The Six-Trillion-Dollar Man

Fighting for truth, justice, and the European way.

by Mark Steyn

HOLD YOUR BREATH, OBAMA TAXES AIR!

It's happened, folks. The government has figured out how to tax air. No kidding. My dad used to joke that if the government could tax air, they would, and guess what? They are going to under President Obama's new tax plan. Obama's "Cap and Trade" system will tax carbon producing companies, adding oodles to the cost of almost every product you can think of. He's actually going to tax carbon dioxide. Not toxic carbon "monoxide," but the same substance we exhale! The same earthly substance the plants consume! This big government, Orwellian money grab, is almost like pulling money out of thin air, literally. If he could hook up a carbon measuring device to your pie hole to monitor your blow factor, he'd tax that too. Barney Frank would be tax poor!

Can you imagine the size, scope, and intrusiveness of the bureaucracy that visits the businesses to audit the carbon emitted from these businesses? The cost to American businesses to comply with these new regulations will be astronomical. Of course companies will pass on this added cost to consumers, their customers, so companies won't be the ones ultimately paying the tax. People on fixed incomes, especially retirees and low-income people, will feel this the most because they don't have a lot of wiggle room to start with in their personal budgets. It's regressive, exactly the type of tax that liberals abhor. What a cruel tax to lay upon the poor. Could the President's poverty pimping days be over?

A quick refresher course on federal taxes reveals a few of the other taxes, in addition to the air we breath, that Uncle Obama gets a piece of:

Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT): If you play by the rules, this makes sure you pay a certain amount, regardless of the validity of your deductions.

Capital Gains Tax: When you sell something, like a stock, bond, mutual fund, business, real estate, etc.

Corporate Income Tax: A hidden tax on individuals charged to a piece of paper. Only humans pay taxes. And we all pay these taxes in the form of higher prices charged by businesses to pay these taxes.

U.S. Estate Tax: Here, after taxing you your entire life, they hit you before you hit the grave. Also known as "Death Tax."

U.S. Excise Tax (includes taxes on cigarettes and alcoholic beverages): Taxing you when you "sin."

U.S. Federal Income Tax: aka: Slavery.

Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA): To prepay your eventual layoff.

FICA Tax (includes Social Security tax and related programs): Supposed to go into a separate pool for your retirement. Yeah, right.

Gasoline Tax: Sucks you dry.

Generation Skipping Tax: Keeps you from laundering money to your grand kids to avoid death tax.

Gift Tax: Keeps you from the freedom of giving away your money before you die, therefore bypassing death (estate) tax.

IRS Penalties: Tax on unpaid tax. I know, it's redundant.

This is just a small sampling of the plethora of federal taxes we already pay. This list is only a start, and doesn't include state and local taxes, such as sales and real estate taxes, federal cell phone tax, etc., etc.

This "Cap and Trade," carbon tax, or National Energy Tax, is, if passed, is certainly going to have a crippling effect on American businesses. Unfortunately, the unintended consequence of this algorean stupidity, is to raise the cost of living for those that can least afford it. So you see, ladies and gentlemen, President Obama's rhetoric about caring for poor people is, shall we say, "hot air!"

Obama Declares War on Investors, Entrepreneurs, Businesses, And More

Larry Kudlow of CNBC's, The Kudlow Report, discusses Obama's class-warfare.

Visualize No Income Tax!

Quick, if you're lucky enough to still have one, grab your pay stub from your last paycheck and find the box labeled, "FED INCOME TAX WITHHELD," (words may vary slightly, but it's the amount the IRS withholds from your paycheck.), draw a line through that number, then add to the "NET PAY" amount. You know, the bottom line...the final amount you actually received after the various bureaucratic alphabet soups get their share. So, close your eyes and imagine receiving that amount on your next pay check. How do you feel? I know, wipe that stupid look off of your face, and let's get back to reality.

Impossible, right? Not so fast! Do you realize that for the "Stimulus" plan that the President just signed, we could have almost completely eliminated the entire federal income tax burden. I'm looking at the new President's federal budget, and the amount the of total personal federal income tax is $972 billion (2009). Wasn't the "Porkulus" bill almost $900 billion and over $1 trillion (think lots of zeros), with interest. The amounts virtually match, or at least, close enough for government work. Shoot, that's without even adding the bank bailouts, omnibus, etc.

