The Loud Talker

You Own It Barry.

On February 4, 2010, In Economy, By Paulie

Let the numbers speak for themselves. Here is my version of the CBO’s Federal Budget chart. I’ve added the year and colors for those that comprehend better visually. Redish hues stand for Republican numbers, blue for Democrat, and purple for the hybrid government of a Republican president with a Democratically controlled congress.

I would like to point out a few trends in the chart above.

Yes, GWB inherited a surplus. Any president would have had a surplus after serving during the biggest economic and technological boom of the century. The internet boom was a wonderful thing. The bust, not so much.
Notice that despite 9/11 and its obvious financial impact, the deficit was steadily decreasing beginning in 2004. Republican economic policies were working. We were on our way back toward budget surplus. PResident Bush decreased the budget every year starting in 2004,with the exception of 2008.
What happened in 2008? A $300B tax credit has a way of skewing your averages. So does a Democratically controlled congress.
What happened in 2009? Well, Obama took over and quickly embraced Rahm Emmanuel’s “take advantage of a crisis” mindset. Sadly, many of the proposed budget requests won’t impact us for several years. It was designed that way. Sure, the CBO projects that the deficit will decrease through 2012, but it will never “improve” to even the worst levels of the prior administration

Let’s look at another chart:

Do you see what I see? At the peak of the internet boom we were at virtual unemployment, a rate around 4%. Terrorists helped change that in 2001, but again — despite 9/11 — employment figures continually decreased under Republican leadership. Then the Democrats took over. The housing bubble, a bubble created by liberal policies, finally burst. Hank Paulson scared Congress into giving him $700 billion dollars, and to this day we still have no idea where all of that money went or whether or not it actually made a difference. Sure, we are told that it did, but there is zero data to back it up. Show me direct correlation between the bailout and any improvement in our financial markets.

How high will unemployment go? How low will our deficits drop? At what point does China say “No credit for you!” What will it take to teach people that you cannot help the unemployed by punishing the employer? The 2010 mid-term election could be the most important election America has ever faced. Our financial future depends on it. The scale of these problems is something America has never experienced. In one single year “trillion” has become the new “billion.” Once upon a time “trillion” was a massive number used to describe stars or micro-organisms. Now it is sadly a standard term of reference in the Obama administration.

UPDATE: The purpose of my post is to provide a comparison of the Bush and Obama administrations. I can (and probably will) provide additional charts with a longer time frame for those that feel it is important. But my point is to provide data to liberals that shows how much worse Obama is making things. Yes, GWB spent too much, but does that give Obama carte blanche to take it to an entirely new and previously unforeseen level? I don’t think so.

UPDATE 2: Here is the chart for US unemployment statistics back to 1948. The highest ever was under Reagan’s first term.The largest ever decrease in the unemployment rate was under Reagan’s presidency. However, it should be noted that he took measures to reduce the unemployment rate by lowering taxes and stimulating the economy. Obama is doing the exact opposite. Therefore I think it would be foolish to think that Obama can repeat Reagan’s legacy.

Hands Off My Kids Barack!

On February 2, 2010, In education, By Paulie

We have heard for a long time how church and state need to be separated. We have heard that religion has no place in public schools that are funded by tax payer dollars. I can deal with that. Maybe. But when I see that our government is actively recruiting American high school students to participate in a partisan, Democratic, liberal community organizing program I experience the urge to break something.

It’s bad enough as a parent that I have to constantly shield my young children from the continuously sinking “standards” of television and print media. A simple walk through the mall subjects my daughter to the sexual imagery of gigantic Victoria’s Secret posters and anorexic fashion models at virtually every department store entrance. Gaming stores are full of violence, blood and guts. Television is riddled with graphically violent and overly sexual images and content. For crying out loud, last week I had to mute American Idol to keep my kids from having to deal with an over-the-top flamboyantly gay and flirtatious man hitting on Simon. Where does it stop? Answer? It doesn’t.

Fortunately my family chooses to home school. If my kids were in a public school and they received this document, I would be in the principals face faster than the ACLU at a hate crime. (well, a white on black hate crime at least.) Check out some of the nuggets found on page 1 of the curriculum:

Internship Overview (page 1): “Organizing for America, the successor organization for Obama for America, is building on the movement that elected President Obama by empowering students across the country to help us bring about our agenda of change.”

Really? What exactly is the “movement that elected” Obama? Would it include ACORN’s illegal behavior, thug tactics, persuasion, pressure and violence? Would it include methods such as infiltrating “enemy” organizations and then spreading false information or imagery to make that organization look bad? Would it include shady, if not illegal, credit card donation practices? Is this what you want to teach the youth of America? Here’s another line from the same overview page:

“OFA is… working to make the change we fought so hard for in 2008 a reality in 2010 and beyond.”

