Author: Mark Noonan

When Britain Had Courage

Mark Noonan60 Comments

We got this:

Now we get a supine population being roughed up by welfare bums.

You know something, I’ve never actually owned a gun.  Always figured that enough of my fellow citizens had them to ensure a general defense against riot.  But now I’m going to buy one.  To all the barbarians out there – you go ahead and start a riot in my town, we’ll have words.

Civilization stands on the edge of destruction – the once-great nation of Britain, which used to boast that it never had and never shall lie at the proud foot of a conqueror, is dying.  This is the left wants for us, too…a disarmed, cowardly and government-dependent serfdom, while barbarians prowl unchecked.  Not for me – my America shall live, even if it requires the shedding of barbarian and patriot blood.

Sen. Toomey to the Debt Committee

Mark Noonan14 Comments

From NRO’s The Corner:

Sen. Pat Toomey (R., Pa.), who found out this morning that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) had selected him to serve on the congressional “super-committee,” said he “very strongly hopes” the panel can reach an agreement to avoid triggering the fallback measure that includes deep cuts to defense spending. In order for that to happen, Toomey told reporters on a conference call Wednesday, both parties will have to compromise. “If this committee is going to be successful, it absolutely has to have bipartisan support,” he said. “That’s how it was set up. This has to be done in a cooperative fashion.”

The freshman senator and former Club for Growth president said his “guiding principles” on the committee will be “the twin goals of reducing the deficit and continuing to promote economic growth.” To that end, he hopes to reform the tax code in order to broaden the base while lowering rates and growing the economy. “That will also generate more revenue,” he said. “A stronger economy always does.”…

Toomey is an excellent choice and, also, a pledge to the TEA Party and conservatism in general that they have a voice in this committee.  Do read the whole linked article as Toomey lays out an excellent vision of what this committee can and should accomplish.  If good will and public spirit can accomplish anything, then Toomey will do it.

On the other hand, the purpose of the committee – as far as Democrats are concerned – is to cut defense and ratify tax hikes (especially on those “millionaires and billionaires” who make $200,000.00 a year).  Failing that, the Democrats’ hope that a smash up of the committee can be blamed on the Republicans and be used as part of the overall “smear and fear” campaign they are planning for 2012 (very telling is Reid’s selection of Sen. Murray for the committee – she is chair of the Democrat Senatorial Campaign Committee…in other words, the Democrat Senator with the most vested interest in playing pure politics on the committee).  In short, while Toomey wants to do what is right, Democrats want to claw on to power…it’ll make for an interesting battle.

At the end of it, either Toomey’s spirit of patriotic compromise will prevail, or the whole thing will blow up…but if the Republicans on the committee hang tough on core principals (genuine spending reduction and tax reform which doesn’t punish the middle class nor destroy wealth creation), then the blow up will be right in the Democrats’ face.  Fundamentally, the American people are on the side of reasonable compromise to reduce spending and grow the economy…that is what they want, and that is what the GOP must stand for.  If Democrats sabotage it then the people will see right through that…and only if the GOP caves in and goes along will we be blamed for any failure.

We are at a crossroads for our nation – between now and November of 2012 we will decide if we remain a great, free and prosperous nation, or if we are to sink in to decline and eventual destruction.  Each step we take must be informed by a genuinely patriotic desire to do what is best for America…in this, there is a time to fight it out in the trenches, and a time to seek reasonable compromise.  The opening of the debt committee is the time for reasonable compromise.  The Democrats will, I am certain, reject this course…but let them do it, first…then we’ll have the approval of the American people to get down and dirty with them.

Democrats Refuse to Admit Defeat…

Mark Noonan11 Comments

…or go within a country mile of sanity.  They’re at it again, now working on a recall effort against Governor Walker.  From Hot Air:

You’ve got to chase your dreams. Ahab had Moby Dick, Javert had Valjean, and these tools have a guy whose collective bargaining bill is a fiscal success even according to Milwaukee’s favorite newspaper.

Can we get them to flush a bunch of money down the toilet next year that might otherwise go towards reelecting Barack Obama in a crucial swing state? Yes, we can.

“‘If we can do all of this against entrenched Republicans on their own turf, imagine our success … when all of Wisconsin can have its voice heard on Gov. Walker’s extreme, divisive agenda,’ Wisconsin state party chairman Mike Tate wrote in a memo to reporters Wednesday…'”

W. C. Fields once said that if at first you don’t succeed; try, try again.  And then quit.  No sense being a damn fool about it.  Our Democrats seem determined on being the fool.

They just spent $30 million to win two State legislative seats, one of which was held by a man who got himself mired in a sex scandal.  What’s next?  $60 million to try and bounce Walker from the governorship?  Goodness, even if they did it, if the GOP controls the legislature then a Democrat governor still wouldn’t be able to undo Walker’s reforms.  Furthermore, as Walker’s reforms are starting to take hold, all of the news is good (late breaking good news for Walker probably saved one or two of the GOP seats on Tuesday) – for Wisconsin’s budget, for Wisconsin’s taxpayers, for Wisconsin’s schools…for all aspects of Wisconsin life, except for corrupt union bosses and their bought Democrat politicians.  By the time the Democrats could get a recall off the ground against Walker (I understand that under Wisconsin law they couldn’t try until some time in 2012) things might be going so well that Walker is politically bullet proof.