Instead of maxing out our kid's credit cards with "Ridiculous Democraticus Spendulus, Porkulus, like over a million bucks for mosquito trapping in Florida, and $1,700,000 for swine odor (was this just a porky pun?), the government could have basically allowed us to keep 100% of that amount deducted from our paychecks. I'm not advocating going into further government debt to accomplish this, but hey, if they're going to do it, at least really make it stimulative. That would do it. That would be significant "change" and would give the country "hope," and it would be immediate. The President's piddly rebate will go largely unnoticed by most Americans and is only window-dressing to season the pork.

Can you imagine what would happen to the nation's productivity?
Imagine having that extra money each paycheck. If you get paid weekly, multiply that number by 52, and that's the extra money you'd have each year to spend, invest, save, or pay down debt (all good). And, at least you would have control of where the money went. Do you have confidence that amount is being prudently appropriated now?

Start looking at that federal tax withholding box each paycheck and think about the current crop of politicians in Washington, D.C. Do you trust them with your money?

If not, what are you going to do about it?

Estimated Budget Totals for 2008-2010 Show Government Public Debt Rise 63 Percent

White House Office of Management and Budget presents totals for President Obama's 2010 spending plan.

WHY SOCIALISM REALLY SUCKS

Socialism sucks because it takes away the motivation to succeed. When success is punished by higher tax rates, it is, shall we say, counter-stimulative to the economy. My workaholic dad, a middle-income car salesman in the 70’s used to stop working half-way through the month, if he'd sold a lot of cars. “Why work, it’ll all just go to the government anyway,” he’d tell me. Little did I know, as a teen-ager, that the federal tax-bracket went as high as 70% in the late 70’s. Now, I doubt if my dad was in the top tax-bracket back then, but it didn’t take much to trigger his lazy streak, something I’d never seen from him before. I’d venture to say that the human condition is very much this way. I told this story to my wife, and she told me that her dad used to repeat the phrase, “The more you make, the more they take.” If there’s no incentive, why work? To pay my neighbor’s mortgage? Call me selfish, but I don’t think so. If I want to help my neighbor out, I’ll do it directly without laundering through the blood-sucking leeches in Washington, D. C., thank you.

Margaret Thatcher had it right when she said that, “The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money.” Socialist countries with government run health care systems have shortages and lose their freedom of choice, because of this fact. This is why Canadians come here for surgery, rather than die waiting nine months to get their appendix taken out. You think health care is screwed up now? Just let the government run it, the Barney Frank’s and Nancy Pelosi’s of the world, and see how much “better” it is. Health care is expensive enough without piling on the inefficiencies of another bloated bureaucracy. We’ve seen how efficient government is with such fine, technically bankrupt/corrupt/poorly managed institutions as Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Public Schools and the Internal Revenue Service. If you think your medical insurance company’s customer service is poor, just call the IRS, or take a trip down to the postal service, and you’ll immediately feel better. I don’t care how bad health care is…it would be many times worse with more government involvement. Do you want people in Washington, D.C. deciding what's best for your medical care?

Some would say we’ve always had a bit of socialism in this country, and I agree. That’s a good thing? Look at our socialistic experiments and tell me that they haven’t been abysmal failures that could have been improved with a good old-fashioned dose of free market competition.

When a good or service is “free,” there is no appreciation, respect, or consideration that “someone” is paying for it, so people abuse it. Look at the government’s recent string of bailouts. They have no idea where the money is going, so how do they fix it? More bailouts! It’s like raising kids and spoiling them. If you give them everything they want on a silver platter, they’ll grow up and spit in your face. This is true of all types of welfare, whether individual, corporate, or inter-national. The receiver doesn’t appreciate the “generosity,” and quickly asks for more next time. It's an endless circle of entitlement.

This is probably going to go over like a fart in church, but I’m convinced that we’d probably all take better care of ourselves, eat better, exercise more, if there were no health insurance whatsoever. We probably wouldn’t take little Johnny to the doctor every time he got a sniffle or a hangnail, either. With medical insurance, it seems like “someone else” is paying for it, so we all abuse the system, only to share the burden in higher premiums.

