Obama's Teleprompter Dependence

Much has been written about our new articulate president's heavy reliance on a teleprompter. Anyone who has paid any attention to our president over the last year has noticed that he struggles mightily when speaking extemporaneously. All of his "soaring rhetorical masterpieces", which have sent thrills up the legs of the most objective of journalists were the product of his speaking from a teleprompter.

Rush has latched onto this, quite hysterically, giving the teleprompter status as a "key player" in Washington these days - correctly stating that president Obama says whatever his little friend tells him to say...literally.

Someone has now come up with another brilliant play on Obama's relationship with his security blanket, starting a blog supposedly written by the teleprompter itself. The result is just classic.

Back to Basics

I heard last week that something called "The New Calvinism" made Time Magazine's list of 10 Ideas Changing the World Right Now, and while blogging has taken a back seat in the last few weeks, I simply have to comment on this. Apparently, Reformed Theology is making enough of a comeback to rank in the top 3 of world-changing ideology. The article is very interesting, and confirms some trends that others have noticed in the last few years. The more mainline protestant churches (United Methodist, Presbyterian USA, etc.) are shrinking, while more and more young people are flocking to the more orthodox traditions.

The New York Times recently published an article about the uptick in attendance at churches because of the recession. They also note a study which found that between 1968 and 2004, attendance at "evangelical churches" increased as much as 50%, while mainline churches continued their decline, albeit more slowly, during times of economic recession.

It's no surprise to me at all, especially given the events of the last 12 months. As we Americans (and consequently the rest of the world) are forced out of the comfortably insulated prosperity that we've enjoyed for so long, more and more of us are searching for something real. It's easy to go to a church that simply tells you what you want to hear, or listen to a pastor that offers self-help psychology week after week, as long as life outside of church is just peachy. But let someone experience the threat of losing their job/home/retirement, and life here on earth just doesn't cut it anymore. All of a sudden, we want to be reassured that this life isn't what it's all about.

It also becomes more important (at least in our little minds) to be sure in our faith once the here and now can't satisfy us completely. Of course, this phenomenon will only reinforce the already prevalent mentality among so many who think Christians to be weak-minded simpletons who use religion and faith as a crutch to deal with life's problems. The simple truth is that all of us continue to struggle with worry and despair over these things, we just have a better, though still very limited perspective of what it all means. We have the assurance that all things work together for good, for those who are part of God's family.

I'm encouraged that more young folks are turning to the reformed tradition - I count myself among that group - as it shows a hunger for truth, and a desire to get back to the foundational tenets of Christianity. So much of evangelicalism these days is all about trying to relate to society on their terms. We have to sugar-coat our theology to get the hip, postmodern (whatever that means) generation to pay attention. Well, frankly I'm not much for putting God, or the Gospel, in a box. The Bible is pretty clear on the power of the Gospel - all by itself, without any help from us. That's one of the benefits of good theology: an accurate understanding of how the Bible says God works.

I hope that more and more churches will notice this trend of believers demanding more from their religious leadership, and focus more on ensuring their members get sound teaching and understanding about what they believe and why.

Reaping What You Sow

This is what happens when I don't post often enough to adequately vent...long, incoherent rants. I've got to start posting more frequently.

(By the way, the picture at right is the controversial cartoon that was published in the NY Post. All the typically ignorant, politically correct usual suspects jumped all over this as racist, even though it's patently obvious that the monkey represents congress, not our new untouchable savior.)

Anyway, it seems our new leadership in Washington is off to a wonderful start - if you're one of the many in this country who believe the government is there to take care of your every need. Of course, the simple fact is that most people in this country can't even be bothered to vote, much less pay attention to what happens in between elections. Then again, if everyone paid as much attention as I do, we'd all have high blood pressure and life-threatening levels of stress.

So what's the big deal about this so-called stimulus package our messiah has just rammed through congress, and why are so many folks up in arms? Unfortunately, our new president and his misguided cohorts in congress have, in less than a month, managed to saddle our grandchildren with several trillion dollars in debt, all for a program that most agree will do very little to solve the actual problems our economy is facing. The stimulus bill is a perfect picture of what's wrong with Washington and the majority of the pathetic excuses for representatives we send to do our bidding there.