I do appreciate the appeal to the voters aspect of this – something all too often absent from the left.  But the purpose of recall is not just to undo every election you don’t like, but to remove from office those politicians who prove egregiously corrupt or entirely out of tune with what they ran on.  Democrats are just throwing a temper tantrum here…

But, by all means, have at it…each cent spent on a quixotic attack against Walker is one cent less Barry and the Boys will have to stave off disaster in 2012.

Obama Goes on Vacation

Mark Noonan16 Comments

From Zero Hedge:

We bring you this special announcement courtesy of the White House which has informed that American plebs that following a fantastic job well done, in which the market is now back to pre-QE2 levels, unemployment is near record highs, delays for presidential press meetings compare with Newark airplane take offs, pessimism is at record highs, America’s credit rating has just been downgraded, the country was nearly bankrupted, and sales of end of the world provisions are through the roof (not to mention ammunition), president Obama is taking a well-deserved vacation at Martha’s Vineyard at the end of the month…

This man Obama has a tin ear – he just can’t see what is going on.  Or maybe he really doesn’t care.  Memo to Obama’s handlers – now is not the time for the President to go playing with the rich and powerful.  The White House is pretty swank…and Camp David is just a short helicopter ride away…going to Martha’s Vineyard is way of saying “so long, suckers” to the American people.

We will remember in November 2012.

Obamunism! Confidence Drops Like a Rock

Mark Noonan5 Comments

From Gallup:

Americans’ economic confidence plunged to -53 in the week ending Aug. 7, a level not seen since the recession days of March 2009. This deterioration coincided with the final wrangling over the U.S. debt ceiling and Standard and Poor’s downgrade of the United States’ debt rating. Economic confidence is now far worse than the -43 of two weeks ago and the -34 of a month ago.

The 429 point gain by the Dow was the theater of the absurd…and it’ll be back down soon because, let’s face it, the Fed keeping interest rates as near zero for two more years is an admission that the recession will last at least two more years.  The people are right about this – the economy is bad, and getting worse.

The Big Government Failure – California Edition

Mark Noonan26 Comments

From Bloomberg:

California faces “drastic” cuts to universities, schools and social programs if revenue continues to trail budget forecasts, the state controller said after July collections fell short by about 10 percent.

A series of “triggers” written into the most-populous state’s $86 billion general-fund budget would cut spending on universities, home care for seniors and the disabled, libraries and other programs if revenue falls $1 billion short of plan. A $2 billion gap would mean a seven-day cut in the school year and an end to busing subsidies…

The reason I bring this up is to point out that Big Government always gets it wrong.  When faced with having to cut spending or pretending that enough money will come in, Big Government will invariably opt for pretending…or, lying, if you want to be strictly accurate.  We here in Nevada have the same problem – though on a much smaller scale – where our budget was “balanced” because we’re pretending that we’ll have a big increase in revenues (anyone driving around Las Vegas can see that we’ll be lucky if revenues don’t crash through the floor…things are just lousy out here, and Las Vegas accounts for the majority of Nevada’s revenues).  We also have this problem – on a much larger scale – nationally, where our recent budget deal was predicated upon projections of revenue which are laughably optimistic (remember, official projections are based upon official data which indicates we are officially in economic recovery mode).  This means that, just like California, we can expect revenues to fall short of what we predict, and thus we’ll have a larger deficit than expected.

The dishonesty of Big Government is endemic – there is nothing it can do but lie because the basic concept is false.  You can’t make the majority – or even a large minority – of people happy, free, safe and prosperous if you are trying to do it by government action.  You can certainly enrich a Ruling Class of politicians and their crony-capitalists, but you can’t do anything worthwhile for most of the people.

This is because no government, no matter how well disposed, can ever figure out what people need, nor what people want.  Government can play a role in assisting people who have determined, on the local level, what they need but they can’t command results from on high.  There just isn’t – and never can be – sufficient knowledge for such results.  The lies we see in the budgeting process are just one part of it…you can also see it every time some Big Government booster speaks of a grand plan.  Remember, we have a Department of Education because our education was bad in the 70’s and the Department was supposed to figure out what education needed and wanted and fix everything up.  How has that worked out?   Just apply that same standard to all Big Government activities and you’ll get the same result.

Dismantling the beast of Big Government is a necessity – it is the only way we can restore freedom and prosperity in our nation.  And the sooner we get at it, the better.

