Mitt Romney for President

I will be voting for Mitt Romney on Tuesday, November 6. I've been waiting for this day for over 4 years.

Via The Blogfather, this is a quote that could have come from someone who read my mind:

“Romney was not my first, second, or third choice, but I will crawl over ground glass to vote for him.”

Brad Smith provides wary voters a number of thoughtful reasons to vote for Mitt Romney:

Here’s why I like Mitt:

1. ...Romney has pledged to repeal Obamacare. It is one of his most visible pledges, and therefore – even if one doesn’t trust Romney (I do, although I’m not sure he can get repeal done) – it will be one of the hardest for him to break or ignore. And he has vowed to use Obama’s own weapon – executive branch waivers – to effectively stop implementation of the Act immediately.

So let’s be skeptical. Let’s assume there is only a 10 or 20 percent chance Romney carries through on this promise (I think the odds are much higher, but I’m being cautious and skeptical here). What are the odds of repeal if Obama is re-elected? Zero. Zilch. Nada. None. Nothing. If repeal of Obamacare is truly important – and I think it is – I will not pass up the most (or only) realistic chance to get it done.

2.Taxes. Mitt Romney has expressed a desire for sensible tax reform that most libertarians support – lower rates with a broader base. We’d like to see overall taxes decline, but in the face of massive deficits, with a public unwilling to stand for major cuts in entitlements, that’s probably not a realistic option. But Mitt Romney and his running mate Paul Ryan have promised to try. Barack Obama, on the other hand, has expressed again and again his desire and determination to raise income tax rates, and, at times, even to do so solely for the purpose of redistributing income. And to add insult to injury, Obama’s Orwellian language about “asking” some “to pay a little bit more” grates every time one hears it...

Romney is clearly the superior candidate.
 
3. Entitlements and Spending. Republicans have never had a lot of success in reforming, letting alone ending, entitlements. Often – particularly under G.W. Bush – they have played a key role in expanding them. On the other hand, Republicans scored a huge success in the 1990s in ending welfare as an entitlement, and Obama is now attempting to undo this success through the regulatory process.

Beyond the possibility of repealing the massive entitlement of Obamacare if Romney is elected, Romney’s running mate, Paul Ryan, has been a congressional leader in attempting to reform entitlements. No, he is not the Randian that the Democrats wish to make him out to be, much as many libertarians wish he were. But let’s be clear. No politician is going to be elected President in the near future on a pledge to abolish the entitlement state.

The Romney/Ryan plan for entitlement reform is the closest thing we have to a meaningful first step at reform – indeed, it is meaningful reform. There may never come a time when a majority of Americans are prepared for more radical reform, let alone an end to entitlements. If this is the reform we can get, it is necessary and good, and consistent with libertarian values. If an end to entitlements is one’s goal, successful, incremental reforms are probably a necessary step toward reshaping Americans’ mindset.
 
Obama currently stands as the single biggest obstacle to any consideration of entitlement reform. Romney and Ryan have taken on the issue in as strong a manner as any presidential ticket since Barry Goldwater in 1964...

6. Other Domestic Issues...

a. Immigration. Obama offers a bit more liberal immigration policy in principle, but Romney is more likely to gain concrete results for easier access for skilled workers. Broadly, I think Romney is much more likely to look for policies fostering assimilation...

b. Gun Control. Advantage Romney.

c. School Choice. Advantage Romney...

e. ...the protections of the First Amendment for religious groups has helped to support a major counterweight to state power. Religious freedom matters, and Romney is an easy choice...

i. Free Speech. Give Romney, with his opposition to campaign finance (i.e. political speech) regulation and “hate speech” codes, a huge edge over Obama. Obama has even used government regulation to attempt to silence corporations opposing elements of the Obama agenda, including the provision of true information about his health care plan.

6. The Courts... In the next four years, one side or the other could lock up a working majority on the Supreme Court for two decades. I have no doubt that Romney’s appointees will be MUCH better than Obama’s. Indeed, how could I not – in 2008, I was a member of Romney’s advisory committee on the Constitution and the Courts, a group that included other libertarians such as Michelle Boardman. I have confidence that Romney will appoint judges who see the constitution as a document that limits government power...