We are a nation of “individuals,” not groups. We are not a nation of groups, races, unions, or voting blocks. We are all Americans, unique individuals with rights acknowledged as being given to us by God in our Constitution and Bill of Rights. Some would tragically and unintentionally trade these rights for the security of having our basic needs met by the government (other taxpayers, really, but that doesn’t sound quite so good, does it?). We would naively trade a little freedom for a little security.

If we as a nation do not vigilantly fight to destroy this creeping, deceitful disease, we become easy targets for eventual tyranny. Study history. It’s happened again and again, and we are not immune to this evil social condition. Of all tyrannies, the most oppressive is that one that is requested by its ultimate victims, “for the good of the people.” If we exchange our liberty and freedom for the perceived security of letting the federal government run our lives, then we deserve neither freedom, nor liberty. There’s security in prison too.

A nation that rewards failure and punishes achievement cannot stand (for long). Eventually, the achievers become tired of footing the bill and throw in the towel, and the party is over. According to the IRS, 97% of income taxes are paid by 50% of the taxpayers. The other half are in essence mooching, either willingly or unwillingly, from the top half. Eventually, you soak those that you deem to be rich to the point that there aren’t enough of them to foot the bill.

I have a couple dirty little secrets for you. The government does not care about you. Politicians don't care about you. Paying taxes isn't charity. You cannot have more government and more freedom. “The government giveth, and the government taketh away.” Let’s chose more freedom and less government. Socialism Sucks!

"Mr. President, Let me help you with the math. . . "

Let's see. I'm no math whiz, Mr. President, but after your Porkulus Spending Bill, which you affectionately refer to as a Stimulus or Economic Recovery Plan, I was shocked to learn, only one week after signing the largest government spending program in the nation's history, that you've now turned into a deficit hawk.

I'll use rounding here, after all, I'm no math whiz, and a billion dollars isn't what it used to be only months ago, but today you announced that you'd like to cut this year's projected budget deficit of $1.3 trillion, to about a half a trillion, or $500 billion. So, the difference is about $800 billion, roughly.

Correct me if I'm wrong, Mr. President, but wasn't the massive spending bill you just signed last week about $800 billion in new government spending, spending in government bureaucracy we can live without? Couldn't we have just skipped the Porkulus bill, entirely, and met your goal?

I know you're completing your orientation, and on-the-job training program, but shouldn't one of your cabinet bean-counters pointed out this obvious math? Let me help you, Mr. President:

$1,300,000,000,000 (proj. deficit)
- 800,000,000,000 (Porkulus Bill)
= $500,000,000,000 (deficit goal)

I know, this is pretty simple math, so simple that I'm dumbfounded that highly respected Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner, didn't figure it out. Maybe he's busy crunching the numbers on his personal tax return. That's understandable.

I've seen the items in your "Stimulus Bill," Mr. President, and I don't see anything seriously economically stimulative about it. Seems to me you could trash the whole thing, chock it up as a training exercise, and hit your targets in record time. How great would that be?

I know your liberal special-interest groups would be pretty ticked, but who cares? You're already elected, and they're not going to abandon you under any circumstances, anyway. They worship you. Just tell them that George Bush left things a lot worse than you realized and that their election payback presents will have to wait until your next term, which would be assured if you were honestly sincere about cutting the fat out of the bloated federal government.

Jefferson: "A Wise & Frugal Government..."

A wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government, and this is necessary to close the circle of our felicity.
-- Thomas Jefferson, First Inaugural Address

The National Payday Loan

With the Democrats controlling both houses of Congress, the politicians in Washington, D.C., can now spend money faster than a drunken sailor who just received his “payday loan.” The President’s “Stimulus” plan reminds me of a “payday” loan. You know, the temporary satisfaction, but creating more of the same long-term problem. The analogy isn’t perfect since the overwhelming majority of the money appropriated for the bill won’t even hit the economy this year. There will be no immediate gratification like even the payday loan provides. Yet, the debt, and yes this is debt, very much like the payday loan, will last long-term.

The biggest transfer of wealth from private citizens has taken place and yet not one of the representatives or senators even read the final version before voting for it! This is not a couple of hundred dollar pay-day loan. This is more like a pay-day loan the size of a mortgage. Forget the fine print! If you can’t trust Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, and a bunch of appropriators, who can you trust?

