And is providing a blue print for us to do the same for America:

FPM: Gov. Chris Christie made national news when he recently unveiled a budget heavy on spending cuts – the kind of thing that politicians often promise but seldom deliver. What were some of the highlights of his proposed budget for you?

Rooney: There are plenty of reasons for taxpayers to celebrate this budget. The best part? In the interest of rescuing New Jersey from a fiscal abyss, Christie’s budgetary cuts to municipal aid are a challenging but extremely necessary step in the right direction. Right now, our 566 towns are literally addicted to annual handouts from Trenton. You can’t save money or avoid waste with such an inefficient system in place. The only workable solution is to cut out the middleman, slash state spending, and let towns keep more of their revenue. The next logical step will be corporate and property tax cuts, but Christie’s first budget is an important leap forward towards structurally reforming the way our state government operates.

Christie – no movement social conservative – is even taking on the pro-abortion movement by slashing State funding for Planned Parenthood. The man has guts, and I’m admiring him more and more, all the time.

Read the rest of it here.

Cant’ thank the President enough for this:

President Barack Obama raised $2.5 million for the Democratic National Committee Thursday night, but his trip to Boston had another, less publicized purpose — saving Deval Patrick.

Few politicians are as close to Obama as the Massachusetts Democratic governor or have deeper ties to the president and his core team of advisers.

And almost no one faces a tougher reelection battle this year than Patrick, whose disapproval ratings would be considered near-terminal if not for the three-way race that he currently finds himself in.

As a result, the White House is looking to every weapon in its arsenal to help Patrick win a second term.

Their best weapon would be Obama anywhere but Massachusetts. Didn’t these guys learn their lesson with Brown?

We Republicans really have to work out a way to convince Obama to campaign personally for each Democrat up for re-election – its like the surest means to victory, ya know?

I know, I know – the official word is that Obama is still personally popular. That’s cool – I like the guy, myself…but anyone he endorses is going to automatically obtain my vote for the other guy. Obama is wrong about everything and the more we find out about him, the less we like what he does..endorsing Democrats now is like giving us a list of people to beat.

It really is as bad as the most alarmist make it out to be:

..With ferocious speed, the financial crisis, recession and efforts to combat the recession have swung the U.S. debt from worrisome to ruinous…

…Lost amid last month’s passage of the new health care law, the Congressional Budget Office issued a report showing that within this decade, President Obama’s own budget sends the U.S. government to a potential tipping point where the debt reaches 90 percent of gross domestic product.

Economists Carmen Reinhart of the University of Maryland and Kenneth Rogoff of Harvard University have recently shown that a 90 percent debt-to-GDP ratio usually touches off a crisis.

This year, the debt will reach 63 percent of GDP, a ratio that has ignited crises in smaller wealthy nations. Fiscal crises gripped Canada, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Ireland when their debts were below where the United States is shortly headed…

It isn’t actually sustainable – not now, and now with Obama’s plans to wrack up another $10 trillion in debt. If we balance the budget in the next couple years, we can get out of this – if we don’t, then there is nothing to do but prepare for a very long national economic crisis. And that two year window gets smaller if the economy tanks for other causes (which I do expect – but also realize that by borrowing and printing like mad, Obama might be able to keep the ball in the air for another year or two).

The bill has come due, the party is over. Terribly sorry, liberals, but you’ll just have to squeak by with a measly $2.5 trillion or so in annual spending. I know, I know – how can we fundamentally transform America with such a pittance? But its either do it, or lose it all. Half a loaf is better than none.

Of course, no liberal will agree to this – blindness combines with arrogance and stupidity on the left.

Obamunism at work:

America’s jobs growth engine is being choked to death.

A record 25 percent increase in the taxes against US small businesses — from costs associated with new health care law, to an increased Medicare tax, increased capital gains taxes and higher state and city taxes — is repealing any ability of these entrepreneurs to add jobs to their payroll.

And the numbers for New York’s small- to medium-sized business are just as harrowing.

By one estimate, the effective tax rate on the 26 million small businesses across the country — which in the past have accounted for more than half of the job growth in the US — has jumped to 50 percent from 40 percent, sucking valuable cash from the businesses.

