I have a few areas of disagreement with talk show host Neal Boortz, of course any two individuals should never agree on every issue.  I listen to most of his show (all 4 1/2 hours) during my workday.  It helps me get through the day and being one of the few Libertarian voices on the talk radio scene means I have fewer WTF!? moments than I do with other hosts like Limbaugh or Hannity.  However, I have to call Neal to task today for his rant where he lambastes one of the Georgia state senators about not supporting mandatory seat-belt laws, calling out "How many people will Glen Richardson Kill?"  Quoting Neal:

It looks like the administration has forced the CEO of GM out of office.  This quote really sums up my feelings about the direction the President, congress, and his administration have been moving (emphasis mine):

The surprise announcement about the classically iconic American corporation is perhaps the most vivid sign yet of the tectonic change in the relationship between business and government in this era of subsidies and bailouts.

There are methods for the restructuring of a company that are written into our current laws.  Government fiat is not one of them.  Forcing the CEO of a company to leave office when the company is not a) government controlled, b) government owned, or c) under federal judgement such as bankruptcy, is a bad precedent to set.  In the wake of reports over the past week that the administration is seeking the authority to seize companies deemed a threat to "economic security".

 

You have to ask yourself, what sort of economic system is it where the Government controls the industry?  Capitalism, Socialism, or Fascism?  Now there are many variations within each of those systems, but think about it for a minute and ask yourself, is this the path we want this country to walk?

 

Evil Out

Over the course of the week I read many different news sources and find lots of articles that catch my fancy, but never make it to the level of blogging about.  I thought I might start sharing some of these with you at the end of the week.  Give you some light weekend reading.  

• The Feds are already finding loopholes in the new policy to not prosecute medical marijuana distributors.
• The Pioneer of the modern farming “Green Revolution” techniques turns 95 and has some interesting things to say about organic farming and the anti-biotech movement
• A great quote about the true aim of Government schools.
• An interesting story about the passing of the last member of a west coast indian tribe.
• Here is an article covering the attempt to expand the ability of the Government to sieze and control private companies.
• Florida is planning to turn over a section of its' highways to a private company, of course there are the usual protesters.
• How do cheese, free trade, & the Bush administration relate to each other?
• G20 countries are planning on rejecting the American plan for solving the financial crisis and may use it as another opportunity to distance themselves from US dependence.
• What is this about using carbon nanotubes to make artificial muscles? Can my Battlemech be far behind?
• There are at least a few economists out there who understand that bad banks should be allowed to fail, not be propped up by government.
• The internet is making easier for small artisans and manufacturers to make a living.
• Hacking your brain for better memory?   Sign me up.
• Interesting book about how the Atari 2600 changed home gaming.

Lots of good articles there.  Enjoy.

Evil Out.

In case you didn't hear, the Senate is taking up the issue of how the BCS chooses a college football champion.  I am amazed that this issue is such a pressing matter during the economic crisis, has any good ever come from congressional "oversight" in sports?  In fact, by what marginal constitutional authority do they even think this is their business? A loose reading of commerce clause in the Constitution, a very loose reading, must be their justification.  (or more likely they just don't care anymore)The really depressing part of this story is that the two people pushing this are Senate Republican Orrin Hatch, sponsor of such great small government bills as a new national "service corp" and forcing radio stations to pay royalties not outlined in their current contracts, and Republican Representative Joe Barton, sponsor of such great freedom based legislation as forcing insurance companies to pay for all breast cancer treatment and stripping patent protections from biologic based medical treatments.  With limited government leaders like this in the Republican party is it any wonder that Federal budgets ballooned under the Republican triumverate?

 

Hmm, maybe they should stick with meddling with College Football.

 

When the party of so-called limited government is practically identical to the party of so-called big government is it any wonder that those of us in the country are getting screwed.

 

Evil Out

Listening to the President’s news conference last night and he kept pounding the idea that the country’s future depends on the Government taking control of and spending more on Energy, Education, and Healthcare.  The first half of his press conference was a continual repeat of this mantra, Energy, Education, and Healthcare.  For example, when asked about how come he was submitting a budget that increased deficits (at best $200 billon higher than the average deficit under Pres. Bush) and increasing the national debt (around $7 trillion according the most conservative estimates) when he has kept promising not to pass our problems onto future generations he punted and went back to Energy, Education, and Healthcare.  We got it.  You want to work on Energy, Education, and Healthcare. 

