Newt Gingrich is getting ready to launch his American Solutions movement. On September 27, at 7 pm there will be a 90 minute workshop. It can be watched on Direc TV and Dish Network. It should be worth watching.
This is the interview that NPR has refused to broadcast. I think it is important that people have a chance to read it and judge for themselves and ask why?
INTERVIEW OF THE PRESIDENT BY JUAN WILLIAMS, FOX NEWS
Old Family Dining Room
10:58 A.M. EDT
Q Mr. President, thank you for joining us this morning. It's 50 years ago that events at Little Rock Central High School took place, as nine black children tried to enter that high school and federal troops had to be sent to protect them. Where do you think we are today in America in the fight for racial justice for all?
THE PRESIDENT: You know, we've obviously progressed because it is accepted that black children and white children are going to go to school together. I've thought about that. I went to the high school when I was -- since I've been President, and it struck me that an American President had to commit the 101st Airborne to get these kids into school. And it was a very ugly chapter in America. And we've progressed beyond that.
I think part of it has to do with social awareness, part of it has to do with the baby boomers coming of age. You know, a lot of people that are my age -- which happens to be 61 -- grew up rejecting this notion of a segregated society. I grew up in a town, Juan, where there was a white high school and a black high school -- that's Midland, Texas -- and of course, that no longer exists. So the structural change has happened.
I think hearts are changing as well in America, but there is still prejudice. And the role of the government is to open up opportunities for people and give people a chance to succeed. I mean, No Child Left Behind, for example, is a classic case of challenging this notion that certain kids can't learn, so let's measure to determine if they are learning and then correct problems early, before it's too late -- all aiming to give everybody access to the dream.
Q You know, today, the celebration 50 years later, also acknowledges the fact that a Republican predecessor of yours, President Eisenhower, decided to take that strong move of supporting racial integration. Why aren't you going to Little Rock today?
THE PRESIDENT: You know, I'm at the United Nations representing the country, talking about the great heart of America. And when it comes to dealing with issues like HIV/AIDS or malaria, it's my -- look, I hope people understand that I have competing obligations. Certainly my heart is in the right place.
Secondly, I did go to Topeka, Kansas, to celebrate the Brown decision.
Q Last week there was a large march in Jena, Louisiana -- you may have heard about it -- protesting the treatment of six black young people involved in a school fight. Fights broke out after; a noose was hung from a tree. Are events there a reflection of worsening race relations in the country, in your mind?
THE PRESIDENT: You know, I was saddened by the events. I would hope the hearts of children would grow beyond this notion about insulting somebody through hanging a noose -- which is an inherently bigoted response. And I'm not surprised of people's reaction, of the African American community reacting the way they did because this notion of unequal justice harkens back to a previous time in our history that a lot of folks, including me, are working to get beyond.
And so I wasn't surprised, Juan, of seeing the people on the streets. I was pleased that the march was peaceful. And beyond that, it's hard for me to comment because I don't want to get involved in an ongoing trial, but I do want to assure people that our Justice Department and appropriate branches in the Justice Department are monitoring the situation to make sure lives are safe, as well as to make sure that justice is fair.
Q Well, should the government get involved? Should you play a more active role there? Should the Congress, the Judiciary Committee in the House and the Senate get involved?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think this is a -- the charges were brought by a local prosecutor, and what the Justice Department ought to be doing is monitoring the civil rights violations, to the extent that there are some. Hopefully, this is going to be resolved in a fair -- in a way that says justice is equitable, that people will be treated fairly.
Q Bill Clinton used to say -- President Clinton -- that he had a Cabinet that looked like America. But, in fact, you've had a more diverse Cabinet, President Bush: Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Elaine Chao, Alberto Gonzales, Alphonso Jackson, Mel Martinez, Carlos Gutierrez, Norman Mineta. Were they the best people for the job or did you select them to send a signal about the necessity of racial diversity?
THE PRESIDENT: I've always tried to be an inclusive person, without sacrificing excellence. And with these individuals you've named I've been able to achieve sending a message that we're a diverse nation and that -- and at the same time I found people to do the job. I couldn't imagine Condi Rice not being the Secretary of State. She is a -- she's been a key advisor inside the White House and she's doing a fabulous job as Secretary of State. So it's a combination of being interested in sending a message that America is a diverse country and people -- you know, if you look hard enough, you can find people that are capable of doing the job in a fine way. And so I've looked hard and asked them to serve and I'm proud of their service.
Q You've appointed two people to the Supreme Court, both white males. Do you think that there should be greater representation, not only blacks and Hispanic, but women on that high court?
THE PRESIDENT: I do, absolutely; and as you might remember, put forth a woman who I thought would be a great Supreme Court judge. And she never really got out of the blocks. And it looked like it was going to be a -- it would be impossible for her to get out of the committee. So she gracefully withdrew her name. But I do believe so and I hope I have another pick. And obviously would seek excellence and diversity.
Q Mr. President, in black America we have skyrocketing rates of black-on-black murder; disproportionate incarceration rates; 50 percent dropout rates in high schools across the country; 25 percent poverty rate. Sitting here in the White House, how do you explain these problem trends?
THE PRESIDENT: I think there's a lot of conditions that create that. One is schools that have been inadequate and have failed. If you don't get a good education, Juan, your self-esteem drops or you become someone who says this society isn't meant for me. So focusing early on education -- focusing on education and excellence in early education is vital.
Secondly, I believe the breakdown of the family has affected people. The way you solve a lot of the problems is -- at least my solution has been to really empower those who can be most effective at helping people realize there are right and wrong in life, and that is the inner-city churches. I believe the faith -- I'm a strong believer in the faith-based initiative because it is the local pastor or the local church member or the local community organizer who is much more effective about convincing somebody that they need help, or convincing somebody that there's a better way that -- rather than government trying to do that.
You know, I also believe that one of the problems in the African American community is there hasn't been asset accumulation -- in other words, assets have not been passed from one generation to the next. I remember going to a Mississippi automobile plant and a lot of the workers there were African Americans. And I asked them, did they have a 401(k)? And most of the folks raised their hand. I talked to some people afterwards, they said it was the first time they had ever had any assets, anybody in their family had accumulated assets that they could pass from one generation to the next. And I believe that government policy that encourages ownership will help address some of the frustrations inside parts of our country, and therefore proposed personal savings accounts as a part of the Social Security to make sure that the poor person was capable of -- had the ability to realize compounding rate of interest, which wealthier people do, but also had some assets.
So there is a variety of reasons why the statistics you cited are real. And the key is not to lose focus about it, not to forget. And so whether it be educational excellence or ownership or -- ownership of homes or ownership of assets, the administration has pushed hard to empower the individual.
Q Mr. President, the Supreme Court ruled this year that school districts in Louisville and Seattle can't engage in even voluntary plans to achieve school integration. Are you concerned that America's schools are growing more segregated, even as our population is more diverse and we are part of a global economy?
THE PRESIDENT: We don't want to be segregated as a society. We want there to be kids growing up understanding each other as a result of mingling in the school halls, for example. That's why I'm a school choice advocate. And I am public school choice advocate where schools are falling, and I believe in giving students the scholarships to be able to go to whatever school their parents think they ought to go to, very similar to the scholarship program here in Washington, D.C.
Q Mr. President, the Republican candidates for President have decided not to participate in a Hispanic issues debate; several Republicans have also pulled out of a debate later this week scheduled to discuss issues of concern to the black community. Jack Kemp has said that if the party -- what's going on with this party? Do they plan to have their meetings only in suburban country clubs? Newt Gingrich says the party is writing off whole swaths of America. Is this a turn away from minority outreach on the part of Republicans?
THE PRESIDENT: No, I think you'll see the nominee of the party -- whoever he is will head into the African American community with a positive message and, frankly, a good record as a result of compassionate conservatism. I mean, remember, we're the ones who confronted this education system that just shoves kids through the system without questioning. We're the ones who insisted upon disaggregation of results so that we could determine whether or not the African American kid was learning at the same rate as the white kid. And as a result of this intense focus on results, there's an achievement gap that's beginning to narrow.
So we've got a good record. More black people own homes today than ever before. I think that's an accurate statistic. And so -- and black entrepreneurship is on the rise. And so we've got a good record. And people shouldn't shy away from going into the African American community or the Latino community.
Q Well, I think people in the black and Latino community might say, what happened in Katrina, where poor people -- especially poor black people -- abandoned in that situation?
