Well, only in one small part, actually. The vast majority of his superb column on NRO today is absolutely spot on. The current health reform bill is indeed “irredeemable” and…

“…it wildly compounds the complexity by adding hundreds of new provisions, regulations, mandates, committees, and other arbitrary bureaucratic inventions.

Worse, they are packed into a monstrous package without any regard to each other. The only thing linking these changes — such as the 118 new boards, commissions, and programs — is political expediency. Each must be able to garner just enough votes to pass. There is not even a pretense of a unifying vision or conceptual harmony.”

But: Mr. Krauthammer makes one small but very important statement with which I disagree. He begins the end of his column with this statement:

“Insuring the uninsured is a moral imperative.”

Is it? Why?

If insuring the uninsured is a moral imperative, why isn’t ensuring food for those who can’t afford it also a moral imperative? After all, people can die from starvation, whereas a cold, fever, or flu may bring you down for a while, but it generally won’t kill you.

What about homes? Homeless people die of exposure; why not make homes for all a moral imperative as well?

No, the moral imperative is to make sure that the uninsured have access to the healthcare they need. But mandating that for-profit insurance companies must cover them is akin to mandating that grocery stores must give away groceries for free to the hungry; or that banks must give home loans to those who cannot afford to pay mortgages. Oh wait, we all saw how well that worked out, didn’t we?

Making sure that those who cannot afford healthcare coverage have access to good healthcare may in fact be a moral imperative. Insuring the uninsured whether they want it or not, whether they can afford it or not, whether the insurance companies want to or not, is most decidedly not a moral imperative.

Sorry, Charles.

Stoutcat

Think about this: There is only one reason, one group, one entity that saves the image above from the scrap heap of the historically laughable and horrifically ridiculous. No matter what your religion or ethnicity, only one small slice of humanity saved your tail section, especially in America, from being on the endangered list. Given recent (and sometimes not so recent) history, virtually every ethnic, racial, political, and religious segment of the global village has found refuge in the silent arms of the United States Military. Doubt it? If the Nazis had had their way, all Jews, gays, blacks, Native Americans, and in general non-Aryan would be dead… Between the early and late 1900s (not to mention the Marshall Plan in between), Europe would probably still be a smoldering ruins. What would have happened to China if we acquiesced and gave the Japanese the petroleum they so desperately wanted to continue their vicious expansionism in 1941? What of South Korea? The Philippines? What of the USSR?

In short, where would this world be without the United States Marine Corp, the United States Army, the United States Navy, the United States Air Force, and the United States Coast Guard?

Well, we wouldn’t be eating turkey.

So today whether you are with family or friends, eating a feast or serving a feast, please remember our servicemen and women as you give thanks for all the blessings this great country has bestowed upon us all.

“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”

Mal 3:10

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Stoutcat

It should come as no surprise, but at least now it’s officially documented. From Fox News:

The federal government spent $3.5 trillion during President Obama’s first year in office. This far exceeds the spending for any other first-year president.

This is double what George Bush spent on his first year in office and light years ahead of all previous Presidents… even when adjusted for inflation.

In fairness, this includes the final 3.5 months George Bush was President and, therefore, includes the TARP bailout which was Bush’s blunder.

That still leaves close to $3 Trillion – with a “t” – spent by the President and what Nancy Pelosi described as  ”the most honest, most open, and most ethical Congress in history,” as they proceeded to shove through (in the middle of the night and week-end)  a stimulus bill packed with more pork than you’ll find at Honeybaked Ham’s Headquarters.

As the President’s On-The-Job Training proceeded, he continued to act as if the way out of a recession is to spend more money that we don’t have. Maybe after his visit to China, he will have a better idea what we’re facing a couple of years down the road: An economic Tsunami he won’t be able to lay at the feet of George W. Bush.

Please, people… don’t anyone tell President Obama what comes after “Trillions.”

Gerry Ashley

We here at Grand Rants are frequently critical of the President’s policies, and for good reason. We have also had occasion to pick on the First Lady as well. But when either one of them does things right, we like to point out those instances as well.

