Normally not a Rush Limbaugh fan but this was a good speech with many excellent points. I urge folks not to gasp and dismiss because you've heard how evil Rush is from Keith Olbmerann & Michael Moore. Intead, I suggest reading with an open mind. :-)



http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/03/01/transcript-rush-limbaughs-address-cpac/

Our new president can't do math

Um, how is this idiot any better than his predecessor? First he signs a ridiculous "stimulus" bill that will hike all our taxes and do more harm than good. Then he declares he's going to halve the deficit. Uhhhhh...where's he going to get the money? Now that he's pledged all these asinine projects we'll have to pay for, we'll all be bankrupt soon.

Oh wait, I keep forgetting he's the Messiah. No wait, now he's Moses--parting the deficit in half. Qualifications such as experience and intelligence need not be applied to him for he is the chosen one. Obama can't be contained by silly elementary level mathematics. Please. I shouldn't dare try to apply reason, logic, or math to his proposals. Clearly I'd be either racist or another dumb whitey, clinging to my religion and my guns if I dared to. Obama is going to save us all!

I should just start having my paycheck deposited into the federal coffers directly because Obama will take care of me. Oh, I'm getting tinglies all over. I lost my head for a minute questioning this great, powerful, and yes, magical man.

So working and living in Los Angeles, I'm in the political minority:  I'm conservative when it comes to economics and foreign policy and libertarian when it comes to social policy.  Several of my friends are liberal.  I respect that.  I'm fine with that.  Sometimes I feel they aren't though.  I've been asked more than once, "Why are you a Republican and why are you so stubborn about it?"  Well, I'd like to perhaps explain myself.  I'm very passionate about what I believe.  I am a Taurus and I certainly admit my stubbornness; when I know I'm right about something, you're not going to convince me otherwise.  So what?  I don't make flippant decisions about issues.  I examine both arguments before reaching a conclusion.  I don't always agree with the Republican base on some issues.  I feel the "religious right" faction of the party brings up fluff issues that only serve to fuel the mostly unfair view of Republicans as being religious zealots out to hang minorities and gays.  I don't care about gay marriage or school prayer, am against capital punishment and am undecided on legalizing drugs (certainly marijuana should be legalized).  This is why I consider myself libertarian on a lot of so-called social issues.  

Anyway, I feel strongly that the only truly effective government is a SMALL government (see previous post with my favorite Reagan quotes).  That really isn't debatable; it's been proved over and over again!  The United States has prospered best and most when our government has been kept reigned in...when the free market is left alone to function...when we remain proactive in defending ourselves.  Our crappy public education system practically ignores economic education.  When you hear people bemoaning the lacks of arts in our curriculum (and I agree arts are important), I want to scream, "What about economics?"  Most economists are conservative.  That's because they understand economics.  The difference between a liberal and conservative who both understand economic theory is not that the liberal disagrees that capitalism is the best system we currently have; it's that the liberal understands that but in spite of that, still wants the government to have more say in how the private sector is run.  That is strange to me, but oh well.  

I cringe when I hear anyone, especially elected officials talk about curbing CEO pay, Wall Street fat cats & swindlers, corrupt corporate America, blah blah blah.  Seriously?  Who the hell are Nancy Pelosi or Barack Obama to decide that some CEO makes too much money?  It's none of their damn business.

To paraphrase Milton Friedman, most economic fallacies are derived from the incorrect assumption that a transaction can't occur without one person getting screwed.  (Apologies to Mr. Friedman for bastardizing his much more eloquent words.)  I always chuckle when I hear some fathead saying, "This company is only in business"___pause for dramatic effect____"to MAKE MONEY."  OMG.  How horrible.  Really?  I thought General Motors was in business to give away cars to illegal immigrants.  Yes, businesses are in business to make money.  That's not evil.  They are not in business to screw the little guy.  They wouldn't last if they couldn't stay competitive and engage in MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL TRANSACTIONS WITH CONSUMERS.  Does anyone force you to buy a car?  I don't think so.  Is GM going to sell you a car with no engine just to get money from you?  Of course not.  They wouldn't stay in business and not because the government would swoop in to save you from these fat cats, but because consumers would catch on and STOP BUYING THEIR PRODUCT, hence a mutually beneficial transaction would not occur.  See how that works?  

Basically, I want the government to leave me the hell alone as long as I'm not infringing on someone else's rights or property.  That's how the USA's founding fathers intended our country to be and it's the most fair and right.  

By the way, Republicans are called right-wingers because we're RIGHT, as in CORRECT.  ;-)

Good grief, I've rambled on and on.  

That's my rant on my little soapbox for the day.

Just some favorite quotes from the greatest president of the 20th century, Ronald Reagan

"Government always finds a need for whatever money it gets."

"Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them."

"Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves."

"Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it."

"How do you tell a communist? Well, it's someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It's someone who understands Marx and Lenin."

"I am not worried about the deficit. It is big enough to take care of itself."

"I have left orders to be awakened at any time in case of national emergency, even if I'm in a cabinet meeting."

"I've never been able to understand why a Republican contributor is a 'fat cat' and a Democratic contributor of the same amount of money is a 'public-spirited philanthropist'."

"It's true hard work never killed anybody, but I figure, why take the chance?"

"Man is not free unless government is limited."

Introduction

Now that I know what the hell a blog is, I figured I'd give it a try. If anyone possibly cares (and I can't imagine who would), I'll rant and rave about things that piss me off or make me happy. Enjoy.