And here’s the really bad news: the Bush tax cuts expire on December 31st and so there will be an even larger burden on small businesses in 2011 (that is taxes on “the rich” in liberal-speak…of course, “the rich” are never people like George Soros…but they are owners of small and mid-sized businesses). One friend of mine pretty wise in these things figures that part of the reason we’re seeing a bit of economic growth in 2010 is because businesses are front-loading as much business activity as they can in to 2010 in order to avoid paying higher taxes on it in 2011…but the down side there is that 2011 activity will then be much, much less.

We’re in a really bad way and unless President Obama swiftly changes course – by, say, renewing the Bush tax cuts – then we’re going to have a very rough ride.

More evidence of that booming economy:

U.S. crude futures hit an 18-month high on Monday, climbing toward $86 per barrel…U.S. crude has risen almost 2 percent in the first five days of the quarter, versus a rise of 5.5 percent through the whole of the first three months of the year.

Unsurprisingly, as that article is from Reuters, this is actually reported as good news – its because the economy is so strong that oil prices are this high. Bunch of pinheads not seeming to realize that oil at $86 a barrel a huge tax on everything and thus will reduce overall economic activity. Who is going to want to take a long car trip this summer if gasoline is more than $4 a gallon? No matter – the happy talk must continue!

Then there’s this:

The U.S. office vacancy rate in the first quarter reached its highest level in 16 years…

…The U.S. office vacancy rate rose to 17.2 percent, a level unseen since 1994, as the market lost about 11.6 million net square feet of occupied space during the first quarter, according to the report released on Monday. The U.S. vacancy rate inched up 0.2 percentage points from a quarter earlier and was 2 percent higher than a year ago.

Once again, that is Reuters and thus the overall story is pitched as positive – the occupancy rate is not dropping as fast as before! Woohoo! Never occurs to them that we might be reaching the irreducible minimum – in other words, there is in a nation of 300 million a certain amount of work which has to be done, and thus there is a minimum of office space which will be occupied.

Ah, well – it doesn’t really matter. The course is set – for better or worse, Obama has implemented his policies and there is no indicator of a change coming. What will happen, will happen.

Just get ready for a rough ride.

As it looks like Obama will at least take a stab at immigration reform in 2010, we Conservatives should get our policy and rhetoric ducks in a row – Warner Todd Huston over at Nevada News and Views offers some ideas:

…to be seen as the anti-Hispanic party will destroy the GOPs electoral future … Americans of Hispanic origin are a wildly growing part of the electorate. If we are seen as their enemy we are doomed to minority status. We need a logical and legitimate way to win them over.

To my personal experience, I have seen many sons and daughters of immigrants — both legal and illegal — and these kids don’t want to be Mexicans, or Guatemalans, or what have you. They might not mind visiting the country of their parent’s birth but they generally would rather stay here and they think of themselves as natural born Americans.

But I will have to agree with Nadler that if these young people grow up thinking that the GOP is filled with people that hate them, then these new voters will reflexively vote Democrat in huge numbers. Folks like Nadler are right that we could be committing electoral suicide if we allow this perception to grow.

Huston goes on to list pretty much what I feel is the best form of immigration policy for conservatives: increased border security coupled with a rational and merciful policy towards those already in country. In contrast to this, Obama and his Democrats will try to put out some eyewash on border security and shove as many current illegals on to the voter rolls as swiftly as possible. For Democrats, it is only about votes and power – but couched in a “we care” rhetoric coupled with kickbacks to hispanic “leaders” who will toe the Democrat line, this could work.

We need to counter it – and demanding deportation of 12 million people won’t do it, fellow conservatives. No matter how correct it is in matter of law, the fact remains that we – as a people – essentially invited these illegals to come here. You can shout till you’re blue in the face that you’ve been calling for deportation and border security for 20 years and it won’t matter in the least. In a democratically governed republic, you’re responsible for what government does even when you vigorously opposed it. The fact is that they are here, now, and we called them in over the past 25 years.

An additional thing to keep in mind here is that the Democrats are desperate to tag us as racists in 2010 and beyond. Their most recent efforts have fallen completely flat – the first time the race card has been played and failed. Lets not hand them a new deck of race cards by being out there in the streets like a bunch of nativist yahoos, ok?

