Fiscal Crisis 101

Posted on July 26, 2011

When most of us hear the word “trillions” our eyes glaze over. It’s hard to get your head around numbers that high. We know the national debt is totally out-of-control. But just how bad is it?
 
Here’s a great way to explain exactly what we’re faced with (courtesy of Gary McNamara at the Midnight Trucking Network). By dropping a bunch of zeros, this illustration presents a much more manageable scenario – in terms of an individual budget . The figures represent the President’s last counter offer to the GOP. Pretend this is your personal financial situation…
 
Let’s say for instance:
 

• You make $22k a year (government tax revenue this year $2.2 trillion)
• You’re spending $37k (government spending this year $3.7 trillion)
• You have already run up your credit cards and other debt to $144k (national debt $14.4 trillion)

 
Wow – better get things under control!
 

• So you’ve decided to get a part time job that will make you an extra $1500 per year (1.5 trillion in new tax increases – corporate jet tax = $30 of that)
• Now you’ll be making a total of $23.5k per year
• You have also agreed to reduce the rate of your future spending by $3k (Obama’s proposal to reduce the rate of growth by $3 trillion)
• You’re not actually going to reduce spending from your current $37k, but you were going to spend $43k; so your new plan will be to only spend $40k

 
Problem:

In 18 months your debt will have grown from $144k to $168k. In ten years you will owe more than $260k and that is only if you receive substantial raises (Obama budget predicts large growth in the next ten years which many economist say is unrealistic)
Finally, in order to be “responsible”, you will take out the credit cards and loans using you children and grandchildren’s names because you know you won’t be able to pay off the balances in your lifetime

 
Conclusion:

Your plan sucks! Bigtime!

 
Forget all this useless political posturing, name-calling and finger pointing (and Obama’s child-like demand for “fairness”). The federal government has spent our country to brink of bankruptcy! Without drastic spending cuts, and serious economic growth – we’re doomed.
 

Posted in Unvarnished | 1 Comment

Happy Birthday Constantino Brumidi!

Posted on July 26, 2011

Who? I know. I’d never heard of him either until I happened upon a story at AwesomeStories (a site that provides primary source information for educators).
 
Constantino Brumidi, born in Rome (July 26, 1805 – February 19, 1880) to Greek/Italian parents, was an historical painter who became a naturalized American citizen in 1852.
 

A master of creating the illusion of three-dimensional forms and figures on flat walls, Brumidi painted frescoes and murals throughout the Capitol from 1855 until his death. The canopy fresco, his most ambitious work at the Capitol, was painted in eleven months at the end of the Civil War, soon after the new dome was completed, for $40,000.

U.S. Capitol Rotunda Fresco – Constantino Brumidi in 1865

 

Suspended 180 feet above the Rotunda floor, “The Apotheosis of Washington” covers an area of 4,664 square feet. The figures, up to 15 feet tall, were painted to be intelligible from close up as well as from 180 feet below. Some of the groups and figures were inspired by classical and Renaissance images, especially by those of the Italian master Raphael.

 
So now you know. Pretty awesome huh? Thank you Constantino!

Posted in Comfort & Joy | Leave a comment

Dishonest Obe

Posted on July 25, 2011

Joseph Curl at the Washington Times details how the President’s varied versions of the debt negotiations just don’t square with reality: Is Obama a pathological liar?. In a word – Yes.

In the weird world that is Washington, men and women say things daily, hourly, even minutely, that they know deep down are simply not true. Inside the Beltway, we all call those utterances “rhetoric.”
 
But across the rest of the country, plain ol’ folk call ‘em lies. Bald-faced (even bold-faced) lies. Those folks have a tried-and-true way of determining a lie: If you know what you’re saying is patently false, then it’s a lie. Simple.

Curl’s article reveals the fiction vs. facts.
 
Obama has frequently been likened to Abraham Lincoln by his adoring fans. But the the contrast between Honest Abe and “Dishonest Obe” (as Rush calls him) is stunning.
 

Posted in Mendacity | Leave a comment

Record-Breaking Heat?

