The Conservative Reader

Art Smith September 5th, 2008

A lot of you have seen the speech, some have not.  Overall, high marks for contents.  Very high.  I think he brought out the right issues, positions, and comparisons with Obama.  He’s working out the differences, which he needs to continue to do.  Probably the three key areas that he addressed and should continue to address:

1. Key distinctions between Democrats and Republicans on social and economic issues.
2. Demonstrable track record in leading and doing the right thing both in policy and ethical behavior.
3. Bipartisan attitude and effort in pooling ideas and working with all sides to find the best solutions.

Clearly, the convention floor was energized.  I would say (as others have also said) that the presentation was not as strong as the content.  I’d have to give John a B- for presentation.  However, the apex of the speech, the culmination of his message of “fighting”, was well executed and effective.  The key to that was pushing through the speech at that point without stopping despite the applause, cheers, and revelry.

So, some thoughts on key pieces of the speech.

On Sarah Palin:

“I’ve found the right partner to shake up Washington, DC.”

I don’t recall ever seeing so much of a speech by a Presidential nominee devoted to the Vice-Presidential nominee.  Very cool.  Sending the right message right up front that Sarah has John’s 100% support, that they are a team with  common mission, and that the mission is one that Americans have been begging for now for decades.  Clean up the Swamp… obviously, Pelosi is unable to.

“I don’t work for a Party, I don’t work for a special interest, I don’t work for myself.  I work for you.”

This will be one of the key messages of the campaign, from what I can tell.  I’m not 100% behind a message of the President acting as a “representative” of the will of the people.  Sometimes, the President is going to have to do some unpopular things and be okay with the consequences, just as Bush has done.  Regardless, the intended and probably heard message here is that John considers himself beholden to no other men of power than those than elect him, and that is refreshing, contraintuitive (for most politicians), and effective.

“We lost the trust of the American People… we’re going to change that.”

Honesty about the major errors made by members of his own party.  This is probably where “cleaning up Washington” is going to be the most effective message, in declaring that ethical failings have been bipartisan, and that the cleanup will be as well.  This may not make some Republican leaders very happy, and hopefully the American people will get the fact that this is a big risk for McCain.

“Education is the Civil Rights issue of this century.  … Empower parents with choice [in education options].”

One of the distinctions of Republians vs. Democrats: Republicans want options for families and accountability for the educators.  My favorite line:

“… Help bad teachers find another line of work.”

He also stated that he wants to help good educators to be as effective as possible, removing barriers and compensatnig them appropriately.

“I will reach out my hand to anyone to help me get this country moving again.”

If McCain is elected, he may become known as the most bipartisan and effective president in decades.  This will undoubtedly be more difficult than the work he’s done on the House and Senate floors, but he’s willing.

“Get back up and fight again for my country and for the men I had the honor to serve with because every day they fought for me.”

This was a quote from his comrad in the POW camp after John had been broken.  This should become a metafor to challenge America to fight on, and why.  At the end of the speech, John makes that so.

“Nothing brings greater happiness in life than to serve a cause greater than yourself.”

Both candidates are probably going to repeat this kind of rhetoric (I suspect McCain is more likely to speak truthfully of this, but that’s just my opinion) because they know that many in our nation resonate with this statement.  However, I doubt that enough people really do sometimes.  The fact is, so many Americans are focused on themselves and their personal challenges (and granted, many of them are in real need, so that is understandable).  We have had a couple of generations move into voting age these past couple of decades, where the priorities are very “me” centered.  There are some, but few, who truly think of others before themselves.  This is one of the core areas of decay in our society.  If McCain, Obama, or both of them can influence and self-centered electorate to look outside themselves as they consider what is best for America, this will be a profoundly positive and successful election regardless of who wins.

“I’m going to fight for my cause every day as your president. I’m going to fight to make sure every American has every reason to thank God, as I thank him: that I’m an American, a proud citizen of the greatest country on Earth, and with hard work, strong faith and a little courage, great things are always within our reach. Fight with me. Fight with me.

“Fight for what’s right for our country!

“Fight for the ideals and character of a free people!

“Fight for our children’s future!

“Fight for justice and opportunity for all!

“Stand up to defend our country from its enemies!

“Stand up for each other; for beautiful, blessed, bountiful America!

