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Weekly Recap (2009-12-26)

Matt Margolis

The War on Terrorism Isn't Over

Mark Noonan

Much as the left wants to believe it never even started, the fact remains there are people out there who want to kill all of us:

A Nigerian man, claiming to be linked to al-Qaeda, allegedly tried to set off an incendiary device aboard a transatlantic airplane Friday as it descended toward Detroit’s airport in what the White House called an attempted act of terrorism.

The man was quickly subdued after another passenger leapt on top of him, others on the plane said, and Northwest Airlines Flight 253 from Amsterdam landed safely around 1 p.m. Friday. The suspect was being treated at a hospital for burns he suffered while igniting the device, the Transportation Security Administration said.

The FBI is investigating the incident.

A good job by that alert passenger – not so good a job for the people who allowed the incendiary device through. We all, naturally, expect that the authorities are looking for whatever gap it was this terrorist slipped through. For those of who travel, please treat this as a reminder that the security checks are not just a tiresome bother – they are for a very real purpose. The enemy is going to keep coming at us until he’s defeated – and he’ll only be defeated when the Islamo-fascist worldview is discredited.

That worldview, by the way, won’t be discredited by making nice with Iran or demanding that Israel pull out of the settlements. It will only be discredited when a new socio-political settlement is reached in the Moslem world. Such a settlement must include at least a semblance of democracy in order that the wishes of the Moslem people – in secret ballot – can be known. As we’ve seen in Iraq, when Moslems are given a real choice they don’t tend to choose the people calling for Jihad. Even if we wish to believe that all Moslems are consumed with a white-hot hatred of America, the fact remains that in the day to day, Moslems want what everyone else wants: to be left alone to live their own lives.

President Obama and the rest of the liberals should pay heed to this happily thwarted terrorist attack and draw the proper conclusions. We are not dealing with man-caused disaster but with wicked men who want to do evil things and who are able to do so because of the injustice of government in the Moslem world. Only if this is grasped can rational policy be developed for dealing with terrorism.

Our National Bankruptcy

Mark Noonan

As exemplified by California, detailed over at Mish’s who then concludes:

If “everything” is on the table (for budget cuts), then why isn’t anyone mentioning union contracts, pensions, prisons, privatizing services, property taxes, proposition 13, state mandates, and illegal immigration?

California is in a mess because in practice “nothing” is on the table. Democrats do not want to cut services. Nor do Democrats want to address unions, pension problems, or illegal immigration.

Meanwhile Republicans do not want to raise taxes and I certainly cannot blame them on that score.

Schwarzenegger’s idea to ease mandates and minimums on social programs is a good one. It should apply to every state. However, if Obama goes along, California will only save $8 billion but the hole is $21 billion and rising every month.

Jean Ross, executive director of the California Budget Project, says “there are no easy solutions left”. Jean Ross is not phrasing the problem correctly. There are many easy solutions starting with illegal immigration, cutting pension promises, cutting union benefits, and privatizing the prison guards.

The problem is there is no political will to do what absolutely must be done.

Political will is, indeed, what is lacking – in California, in most of the rest of the States and, of course, in Washington DC. California’s crisis is acute because, unlike the federal government, California doesn’t have a Federal Reserve which can print money to buy US bonds and thus paper over the fiscal cracks. But as goes California, so goes the nation (and, as an aside, now we can see why Arnie is talking so nice about Barry lately – he’s looking for a hand out).

Everything needs to be cut – every dime which can be saved from local, State and federal budgets has to be saved. We simply must balance the budget as swiftly as possible and no matter how much it hurts. Failure to do so just means even worse pain, for a longer time, down the road.

I’m not like our liberal friends who complained about each vacation President Bush took. The President does need a significant amount of down time in order to be perpetually ready when a crisis erupts. But was it really necessary for Obama to fly the whole kit and kaboodle over to Hawaii while we’re suffering the largest deficits in our history? Something wrong with Camp David for Christmas? Why does Michelle Obama need such a large staff? Goodness, how many foreign trips has the President been on and its not even the end of his first year in office? How many Czars do we have? How much do they cost?

The party is over, good people. We lived on fiat money and usury for nearly a century and it was quite a ball – but, its over, now. We’re broke, suffering a massive hangover and the bill collectors are talking foreclosure. And when I say “everything” needs to be cut, I mean everything. Yes, even Defense – with the proviso that the troops in battle shall not lack the least thing (I’m sure there’s some new ships and planes we can delay while still retaining naval and aerial superiority). But while Defense is a big budget item, its not the only thing in there and, bank on it, there’s far more fat and fraud likely to be found in, say, the Education and Labor departments than in Defense. The main thing is to massively cut spending until spending is less than revenues – so think in terms of everyone in government having to get along with less.

