CRASH: Thank God for the Constitution

swede

We're thankful for a lot of things today, not the least of which is that this country has survived and thrived through far worse than the present crises - and is finally on course to derail these cretin in Washingtoon who are intent on removing our constitutional freedoms.  While the Obama government model would certainly get you an A on a Poli Sci paper at Harvard or Columbia - it can not, does not and will never work in the real world - only on Ivy League blackboards.  POTUS has repeatedly suggested that the European model is pretty spiffy, and we ought to move in that direction.  Say there EU, "how's that Hope & Change workin' out for ya?"

Strike Outs:

• Greek Tragedy  (€150 Bil - $210 Bil)  A nice reward for gross mismanagement, massive government entitlements, graft and corruption.
• Ireland Bailout  (€85 Bil - $119 Bil)  Already a failure.  Ireland is on the brink of collapse.

On Deck:

• Portugal Bailout - Public sector debt, at about 80% of GDP, combined with a 9.3% budget deficit.  Worse still is the private sector debt, at 240% of GDP. Foreign investors account for about 40% of all bank funding and concerns about the economy have already "shut Portuguese banks out of the international markets".
• Spain - Right on the tail of Portugal, but 8 - 10 times larger.
• France - Coming unglued over raising retirement from 60 to 62. The move will alleviate about 2% of their future debt crisis.
• Belgium has not even had a sovereign government for the last 6 months!  EU runs the show there.
• Most disconcerting of all - none of the bailed countries have any realistic prospect of paying back these bailouts in the forseeable future.

The fundamental design of the EU was intended to eclipse the United States and ultimately lead the global economy.  So why the epic fail of the EU where the U.S. has thrived through 200 years of crisis?   Pretty simple really - The framers of the Constitution never intended Washington to amass the level of power it is now reaching (over-reaching) for - and the 10th ammendment further protects the states sovereignty.

Nigel Farage was a Conservative Party MP in Britain until Thatcher resigned. Now he chairs the Independent Party and is a Member of the European Parliament.  His recent message to the EU is simply extraordinary.  The spectacle of European nations submitting their sovereignty to a central body is bizarre enough in itself...

Who has the kahonas to stand before our Congress and say with conviction, "Just who the hell do you people think you are? You are very, very dangerous people indeed!" He'll be my man for the Whitehouse. Chris Christie is close I guess - but who else? Boehner? McConnel? Romney? Palin? Not even close.

CRASH: We Just Won A Battle, Not The War

If we took a small break from activism to savor a hard-won victory in this past mid-term election, that is fine.  If you think we are victorious and the fight is complete, you are badly mistaken.  We have only started.  Your break is over; gear up, and move back to the front.  (H/T Dale Franks @ QandO)

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Washington, DC, is a powerful place, and we are sending people into a deeply broken machine.  It grinds up new meat, and reforms it to fit...or it spits it out.  The Political Class with "R" behind their names is sometimes little different from the Collective...sometimes NO different, and they all have to be controlled.  They will not control themselves, as we know too well.

But Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, along with other Senate leaders from both parties, say that earmarking is a constitutional right and senatorial privilege and show little interest in relinquishing the decades-long practice of inserting pet projects into appropriations bills.

On Thursday, McConnell, who has secured $113 million in earmarks this past year, declined to say whether he’d support DeMint’s moratorium. Instead, he framed the issue as a debate over whether Congress should give the president unchecked spending authority.

“Every president, Republican or Democrat, would love to have a blank check from Congress to do whatever he chose to do on every single issue,” McConnell said after a speech at The Heritage Foundation. “We’ll be discussing the appropriateness of giving the president that kind of blank check in the coming weeks, because that’s really what that issue is about.

“As I think all of you know, you can eliminate every congressional earmark and save no money,” the Republican leader said. “It’s really an argument about discretion.”

 That is GOLDEN.  It IS an argument about discretion, and the fact that the ESTABLISHMENT uses none when it comes to spending other people's money.  Earmarks are not a big budget issue; they are a BIG GOVERNMENT, corruption issue.  The American people want them stopped.

There are GOP "old hands" that SAY they have gotten religion.  Consider Rep. Jerry Lewis (R., CA), a guy who has not been "Mr. Responsible" in the past, and who now would require a waiver of Republican caucus rules to serve where he wants...chairing the House Appropriations Committee.

“The American people have demanded a change in the spending habits of Washington, and they clearly want an end to the massive deficits and debt that are stifling our economy,” Mr. Lewis said in a statement Friday evening. “The Appropriations Committee will be ground-zero in this fight.”

“There are numerous talented and capable fiscally conservative Members and incoming freshmen who would make many valuable contributions to our Committee,” he said. “While these decisions will be made by the Steering Committee, I will encourage the addition of Republicans to the Appropriations Committee – including Congressman Flake – who are ready to roll up their sleeves and work with their colleagues to conduct critical and time-consuming oversight, and get down to the serious work of cutting government spending.”

Not to be flip, but a guy from Kulhifornia named Jerry Lewis...makes me scratch my head when considering the CFO of the U.S.A.

We all knew that we were just starting this war...or we should have known.  We have to remain activists.  We cannot flag or retire.  For some of us, this will be the work we do the rest of our lives, and we very likely won't see the end of it.  The Machine has to be set right, and winning one election will never be enough.