Memorial Day Weekend – Open Thread

I have to say that this new age of civility at B4V has me all a flutter. There were some very good comments and discourse in the previous thread, so it is possible to post respectful comments and not be offended by those we disagree with. However there was one casualty – LOL.

Lot’s of issues to comment on, so pick your favorite and let us know how you feel about it. The one that caught my attention this morning was the riot in Sweden. Often touted as a liberal paradise, it seems that the NON natives are now restless. Do you suppose that we will ever be able to convince progressives that legislating “fairness” is impossible? Based on the recent post from the DailyKos – I would say not -

..[T]he ideals of the Republican party reflect tribalism, selfishness, and zero-sum games, while the Democratic party’s reflect unity, humility, and leaving a better world to our descendents… …[T]here really is no room for Republicans in the world we are living in. So long as the people in this country are facing unpredictable, deadly, natural as well as man-made disasters, medical care that needs to be provided, life-altering climate change that needs to be managed, and the turmoil that comes with living paycheck to paycheck, Republicans and their supporters are dead weight to the rest of us…But then, there’s no denying that Republicans are also a demographic of the people with whom we need to plan on sharing this better world, because they are likely not going to change their ways anytime soon. The best we can do is get them out of the way, as in out of our government…

Think about the statement for a moment. The “reflection” of unity, humility and leaving the world in a better place is how this poster sees the Democratic Party. Not for the results the policies actually produce, but simply for the “feel good” intent. That is a dangerously educated person that is currently walking our streets and voting.

Take a moment this weekend to say a prayer of thanks to our veterans that have given the ultimate sacrifice in protecting this greatest nation on God’s green earth, and I hope you all have a fun filled weekend.

Sunday Open Thread

There is so much going on that a dedicated thread just seems inadequate. A couple of things on my mind – the other night Bill Maher and Michael Moore claimed that the GOP is committing borderline treason for obstructing Obama’s agenda. Apparently escalating debt, a shrinking work force, and higher taxes are patriotic. Who knew? The major media is back in cover mode for the regime after a brief brush with faux outrage. Chris Matthews and David Corn claimed that the continued investigations just proves that the GOP is pandering to their racist base. But I think the best example of journalism mal practice came from Martin Bashir when he pointed out that the head of the IRS during the time of the unethical inquiries was appointed by Bush – meaning of course that this is again Bush’s fault. To which I will gleefully remind him that the head of the CIA at the time of 9/11 was appointed by Clinton – so 9/11 is Clinton’s fault right?

Discuss these and other topics amongst yourselves – be civil and pithy.

Damage Control

This has been quite a week for the Obama regime, who may want to brush up on the first rule of holes. From Benghazi, to the IRS, to the AP, it seems as though Obama continues to double down on excuses rather than come clean. Ironically, for a President who says he champions the “little guy”, he has no problem throwing that “little guy” under the bus if it serves him. How can a President who has been described as a master executive and in command of the issues, know nothing, when an uncomfortable issue presents itself? Equally ironic is David Axlerod’s admission today that the federal government is just too big, and too vast, to have control over everything. Isn’t that what conservatives been trying to tell liberals for years now? That a big government, presents big problems? Unfortunately, Obama chooses to blame others and plead ignorance, rather than take ownership as any honorable leader would do.

I have a feeling that Obama might actually be pleased that the IRS and AP scandals surfaced this week as it does distract from his deplorable absence on the Benghazi issue. What President is absent during a raid on an embassy in the ME? What Secretary of State doesn’t even call the second in charge back (Hicks), in Libya for two days following his plea to evacuate?  These actions by Obama and Clinton are indefensible. Obama claims he wants to bring those responsible to justice? Well he had the chance to get those responsible the night of the attack, but chose to disappear. And furthermore, he has yet to bring any of those people responsible to justice.

The IRS issue gets deeper by the day. The number of targeted groups swells to nearly 500, the discovery that liberal groups were receiving IRS approvals within days, including Obama’s brother, while conservative groups were being held up, and the possibility that some leaked IRS reports on Romney were used against him. Nixon was impeached for this kind of activity, so it doesn’t surprise me that Obama is being held to account, and surprisingly by the mainstream media as well. I was shocked when Joe Scarborough lit Axlerod up this morning on MSNBC. If Obama loses his sycophantic media support, he could be in a real bind. The next few weeks will be fun to watch.

Cinco de Mayo – Open Thread

Happy Cinco de Mayo. Here in AZ this is a big deal and I have lots of family friends coming over for stacked tacos, cerveza frio, and swimming so I hope all you enjoy your day.

A couple of things on my mind – if I came out as a heterosexual real estate broker, would I get a call from Obama? If I lied about the cause of death of an ambassador and admitted not doing my job and reading cables from an embassy in a perilous region, would I be considered a leading Presidential candidate for 2016? If I just made stuff up about Obamacare, abortion and the Presidents taxes, could I get a job at MSNBC?

Happy Sunday all!