Hispanic immigrants are little Republicans in larval form – they are Catholic. They are socially conservative. They are hard working and tend to want to start a business and get ahead (yes, I know that some of them come here and immediately drop on to the welfare rolls – those can be dealt with, but the broad mass are typified by those guys I see standing out in front of Star Nursery day in and day out, willing to do any work – no matter how hard – just to make a few bucks).

As they are poor they also would like some help – especially in health care, education and housing. That is what Democrats are counting on – getting them on the liberal welfare plantation and then keeping them there. We need to appeal to the Catholic, socially conservative, hard working elements – but this means we can’t ignore the welfare aspects.

If we make it clear that we are going to welcome those who have been here for a substantial time who have stayed out of trouble while also securing the border as a means of protecting innocent people who are victimized by the criminal element (the border is a little shop of horrors on that level), then we can make a credible case for hispanic support for the GOP. This is not to say that we’ll immediately roll up majorities – but we can pull in 35-40% on a regular basis and build on that as hispanic immigrants become more integrated in to American society. Go about it any other way, and we’ll just have yet another constituency giving 90% of their votes to Democrats – and when hispanics eventually make up 25 of the electorate, that will be devastating to us.

We do this right, and we win a generation of power for ourselves while securing for America another version of, say, the Italian or Polish immigrants of the past. We do this wrong, and we wreck ourselves and our country.

A sick society has imported elements of an even sicker society – and this is what we get:

Germany’s Jewish community on Monday warned of an “alarming” rise in anti-Semitic violence by Arab and Turkish immigrants after Berlin police reported two unrelated attacks against Jews at the weekend.

“There’s an urgent need to fight the roots of anti-Semitism, especially coming from young Turks and Arabs, and to effectively counter it,” the Jewish Community in Berlin said in a statement.

“That the violence from the immigrant community is being increasingly aimed at Jews or people they assume are Jews is alarming,” it added. A sensitive issue in Germany because of its Nazi past, even relatively minor reports of anti-Semitic violence make the news.

Police reported at the weekend that two women and a man were beaten, struck on the head with beer bottles and insulted by a gang of immigrants in an underground station.

Local media reports said the three were first asked if they were Jewish. The attack started after they said yes. Police said they were searching for the assailants.

And its not like Germany is chock full of Jews these days – only about 118,000 out of a population of nearly 82 million. It takes a bit of effort for someone to find a Jew to oppress in Germany.

People have got in to the habit in some quarters of thinking that the Jews are safe – that Israel is so powerful that Jews no longer need fear for their overall safety. But here’s something to chew on – more than 80% of the world’s Jewish population lives in just two countries: the United States and Israel (split about evenly between the two nations). Such a concentration does indicate a continuing fear – and, as we can see, the fear is based upon a real threat.

A crucial test for the world is in how Jews fare. Where Jews feel safe, everyone can feel safe – where Jews are under threat, everyone is under threat. The disgusting rise of anti-Semitism – propelled by Islamism, but more and more being picked up by the political left in the West – is an indicator of the ill-health of societies. An indicator of societies which are under extreme crisis of one form or another.

The existential crisis of Europe is their moral collapse as evidenced by their looming demographic catastrophe. For Islam, it is the unwillingness of the ruling class to countenance a relaxation of political tyranny and the permitting of religious pluralism. For both, it is easier to lash out at a minority than to deal with the real issues.

Until these people face the truth and start acting accordingly, Jews will continue to be under threat – and, likely, an increasing threat. And this is why, in turn, the United States must show partiality towards Israel. Its not over religion – though some of our Evangelical brothers hold it so – but over the simple need to provide a bulwark for a people who would be otherwise exterminated.

We here in the United States pass the test – though there are some (and some in power) who would prefer we failed it. But the basic health of our society gives us the strength to stand where others fall – and gives us the hope that by our precept and example, the rest of the world will eventually follow suit.

On this day when we Christians celebrate our risen Lord, I wish to extend my best wishes to all. In the spirit of the time, I beg forgiveness for any thing I have done which caused any harm in any way – and I forgive all who may have, at times, held ungenerous opinions of me.

This is also the first anniversary of my father’s death, as well as the 42nd anniversary of the murder of Martin Luther King. Melancholy things to think about, but as both men were Christians, a time to also recall the hope both of them had for the life of the world to come. There are so many open invitations to despair in our world, it is good at times to consider those who have gone before us – and to tap in to the faith they showed, right up to the end.