THE PRESIDENT: Yes. First of all, you know, our first response at all levels of government was to save people. And we had helicopters flying night and day, pulling people off the roof. And I made a comment down in New Orleans, I said those young kids reaching out of the helicopter didn't ask, are you black or white? They said, you're a fellow American, we're here to save you. Nearly 30,000 people were saved off the roofs.
The response at all levels of government was not adequate. And the fundamental question now is, how do we make sure that the federal response is used properly by state and local authorities? We've spent about $114 billion, or we've sent $114 billion in the pipeline. And there's still a lot of unspent money. And there's a lot of housing money that's unspent.
And the fundamental question, Juan, is, who's responsible? I felt like the responsibility lay with us to write the check to help recovery. I believe it's up to the local folks to make sure that the plans and the zoning laws are in place so that people actually can get that money and rebuild their lives.
Q Mr. President, illegal immigrants report that they're facing increased pressure from Homeland Security as well as local authorities after the failure of a national immigration reform bill. Is immigration now a civil rights issue, and are you doing anything to try to get that reform back on track?
THE PRESIDENT: As you know, I'm a strong advocate for comprehensive reform. I never felt we could adequately enforce the border unless we had a temporary guest worker program that would take pressure off the border. And, you know, I never -- and I knew we needed to address the issue that there's 11 million people here, more or less, that are undocumented, and we needed to do it in a way that was not amnesty, but also realistic enough not to kick them out of the -- feel like we could kick them out of the country; it's just not going to happen.
I was disappointed when the bill went down. You know, I'm not sure there's an appetite in Congress to take up the issue again. But I'll tell you where the pressure is going to come. It's going to come from employers who can't find people to do the work that they need done -- whether you're picking peaches somewhere or apples somewhere. These growers or hotel workers simply are going to run out of people to do those jobs, particularly as this economy continues to expand. And that pressure is going to be -- starting to move into Congress at some point in time, and the Congress is going to have to address this issue again.
Q Mr. President, Donovan McNabb, the Eagles' quarterback, recently said that black quarterbacks are under more scrutiny that white quarterbacks. Do you think that's true in all American life? As you observe our country, do you see that blacks are under more intense scrutiny, subject to greater criticisms?
THE PRESIDENT: It's an interesting question. I heard him say that, and you know, it's a -- if he was under scrutiny yesterday, he was scrutinized positive because he had a great game; I mean, this guy can play. You know, it's hard for me to tell, Juan. I'm sure there are cases where somebody feels like the criticism, the harsh criticism comes because expectations aren't being met or because -- let me just say that -- like, for example, Condi Rice. I don't -- you know, she gets criticized. I don't think she would tell you that she's been criticized more than any other Secretary of State because of her race. Maybe she would. I don't think so. I've never heard her complain about it. But I'm sure there are cases where people -- I remember the day where people said there's never going to be a team with a black quarterback, and all of a sudden, people like McNabb are showing what a ridiculous statement that was.
And so I would hope that's not the case. And I'm sure that a person like Donovan McNabb, who's an honest guy, is just sharing what he thinks, which is okay.
Q Mr. President, just to shift for a second as we conclude, the Iranian president, Ahmadinejad, is coming to the U.N., but he's also going to be at Columbia University.
THE PRESIDENT: Yes.
Q Do you think that Columbia is right to welcome him and give him the opportunity to speak to its students?
THE PRESIDENT: You know, I hope -- I mean, this is a place of high learning, and if the president thinks it's a good idea to have the leader from Iran come and talk to the students as an educational experience, I guess it's okay with me.
I'm a little -- you know, the problem is Ahmadinejad uses these platforms to advance his agenda, which is, I suspect in this case, is he doesn't want America to really know his true intention. I'll be curious to hear how he describes his views of the Holocaust. I'll be curious to hear how he answers the question -- you know, that our [sic] intention is to destroy Israel.
Ours is a great country. I mean, if you really think about it, he's the head of a state sponsor of terror. And yet, an institution in our country gives him a chance to express his point of view, which really speaks to the freedoms of the country. I'm not so sure I'd offer the same invitation, but nevertheless it speaks volumes about really the greatness of America. We're confident enough to let a person come and express his views. I just hope he tells everybody the truth.
Q Mr. President, there's a new book, "Evangelical President," quotes you as saying, "Hillary Clinton will defeat Barack Obama."
THE PRESIDENT: Yes.
Q Is that what you think?
THE PRESIDENT: You know, I probably shouldn't have opined publicly about it since I'm not that great a political prognosticator to begin with. I believe she's going to be a formidable person in the primaries because she's got a national reach. And I'm not sure I can call the elections since I've never participated in a Democratic primary in my life. I do think we can defeat either candidate in the general election in November of 2008.
Q A final thing, Mr. President. You've said that you don't want to comment about any American knowledge of Israel's attack on Syria. This week, do you have anything more that you can offer us, the American people, on this subject?
THE PRESIDENT: I really don't, Juan. Thank you.
Q Well, Mr. President, thank you for giving us this time.
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, sir.
Q I appreciate it.
THE PRESIDENT: Good job.
Q Thank you, sir.
Now this nut case says that the nuclear issue of Iran is now closed and Iran will disregard UN resolutions imposed and demanding suspension of its uranium enrichment. Surprise, Surprise!!
Warren Jeffs was convicted of being an accomplice to rape and could get life in prison for forcing a 14 year old girl to marry her 19 year old cousin. Funny the 19 year old hasn't yet been charged.
Now the State of Virginia has indicted Michael Vick on two state charges that could get him more prison time if convicted. What a waste of taxpayer money, because even if he is convicted, they will sentence him to time concurrent with the Federal time. Why bother. Let the Feds handle it.
Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell said Al-Qaida continues to recruit Europeans for explosive training in Pakistan because Europeans can more easily enter the United States without a visa. Nice.
Mike Bloomberg is the NRA's number one enemy and Giuliani is trying to pander to the NRA to get their support. Any surprise that they disagree?
With all the problems in our Country today, you would think that a respected organization like the Episcopalians could find a way to work this problem out.
Ed Morrissey at Captains Quarters put this in perspective. A lot of us thought this would happen. Here is what the Iranian state news agency reported on Ahmadinejad's speech:
Despite entire US media objections, negative propagation and hue and cry in recent days over IRI President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's scheduled address at Colombia University, he gave his lecture and answered students questions here on Monday afternoon.
On second day of his entry in New York, and amid standing ovation of the audience had attended the hall where the Iranian President was to give his lecture as of early hours of the day, Ahmadinejad said that Iran is not going to attack any country in the world.
Before President Ahamadinejad's address, Colombia University Chancellor in a brief address told the audience that they would have the chance to hear Iran's stands as the Iranian President would put them forth.
He said that the Iranians are a peace loving nation, they hate war, and all types of aggression.
Referring to the technological achievements of the Iranian nation in the course of recent years, the president considered them as a sign for the Iranians' resolute will for achieving sustainable development and rapid advancement.
The audience on repeated occasion applauded Ahmadinejad when he touched on international crises.
At the end of his address President Ahmadinejad answered the student's questions on such issues as Israel, Palestine, Iran's nuclear program, the status of women in Iran and a number of other matters.
This editorial in the Washington Times really points out a major problem with all of the Republican candidates for President. What are they thinking? How in the world can they snub Tavis Smiley? Their claim of busy schedules is ridiculous. Find time guys, or give up on making any inroads among minorities.
One of the most respected conservative columnists, Cal Thomas has an excellent article in Real Clear Politics about the sham presented yesterday at Columbia University. As Mr. Thomas said, he would not be as bothered by the Columbia Administration's action if they and other like minded universities had a consistent policy toward those they invited to speak. Mr. Thomas has it right.
Even the Washington Post, and Dana Milbank, one of the most liberal media types in Washington occasionally get a story corret. Milbank pointed out that Ahmadinejad said "for hundreds of years, we've lived in friendship and brotherhood with the people of Iraq." As Milbank says, that's true as long as they don't count the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s when a million people died. And of course there's the little matter of the 500 years of fighting during the Ottoman Empire. Milbank went on to point out some of the other ridiculous remarks made by Ahmadinejad regarding their treatment of women, and his claim that Iran doesn't have any homosexuals. Although I don't like to recommend to anyone that they read Milbank, who is a real hack, or the liberal WaPo, this article is the exception, and I recommend that you read it.