Ideology Thread – Cont.

I think Retired Spook has struck a nerve here, and I am pleased that the dialogue has remained civil – kudos to everyone for that and especially our liberals, so considering the volume of posts on the previous thread – let’s pick it up here. One observation I would like to make comes from a comment from James (not to single him out, but it was in his post). I read this the minute he posted it and have been thinking about it ever since:

…….its (gun control) not on top of my list to be honest. many more things wrong with this country.

I think that comment is indicative of how liberals largely see America, including the President. I think liberals see America has an unjust, racist, imperialistic country that needs to be “brought down to size” so to speak, and that vision could really be at the heart of what separates liberalism and conservatism. I, and I think most conservatives, see America as that “shining city on the hill” (to quote a great President), that has many more virtues than vices. Has this country made mistakes, of course, but has this country advanced prosperity, civil and human rights, and promoted diversity of culture and progress more so than any other country on this planet? That would be a resounding YES! I don’t see America as a country with “many more things wrong with it”. I see America as a country that needs to get back to it’s original charter, to continue the path towards even more “progress”.

Sunday Open Thread

Sunday is just a good day for an open thread, so let us know what is on your mind. In this new day of welcoming more liberal opinion on B4V, I particularly encourage the liberals to chime in and let us know what you think of the current state of affairs. I will tell you what’s on my mind as I sit hear and listen to the brain damage emanating from the Melissa Harris Perry show on MSNBC – 1. The liberals on the show are pining for “common sense” gun control legislation, somehow oblivious to the plethora of laws already on the books. Instead of the “smart” people on the panel analyzing the laws currently in place, and questioning why that legislation might be ineffective, they continue to blame the republicans for blocking more legislation, proving once again that liberals have never met a bigger government they didn’t like. 2. On the heels of a miserable jobs report, anemic 4th quarter GDP growth, and the possibility that Obama will once again call for more tax hikes, the “smart” liberals are saying that it is just a temporary economic pause, and that those reports don’t really reflect the growing consumer confidence and an economy that is in fact turning around. It has to be difficult to be a liberal these days having to deny reality and continue to distort and spin the news in a desperate attempt to convince people that they are not completely insane. Many of us know better.

So What Have You Missed?

If you’re the typical liberal, you’ve missed a lot. While everyone has been busy hyperventilating over gay marriage and restricting gun rights, a lot has gone on under the radar. First on the radar screen would be the President’s call to relax lending standards again, as Bill Clinton did back in the 1990’s, which led to the ultimate crash in 2007. Liberals like to refer to this as “predatory lending” because obviously it was all the fault of greedy banks who insisted on giving mortgages to people who couldn’t afford to pay them back. So off we go to another housing bubble, how exciting.

Next up, poverty, which is reported now to be at levels not seen since the 1960’s which as most of us remember was the impetus for the Great Society and the “war on poverty”. Now you would think that after the “summer of recovery” in 2010, the 2009 stimulus, Obama’s promise of a new “green” economy in need of well paid, skilled workers, and the Keynesian economic dream model he has been chasing, that Americans would be on easy street right now, right? Well you would be wrong. The latest jobs report is well below expectations and inventories are falling, which doesn’t bode well for future employment. On a positive note, Justin Timberlake is scheduled to perform at the White House soon, so it’s good to know that the Obama’s are not suffering from the sluggish economy.

Next up, Obamacare. It was announced this week that the administration will have to delay the implementation of SHOP, a key small business provision, that was instrumental in securing some needed votes for passage. The provision was scheduled to begin in January 2014, and was to allow choices of coverage for small business at affordable rates. Now the program has been pushed back a year, to January 2015, and will only allow for one single choice for those small business’s despite nearly 4 years to put the program in place. However, anyone who believed that we could reduce health care costs by adding more layers of bureaucracy and more free riders to the system, deserve what they get.

Finally, illegitimacy, which in my opinion, is the root of our societal ills. A recent report shows that now more than half of all births to all women under 30, occur outside of marriage. 73% of all black children are born outside of marriage, while that number is 53% for Latinos and 29% for whites. These numbers are alarming. Studies show that children raised in single-family households are more prone to drop out of school, use drugs, commit crimes, and wind up in prison and/or poverty.  And personally, I BLAME MEN!! Men need to man up, so to speak and take care of their responsibilities and their children. There is zero excuse for any man to abandon their child, and as a society, we should not condone that one bit. There are plenty of choices to be made to avoid pregnancy before the act of sex, which makes abortion not an option, and again, as a society we should expect better from everyone. How can we “progress” as a society if we continue to lower the bar? Progress should mean improvement, and from the current condition of our society, I am not seeing much improvement.