The overall goal of this type of policy is to increase spending in order to prop up our shrinking economy. I'm no expert on finance, but I've read enough to understand that our GDP has recently begun to shrink. Keynesian economic policy, to which many of our new leaders adhere, is basically the opposite of supply-side economics. Most of us understand the idea that our economy is based on the rules of supply and demand. When supply increases, demand decreases, and vice versa.

In Keynesian policy, the idea is to use government to artificially increase demand. The average consumer in the free market, during times of economic trouble, stops spending money. It's just a natural reaction. When folks start losing their jobs and companies begin to lay off, we all tighten our belts. This of course only compounds the problem, as our economy is based on consumers buying and spending. In other words, demand shrinks because we all want to play it safe and build our savings back up during a recession. Our new leaders want to use the government to push demand back up.

The idea, basically, is to borrow money from China and other large nations to build roads and bridges, government buildings, and on and on. This will create jobs for people who are out of work, who will then go spend their new salary on cars, houses, etc. The only problem with this idea is that it doesn't solve the financial problems that got us to this point in the first place. All this plan will do is give a bunch of folks some temporary work and artificially shrink our unemployment rate for a while. For more discussion on what's really wrong with our economy, and why this won't work, go here.

At this point, I'm not really interested in whether this plan will work or not. I honestly don't think it will, but the biggest issue I see right now is the way in which this bill was passed, and the utterly ridiculous amount of completely unrelated nonsense that was included in the final product. President Obama revealed himself to be a liar when it comes to many of his campaign promises, and no one is calling him on it. We were all led to believe that this man would transcend partisanship. He would be willing to include ideas from both sides of the aisle, and would lead us into a new era of open and transparent government. So much for that nonsense.

President Obama missed an opportunity to show us all that he would in fact keep his promises to be a new kind of leader. This bill was rammed through congress without any debate over it's merits, without any input from republican lawmakers, and without anyone even having READ IT! He simply turned it over to Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, who promptly shut out everyone with an "R" behind their names, and proceeded to draft a bill that includes every liberal pet project that has ever been dreamed up. Our president made a good show of listening to alternative ideas, but made it pretty obvious that he never intended to actually take any of them seriously. "I won." How very bipartisan.

I won't even get into the amount of idiotic, wasteful spending included in this bill because I happen to have a real job and it would take weeks, but the main point that needs to be made is that this entire process just stinks. Our so-called messiah has shown himself to be a liar and a coward. If he had wanted to show us that he's a new kind of leader, he would've insisted that all of the waste and unrelated nonsense be taken out of the bill. Instead, he goes into full campaign mode, traveling the country to convice us all that the sky is falling. Our new leaders, after accusing the Bush administration of using fear to advance their agenda, are fomenting and encouraging panic surrounding the recession in order to advance their own agenda.

President Obama, our great deliverer, is taking advantage of the crisis in order to enact legislation that Americans, in ordinary times, would never tolerate. No debate, no review, and no alternative opinions allowed. I'm not surprised at all. Democrats have been abusing the ignorance and apathy of the average American for decades. Why should this guy be any different?

Well done America. Excellent choice.

Here We Go...

Anyone else concerned about our nation's slow but steady drift toward European socialism needs to read this lovely little article from The Times in England. As a fan of English Premier League football (soccer for you unenlightened savages) I pay more attention to British culture than most Americans, and I notice that a lot of our fads come from across the pond. It's all the rage in American liberal circles to aspire to the kind of progressive multicultural, politically correct, morally vapid, eco-nutcase mentality that has taken over the ruling class in England.

So what's next? Culling kids, apparently.

"Couples who have more than two children are being “irresponsible” by creating an unbearable burden on the environment, the government’s green adviser has warned.
"Jonathon Porritt, who chairs the government’s Sustainable Development Commission, says curbing population growth through contraception and abortion must be at the heart of policies to fight global warming. He says political leaders and green campaigners should stop dodging the issue of environmental harm caused by an expanding population."

Oh, the Hypocrisy!

While trying not to laugh at Obama’s righteous indignation over the exorbitant bonuses paid out to Wall Street executives this month, I noticed a very curious, though not surprising irony. Now, don’t misunderstand. I don’t particularly like the fact that these companies, which have received billions of dollars in federal bailout money, are paying out ridiculous bonuses to their employees. In light of the fact that bonuses are usually given to reflect a high level of performance in one’s industry, it’s more than a little idiotic to hand out six-figure awards to folks who just lost their clients billions of dollars in investments.