Fixing healthcare seemed to be at the top of the list.  Why are his projected deficits increasing over the long run instead of contracting?  Healthcare costs.  Why is spending spiraling out of control?  Healthcare costs.  Etc, Etc, Etc….

Most of the questions and follow-ups were surprisingly pointed and dealt almost exclusively with budget issues.  The answers, however, tended to be evasive and usually moved back to the EEH mantra.  When asked about whether he would sign a budget that got rid of his middle class “tax cuts” he dodged and refused to answer the question directly, instead pointing out that those tax cuts were passed with the stimulus.  When asked a sharp question that quoted several sources about the size and scope of the budget, he whipped out his usual straw man tactic and flogged the Republicans and “those critics” claiming they were not proposing alternative budgets.  When confronted with the verbal conflicts between himself and foreign leaders over the President’s calls for them to follow his lead on economic issues, he weaved and said he hadn’t “asked” for anything, but merely “suggested” some solutions.  His best response was about the changes in the way the Defense Department deals with military contracts and spending.  He pointed out some of the problems with the current system and even talked about how defense contractors have gamed the system to make it difficult to alter or change these programs.

Overall, I didn’t feel like there was much substance in this news conference.  The President simply reiterated his already well stated goals for EEH (listen to his Not-The-State-of-the-Union Speech or re-read the intro to his budget) and then spent as much time avoiding directly answering questions as possible.  I don’t know how well events like this help him to sell his priorities, but it would seem that the opportunity of a prime-time event could have been better utilized.

Disappointed that no reporter had the cajones to ask the President why he thought that increased focus on EEH was going to solve anything, when these three areas have seen more government spending and oversight than any other areas of our economy and the problems have gotten worse.  Someone got close when they pressed him to explain why people should believe the government was the best solution for these economic issues (the President artfully avoided answering the question).

 

Energy, Education, and Healthcare, Oh My!

 

Most inane question of the night was the homeless children question.  Did you know that “tent cities” were “popping up” all around the country?  Neither did anyone else.

 

Evil Out

 

It's a sad state of affairs when a foreign politician understands the unintended consequences of our stupid "War on Drugs" better than our own politicos.  One of these days perhaps we will begin to realize how many lives we have destroyed, within our borders and outside of them, in yet another puritannical effort at prohibition.  However, this doesn't appear to be the case as the President and his administration are going to move to crack down on the symptoms of prohibition (the violence) instead of working ot kill the disease that is causing the problems (prohibition).  Unfortunately, this doesn't seem like it will end anytime soon, and I had a glimmer of hope when the administration stated it was going to back off raiding legal marijuana dispensaries.  I thought perhaps it was a signal that we would start to wind down this foolish "war on drugs", but it seems that with the recent border actions that is just a "pipe" dream.

Here is a basic lesson in freedom that will make many people in this country uncomfortable.  Freedom is based upon an individual’s right to use their self, property, or ability in a manner that does not use violence, fraud, or theft to take those same rights from another.  Yet we live in a country that claims to love freedom, but routinely uses the threat of violence (the government) to restrict the freedoms of others.  Read the following sentences closely:

I own my ability therefore I can give it away or sell it for any purpose that does not violate another’s rights.

I own my property therefore I can give it away or sell it for any purpose that does not violate another’s rights.

I own my self therefore I can give it away or sell it for any purpose that does not violate another’s rights.

In general most people will look at the first sentence and say that is fine.  After all what is work but trading your abilities for money; or hobbies but using your ability freely.   The second sentence as well brings little response.  I can sell my car or give it away.  The third sentence causes some issues for most people.  The thought of giving away or selling your life brings thoughts of slavery and suicide.  However, the right to your own life is the fundamental right that the other two are based upon.  If you do not own your life, then why do you own your property or even your ability?  In fact, there are many people inside this country of freedom-lovers who do not actually believe in those three fundamental rights. 

Look at the following ads from Craigslist:

AD #1

Free Stuff.

I am moving to another country and can't take electronics with me and don't want to just throw these in the trash as they all work. Basic George Foreman Grill - gently used. Juicer - gently used. Basic Philips DVD player - works but has sticky draw.

 

AD #2

Here at my hotel and looking for a woman to join me for a day of NSA sex. I love to eat p***y! You wont be disappointed. BBW's welcome to respond. No men or Pros. I am D&D free and you must be also. I have a car, so I can come to you, even if it just to pick you up and bring you back here. I am a clean-cut professional, average looking. Send a pic. If no pic, your e-mail will not be read. Sorry, only looking for real woman.