One third less people (or, however you like it, one third less payroll – can keep more people if pay cuts are taken); one third less government travel; one third less staff for elected officials (take that, Czars!)…one third less of everything, except that part of Defense and law enforcement which keeps the bad guys at bay (to do other than offer full support for such is to repeat the criminal neglect shown our armed forces in the 30’s and 70’s). If we don’t do this – and do it soon – then it’ll just get worse and worse…and don’t think of it in terms of “well, its 100 worse now and we can wait until is 101 worse next year”. Next year it will be 150 worse…and then 300 worse the year after that…and 600 worse the year after that, and so on. When you’re bankrupt, as we are, piling on more debt has massively worse effects than piling on a bit of debt when you’re solvent.

Right now, we’re living in a fool’s paradise where we’re pretending that another round of fiat money and usury will fix the problems wrought by fiat money and usury. We need a complete shift in our attitudes – a complete understanding that only by living within our means can we survive.

Merry Christmas

Mark Noonan

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus

that the whole world should be enrolled.

This was the first enrollment,

when Quirinius was governor of Syria.

So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town.

And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth

to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem,

because he was of the house and family of David,

to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.

While they were there,

the time came for her to have her child,

and she gave birth to her firstborn son.

She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger,

because there was no room for them in the inn.

Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields

and keeping the night watch over their flock.

The angel of the Lord appeared to them

and the glory of the Lord shone around them,

and they were struck with great fear.

The angel said to them,

“Do not be afraid;

for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy

that will be for all the people.

For today in the city of David

a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord.

And this will be a sign for you:

you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes

and lying in a manger.”

And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel,

praising God and saying:

“Glory to God in the highest

and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” – Luke 2:1-14

House Democrats Smear Party Switcher

Mark Noonan

From The New Editor. Why are they doing it? Because they’re nasty:

Time magazine’s Jay Newton-Small just told MSNBC’s Chris Matthews on Hardball that “aides in the Democratic Party House leadership’s office” are sending out to the press personal dirt on US House Rep. Parker Griffith, who yesterday announced that he was switching form the Democratic Party to the Republican Party.

Time’s Small postulated that this was an effort to scare other House Dems who likewise considering a jump to the Republicans.

If the guy really was dirty, Democrats, then why did you keep him on? You either were being disgusting by protecting a corrupt politician, or you’re being disgusting now by lying about someone. Which is it?

Obama Will Now Dither on ObamaCare

Mark Noonan

Very strange:

Politico’s Mike Allen and Alexander Trowbridge have some bad news for Democrats, especially in the Senate, where Harry Reid has kept the chamber locked in battle over ObamaCare for weeks in an attempt to hit the finish line by Christmas. Barack Obama plans to put the health-care overhaul on the back burner until after the State of the Union address, pushing any conference between the House and Senate off until February. Instead, Obama plans a “hard pivot” towards jobs and the economy…

Was this a complete surprise to the Senate Democrats? If it was, then Obama just evaporated whatever good will remained for him in the Senate…and the House, for that matter. These people went to the mat for ObamaCare – have risked their re-election efforts and already have the “he voted for The Bad Thing” ads waiting for them at election time – and now Obama is putting it off until February?

I admit to being astounded by this – unless Nancy and Harry told him that they can’t reconcile right now given the fissures in the Democrat party. Or, they have done all their internal polling and realize that ObamaCare is the kiss of death. This is a possibility – but, really, the damage is already done.

This will make for an interesting Christmas.

Would This be Filed Under "Hope" or "Change"?

Mark Noonan

Or under “jobs saved” or “jobs created”:

Layoffs are a fact of life in this economy, but there are humane ways to do it. Then there’s the Arrow Trucking method.

The Tulsa, Okla., trucking company stopped payment on the gas cards of its drivers, leaving some of them stranded Tuesday around the United States, miles from home. No explanation on the website. No one at the company answering phones.

The 200 or so employees at Arrow Trucking’s headquarters were told to pack up their belongings and go home Tuesday morning, according to the Tulsa World.

The only acknowledgement was a brief recorded message on the company’s main phone number, asking drivers of its Freightliner and Kenworth trucks to turn their rigs in to the nearest dealer and to call a special hotline to arrange for a bus ticket home. Drivers of the company’s Navistar trucks were told to call back for more information.

But don’t worry, boys and girls, Barry, Timmy and the boys are telling us the economy is getting better…

Fat Cat Lobbyists Enjoy Boom Year

Mark Noonan

How’s that whole “hope and change” thing working out for ya?

Main Street has had a tough year, losing jobs and seeing little evidence of the economic revival that experts say has already begun.

But K Street is raking it in.

Washington’s influence industry is on track to shatter last year’s record $3.3 billion spent to lobby Congress and the rest of the federal government…

Good job, Barry – here are some more jobs you’ve “saved or created”…