“Stand up, stand up, stand up and fight! Nothing is inevitable here! We’re Americans, and we never give up! We never quit! We never hide from history! We make history!”

This was the high-point of the speech.  The crowd was going nuts through the whole paragraph, and John never faltered… he pushed right through and allowed the crowd to keep building and building to a crescendo that climaxed in my heart, and hopefully many many others as well.

If ever our country and the Republican Party needed this kind of encouragement it is now.  As a country, we have struggled through 18 months or more of growing challenges that have impacted the worlds of so many people with the loss of homes, jobs, financial stability.  Despite the continued success of the action in Iraq (or perhaps because of it), we have not been allowed as a country to stir to a real sense of the victory we are experiencing there.  We don’t understand why so many people around the world hate us.  And we are hurting more and more as our differences in political philosophy create a greater divide than I have ever seen.

As a Party, we are somewhat demoralized because of the losses in 2006.  We are frustrated because the answers to our economic and energy problems seem so clear and yet refuted unendingly in the village square, in the press, in the ears of our representatives in Congress.  We are angry because even when we’ve had control of Congress and the White House, we failed to get our agenda through.  We don’t think we have a chance of winning the US Congress or many of our state legislatures this year.  And we’re still not confident of our prospects of keeping the White House.

And as a result, many, many, many people seem like they are ready to give up.  It’s frustrating to watch.

John says: “Fight!”.  And I agree.

When things appear to be at their worst, we must fight.  We must for the sake of our country, for our children, for future generations.  Else we dishonor the generations past who fought for us.

The rally cry of this campaign needs to be “Fight!”.

Bithead has a great review of the choice now before us.

There is a great deal more that John said in his speech.  You can read the transcript here.

Tags: Bipartisan, Bithead, BitsBlog, broken, Clean the Swamp, Clean Up Washington, Education, Ethics, Fight, Help bad teachers find another line of work, Integrity, Iraq, John McCain, Nancy Pelosi, POW, Republican National Convention, Sarah Palin, Speech, Stand Up, Viet Nam, We make history, we never give up, We never hide from history, We never quit

• 2008 Presidential Election , Barack Obama , Bipartisanship , Corruption , Earmarks , Economy , Featured , Integrity , John McCain , Nancy Pelosi , Sarah Palin , US Congress
• Comments(0)

Art Smith September 4th, 2008

Just a few minutes away from John McCain’s big speech.

It will be interesting to see how it compares to Palin’s.

David Gergen at CNN is apparently a little bit disconnected as HE stated that others were disconnected who said that Democrats were running Washington.  Gergen’s perspective is apparently that the party of the President dictates who runs Washington, as he says that “Republicans have been running Washington for the last 8 years.”  That doesn’t work for me.

Democrats have held Congress for the last 2 years.  Gergen’s comments were very misleading.

Of course, if you don’t acknowledge the power of Congress today as held by liberal Democrats, you get to ignore the fact that the severe demise of our economy has occurred while Democrats controlled Congress.

The MSM will have us believe what they want us to believe to get more and more liberal control of the government.

Journalism’s demise has been a longstanding disappointment for me.  I had majored in Journalism briefly in college, and I produced a daily 30 minute radio news program at my college for a semester.  I dropped the Journalism major after taking a class in “Journalistic Ethics”.  Seriously, the class was a disappointment as I discovered that, at least in the school setting, the title was an oxymoron.

Anyhow, there’s little hope of seeing the Press act objectively and outside the news.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Tonight’s speech is going to be important not only because of the drive for the McCain-Palin ticket, but for the need to have Republicans take back control of Congress and get us out of this misery.

It’s going to take some work.  McCain needs to do what he can to help as well.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Palin’s speech last night really knocked the socks off of a lot of people… watched by over 37 million people.  Everyone I talked to who saw the speech was really impressed.

Sarah is scaring the Left, including Obama who took the time to make some public comments about Palin today in an attempt to distract from the Republican Convention events.  Listening to his comments, it sounds like he’s confused and unsure how to articulate serious thoughts.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I will not have time to comment tonight on McCain’s speech.   I need to get some sleep.  Tomorrow sometime I’ll comment.

By the way, Cindy McCain is speaking… pretty darn good.  She’ll make a great First Lady.  Great family story.

