. What distinguishes the wife from the ten others ? Nothing but her value to the husband who has to make the choice—nothing but the fact that his happiness requires her survival. The Objectivist ethics would tell him: your highest moral purpose is the achievement of your own happiness, your money is yours, use it to save your wife, that is your moral right and your rational, moral choice.". “The Ethics of Emergencies,” The Virtue of Selfishness, 45.
http://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/sacrifice.html
.... “Sacrifice” does not mean the rejection of the evil for the sake of the good, but of the good for the sake of the evil. “Sacrifice” is the surrender of that which you value in favor of that which you don’t. If you exchange a penny for a dollar, it is not a sacrifice; if you exchange a dollar for a penny, it is. If you achieve the career you wanted, after years of struggle, it is not a sacrifice; if you then renounce it for the sake of a rival, it is. If you own a bottle of milk and give it to your starving child, it is not a sacrifice; if you give it to your neighbor’s child and let your own die, it is. If you give money to help a friend, it is not a sacrifice; if you give it to a worthless stranger, it is. If you give your friend a sum you can afford, it is not a sacrifice; if you give him money at the cost of your own discomfort, it is only a partial virtue, according to this sort of moral standard[Altruism]; if you give him money at the cost of disaster to
yourself—that is the virtue of sacrifice in full. If you renounce all personal desires and dedicate your life to those you love, you do not achieve full virtue: you still retain a value of your own, which is your love. If you devote your life to random strangers, it is an act of greater virtue. If you devote your life to serving men you hate—that is the greatest of the virtues you can practice. A sacrifice is the surrender of a value. Full sacrifice is full surrender of all values. If you wish to achieve full virtue, you must seek no gratitude in return for your sacrifice, no praise, no love, no admiration, no self -esteem, not even the pride of being virtuous; the faintest trace of any gain dilutes your virtue. If you pursue a course of action that does not taint your life by any joy, that brings you no value in matter, no value in spirit, no gain, no profit, no reward—if you achieve this state of total zero, you have achieved the ideal of moral perfection. You are tol
d that
moral perfection is impossible to man—and, by this standard, it is. You cannot achieve it so long as you live, but the value of your life and of your person is gauged by how closely you succeed in approaching that ideal zero which is death . If you start, however, as a passionless blank, as a vegetable seeking to be eaten, with no values to reject and no wishes to renounce, you will not win the crown of sacrifice. It is not a sacrifice to renounce the unwanted. It is not a sacrifice to give your life for others, if death is your personal desire. To achieve the virtue of sacrifice, you must want to live, you must love it, you must burn with passion for this earth and for all the splendor it can give you—you must feel the twist of every knife as it slashes your desires away from your reach and drains your love out of your body. It is not mere death that the morality of sacrifice holds out to you as an ideal, but death by slow torture. ".... Galt’s Speech, For the New Intellectual, 139.
...."Concern for the welfare of those one loves is a rational part of one’s selfish interests. If a man who is passionately in love with his wife spends a fortune to cure her of a dangerous illness, it would be absurd to claim that he does it as a “sacrifice” for her sake, not his own, and that it makes no difference to him, personally and selfishly, whether she lives or dies. Any action that a man undertakes for the benefit of those he loves is not a sacrifice if, in the hierarchy of his values, in the total context of the choices open to him, it achieves that which is of greatest personal (and rational) importance to him. In the above example, his wife’s survival is of greater value to the husband than anything else that his money could buy, it is of greatest importance to his own happiness and, therefore, his action is not a sacrifice. But suppose he let her die in order to spend his money on saving the lives of ten other women, none of whom meant anything to him�
�as
the ethics of altruism would require. That would be a sacrifice. Here the difference between Objectivism and altruism can be seen most clearly: if sacrifice is the moral principle of action, then that husband should sacrifice his wife for the sake of ten other women. What distinguishes the wife from the ten others ? Nothing but her value to the husband who has to make the choice—nothing but the fact that his happiness requires her survival. The Objectivist ethics would tell him: your highest moral purpose is the achievement of your own happiness, your money is yours, use it to save your wife, that is your moral right and your rational, moral choice.". “The Ethics of Emergencies,” The Virtue of Selfishness, 45.
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