Last night, Michelle Obama appeared every inch a First Lady the entire country could applaud. No dowdy red-and-black disaster dress, no unflattering dear-Lord-what-the-heck-is-that-outfit? moment.

She was drop-dead gorgous. Elegant. Stately. And just beautiful. Not only that, she actually appeared to be having a good time. She also looked as though she felt at ease with herself. That geeky fellow beside her looks like a sophomore nerd in his first tux who can’t believe the homecoming queen is his date.

For all I know the state dinner itself may have been a howling disaster, or a smashing success. The Indian Prime Minister and his wife may have stormed off in a huff after the first course, or they all might have stayed up dancing until dawn. Doesn’t matter for this moment. Doesn’t matter at all.

For the first time in my life, I was proud of our First Lady.

Stoutcat

There’s an old saying I just made up: “Don’t judge the message by the messenger. Judge the message on its actual content.” 

When I first heard that saying (about two minutes ago), it came to me as I was watching the youtube videos of Glenn Beck’s rally last week-end held at “The Villages” here in Florida. 

I had intended on driving up to see him in person, but a prior committment kept me from doing so. However, one of the principals of our local 912 Group was there and thoughtfully taped Glenn’s speech in its entirety. I present it to you in segments below.

Before watching, however, please allow me to make a couple of points:

Beck’s Flair For Theatrics

Upon first viewing, it would be easy to compare the theatrics of Beck’s presentations to any number of egocentric “look at ME!” performers, so full of themselves you simply want to run screaming in the other direction.

Only when you know Beck’s “back story” does one understand that what you’re  actually watching is a man who has been to the gates of hell and clawed his way back.

It may be difficult to get it at first, but what you are seeing is not so much theatrics, but the true, “my right hand to God” passion of a man who looked at death (by his own doing) in the face before experiencing his own personal  epiphany. That epiphany gave him the strength to say, “No! There’s   something better in store for me. Let that journey be my journey of choice.”   Understand, this man speaks his heart straight from the hip… and his shirt sleeve.

I wanted to ask Glenn one simple question (and if I get the chance, I will): “Glenn, if you had not plummeted to the depths you did, do you think you would have found the courage, the strength and the clarity of vision needed to get to where you are now?” Because, make no mistake folks. Beck puts his life on the line every day. When he uncovers corruption, he exposes it. When he knows who is behind some nefarious abuse of power, he names names. Not because he is trying to be a big shot, but because he has been to hell and back and he knows, there is right and there is wrong. And if you don’t have the guts to stand up against what’s wrong, those who stand up for wrong will always win.

The Wrong People Are Winning Because We Let Them

The wrong people have been “winning” in this country for too long. But, it’s primarily because those of us who know what’s right have been too comfortable in our barcaloungers and designer fashions to stand up and confront them. We didn’t want to spill our lattes. We’ve been more concerned with political correctness than the truth.

We’ve been lazy and we’ve been cowards.

Beck Has A Plan – And It’s Huge

 Beck has a plan to turn this ship called America around. And you’d better listen up, folks, because that ship is currently bashing into an iceberg. I’ll let Beck complete that metaphor in the video.

But here’s the bottom line: Within the next couple of years, our character as individuals as well as a society will be tested at the same level as those who got us through WWII and the great depression.   Maybe even more harshly.

My prediction as of the moment? As a nation, we don’t have the character to make it through the approaching  fire.

As a nation, we traded our character for creature comforts. We left honor at the entrance to our office buildings in exchange for “whatever it takes to win” in business. Worst of all, we left the greatest part of “family” at the door in exchange for the self-pleasures of big screen TVs, PCs where our children find it easier to communicate with strangers than their own parents; a dinner table that’s used more for setting things on other than food since we don’t really eat together that much any more.

We left the art of parenting at the day care center so we can have the double income  to pay for the bigger house and the mini-van, not to mention week-ends at the spa (“Oh, it’s so gooood to get away from the kids, isn’t it honey?”). 

