Obama: Another task force

Remember the "commission" on the deficit. What did Obama do with its recommendations?

Nada. Nothing. Zilch.

Now, we are going to have a "task force" over energy prices.

Man, you REALLY can't make this stupid stuff up!

The man doesn't have a clue how the real world works.

Gary Johnson to run for President. Who?

Finally, someone from the Republican side of things has made a decision. From the Atlantic Journal:

Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson has just announced his candidacy for president, and, finally, a Republican is actually running. Johnson didn't announce an exploratory committee, or that he's thinking about running. He announced that he's a candidate for president.

"I'm ready for a different America," Johnson said on the steps of the New Hampshire state house.

You may be asking: Who is Gary Johnson? Is he a serious candidate? Why have I never heard of him?

In a field of potential contenders who all talk about drastic spending cuts and echo a small-government message designed to resonate with tea partiers, Johnson is the only bona fide social and economic libertarian in the race. If Ron Paul doesn't run, then Johnson really will stand a chance to inherit the libertarian mantle in the 2012 Republican primary, though Paul formed an exploratory committee two weeks ago.

Johnson served two terms as governor of New Mexico, winning that job as an entrepreneur with no prior political experience. He earned a reputation for his vetoes, which he talks about a lot these days.

He stands for school vouchers, a balanced budget, the block-granting of Medicaid, and against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But Johnson will sound to many like a one-issue candidate, because there's one issue that sticks out, above all else, in his platform: Johnson wants to legalize marijuana. And he's eager to tell you about it.

After reading his stance on issues (see GaryJohnson2012) I can't find anything I disagree with. So this will be interesting to follow.

Some see Texas wildfires as a joke, because it's Texas

(Update: Apri 21, 2011 at 2:41 PM CDT. A second firefighter has died today in Texas fighting these fires, and the number of homes or buildings lost nears 400.)

Some people hate Texas and Texans, for some idiotic reason I've never been able to understand. But I guess some people just have to find something or someone to hate, and since it isn't politically correct to hate another race or ethnic group, I guess Texas makes for a large target. But anyway you try to rationalize this, it's simple bigotry.

Well, bring it on. Though not a Texan (I'm from Michigan), I've lived in Texas for several years and can find no fault worthy of mentioning at this time of trouble.

But for some, like (I'll do a favor and keep him anonymous) from Colorado, the editor of his shallow but illustrative blog, FamGuyToday, who has repeatedly shown his disdain for anything Texas or Texan, thinks the historically destructive wildfires in Texas is a great opportunity to make fun.

Since Colorado also has problems with fires from time to time, you'd think he'd understand.

This is how I responded to his posting:

The only two things you can come up with is a joke and something about preachers (not main stream preachers, but the fanatics, which aren't all in Texas)?

In the meantime, a firefighter (volunteer) has died, another injured, 160 homes up in flames, more than 1 million acres burned (more than Rhode Island), not to mention livestock and wildlife burned alive.

In times of trouble, it is normal for Americans to come together and put aside our petty political differences to help each other.

But there are those who can't see past their bigoted hate.

As my dad  used to say, it takes all kinds...

Is Gore really green?

I find this interesting. Greenpeace has rated Apple as one of the least green companies in the world.

Al Gore Jr., former Vice President of the United States and Global Warming advocate, is on Apple's board of directors.

You couldn't make this stuff up.

Random thoughts (from me and others)

From the Washington Examiner April 18:
If America's having a financial crisis, why are our leaders on recess?
Cancel all recesses and junkets, park Air Force One, get back to the capital and do your job. Does Harry Reid and 9 other Sens and Reps really need a vacation -- oops, I mean fact-finding-mission -- to China? Or John Boehner and his six fellow legislators to Iraq, Afganistan and Pakistan (which actually makes more sense, but the timing of both are awful considering the circumstances)?

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Cal Thomas writes:  It's peculiar how the Left embraces choice when it comes to aborting children, but opposes it for children languishing in failing public schools. These substandard schools virtually guarantee their students a life of poverty, teen pregnancy, near illiteracy and welfare dependence.

But Cal, that's exactly what they want. A whole generation of voters dependent on government handouts.

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Obama's budget speech last week was two things: a campaign speech and an attempt to ridicule his opponents. Obama learned during his community organizing days how to bully and ridicule people to put them on the defensive. He has done that since 2007 and has never quit. Instead of him taking on the responsibilities of being President, Obama is stuck in time as a community organizer using what he learned from Alinsky's Rules for Radicals. Alinsky's Rule 5: Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon. It’s hard to counterattack ridicule, and it infuriates the opposition, which then reacts to your advantage. According to Alinsky, the main job of the organizer is to bait an opponent into reacting. “The enemy properly goaded and guided in his reaction will be your major strength.” People need to see Obama for what he is, not what he says he is.

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Taxing the rich won't reduce deficits, by the way. If it makes you feel better, go ahead, but it won't improve anything. Anyone who has seriously studied (besides Paul Krugman) economics and tax issues should come to that conclusion. This tax the rich thing is leftist class warfare and not based on fact. It is based on feelings. Nothing else. What we need is a fairer tax code, without all the special stuff for special interests. Everyone should pay the same percentage.

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I mention Paul Krugman because his latest column is like most: stupid leftist bs. And don't throw his Nobel prize around, because we know how those are given out. You don't have to accomplish anything to get one, as long as your politics are correct. Anyway, I digress. Krugman had this to say:

Last week, President Obama offered a spirited defense of his party’s values — in effect, of the legacy of the New Deal and the Great Society.

But anyone with their head out of their keester knows that those two "programs" did not work. Might as well have taken those trillions of dollars and just thrown them down a black hole. In fact, with less government involvement, things might actually be better.

I think people are beginning to wake up to that, after years of liberal propaganda.

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Democrats are still winning

Here's something interesting from the Washington Post: "Obama to take deficit plan on the road..."

What plan? There's no plan. It's just generalities, and silly attacks on Republicans. But many, many people really do believe the Republicans are only about the rich and really want to starve granny. We libertarians call these people sheep. Yup, both sides have them.

But Obama and the dems are probably going to get their way. Higher energy prices, higher taxes, and even more spending. For a while anyway. Then we'll be in a recession that will make 2008 a mild correction.

When 50 percent are pulling the wagon, and the objective is to put more people on that wagon, it doesn't take long before the wagon starts to slow down for everyone.