After the year all of us have had, watching our investments plummet, I can understand how the average 401k owner might feel when he or she hears about their broker getting a new Porsche. I would say that this is supposed to be a free-market economy, where the government has no business telling private companies what to do with their own money, but then this isn’t their own money, is it? And it’s debatable at best whether or not this is a free market economy any more. Behold, the dangers of accepting government intervention.

But regardless of your opinions on whether our new president’s outrage is indeed righteous or not, you can’t help but admire the arrogant hypocrisy that is evident in our great messiah’s lack of an equal amount of outrage over the behavior of the UAW. Last time I checked, these geniuses plan to demand that their union members keep getting paid the ridiculous wages, an average of over $70 an hour including benefits, that got General Motors into this mess to begin with. And what will General Motors be using to maintain this level of remuneration? Well it’s patently obvious that they can’t sustain it on their own, so it’ll be the bailout money provided by you and I that allows UAW members to keep drawing a salary completely out of proportion to their labor.

Where’s the outrage over that? Why should Wall Streeters have to change their excessive ways, when the UAW is still forcing exorbitant wages out of GM, Ford, and Chrysler? Apparently, it’s okay for Big Labor to take a government-funded bailout and use it for disproportionate compensation, but not Wall Street. Does that make as much sense to you as it does to me? Well, it makes perfect sense when you realize the Big Labor unions spent millions upon millions to help put Barack Obama in the White House.

They own him. He’s their bitch.

(You know, I'll be in the market for a car sometime in the next few months. Better believe it won't be a product of GM. In fact, I'm liking Toyota more and more these days. Buy non-union.)

8th District Conservatives: Wake Up!

We received yet more proof yesterday that our so-called conservative democrat congressman, Jim Marshall, is in fact nothing more than a wolf in sheep's clothing. Congressman Marshall's vote for the disgrace that has been labelled a stimulus package is not at all surprising to those of us who have followed his career closely. After campaigning as a conservative - a man who was supposedly praised by Rush Limbaugh and G. Gordon Liddy - and winning the votes of many within the 8th congressional district who normally vote Republican, Marshall has shown his true colors at the very first opportunity.

Fiscal responsibility is a hallmark of the conservative mentality. Smaller, less intrusive government, and the reigning in of irresponsible spending on entitlement programs are the bedrock of any truly conservative philosophy. And yet our "conservative" congressman has cast his vote for a bill that is the very antithesis of fiscal responsibility and limited government. The so-called stimulus bill is indicative of our new president's governing philosophy, and Representative Marshall's support for this legislation reveals his true instincts toward government as the solution to all of our problems.

Our new leadership in Washington has signalled that their agenda will be one of growing government, and using tax dollars to spend our way out of this economic mess. Whether you believe that to be an effective way to bring about economic recovery is another matter entirely, but it is beyond doubt that this mentality is as far from conservatism as one can get. As Ronald Reagan said, government is not the solution, but in most cases it is the very root of our problems. Jim Marshall has shown himself to be yet another politician who says what he needs to say to get elected, and then does the opposite when he gets to Washington. Wake up conservatives, and stop sending this liberal to congress.

Senator Oprah

This really made my day. As if we don't have enough proof already that you don't have to be qualified in, well, anything to be a Democrat politician (and apparently president), we find out that Oprah was actually considered as a replacement for Barack Obama in the Senate.

The United States Senate.

Oprah.

wow.

It's All On You, Donkey

We're about to see exactly what happens when liberal ideology is put into practice. President Obama, the Democratic Congress, and their cheerleaders in the press are about to have to put up or shut up. For eight years they've all railed against everything the GOP has done. Offering plenty of criticism, but not one actual alternative solution to any of the problems we face.

During his campaign, we were led to believe that Obama would be a transformative leader - one who brought new ideas, and a new kind of leadership, to the running of our nation. Well, just as some of us knew all along, we are going to get nothing of the sort. Every solution offered to date is nothing more than old-school liberalism, and just like in years past, it's going to fail.

Oh, the president is making a good show of listening to alternative ideas, but don't expect him to do anything other than try and spend his way out of this recession. It's the typical democrat response to any problem: throw more money at it, put more inept bureaucrats in charge of it, let Nanny government kiss-it-make-it-better. Just like FDR's New Deal nonsense, it won't do anything other than saddle our grandchildren with ridiculous debt, and permanently enhance the government's intrusion into our lives.