No, we don’t all live that way, but there’s something in that scenario above that most people can relate to… if they’re honest.  And look at where it’s gotten us. We didn’t have to sacrifice being “the right people” in order to get here. But we did it anyway, because it made it so much  easier if we didn’t have to hold ourselves accountable.

And that’s precisely the kind of society that spawns the likes of Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank, Harry Reid and, yes, Barack Obama:  When WE THE PEOPLE decide to let others rule us, then rule us they will.  THAT’S how we got to where we are today. We gave the politicians the opportunity to abuse their powers and they did so. Why does that surprise any of us?

Is Beck’s Plan Doomed To Failure?

Beck has a plan. But it’s destined for failure unless we are all willing to commit to doing the right thing with our lives. Before we can demand excellence from our politicians, we have to commit to excellence in ourselves.

But here’s the challenge facing us: Beck discovered the importance of character when standing at the gates of Hell.  But we’re not there. We’re in our SUVs on our way to pick up Chinese take-out for dinner. We’re at the gym working out to maintain our buff bodies instead of taking that time to be with our kids. The kids are at the mall-cineplex doing heaven knows what.  

How, then, do we discover the need to fundamentally change our own behavior if we are drunk with comfort? We’re achieving our goals, but they’re the wrong goals!

Beck’s hell was the result of alcohol and drug abuse. Ours is going to be from throwing away all that God has given us that is good: Family. Honor. Faith. Commitment. Dedication to doing the right thing all the time. It’s hard to commit to good when you’re so comfortable in your “comfort zone.”  But like it or not, that comfort zone we all have is about to shift with the American paradigm.

Good News – Bad News

Beck’s plan can work. There is light at the end of the tunnel. The bad news? We have to dig the tunnel.  It will take commitment, dedication, honor, and faith to make the journey, but if we are willing to provide all of that, then Ronald Reagan was right: “America’s finest days are yet to come.” But only – and I stress this – only if we are willing to commit to a long-term re-building of our society and ourselves. And yes… it could take one hundred years to truly reach that goal. But oh, what a better ride it’s gonna be on the way there.

Here’s Glenn to tell you more about it:

If you made it this far, congratulations. You get it. And you care. Now… get going. Get out of your comfort zone and get involved. Get your house in order.  Or get ready to lose it altogether. There’s not going to be any choice in the matter. If you choose anything but the honorable path, you may wind up at your own personal gates of hell. The choice is yours. And the time to decide is now.

Gerry Ashley

And if Ms. Maddow had her way, the Second Amendment would lose, big time. Even though she’s an avid shooter, she still doesn’t believe people should actually be able to own guns.

Let’s review that:

“I like making liberals shoot guns, I just don’t think we should be allowed to bring them home.” [Stoutcat: I have to presume she's referring to the guns here, and not the liberals...]

“I mean, you go to the carnival, you know, and like, the roller coaster is fun. But that doesn’t mean you get one to come home with. Doesn’t mean you get to do your own home roller coaster. Just leave it there, it’s a game.”

“It’s a game.” Sheesh. What part of “the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed” does she not understand?

Actually, I think Ms. Maddow understands the Second Amendment perfectly well, but she disapproves of it, and so believes it can be conveniently ignored and/or legislated out of existence.

Liberals. Can’t live with ‘em, can’t use ‘em for target practice…

Stoutcat

Note: If you’re interested in hearing about Ms. Maddow’s opinion of the Tea Parties, her first date with her girlfriend, or how to mix perfect drinks, the entire video clip can be seen here.

From National Review Online comes this week’s smile-quietly-to-yourself schadenfreude moment. It’s obviously a set-up, but I have to admit, it’s a beaut:

Slate magazine is just one of the countless media outlets convulsing with St. Vitus’ Dance over that demonic succubus Sarah Palin. In its reader forum, The Fray, one supposed Palinophobe took dead aim at the former Alaska governor’s writing chops, excerpting the following sentence from her book:

“The apartment was small, with slanting floors and irregular heat and a buzzer downstairs that didn’t work, so that visitors had to call ahead from a pay phone at the corner gas station, where a black Doberman the size of a wolf paced through the night in vigilant patrol, its jaws clamped around an empty beer bottle.”