The Wall Street Journal has an excellent op-ed by Bret Stephens in which he deals with the arrogance and conceit of the Columbia Administration, specifically referring to the remarks of John Coatsworth, acting dean of Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs, when the Dean said "if Hitler were in the United States and ...if he were willing to engage in a debate and a discussion to be challenged by Columbia students and faculty, we would certainly invite him." WOW!!! the sheer arrogance of that statement is almost overwhelming, especially if you watched the pitiful performance of the faculty of Columbia and the student body. They should be ashamed of themselves.
Ed Morrissey of Captains Quarter (one of the best blogs around) has a post about how unpopular MoveOn.org's ad about General Petraeus was. Maybe there is still a hope for fairness in this country.
As a senior citizen, I find myself paying particular attention to the position of the various Presidential candidates on an issue that is very important to me – health care. I have read Hillary Clinton’s health care plan from cover to cover. I have also read the plans of other candidates such as Barack Obama, John Edwards, and Mitt Romney.
As a conservative Republican, I want no part of universal health care, so I immediately rejected Hillary’s, Barack’s, and Edward’s plan. Mitt Romney’s plan also was not what I was looking for. As I began to research the various other candidates, I kept coming back to one person, Governor Mike Huckabee. Why? Aside from the fact that Governor Huckabee is an extremely attractive candidate to me as a genuine conservative republican candidate, his view on health care are exactly what I am looking for. I believe that health care will be one of the top five issues in the Presidential campaign, and how the candidates handle it will determine the future of health care in America.
I like what Governor Huckabee says, and find myself agreeing with him on most important health care issues. Governor Huckabee, like most Americans, recognizes that the health care system in this country is irrevocably broken. I also firmly support his statement that we don’t need universal health care, what we do need is to get serious about preventive health care. Americans weigh too much. We need to get our children off of the sofas, away from the computers and onto the athletic fields. That is an important start. We also need to refocus our attention in our schools on getting our kids fit. Physical fitness can be taught in school, as can healthy eating habits.
I believe as does Governor Huckabee, that an effort such as this in our school systems will pay dividends in healthier children, and subsequently healthier adults. Once we get serious about preventive health care, such as exercise and healthy eating habits, we will find that the billions of dollars now being spent on chronic disease will be drastically reduced.
I also agree strongly with Governor Huckabee’s statement that we need to reform medical liability. This, in my opinion, is one of the major hurdles to affordable health care. Our legal system is out of control, and we need to find a way to get rid of frivolous lawsuits and cap outrageous jury awards. We also need to get health care record keeping into the 21st century. Being able to take your health insurance with you when you change jobs is another important issue to me. But perhaps the most important issue that I find myself in complete agreement with Governor Huckabee about is I don’t want the government in charge of my health care. I want the consumer to have control over and be in charge of their own health care. Deciding who your doctor is going to be and what treatment you will receive is of vital importance to me.
Of all the candidates I have listened to on this very important issue, Governor Huckabee has it right.
My good friend John LeBoutillier has another good article about the terrorist President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He correctly points out that no one, not the White House, not Congress, not the mainstream media, not talk radio, not even Fox News ever mentions that most of the remaining 52 American hostages from the 1979 crime against our embassy people in Iran are certain that Ahmadinejad was one of their captors. Read John's article at www.Newsmax.com. As always, he raises the issues that everyone else is afraid to talk about.
This is sure to stir up controversy. The Bush administration has said that the only way to permanently fix social security is through some combination of benefit cuts and tax increases. I can hear the screams now. I have been saying that for years, but no one wants to go down that road. People need to do the math.
Mike Tyson pleads guilty to drug, DUI charges. So what else is new.
Michael F. Cannon wrote an op-ed in the New York Post in which he said SCHIP is a senseless program. The problem as Mr. Cannon sees it is that many families simply substitute SCHIP for private coverage. He also argues that SCHIP is not cost effective. I agree with him.
Ed Morrissey at Captain's Quarter reports that Dan Rather's lawsuit has made him a laughingstock among his peers. That doesn't surprise me at all. Dan Rather has been a laughingstock for quite some time as far as I'm concerned.
The Iraqi government needs to get their act together. First they put out the story that the Blackwater Guards fired unprovoked, based on a videotape that they haven't shown anyone else,then the Iraqi government goes onto say in another report that there will be security woes if Blackwater USA leaves Iraq The same security vacuum is reported by yahoo news.
When I read this story, I thought ok, just another politician trying to find his own niche. But I guess the thing that bothers me about these kind of stories is why would you claim to be an outsider in order to get to be an insider? There is something wrong with that logic, in my opinion. You have to know how to work with the people in Washington to get anything accomplished. Seems to me that Romney is trying to hide from his past, and that won't work.
The U.S. Military accused Iran of smuggling surface-to-air missiles and other advanced weapons into Iraq for use against American troops. If this is true, what more proof do we need to stop Iran?
Michael Barone has an article well worth reading in Real Clear Politics today. Mr. Barone points out the failure of Democrats to force the United States out of Iraq. He also points out that the United States, following the plan of General Petraeus, has begun to see a return on success. And that's another loss for the dominant narrative of defeatist Harry Reid that we are headed to defeat in Iraq. Not so fast Mr. Reid.
Ed Morrissey, of Captain's Quarter had an interesting article about George Soros, the liberal guru, who is trying single-handedly to lead the liberals to victory over the American public. According to this article, Soros has bankrolled groups involved in the manipulation of elections. He says he has ended funding to voter-drive organizations, but he still heads a secretive rich-mans club called "Democracy Alliance". He also has bankrolled MoveOn to the tune of $5 million over the last three years.
One of my favorite journalists, Salena Zito has an interesting post in Townhall.com. In her article Salena points out that for many conservatives the red meat is the economy, and their standard-bearer is the Club for Growth, led by it's president Pat Toomey. The Club for Growth focuses on spending, taxes, trade, regulation, school choice and tort reform. So who won't the Club for Growth back in the GOP Presidential race? For sure they won't back Senator John McCain or Governor Mike Huckabee. The flip side of that is that Toomey's group gives high marks to Rudy Giuliani
My thanks to my friend River West for providing this article. This has got to be one of the most outrageous laws I have ever heard of. What is Congress thinking? According to Larry Pratt of NewsWithViews.com The Veterans Disarmament Act has already passed the House. What would this act do - simple, it would place any veteran who has ever been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress (PTSD) on the federal gun ban list. Clinton did exactly the same thing when his administration illegitimately added some 83,000 veterans into the National Criminal Information System. The new proposed law is even broader. As I said, to do this to Veterans who have served our country is outrageous. It is up to all of us to help fight this battle. Call your Congressman and Senator. Tell them to stop the Veterans Disarmament Act Now.
Check out the Steelers Report Card for Week 3. The Steelers are off to a 3 and 0 start, beating San Francisco yesterday 37 to 16.
Robert Bluey has an interesting article in Townhall.com, urging President Bush to dust off his veto pen. Bluey claims that Greenspan's criticism of the administration's fiscal record couldn't have come at a better time. I, for one, would like to see the President use his veto pen, instead of threatening, and then ultimately signing the bill, like he did the Ethics Bill. Republicans need to see some fight from this Admnistration, not just threats.
According to this article by Kevin McCullough in Townhall.com, Ahamdinejad has not yet taken the visit to Ground Zero off of his schedule, leading McCullough to believe that he still intends to engage in this outrageous appearance. McCullough is inviting all New Yorkers to meet him at Liberty Street and Broadway at 9 AM Monday to meet the evil terrorist. I hope everyone does just that.
As Marc Ambinder says "Remember all of this --almost all of this--goes to help Democrats." The AFL-CIO will announce that its executive board approved a $53 million budget for its2008 political program. I can't believe that this kind of garbage is still being permitted.
Marcel Marceau, the famous French Mime has died in Paris. I always loved to watch him. What a talent he was.
The Florida Democratic Party will stick with the January 29 Presidential primary. They really don't have a choice unless they want to pay for their own primary. And that is not going to happen. So now, all Democratic voters in Florida have been disenfranchised by their National Party. Smart idea guys!!