 

AD #3

I am looking to earn a little extra money since I just moved back to CT. My reason for moving home was because my husband just got deployed for 7 months.
Up until last week I was working for a Tax Prep Firm, and have also worked for an Accounting Firm for over 3 years in the past. I have a degree in Accounting and also my MBA with a concentration in Accounting.
I am looking to help individuals with their Federal and State(s) returns. Working in a military town has introduced me to a lot of different state returns so that shouldn't be a problem.
A Basic Return I would perfer handling is one with:
-W-2s
-Interest and Dividend Income (Sch B)
-Standard Deduction (Although I have done many itemized returns on Sch A)
-Additional credits for tuition expenses, childcare, earnerd income credit, child tax credit, movng expenses etc.
If needed I can do Self Employment (Sch C) and Capital Gains and losses (Sch D)
All returns will be e-filed, unless sending in a paper return is your preference.
Fees can range depending on the number of forms and data input. A basic return for most 1040's would be approx $75, which includes e-filing fees for both federal and state. However, depending on complexity- fees may range up to $250.
I usually have met people in the past at Borders in Danbury.
Please e-mail me for a rough price quote or with any questions. It would be most helpful if you stated what tax return information we would be dealing with.
Thank you and God Bless.

 

AD #4

I would like to meet a sexy young woman between the ages of 18-30, with a very sexy and athletic body that is in need of some financial help. I prefer Blonds, Brunettes, Latinas or Asians.
I know that financial times are difficult and maybe you are struggling with paying your rent, or just got laid off or have to pay your tuition or credit card bills. Its difficult to stress out about finances. So maybe I can help you with 500 and you can help me
I'm not looking for a professional girl or someone that is used to meeting men on Craigslist for these types of encounters but rather a young woman that is excited and fantasizes about this type of mutually beneficial arrangement.
About me: 33 years old, fun, easy going, successful guy that doesn't date much but still needs physical intimacy with a beautiful woman.
Please send me some photos and a description of yourself. My offer is serious and I am not looking to play games.

 

Two of those ads offered free goods or services and two of those ads offered goods or services for a price.  All of them were within the rights of the individuals involved to participate in.  However, one of those ads is considered illegal.  That’s right you can give away stuff, sell services, give away sex, but you cannot sell sex.  Under the basic laws of freedom, how do you reach a logical argument that you cannot sell what you can freely give away?

 

Apparently law enforcement agencies are cracking down on craigslist prostitution.  There have been a number of stories recently about these “stings”.  It’s a sad comment on the love of freedom in this country when so many people are willing to use violence (the government) to enforce their will upon others.  One day the freedom that is being taken away by force will be yours and it will be taken away because someone else does not approve.  It’s easy to support laws against prostitution and drug-use, but those are freedoms that should have as much protection as gun ownership, religion, and speech.  When it is your freedom that is being taken, remember how you stood back and watched other's freedom being taken away and then point the finger of blame at yourself and your so-called love of freedom.

 

Evil Out

Looks like the House of Representatives passed a horrific and misguided CYA bill this afternoon.  The goal of the bill is to "recoup" the $165m in bonuses that AIG paid out in recent weeks.  In the grand spirit of acquiescing to the pitch-fork wielding mob they agreed to a measly 90% tax on the bonuses and in the words of Charles Rangel, they hope the states take the remaining 10%.  Of course, these taxes will only hit those who have $250,000 in income and whose company has received at least $5b in bailout funds, I guess not all bonuses are evil just those that are judged excessive by our ruling caste.  NY Attorney General Andrew Cuomo in the beginning of his campaign for NY's senate seat has intimidated the names of the recipients from AIG, although he has at least agreed not to publicly name then "for now" in the interest of security concerns.  The President has moderately endorsed the idea and the Senate is poised to pass a much less draconian bill that only imposes an additional 35% tax.

 

I am no particular fan of the large bonuses and payouts that are given in many large firms; I have no real understanding of what these people do that might be worth that much money so it is mainly just a general feeling of excess and a bit of envy.  However, I am even less of a fan of confiscatory taxes being leveled on anyone no matter how much I might dislike the amount of money they have been paid.  This whole bill is an effort for the Democrats in congress to cover their asses in the face of an excess of public anger.  I hope that the Republicans, pundits, and talking heads keep attacking the fact that both the administration and at least one senator, Chris Dodd, worked to keep the bonus payments for these bail-out companies.  In addition, I hope that they keep the heat up so that the public will see exactly what happens when our representatives rush legislation through without any real knowledge of what is inside the bill or the unintended consequences involved.