Other readers pounced like wolf-sized Dobermans on an intruder. One guffawed, “That sentence by Sarah Palin could be entered into the annual Bulwer-Lytton bad writing contest. It could have a chance at winning a (sic) honorable mention, at any rate.”

But soon, the original contributor confessed: “I probably should have mentioned that the sentence quoted above was not written by Sarah Palin. It’s taken from the first paragraph of ‘Dreams From My Father,’ written by Barack Obama.”

The ruse should have been allowed to fester longer, but the point was made nonetheless: Some people hate Palin first and ask questions later.

It isn’t until after the snip above that the forum’s commenters begin to defend the prose. However, several of them completely missed the reveal and continued to rail on the excerpt. The original poster commented on the next page:

The sentence really is from the first paragraph of President Obama’s book. When I posted it, I thought someone would quickly note that fact.

It’s funny how things haven’t changed that much for Obama. He still lives in an old building, and if you want to visit him, you still have to call ahead.

Yes, but the Doberman has morphed into a Portuguese Water Dog, and he has his own assistant to carry his beer bottle now.

Stoutcat

Note: For those who don’t get the title reference: Back in the early ’90s, Spy Magazine did an expose in which members of Congress were asked what they thought about the ethnic cleansing happening in Freedonia. Since Freedonia is a fictional country from the Marx Brothers’ movie, Duck Soup, and since members of Congress seem congenitally unable to say “I don’t know about that,” you can just imagine the responses that were given.

Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) lays it on the line:

He doesn’t care what his constituents want, he’s going to toe the Democrat line, even if it means he loses his job in 2010.

That said, I have to admire Sen. Bennet; at least he has the courage of his (party’s) convictions, and is willing to say so, with no ambiguity or equivocation. Asked a direct yes-or-no question, he simply answers “No Yes.” We could wish for that same simplicity from the rest of our elected officials.

Of course, it remains to be seen if he will actually vote the way he’s said, or whether his sense of self-preservation will kick in if his constituents really lay it on the line for him.

At least we’ll have video evidence of the hypocrisy if that happens.

Stoutcat

H/T: Sweetness & Light

Okay, don’t listen to me… I admit that I don’t know spit about sunshine. But when it comes to universal economic implosion, I’ve ranted about David Walker, Glen Beck, and Lou Dobbs forever. I’m pretty sure I’ve put up at least eight rants on this issue.

Fine… Don’t listen to me or any of us for that matter. But at least consider what France’s Société Générale bank had to say.

Overall debt is still far too high in almost all rich economies as a share of GDP (350pc in the US), whether public or private. It must be reduced by the hard slog of “deleveraging”, for years.

“As yet, nobody can say with any certainty whether we have in fact escaped the prospect of a global economic collapse,” said the 68-page report, headed by asset chief Daniel Fermon. It is an exploration of the dangers, not a forecast.

Under the French bank’s “Bear Case” scenario (the gloomiest of three possible outcomes), the dollar would slide further and global equities would retest the March lows. Property prices would tumble again. Oil would fall back to $50 in 2010.

Governments have already shot their fiscal bolts. Even without fresh spending, public debt would explode within two years to 105pc of GDP in the UK, 125pc in the US and the eurozone, and 270pc in Japan. Worldwide state debt would reach $45 trillion, up two-and-a-half times in a decade.

(UK figures look low because debt started from a low base. Mr Ferman said the UK would converge with Europe at 130pc of GDP by 2015 under the bear case).

The underlying debt burden is greater than it was after the Second World War, when nominal levels looked similar. Ageing populations will make it harder to erode debt through growth. “High public debt looks entirely unsustainable in the long run. We have almost reached a point of no return for government debt,” it said.

Remember when I wrote that I had a terrible feeling about the future? Remember what a stack of a trillion dollars would look like? How about the silver dollar highway to the moon? Well forget about all that. But just consider what that French bank is saying.

