The Cook Account

Obama and Government control

2009-05-07T14:36:00.004-04:00

Does it bother anyone that if one examines the political actions of President Obama, it appears that he would have the best chance to be elected in a Marxist country than any other President in U.S. history?

The Cycle of Democracy

2009-03-31T16:50:00.003-04:00

Prophetic Words Concerning America?

“A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves money from the public treasury. From that moment on the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most money from the pubic treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy followed by dictatorship. The average age of the world’s great civilizations has been two hundred years. These nations have progressed through the following sequence: from bondage to spiritual faith, from spiritual faith to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependency, from dependency back to bondage.”

Where in this cycle would you put the United States of America?

One of the most profound segments of this quote is "From that moment on the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most money from the pubic treasury."
This is obviously what is happening in our Country.

We will complete our return to bondage if we don't find a way to break this cycle.

Obama says no earmarks . . .

2009-03-02T15:49:00.002-05:00

. . .but that was during the campaign. Read story here

Promises. Promises.

Even Barack Obama turns out to be susceptible to the corruption of D.C.

Surprise. Surprise.

"Yes we Can" . . . (be afraid)

2009-02-21T16:32:00.001-05:00

Is the Administration Winging It?

2009-02-19T09:03:00.001-05:00

WSJ Op-ed by Karl Rove

Socialism?

2009-02-18T14:14:00.002-05:00

Is this socialism? Is our government doing the right thing? Can we "stimulate" our economy out of this mess? Can we spend our way back into growth? Only time will tell, but in my opinion the fact that we are even having a debate over whether or not these are socialist ideas is a telling sign.

Corruption Killing America

2009-02-11T12:14:00.004-05:00

FBI Probing 530 Corporate Fraud Cases

We are cheating and deceiving ourselves into destruction.

If Americans (and most importantly leaders- i.e. business executives, clergy, teachers, politicians) don't value honesty and integrity we will sentence our Nation to death.

Related:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2008/12/12/dirty-bakers-doen-political-scandal/

Obama: "Only Government"

2009-02-10T08:39:00.003-05:00

FOX NEWS: Obama: 'Only Government' Can Break Cycle of Job Loss, Economic Downturn

Unfortunately, government is not the answer and never will be. Spending more money to help our economy get out of debt is not the answer. Printing more money is not the answer.

Government is too involved in Americans' lives. Government needs to get out of the way. Less regulation, lower taxes, and less spending. Haven’t we already tried that you ask? Tax cuts, yes, but spending has been out of control for many years, and until we lower all three to the appropriate levels, we will not see the ingenuity and growth we had during President Reagan’s administration.

When you have to remind people you are in charge . . .

2009-02-06T14:36:00.001-05:00

. . . you're not.

FOX NEWS: In Stimulus Debate, Obama Drifts Into Campaign Mode
President Obama faces criticism about the style of leadership he's taking in his defense of the contentious and costly economic stimulus bill.

Baby Thrown Away Alive

2009-02-05T17:22:00.002-05:00

Lawsuit: Florida Clinic Botched Abortion, Threw Out Live Baby

If these allegations are true, a murder occurred.

A proper analysis of this situation (and numerous others like it) reveals a heartbreaking irony-

If the abortion procedure had gone according to plan, I doubt this story would have made the news. (Millions of “normal” abortions never make headlines.)

But something allegedly went wrong, and this baby purportedly left the womb and began breathing. Therefore, people are outraged, and rightly so; however, this simple fact remains: regardless of whether or not this particular abortion procedure was botched, the ultimate fate of this pre-born baby did not change. Her life still ended. That was the plan all along.

If you are like most people, the thought that this baby may have been alive when she was thrown away tears at your soul. Something within you cries out in adamant objection protesting the clear violation of law that not only recognizes the intrinsic value of her life but calls for the protection of her life as well. Perhaps you are thinking, “If that baby was alive after she was born, she deserved to live!”

I humbly ask, “If the baby was alive before she was born, did she still deserve to live?”

Something within us should recognize that simply because the location of this defenseless baby changed, it should not change the value of her life, or the level of protection she should receive.

Update: Fla. doctor loses license after botched abortion

Stickin' it to 'em

2009-02-05T14:39:00.000-05:00

Pass my bill or this is the end

2009-02-05T13:28:00.002-05:00

Washington Post

Obama Train wreck . . .

