Why can't we all just get along

Why can’t we compromise?

We frequently hear that along with charges that the Tea Party or Grover Norquist or some other conservative is a huge impediment to compromise and progress.  They simply won’t meet the left half way.  Leftist like to portray themselves as reasonable people who are only looking out for the good of the country and if only the other side would be reasonable and compromise we could all get along. 

Perhaps this is best illustrated with President Obama’s call for “shared sacrifice” and by that he means to address the deficits we need to raise taxes and cut spending.  He loves to tell the media that the Republicans want to balance the budget on the backs of the poor while giving tax breaks to the wealthy.  

But what you have here is an ideological stand rather than a fiscal one.  Obama wants to raise taxes on the wealthy so he doesn’t have to cut spending as much and because he truly believes that it is a fairer way to go.  This may on the surface sound reasonable, but is it? 

A new report out by Ernst and Young indicates that allowing taxes to increase for every American earning over $250,000 ($200,000 for single taxpayers) would suck $200 billion out of the economy, cost 700,000 jobs (those most likely to need jobs) and also reduce wages by 1.8 percent.

Back in 2008 in a debate with Hillary Clinton when asked about raising capital gain taxes even though it’s been shown that raising the capital gains taxes decreases government revenue and decreasing the tax increases government revenues, President Obama said he would raise them in the interest of fairness. 

It appears the president is so uncompromising that he is willing to add to the deficit through decreased government revenues with the increased capital gains tax he wants and willing to put 700,000 Americans out of a job to increase taxes on the wealthy.  And all of this he would do in the name of fairness.

But it isn’t just that when we talk about compromise.  The left has had the country on its road to statism for the past 80 years.  Any compromise it is talking about is to go a bit slower down that road, but the left is not willing to compromise if it means going down a different road.  What the right wants to do is to move to a different road, a road of Constitutionalism, of smaller government, and less government spending.  This is not even recognized by the left when it talks about compromise. 

We can’t compromise because the destinations are different destination.  It is up to the people to decide which road we need to take, which road in the end gives us better results.  When either side talks about the other compromising, if they are true to their beliefs what they really mean is surrendering to their dream and their destination.  Beware of those who preach compromise.  They are the charlatans in this debate. 

The Romney Birth Certificate Joke

Was it a gaffe or an unnecessary error?  Or was it a shrewd remark?  Ann Althouse  looks at this question and decides it isn’t racist as some charge and it doesn’t say anything about what Romney believes.  But it does poke Obama in a vulnerable spot, that is, the question of what kind of an American is he?  “You didn’t build that.”  He sided with Mexico against Arizona and sued the state.  Criticizing America when he’s abroad, i.e. I’m grateful that President Ortega did not blame me for things that happened when I was three months old.”   Was it fair?  A lot fairer than charging someone with possibly being a felon or claiming they hadn’t paid taxes in 10 years for political purposes. 

Update  Prof. Stephen Clark opines “Glad to see you and Althouse make these points. This is your picador strategy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish-style_bullfighting at work again. The reaction from the press and, more importantly, from the White House was clearly foreseen. This is ruthless, interesting, and entertaining. I cannot imagine John McCain, or any similar politician, doing this even now.”

The Political Right and Left in America today

The two extremes in American political thought today are the Constitutionalists on the right, represented by the Tea Party, and the Manifestoists on the left, epitomized by the elitist followers of President Obama.  Manifestoists win by lying, cheating, and stealing, while the Tea Party is much closer to the ideals of Thomas Jefferson. 

Who really rejects Science?

What many conservatives reject is not science.  It's the scientific interpretations offered by liberals.  

Conservatives see liberals distort and misrepresent the climate data to arrive at pre-determined conclusions, making irresponsible leaps of logic in the process.  So they reject those interpretations of the data. 

Climate science is only one area where the left becomes very unscientific.  Try doing a study on the intelligence differences of the races or the difference between men and women.  Poke the left’s dogma and see how quickly science is berated and denounced. 

Comparing Obama and Reagan’s economic recoveries

Stephanie Cutter, President Obama's deputy campaign manager, recently boasted to Willie Geist of MSNBC that, from an employment perspective, the recovery of the economy under President Obama compares favorably with the Reagan recovery.  That earned her the honor of being the Lie of the Day in this blog.  But how do  Reagan's and Obama's recoveries compare?  Not very well if you are an Obama supporter. 

The Obama work ethic

Four years ago, President Obama sold himself as someone who would be tirelessly working for the American people, but does anyone really buy that?  I do believe he is working tirelessly for reelection, though. 

Five things that make you smarter

Here are five things that make you smarter.  

http://www.cracked.com/article_19971_5-things-you-didnE28099t-know-could-make-you-smarter.html

Scott Brown ahead of Elizabeth Warren in MA

It appears the left is beginning to worry that Scott Brown may not be beatable by Elizabeth Warren. Hard left Professor Warren would seem to be just what the people of Massachusetts want in a Senator.  Flawed (see her American Indian heritage flap), but far to the left on most issue, Ms. Warren will be speaking at the Democratic convention and it was her attack on free enterprise that inspired Barack Obama to say, “You didn’t build that.”   In two recent polls, Brown was up by 5% and 6%.