Alan Speakman

This Just In From The Tongue-In-Cheek News Desk:

Tofurky: It's What's For Baracksgiving!

In a stunning announcement, the White House today announced the end of the Thanksgiving holiday; it is to be replaced by a new event some are calling “political correctness run amok.” The new event, to be called  ”Baracksgiving”, is described by the President as “similar to Thanksgiving in many ways, but it’s now an event that re-energizes the meaningfulness of family while keeping proper perspective on who we are and our place in the world.”

In the interests of bipartisanship, gender neutrality, and full inclusion (formerly known as “integration”), the President this year will be granting a symbolic “pardon us for our history of evil”  (formerly known as ”pardon”) to all fowl normally eaten during the holidays. As you know, for generations there has been an annual custom to pardon the White House Turkey. However, White House Chief of Shaft (formerly known as “Chief of Staff”) Rahm Emanuel was concerned this year that people might think this was a reference to the President and, therefore, suggested the change to read “all fowl.”

At a press conference, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs announced:

“The decree shall thus go out that “No family In  the United States shall eat Turkey, Chicken or Duck during the ‘man-made seasonal celebratory events’  (formerly known as ‘holidays’).”

But none of the Assembled press corps - including hardened veterans – was prepared for Gibbs’ next statement: 

“As an emblematic gesture signifying the completion of his “Symbolic All-Year World Healing Apology Tour” (S.A.Y. W.H.A.T.),  the President has decide to end the traditional  Thanksgiving holiday, effective immediately, and replace it with a more solemn ‘man-made seasonal celebratory event.’” 

President Obama then surprised the White House Press Corps by joining Gibbs at the podium where he stated:

“For too many years now, the wealthy have gathered on this day called  ‘Thanksgiving’  and gorged themselves on an embarassment of riches while those less fortunate went wanting. Further, it led to the unnecessary slaughter of hundreds of millions of innocent, defenseless birds, mostly turkeys. And for what? To allow the rich to flaunt their wealth! 

This is unacceptable and it ends now. Under my leadership, a new man-made seasonal celebratory event will be replacing what  was known as ’Thanksgiving’; one that all people, rich and poor alike can claim as their own. Like Thanksgiving, it will be a day for families to come together. But it will be a day when we apologize to each other for any transgressions, real or imagined, that we may have inadvertantly caused in the past year.

In keeping with that theme, I’m going to mandate that anyone with an annual income above $100,000 is to invite one Native American family to join them at their table as a symbolic gesture of reunification and re-distribution of wealth. If you do not know any Native American families, one will be assigned to you by the office of the Secretary of the Interior. Make no mistake: refusal to open your home to your assigned Native American will result in a fine of $600 and/or 30 days in jail.

Let me make this clear: This new ‘man-made seasonal celebratory event will instantly become a day that is meaningful, spiritual, and one of reflection in all 57 states.

Now since you will no longer be allowed Turkey, Chicken and Duck, and since so many of you are overweight, I have decided this would be a perfect time for the American people to get into shape. Therefore, I suggest you celebrate Barackgiving with Tofurkey, a portmanteau of tofu, savory natural  ingredients, and yogurt gravy. Or you might like the tofu equivalent of chicken called, uh… Tof…oh my goodness… uh…To-FOO-kin, or the tofu replacement for duck which is uh… called… uh… uh…  good gracious… apparently Rahm didn’t think this through very well. Tell you what: I’ll let you figure out your own pronunciation. You know, on second thought,  if there are children in your household under 18, may I suggest the Tofurky as it may cause less of a commotion at the table. 

As for the first family and myself, well, we’re already in shape. To celebrate the very first Baracksgiving, we’ll be traveling to England to personally apologize to the Queen for the uproar and inconvenience caused by the American Revolution… and to replace those DVDs that don’t work for Prime Minister Brown. In a gesture demonstrating the ongoing  commitment we have with the Queen, I will be bringing replacement batteries and a software upgrade for her Ipod.

Thank you, and I wish you all a very warm and significant Baracksgiving!”

Gerry Ashley