Wednesday, October 23, 2013

A Conservative Writers Reading List

Cover of "Liberal Fascism: The Secret His...
Cover via Amazon
So many writers, so little time? A concise article  from M.D. Harmon outlining must-read Conservatives.



MARK STEYN: .... If it’s a full accounting of our fin de siecle dystopian decadence you’re after, Steyn has not only observed the beast in its native habitat, he has shot it, stuffed it and mounted its head over his mantel....  
THOMAS SOWELL: .... Of all his works, “The Vision of the Anointed” is perhaps the best place to start, as in its pages he dissects the internal worldview of the left, showing how they exalt themselves over the rest of humanity as the ones whose ideas best suit them to rule everyone else.... 
MICHAEL BARONE: .... Like so many other conservative writers, he used to be liberal, but was “mugged by reality” in his native Detroit and now applies his substantial learning and experience to the issues of the day. 
CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER: If anyone could turn the word “curmudgeonly” into a term of warm affection, it is this psychiatrist-turned-Washington-Post-and-Fox-News commentator, whose take-no-prisoners attitude toward liberal follies (and, sometimes, liberals themselves) is his most endearing characteristic.... 
JONAH GOLDBERG: .... His work of social analysis, “Liberal Fascism,” with its bright red cover enlivened with a yellow Hitleresque smiley face, nailed down the left-wing sources of not only socialism and communism, but German and Italian fascist ideology as well.... 
VICTOR DAVIS HANSON: .... “Mark Steyn without the snark”.... If you want to know how much we have sacrificed on the pagan altars of egalitarianism, moral relativity and “multicultural diversity” — and to be reminded of the only way in which we can restore those losses, and the price we will have to pay if we want to do that — Hanson is the go-to guy. 
JOHN FRARY: .... He cracks me up. (But his website, the Frary Home Companion, keeps crashing my computer.)
Plus some recommended websites and female leaders/writers. Conservative writers? Start here.

PS -- Christmas is coming -- buy their books and spread some reality-based good sense if not good cheer around.



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Friday, October 18, 2013

Carry on warming: Why climate change is good for the world

English: Logo of the Committee on Climate Change
English: Logo of the Committee on Climate Change (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Climate change has done more good than harm so far and is likely to continue doing so for most of this century. This is not some barmy, right-wing fantasy; it is the consensus of expert opinion. Yet almost nobody seems to know this. Whenever I make the point in public, I am told by those who are paid to insult anybody who departs from climate alarm that I have got it embarrassingly wrong, don’t know what I am talking about, must be referring to Britain only, rather than the world as a whole, and so forth.
Oh, the humanity!
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Thursday, October 17, 2013

An Unintended Consequence of Obamacare: The Underground Economy

Unintended consequences accompany well-meaning government legislation. Welfare for single parents? What a compassionate idea! I know a guy whose daughter was tired of work, did the math, and went out and got pregnant so she would qualify. Of course, there was no husband, and no father in the child's life. The government probably didn't see that coming.

With Obamacare, there's a predictable consequence that I haven't seen comment on. And that's the effect the subsidy will have on reported income. Here's the set-up:
Under the Affordable Care Act, if your 2014 income is between 138 and 400 percent of poverty level for your household size, you can purchase health insurance on a state-run exchange (such as Covered California) and receive a federal tax subsidy to offset all or part of your premium.
I understand that the effects of being a dollar above the cut-off can be thousands of dollars of lost subsidies. What this means is this: Some people will simply work less to keep below the cut-off. However, the unscrupulous will resort to the underground economy, doing work on the side and hiding income to maintain eligibility for the subsidy. A vile practice, yes, under-giving on taxes so you can over-get on taxpayer-paid handouts, but you can count on it.

Here's my prediction: Obamacare will increase the underground economy, further undermining the moral fiber of America, denying the federal government revenues it desperately needs while increasing the subsidy payouts it would otherwise be paying.

And that's the way the unintended Ball bounces.
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Monday, October 14, 2013

USA Illegals: "We Have a Dream!"

American illegals have a dream -- and it includes receiving fraudulent tax refunds from a generous "see no evil" IRS!

Investigators identified one address in Atlanta where 23,994 ITIN-related tax refunds were sent — including 8,393 refunds deposited to a single bank account. Mr. North said those were pretty good indications of fraud.
D'ya think?!

How long can the USA last with an out-of-control federal bureaucracy, an arbitrary, law-nullifying President, and a Democratic Party that equates good government with throwing unearned money at citizens?

Party on!

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Saturday, October 12, 2013

Wednesday, October 09, 2013

Yellowstone Park Tourists Under Sequestration House Arrest

Park Rangers put their boots down on "recreating".

Here's Mark Steyn's take on it.

And here's the audio -- well worth a listen.

Meanwhile, the nation's capitol is closed to WWII vets, but open to pro-illegal immigrant protestors.

Thank you, my Fuehrer!


The US has gone from government by law to government by diktat. And, because the President is both black and Democrat, nobody notices or cares. It all reminds me of Reagan's saying -- a government big enough to give you everything you need is big enough to take it all away. The National Parks do not belong to Americans; they belong to America's government will tells them when and how and under what circumstances they may enjoy them -- at the point of a gun.

The Gestapo analogy is warranted -- this is political, not procedural.

And that's the way the Ball bounces.

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Monday, October 07, 2013

Obamacare: "I was laughing at Boehner -- until the mail came today"

Obamacare is a done deal and the rave reviews are pouring in! Let's hear from Mr. Waschura and Ms. Vinson, Independents who supported Obamacare.

First the set-up:

"'There's going to be a number of people surprised" by their bills, said Jonathan Wu, a co-founder of ValuePenguin, a consumer finance website.'"  Surprised? Surprises can be good; surprises can be fun!

Followed by, "Some people will see an increase..." he said, "but most people will not." So far, so good. Some losers, but a lot of winners!

Then this: "I was laughing at Boehner -- until the mail came today" said Mr. Waschura.


"Of course, I want people to have health care," Ms. Vinson said. Good, this is good. Vinson wants people to have health care. A good sentiment. Don't we all?!
Followed by:
 "I just didn't realize I would be the one who was going to pay for it personally."
Well, now you know.
(Vinson will be paying an additional $1,800 for an individual policy, and Waschura nearly $10,000 more for insurance for his family of four.)
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"... nothing intellectually compelling or challenging.. bald assertions coupled to superstition... woefully pathetic"