When you delve into the dirty little details of what is inside the bill, it’s not really shocking why Republicans have labeled it as a having more pork than Jimmy Dean does sausage. Rather than create a temporary infusion of cash into the economy, as a stimulus package is intended, this sausage-fest is full of ingredients that reek of the same wasteful spending that brought us to the economic situation we so precariously occupy.

Keep in mind that the President said that if his bill wasn’t passed, the economy may never recover. Here are some of the emergency measures, of extreme national importance, that the President feels had to swiftly be rushed through Congress, without review or debate (my brief comments follow):

-- $50 million in undefined “Aquaculture” assistance. Huh?

-- $650 million for digital television boxes, including $90 million for installation. How about free 50” Plasma’s too?

-- $176 million for “deferred maintenance” at the Agricultural Research Service. What in the hell is “deferred maintenance?”

-- $2.5 billion to provide high-speed Internet to rural Americans. I’m sure the Founders intended that to be one of our inalienable rights. Now everyone will be able to track the escalating national debt online. “I thought I was getting a pay-day loan. How did I end up with this sub-prime mortgage?”

-- $100 million for the Free School Lunch Program. I thought there was no such thing as a free lunch? Boy that’s going to provide a lot of great careers. I wonder who those receiving the “free lunch” will vote for?

-- $1 billion in new money for the 2010 census. Hmmm. Something is fishy here, now that “Rahmbo” is running the census, since that power is being stripped from the Commerce Department.

-- $225 million for programs aimed at combating domestic violence, including battered women’s shelters. Great cause, but how is this economically stimulative?

-- $400 million to NASA for “Science.” (“Science” is not defined in the bill and it does not state what NASA may spend the money on specifically.) Must be nice to receive a $400,000,000 slush fund!

-- $400 million to NASA for “Exploration,” another undefined expenditure. Explore this!

-- $25 million for the Army Corps of Engineers to conduct “investigations.” Investigate this!

-- $1 billion in unidentified water reclamation projects. Reclaim this!

-- $3.4 billion for “Fossil Energy Research and Development,” which is not specifically defined in the bill. Probably to pay-off all of his rich oil buddies.

-- $1.6 billion to the Department of Energy for undefined “Science.” But, there are starving children in Africa!

-- $500 million for green energy “pilot or demonstration projects” that the secretary of Energy deems could have commercial value. Wow! It might have commercial value? Evil Capitalists!

-- $4.5 billion to convert all buildings owned by the federal government into “High Performance Green Buildings,” although a high performance building has not been defined. Couldn’t they just do all of our houses and offices this way too? Why should the bureaucrats get all the nice stuff?

-- $300 million to purchase green cars and trucks for the federal government’s vehicle fleet. How about giving every American a free green car. Make sure they’re reallys green too. It will confuse the cops!

-- $1 billion for baggage-screening equipment for the Transportation Security Administration. I thought all this evil, George Bush, “Patriot Act” stuff was an infringement on our rights?

-- $100 million in “Homeless Assistance” at homeless shelters around the country. If this bill is going to put everyone back to work, stop unemployment, and save jobs, then there will be no homeless people, will there? So, there won’t be a need for this, right? Wait a minute, I’m confused.

-- $25 million for repairs at the Smithsonian Institution I think the country will survive, Mr. President, without this. The economy might even come back.

-- $1.2 billion for “summer employment for youth,” whom Congress defines as someone up to 24 years old. More young Democrats.

-- $50 million to assist high school dropouts enrolled in “alternative schools.” Don’t really get how this is going to stimulate anything.

-- $2.1 billion for Head Start and Early Head Start, the federal-state preschool partnerships. Aren’t preschoolers too young to work? Doesn’t this violate child labor laws? Seriously, when these youngsters grow up to be taxpayers, they're going to be pretty miffed on all the interest that's accumulated from that "free lunch" they had as a kid.

-- $290 million for information technology upgrades at the U.S. State Department. Dang, I’ll bet they're getting free I-Phones!

-- $1.3 billion for Amtrak. Another successful bankrupt government enterprise, along with Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the IRS, Postal Service, Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, etc.

-- $6.6 billion in Pell Grants for low-income students’ college tuition. Sub-prime student loans? Add “Sallie Mae” to the above list (see Amtrak).

-- $90 million for “passport and training functions” at the State Department. That sounds vitally necessary. For $90 mill, you should be able to teach them to smile and have some manners too. Maybe they can all take the Dale Carnegie Course.