A column today by The Time's public editor, Clark Hoyt said that Moveon.Org should not have received the standby rate that it was given for it's ad about Army General David Petraeus. According to Hoyt, MoveOn should have paid $142,083 instead of the $64,575 that it was charged. MoveOn.org has now announced that they will pay the difference. Too bad that legal action can't be taken against them for this slander against our military.
Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton, a candidate for President of the United States, says that she will not vote for any more money to fund our troops in Iraq without a plan to start bringing U.S. troops home. These Democrats just continue to amaze me. So what do we do Senator Clinton, leave our troops over there without equipment, food, supplies or anything else just because you can't get your way. Outrageous!!!
FAIR TAX AIN'T FAIR EITHER?
Real Tax Reform Please
Though it is true our present tax code is convoluted and far too high I see nothing fair-minded about the proposed ‘fair tax’ either. Both are a roué!
Americans For Fair Taxation.org wish to levy a tax that collects 23 cents on every dollar spent is outrageous....Do they realize how many times a single dollar exchanges hands every day? Or how many times a single product changes hands every day as well?
Let us compare their idea this way....... Keeping in mind the Gross National Income indicates the majority of citizens earn $39,452.74 per lets go shopping.....A purchase of $10.00 worth of groceries would need an additional $2.30 to cover the Federal ‘fair tax’ plus a city sales tax of 7 or 8 cents per one dollar as well. That almost equals the price of a gallon of milk or one gallon of gasoline?
....or how about considering $100.00 of groceries purchased gleans $31.00 in Federal ‘fair tax’ and the city tax making the total tax equal a half of a tank of gasoline.....
....to say nothing of all the middle men who touch a product each paying said per dollar....No Thank You. There is nothing fair here. The Americans For Fair Taxation.org still grows the government richer while hurting more citizens.
We do not even know the effect this Federal ‘fair tax’ will have on the Gross National Product (GND)....which under the present horrible income tax shows the GNP per capita $.84 per $1.00. The ‘fair tax’ supporters made no mention of city, school districts, county and state property taxes which must also be subtracted from ones annual income.
Though I certainly want a well staffed and funded federal government we must remember we Republicans expect both tax cuts and cuts in government spending regardless of the tax collection system used. However taxes to fund said must be fair to everyone.......Were they suggesting a quarter of a cent on $10.00 spent perhaps I might consider their arrogance.....
....the ‘fair tax” flaunted implication is that one could spent as much as or as little as one wanted but I fear that attitude in its self has the potential to decrease the economy's growth quite rapidly. That is not fair either.
Think less tax – Less control - Less government spending – with fewer programs funded by all government agencies...including state, county and city....
....not less spending by our citizenry but less taxation!
Written by river west, iFrist Volunteer Leader
By now all of us have heard over and over again about the bias of the liberal media. I often think about it and wonder if there is anything we can do to correct the problem, or to at least begin to take some positive steps to counteract this unfair bias. Today I read an article in Newsbusters.org that has caused me to take a fresh look at the issue of the media bias.
Time magazine is carrying a story headlined “Was John Paul II Euthanized?” In and of itself, that’s a pretty outrageous headline. As a Catholic, it sure got my attention. Then I began to read the article and I became outraged. The gist of the story by a reporter named Jeff Israely cites “a provocative article” in the Italian media that an intensive-care specialist concluded that John Paul’s death was caused by what the Catholic Church itself would consider euthanasia. She bases this conclusion on her medical expertise and her own observations of the ailing pontiff on television.”
As Newsbuster correctly points out, this sounds really familiar doesn’t it? It hasn’t been that long since Senator Bill Frist was savaged by all of the liberal media for his comments in the Terri Schiavo case. You all remember the Terri Schiavo case don’t you? I sure do. I live in Florida and it was in the newspapers down here for months. Everyone had an opinion. Believe me, there were no undecideds in Florida on the Terri Schiavo case. Just to refresh your recollection, Terri Schiavo was the unfortunate young lady who had suffered a massive brain injury and had been in a nursing home in Florida for years. Her husband, Michael Schiavo, who had already moved on with his life, had a girlfriend and children to his girlfriend, wanted to remove the feeding tube from Terri, to take away all substance with the inevitable result of ending Terri’s life.
The problem in this case was that Terri Schiavo’s parents and siblings claimed that she responded to them, and that she was not in a persistently vegetative state, as her husband insisted. Now, it doesn’t really matter which side you agreed with. That isn’t the purpose of this article. What does matter is that reasonable people could and did differ about Terri Schiavo’s situation. Everyday Floridians got involved on both sides of the debate. The Florida legislature tried to intervene. Governor Jeb Bush tried to get involved. The Florida Courts eventually ruled in favor of Michael Schiavo, prompting Terri’s parents and siblings to turn to the Federal government. Congress, led by Senator Frist and Congressman Tom DeLay passed legislation asking that Terri be kept alive while further studies were conducted. The President rushed back from Texas to sign the bill.
Here is where the media really got into the act, and in fact, took over the whole matter. Senator Frist, a prominent heart and lung transplant surgeon, made a speech on the floor of the Senate, and said that he had reviewed a video tape of Terri Schiavo for approximately an hour, and based on his observations only, questioned whether she was in a persistently vegetative state. The media blasted him, time after time.
Now let’s compare what Jeff Israely said as he begins his article
“In a provocative article, an Italian medical professor argues that Pope John Paul II didn’t just simply slip away as his weakness and illness overtook him in April 2005. Intensive care specialist Dr. Lina Pavanelli has concluded that the ailing Pope’s April 2 death was caused by what the Catholic Church itself would consider euthanasia. She bases this conclusion on her medical expertise and her own observations of the ailing pontiff on television, as well as press reports and a subsequent book by John Paul’s personal physician.
“Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), a renowned heart surgeon before becoming Senate majority leader, went to the floor late Thursday night for the second time in 12 hours to argue that Florida doctors had erred in saying Terri Schiavo is in a "persistent vegetative state."
"I question it based on a review of the video footage which I spent an hour or so looking at last night in my office," he said in a lengthy speech in which he quoted medical texts and standards. "She certainly seems to respond to visual stimuli."
My favorite football team the Pittsburgh Steelers ran their record to 3 and o with a 37 to 16 thumping of the San Francisco Forty-Niners. Go Steelers.
First Iraq wants Blackwater USA out of Iraq, because of unsabstantiated claims by Iraqi officials that Blackwater acted improperly in protecting a State Department convoy. Now these same Iraqi officials say that Blackwater's exit would create a "security vacuum". They can't have it both ways. Either you want Blackwater out, or you work to correct any problems and let them provide the security that is needed.
About 1 million Simplicity and Graco cribs have been recalled after three children became entrapped and suffocated. Now Fox News is reporting that these cribs were made in China. Another problem with China - just what we need.
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has questioned the resolve of some parties to make peace during upcoming talks. You think so President Bashir? Maybe starting with you? Bill Frist has called this situation right from the beginning. Bashir has condoned genocide in Darfur, and has refused to take any positive steps to save his own people. Now he is going to question someone else's resolve.
I don't know how anyone else feels about this supposedly smart female student from M.I.T. carrying a fake bomb into Logan Airport. I for one think she should have the book thrown at her. I don't really care what her intent was. Obviously she intended to frighten a lot of people. She is lucky that she wasn't shot.
Ten Minute Misconduct has a really cool post about the Hobbit Wrists. Check it out.
Ed Morrissey of Captain's Quarter has an excellent post about the MSM's attempts to portray President Bush as a bumbling idiot. If the Media would do their job, instead of trying to play games, they might be able to avoid looking like morons. I agree with Ed Morrissey.
I think John Boehner is doing the right thing. The Republican party needs to get aggressive if they expect to become the majority party again. The story suggests that Boehner backed off his insistence that NRCC Chairman Ton Cole fire Pete Kirham, the NRCC's Executive director, and Terry Carmack, its political director, when Cole made it clear he would not fire them. Cole needs to rethink his position. It is not about individuals, it's about what is best for the party.
If this article doesn't make you realize the danger of an organization like MoveOn.org to the American political process, nothing will.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is coming to the United Nations. As is the habit of this despot, he will try to stir up as much trouble as he possibly can while he is in this country. So far I have heard that he wanted to visit Ground Zero, he has been invited to speak at Columbia University, he has been invited to speak at American University and he will deliver a tape recorded speech to the National Press Club.