Again, this is a partisan initiative. This administration wants to recruit teenagers to serve as political soldiers and do the bidding of Team Obama to repeat the election successes of 2008. Obama wants our kids to help elect Democrats during the mid-terms and then keep working to re-elect him in 2012.

Now take a peek on page four. The administration is openly promoting and encouraging that students read Saul Alinsky’s “Rules for Radicals.” Seriously?! The very first page of chapter one in this book introduces the concept of the “haves” and “have nots.” Class warfare. Victims and the evil rich. The book is a toolkit for people to disrupt and forcibly get their way. And by the way, Alinsky dedicates the book to Lucifer. More specifically:

“Lest we forget at least an over-the-shoulder acknowledgment to the very first radical: from all our legends, mythology, and history (and who is to know where mythology leaves off and history begins — or which is which), the first radical known to man who rebelled against the establishment and did it so effectively that he at least won his own kingdom — Lucifer“

What about separation of church and state now, hippy?

Pages six and nine reveal another focus of the National Intern Organizer program: Healthcare. Obama wants to use these kids to help spread the “context of the healthcare campaign,” and to discuss how to work with the media, specifically around healthcare. Yes, the very same healthcare that 61% of Americans want Congress to drop.

And, if that’s not enough, here’s the cherry on top of this crap sundae. The web site listed on page ten as “a great example of good use of new media” is a gay marriage site. Great material for our kids to be reviewing. But that’s ok with you, right?

So, I encourage each and every one of you that has kids in public high schools to contact your school board, principal or anyone at a leadership level and find out if this brochure will be distributed during the school year. THEN, ask them if a similar application for a conservative program will also be distributed.

Remember: All politics are local. Get involved. Be aware.

If you want even more information please visit Pamela Geller’s article chock full of links to supporting material.

Tagged with: socialism

Happy Birthday To Us

On February 1, 2010, In Free Speech, By Paulie

[This article inspired by RFC Radio co-founder Andrew Riley.]

One year ago this month RFC Radio was born, and later in that same month I signed up as a partner and show host. If you think about what life as a conservative was like in February 2009 you quickly realize that we had just experienced a two-year political beating thanks to the most annoying, obtrusive and angst-filled election campaign in recent history. By the time February arrived were less than a month into the actual Obama presidency, but we were already worn, scarred and still bitterly frustrated. Here are a few Obama-related news items from February, 2009:

He said that “renditions” (the practice in which agents turn detainees over to authorities in their home country for interrogation) were “more necessary than ever.” Never mind the fact that the left hated this idea. Foreign countries torture for info. But that’s ok, chalk up another Obama lie/flip-flop/shattered liberal expectation.
Daschle stepped down from his HHS Secretary nomination thanks to tax problems, he would be one of many,
Obama Radio (AM 1260) in Washington D.C. failed miserably.
We learned Obama advisors had been meeting with leaders with Iran and Syria since before the election.
The list of supposedly evil lobbyists that Obama associated with grew. He campaigned against them, remember?
Stimulus. Iran launching improved missiles. Transparency? What transparency. Franken vote recount. Schumer says nobody cares about pork. Fairness doctrine. Reid sais vote will wait until Franken wins (didn’t sound that way after Brown won, right?)

I could go on… after all, the items above all took place in the first two weeks of February! However, these wonderful news tidbits, and all of those that preceded them before and after the election were enough to drive me to the political brink and I was ready to do something. DO something other than bitch about it. And one day after listening to Ed Morrissey interview Elizabeth Crum on his daily show (3pm EST) I went to RFCradio.com for the first time and applied as a partner and blogger. I was accepted. I was later asked to join the board. and even later I was offered the role of Station Manager, which I still faithfully and passionately serve as today. I think my cousin Sam Adams.

We are a ragtag crew, a fledgling organization of honest to God grassroots people busting our humps to make a difference. Trust me Speaker Botox, we do not have corporate backing. We are paying for this out of our own meager pockets while somehow finding the time between the many things that life throws at us to run a web site, produce podcasts, blogs and everything else that makes us the crazy patriotic group of activists that we are. And, if I say so myself, I think we are doing a bang up job at it. We are one of the largest online conservative podcast aggregators, we have more than two dozen show hosts and keep adding more, we are fostering partnerships with other likeminded groups, and we have this little thing called “swagger.” As the new voice of conservatism RFC Radio ain’t yer grandpa’s political movement.