7. Foreign Policy.  ...Obama’s demonstrated incompetence and Romney's better understanding of the nature of radical Islam still gives an advantage to Romney. ...as we have seen Obama’s incompetence in dealing with the world, I’m more comfortable with Romney. Elsewhere, however, I think Romney’s advantage is more substantial.

...We will not see President Romney cuddling up to populist dictators such as Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, or undermining democracy in Honduras, where Obama sanctioned the government for upholding its constitution against efforts by left-wing former President Manuel Zelaya to unconstitutionally retain power. Obama has also frayed our relationship with Canada, in part through his obstinate opposition to the Keystone Pipeline, which Romney supports...

Read the rest.

I'll close with a compelling message from Bill Whittle. (hat tip: Proof Positive)


Obama and his radical agenda need to go now. There's only way to ensure that Obama will start packing his backs on the 6th. Vote Romney.

*image credit

Post Your GPOY, Obama

When you want America to know that you really, really, really care, you gotta look important and you gotta make sure your photographer is ready to take the important shot. Then you can post your GPOY (Gratuitous Picture Of Yourself).

Obama shows us how it's done:

He works hard for you. Sometimes.

The only thing that beats the obligatory map GPOY is the GPOY from the Situation Room:

But Obama forgot his Benghazi GPOY!

A (Very) Young Voter Explains Her Support for Romney

The conservative antidote to the puerile Lena Dunham:

Would you mind telling us why you choose Romney?

...First of all, I believe in the United States Constitution wholeheartedly. Obama has done many, many things under his term that should have been deemed unconstitutional. He wants to change this country and that’s not what I’m looking for.  

I would consider myself mostly Libertarian. I wanted Ron Paul in the beginning but seeing as he is no longer in the race Romney has my vote. Gary Johnson, not for me. I don’t believe in giving illegal aliens amnesty as Obama and Johnson do. I agree with Romney on his stance with adults being deported but children born here getting the chance to become a citizen.  

Next, I don’t like the Affordable Care Act also commonly known as Obamacare. I think it needs to be repealed immediately because it’s a stepping stone in the process to universal health care. Yes, free health care for everyone is GREAT in ideology. But nations do not thrive with that. Elderly will be denied the care they need. People won’t have the right to either buy into or not buy into health care. Yes, I think it’s foolish for a person to not buy into health insurance but it is their right as an American to do as they please. 

Leading into birth control I don’t think it should be free. There is no reason that an adult woman cannot afford the average hormonal birth control pill (most are never above twenty dollars - mine costs twenty two if I didn’t pay through health insurance coverage) if they prioritize their finances maturely. I certainly don’t believe that employers should provide contraception for their employees. That’s ridiculous to me.  

Aside from those issues, gun laws. I don’t want stricter gun laws. The second amendment was created so we CAN protect ourselves from our government and in self defense against criminals.  

As for jobs Obama is doing terribly. 23 million out of work and he says it’s getting better? I don’t think so. I trust that Romney can get the jobs increasing again. After all he is a businessman. Obama is just a lawyer who knows how to work around the laws to get what he wants.  

On the economy, I think Romney has a great plan. Cut spending. We don’t have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem. In the whole defense on PBS and him wanting to cut it. PBS doesn’t need the subsidies. They make a third of a billion dollars in revenue. They’ll do just fine on their own...

Read the rest.

Obama's Slo-Mo Train Wreck

Photo Credit, Associated Press; Hat Tip, Christopher Oakley

Two important notes:

1. These numbers come from two of the most important members of Obama's Media Support Team, i.e., CBS and the New York Times.

2. This poll included all adults, including adults who are unlikely to vote. Polls that include adults who are not expected to vote tend to skew favorably for Democrats.

With those caveats, Obama's bad news is probably even worse than it would appear at first glance:

"Obama’s approval rating has slipped to 43% - his lowest so far - while his disapproval rating has reached an all-time high in this poll of 50%..."

The hope came early, finally comes the change. Even apart from his job performance, Americans don't like Obama anymore:

"And for the first time, more Americans have an unfavorable opinion of Barack Obama than a favorable one..."

The unfavorable opinion has surged to its current high from only 34% in January.

