Author: Mark Noonan

Obamunism! Goldman Cuts Q3 and Q4 Growth Prediction

Mark Noonan33 Comments

From Zero Hedge:

…From a just released report by recent addition to the Goldman economics team (supposedly Jan was too busy elsewhere) Zach Pandl: “In light of the downshift in the data this week, we are cutting our second-half growth forecasts further. We now expect GDP growth of 1.0% in Q3 and 1.5% in Q4, both down from 2.0% previously. These changes reduce our forecasts for full-year 2011 GDP growth to 1.5% from…

This is very closing the barn door after the horse escaped – people who weren’t Ruling Class/Bankster cheerleaders made this sort of prediction months ago and some weeks ago moved towards figuring we’re already in a recession.  Goldman is just backing and filing and hoping that no one remembers that once upon a time they predicted strong growth in 2011.

The bottom line, though, is that the economy is clearly in a downward spiral.  Those still trying to keep faith in Hope and Change are saying that the recent stock market drop is based on “fear”, implying that rational people know that things aren’t so bad.  But, they are – it is fear moving the market down…fear of being the last fool out of the market.

We can expect, I believe, some gyrations in the market over the next couple months…maybe even as much as 10% swings either direction.  But the writing is on the wall: Obamunist Keynesianism has failed, just as predicted.  All that is left to do is beat Obama next year, and then pick up the economic pieces in 2013.

Poll: 49% of Latinos Support Obama

Mark Noonan5 Comments

From Newsmax:

Hispanic-Americans are souring on the Obama presidency, according to a Gallup poll that shows just 49 percent of them approve of his job performance.

That’s a huge decline since spring of 2009, when Obama registered the 85 percent approval among Latinos…

And now you know why Obama enacted amnesty by decree…he’s trying to shore that up because you can just about bet on it that if Obama only wins 49% of the Latino vote in 2012 he’ll be defeated.

Palin to Announce on the 3rd?

Mark Noonan28 Comments

From the Iowa Republican:

Although they claim to have no inside information, the volunteers that comprise Iowa’s Organize 4 Palin group are convinced the former Alaska Governor is running for President.  They also believe it is very likely she will announce her candidacy at a Tea Party event near Des Moines on September 3rd.

“It certainly makes a lot of sense for her to announce on that date,” said Richard Rogers, the 3rd District Co-Chair for Organize 4 Palin.  “It will be the third anniversary of her speech at the Republican National Convention.  That’s what launched her onto the national scene.  Announcing at that event would certainly be appropriate.  The timing is right.”…

They’ve had to move the event to a large venue because of the large crowd expected…and if she is going to run for President, this would be the place and time to do it.

 

Our Broken Police Forces

Mark Noonan15 Comments

Over at Huffington Post, Radley Balko covers a disturbing story:

Jose Guerena, a 26-year-old Marine and Iraq war veteran, was killed May 5 when a SWAT team broke into his home a little after 9:30 a.m. According to Guerena’s wife, Vanessa (who was home at he time, along with their 4-year-old son), Guerena thought the police were home invaders. He ushered his family into a closet, then grabbed a rifle. When the police battered down the door, they saw Guerena and his rifle, and opened fire. The SWAT team released 70 rounds. Guerena didn’t fire a shot; the safety of his rifle was still on.

Last week, Arizona attorney Chris Scileppi filed notice of a $20 million lawsuit against Pima County, Ariz., on behalf of Guerena’s family. The lawsuit provides a good opportunity to look back at what has happened since since the morning of May 5…

Do read the whole thing – because it does bring to my mind, at least, a question about the utility of “special forces” units in our local police forces.  Indeed, it brings up along with it a question about what the police are for, and how civilian control is to be effected.

This story is extra meaningful to me because we here in Las Vegas also had a case of police officers wantonly gunning down a military veteran of excellent character…and then we watched as the police slandered the dead man, and then used a rigged investigation system to ensure that no officer was called to account for his errors.  If even our military veterans aren’t safe from out of control police actions, whom among us is?  When will the heavy club of law enforcement fall upon us?  Whom among us has the resources to fend it off?

Keep in mind that I am pro-police.  As I stated in my linked article, the police do a job I am not good enough to do.  Those people who are dedicated police officers are better men and women than I could ever hope to be.  But a baleful spirit of careerism, bureaucratic infighting and union corruption has taken over all too many of our local police forces.  The good cops are powerless against these forces…the bad cops get to rule the roost because they have gained control of the levers of power.  And, so, when a SWAT team goes on a stupid raid which results in an innocent death, no one is called to account.  Time and time again we have all seen this.

