A new poll from Rasmussen:

Most New Jersey voters continue to approve of new Governor Chris Christie’s job performance despite the continued finger-pointing over who’s to blame for a mix-up that appears to have cost the state $400 million in federal education funds.

A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in New Jersey finds that 57% approve of the job Christie is doing as governor. Forty-three percent (43%) disapprove…

Faced with one of the more liberal electorates of the nation in a State with a bloated government sector and thus a massive, built-in constituency for Big Government, Christie has shown that if you stick to your guns, do what is right and fight hard, then the people will swing behind you. For decades we’ve been told that the people only want other peoples’ programs cut, but not their own…Christie is showing that the people are not as stupid and greedy as Ruling Class pundits would have us believe. When faced with hard times and when they have leadership which tells the truth, the people come through.

Now, if we could just be sure the whole GOP is paying attention and will do the right thing in 2011…

From Bloomberg:

Stocks slid, while Greek, Portuguese and Irish bonds tumbled, gold rose to a record and the yen surged to a 15-year high versus the dollar on concern Europe’s debt crisis will worsen. U.S. and German bonds rallied…

The European Union put a borrowed-money band-aid on the Greek bond crisis (as well as a few other weak sisters in the EU) and that got them past the crisis of the Spring…but the only actual fix, short of default, would be a massive creation of new wealth in Greece and the rest of the European Union. Problem – all that debt, and especially the issuance of new debt to cover the old, ensures that no matter what else happens, wealth creation will slip (you see, when the government borrows money, it means that much less money for the private economy to expand and create new business…I know this bit of info will shock our liberals, but the truth has to be faced eventually, even by them…).

We can expect over the next few months – and it might end up being the next few weeks, depending on how bad thing really are – that the EU will try expedient after expedient to bridge the gap. But the problem will just remain – too much debt being serviced by too little wealth. Eventually, it all has to come crashing down – eventually, that is, Greece and a few other EU nations (Spain, Ireland, Portugal and, perhaps, Italy) will have to default on all or part of their debt. And that will be all she wrote for the European economy for at least a few years as capital dries up and governments are forced to severely pare back spending.

Our problem is this – we’re only a few years behind Greece in this debacle. We have until about 2015 to get our own house in order. If we do, then we’ll still have a hard time, but not a complete collapse. If we don’t, then we’ll have national bankruptcy and some form of default – and a ten year period of economic pain which will make the 30’s look like a picnic in comparison. We can dodge the worst of it – if we do the right thing.

Now, will we?

From the AP:

A week after conceding the tight GOP primary to Joe Miller, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski says she’s not a quitter and is “still in this game.”

Murkowski told The Associated Press on Tuesday that she’s been inundated with calls and e-mails from supporters and overwhelmed by people just coming up to her, asking her not to leave the race. She said she had been ready to consider her future outside the Senate on Aug. 31, when she conceded, but has been humbled by the outpouring from Alaskans, is listening and weighing her options…

Yeah, I’m sure you’ve got a flood of calls, Senator – after all, the people of Alaska just can’t get enough of political barnacles who don’t know when its time to leave. That’s why you went from 40 points ahead to a narrow loss in a battle with a man nobody knew a month ago.

What we’ve got here is a member of the Ruling Class who can’t believe that the party is over – and, of course, she’s going to be easily played by Democrats…who know that if she runs as a Third Party, she’ll either split the GOP vote and allow a Democrat to squeak in (thus possibly saving the Senate for the Democrats), or she’ll manage to pull it off, and thus start caucusing with the Democrats (once again, just possibly saving the Senate for them). All she’s have to do is sell her soul – take all that support and devotion she’s received from the Republican party over the years and throw it in the toilet…

She can do as she wishes. I’m betting that, in the end, the people of Alaska would see right through such a move and still elect Miller. But if it comes out otherwise (Democrat or turncoat winning), then that is ok, too – we’ll change the result in 2016, and one political barnacle hanging on this November won’t change the march of revolutionary change. It is precisely this sort of cynical, political gamesmanship that we’re all disgusted with – having someone prove it to us and provide us a poster child about it will just make it all the better, in the long run.