 

 

Hot off the presses, Dream Theater's 10th Studio Album!!!!  Probably the one band that I completely geek out for is releasing a new album on June 23rd.  The official press release came out today with the release date, album art, and the track listing.  (They had announced the album earlier, but with no details).

 

 

I received an email the other day that contained a PDF of this article.  It was a column written for the NY times in 1999 about the increasing number of sub-prime loans that Fannie Mae was beginning to buy at the behest of the Clinton administration.  Just to be sure I checked it out and sure enough, it was an actual article that was listed in the NY Times archives.  There are several prescient quotes in this article, but I thought this was the best one:

“In moving, even tentatively, into this new area of lending, Fannie Mae is taking on significantly more risk, which may not pose any difficulties during flush economic times.  But the government-subsidized corporation may run into trouble in an economic downturn, prompting a government rescue similar to that of the savings and loan industry in the 1980’s.

            ‘From the perspective of many people, including me, this is another thrift industry growing up around us,’ said Peter Wallison a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.  ‘If they fail, the government will have to step up and bail them out the way it stepped up and bailed out the thrift industry.’”

Needless to say, this increase was due to stepped up pressure from the government.  It just reinforced much of what I had felt about the origins of this current economic “crisis”.  I know that the President has said that now is not the time to be pointing fingers and looking at the past, but I feel it is important to know where the roots of this problem come from; Government influence, pressure, and interference in the free market.  Why is this important?  Because we are being told now that it is up to the mighty Government to get us out of this mess and the only solution is more Government control of the economy.  In fact, after screwing up the housing and mortgage industry the Government is going to push for even more controls of Energy, Education, and Health Care. 

So I logged into the Lexis/Nexis service that is available to me to search out news articles from 1997 to 2005 about the sub-prime mortgage crisis and the influence of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac at the root of the problem.  The service stopped searching after about 3000 articles, so I skimmed a few that I saved as a PDF file located here and figured I could quote some of them.  Read the articles and the NYT article above and you start to see that the picture that has been painted of the Bush administration and it’s so-called deregulation at the heart of the crisis is nothing but a fiction.  The heart of this mortgage crisis was a sudden and dangerous increase of risky loans given to low to middle income mortgage holders who could not qualify for normal credit and it was all supported by the twin pillars of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac who were underwriting this house of cards.  Like many of the articles predicted this house of cards was stable only as long as the economy was stable.  When it fell it has taken us all down.  Without further ado, here are some random quotes for your enjoyment (all emphasis is mine).

“Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, federally chartered corporations that exert a heavy influence on the market through their mortgage purchases and packaging, have mostly stuck to conventional loans until recently, Bill Apgar, federal housing commissioner, said Sunday.

‘But both entities have announced they are going to move significantly into the sub-prime market,’ he said in an interview. ‘It's new territory for them’'

Apgar, who previewed the legislation in a speech to advocates for fair lending, said Freddie Mac has bought some $10 billion of sub-prime loans since it started getting into those types of mortgages. Fannie Mae has not released comparable figures, he said.”

“Thousands of home mortgage applicants with less-than-perfect credit files could qualify for lower interest rates on their loans, thanks to the entry of a huge new lender into the so-called "sub-prime" market.

Freddie Mac, a federally chartered, privately run financial institution, surprised the mortgage industry this month by revealing it plans to purchase up to $ 2.5 billion of sub-prime home mortgages during the coming year.  The money could fund as many as 40,000 home refinances or purchases nationwide, according to a company spokesman."

"Cotton said Freddie Mac initially will purchase loans from well-known sub-prime mortgage providers like The Money Store and Advanta Mortgage Corp. As time goes on, however, Freddie is expected to purchase loans from a wide variety of local and national lenders."

"Pumping more money into urban areas helps HSBC maintain a good Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) rating with federal bank regulators. The CRA requires banks to meet the credit needs of communities in which they operate, including low-income neighborhoods.

HSBC made 708 mortgage loans in Buffalo in 2001, totaling about $45 million, according to federal government statistics. The bank's CRA rating is "outstanding."

HSBC is also rolling out the new program just weeks after its acquisition of Household International, a nationwide consumer lender which was accused of predatory lending in numerous states.  Freddie Mac provides money for the program by buying the closed loans from HSBC. The monthly mortgage payments will still be serviced by HSBC Mortgage Corp. in Depew."

