“Through the entirety of my conscious life, America has been on the brink of ruination, or so we have heard, from the launch of Sputnikthrough whatever is the latest indication of national falling apart or falling behind. Pick a year over the past half century, and I will supply an indicator of what at the time seemed a major turning point for the worse.”
“These salary figures do not include the value of health, pension and other benefits, which averaged $40,785 per federal employee in 2008 vs. $9,882 per private worker, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.” So now when you put your kids to bed and they tell you that when they grow up they want to be a doctor and a veterinarian, your answer should be: “Honey, these are all great choices, but what you really want to be is a bureaucrat.”
I think we should just outlaw insurance companies.
“The court’s legitimacy is derived from the persuasiveness of its opinions and the expectation that those opinions are rendered free of partisan, political influences,” Mr. Verniero said. “The more that individual justices are drawn into public debates, the more the court as an institution will be seen in political terms, which was not the intent of the founders.”
Apparently anytime the Supreme Court has a judgment the president doesn’t like, they are obviously partisan.
“People who are supposed to serve the public have become a privileged elite that exploits political power for financial gain and special perks. Because of its political power, this interest group has rigged the game so there are few meaningful checks on its demands. Government employees now receive far higher pay, benefits, and pensions than the vast majority of Americans working in the private sector. Even when they are incompetent or abusive, they can be fired only after a long process and only for the most grievous offenses.”
“When he entered office, US President Barack Obama promised to inject US foreign policy with a new tone of respect and diplomacy. His recent trip to Asia, however, showed that it’s not working. A shift to Bush-style bluntness may be coming.”
“To those not terrorized by fear of offending Muslim sensitivities, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan’s motive was instantly clear: It was an act of terrorism by a man with a record of expressing virulent, anti-American, pro-jihadist sentiments. All were conspicuous signs of danger his Army superiors chose to ignore.”
“Obama urged Americans against “jumping to conclusions” about the killer’s motives.”
and
“[The killer] had shouted the Arabic phrase Allahu akbar (God is greatest) before opening fire, witnesses said.”
Yeah, we wouldn’t want to jump to any conclusions.
“Thousands turned out in the capital’s Haft-e Tir square to commemorate the day in 1979 when students loyal to Iran’s supreme religious leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, took over the US Embassy. They shouted “Death to America!” – a show of support for Iran’s conservatively religious, and increasingly authoritarian regime. But another group also convened on the square, shouting a different message: “Death to dictators!”, according to the New York Times.”
Seems like a cause I can get behind.
I don’t agree with all of this article, but do agree with this:
“We’ve institutionalized the idea that there are firms that are too big to fail and, therefore, “we, the people” are obliged to see that they don’t — even if that means bankrupting the national treasury and undermining the living standards of ordinary people. What sense does that make? If some company is too big to fail, then it’s too big to exist. Break it up.”
“If Karzai says no, then there is only one answer: “You’re on your own, pal. Have a nice life with the Taliban. We can’t and will not put more American blood and treasure behind a government that behaves like a Mafia family. If you don’t think we will leave — watch this.” (Cue the helicopters.)”