-- $300 million to help carry out the national immunization plan of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Immunize this!

-- $400 million to conduct a study of the effectiveness of different health care treatments and procedures. Don’t private companies already spend a lot of their money doing these types of studies?

-- $4.7 billion in broadband Internet development grants, including $10 million to fund an inspector general tasked with tracking how well the money is spent. I get this one. “We’re going to stimulate the stimulators.”

-- $50 million for watershed rehabilitation. Rehabilitate this!

-- $8 billion for a high-speed railway (including a proposed Los Angeles to Las Vegas MagLev rail line). From Disneyland to Harry Reid’s house; sounds like a Mickey Mouse operation to me.

-- $140 million for volcano monitoring systems. Monitor this!

-- $125 million for rural communities to combat drug crimes. There should be no reason for crime now that everyone has a job, so this part can be scratched.

This National Pay-Day Loan Program is not going to revive the economy, folks. If the economy recovers it will be because that’s what economies do. The Wizards in Washington can’t do anything to help the economy, with the exception of letting us keep more of our own money to stimulate our own economy.

They can’t legislate or outlaw the economic cycle. They can “screw-up,” though, making matters a lot worse than they would otherwise be. I’m afraid that we’ve been hustled. This bill will not give us "hope" or positive "change."

When Did We Become a Nation of Czars?

When in the hell did we become a nation of Czars?

I first remember hearing the title being used in the 1970's, when the nation was getting serious about reducing our dependence on foreign oil, brought about by the energy shortages caused by the OPEC oil embargo. In response, Nixon named the first "Energy Czar." Well, we know how well that worked out. We're as wasted on foreign oil as ever.

Then, the government must have seen the brain damage that had resulted from the drug-induced hippies of the '60's, so it created the first "Drug Czar." That decade of youth are now the "love children" leading our government, which explains a lot, but I digress.

There is something troubling about the word being used as a title in American politics. "Czar," to me has the connotion of "Ruler," or someone who has absolute power, as in a "Russian Czar or Tsar." No one in our once free land is supposed to have absolute power, so the term always rubbed me the wrong way. It conjures up images of communism, elitism, and gallon jugs of Russian vodka.

Now, however, as the out-of-control, all-encompassing, federal government bureaucracies, have taken control and power over nearly every area of our lives, there are Czars gallore: Terrorism Czar, Car Czar (Hey, that rhymes, isn't that convenient!), Food Czar, Climate Czar (shouldn't that be Al Gore?), Copyright Czar, and even a Cybersecurity Czar.

Can you imagine an automobile designed by the "Car Czar" and the wizards in Washington, D.C.? How well it would be built and how efficient it would be? The styling would be the size of a postal vehicle, but shaped more like a pig! Maybe Barney Frank would be a good pick.

Yesterday, we heard from the nation's first "Bailout Czar," confessed tax cheat and head tax-collector, Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner. Apparently, Wall Street didn't like what the Czar had to say given the large decline in the Dow.

Perhaps, we'll have to begin referring to President Obama as the nation's first, "First Czar," given how he thinks he can steal from our kid's future piggy banks with his "Stick-it-to-us" Plan, just because, "He won." Jack Murtha for the nation's first "Earmarks Czar?"

Does the President think that every industry needs its own Czar? Why? As far as I can tell, their track record is abysmal, but that never seems to stop the government that has the attitude that if it doesn't work, it must be underfunded. I'm surprised we haven't seen someone appointed "Prostitution Czar." Elliot Spitzer would be a qualified, experienced choice.

There was even a "Performance Czar" named by the President. Of course, she apparently hadn't performed too well in preparing her tax returns and had to withdraw her name. Possibly, in a show of bipartisanship, President Obama could convince former Senator and Presidential Candidate Bob Dole to come out of retirement to be the first Performance Czar. That is, if he's not too busy doing Viagra commercials.

Many would say, including myself, that the country is in a real danger of falling into the trap of the sought after equality that socialism brings (equal poverty), under the Obama administration, and his desire to "spread the wealth around," (code phrase for steal from those who earned it and give it to those who didn't).

President Obama: From "Hope & Change" to "Doom & Gloom" in Two Weeks!