"Faced with higher energy costs and increases in unemployment, more Americans are behind on their mortgage payments and delinquency has risen sharply in the last year.

Among the worst hit have been the millions of families who bought homes for the first time in the 1990s as part of a much- celebrated growth in the nation's home-ownership rate. The increase in the delinquency rate is particularly worrisome, housing analysts say, because it suggests many of the new homeowners who benefited from newly liberal lending standards may not be able to afford their current mortgages during slow economic times."

"The mortgage problems underscore one of the main reasons why many policy-makers and economists are so concerned about whether the United States will enter a recession this year [2001]. In recent years, Americans have built up hundreds of billions of dollars of debt, and should the current economic slowdown worsen, many people could find themselves unable to pay their credit card, auto loan and mortgage bills, analysts say. Even those better positioned to ride out a longer downturn may be forced to cut back on spending to pay down debt, further weakening the economy."

"During the last decade, lenders have begun offering many mortgages that require almost no down payment but that include relatively high monthly payments as a result. In part, they have responded to government pressure to make loans available in poorer communities and to increase the number of people able to afford a house."

"In a popular government-insured program to help people buy moderately priced homes, the percentage of homeowners whose loans are more than 30 days late exceeded 10 percent for the first time at the end of last year, according to a survey by the Mortgage Bankers Association in Washington. Even during the recessions of the early 1990s and the early 1980s, the rate did not exceed 8 percent."

"Still housing analysts are starting to ask whether the home-ownership boom can survive the current downturn."

"Fannie Mae is a congressionally chartered, shareholder-owned company and the nation's largest source of funds for home mortgages. It has committed to provide $1 trillion in targeted lending for 10 million homes by the end of the decade. The targeted lending will serve low- and moderate-income families, minorities, new immigrants, residents of central cities and other underserved areas, and people who have special housing needs."

"Fannie Mae is working to shrink the nation's "homeownership gaps" through a $2 trillion "American Dream Commitment" to increase homeownership rates and serve 18 million targeted American families by the end of the decade. Since 1968, Fannie Mae has provided more than$3.8 trillion of mortgage financing for over 44 million families."

Enjoy.  There are many, many more articles out there that detail where this went wrong and who was behind it.  It’s just too bad the revisionists successfully passed the buck to the past administration in an effort to avoid blame for themselves.

Evil Out.

Small and rather insignificant looking news item about the current "Cybersecurity Czar" resigning over a dispute about who should control much of the government's computer and networking security services.  It appears that currently the NSA (No Such Agency or National Security Agency) controls most of the cybersecurity in the government currently and the recently hired cybersecuity chief, Rod Beckstrom, felt the matters should be handled by civilian agencies according to his resignation letter.  There is also an issue about lack of funding, apparently unfunded mandates happen inside the government as well.  While I understand the underlying reasoning behind Mr. Beckstom's position, which come down to collecting all of the power in a single agency (especially one that is not a civilian agency) and how the culture of that organization could affect the group's mission as summed up in the following quotes:

The Housing Reform Plan was unveiled by the Obama administration earlier.  There are numerous articles already that use the administration's summary as the source for details about the plan.  According to the administration this plan has the potential to help 9 million homeowners.  At it's core the plan has two sections Refinancing and Mortgage Reduction.  This is being billed as a plan to save these homeowners who are in danger of foreclosure and not as relief for irresponsible homeowners.  On the surface the plan looks pretty good.  It has plans to reduce Debt to Income on the mortgage owner to 31% using a combination of rate reduction, extension of loan length, and principle reductions.  It has built in credit checks, fraud checks, and value limits.  The devil as they say is in the details.  What is appearing to be sold here is simply loan deferment and a big subsidy to the loan companies.

"We have a very diverse party, with diverse opinions. We're working on it."

                                                            --Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer , D-Md.  Speaking about recent troubles with conservative house Democrats.  Sounds a bit ominous to me if you happen to be one of those dissenting voices.

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I've been a big fan of Alan Moore's work in comic books, Watchmen being no exception.  My son read the graphic novel last summer and has been a huge fan ever since.  He is fiending for the movie this weekend.  I am excited to see it, but haven't gotten my hopes up too high.  Moore's work has been hit or miss on the big screen and he has once again distanced himself from this project.  One of my favorite webcomics, PVP, has been doing a spoof of the Watchmen all this week.  I highly recommend it.