Posted on July 24, 2011


Is the latest heat wave sweeping the country breaking all kinds of records? Well no, that’s just the main stream media narrative.
 
Check out Noel Sheppard’s post at Newsbusters: Media Myth Debunked: Almost No Temperature Records Broken in Last Week’s ‘Record-Breaking Heat’.
 

…according to the National Climatic Data Center, and marvelously reported by the Hockey Schtick Sunday, almost no temperature records were actually broken…

 
But why worry about the facts when you’ve got an agenda to push?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Climate Depot has a much firmer grasp on reality.

Posted in MSM Malpractice, Unvarnished | Leave a comment

Real Hate

Posted on July 24, 2011

Because the Left is either disinclined or incapable of maintaining civility in any debate over social or political ideals, they always seem to be projecting their anger onto Conservatives. The Right is labled “hateful” – yet it’s the Left that’s actually displaying more and more of that emotion. As Andrew Klavan points out in Reality Time:
 

…the leftists of the so-called mainstream media regularly twist themselves into knots to make conservative speech sound hateful while ignoring the routine and open hatefulness that permeates the speech on their side and theirs alone.

 

Their ugliness seems to be escalating day by day, and with it the dishonesty, distortions, and bullying anger of their mainstream-media fellow travelers.

 
Klavan speculates that the Left’s tantrums are intensifying due to their frustration with “the One”, on whom they’d staked all their “hope”. And that they’re increasingly angry at the failure of Obamatopia to materialize.
 
Unfortunately for the civil society they express that rage by lashing out at us.
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On the plus side, Bill Mahers’ further decline into filth will save me $15.00 a month; I’m finally cancelling our HBO subscription!
 

Posted in Cultural Erosion, Good vs.Evil, Unvarnished | 1 Comment

Gang of Glittering Gays

Posted on July 23, 2011

Wasn’t this special? A self-described “Barbarian Horde” descended on Marcus Bachmann’s counseling center in Minnesota this past Thursday (July 21st) gaily flinging glitter around the reception area. The Blaze has a video if you want to watch the “festivities”.
 

Dr. Bachmann, Michelle’s husband, operates the center which, as part of its services, provides so-called gay reparative therapy to homosexuals who believe they can change (but only at the request of his patients).
 
So of course the ever-tolerant MSM and LGBT-rights activists must portray him as a villain. It’s all part of what OneNewsNow calls the media’s anti-Bachmann ‘scorched earth policy’. And the hypocrisy of the Left.
 
If these were really the secure, self-respecting adults they want us to believe they are, why would they resort to such intolerant childish behavior? We’re always hearing about “bullying” in our public schools, much of it reportedly targeting gays.
And yet the gays themselves have no problem bullying anyone who doesn’t agree with them.
Well, at least they’re all set for Halloween.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here’s some real Truth about the LGBT Agenda: Mass Resistance
 

Posted in Arrested Development, Cultural Erosion, MSM Malpractice | Leave a comment

Saturday Shorts 7-23-11

Posted on July 23, 2011

Random links of interest, concern or curiosity from the past week or so, that deserve at least a SHORT mention:

 
Roads to Ruin: Towns Rip Up the Pavement ~ How bad is the Economy? Across rural America asphalt’s being replaced by cheaper gravel; ‘Back to Stone Age’ .
 
Popular Campus Crusade for Christ to Drop ‘Crusade’ and ‘Christ’ from Name ~ Because switching from “Campus Crusade for Christ” to “CRU” will “increase relevance and global effectiveness.”
“For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” ~ Mark 8:38
 
Avoid Harry Potter & Witchcraft ~ Food for thought. I’m not sure the Harry Potter books are “evil”. But they do seem likely to open the door to the “dark side” for anyone who might be tempted in that direction.
 
Can You Pass Harvard’s 1869 Entrance Exam? ~ I’ll answer that question for all of us…no. 🙂 OK, there are probably a few math whizzes who can ace that part of the test. But Latin and Greek – history and language?! No way. Go ahead – give it a shot!
 