Tags: 37 Million Viewers, Acceptance Speech, Cindy McCain, CNN, David Gergen, John McCain, Journalism, Journalitistic Ethics, Main Stream Media, MSM, Objectivity, Republican National Convention, Washington DC

• 2008 Congressional Election , 2008 Presidential Election , Barack Obama , Economy , John McCain , Sarah Palin , US Congress
• Comments(1)

Art Smith September 2nd, 2008

After dropping $10/bbl during the day, the price of crude settled down $5 after fears of interruptions in production from Gustav failed to materialize

It really stinks when people are disappointed that nothing bad happens.

That said, it appears we’ve dodged the bullet on the hurricane, although we cannot forget the loss of life and property that has occured.

But it is great news that oil production continues untwarted by the weather, and that the price of oil can continue falling.

When the price as down to about $105 (we closed around $110), at that point the price had lost all it had gained since the beginning of the year.

All that without actually pumping any of that oil out of ANWR or any new off-shore drilling.  All that just from the emotions and reactions to decisions and events and pressure from Americans growing stronger and stronger.

Don’t stop.  Keep fussing.  Contact your congresspeople.  Make a difference!

Drill here.  Drill now.  Pay less.

Tags: Alaska, ANWR, Domestic Drilling, Foreign Oil, Off-shore Drilling, Oil Prices, OPEC

• 2008 Congressional Election , ANWR , Economy , Energy , Foreign Oil , Markets , US Congress
• Comments(0)

Art Smith August 25th, 2008

The price of crude is hovering around $115 / bbl.  At this point, I suspect it won’t make much motion, especially not downward, until some real action is finally taken by Congress to open up drilling.  I agree with the refrain of Republicans to do “all of the above”, that is, work the alternative energy agenda while opening update domestic drilling.  The market will continue to laugh at us on the alternative energy options (by the way, we’ve had Ethanol in the US since World War I, so let’s stop acting like alternative fuels are “new”).  But as we engage with definitive action, we will continue to see the impact on commodity prices.

The sad thing is that the market is so clearly expressing it’s ability to react to political events even when there is no tangible change in availability of domestic oil.  Yet the politicians on the Left continue to act like there’s no relationship.  Like the salesmen in the story “The Emporer’s New Clothes”, Democrats believe that as long as they continue to repeat the lies, Americans will believe them.

It’s not working.

Americans are becoming progressively impatient with Congress.  As I’ve been interacting with people in my community and at work, I’m finding more and more just take the foolishness of Congress for granted, and that the truth is in front of everyone’s noses.  I’ve never seen so much exasperation.  Simple message: nobody’s really being fooled by this.

In response to an email I sent to Tom Harkin, there is evidence that Dems really believe that if they ignore the truth and repeat their mantras that everything will work out.  Harkin’s classic response to any input I try to share with him is to basically ignore my comments and then tell me what he’s going to do, why, an essentially feed me the same garbage the Democrats are trying to feed everyone about the availability of  resources in the US to support our country’s needs over time.  Granted, I don’t expect him to just do my bidding, and his response this time is not as bad as some of the prior attempts at treating me like a school boy that needs educating.  But his response is patently lacking credibility, including feeding me insipid suggestions like “inflating tires”.

And I can’t believe he’s getting a bunch of emails from other constituents saying “Please continue doing what you’re doing.  I like paying high prices for oil and can’t wait until we force all Americans to stop using gas powered cars and switch to electric or natural gas powered vehicles.”  And when a Congressman is not listening to his constituents, but rather attempting to change the minds of all of the constituents, that can spell disaster.

We can only hope.

My email to Harkin, Boswell, and Grassley (admittedly, I’m impressed that Harkin replied… I’ve heard nothing from the other two) was this:

Our dependence on foreign powers for sources of key raw materials, especially to provide fuel, is becoming untenable.  I completely understand the concerns of those that want to protect valuable natural habitats and areas of clean untarnished beauty throughout our country.  However, relying on foreign concerns who are intent upon taking advantage of our need for energy resources is simply not working, and in many ways, is starting to make the US seem unintelligent in its dealings and inability to manage its dependence on foreign markets by closing its own internal access to the same resources.  I am anxious to see us build and leverage cleaner solutions for energy, and support any efforts to improve these technologies.  However, we do, and will continue to for a long time, need access to oil, and we need to keep the money spent on this oil within our own economy instead of pouring it out on the rest of the world and diluting its value.