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Speaking of interesting diversions.  If you looked at my book list you will see I am a big fan of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files novels.  He has also done a series of fantasy novels called the Codex Alera.  It's a well written fantasy epic with an interesting universe and backstory.

Even if you have never read the book, I hope you are familiar with the underlying plot to Ayn Rand’s book, Atlas Shrugged.  In short, the title references the mythological Atlas who supports the world on his shoulders.  In the book, the government has started to take more and more from the best and brightest in society by using every method from taxes, nationalization, to taking intellectual property.  Eventually, those who have been supporting the weight of the world start to disappear.  So in essence Atlas “shrugs” and throws the weight of the world from his shoulders.  

A couple of articles one from ABC and Investors Business Daily hint that while he might not “shrug” that at the very least Atlas might be “wincing” at the burden that the administration and congress is planning to throw on them.  The ABC article quotes from actual business owners and producers who are talking about intentionally reducing their businesses and lowering their productivity to avoid the arbitrary tax increase on those making $250k and up.  

“’We are going to try to figure out how to make our income $249,999.00,’ she said.  ‘We have to find a way out where we can make just what we need to just under the line so we can benefit from Obama's tax plan,’ she added. ‘Why kill yourself working if you're going to give it all away to people who aren't working as hard?’”  

"'This means I'll have to tell some of my clients we can't help them and being more selective in general about who we help,' she said. 'I hate to do it.'"

 "Dr. Sharon Poczatek, who runs her own dental practice in Boulder, Colo., said that she too is trying to figure out ways to get out of paying the taxes proposed in Obama's plan.   'I've put thought into how to get under $250,000,' said Poczatek. 'It would mean working fewer days which means having fewer employees, seeing fewer patients and taking time off.'   'Generally it means being less productive,' she said. 'The motivation for a lot of people like me dentists, entrepreneurs, lawyers is that the more you work the more money you make,' said Poczatek. 'But if I'm going to be working just to give it back to the government -- it's de-motivating and demoralizing.'"  

"'So maybe we got a little bit successful but we worked very hard,' she said. 'It's taken us over 30 years and it didn't happen overnight. Every day is a lot of work.'"  

This quote from the troubled IBD article me greatly:  “This isn't the only warning sign. A new study asserts that some 100,000 highly educated, well-trained Indians now living in the U.S. will return home in the next few years. Ditto China.”  The loss of many of the thousands of highly trained and intelligent immigrants and visa workers in this country who plan to “shrug” and leave this country is a frightening prospect.  In our history one our greatest assets has been the influx of the best and brightest from around the world.  If the smartest and most motivated around the world are no longer looking to America as the land of opportunity it could hurt our long term viability as a leader in the world.  

It looks like some of our best and brightest are planning to wince if this current tax plan goes through.  I don’t blame them.  While I have never intentionally “winced” and lowered my income to avoid a higher tax bracket, I have been hit at least twice in the last few years by my rising income and moving up a tax bracket.  Both times, the increased tax rate I paid was more than the amount of extra money I was “over” the minimum of my new tax bracket.  In other words, I would have been better off lowering my income about $1000 than actually working the extra time to make that money.  My overall income would have been higher.  

In a country that has always prided itself on the innovation and energy of its’ people, it is a sad day when we undertake action that could make the hardest workers and innovators in our society step back and rethink doing their best.  Right now it appears that Atlas may wince, if nothing is done and the road we are on continues it may not be too long before he shrugs and throws off the weight of the world.

I just started reading through the President's budget plan, "A New Era of Responsibility".  There is a lot in this document and I want to comb through it and talk about specific areas over the coming days.  Starting with the opening remarks by the President at the beginning of this document it becomes obvious that Mr. Obama is exactly the person I thought he was during the election.  Someone who puts government control of the money and resources of this country above giving people the freedom to spend and control their own money and resources.  Someone who is willing to put the faux security of government control above the freedom of private responsibility.  Unfortunately in the current climate of our country that message plays well with the citizens of our country who are perfectly willing to throw freedom to the wind for illusory security.

 

The document begins with two sections, a pre-amble by the President and a statement of "how we got here".  While I could write and write on the fallacies and misleading information on the "how we got here" section, I will let you read it.  It focuses primarily on the abuses on Wall Street and government "de-regulation" as the causes of the financial crisis.  It ignores the role that government over-regulation and manipulation of private markets had in causing the issues we now face.  Of course the theme of ignoring the problems caused by government runs throughout this bill.  Take a look at this quote from the President in his preamble (emphasis is mine).