2009-02-03T14:00:00.002-05:00

From Fox News:
Tom Daschle has withdrawn his nomination for health and human services secretary, after fielding mounting criticism over his failure to pay more than $130,000 in taxes.
Obama's pick to be the White House's first performance officer, Nancy Killefer, also withdrew her nomination on Tuesday because of her own tax liabilities, namely a $946 tax lien imposed by the D.C. government for failure to pay $298 in unemployment compensation tax on household help.
Noting the importance of the post, Killefer wrote in her withdrawal letter to the president that "my personal tax issue of D.C. unemployment tax could be used to create exactly the kind of distraction and delay those duties must avoid."

From Breitbart:
Daschle was the third high-profile Obama nominee to bow out. Obama initially had tapped Bill Richardson to be Commerce secretary, but the New Mexico governor withdrew amid a grand jury investigation into a state contract awarded to his political donors.

Asleep at the wheel, or purposefully off course?

2009-01-30T10:36:00.002-05:00

Wall Street Journal: ". . . only 12 cents of every dollar is for something that could plausibly be called stimulus."

The Democratic Congress is not working for you.

Cash in circulation

2009-01-29T19:08:00.001-05:00

Tax cuts before stimulus spending

2009-01-29T18:46:00.004-05:00

If we are going to incur more debt, let us do it in a different way. Republicans have offered large scale tax cuts. This would be better than massive itemized spending.

If taxpayers are allowed to keep more of their money, there will be no government control over how American’s spend the money, and that is one reason why liberals don’t like this idea. Liberalism seeks to give more control to the government. True Conservativism desires to give more control to the people.

Even when the government does attempt to control where the money goes (i.e. TARP) it’s still a mess. Millions have been spent in ridiculous ways.

I can not fully understand how our economy works, but quite frankly, I’m not sure politicians in Washington can either.
This mess is not simple, but true conservative principles are. Lower taxes frees individuals to spend and invest, and liberates companies to hire and expand. I believe more money in the hands of taxpayers would help our economy more than the bill President Obama is currently pushing for.

Update:
Stimulus facts

Read the stimulus

Proud of some. Disappointed in others.

2009-01-29T12:40:00.000-05:00

Here’s a summation of recent pro-life legislation. You can follow the links to see how your Senator voted.

Stimulus Package or spending package?

2009-01-28T11:48:00.003-05:00

The estimated cost of this stimulus plan will be over 1 trillion dollars. Much of it will not stimulate the economy. What the bill actually includes is ridiculous.

If our government is going to shell out this much money on various pet projects and socialist spending programs, we would be better off dividing this number by 300 million Americans and giving every U.S. citizen $3,333.33. A household of four would have $13,000. This would “stimulate” the economy and it would happen much faster.

Update: House GOP offers alternative

Obama funds international abortion- with YOUR money

2009-01-27T07:53:00.002-05:00

Why are people upset? It makes perfect sense to send our money oversees for "family planning" (i.e. birth control, abortion, etc.) Especially since our economy is booming and we have all this extra money . . . wait . . . let me rethink that.

"You own too many guns."

2008-12-08T12:40:00.003-05:00

"We don't think these are first-time buyers. We think they are people who already have more than enough guns at their homes to protect themselves and are buying more." -Peter Hamm, spokesman for the Brady Campaign against Gun Violence, speaking about the spike of gun purchases since the election of Barack Obama.

The Cook Account: Mr. Hamm’s statement illustrates his fundamental misunderstanding regarding the Second Amendment. Our Founding Fathers did not write “the right to own one (or two) firearm(s).”

Does it bother Mr. Hamm if Americans purchase more guns than he believes they “need” to own? How many guns are “more than enough”? Two? One?

A gun with one bullet?

Attempting New Things . . .

2008-12-03T16:54:00.002-05:00

Person #1: Has fear + no attempt = 0% chance of success

Person #2: Has fear + an attempt = 100% greater chance of success than person #1

Misinformed people . . .