This promises to be an exciting year for RFC Radio and for Americans in general. We at RFC want to help as many people as possible get educated and motivated to act in time for the mid-term elections and again in 2012. We will be at CPAC this month (look for us on Bloggers Row and around the convention doing live remotes), we will be at the SRLC in New Orleans in April and who knows where else. And we will be loud. We will be in your face. We will not take any crap from the left. After all, America is a center-right country built upon the solidly conservative values espoused and documented by our founding fathers. If you want to drag America down into the abysmal failure known as progressive policy and liberal ideology, you will have to get through me and the rest of us at RFC Radio.

Come visit our web site, subscribe to our podcasts and most important: spread the word.

Tagged with: Grassroots

Podcast 1/28/10

On January 28, 2010, In podcast, By Paulie

My discussion of Obama’s first State of the Union speech followed by an interview with “Stephen Hawking.”

Barack SOTU Bingo!

On January 27, 2010, In 2010, By Paulie

It’s time for Barack Obama State Of The Union Bingo! The folks at Americans for Tax Reform have created four new Bingo cards to help you and your family truly enjoy what promises to be a boring yet vague promise-filled speech. Print ‘em, pass ‘em out and have fun! (note: no wagering please)

card 1 | card 2 | card 3 | card 4

The Beginning Of Our Future

On January 19, 2010, In Conservatives, Election, Obama, Politics, By Paulie

I was on a self-imposed blogging break but cannot resist tonight. I’m typin this while flipping between news networks to see reactions about Scott Brown’s unexpected and historic victory.

Keith Olbermann was unusually feisty tonight. It’s as though he is launching a final salvo of his best “material” before he goes home and sticks a Smith/Wesson in his mouth. He pulled out the two week old news about the tax issues that Glenn Beck’s company had and threw him under the bus; he re-emphized his ridiculous tirade against Scott Brown; he insulted people with pickup trucks and implied that support for Scott Brown was synonymous with the racist statist movement of the 1960s; and he topped it all off by somehow trying to defend his immature use of the term “tea bagger” by noting that it was first referenced by a conservative and first reported by Fox News. What a complete and utter asshole. Seriously, the man needs psychological help.
Chris Matthews started crying while reading a historical quote and proved that hell has frozen over by due to his sudden realization that the people of America might be against an over-reaching government.
Rachel Maddow could only muster the canned response of spewing Obama campaign rhetoric “the problems Obama faces now are just because he has to fix the mess Bush created.” (paraphrase)

I would normally rip Larry, Moe and Curly over this but I’m in too good of a mood. I got my first iPhone today and Scott Brown won. A great day, time to crack open another bottle of Sam Adams. How poetic.

Tagged with: Election

I’m Taking A Break.

On January 16, 2010, In 2010, By Paulie

My life is becoming increasingly busy so I am putting my blog on the back burner for a little while. However, my weekly Internet radio show will still take place Thursdays at 8pm EST at rfcradio.com. Click here to subscribe to my podcast.

Remember, it’s time to get EDUCATED, time to get LOUD.

Capitalism FTW!

On January 12, 2010, In Economy, Uncategorized, By Paulie

Here is a nice 2-minute defense of capitalism by Milton Friedman. Who is Milton Friedman, you ask? His awards are many, and he “wrote extensively on public policy, always with a primary emphasis on the preservation and extension of individual freedom.” (source/bio)

This interview was recorded in 1979 as the beta version of Barack Obama was in office (that would be Jimmy Carter for my younger readers).

You can find the first of five portions of the interview here. Another note for the younger crowd, Phil Donahue as a turbo-lib, but he also can be considered the founding father of modern television talk shows. He was the king back then and set the groundwork for daytime talk stars like Oprah and company.

Tagged with: Economy • Friedman • socialism

Sign the KSM Trial Petition!

On January 8, 2010, In Terrorism, By Paulie

Spread this link around: http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=35080 and encourage people to let Eric Holder know that we do NOT want KSM tried as a civilian.

As Sonia Sotomayor once said, “the court of Appeals is where policy is made.” And, to really start your weekend off right, a Federal Judge has already tossed out a Gitmo detainees confession because it was “coerced.”

To those of you that said this wouldn’t happen, that the courts are reasonable and will not treat terrorists like civilians, what say you?

Tagged with: Holder • KSM • trial

Podcast 1/7/10: Repeat

On January 7, 2010, In podcast, By Paulie

Sorry folks, this week’s podcast is a repeat of the show from last week due to my travel schedule. I did update “Today In History” accordingly. Thanks for listening!

The Loud Talker

Free speech at its finest.