Please support efforts to open up domestic drilling, including off-shore and ANWR.  Please become a leader in a bipartisan effort to make access to domestic oil resources a reality as soon as possible.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and thank you for your fine work!

Sincerely,

Art Smith

Here is Harkin’s reply:

Dear Arthur:

At a time when Americans are working harder to make ends meet, I share your concern about the high cost of gasoline. Iowans are paying record prices and it’s creating a ripple effect throughout our economy and the problem only seems to be getting worse. These prices make living our daily lives a real challenge. I am fully committed to changing the course of America’s energy policy - to transition America away from our crippling dependence on foreign sources of oil.

These debilitating prices are due in part to a sharp increase in demand over the last few years in places like China and India, an ever weakening dollar, and supply disruptions in volatile places like Nigeria and Iraq - these price pressures are forecast to get worse in the foreseeable future. It is clear that we must chart a new energy course for America - one that aggressively invests in new technologies and pursues energy efficiency that will derive more value from all of our energy resources. And, we must turn to renewable energy sources, a common-sense solution that will help wean us off of foreign oil, stimulate the rural economy, and improve environmental quality. This is a long-term commitment that requires participation at the indi lJidual f corporate, ,and gcverr1rne~~ltal levels ..

In recent weeks, there have been renewed calls to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to drilling and to add more areas to the lands already available for drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) as a solution to high gas prices. But not only will this fail to decrease the cost of gas in the short-term, it does not address our very serious long-term energy needs. For that reason, I will continue to focus my efforts in Washington on a new national energy strategy. As you indicate in your letter, fossil fuels are absolutely an essential component of this energy infrastructure. I have supported and will continue to support appropriate steps to build our supply. I have repeatedly called for construction of the Alaska natural gas pipeline, and I voted for the energy bills in 2005 and 2007, which contained numerous incentives and provisions for the development of fossil fuels. But again, opening up ANWR and new areas of the OCS to drilling will simply not significantly decrease the price of gasoline or diesel, and does not address our very serious long-term energy situation.

According to leading experts, opening ANWR or other regions like the OCS to drilling would have no significant effect on our dependence on foreign oil or on the price of gas at the pump. Indeed, estimates are that drilling in ANWR would produce only the equivalent of a six month supply of oil, starting 10 years from now and continuing over about a 20 year production period. The Energy Information Association forecasts that opening up ANWR would only decrease the cost of gas 1-4 cents at the pump and only after 10-20 years. Under the current GOP proposal on the table, no energy would be produced until 2017 and it would be 2030 before full production comes on line, and when it does, it would have a minimal impact on prices. What the GOP leadership fails to mention is that 79% of America’s recoverable oil reserves are already currently open for drilling, that oil companies have not tapped millions of productive acres already open, and that the areas on the west and east coasts that could be important to drilling have no oil drilling infrastructure- no oil rigs, no pipelines to the shore, and no refineries at the end of those pipelines.

Opening up more areas to leasing will produce too little oil and only after 5 to 10 years or more - and there are no guarantees. There are more enduring options that can be developed just as quickly. In the same amount time, with the right investment and national energy plan, we could develop alternatives that improve efficiencies and create alternatives to secure our energy future. For example, based on the U.S.G.S. projections of the amount of oil in ANWR, an increase in the Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFE) standards for vehicles by about 2 miles per gallon saves more oil than ANWR could ever provide. Plug-in hybrid vehicles could be widely available within 10 years, and they can both double efficiencies and derive the majority of their fuel from the electric grid which is increasingly supplied by clean wind or geothermal or solar power. We also expect significant and growing production of advanced biofuels made from dedicated biomass energy crops, forest materials, and municipal wastes within10 years. All of these approaches provide a much more enduring approach to addressing our oil dependence problem. These are solutions that will last.

As Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee in the 107th Congress, I added the first-ever energy title into the Farm Bill and in the 2008 Farm Bill, I included a much more ambitious energy title that will invest in new technologies to help meet our nation’s energy needs for years to come. The 2008 Farm Bill also closed the so-called “Enron loophole,” and restored the critical authority of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to oversee and regulate the trading of futures contracts that affect the price of oil, gasoline and other energy products. I am now

working to enact additional legislation that will further strengthen federal oversight and enforcement to keep energy markets fair, honest, and free of manipulation or price distortion. And I’ve backed legislation and Congressional oversight to make sure that the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice have all the power they need — and that they use it — to prevent, root out and prosecute collusion, price-fixing or price manipulation in markets for gasoline or other petroleum products.

And last December, Congress we passed the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. This bill increases our Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) focusing on advanced biofuels such as cellulosic ethanol, creating thousands of economic opportunities in our rural communities. It also sets high efficiency standards for our appliances, buildings and utilities and raises mileage standards for our cars and light truck~ to 35 miles per gallon over the next 15 years. Again, it is important to note that by raising the fuel efficiency standards by just 2 mpg, we are saving more oil than would be produced by drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Also, this bill invests heavily in carbon capture and storage methods, which will allow us to capture the greenhouse gases from our coal power plants and it creates safeguards for consumers against price gouging during national emergencies.

There is more that Congress can and should do. I strongly supported a debate about S. 3044, the Consumer First Energy Act of 2008, and am disappointed that this legislation failed to be considered on a party line vote. This Act would amend the Internal Revenue Code to deny major oil producing companies a tax deduction on profits attributable to domestic production of oil, limit the ability of these companies to claim foreign tax credits, and would impose a 25% windfall profit tax on oil companies unless the invested the funds in renewable energy sources. The revenue raised from these actions would be placed in an Energy Independence and Security Trust Fund that would be used to expand the development of renewable energy sources.

Rest assured, I will continue to work on this vital issue to ensure that Iowans pay a fair price at the pump. In the meantime, there are many simple steps that individuals can take to reduce our gasoline bills. Inflating tires, combining trips whenever possible, driving with the speed limits and similar steps can all help to reduce miles or increase miles driven on a gallon of fuel.

Thank you again for your comments and sharing your frustration. Should you have any additional concerns regarding this matter, please feel free to contact my office.

Sincerely,

Tom Harkin

The part that scares me most is when he says “…I will continue to work on this…”.

Tom: Please.  Don’t.

Tags: Alaska, ANWR, Brent Crude, Commodities, Domestic Drilling, Economists, Energy, Energy Journal, Georgia Conservatory, Heritage Foundation, Off-shore Drilling, Oil, OPEC, Patty McIntosh, President Bush, Professor R. Morris Coats, Representative Leanord Boswell, Senator Chuck Grassley, Senator Tom Harkin, US Congress, US Crude

• 2008 Congressional Election , ANWR , Economy , Energy , Featured , Foreign Oil , Markets , US Congress
• Comments(0)

Art Smith August 23rd, 2008

In this weekend’s Wall Street Journal, there is a report of an investment made by Nancy Pelosi and her husband.

They put somewhere between $50,000 and $100,000 into T. Boone Picken’s company, Clean Energy Fuels Corp.

At first blush, the relatively small amount (compared to millions of dollars in assets held by the Pelosis) would make most consider this to be a non-issue.  And by House Rules this is evidently not a conflict of interest. And besides, everyone can see that Natural Gas and Wind Energy are the future of America, right?

That shows you how well our politicians police themselves.

$50,000, $100,000, these are not small sums of money.  Mrs. Pelosi may bandy about billions of our tax dollars with little thought, and she may be a multi-millionaire, but this is still a LOT of money.

For her $50,000 (and who knows how much her friends have invested, or how much Mr. Pickens will be contributing to her campaign), I think we can now see why the San Francisco Democrat is attempting to strangle US citizens.  By continuing to encourage the run-ups in oil prices by locking out the availability of domestic oil resources, she is forcing America to bow to abandoning oil altogether.

It’s one thing to see the future and what is coming.  It’s quite another to be in a position to influence the future and be a financial beneficiary of the outcome.

The Swamp, which she had committed to clean up, has just gotten filthier and mored deadly than it ever was.  This is worse, in my opinion, than any previous acts by politicans to steer money to their own pockets or those of their friends.  It’s not just a no-bid contract.  It’s not just having advanced notice of confidential business deals.  This is an outright job of penning the American People like cattle into her chosen path for our future in order to line her pockets, her friends pockets, and build her power base.