2008-11-20T14:25:00.002-05:00

HowObamaGotElected.com

Results to 12 simple Multiple Choice Questions
57.4% could NOT correctly say which party controls congress (50/50 shot just by guessing)
71.8% could NOT correctly say Joe Biden quit a previous campaign because of plagiarism (25% chance by guessing)
82.6% could NOT correctly say that Barack Obama won his first election by getting opponents kicked off the ballot (25% chance by guessing)
88.4% could NOT correctly say that Obama said his policies would likely bankrupt the coal industry and make energy rates skyrocket (25% chance by guessing)
56.1% could NOT correctly say Obama started his political career at the home of two former members of the Weather Underground (25% chance by guessing).
And yet.....
Only 13.7% failed to identify Sarah Palin as the person on which their party spent $150,000 in clothes
Only 6.2% failed to identify Palin as the one with a pregnant teenage daughter
And 86.9 % thought that Palin said that she could see Russia from her "house," even though that was Tina Fey who said that!!
Only 2.4% got at least 11 correct.
Only .5% got all of them correct. (And we "gave" one answer that was technically not Palin, but actually Tina Fey)

Proud of our Armed Forces

2008-11-18T17:17:00.002-05:00

This week, I shook hands with a young man named Brandon Ulmer. He is now an exemplary member of the United States Marine Corps. Brandon just returned from Parris Island, S.C., and it was an honor to shake hands with him.

Two years ago, when Brandon was 16, we worked together at Camp Joy off Highway 58 in Harrison. I noticed right away that he was a smart, self-sacrificing, and hard-working individual. As Brandon was preparing to graduate from Basic Training, another young man from our area, Mitch Beard, arrived on the Island to begin his journey. Mitch was one of my students last year at Tennessee Temple Academy, and I am honored to have had the privilege of teaching him.

I am proud of both of these young men, and as they complete the remainder of their training before possible deployments, I want to commend Brandon, Mitch, and all of our service men and women who are willing to give their time, energy, and possibly their lives to contribute to a cause greater then themselves. I also want to thank all of the families making so many sacrifices and supporting their relatives and loved ones serving in our military.

Proud of President Bush

2008-11-10T15:16:00.005-05:00

I called the White House comment line today.

I do not agree with everything President Bush has done, and I know many people have very negative feelings towards him, but even though I may not agree with him 100% of the time, I am proud of his service to our Country.

I wanted to thank the President for his leadership, for doing what is right even when it wasn’t popular, having convictions, and treating Sen. Obama with respect.

He has exhibited dignity as he treats the office with honor during this transition phase. (By most accounts he appears to be treating Obama better than Clinton treated Bush).

I believe he has shown kindness even though little kindness has been shown to him.

I appreciate him and I am proud of his service

His remarks last Thursday to his staff were inspiring and commendable.

Liberal Logical Fallacies

2008-11-07T14:44:00.001-05:00

Posted on the Chattanoogan:

I have a few questions for the extreme far right conservative majority in this area. How can one be against abortion and for a strong military and wars, they both kill? If the liberals are going to tax everyone into poverty, why does the smartest and wealthiest capitalist in the world, Mr. Warren Buffet support Obama? Why under conservative control does this area rank at the bottom in the nation in so many economic categories? I believe we lead the nation in per capita bankruptcies, near the bottom regarding per capita income, and on the bottom regarding education, why?
Why was the economy so much better under Bill Clinton in the 90's? Maybe instead of inciting racism, fear, and social differences, we should concentrate on fixing our common problems.

Travis Fletcher
Harrison

My reply:

With all due respect, your questions contain many logical fallacies.
First of all, you have misrepresented the pro-life view. The overarching position of the pro-life movement is the protection of every innocent life.

People who have decided to engage in battle against the United States are neither innocent nor defenseless. The unborn are. Terrorists have a choice. Aborted babies do not.
The deaths of innocent civilians in a conflict zone are tragic and unintentional.
Courageously, some Americans are constantly working on technology to limit the number of civilians killed during battle. T
he deaths of innocent civilians in the womb are tragic but intentional. Sadly, some Americans are constantly working on technology to increase the number of ways the unborn can be killed during gestation.

Secondly, with regard to Warren Buffet, you have misrepresented the conservative position. Sen. Obama wants to raise taxes on the highest wage earners and businesses. Conservatives believe this will cause a de facto price increase (to pay for the higher taxes), hinder a company’s capacity to increase wages, and limit a company’s ability to hire new employees.You have also implied that if a “wealthy capitalist” supports a political candidate, that political candidate must have superior ideas. This is faulty logic.

Finally, your statement about racism and fear should be backed up with specifics. Ambiguous statements like these carry dangerous implications and can be easily misconstrued as an attempt to not only highlight but incite the very things you are complaining about.