My first thought was that I have mixed feelings about letting him speak at different American events. I believe in freedom of expression. After all, I practiced law for twenty years, and that has always been a fundamental tenet for any attorney. If you don’t believe in freedom of expression, it could become very difficult to represent a client. But as I thought about it, I realized that I don’t have mixed feelings at all. He is a killer, a madman. Let’s treat him like one.
In my opinion Ahmadinejad is a terrorist. He is just a state sponsored terrorist. Osama Bin Laden is a terrorist without a country. Ahmadinejad is a cowardly terrorist hiding behind the dictatorial shield of Iran. I still believe that he is one of the Iranians involved in the kidnapping of our American Embassy staff during the Carter administration. I also believe that he and the country of Iran have provided aid and comfort to terrorists for many years. We have never been able to prove a connection between Iran and the 9-11 terrorists, but I will not be surprised if one day soon we can prove such a connection.
I am absolutely certain that Iran and Ahmadinejad are directly involved in terrorist’s activities in Iraq that have resulted in the deaths of many American soldiers. So to that extent, how do we deal with a terrorist openly and publicly in our midst?
I think Fred Thompson has it right. He said earlier today
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, president of the world's premier terrorist state, is speaking before the United Nations next week. He has also asked to visit Ground Zero. If I were President of the United States none of this would have been an issue--I wouldn't have let him into the country in the first place.
It's time for the world to finally send a stern message to Iran. Ahmadinejad has called for the destruction of Israel, is supporting terrorist groups throughout the Middle East, and is responsible for supplying weapons to extremists who are killing US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. And with Iran's ongoing pursuit of nuclear weapons and development of long-range missiles, that country is a threat not only to the region and our allies, but to the entire free world. It's time for the United Nations to take more serious action against this terror regime.
The Security Council needs to begin placing comprehensive, multilateral sanctions on Iran's economy, to include banning foreign investment, stopping export credits to companies doing business there, and prohibiting any business dealings with Iran's Revolutionary Guard. Iranian banks should be denied access to international banking and financial institutions, and World Bank loans should be suspended. All arms sales to Iran need to be halted. And travel by Iranian officials should be stopped and their assets frozen. Cutting off Iranian access to refined gas imports will certainly get Tehran's attention and cause them to reconsider their priorities. If the UN can't reach agreement on these measures due to continued Russian, Chinese or others' intransigence, then we need to work directly with our allies and go around the UN roadblock.
The international community has been negotiating with Iran for more than four years to no avail in seeking to halt the mullahs' nuclear program. I believe strongly in diplomacy, but it has its limits, especially when the other side is made up of extremists. If we don't get serious and act now--before they build atomic weapons--the stakes will be even higher, and our hand much weaker. The United States and its allies cannot afford to let that happen. As president, I certainly will not.
This article was provided to me by River West and is republished here with her permission. River has posted this article on www.volpac.org
Herb Meyer served during the Reagan administration as special assistant to the Director of Central Intelligence and Vice Chairman of the CIA's National Intelligence Council. In these positions, he managed production of the U.S. National Intelligence Estimates and other top-secret projections for the President and his national security advisers. Meyer is widely credited with being the first senior U.S. Government official to forecast the Soviet Union's collapse, for which he later was awarded the U.S. National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal, the Intelligence community's highest honor. Formerly an associate editor of FORTUNE, he is also the author of several books.
WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON?
By: HERBERT MEYER
IMPLICATIONS OF THE FOUR TRANSFORMATIONS
1. The War in Iraq - In some ways, the war is going very well. Afghanistan and Iraq have the beginnings of a modern government, which is a huge step forward. The Saudis are starting to talk about some good things, while Egypt and Lebanon are beginning to move in a good direction.
A series of revolutions have taken place in countries like Ukraine and Georgia. There will be more of these revolutions for an interesting reason.
In every revolution, there comes a point where the dictator turns to the general and says, Fire into the crowd. If the general fires into the crowd, it stops the revolution. If the general says No, the revolution continues.
Increasingly, the generals are saying No because their kids are in the crowd.
Thanks to TV and the Internet, the average 18-year old outside the U.S. is very savvy about what is going on in the world, especially in terms of popular culture. There is a huge global consciousness, and young people around the world want to be a part of it. It is increasingly apparent to them that the miserable government where they live is the only thing standing in their way. More and more, it is the well-educated kids, the children of the generals and the elite, who are leading the revolutions.
At the same time, not all is well with the war. The level of violence in Iraq is much worse and doesn't appear to be improving. It's possible that we're asking too much of Islam all at one time. We're trying to jolt them from the 7th century to the 21st century all at once, which may be further than they can go. They might make it and they might not. Nobody knows for sure. The point is we don't know how the war will turn out. Anyone who says they know is just guessing.
The real place to watch is Iran. If they actually obtain nuclear weapons it will be a terrible situation. There are two ways to deal with it.
The first is a military strike, which will be very difficult. The Iranians have dispersed their nuclear development facilities and put them underground. The U.S. has nuclear weapons that can go under the earth and take out those facilities, but we don't want to do that. The other way is to separate the radical mullahs from the government, which is the most likely course of action.
Seventy percent of the Iranian population is under 30. They are Moslem but not Arab. They are mostly pro-Western. Many experts think the U.S. should have dealt with Iran before going to war with Iraq. The problem isn't so much the weapons; it's the people who control them. If Iran has a moderate government, the weapons become less of a concern.
We don't know if we will win the war in Iraq. We could lose or win. What we're looking for is any indicator that Islam is moving into the 21st century and stabilizing.
2. China - It may be that pushing 500 million people from farms and villages into cities is too much too soon. Although it gets almost no publicity, China is experiencing hundreds of demonstrations around the country, which is unprecedented. These are not students in Tiananmen Square. These are average citizens who are angry with the government for building chemical plants and polluting the water they drink and the air they breathe.
The Chinese are a smart and industrious people. They may be able to pull it off and become a very successful economic and military superpower. If so, we will have to learn to live with it. If they want to share the responsibility of keeping the world's oil lanes open, that's a good thing. They currently have eight new nuclear electric power generators under way and 45 on the books to build. Soon, they will leave the U.S. way behind in their ability to generate nuclear power.
What can go wrong with China? For one, you can't move 550 million people into the cities without major problems. Two, China really wants Taiwan, not so much for economic reasons, they just want it. The Chinese know that their system of communism can't survive much longer in the 21st century. The last thing they want to do before they morph into some sort of more capitalistic government is to take over Taiwan. We may wake up one morning and find they have launched an attack on Taiwan. If so, it will be a mess, both economically and militarily. The U.S. has committed to the military defense of Taiwan. If China attacks Taiwan, will we really go to war against them? If the Chinese generals believe the answer is no, they may attack. If we don't defend Taiwan, every treaty the U.S. has will be worthless. Hopefully, China won't do anything stupid.
3. Demographics - Europe and Japan are dying because their populations are aging and shrinking. These trends can be reversed if the young people start breeding. However, the birth rates in these areas are so low it will take two generations to turn things around. No economic model exists that permits 50 years to turn things around. Some countries are beginning to offer incentives for people to have bigger families. For example, Italy is offering tax breaks for having children. However, it's a lifestyle issue versus a tiny amount of money. Europeans aren't willing to give up their comfortable lifestyles in order to have more children.
In general, everyone in Europe just wants it to last a while longer. Europeans have a real talent for living. They don't want to work very hard
The average European worker gets 400 more hours of vacation time per year than Americans. They don't want to work and they don't want to make any of the changes needed to revive their economies.
The summer after 9/11, France lost 15,000 people in a heat wave. In August, the country basically shuts down when everyone goes on vacation. That year, a severe heat wave struck and 15,000 elderly people living in nursing homes and hospitals died. Their children didn't even leave the beaches to come back and take care of the bodies. Institutions had to scramble to find enough refrigeration units to hold the bodies until people came to claim them. This loss of life was five times bigger than 9/11 in America, yet it didn't trigger any change in French society. When birth rates are so low, it creates a tremendous tax burden on the young. Under those circumstances, keeping mom and dad alive is not an attractive option. That's why euthanasia is becoming so popular in most European countries. The only country that doesn't permit (and even encourage) euthanasia is Germany, because of all the baggage from World War II.
The European economy is beginning to fracture. The Euro is down. Countries like Italy are starting to talk about pulling out of the European Union because it is killing them. When things get bad economically in Europe, they tend to get very nasty politically. The canary in the mine is anti-Semitism. When it goes up, it means trouble is coming. Current levels of anti-Semitism are higher than ever. Germany won't launch another war, but Europe will likely get shabbier, more dangerous and less pleasant to live in.