Is President Barack Obama bipolar? What happened to the candidate of hope and change and "Yes, We Can!" that caused the mesmerizing, blind worship of Democrats and mainstream media alike? Where did he go and what has changed? Could he possibly be suffering from a mild case of Multiple Personality Order, a case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?

How does someone campaign for two years on the promise of hope and change and "Yes, we can!", get elected by a significant margin, then two weeks into his office, become the President of "Doom and Gloom."

How? Easy. It's called no core beliefs, no principles, and the art of slick salesmanship. One personality is a candidate trying to get elected, and one is the President of the United States, trying to push the country into an agenda they overwhelming do not want, furthering the government's power over our lives, using sleazy, cheap fear tactics.

What this nation needs now is not the message of doom and gloom. We need positive encouragement and inspiration from our leaders. We need to hear, "Hang in there, things will improve, they always do. Recessions are a normal part of the business cycle, don't worry, have faith, we're a great country and a great people, we'll get through this together, etc." The message we need now is the message he campaigned on.

What one hears, however, is a message that is largely depressing, void of any hope, absent of more government deficits and bureaucracy. He tells us that only the politicians in Washington, D.C. can save us from our present bleakness and that the future is certain to be even more dismal. The sun will never rise unless the President's "Stimulus" bill is passed.

No economist or Federal Reserve chairman in history has been able to accurately, with any consistency or dependability, predict the future of our nation's complex economy, yet this omnipotent President has an economic crystal ball that foretells our financial future with compete clarity. Maybe we can add, "Megalomania," to the list of our mental condition inquiry. Could it be that President Obama has been reading too many "Chicken Little" stories to his young daughters?

The arrogance of knowing, with complete certainty, that the economy will not naturally recover (like it always has) is like a doctor treating a patient with a common cold, albeit a significant one. Dr. Obama is promising our cure with loads of antibiotics that will only make the condition worse. Everyone knows that you don't treat a virus like a cold with antibiotics. Nevertheless, in the patient's innate desire to avoid feeling any pain, the sick patient, sniffling and coughing, is telling the good doctor, "Come on, Doc, can't you give me something?" Most ethical Dr.'s will tell the patient that the condition will pass, but not this new doctor. This doctor is trying to convince us that our cold will definitely lead to the flu, which is guaranteed to turn into pneumonia, which will predictably cause a very painful death. "Swallow a bottle of these and you'll get better," he promises. "Hey Doc, can I ask you a question?" "No, patient," answers the doctor with conviction, "there is no time for questions; we cannot wait; we must act swiftly to save your life.

President Obama is no dummy. He knows the power of his words and the gullible state we are in as a nation. He knows that if things were rosy, he'd have zero chance in passing this socialistic spending orgy. Therefore, he repeatedly informs us, ad nauseum, that, "This is the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression." He realizes that his saying this over-and-over, along with his media piling on the negatives, has the effect of a self-fulfilling prophesy. Only "He" can save us.

How many votes would he have received if he'd ran his campaign based on gloomy economic forecasts, or that he's hire tax cheats and lobbyists to his cabinet?

The President is taking a page out of his Chicago political buddy and Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, who said, "You never want a serious crisis to go to waste, and what I mean by that is an opportunity to do things that you didn't think you could do before." Mr. Obama is unmistakably not letting this "crisis," (the most overused word of 2008-2009, in my opinion) go to waste.

And when we learn that these "Raw Deal" policies, placed with the added benefit of repaying his political allies, fail miserably, do you honestly think that the "New Era of Responsibility" will kick-in? Do you think they'll kill the new government bureaucracies and spending brought into creation by this bill? Of course not. The trillions of dollars of debt will still exist long after the President has gone on to collecting his government pension. I can just hear it: "The Bush administration left us an even bigger mess than we anticipated. It would be even worse without the "Stimulus" package."

Happy 98th Birthday, President Reagan, February 6

On Friday, February 6th, Ronald Reagan would have turned 98 years old, and I, for one, miss him dearly.

One thing about Reagan, you always knew where he stood. Even those who disagreed with him, like former Democat Speaker of the House, Tip O’Neill, respected him for his resolve. Reagan didn’t have to stick his finger in the wind to determine what he believed on any certain day. He didn’t have to hire focus groups to determine what his policy would be. And, if you listen to his speech from 1964 to the Republican National Convention, it is timeless, if not eerie in its present day application.