Discussion: Memeorandum

x-posted

UPDATE: Some train wrecks are fun to watch!

Obama: "I Would Resign"

When the little messiah from Chicago says you should resign, what do you do?

In an exclusive interview with TODAY’s Ann Curry that will air on Tuesday’s show, President Barack Obama said that if he were Democratic Congressman Anthony Weiner right now, he would resign in the wake of the scandal in which Weiner admitted to sending explicit photos of himself to women online.

“I can tell you that if it was me, I would resign,’’ Obama told Curry.

Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin...

So will Weiner resign? Robert Stacy McCain says that if we're waiting for shame to drive the Weiner out of office, we shouldn't hold our breath:

Is the "possibility" of Weiner quitting likely? Despite the public calls for his resignation from top Democrats, under House rules Weiner can't be expelled from Congress until the Ethics Committee conducts an investigation, which could take months. Whatever might motivate Weiner to quit, it obviously can't be shame. Anyone who has seen the middle-aged congressman's photo self-portrait of himself posing naked in front a gym mirror must conclude that Weiner is utterly shameless.

...hence Weiner's uncomfortable position beneath Obama's bus.

Tea Party More Popular, Dems Deeply Underwater

Ed Morrissey sums it up well: "Not even skewed polls can rescue Obama and the Democrats."

A new NBC/WSJ poll shows that even with a sample skewed in favor of liberals and Democrats, the Tea Party is more popular than big-name Dems:

Positive/Negative

• Nancy Pelosi: 21/46
• Harry Reid: 11/31
• Tea Party: 30/34

So as you can see, the tea party is 9 percentage points more popular than Pelosi and 19 percentage points more popular than the Reid. It should also be noted that while Pelosi's negatives are more than two times as high as her positives and Reid's negatives are almost three times as high as his positives, the gap between Tea party positives and negatives is comparable to the margin of error (3.10%).

I'd submit that the Tea Party brand is doing remarkably well in light of the fact that the Tea Party movement has been subjected to months of false charges of racism from the likes of NBC and the rest of the Democrat-Dominated Dinosaur media. In contrast, even with all the help it gets from its friends at the major media outlets, the Democratic Party's approval ratings are deeply underwater at -11 (33/44).

As noted above, the NBC/WSJ poll was grossly skewed in favor of liberals and Democrats. NBC/WSJ gave "a nine-point edge to Democrats in their sample (without leaners; with leaners, seven points). But "Gallup found the partisan gap in April to be a single point, when considering leaners, 46/45."

The NBC/WSJ poll was skewed in terms of ideology as well. While the country has been consistently demonstrated to be about 20% liberal and 40% conservative, the NBC/WSJ sample was 23% liberal and only 35% conservative.

Softening the results for liberal Democrats even further, the NBC/WSJ poll included a large sample of non-voters (17% didn’t vote at all in 2008). As a group, non-voters tend to be less conservative than those who care enough about politics to show up to vote.

If libs think they can take some comfort in some of the numbers generated by this new poll, they had better think again.

Cross-posted at Left Coast Rebel

h/t: Memeorandum

Sayeth The Lord: "Thou Shalt Support ObamaCare"

I wonder if God wants Co-Ops or a Public Option?

President Obama sought Wednesday to reframe the health care debate as “a core ethical and moral obligation,” imploring a coalition of religious leaders to help promote the plan to lower costs and expand insurance coverage for all Americans.

“I know there’s been a lot of misinformation in this debate, and there are some folks out there who are frankly bearing false witness,” Mr. Obama told a multidenominational group of pastors, rabbis and other religious leaders who support his goal to remake the nation’s health care system.

Obama's statements piqued my Biblical curiosity, and I've found some scriptural quotes that clearly support Obama's agenda:

Matthew 25: 31-46

Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was sick and you gave me sensible, low-cost painkillers instead of an expensive pacemaker.

Luke 18:22

Jesus said to him, "Sell everything you have and give to the poor Federal Government, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me Obama."

2 Corinthians 9:7

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give Congress has demanded of him, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver patriotic taxpayer.

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Flashback: President or Preacher?