As our Democrats won’t fight against it (because they benefit from it), people have taken a hand in getting the laws enforced:

As the saying goes: if you want a job done right, you have to do it yourself. If Americans don’t want dead and ineligible felons participating in elections, they will have to clean up the mess themselves, as Attorney General Eric Holder won’t do his job by enforcing the integrity protections in the “Motor Voter” law passed in 1993…

The author, J. Christian Adams, points out that Holder’s “Justice” Department has decided not to enforce “Section 8” of the Motor-Voter law – the part that deals with keeping the voter rolls clear of dead and otherwise ineligible voters. Why would this be? Because Obama’s people are not interested in clean voter rolls – such things make it hard to stuff ballot boxes and thus hard to steal elections (as they did in Washington State in 2004 and in Minnesota in 2008…and almost did in Florida in 2000).

Adams has notified 16 States that they are not in compliance with the provisions of Motor-Voter – and thus sets the stage for legal action to force them to obey. This is vital – a democratic form of government can only work when people have faith in the voting process. Democrats don’t care about such things – being only interested in protecting their power and wealth, they don’t care how they get in to power…nor do they think about the future…only victory right now matters. If the system collapses, they are more than happy to take advantage of that, too…the nation can die, as long as Democrats win one more election.

We, the people, must back these grass roots efforts to clean up our electoral system – the future of American liberty hangs in the balance. Additionally, if we are awarded power by the people this November, we must make investigation of voter fraud a high priority – as well as enacting laws to require picture ID at polling places, as well as other means to ensure that only eligible voters cast ballots.

News to make a liberal depressed: Just click on that and note that Rasmussen has the GOP up by 12, Fox News by 9, and CNN by 7. No matter how you slice it, all the polling is indicating continuing and increasing GOP strength headed in to the main campaign season.

How can the Democrats change the dynamic? Well, Obama’s plan is to call for more stimulus spending – ’cause that worked so well and its clearly what all those TEA Party activists really want. And at least Obama has a plan – Congressional Democrats are in hiding and just hoping to hold on to 218 House and 50 Senate seats. As one pundit put it on the radio – the Democrats now have two months to capture bin Laden.

Know what? I don’t think even that would work – I think that the die is cast, and retribution is coming.

From the Wall Street Journal:

The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan said the planned burning of Qurans on Sept. 11 by a small Florida church could put the lives of American troops in danger and damage the war effort.

Gen. David Petraeus said the Taliban would exploit the demonstration for propaganda purposes, drumming up anger toward the U.S. and making it harder for allied troops to carry out their mission of protecting Afghan civilians…

Which is all very true, I suspect. I also doubt the wisdom, in the largest sense, of burning a book considered holy by some people. I certainly don’t like it when someone desecrates the symbols of Christianity – especially the wild abandon some on the left have about desecrating specifically Catholic things.

And yet, Moslems will burn our flag at the drop of a hat. They’ll desecrate not just the symbols of Christianity, but even a Christian church for no reason at all. Christians are routinely brutalized in Moslem countries for no reason other than the fact they are Christians. There is no insult to my religion and my nation which Moslems won’t engage in – no lie about my government, my President (current or past) or our allies that Moslems won’t spread. Given immense provocation, I still say, no, we won’t utterly destroy Islam. But I’m supposed to ensure that no person in my nation offers any insult – as determined by Moslems – to Islam?

I don’t think so.

I’m tired of this speaking with baited breath as if Moslems are our masters and we are their docile slaves, free only to speak and do as they bid. Love I can give, even to my enemies; respect I can offer, even if they aren’t particularly respectable; tolerance I am all in favor of – but I won’t curb myself or my fellow citizens because Moslems demand it. If the burning of a Koran causes hurt feelings in Islam, then that is just too bad – perhaps it might make some of them think of the hurt feelings (to say the least) among those who have had family members blown to bits, beheaded or otherwise cruelly used by Islamist terrorists, with hardly a peep of protest out of the great masses of the Moslem people.

If anyone is Islam expects me to crawl, they will disappointed. I hope, too, that everyone will stand up and say, enough. It is time for the Moslem world to cease playing the victim, cease winking an eye at the cowardly acts of terrorists and stop blaming the world for problems in the Moslem world which are the sole result of cowardice, greed and apathy among Moslems.

UPDATE: Jonah Goldberg over at NRO’s The Corner takes issue with the actual desire to burn a Koran. He’s 100% correct in the particulars, but like most commentators on this issue, he’s missing the larger point. Why are we seeing people so strongly urging that the parish in Florida not burn a Koran? Because we fear a violent reaction on the part of Moslem people. Fear – even if not acknowledged or fully understood – is what is motivating the condemnations.