When every single one of his advisers told him to take out the words, “Mr. Gorbachev, Tear down this wall, “ he refused, saying, “I’ll think I’ll keep that in. There was outrage from the media, saying, "He's going to anger the Russians," or, "What a reckless thing to say," or, "Has he gone mad?" I wonder what they were saying when the wall came down and the "evil empire" of the Soviet Union crumbled. When Reagan talked, you knew it was from not only his head, but also his heart. You didn’t have to wonder, “does he really believe what he’s saying.”

The Iranians released the over 50 hostages the day Ronald Reagan first took office, having been taken and held for months during the Carter administration. They understood and respected the new President. This seems a bit different from the reaction we're receiving from Iran and North Korea today, under this new President. Reagan was not naive.

Take this "Stimulus" bill, that is presently before the Senate, for example. I’m perplexed about President Obama’s support of this larded-up bill, after promising no pork as one of his "changes." Is he the only American who doesn’t know the harebrained, incontinent spending that’s inside of it? Or, was his promise simply classic campaign rhetoric? This would have never happened with Reagan.

President Reagan was from the “old school” thought that a person is only as good as their word, and that you say what your mean, and mean what your say. There was no ambiguity with Reagan. No double-speak, no forked tongue, no "spin."

President Reagan’s message to the American people was far more positive than the one we’re hearing from our leaders today. Today, the message is that you are a victim and are helpless. The message is that you have no hope without the government’s assistance. You are not smart enough to handle your own money, so do the patriotic thing and send it to Washington, D.C., so the elite can “redistribute” it for you. You are not capable of being charitable. Only government, in their endless care, warmth, wisdom, and efficiency, can solve our woes.

For a generation, now long gone, Reagan shed light on the hypocrisy of Big Government, with such ageless wit as:

“The terrifying nine words in the English language are, “I’m from the government, and I’m here to help,” and, “A government bureau is the closest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth."

The truth in these gems is irrefutable. The same folks that brought us such successful institutions as the IRS and the Postal Service are now going to cure our ills? When have you ever heard of a government program that went belly-up? Of course not,. Yet, we let politicians lie to us year-after-year with their promises of “temporary” spending bills. We forget the federal income tax began in 1913 as a “temporary” plan to pay for World War I. Reagan knew this political play-book of the left and communicated it directly to the people, often to the chagrin of the press (who thought they were the only voice), when he said:

"Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it."

Ronald Reagan believed in the power of the individual, individual liberties, individual freedoms, and individual responsibility. He empowered us with his words. He believed in the ability of individuals to achieve their own success without being dependent on the federal government.

Ronald Reagan didn’t believe in the government “stimulating” the economy. He believed that WE stimulate the economy:

"Government is not a solution to our problem, government is the problem."

Reagan was a master of using humor to communicate his view on the façade of big government with such zingers as:

"Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first."

Happy birthday, President Reagan! There are a lot of "hookers" in Washington, D.C. these days turning "tricks" on us. But there's no one like you around to keep them in check. We miss you!

Why Timothy Geithner Must Step-down from Treasury Secretary Post

Today, former South Dakota Senator Tom Daschle, who had been hand picked by President Obama to solve the nation's health care woes, resigned because of back-taxes he owed on undeclared income previously received. Daschle's tax bill, by some reports, ran as high as $144,000, and he knew about the tax in June of 2008. Daschle did the honorable thing, not in not paying the taxes, but by unselfishly taking himself out of consideration for the post of Secretary of Health and Human Services. In essence, he saved the administration further embarrassment and stopped what was likely to be, a very ugly nomination process.

While former Senator Daschle was busy doing the right thing, the nation's top tax-collector and tax cheat, Timothy Geithner, the newly appointed Treasury Secretary, was running around, "guilty as sin. . . free as a bird!"

Question for President Obama: How can you have the most ethical administration, as you promised, when you have a tax cheat as the person in charge of the IRS, the nation's tax-collection agency?

As most know by now, Geithner's tax problems weren't "innocent" slip-ups. He knowingly avoided paying taxes for four years, received extra money from his employer to pay them, signed a legal document stating that he would use the funds fronted him to pay the taxes, then pocketed the money instead! And, to make matters more deplorable, he only paid up ($34,000) AFTER learning of his appointment by President Obama!