Japan has a birth rate of 1.3 and has no intention of bringing in immigrants. By 2020, one out of every five Japanese will be 70 years old. Property values in Japan have dropped every year for the past 14 years. The country is simply shutting down.
In the U.S. we also have an aging population. Boomers are starting to retire at a massive rate. These retirements will have several major impacts: Possible massive sell-off of large four-bedroom houses and a movement to condos.
An enormous drain on the treasury. Boomers vote and they want their benefits, even if it means putting a crushing tax burden on their kids to get them. Social Security will be a huge problem. As this generation ages, it will start to drain the system. We are the only country in the world where there are no age limits on medical procedures an enormous drain on the health care system. This will also increase the tax burden on the young, which will cause them to delay marriage and having families, which will drive down the birth rate even further.
Although scary, these demographics also present enormous opportunities for products and services tailored to aging populations. There will be tremendous demand for caring for older people, especially those who don't need nursing homes but need some level of care. Some people will have a business where they take care of three or four people in their homes. The demand for that type of service and for products to physically care for aging people will be huge.
Make sure the demographics of your business are attuned to where the action is. For example, you don't want to be a baby food company in Europe or Japan. Demographics are much underrated as an indicator of where the opportunities are. Businesses need customers. Go where the customers are.
4. Restructuring of American Business - The restructuring of American business means we are coming to the end of the age of the employer and employee. With all this fracturing of businesses into different and smaller units, employers can't guarantee jobs anymore because they don't know what their companies will look like next year. Everyone is on their way to becoming an independent contractor. The new workforce contract will be, a Show up at the my office five days a week and do what I want you to do, but you handle your own insurance, benefits, health care and everything else.
Husbands and wives are becoming economic units. They take different jobs and work different shifts depending on where they are in their careers and families. They make tradeoffs to put together a compensation package to take care of the family. This used to happen only with highly educated professionals with high incomes. Now it is happening at the level of the factory floor worker. Couples at all levels are designing their compensation packages based on their individual needs. The only way this can work is if everything is portable and flexible, which requires a huge shift in the American economy.
The U.S. is in the process of building the world's first 21st century model economy. The only other countries doing this are U.K. and Australia. The model is fast, flexible, highly productive and unstable in that it is always fracturing and re-fracturing. This will increase the economic gap between the U.S. and everybody else, especially Europe and Japan.
At the same time, the military gap is increasing. Other than China, we are the only country that is continuing to put money into their military. Plus, we are the only military getting on-the-ground military experience through our war in Iraq. We know which high-tech weapons are working and which ones aren't. There is almost no one who can take us on economically or militarily. There has never been a superpower in this position before.
On the one hand, this makes the U.S. a magnet for bright and ambitious people. It also makes us a target. We are becoming one of the last holdouts of the traditional Judeo-Christian culture. There is no better place in the world to be in business and raise children. The U.S. is by far the best place to have an idea, form a business and put it into the marketplace. We take it for granted, but it isn't as available in other countries of the world.
Ultimately, it's an issue of culture. The only people who can hurt us are ourselves, by losing our culture. If we give up our Judeo-Christian culture, we become just like the Europeans. The culture war is the whole ballgame. If we lose it, there isn't another America to pull us out.
Henry McIntosh
Palm Beach, FL
This article was provided to me by River West and is republished here with her permission. River has published this article on www.Volpac.org
Herb Meyer served during the Reagan administration as special assistant to the Director of Central Intelligence and Vice Chairman of the CIA's National Intelligence Council. In these positions, he managed production of the U.S. National Intelligence Estimates and other top-secret projections for the President and his national security advisers. Meyer is widely credited with being the first senior U.S. Government official to forecast the Soviet Union's collapse, for which he later was awarded the U.S. National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal, the Intelligence community's highest honor. Formerly an associate editor of FORTUNE, he is also the author of several books.
WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON?
By: HERBERT MEYER
FOUR MAJOR TRANSFORMATIONS -
Currently, there are four major transformations that are shaping political, economic and world events. These transformations have profound implications for American business owners, our culture and our way of life.
1. The War in Iraq - There are three major monotheistic religions in the world: Christianity, Judaism and Islam. In the 16th century, Judaism and Christianity reconciled with the modern world. The rabbis, priests and scholars found a way to settle up and pave the way forward. Religion remained at the center of life, church and state became separate. Rule of law, idea of economic liberty, individual rights, Human Rights-all these are defining points of modern Western civilization. These concepts started with the Greeks but didn't take off until the 15th and 16th century when Judaism and Christianity found a way to reconcile with the modern world. When that happened, it unleashed the scientific revolution and the greatest outpouring of art, literature and music the world has ever known.
Islam, which developed in the 7th century, counts millions of Moslems around the world who are normal people. However, there is a radical streak within Islam. When the radicals are in charge, Islam attacks Western civilization. Islam first attacked Western civilization in the 7th century, and later in the 16th and 17th centuries. By 1683, the Moslems (Turks from the Ottoman Empire) were literally at the gates of Vienna. It was in Vienna that the climatic battle between Islam and Western civilization took place. The West won and went forward. Islam lost and went backward. Interestingly, the date of that battle was September 11. Since then, Islam has not found a way to reconcile with the modern world.
Today, terrorism is the third attack on Western civilization by radical Islam. To deal with terrorism, the U.S. is doing two things. First, units of our armed forces are in 30 countries around the world hunting down terrorist groups and dealing with them. This gets very little publicity. Second we are taking military action in Afghanistan and Iraq. These are covered relentlessly by the media. People can argue about whether the war in Iraq is right or wrong. However, the underlying strategy behind the war is to use our military to remove the radicals from power and give the moderates a chance. Our hope is that, over time, the moderates will find a way to bring Islam forward into the 21st century. That's what our involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan is all about.
The lesson of 9/11 is that we live in a world where a small number of people can kill a large number of people very quickly. They can use airplanes, bombs, anthrax, chemical weapons or dirty bombs. Even with a first-rate intelligence service (which the U.S. does not have), you can't stop every attack. That means our tolerance for political horseplay has dropped to zero. No longer will we play games with terrorists or weapons of mass destructions.
Most of the instability and horseplay is coming from the Middle East. That's why we have thought that if we could knock out the radicals and give the moderates a chance to hold power; they might find a way to reconcile Islam with the modern world. So when looking at Afghanistan or Iraq, it's important to look for any signs that they are modernizing. For example, a woman being brought into the workforce and colleges in Afghanistan is good. The Iraqis stumbling toward a constitution is good. People can argue about what the U.S. is doing and how we're doing it, but anything that suggests Islam is finding its way forward is good.
2. The Emergence of China - In the last 20 years, China has moved 250 million people from the farms and villages into the cities. Their plan is to move another 300 million in the next 20 years. When you put that many people into the cities, you have to find work for them. That's why China is addicted to manufacturing; they have to put all the relocated people to work. When we decide to manufacture something in the U.S., it's based on market needs and the opportunity to make a profit. In China, they make the decision because they want the jobs, which is a very different calculation.
While China is addicted to manufacturing, Americans are addicted to low prices. As a result, a unique kind of economic codependency has developed between the two countries. If we ever stop buying from China, they will explode politically. If China stops selling to us, our economy will take a huge hit because prices will jump. We are subsidizing their economic development; they are subsidizing our economic growth. Because of their huge growth in manufacturing, China is hungry for raw materials, which drive prices up worldwide. China is also thirsty for oil, which is one reason oil is now at $60 a barrel. By 2020, China will produce more cars than the U.S. China is also buying its way into the oil infrastructure around the world. They are doing it in the open market and paying fair market prices, but millions of barrels of oil that would have gone to the U.S. are now going to China. China's quest to assure it has the oil it needs to fuel its economy is a major factor in world politics and economics. We have our Navy fleets protecting the sea lines, specifically the ability to get the tankers through. It won't be long before the Chinese have an aircraft carrier sitting in the Persian Gulf as well. The question is, will their aircraft carrier be pointing in the same direction as ours or against us?