Our president's so-called stimulus package is nothing short of a joke. It will do nothing more than mask the problems within the financial sector, but more importantly, it will purchase many more loyal Democrat voters. If he gets his way, a significant majority of Americans will no longer pay taxes, but will reap unprecedented benefits from the government. Those who achieve success will be paying for those who don't bother. Joe the Plumber was dead on - if this isn't redistribution of wealth, then I don't know what is.

And now, our illustrious joke of a Speaker, Pelosi, has decided that government-provided contraception is the way to stimulate our economy. I'm really at a loss for words here. All I can say is, this is what you asked for, America. We're reaping the results of all the government-educated, ignorant, lazy fools in the voter pool, and it isn't going to be pretty.

The Post Racial President?

I realize that the "Reverend" Joseph Lowery is an old man, who's probably getting a little senile. He may even have been the subject of some cruel treatment at the hands of white folks some forty years ago. But his "prayer" yesterday was pretty insulting, not to mention incredibly ignorant. Let's point out the already remarkably obvious irony in this situation:

This man is supposed to be saying a prayer at the inauguration of the nation's first black president. A president put in office by a majority white electorate, and he's "praying" that the Lord "help us to work for that day when...white will embrace what is right." Wow. Either he had no idea where he was, or he's so full of hate that he can't think straight.

Of course, there is another explanation. People like this so-called reverend, including Al Sharpton and Jeremiah Wrong, have no intention of giving up their positions of power - positions secured by spreading and manufacturing hatred and division - just because the rest of us have moved beyond racial differences. And some of you silly people probably thought this election would mean the end of race baiting.

No Rest for the Depressed

Ok, so I'm not really depressed, but it has been difficult lately to find the motivation to put my thoughts into words. The vomit-inducing cries of hope and change, coupled with the sudden swell of patriotism from the same folks who professed outright hatred for their country until yesterday, has dampened my enthusiasm somewhat. Thankfully, I'm beginning to come out of the fog.

I suppose I can find some satisfaction in the idea that millions of naive Obamanuts are waking up this morning only to find that Santa didn't come last night, and they still have to pay their mortgages and work for a living. It's also kinda nice to be able to sit and watch the other side screw things up for a while. I can't help but realize, however, that all these screw-ups are going to have big ramifications for me and my family. So, as a tribute to all those normally center-right leaners who thought we just needed change for the sake of change, let's look at what we can expect from Democrat leadership over the next few years:

1. If you are currently succesful enough to have to pay taxes every year, and that's only about half of the nation, you can pretty much count on the fact that you have now enjoyed the lowest tax payments you will ever pay.
2. Any business owners out there? Like the idea of your employees being able to unionize at the drop of a hat, forcing you to pay them 3 or 4 times what the market justifies? How about the idea that union thugs can target the one or two employees who don't want to unionize, because they've lost their right to a secret vote? Obama's got to repay Big Labor for putting him in office.
3. This is for all of you so-called pro-life voters who decided Obama was moderate enough to win your vote: On his first day in office, President Obama has decided to repeal a law which prevents your tax dollars from being used to fund international abortion groups. That's right, taxpayer funded abortions, and that's just his first day...
4. Go ask a Brit about government-run healthcare. Need I say more? Well, I will anyway. Have we lost our minds? Please to name one thing the government has ever run that has been run with anything resembling competence. Public schools? Social Security? Welfare?

I could go on, but it would be too depressing. Basically, if you think the government is the answer to all your problems, you'll love this guy. At least until the government taxes the people who provide your job to the point that they can't be competitive, and they move their operation overseas.

It's not a popular thing to say right now, but I refuse to generically "hope our new president succeeds." Succeeds at what? Making us into a more government-reliant, socialist nation? No thanks. I'll support him if I believe that his policies are what's best for America, but judging by his campaign, he doesn't have a clue. His ideas are not new. They certainly don't represent change. They're the same old liberal ideas that have failed in the past, and if he goes through with them, they will fail this time as well.

I hope I'm wrong about this guy. And I refuse to stop loving my country, like so many on the left, just because "the other side" is in charge. We have to take this nation back from the ground up, and republicans don't need to go along with any of the policies that we don't believe will work. I echo Erick's cry concerning the de-Stimulus Plan. None of our GOP representatives should support it, or any other policy that undermines conservatism, just so we can say we got something done.