If only the Democrats and the media were as hard on the Treasury Secretary as they were on "Joe the Plumber," who owed a much smaller amount, and doesn't portray himself as a "financial wizard."

What was the excuse the "financial wizard" gave for his knowingly avoiding taxes for several years? He blamed it on Turbo Tax! This genius, who was instrumental in creating TARP, needed Turbo Tax to do his taxes?

The circumstances are different, but it seems to me that the tax fraud of Mr. Geithner is much more egregious than that of Mr. Daschle. How are Americans supposed to feel compelled to comply faithfully with their personal income tax, when the nation's top tax collector is a tax cheat?

The one thing both the Daschle and Geithner tax schemes have in common: Neither were assessed penalties! Do you think if you or I, normal, average citizens, tried these shenanigans, that we'd get by without having penalties assessed? I don't think so. We'd be lucky not to be thrown in the slammer. Can you say Wesley Snipes?

It seems to me that Mr. Geithner owes both Mr. Snipes and Mr. Daschle an apology. Mr. Daschle did the right thing in stepping down. If President Obama is going to have an ethical administration, he must rid himself of this tax cheat. Timothy Geithner must resign or this administration will have no credibility. He will taint the entire administration.

ANNOUNCING: THE SOCIALIST FOOTBALL LEAGUE (SFL)

In the new Socialist Football League, led by the nation's first Football Czar, there will be a graduated "winner's" tax, equal to the number of points that the former victorious team would have won by, thus making each game to end with a tied final score, regardless of talent, effort, training, or coaching. All teams must play the equal amount of minutes, even if it means interrupting a long drive.

Offense must play 50% of the time and Defense must play 50% of the time. Anything over those percentages is considered overtime and will not be allowed. However, ACLU attorneys will be provided free of charge to settle any grievances over work hours.

The talent pool will be chosen from a pool of existing professional players, with all players being drafted at the same time, simultaneously, regardless of preference. New players in future years will come from an equal college draft, regardless of talent. All college players will be drafted in the first round, the only round permitted in the new SFL.

All teams must have a racial and sexual component that is equal to the exact national averages. Rounding up or down is not acceptable, as everyone knows that this will be used as a tool for general managers to show favoritism. If a player is of mixed heritage, they cannot play because they do not fit into the statistical averages. It makes calculating the math way too difficult for the Commissioner.

All players will be equal in pay, regardless of talent, performance, or effort. It is not fair that some players make more than others. Greed will not be tolerated.

Whenever a penalty is called on one team, the other team shall also receive the same penalty. This will end more favoritism by referees.

All players must run at the same speed during the game, as determined by the Commissioner. It is an unfair advantage that some players are faster than others.

Size is another issue of inequity in the "old league." It is not fair that some players are larger than others. All players must be the same height (6'0") and weight (200 lbs.) in order to guarantee fairness. For players of other sizes, they may begin their own league, or will be provided a guaranteed job in the league office.

If a player happens to be injured, he/she will receive free, league-sponsored, mental health counseling to assist the injured player with the emotional trauma caused by the player.

All contracts are guaranteed, and their will be no cuts, whatsoever. Gone are the days when evil, bigoted coaches ruled the lives of their players. All players will receive a "fair wage" and it will be the same across the board for all players regardless of talent, effort, training, or performance. "Social justice" will not just be some unachievable pipe dream. It will be mandatory!

Drug tests are hereby declared illegal. They have been shown to show bias towards certain players based on race and sexual orientation. This and all discrimination is now over in the new SFL.

While teams may have their own mascot and city representation, all uniforms must be pink, the new State color, in honor of our founder and Commissioner. This will do away with the preferences shown by fans to teams with "cooler" uniforms. All players must wear the same number, "00." Each player may have their own last name on the back of their pink (the color of pork) jersey.

All games will be played with the same number of fans, guaranteed by the league. Fan vouchers of $5 each will be awarded to each fan to assure equality of fan turnout. Fan Cheering Meters will monitor the sound waves from each side of the stadium to ensure that equal applause and cheering is taking place. It is not fair that teams have a "home-team advantage."

The championship game is hereby renamed "The Fairness Bowl." The participants in the game will be determined by their contributions to the Commissioner, B.N.N., however, the final score, after calculating the point tax, will end in a 0-0 tie, with both teams declared, "Equals! There will be no losers, but there will also be no winners. Now that's equality!