And after all of the years of criticism of Bush and Cheney’s business connections to Haliburton in the earlier days of the Iraq War, I would have thought this kind of behaviour would be beyond Democratic Leaders.  I guess I am naive.

San Francisco, we have a problem.

I cannot imagine having a representative from Iowa who so flagrantly abandons their responsibility to protect the citizens they represent and the American People as a whole, and yet continue to have a political life.  I know that Californians are different, but this is starting to feel like the Twilight Zone.

Or perhaps they will see the light.  Perhaps, Mrs. Pelosi can worry less about the consequences of House Ethics action against her, and more about accountability where it really matters.  At the Ballot Box in November.

And out of the remainder of her portfolio, one must wonder what other connections are influencing her decisions and lining her pockets.  Or helping build her power base.

So much for cleaning out the Swamp.

Tags: 2008 Congressional Election, Clean Energy Fuels, Democratic Party, Dick Cheney, Ethics, George W. Bush, House Rules, house speaker nancy pelosi, Impropriaty, Integrity, Investment, Natural Gas, No-bid contracts, San Francisco, Swamp Stompers, T. Boone Pickens, The Swamp, Wall Street Journal, wind energy

• 2008 Congressional Election , Accountability , Corruption , Economy , Energy , Featured , Foreign Oil , If you won't vote for us we won't vote for you , Integrity , Nancy Pelosi , US Congress
• Comments(0)

Art Smith August 15th, 2008

Last week I started taking my bicycle to work. It’s about 7.5 miles as the crow flies, and my shortest (and most difficult) route is about 8.5 miles… the longest (and easiest) route is 13 miles.  Downtown Des Moines is at a slightly lower elevation than the suburb of West Des Moines where I live, so mornings aren’t too bad, just a one tough hill, and afternoons, when taking the longer route, is okay except for one really big hill.

I realize that this is not a big deal… the point is NOT that I’m doing anything that great.

But I am saving about a gallon of gasoline each day I do this. That’s about $3.50 a day.  At least that covers my coffee money.

And if you know anything about my weight and health, you’ll recognize that 2 or 3 days a week of this is going to have a very positive impact on those areas.

Frankly, the majority of my motivation is health related, but the pont I really want to make is, I’m doing my part to help reduce our dependence on foriegn oil, now when is Nancy Pelosi going to do hers???

When is Leonard Boswell (my US House Representative) going to do his part???

When is Tom Harkin, the Democratic Senator from Iowa going to do his part???

My other Senator, Chuck Grassley, has been supporting the move to drill.  As are more Republicans.  And I know there are Democrats that want to but are too fearful of party reprisal to stand up and act.

We pay these folks far too much money to let them thumb their noses and ignore the will of the people, the need of the people, the need of our country to depart from the putrid dependence on foreign oil.  Now is the time to act!  Congress must act NOW or get the majority party voted out for holding us, the people they work for, hostage!

I hope that Obama doesn’t get the idea to push bike riding as the big solution.  I can see it now: “You know, if every American would ride their bicycle to work every day, we’d reduce our consumption of gasoline by ten billion gallons a year… “.  Of course, the math would be wrong, just like the tire inflation savings was itself inflated by bad math.

I’m pretty sure that everyone in Alaska cares so much about ANWR that they all bike to work anyway.

* * *

So today ends two full weeks of the GOP Protest against Democrats laziness.  Not only are Republican leaders NOT slowing down, there is more and more media attention turning to this historic event.  This link to John Boehner’s web site includes links to various media web sites, including (at the top!) our very own Des Moines Register.

I’ve heard about some people that have contacted their representatives multiple times since this began.  That’s a good idea!  I’m going to check in with mine again as well!

And lastly, the price of oil went up and down a bit this week, but still ended the week down 1%.  We keep this up, we won’t need to worry about our tire inflations any more, will we?