The Big Speech

Tonight, the big prime time speech will be broadcast to an anxious nation.  The stakes are high, the expectations are high, and the message will set the tone for the next four years—at least.  His admirers and supporters, including yours truly, are looking forward to a brilliantly articulated vision for the future.  

No, we're not talking about Barry Obama's speech to a joint session of the Congress.  We're talking about Bobby Jindal's rebuttal.   

From guardian.co.uk: 

Barack Obama will be under pressure when he addresses the nation on television tomorrow night, but not as much as Bobby Jindal, who will reply on behalf of the Republicans, with a performance that could determine his own presidential hopes.  [snip]

Jindal, the 37-year-old governor of Louisiana and the Republican party's new hope, needs to demonstrate confidence and competence - and show a little sparkle - to boost his hopes of being chosen to take on Obama in 2012.  [snip]

Being chosen by the Republicans to respond to Obama gives Jindal a significant leg-up over his rivals, offering millions of viewers their first opportunity to see Jindal, who is conservative on both social and economic policy. The high-profile slot in the past has boosted careers but also destroyed them.  [snip]

If Jindal does well in his reply, he can expect to benefit in terms of a sudden influx of funds. He raised $3.5m in 2008 from more than 2,100 donors. It is a relatively small figure, given that Obama raised $1bn in his fight for the presidency, but Jindal only has to demonstrate at this stage he is capable of fundraising.

Rush Limbaugh calls him "the next Ronald Reagan." Republican strategist Steve Schmidt agrees.  "The question is not whether he'll be president, but when he'll be president, because he will be elected someday."  

From newstatesman.com:

Fiscal conservatives argue the party must retrench around a small government philosophy from which Bush strayed. Social conservatives argue it must more fully capitalise on a religious base that never warmed to McCain. Others say it must appeal to suburban moderates who care more about the government's effectiveness than its size. Jindal's allure is that he offers a way around this choice, and an answer to all of the party weaknesses exposed above. 

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Excerpt from Jindal's Rebuttal

"Who among us would ask our children for a loan, so we could spend money we do not have, on things we do not need? That is precisely what the Democrats in Congress just did. It's irresponsible. And it's no way to strengthen our economy, create jobs, or build a prosperous future for our children."  (more)

Bobby Jindal's big moment

He’s a star in political circles, mentioned by members of both parties as a future presidential candidate, but when Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal delivers the Republican response to President Barack Obama’s Message to Congress on Tuesday, most Americans will be seeing him for the first time. 

Our President of the Perpetual Campaign Takes Veiled Shot at Bobby Jindal

"There's going to be ample time for campaigns down the road," he said, a not-so-veiled reference to those Guvs, especially Jindal, who are said to be contemplating 2012 presidential campaigns. "Right now, we've got to make sure that we're standing up for the American people and putting them back to the work."

Bobby Jindal Outfoxes Everyone, Mother Jones Isn't Happy

Bobby Jindal is smarter than me. He figured out a way to take the vast majority of the funding set out for Louisiana (about 98 percent, according to TPM) while still earning headlines like "Jindal rejects $98 million in stimulus spending."

High stakes for Obama and Jindal this week

Party elders are giving Jindal, who missed the 2008 GOP convention to be on hurricane duty, his biggest stage yet. A flop would limit his aspirations and rob Republicans of a much-needed talent.

Meet The Press: Bobby Jindal Rejecting Stimulus Money

Saving America: Time to hit the streets?

Noting the tactics of left-wing organizations such as Code Pink, which like to send handfuls of noisy people to a lawmaker's office, DeMint suggests such things do get the attention of congressmen and senators.  "I think some of these folks might think twice if they had several hundred people standing outside one of their state offices asking, 'What in the world are you thinking?' "If that doesn't work, there's plenty of room on the boulevard.