The tragic reality of euthanasia ~ I like to keep tabs on cultural trends in Canada – and Europe – because sooner or later the destructive ones seem to make their way to the U.S.. This growing “assisted suicide” movement isn’t looking good in the Netherlands where: almost 500 people are killed annually without their consent – or Belgium, where: a 2010 study found that in the Flemish part of the country, 32% of euthanasia cases were carried out without request or consent.
What happens if that whole end-of-life-discussion thing worms its way back into Obamacare?
 
Shock Study: U.S. Flag Only Boosts GOP ~ Great news: “A single exposure to an American flag resulted in a significant increase in participants’ Republican voting intentions, voting behavior, political beliefs, and implicit and explicit attitudes, with some effects lasting 8 months,” the study found.

Fly those flags baby!
 

Posted in Everything Else | Leave a comment

Dodd-Frank Debacle

Posted on July 22, 2011

Remember how Big Brother crammed through the Dodd-Frank “financial reform” (2000+ pages!) legislation a year ago, under the guise of protecting the public from evil banking institutions? Remember how it totally ignored Fannie & Freddie which actually caused the mortgage crisis and severely damaged the economy?
 

Despite much rhetoric about ending bailouts, the bill does nothing to address Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, two of the largest recipients of federal bailout money. These two government-sponsored enterprises, now in federal receivership, helped fuel the housing bubble. When it popped, taxpayers found themselves on the hook for some $150 billion in bailout money. The failure to address their future is a serious error and shows just how hollow are claims that this agreement will prevent future crises.

 
Common sense, and decades of experience with “progressive reforms”, told us that Dodd-Frank was just another grab for more federal control over the private sector. The bill even managed to sneak in $20 billion in tax hikes – which consumers will get to absorb as usual. And since it’s “notably short on specifics, giving regulators significant power to determine its impact… this law is going to be continually rewritten by federal bureaucrats for years to come.” Terrific!
 
President Obama signed this bloated mess into law on July 21, 2010. How’s it working out so far? Check out Rep. Ed Royce’s article at Heritage Network, “Dodd-Frank; One Year Later”:
 

Upon passage of the financial reform bill, then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said, “This is the next critical step forward in an effort to rebuild our economy.” This type of political hubris is reminiscent of what economist Friedrich Hayek referred to as the fatal conceit. Unemployment still stands above 9 percent, business confidence is in the tank and economic growth remains stagnant.

 
And Fannie & Freddie need another bailout! Reuters reported on May 9, 2011:

Mortgage finance giant Fannie Mae (FNMA.OB) on Friday said it would ask for an additional $8.5 billion from taxpayers as it continues to suffer losses on loans made prior to 2009.

See: “Who’s Up For Another Fannie Mae Bailout?” at Michelle Malkin’s site
 
Michelle just posted an even more depressing piece today: Dodd-Frank: The Beltway Industry Full-Time Employment Act Ugh!
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If we ever get responsible conservatives running things in D.C., repeal of this nightmare legislation has to be a priority!

Posted in Mendacity, Unvarnished | 1 Comment

The Undefeated

Posted on July 21, 2011

Can’t get to Texas to see “The Undefeated” at the moment? Let’s get them to bring it to a theater here in Michigan!
 

Posted in Comfort & Joy | Leave a comment

Delightful Design

Posted on July 21, 2011

I guess the Parrot Flower email has been making the rounds for years, but I must have missed it. Apparently people initially thought it was a hoax but no, it’s just extremely rare:

A balsam, Impatiens psittacina is a very rare impatiens species discovered and identified to botanical world in 1901 by botanist E.D. Hooker. The species grows in the wild in a small region of north Thailand (near Chiang Mai), Burma, and in the north-east Indian state of Manipur. It is called the parrot flower because its flower bears a resemblance to a parrot in flight when viewed from the side.


 
Quick quiz for Darwinians:
Did the flower evolve from the parrot?
Or did the parrot evolve from the flower?
Or is our God just an awesome designer?
 