Poll: Majority Against Obama’s Re-election

Mark Noonan27 Comments

From USA Today/Gallup:

…a majority of Americans, 51%, say President Obama doesn’t deserve re-election; 47% say he does…

Not a good sign for a man seeking re-election.  And do click on the above link for a State-by-State breakdown of Obama’s approval rating.  Here’s the important bits:

Obama’s approval is at 53% in California; 52% in Minnesota; 54% in Vermont…and only 54% in Illinois!

If the election were held today, Obama would be crushed…now, is it likely to get better, or worse, for him by November of next year?

Recall Day in Wisconsin (Bumped)

Mark Noonan55 Comments

Forgot about that, huh?  Well our corrupt union bosses and assorted lefties didn’t – and today is the day when the long-suffering people of Wisconsin will decide if the left gets crushed or is given a mild reprieve.  If the GOP retains its Wisconsin Senate majority by even one seat, then that is a gigantic loss to the left, which has poured body and soul in to this effort.  If the GOP loses the majority, then it will be a minor set back for us and will be a tonic for the left.

It won’t, however, alter the dynamic.  This is the offest of off-year elections and, as I said, the left has been pouring it on.  Turnout will be key, and it is a complete mystery as to who will actually show up to vote.  There is some polling out there and from what I’ve read, most of it shows the GOP hanging on to the majority, with at 1 or 2 seat loss.  If, after a  massive effort, the Democrats come up short, it will demonstrate conclusively that their brand is fatally damaged, much as the GOP brand was by August of 2005…but even a win for the Dems here won’t be any sort of indicator that the left is resurgent…they will have won, by extreme effort, a narrow victory in a State long friendly to their views.

UPDATE:  Over at Hot Air, Ed Morrissey notes that Democrats have downgraded their expectations….from a “six for six” sweep to a hope to win “two or three”.  The news last night that Walker’s reforms will save Milwaukee a bag of money couldn’t have come at a worse time for liberals…essentially, the liberals of Wisconsin are fighting against that and in favor of the sort of policies which resulted in our debt downgrade.

UPDATE II:  As of 8:57 pm Pacific, the GOP has held three, the Democrats have taken two…the last race to be called will decide the Senate majority…or perhaps not; if the Democrats win tonight, they still have two up for recall next week and the GOP would have to win only one of them to regain the Senate majority if they lose it by one tonight.

At best, the left will have spent $20 million to win three State legislative seats; and a win which will in no way alter the dynamic of 2012.  Good job, lefties!

UPDATE III:  Hot Air reports that of the total votes cast tonight, the GOP has won by 52% to 48%…these same districts were carried by Obama 53% to 46%.

UPDATE IV:  Twitter reports indicate the GOP has won four of the six and thus retains Senate majority.  Not confirmed … but as Donks are already screaming voter fraud, we can call it “almost confirmed”.

UPDATE V:  From what I can tell, though the AP refuses to report it, the GOP has, indeed, won four of the six…and it would be just double extra cool if we beat the two Democrats next week.

The Government-Subsidized Riot

Mark Noonan71 Comments

At least one leftist is understanding what is happening in Britain:

…This is not a political rebellion; it is a mollycoddled mob, a riotous expression of carelessness for one’s own community. And as a left-winger, I refuse to celebrate nihilistic behaviour that has a profoundly negative impact on working people’s lives…

…There is one more important part to this story: the reaction of the cops. Their inability to handle the riots effectively reveals the extent to which the British police are far better adapted to consensual policing than conflictual policing. It also demonstrates how far they have been paralysed in our era of the politics of victimhood, where virtually no police activity fails to get followed up by a complaint or a legal case. Their kid-glove approach to the rioters of course only fuels the riots, because as one observer put it, when the rioters ‘see that the police cannot control the situation, [that] leads to a sort of adrenalin-fuelled euphoria’. So this street violence was largely ignited by the excesses of the welfare state and was then intensified by the discombobulation of the police state. In this sense, it reveals something very telling, and quite depressing, about modern Britain.

The only thing left out is my contention that the British people have resigned the right of self defense.  Swaddled in the welfare State, set upon by professional gripe-mongers, oppressed by political correctness and disarmed by law, the British people are just sheep for the slaughter…complete victims whenever the barbarians decide to strike.  If they tried this in the United States, there would be return fire – and in most jurisdictions, the law would back the honest citizens in the use of force.  Can anyone seriously imagine this sort of thing going on in, say, Texas?

This is the perfect storm of welfare and Big Government…some people so mollycoddled (excellent word, that) that they just don’t care how much they destroy; figuring it is their right to take what they want (all that class warfare talk does have an effect, ya dig?) and that the government (which owes them, right?) will fix it all up.  On the other side, people who still retain a sense of decency stand aside and let the rioters destroy because they’ve been conditioned to think that law enforcement is a matter only for the police; they have forgotten that the police are delegated by the people to defend the community, but the actual defense of the community lies with the people.

The only way out of this is for some citizen of Britain to shoot a rioter, and then have a jury refuse to convict.  That would save Britain…anything else will just be a band aid on a dying society.