Sign the Petition for a Chicago Tea Party

Our petition for you is this – if American Future Fund hosted this tea party, in Grant Park – site of Barack Obama’s Chicago victory speech – would you be there? If we have enough folks say “YES!” then we just might start a major movement with this event. But it has to begin at the grassroots. h/t: Red Voice

Obama's goal? Directed chaos 

The goal is to achieve chaos, because chaos leads to more government control – and that's what Obama and the Democratic Congress want more than anything.  They don't believe they should be bothered with elections or dissent or any of the nuisances of a free society. They believe they deserve perpetual power, because they are part of the enlightened elite.  h/t: Pen of Jen

iPod Touched by Midas

That's what it looks like anyway with this iPod Shuffle from Xexoo of Germany. Made from real 18 carat gold, this will definitely burn an extremely large hole in your pocket if you want one with its price tag of $19,343 (14,000 Euros).

Obama: More Popular Than God

Obama is more popular than anyone in the known universe, including God.  Actually Obama is much more popular than God.  Here are America's greatest heroes, in order of popularity:

 1.  Barack Obama

 2.  Jesus Christ

 3.  Martin Luther King, Jr.

 4.  Ronald Reagan

 5.  George W. Bush

 6.  Abraham Lincoln

 7.  John McCain

 8.  John F. Kennedy

 9.  Chesley Sullenberger

10.  Mother Teresa

God did not make it into the top ten.

The list was based on the results of a new Harris interactive poll in which 2,634 Americans were asked to say whom they admire enough to call their heroes. What Makes a Hero?  The public gives multiple reasons to explain their choice of heroes. Those mentioned most often included:

• “Doing what’s right regardless of personal consequences” (89%)
  
• “Not giving up until the goal is accomplished” (83%)
  
• “Doing more than what other people expect of them” (82%)
  
• “Overcoming adversity” (81%)
  
• “Staying level-headed in a crisis” (81%)
  

God shouldn't feel too bad about not making it into the top ten—at least he's more popular than Hillary Clinton. Here are America's "second-tier" heroes:

11.  God  

12.  Hillary Clinton  

13.  Billy Graham  (tie)

13.  Franklin Delano Roosevelt (tie)  

15.  Mahatma Gandhi 

16.  Colin Powell (tie)

16.  George Washington (tie)  

16.  Bill Clinton (tie)

19.  Condoleeza Rice 

20.  Oprah Winfrey  

21.  Sarah Palin 

22.  General George S. Patton (tie)  

22.  Bill Gates (tie)

Some interesting trends should be noted when comparing the latest poll results with those from July 2001:  

• Jesus was #1 in 2001.  
  
• God has risen to number 11 in 2009, from relative obscurity (with less than 1% of the vote) in 2001.
  
• George Bush was number 19 in 2001 and now ranks 5th.
• Michael Jordan was number 9 and is no longer in the top 20.

Some conservatives may be disheartened by the fact that the Obamessiah is the most popular person in the universe.  But there are several reasons to be encouraged.  For example, despite the fact that he is dead, and his presidency ended 20 years ago, Ronald Reagan is still extremely popular.  Other encouraging observations:

• There are five Republicans in the top ten, but only two Democrats (yes, MLK was a Republican).
  
• George Bush is more popular than either of the Clintons.
  
• Condoleeza Rice is the most popular black woman in the universe, even more popular than Oprah.
  
• JFK dropped from number 4 to number 8, making way for Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, Abraham Lincoln and John McCain, who all ranked lower than JFK in 2001.
  
• Since endorsing Obama, Colin Powell has dropped from number 3 in 2001 to number 16 in 2008. Correspondingly, Powell is #1 on the list of fallen heroes (see below). 

We thought you were a hero, but now we know you better.  You're not a leader, you're too concerned about personal recognition, you're not interested in helping others, and you're immoral.  Bottom line: we don't like you anymore. 

When asked to name people who used to be their heroes but who they no longer consider as heroes, the people mentioned most often are Colin Powell, George W. Bush, John McCain, Bill Clinton and John F. Kennedy.