To me, the reason we have things like SWAT but don’t have a cop on the beat is because of the bad influences which have taken over the police.  Rather than have armored, heavily armed combat forces which can come crashing through my door at 2 am, I’d rather have a patrolman walking my neighborhood at night.  The patrolman will ensure that no one is breaking in to my home, that the teenagers are off the streets at a reasonable hour and that there is thus no need for anyone out there to think that my door should be battered down.  Corrupt and bureaucratic police forces like flashy things like SWAT teams; they make it seem like the cops are doing something good, when all they are donig is wasting time and resources which should be spent on crime prevention.  Police forces made up of people dedicated to law enforcement and keeping the peace have cops on the beat, who know their neighborhoods…who is supposed to be there and when.  It isn’t as sexy as SWAT, but it gets the job done.

My view is that what is most needed is a re-assertion of civil control over the police as this will ensure that the police get back to business.  That is, get back to seeing their primary task as peace keeping…preventing crime, rather than investigating crimes after they have happened.  Making certain the crack house never gets started, rather than raiding a house with machine guns at the ready, even if they’ve got the wrong house.  To that end, in my linked article I suggested the Civil Review Board – a means whereby average citizens can submit complaints about the police without the police being able to stop  or control an investigation.  That, in and of itself, would go a long way towards fixing the police…the next step would be to find political leaders who would be willing to take on the police unions (who really drive the corruption) and force the law enforcement agencies to do what the people need, not what corrupt unions bosses want.

Among the many callings a person can have, being a police officer is one of the most honorable.  Done properly, it is the height of service – the definite willingness to show the greatest love of all: that of being ready to lay down one’s life for another.  The police should never lack for support – monetary and moral.  They do one of the dirtiest jobs in the world and all of us should be wary of second-guessing a police officer in the performance of his duty.  But the police must be what we need them to be – guardians of the peace in our communities, not armed forces using razzle-dazzle, super-cop nonsense to cover up incompetence.

The Necessity of Pushing Egypt Back in the Sinai

Mark Noonan24 Comments

The attack in to Israel which came by way of Gaza terrorists infiltrating from the Sinai indicates the true state of affairs in Egypt – a significant part of Egyptian authority is willing to aid terrorist attacks against Israel.  This new fact by itself nullifies the Israel-Egypt peace treaty – we’re essentially back to 1967.

The proper response by the Israelis would be to push the Egyptians back from the Gaza and Israeli borders – at least 25 miles so as to put southern Israel out of easy rocket/terrorist range.  This would also allow a complete sealing off of Gaza and that would eventually result in the terrorists in Gaza running out of ammunition.

Remember, the Israelis gave up the Sinai in order to have peace with Egypt – unless the southern border of Israel is 100% secure against attack, there is no reason for Israel to stay out of the Sinai.  And it is better to act now than wait for the Egyptian government to move major military forces in to the area.

Poll: 28% Conservative, 12% Liberal

Mark Noonan35 Comments

From Rasmussen:

…The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 28% of Likely Voters say they are both fiscal and social conservatives.  Just 12% say they are liberal in both areas, while 60% are some other combination…

That is about right – and it is why I hold the United States to be a center/right nation.  We can do ok with a center/left President like Clinton, but we can’t at all tolerate someone who is completely leftist, like Obama.  The mistake Obama and his Democrats  made in 2009 was to presume that America have shifted left when what really happened was just a rejection of a particular political party let by a particular President.  A rejection of Bush and the 2008 GOP by no means signaled a shift to the left in America.

But Obama and Co ran with it – and so we got disastrous policies and now an increasingly angered electorate which seems to be building itself up towards a gigantic rejection of all things liberal in 2012.

The really amazing thing is that Obama could have got 80% of what he wanted – and, perhaps, have shifted America a little further to the left than it had ever been before.  All he had to do was call in to his councils people like McCain and Snowe and he would have gotten a lot of things to please his base while also offering some things to his opposition.  But his attitude was “I won, so screw you” to the GOP and conservatism.

Ok, if that’s the way you want it…

Europe Goes in to Financial Crisis

Mark Noonan9 Comments

Not a good sign – from the AP:

European bank stocks tanked Thursday as fears mounted about their exposure to the region’s debt crisis and weakening economy.

