Since you speak of my fellow Red Maryland contributor Brian Griffiths, it’s worth noting that he took up a challenge recently from our state’s loony left bloggers at Free State Politics and suggested budget cuts for the state.

Now for the rest of you, I’d like to bring up another point. We on the right constantly talk about cutting taxes and the budget (particularly on the federal level) and are savaged by the MSM and left-wingers for doing so. I’d like to start questioning their premise (cloaked in “bipartisanship”) that budget cuts are bad by asking them to justify what they spend:

Is the program helping those it originally targeted?

Are the program’s services duplicated someplace else?

Most importantly, prove that it can’t be done more efficiently somewhere in the private sector.

We cannot make any headway when we’re always on the defensive. While Brian did a good job making his imaginary cuts, the better response would have been to ask the FSP folks and their fellow travelers to justify what they want to do using (as a start) the three things I note above.

Michael Swartz
http://www.monoblogue.us

Mitt Romney wants government to spend more money on basic scientific research. Mike Huckabee wants to create a prevention-based healthcare system. John McCain advocates a “wage insurance” program for workers. Fred Thompson wants to slash projected increases in Social Security payments.

One of these things is not like the others.
Go Fred!

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.

-Professor Alexander Tyle (circa 2,200 years ago)

When will Democrats and Liberals take economics 101. That less is more. Wal-Mart is a priome exampleof this. Instead of looking at the short term quick gain, look at the long term large gain.

Our economy has not been the same since WWII. It was after this we went into this massive short term quick gain crap. Japan on the other hand learned from us that long term, reinvestment, and lower governemnt spending creates large surpluses of tax revenue.

If we happen to get one of these tax and spend liberals in the White House we definately are looking at a full blown economy that will tank.

We all know from personal experiance that when taxes go up the first thing we do is cut back on personal spending. This means the service industries will be hit first. Once this happens we will see a trickle effect. As service workers loose jobs more and more unemployement is seen. This leads to an unstable economic senerio.

While every one is focused on the Presidential election, lets not forget the local ones. Congress and the Senate. We have to elect fiscal conservatives to advoid a catastrophe.

Transit Panel Urges Giant Gas Tax Increase…
Wholesale Prices Up 6.3% in ‘07; Largest amount in 26 years…
THE $18B WRITE OFF
AND NEW RESCUE BY SINGAPORE, KUWAIT, SAUDI ARABIA

I can’t think of a better prescription to destroy the United States than this. Tax our primary energy supply and deny access to our reserves? Check. Jimmy Carter-style stagflation? Check. Indebted to the muslim ummah? Check. Subsidize 40MM illegals? Check. Abort future generations? Check. Is America mortally wounded yet? This is the perfect way to have a dead civilization. The left must be so happy. Now they can go look for their Mao and their Fidel.

Actually the biggest mistake we have ever made as a nation is to reduce taxes on the poor to the point that they get rebates for something they never paid.

Thats right… our nation was founded over a revolt based upon taxation without representation. Well, as I see it, representation without taxation is just as bad. If you are on welfare, then you shouldn’t have the right to vote!

What is the point to having unions in govenment jobs?

We have what used to be part time and volunteer jobs now getting six figures with early retirement and bennies until death….all paid for with monies stolen from those with a fraction of the income and benefits. And if they want more they strike. WTF? I wish our governments (local, state and fed) were required to run like a business and have to show a profit.

We were NOT at or near recession until the democrats took over congress. Coincidence? I think not.

“Actually the biggest mistake we have ever made as a nation is to reduce taxes on the poor to the point that they get rebates for something they never paid. These people have no idea what taxes are, except that at the beginning of the new year they can apply to get money from my pocket. I think that every single person should shoulder equally with not even one single exemption at all. I think that it should be born on spending, and not on income. Then when politicians start talking increasing taxes, everyone, including the poor losers on welfare will start to think about what it means to them.”

Exactly.

As I’ve said before, we seem to be approaching the situation where a majority of voters pay no tax at all.
And, once we’ve reached that tipping point…what reason, what incentive, would the receivers of government money, as opposed to the taxpayers, have to hold taxes down?

In our nation, everybody’s vote counts as much as everybody else’s. That is both our country’s greatest strength; and, as it looks, it might soon also be its greatest weakness.

Anyone else besides me come to this unfortunate, uncomfortable realization?

Again, think about it: if a MAJORITY OF VOTERS have NO TAX OBLIGATION, what’s to stop them from raising taxes again, and again, and again, and again, …?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080115/tc_nm/autoshow_gm_fuel_dc_2

Who will pay the increase???

Stop the insanity and drill now!!!