Tags: American Energy Act, ANWR, Bicycling, Biking, Democratic No-Vote Vacation, Drilling, Energy Plan, Foreign Oil, Gasoline Prices, House Minority Leader, HR 6566, if they don’t vote for you you won’t vote for them!, If you won’t vote for me I won’t vote for you, John A. Boehner, John McCain, Nancy Pelosi, Oil Prices, Politico, Republican Protest, Speaker Of The House, US Congress, US House of Representatives, US Senate

• 2008 Congressional Election , 2008 Presidential Election , ANWR , Democratic Party , Economy , Energy , Foreign Oil , If you won't vote for us we won't vote for you , John McCain , Leonard Boswell , Nancy Pelosi , US Congress
• Comments(0)

Bithead August 14th, 2008

From the Business and Media institute:

There’s a huge concern among conservative talk radio hosts that reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine would all-but destroy the industry due to equal time constraints. But speech limits might not stop at radio. They could even be extended to include the Internet and “government dictating content policy.”

FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell raised that as a possibility after talking with bloggers at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. McDowell spoke about a recent FCC vote to bar Comcast from engaging in certain Internet practices – expanding the federal agency’s oversight of Internet networks.

The commissioner, a 2006 President Bush appointee, told the Business & Media Institute the Fairness Doctrine could be intertwined with the net neutrality battle. The result might end with the government regulating content on the Web, he warned. McDowell, who was against reprimanding Comcast, said the net neutrality effort could win the support of “a few isolated conservatives” who may not fully realize the long-term effects of government regulation.

“I think the fear is that somehow large corporations will censor their content, their points of view, right,” McDowell said. “I think the bigger concern for them should be if you have government dictating content policy, which by the way would have a big First Amendment problem.”

If there’s anything that’s at all shocking about this, it’s that this particular red flag has not been raised before. The leftards figure that the government will silence the right and leave them to do their thing.

As VodkaPundit observes…

Not that any sane person needs a scare tactic to despise the “fairness” doctrine. And, let’s be honest, a web-controlling FD would hurt the Netroots far more than the libertarian-right where I make my home.

Snce when, however did sanity per se have anytthing to do with the left?  Silly little minions; they actually trust government not to grow into THEIR territory.

Time to raise the black flag, folks. Actually, as someone who still has some roots in the broadcast industry, I’ll say it past time, rather.

Parting shot: Does anyone doubt that if the Democrats maintain their hold on Congress, and/or if Obama gets to the White House, this thing will not become law before the echo dies?

Tags: BitsBlog, Blogging, Civil Rights, Commissioner Robert McDowell, conservative talk radio hosts, Current Events, Democrats, Elections, Fairness Doctrine, fcc commissioner, fcc vote, government regulation, Heritage Foundation, internet networks, internet practices, net neutrality, new media, News and analysis, President Bush, scare tactic, speech limits, Swamp Stompers, Swamp Stompers Ring Traffic, VodkaPundit, Washington

• 2008 Congressional Election , 2008 Presidential Election , Barack Obama , BitsBlog , Democrats , Fairness Doctrine , Featured , First Amendment , Rights , Swamp Stompers , US Congress
• Comments(0)

Art Smith August 11th, 2008

Down!  Not alot, but it dropped another $.75 today to $114.45 a barrel.

Meanwhile, the Republican Protest against the Democratic No-Vote Vacation continued into its second full week, with activity at Capital Hill and at town halls throughout the country.  House Republicans want everyone (that means you and me) to contact their Democratic representatives and tell them to demand a vote on the American Energy Act (H.R. 6566) immediately.

Politico reports that Democrats are now demanding that House Minority Leader John Boehner apologize for remarks he made on Friday about Nancy Pelosi… regarding the public’s “hanging” her if she does not address the energy topic.

Boehner’s staff later replied with this message:

“Leader Boehner used a figure of speech to reflect the frustration Americans feel every time they fill up at the pump,” said a Boehner aide. “A solid majority of Americans favor more production of American energy to help reduce fuel costs, and Speaker Pelosi, Senator Reid, and Senator Obama have blatantly defied their will by leaving town for five weeks without allowing a vote on an ‘all of the above’ energy plan to lower gas prices.”

It’s unbelievable to me that Pelosi and company can continue to ignore the American public.  It shows you the kind of warped perspective that people can develop when they go to Washington.  America, take ownership of your Congress!  Call your representative today!  Call (202)224-2121 and ask to be connected to your congressman/woman.