[Hat tip: Uncle Glenn]

 

Posted in Comfort & Joy | Leave a comment

When the “Eagle” landed

Posted on July 20, 2011

July 20th, 1969.
I’ll never forget where I was 42 years ago today; sitting at a picnic table with family and friends in a Durango, CO campground. Almost spellbound, our gazes shifted between the 8 inch black and white T.V. screen in front of us – to the white globe floating in the night sky above us – and back again –
 

The Eagle had landed – and Neil Armstrong was walking on the moon!
 
How cool was that!
 
I don’t remember any rousing shouts of “USA USA” – more just a sense of awe that the seemingly impossible had been accomplished. It was a moment that represented all the best human qualities; imagination, inventiveness, perseverance, hope, confidence, courage.
 
In addition to the American flag, Apollo 11 left behind a plaque on the moon:
 

HERE MEN FROM THE PLANET EARTH
FIRST SET FOOT UPON THE MOON
JULY 1969, A.D.
WE CAME IN PEACE FOR ALL MANKIND

 
Not just an American moment – a human moment. And truly inspiring.
 

Today I’m wondering what young Barry Soetoro was doing on July 20th, 1969. At that time he was living in Indonesia with his (“free spirit”/Muslim/atheist) stepfather and his loony-leftie mother and would have been just shy of his 8th birthday. What was he feeling about that “giant leap for mankind”?
 
I can’t really speculate but I doubt that he sensed anything like the wonder and amazement most of us experienced as witnesses to that milestone in human history. Raised with a skewed world-view, I don’t think he had much exposure to the noble side of human nature.
 
Unfortunately for us, Barry – now Barack – brought his false belief system into the White House with him. And set himself on a relentless mission to destroy our hope and faith in American traditions; everything good, decent, honorable – and awe-inspiring about this country. Including;
 
• the military
• the Constitution
• and NASA.
 
Barry’s “inspiration” came not from optimism in the better side of human nature, but from a vision of utopia which can never be realized without the iron fist of big government beating humans into submission to change their nature.
Barack is now imposing that destructive vision on us.
 
One giant leap…backwards.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Related sites:
Save Manned Space
Space policy and the Constitution

Posted in Fruits of Their Labors, Timeless Principles | 2 Comments

Cut~Cap~Balance – Keep the pressure on!

Posted on July 20, 2011

“We must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt.”
~ Thomas Jefferson, letter to Samuel Kercheval, 12 July 1816 ~
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It’s great to see that the House of Representatives actually passed the Cut Cap & Balance Act with a vote of 234 to 190. (Why did Michelle Bachmann vote “no”?! Update – She took a pledge not to raise the debt ceiling. Integrity. OK then. We didn’t need her vote to get it passed.) But that’s just one small battle – the war for fiscal responsibility continues.
 
The Senate’s proposals are all basically worthless as Heritage Network’s Foundry reports:

A group of U.S. Senators called the Gang of Six has cobbled together the third Senate-originated half-baked idea this week that would lead to hiking the debt limit. All three Senate approaches — the McConnell Plan, the McConnell-Reid “Just Borrow More” Plan, and now the Gang of Six “Maybe Later in the Year” Plan — have one thing in common: procedural gimmicks that promise Congress will do in the future what it won’t do now to control spending. The time has passed for procedural gimmickry — Congress should cut spending and cut it now.

 
Any attempt to raise the debt ceiling without significant budget cuts at this point is unacceptable and totally irresponsible. Although the self-styled aristocrats in the Senate will in all likelihood vote the CC&B plan down, it’s still important that “We the People” let them know we want it passed.
 

 
Here or here are lists of all Congressional members by state. I plan on contacting Michigan’s two doofus – ah – Democrat Senators again to remind them that the “governed” no longer consent to this out-of-control debt.
Also, if your rep voted for the plan you might want to thank them for doing the right thing. Here’s the House roll call on the vote.
 

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“If you are going through hell, keep going.”
~ Winston Churchill ~

Posted in Timeless Principles, Unvarnished | Leave a comment