3. Shifting Demographics of Western Civilization - Most countries in the Western world have stopped breeding. For a civilization obsessed with sex, this is remarkable. Maintaining a steady population requires a birth rate of 2.1. In Western Europe, the birth rate currently stands at 1.5, or 30 percent below replacement. In 30 years there will be 70 to 80 million fewer Europeans than there are today. The current birth rate in Germany is 1.3. Italy and Spain are even lower at 1.2. At that rate, the working age population declines by 30 percent in 20 years, which has a huge impact on the economy. When you don't have young workers to replace the older ones, you have to import them. The European countries are currently importing Moslems. Today, the Moslems comprise 10 percent of France and Germany, and the percentage is rising rapidly because they have higher birthrates. However, the Moslem populations are not being integrated into the cultures of their host countries, which is a political catastrophe. One reason Germany and France don't support the Iraq war is they fear their Moslem populations will explode on them. By 2020, more than half of all births in the Netherlands will be non-European.
The huge design flaw in the post-modern secular state is that you need a traditional religious society birth rate to sustain it. The Europeans simply don't wish to have children, so they are dying.
In Japan, the birthrate is 1.3. As a result, Japan will lose up to 60 million people over the next 30 years. Because Japan has a very different society than Europe, they refuse to import workers. Instead, they are just shutting down. Japan has already closed 2000 schools, and is closing them down at the rate of 300 per year. Japan is also aging very rapidly. By 2020, one out of every five Japanese will be at least 70 years old. Nobody has any idea about how to run an economy with those demographics.
Europe and Japan, which comprise two of the world's major economic engines, aren't merely in recession, they're shutting down. This will have a huge impact on the world economy, and it is already beginning to happen.
Why are the birthrates so low? There is a direct correlation between abandonment of traditional religious society and a drop in birth rate, and Christianity in Europe is becoming irrelevant. The second reason is economic. When the birth rate drops below replacement, the population ages. With fewer working people to support more retired people, it puts a crushing tax burden on the smaller group of working age people. As a result, young people delay marriage and having a family. Once this trend starts, the downward spiral only gets worse. These countries have abandoned all the traditions they formerly held in regards to having families and raising children.
The U.S. birth rate is 2.0, just below replacement. We have an increase in population because of immigration. When broken down by ethnicity, the Anglo birth rate is 1.6 (same as France) while the Hispanic birth rate is 2.7. In the U.S., the baby boomers are starting to retire in massive numbers. This will push the elder dependency ratio from 19 to 38 over the next 10 to 15 years. This is not as bad as Europe, but still represents the same kind of trend.
Western civilization seems to have forgotten what every primitive society understands-you need kids to have a healthy society. Children are huge consumers. Then they grow up to become taxpayers. That's how a society works, but the post-modern secular state seems to have forgotten that. If U.S. birth rates of the past 20 to 30 years had been the same as post-World War II, there would be no Social Security or Medicare problems.
The world's most effective birth control device is money. As society creates a middle class and women move into the workforce, birth rates drop. Having large families is incompatible with middle class living. The quickest way to drop the birth rate is through rapid economic development. After World War II, the U.S. instituted a $600 tax credit per child. The idea was to enable mom and dad to have four children without being troubled by taxes. This led to a baby boom of 22 million kids, which was a huge consumer market that turned into a huge tax base. However, to match that incentive in today's dollars would cost $12,000 per child.
China and India do not have declining populations. However, in both countries, there is a preference for boys over girls, and we now have the technology to know which is which before they are born. In China and India, many families are aborting the girls. As a result, in each of these countries there are 70 million boys growing up who will never find wives. When left alone nature produces 103 boys for every 100 girls. In some provinces, however, the ratio is 128 boys to every 100 girls. The birth rate in Russia is so low that by 2050 their population will be smaller than that of Yemen. Russia has one-sixth of the earth's land surface and much of its oil. You can't control that much area with such a small population. Immediately to the south, you have China with 70 million unmarried men are a real potential nightmare scenario for Russia.
4. Restructuring of American Business - The fourth major transformation involves a fundamental restructuring of American business. Today's business environment is very complex and competitive. To succeed, you have to be the best, which means having the highest quality and lowest cost. Whatever your price point, you must have the best quality and lowest price. To be the best, you have to concentrate on one thing. You can't be all things to all people and be the best.
A generation ago, IBM used to make every part of their computer. Now Intel makes the chips, Microsoft makes the software, and someone else makes the modems, hard drives, monitors, etc. IBM even outsources their call center. Because IBM has all these companies supplying goods and services cheaper and better than they could do it themselves, they can make a better computer at a lower cost. This is called a fracturing of business. When one company can make a better product by relying on others to perform functions the business used to do itself, it creates a complex pyramid of companies that serve and support each other.
This fracturing of American business is now in its second generation. The companies who supply IBM are now doing the same thing-outsourcing many of their core services and production process. As a result, they can make cheaper, better products. Over time, this pyramid continues to get bigger and bigger. Just when you think it can't fracture again, it does. Even very small businesses can have a large pyramid of corporate entities that perform many of its important functions. One aspect of this trend is that companies end up with fewer employees and more independent contractors.
This trend has also created two new words in business; integrator and complementor. At the top of the pyramid, IBM is the integrator. As you go down the pyramid, Microsoft, Intel and the other companies that support IBM are the complementors. However, each of the complementors is itself an integrator for the complementors underneath it. This has several implications, the first of which is that we are now getting false readings on the economy. People who used to be employees are now independent contractors launching their own businesses. There are many people working whose work is not listed as a job. As a result, the economy is perking along better than the numbers are telling us.
Outsourcing also confused the numbers. Suppose a company like General Motors decides to outsource all its employee cafeteria functions to Marriott (which it did). It lays-off hundreds of cafeteria workers, who then get hired right back by Marriott. The only thing that has changed is that these people work for Marriott rather than GM. Yet, the headlines will scream that America has lost more manufacturing jobs. All that really happened is that these workers are now reclassified as service workers. So the old way of counting jobs contributes to false economic readings. As yet, we haven't figured out how to make the numbers catch up with the changing realities of the business world.
Another implication of this massive restructuring is that because companies are getting rid of units and people that used to work for them, the entity is smaller. As the companies get smaller and more efficient, revenues are going down but profits are going up. As a result, the old notion that revenues are up and we're doing great isn't always the case anymore. Companies are getting smaller but are becoming more efficient and profitable in the process.
Senator/Doctor/Professor Bill Frist blogs at Volpac about the class he is teaching at his alma mater, Princeton University. The title of the blog is "Working to develop new thoughts on healthcare reform." Frist is "the Schultz Class of 1951 Professor of International Economic Policy at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs." A pretty hefty title for teaching a graduate class about healthcare in the global economy. Professor Frist will be teaching this class with his colleague, Uwe Reinhardt. As always Bill Frist continues to earn my respect for his continued devotion to the American people, from teaching at Princeton, to working for OneVote.org, to his work for Save the Children. A remarkable example of ways to serve mankind.
The Washington Post reports that MoveOn is unmoved by the furor over its defamation of an American military man. Does that surprise anyone? Moveon is out of control, and its up to the Republican Conservative base to keep the heat on their slanderous ads.
Ed Morrissey points out that Senator Ted Stevens is now engaged in another kind of tap dancing, only this one is far different than the one involving Larry Craig. This one involves the people's business, misuse of public funds.
Am I missing something here, or has Mattel just opened itself up for gigantic lawsuits in the United States? Not too smart Mr. Debrowski.
Well, those dinner hours free of telemarketer's calls could come to an end soon. The numbers that were placed on the do not call listing in 2003 are only valid for five years. It will be interesting to see what happens here. Time for Congress to expand the time.
Captains Quarter reports on Dan Rather's appearance on Larry King's show. According to Captain Ed, Rather was incoherent much of the time, could barely complete a sentence and when he could talked about grand conspiracies. Typical Dan Rather stuff.
Being an old retired attorney, I am always interested in articles concerning the law. I found this article by Power Line particularly intriguing. Among the things that Tom Goldstein talks about is that "the government may ban the possession of pistols, that child rapists cannot be executed, that certain federal legislation regulating child pornography is unconstitutional.." Well, you get the picture. The upcoming Supreme Court term could conceivably turn this country and the political debate upside down.
I don't know if I would characterize Tom Coburn and Jim DeMint as bomb throwers. Sometimes, I feel like they are tilting at windmills. I might change my mind if they could actually do something about the out of control spending on Capitol Hill. So far, the only thing that I have seen is now it is the Democrats getting all the earmarks, and our Republican legislators are taking the leftovers. I preferred Bill Frist and his methods over anything I have seen from the Democrats or Coburn and DeMint.
