Inaugural Hangover

Wednesday, January 21, 2009 9:16pm 79 views

Photo taken via iphone on January 22, 2009 AO (Age of Obama). A Circuit City somewhere in Philly liquidating its merchandise prior to shutting its doors permanently. Change is on its way.

Dick Morris paints a masterpiece reflecting the future in drab gray of socialism:


But in the name of a largely unsuccessful effort to end the Depression, Roosevelt passed crucial and permanent reforms that have dominated our lives ever since, including Social Security, the creation of the Securities and Exchange Commission, unionization under the Wagner Act, the federal minimum wage and a host of other fundamental changes.

Obama’s record will be similar, although less wise and more destructive. He will begin by passing every program for which liberals have lusted for decades, from alternative-energy sources to school renovations, infrastructure repairs and technology enhancements. These are all good programs, but they normally would be stretched out for years. But freed of any constraint on the deficit — indeed, empowered by a mandate to raise it as high as possible — Obama will do them all rather quickly.

But it is not his spending that will transform our political system, it is his tax and welfare policies. In the name of short-term stimulus, he will give every American family (who makes less than $200,000) a welfare check of $1,000 euphemistically called a refundable tax credit. And he will so sharply cut taxes on the middle class and the poor that the number of Americans who pay no federal income tax will rise from the current one-third of all households to more than half. In the process, he will create a permanent electoral majority that does not pay taxes, but counts on ever-expanding welfare checks from the government. The dependency on the dole, formerly limited in pre-Clinton days to 14 million women and children on Aid to Families with Dependent Children, will now grow to a clear majority of the American population.

He does end on somewhat of a high note:

But none of these changes will cure the depression. It will end when the private sector works through the high debt levels that triggered the collapse in the first place. And, then, the large stimulus package deficits will likely lead to rapid inflation, probably necessitating a second recession to cure it.

So Obama’s name will be mud by 2012 and probably by 2010 as well. And the Republican Party will make big gains and regain much of its lost power.

Inaugural Memories

Tuesday, January 20, 2009 11:24pm 40 views

January 20, 1981:

Among the things President Bush’s fellow citizens should thank him for:

* Defeating Al Gore in 2000 and John Kerry in 2004.

* Keeping America safe in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, when virtually no one thought such a thing was possible. In achieving this, President Bush fulfilled the first duty of his office.

* Correcting earlier (and significant) mistakes in Iraq and supporting the surge when almost everyone — the American people, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the commanding general in Iraq, all Democrats, and many Republicans — opposed his efforts. This was a textbook example of leadership and wise decision-making in the most difficult circumstances imaginable.

* Leading efforts that led to a humiliating defeat for al-Qaeda in Iraq and, more broadly, to militant Islam being on the defensive throughout much of the world, including the Arab world.

* Liberating more than 50 million people from two of the most malevolent regimes in modern history.

* Standing with Israel against its enemies and having the wisdom to declare he would not deal with Yasir Arafat.

* Adding two outstanding Justices to the Supreme Court and appointing first-rate federal judges.

* Championing a culture of life and the global AIDS initiative.

* Cutting taxes several times and never, not even once, raising them.

* Putting in place the most far-reaching reforms in education in generations, which insisted on accountable, high standards, and produced positive results.

* Restoring dignity to the Oval Office, acting with civility and grace, loving his country, and serving her well.

[Peter Wehner]

PA WaterCooler has penned a great tribute:
8 Years of Class

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