Are We There Yet? – Open Thread

Another Sunday, another good day for an open thread. A few days back I posited a query to all liberals seeing if they are finally at a point where they might be growing disenchanted with The One They Have All been Waiting For. Evidently, we aren’t there yet, because not one of them is ready to criticize anything about their benevolent leader. Hard to believe though considering that there is so much material for which to do so. Starting with the sequester scare, followed by Obama’s recent pledge of hundreds of millions to Syrians and Palestinians. Now how can cutting a few hundred million dollars from some government agencies result in having to shut down White House tours, and vaccinations for children, yet somehow we found the money to help Syrian refugees. You would think liberals and the media would question that.

I am also always amazed at the false perceptions so many liberals have of conservatives. A notion implanted in their minds by the educational system and the media. My effort going forward will be to dispel those notions. I have begun a personal dialogue with Mitch who is a little older than I first believed and has a better sense of humor than I would have given him credit for. I don’t know how much political common ground we have but that will be discovered in the weeks ahead. I do hope that we can just have civil conversations, regardless of our disagreements, and I am happy that that has been the case thus far. I think Mitch is surprised to learn that I am just a normal human being rather than the false notion of conservatives he has construed in his mind. I think if conservatives can begin to reeducate the numerous misinformed liberals that have bought into the medias and democrats false ideals of who we are, we can begin to bring back some semblance of normalcy and civility. I have told Mitch that we here at the blog would welcome more liberal posters who could articulate their positions rationally and without lashing out at some false notion, but that far too often, all we get are hyper emotional rants.

This entire country needs to learn how to dial down the rhetoric. Do I think that we are in a really bad place in terms of debt, spending, restriction of liberties, and the soon to be calamity of Obama care? Yes to all the above. But it will require determined, measured, and well articulated positions on the conservative approach to convince those who are ingrained with false ideals, rather than just name calling.

Can You Name The Party?

A case of corruption in Bell, California today reached is conclusion with the conviction of 5 ex city employees, including the mayor, who used the city treasury to enrich themselves beyond all reasonable measures. Funny thing though, in most if not all, main stream media reporting, their party affiliation is not identified:

(Reuters) – Five former elected officials from the scandal-plagued California city of Bell were convicted on Wednesday of misusing municipal funds by collecting exorbitant salaries in a case that drew national attention as a symbol of public corruption.

Now I can guarantee you that had these folks been Republicans, that fact would have led each story in the head line. Fact is though these ex officials are all Democrats, so it’s just another case of media malpractice which continues to misinform and mislead the low information voter. Because of this malpractice, we have so many liberal heads full of garbage as to what constitutes conservatism, that it may take decades to actually cut through and penetrate the bone deep ignorance of so many, but that will have to begin with a press that is willing to be objective rather than hyper partisan and emotionally charged. I am not holding out any hope. As it is, this story will just fade away, and little concern will be expressed by those liberals who profess to care so much for the middle class, who in this case were completely taken advantage of. Waiting for condemnation and outrage from our resident liberals.

 

Are We There Yet?

Well again there are quite a few issues to address and I have trouble landing on just one, so consider this an open thread on a few issues du jour that are on my radar.

1. Immigration Reform – The brilliant Harry Reid announced today that immigration reform would be landing on the Senate Floor in the next work session possibly in April, meaning once again that Democrats will attempt to rush something through, as they did with the stimulus and the health care bill, which as we all know hasn’t turned out real well. Aside from that, it seems to me that entitlement reform and tax reform should take a much higher precedence than immigration reform. The main reason we continue to operate from continuing resolution to continuing resolution is because of Harry Reid’s gross irresponsibility in not passing a budget. This allows the Democrats of course to move from crisis to crisis and blame republicans for obstructionism. It’s insanity. But so is this entire government at the present time. Tax reform and entitlement reform are desperately needed.

2. Eric Holder should resign. Period. – This is a direct quote from our illustrious Attorney General:

“I am concerned that the size of some of these institutions become so large that it does become difficult for us to prosecute them when we are hit with indications that if we do prosecute — if we do bring a criminal charge — it will have a negative impact on the national economy, perhaps even the world economy,”

So perceived economic concerns now take precedent over adjudicating corporate crime. The Attorney General is responsible to uphold the laws of the country, not to evaluate economic impact. I have said before that the only regulation our federal government needs to effectively regulate the free market, is a fair and responsible Justice Dept. We now know that we don’t have one.

3. If anyone had any questions about cronyism within the Obama regime, this should remove all doubt. Close friend, Chicago elite, and former 2008 campaign bundler, Penny Pritzker is reported to be on the verge of being appointed to head up the Commerce Dept. Her qualifications? Being well connected, and raking in millions after over seeing the failure of Superior Bank in Chicago of which she ran. This appointment would be unconscionable and should raise HUGE red flags with every one. Of all the disappointing appointments Obama has made, this one would certainly be the icing on the cake.

Just an aside – the title “Are We There Yet” is a question directed to many Obama supporters wondering if they have finally come to the realization that what Obama promised with his soaring rhetoric, is far removed the results he is producing.If not, I wonder when that time comes for them.

There are many other issues of extreme import, so feel free to discuss what’s on your mind as well.