Sounds familiar Harry. I still remember how you jumped up and down in 2005 when Bill Frist kept the Senate in session until shortly before Christmas because of your obstructionist tactics. Turnabout is fair play, huh, Harry.
No matter how long the Democrats talk about their plans they are talking about universal health care, that you and I will have to pay for.
Norman Hsu has been charged with swindling at least $60 million from investors and using some of his profits to make illegal donations to political campaigns. I have a feeling that this story is going to be with us for a long, long time.
The Associated Press is reporting that John McCain has lobbed a thinly veiled attack at fellow rival Rudy Giuliani, "describing the former mayor's 'devious' attempt with a lawsuit to bankrupt our great gun manufacturers." Gee, do you think John was really attacking Rudy?
Terrific article from Power Line about the Democrats efforts to undermine the Iraq war, and their allegiance to Move On. Org. Powerline suggests that this article be read in conjunction with another article posted by Peter Wehner in Contentions.
Tony Blankley has an interesting article in Real Clear Politics, asking the question "Where's the Heir to Reagan?" The question he asks that I don't have an answer for is "Is there not one Republican candidate today who is visibly impatient to, with conservative principles and values, 'begin the world over again'?
Well, the Senate did the right thing on this one. Congress should never be permitted to micromanage a war, which is what the Webb Amendment was all about.
The Number 2 U.S. Commnader in Iraq said on Thursday that a seven-month-old security operation has reduced violence by 50 percent in Baghdad. Hard to find this article in the Mainstream media, isn't it?
Melvyn Weiss, who helped start the law firm of Milberg Weiss, has said that he will be charged in connection with a seven-year federal investigation. Mr. Weiss has decided to discontinue his participation in firm management. I wonder if this is just the tip of the iceberg in the legal profession. Those of us who have been involved in the legal profession have long been aware of this kind of behavior going on. Most small and medium sized firms never handle class action suits because of the expense involved and because of this kind of behavior. It will be interesting to see how this comes out.
Now this story troubles me greatly. Having close friends who have autistic children, I know how difficult these youngsters can be to handle. But I can't help but believe that Police could have found a better way to deal with this young man.
Well, It's official Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns has resigned. The word is that he plans to run for the Nebraska Senate seat of retiring Republican Senator Chuck Hagel. Republicans are going to need all the help they can get to hold onto the seats they have and pick up one or two. Good move.
Loved the photo of Harry Reid. But especially liked the comment that fortunately for the Republicans, Harry Reid is a feckless leader of the Senate, a poor head-counter, and an even worse strategist. He's not even a good pirate. Never thought I would defend Horrible Harry, but being Majority Leader, without having 60 votes is a lot tougher than being minority leader. Just ask Bill Frist.
Redstate provided the link to this Civics Quiz that evidently tripped up so many of our college students. Thought maybe you would all like to try it and see how you do.
Hugh Hewitt has a post about military historian Victor Davis Hanson. Mr. Hanson thinks that Harry is unhinged. I could have told him that a long time ago. When will the Democrats smarten up?
Captains Quarters has an excellent analysis of the failure of the Democrats to move the Voting Rights' Bill for DC forward. The Democrats always choose to ignore the Constitution when they can. This time they failed.
Chris Matthews is one of my least favorite media people, just because of comments like this: "Should we put Exxon signs up over Arlington Cemetery and Mobil signs up there, like they have at baseball stadiums?"
I thought Sally Field made an idiot of herself at the Emmys the other night. John Hawkins has it right in this post at Right Wing News.
I always enjoy reading a blog called Willisms.com. Yesterday there was an article marking the anniversary of the Battle of Antietam. As a student of American history, and certainly of the civil war, I found the article very interesting. Of particular interest to me was the point that at the Battle of Antietam there were 2108 Union soldiers killed in just one day. The Confederates lost 1546 men. That is 3654 Americans killed in one day of fighting. We have lost 3782 brave soldiers in Iraq in four and one half years of fighting. Makes you wonder, have we lost the heart and the right to live in this great country. As the author says "If this war truly is as unsustainable as some would have us believe we are in a lot bigger trouble than anything the middle east portends."
I believe in free speech, but I thought this student got exactly what he asked for. It doesn't really matter whether he was right or wrong, whether Senator Kerry was willing to answer his questions or not, what matters is he was told to leave by the Police and refused to do so. When they attempted to remove him, he resisted. Where I come from that is resisting arrest, and the police are justified in subduing the person being arrested, to the degree necessary to get them under control.
Karl Rove has an excellent op-ed in the Wall Street Journal about health care and why he believes the Republicans can win on the issue of health care. Rove recommends a series of reforms that he argues will make health care more affordable for all Americans without resorting to universal health care.
The Associated Press reports that the number of foreclosure filings reported in the United States last month more than doubled versus August of 2006 and jumped 36 percent from July. Sounds like tough times ahead.
Ron Fournier, Associated Press Writer has an excellent analysis of the health care plans of the various candidates.
When the Democrats took control of Congress one of their major promises was to cut the pork. How have they done? Well, to their credit, they have cut it some, from 6.6 billion to 5.1 billion, but in the scheme of things, they haven't done much. It is absolutely outrageous that the porkleaders, like Stevens, Inouye and Byrd are still at it.
Ten Minute Misconduct is one of my favorite sites. Check out Pete's latest post about Chernobyl - Russia is now going to cover Chernobyl in steel. As Pete points out - it only took 21 years.
Everyone should read this post from Senator Jim DeMint.
I know I promised no more Larry Craig stories. But when the ACLU gets involved in a case involving a Conservative Republican Senator, I have to read it. The ACLU filed what the call a friend-of-the-court brief in Craig's case. The argument by the ACLU is that even if Craig did the things the police say, they're not a crime. They also say that even if Craig solicited sex, it would only be a crime if police could prove he was seeking illegal bathroom sex and not a legal liaison somewhere else. The ACLU also says the disorderly conduct statute is too vague to be enforceable.
A fascinating article by Hank Adler. Mr. Adler writes about a measure passed by the California State Senate for the second consecutive year. SB 37 would require California electoral delegates to cast their presidential votes for the national popular vote winner rather than for the presidential candidate who is victorious in California. The kicker is that the measure would become effective when and if states controlling 270 electoral votes, a number sufficient to elect the President, pass identical contractually binding legislation. In other words, let's all circumvent the Constitution of the United States, by entering into a side agreement.
And this story is important because??? What possible difference does it make whether John McCain is Episcopalian or Baptist or Mormon or Catholic or Jewish!!! He is right when he says faith is what's important.
Every time I read a story like this, it reminds me why I stopped donating to my church. I am a Catholic, but I refuse to donate money so that my church can settle cases like this. Let them take the money from the Catholic Church's assets. After all, they have protected these Priests for a long time. They have no right to use money that parishioners have given to settle these kinds of cases.
I love to watch Jack Hanna and this story really made me laugh. Thank goodness he had the flamingo in a crate!!!
Jeff Nuding served in Iraq, and he makes some very valid points in this op-ed. He asks his United States Senators and Congress to do what they voted for in 2003 - win the war in Iraq - defeat the terrorists - and go on with the battle plan.
Lindsey Graham has made a lot of enemies of grassroots Republicans with his position on immigration, but I think he has it right on Iraq, and his questions of General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker were on the money and incisive and penetrating.
I often thought that if I had heeded the advice of my friends, when I was practicing law, and ran for Judge, this would have been the kind of case I would get assigned to me.
Former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan says the United States housing slump isn't over yet, and in fact, will probably record a double digit drop.
A television bulletin just announced that President Bush has named his nominee for Attorney General. It's Judge Michael Mukasey, just as William Kristol predicted.
Former Republican Senator Lincoln Chafee says he has cut his ties with the Republican party. If you ask most grassroots Republicans, they will tell you that Lincoln Chafee cut his ties with the Republican party years ago.
Well, O J's arrogance caught up to him. He has been arrested on armed robbery charges in connection with the break in at a Las Vegas hotel room.
This one sentence says it all "Civility in a civilized world, is it too much to ask?" The article by Jackie Gingrich Cushman really puts the despicable Move On.Org ad about General David Petraeus in it's proper perspective.
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