God bless all of you – I wish you all happiness and a life freed from all anxiety.

Yeah, that “recovery” is just humming right along:

More Americans filed for bankruptcy protection in March than during any month since the federal personal bankruptcy law was tightened in October 2005, a new report says, a result of high unemployment and the housing crash.

Federal courts reported over 158,000 bankruptcy filings in March, or 6,900 a day, a rise of 35 percent from February, according to a report to be released on Friday by Automated Access to Court Electronic Records, a data collection company known as Aacer. Filings were up 19 percent over March 2009. The previous record over the last five years was 133,000 in October.

Long term unemployment is rising and housing continues to wallow in depression. Its natural that a lot of people are just giving a heave-ho to the whole concept of debt and looking for a fresh start. I’m not filing for bankruptcy, but I am – as they put it – “de-leveraging”. I’m banking money and getting rid of debt and as long as I live, I’ll never borrow for anything other than a house. No more credit cards; no more installment loans, no more auto loans – nothing. If I can save for it and buy it, then I’ll get it – if I can’t, then I won’t.

But the poor people who are really caught in a bind – they pretty much have to file for bankruptcy. No dishonor, in my view, on that. Time to clear up the books, dump the bad assets and start all over again.

Our only problem is that our government hasn’t learned the lesson – easy money got us in to this mess, and government’s answer is to pour even more easy money in to the economy in the hopes that poison will cure disease.

A poll has some eye-openers:

Since December, The Winston Group has conducted telephone surveys of thousands of registered voters and just this week released an analysis of its findings: that 17 percent of registered voters consider themselves a part of the Tea Party movement, and that they – like voters overall – are deeply concerned about the economy and jobs as we head toward the 2010 election.

The conventional wisdom about the Tea Party has not yet settled on any one definitive portrayal of the movement, but the data tell a fascinating story – over four out of 10 self-identified Tea Party members aren’t Republican, and a third don’t consider themselves conservative. They tend to be older than the voters on the whole, tend to come from middle-income households, and are slightly more likely to be male than the overall electorate.

But what truly sets the Tea Party apart from even Republicans or conservatives broadly is its commitment to economic conservatism. Tea Party members, like voters overall, are very focused on the economy and jobs; some 36 percent say it is their top issue. Yet while only 6 percent of voters overall say that the national deficit and spending are their top issues, that number spikes to 21 percent among Tea Party members.(emphasis added)

Just in the nature of things, a lot of TEA Party activists are Republicans – but not all. Just in the nature of things, a lot of TEA Party activists are conservative – but not all. It is not what the MSM-DNC talking points want everyone to believe about it. It is truly grass-roots, and bedrock American.

What is really curious about the TEA Party movement is that they’ve turned the left’s greatest asset – the television camera – against it. The left lives on simple (even simplistic) narratives which are boosted by emotional video depictions of events. Back when the left first started to use this medium- during Vietnam – it worked like a charm, and the MSM went along with it (even helping to stage events for strongest emotional appeal on television). As long as the video message was controlled by just a few outfits in tune with the left, all was well. As soon as the new media came about, that all got wiped out.

The left desperately wants the TEA Party activists to be painted as hate-filled racists with a propensity for violence. Back in the day, they could have done that – pick out the one or two kooks in the group, highlight them and, presto!, the whole group is now kooky in the public mind. This doesn’t work when (a) there really aren’t any kooks who are genuine members of the movement and (b) there are plenty of independent video outlets to ensure any attempt at falsification is swiftly exposed (the spitting and N-word accusation would have destroyed the TEA Party even ten years ago…but it was so quickly proven false that there wasn’t time for the leftist narrative to gain traction).

But the left still wants its simplistic narrative – so even if the slanders aren’t working, they’ll at least keep up the drumbeat that its just a fringe, conservative group astro-turfed in to existence by nefarious GOP operatives. This comforts leftists – it allows them to pretend that it won’t amount to much in November.

But if the TEA Party is actually representing an increasingly broad spectrum of the American electorate – and is moving that electorate in a conservative-libertarian direction, then the left has a massive problem on its hands. It’ll be very interesting to see how all this comes out.