The stock prices of Britain’s Barclays and France’s Societe Generale led the way down, falling 11.5 percent and 12 percent, respectively. Germany’s Commerzbank fell 10 percent.

Analysts said the plunge was partly a reaction to evidence that European banks are being forced to pay more for the short-term loans they need to finance day-to-day operations…

That means that credit is freezing up – no one wants to loan money because no one knows what comes next and better hold on to what you’ve got.  But, meanwhile, without easy access to short term loans, the financial system goes in to acute crisis.  And this financial crisis is starting to spread to US banks.  As Mish puts it:

The global financial system is bankrupt. There is no way loans that have been made can be paid back. That statement applies to the Eurozone, the US, the UK, China, Australia, Canada, and for that matter nearly everywhere one looks.

Perhaps something will be done to loosen things up – some more money printing by the European Central Bank, or the Federal Reserve, or maybe China will dip in to its foreign reserves and bail out the European banks.  But even if they nip it here, it just delays the inevitable.  Mish is right – the global financial system is bankrupt.  Fundamentally, a crash is the only way out – it will kill of that which must economically die and let us know which banks, if any, are solvent.  Once that is done, we can start to rebuild knowing where we stand.

His Majesty, Barry I, Proclaims Amnesty

Mark Noonan11 Comments

From the New York Times:

The Homeland Security Department said Thursday it will halt deportation proceedings on a case-by-case basis against illegal immigrants who meet certain criteria such as attending school, having family in the military or are primarily responsible for other family members’ care.

The move, announced in letters to Congress, won immediate praise from Hispanic activists and Democrats who had chided President Obama for months for the pace of deportations and had argued he had authority to exempt broad swaths of illegal immigrants from deportation…

Much easier than mucking about with all that tedious law, Constitution and Congress stuff…can’t get amnesty legally?  Then just say it is so…presto, there it is.

It doesn’t matter if someone has a job or is going to school – if they are here illegally, then deportation is the only way to go unless there is a clearly enacted law which says otherwise.  As long-time readers know, I am in favor of comprehensive immigration reform which would include an amnesty provision…but that is not what our laws provide for right now, so the only thing our chief law enforcement officer can do is deport.

But that doesn’t lock down a certain segment of the latino population for 2012.  And what is more important – enforcing the law, or getting re-elected?  I tell you, there was no chance Obama would do otherwise…because like all liberals, he hasn’t the foggiest notion of what law is, nor what constitutes tyranny.

2012 can’t get here fast enough…

Out: BusHitler – In: PerryNazi

Mark Noonan39 Comments

This didn’t take very long – from Hot Air:

…That link went to this piece by Texas liberal James “Bush’s Brain” Moore, who’s suddenly the hottest ticket in cable news for his willingness to tell panicky leftists that Perry will succeed in bringing about the wingnut apocalypse that Bush only dared dream of.  Why is utterly predictable hackery running in a slot that’s normally reserved for hard news? You already know why.

“When Bush came to Austin, he held private meetings with each of the 181 state senators and representatives from both parties. He asked them what their legislative agenda included, shared what was on his radar and discussed how they might work together. An astonishing notion, cooperation, but in politics common sense often passes for genius.

Perry, though, was having none of that stinking compromise and kumbaya business. A coalition of hard-right conservatives had taken control of the Legislature, and they weren’t interested in a governor who cut deals. But they didn’t have to push Perry to the right-hand edge of their flat earth; he bravely led them…”

It was predicted when Perry announced on Saturday that the MSM/DNC would start generating stories about how nice and reasonable President Bush was…nothing like this insane, bitter-clinger Rick Perry.  Only took four days for the prediction to come true.  You just watch – even on little, old Blogs for Victory I bet our parrot-like liberals will start saying that they respected Bush, ’cause he wasn’t a complete fruitcake like Perry and the rest we’ve got in 2012.  All that Chimpy McSmirk BusHitler from 2001-09 is down the Memory Hole.

It is a bit of a twist – usually, liberals only like dead conservatives.  After Goldwater died, they suddenly loved him.  After Reagan died, they suddenly loved him.  I wasn’t figuring on seeing the “gee, Bush was a wise and reasonable conservative” for at least 30 or 40 years. Time compresses…we’re living very fast.  By the time Bachmann is sworn in, I expect liberal puff pieces telling us how they wished we knuckle-dragging Bible-thumpers had elected someone reasonable, like Sarah Palin…