Colin Powell  

George W. Bush  

John McCain 

Bill Clinton 

John F. Kennedy  

Jimmy Carter  

Hillary Clinton  

O.J. Simpson  

Barack Obama  

Ronald Reagan  

Martin Luther King  

Jesse Jackson  

Oprah Winfrey

How did they go from hero to zero?  Major reasons for thinking former heroes are no longer heroes:

• Do not demonstrate leadership
  
• Became too concerned about getting personal recognition
  
• Conduct themselves in an immoral or unethical way
  
• Are no longer interested in helping others
  
• Are no longer setting goals for themselves
  
• Were replaced by someone else you now consider your hero
  

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Army Charity Hoards Millions Meant to Help Veterans

As soldiers stream home from Iraq and Afghanistan, the biggest charity inside the U.S. military has been stockpiling tens of millions of dollars meant to help put returning fighters back on their feet

Obama bails out more media water-carriers

Clash over cash

House Majority Whip James Clyburn, crafted a requirement in the final stimulus bill that forces governors to publicly accept or decline the federal money and enables state legislatures to accept the federal money in the event their governors oppose it. 

Mr. President, Keep the Airwaves Free

As a former law professor, surely you understand the Bill of Rights.

A Warning to Obama

Pop quiz.  

Who stated the following?

The state's increased role in times of crisis is a natural reaction to market setbacks. Instead of streamlining market mechanisms, some are tempted to expand state economic intervention to the greatest possible extent.

The concentration of surplus assets in the hands of the state is a negative aspect of anti-crisis measures in virtually every nation.

In the 20th century, the Soviet Union made the state's role absolute. In the long run, this made the Soviet economy totally uncompetitive. This lesson cost [them] dearly. I am sure nobody wants to see it repeated.

Nor should we turn a blind eye to the fact that the spirit of free enterprise, including the principle of personal responsibility of businesspeople, investors and shareholders for their decisions, is being eroded in the last few months. There is no reason to believe that we can achieve better results by shifting responsibility onto the state.

And one more point: anti-crisis measures should not escalate into financial populism and a refusal to implement responsible macroeconomic policies. The unjustified swelling of the budgetary deficit and the accumulation of public debts are just as destructive as adventurous stock-jobbing.

So who said it?  Was it Newt Gingrich?  Ron Paul? Would you believe it was Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland last month?

It's interesting to note that Putin understands that it's not even in Russia's interest for America to go socialist. Obama worshipers worldwide need to understand that a weakened, impoverished America is not necessarily what they need right now.

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Stimulus Bill Railroaded through Congress before Obama cabinet ready to spend it

Of course, the New York Times waits until AFTER the bill passes to point out the obvious; with precious few cabinet people in place and Bush holdovers manning many desks, there's no one in the departments who can authorize spending the $787 billion that the president swore to us we had to pass NOW or else: 

Rush to Wait 

A 1,000-page bill passed in two days sat unsigned on the president’s desk for three.

Were They At The Same Meeting?

Charity requires that one concede the possibility that genuine piety was a part of Pelosi’s (rather boorish, and certainly irregular) insistence on being given a private moment with the pope during her current taxpayer-funded junket to Rome. But her office’s statement on today’s meeting makes it clear something else was afoot...

'NY Post' in Obama-Chimp-Stimulus-Racism Flap

California Crashing

Time for another bailout?

California lawmakers gathered again Tuesday in another bid to end the state's multibillion-dollar budget stalemate, as the state was poised to start laying off as many as 20,000 government workers.

After frustrating weekend sessions that failed to break the one-vote impasse preventing them from passing a budget compromise plan to end the crisis, legislative leaders said they planned to put the tax increases in the package up for a vote Tuesday.

In addition to the layoffs, the state planned to halt all remaining public works projects, which would throw nearly 92,000 construction workers out of work. Tax refunds already have been delayed because the state has no money to pay them.

The Republican governor, who declared a fiscal emergency in December, has butted heads for months with the Democratic majority over alleviating the state's $11.2 billion revenue shortfall this fiscal year alone. The cuts would save California $750 million for the year. The state's $42 billion deficit is for the current and next fiscal years.

How long before Barry O'Bama calls for a California Bailout?

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Putin Lectures American Democrats Against Socialism

You know things are out of control when Communist China is lecturing democrats on protectionism and now the former head of the KGB is lecturing US democrats against socialism.  Russian Prime Minister Vladamir Putin has said the US should take a lesson from the pages of Russian history and not exercise “excessive intervention in economic activity and blind faith in the state’s omnipotence”.  Via Gateway Pundit

Do We Need a New Internet?  h/t: Random Thoughts

Commentary: If you oppose stimulus, don't take the money.

The Trojan Pig

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