I refuse to bow to fear of what some Islamo-fascists might do. I’m no longer even remotely concerned about the tender feelings of the Moslem world – not until a Christian can hold his head up high in the Moslem world will I be concerned about how Moslems feel. Its a two way street – I won’t blow them up; I won’t behead them; I will treat them with respect and if there’s a natural disaster in Islam I’ll be first to advocate aid…but I’m not going to tremble over what they’ll do if offended by the actions of someone in the West. This has to stop, and I mean right now – not some time down the road if Moslems suddenly feel like being nice to us.

UPDATE II: Hartford, CT city council to demonstrate that they are ready, willing and able to be slaves.

Wasn’t the definition of insanity to do the same thing over and over and expect a different result? From the AP:

A combative President Barack Obama rolled out a long-term jobs program Monday that would exceed $50 billion to rebuild roads, railways and runways, and coupled it with a blunt campaign-season assault on Republicans for causing Americans’ hard economic times…

And, Barry, haven’t you figured out by now that rabid attacks on the GOP just are cutting any ice with the American people these days? You tried it with ObamaCare and Cap and Trade, and that backfired…which one of the White House staffers said, “hey, Mr President, just insult them one more time, and all will be well”? That’s the guy you want to fire, by the way.

Another thing – this $50 billion, its for roads and infrastructure, right? Even supposing last bit of stimulus worked, wasn’t it supposed to be for roads and infrastructure? What happened to all the previous money? I’ve seen a “we’re the government and we’re helping you” sign with your brand on it on a road for the past year and not a bit of work being done – did we blow all the cash on the signs? How much did we pay for them? Was the manufacturer a donor?

How about this – do you realize you were elected President of the United States? No, seriously – remember that thing back on January 20th, 2009? President Bush was there. Supreme Court guys? All the crowds cheering you and littering the Mall? That, believe it or not, was when you became President. Yes, of the United States of America. This means you’ve got some responsibility – to do the right thing; to think about things; to not blame others; to not insult the more than half the American people now doubting your worldview.

You might want to consider taking this seriously and not, apparently, as a mere backdrop for the next volume of your best-selling memoirs.

Monumentally stupid – from the Financial Times:

The eurozone debt crisis is about to enter a critical phase as governments prepare to step up borrowing in the capital markets to fund their faltering economies.

Some strategists are warning that some of the weaker economies could fail to raise the amount of money they need as eurozone governments attempt to issue double the amount of debt this month compared with August…

The debt is the problem, and here come the governments of Europe with their “solution”: More Debt! It really can’t get any more through-the-looking-glass than this. These are people – the European elites – who are just blindly stumbling around, clueless as to their peril.

Our problem – a lot of our ruling elites are just as stupid. We simply must make major changes in November.

Fred Bauer over at A Certain Enthusiasm suggests that the West Virginia Senate race might be a good place for the TEA Party to expend some effort:

…While West Virginia hasn’t elected a Republican to the Senate in over 50 years, it is a state that has begun to move toward the Republicans. Even though Manchin is trying to portray himself as a moderate or even conservative Democrat, Republicans could successfully tie him to the national Democratic party (including his backing of Obamacare).

In short, this race could be an uphill battle, but it is definitely winnable for the GOP…

Bauer noted earlier that the most recent polling shows Republican John Raese gaining on Manchin – and, I agree, this is an excellent opportunity for the GOP. And for the whole TEA Party/grassroots/revolutionary effort. Taking Ted’s seat away from the Democrats was the signal for the revolt – taking Byrd’s seat away would be an excellent seal on the changed political battleground.

And, even if we end up losing, by forcing the Democrats to expend money on a seat they thought safe will just make them more vulnerable elsewhere. The edifice begins to crack – everyone attack, everywhere and all the time.

A prayer for workers:

O God, the Creator of all things, You have laid the law of labor upon the human race. Grant, we beseech You, that by the example and protection of St. Joseph we may perform the work You command and attain to the reward that You promise. Through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

On this Labor Day, especially, let us call to mind and offer our prayers for those who labor – and those who are unable to do so because of the difficulties of our economy. God grant that these bad times pass speedily away, and that we all endure them in good cheer and with loving generosity for those who are worst affected.