Tags: (202)224-2121, American Energy Act, ANWR, Democratic No-Vote Vacation, Drilling, Energy Plan, Foreign Oil, Gasoline Prices, House Minority Leader, HR 6566, if they don’t vote for you you won’t vote for them!, If you won’t vote for me I won’t vote for you, John A. Boehner, John McCain, Nancy Pelosi, Oil Prices, Politico, Republican Protest, Speaker Of The House, US Congress, US House of Representatives, US Senate

• 2008 Congressional Election , 2008 Presidential Election , ANWR , Democratic Party , Economy , Energy , Foreign Oil , If you won't vote for us we won't vote for you , John McCain , Nancy Pelosi , US Congress
• Comments(0)

Art Smith August 9th, 2008

On the Republican side, the increase in McCain’s position in the polls, slow as it is in coming, is a reflection of the unity that is starting to build within the Republican Party.  I think what you’re really seeing is that as the various state conventions come to a close, and people have finished jockeying for position to attend the Republican National Convention, that the dust is settling, people are getting into position for victory and are finally realizing the inevitable: John McCain is going to be the Republican Candidate… there’s little that could change that now.  People are seeing more and more clearly the need to get past the differences and work toward victory in November, both in the Oval Office and in Congress.  The more that people get to know Obama, the less they like him.  If they pay attention.  As we all pay more attention to facts, to action, to words, and less on form, appeal, music, timing we see more of the truth.  Feelings cloud the truth… watch out for emotional invitations with no substance.

And, the past few weeks of drama in Congress probably haven’t hurt much either.

On the Democratic side, we have a party that is apparently intent on losing in November.  And I have no problem with that.

First of all, the Democratically controlled Congress has made what will probably a massive blunder by thumbing their collective noses at the American People.  Going on vacation in August without a vote on Energy Policy is causing most of the country to retaliate with support of the Republican Protest in Washington.  Iowans in particular are unhappy because this recess occurred without satisfactory action Flood Relief.  It’s unconscionable for Pelosi and Reid to ignore the real present needs of the country, even though they got their own personal agendas adressed (the housing bill).

Then secondly the continuing saga of Hillary’s desire to be President.  This week she stated that she would still seek to have her name put in nomination at the Democratic National Convention in order to appease those who had supported her and build party unity.  I don’t know what’s wrong with Clinton.  It’s a perfect storm for the Republicans: “See how self-serving Democrats are?”, “Democrats are STILL fighting over their candidate!”.  And I can just see it now… “I had no idea I would end up as the Candidate!”

In Iowa, it was somewhat revealing that the Democratic State Convention lasted well into the early hours of the next day due to the perilous extent of differences and in-fighting, while Republicans, who had their differences on the table, completed business before the afternoon expired.

The bottom line is, Democrats do NOT have it together as a party.  Republicans are not perfect either, but evidently recognize the importance of unity in achieving success.

At least this year.

Hat Tips to: John Deeth, ABC Online, and Don Frederick at the LA Times Blog.

Tags: 2008 Congressional Election, 2008 Presidential Election, Barack Obama, Democratic National Convention, Democratic Party, Democratic State Convention, Energy Policy, Harry Reid, Hillary Clinton, Iowa Democrats, Iowa Republicans, John McCain, Nancy Pelosi, Republican National Convention, Republican Party, Republican Protest, Republican State Convention, Unity, US Congress

• 2008 Congressional Election , 2008 Presidential Election , Barack Obama , Democratic Party , Floods of 2008 , Harry Reid , Iowa , Iowa Politics , John McCain , Nancy Pelosi , Republican Party , US Congress
• Comments(0)

Art Smith August 9th, 2008

By now you probably know that both Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae have had very poor quarterly reports.  Worse than expected.  And now we’re in for worse trouble.

Money is now expected to be tighter as we roll into the fall and home buying will continue to be slow due to the fact rates will be higher and people will be disinclined to borrow and therefore buy.

Don’t mind the fact that having the media and the industry simply telling the public that it’s bad probably causes a lot more people to sit on their hands.

With home prices as low as they are now, it’s the best time to buy.  The cost of money is already low and continues to be offset by the lower home prices.  This should be the best time to buy a home if you don’t own one.

Plus you get that great $7,000 loan tax credit from the government!

I have limited concern for the two big home loan banks.  Maybe I’m being too callous, but investments have an element of risk, and everyone’s complaining that those who invest in the banks are losing money.  That’s the risk.  People lose money in investments, even the not-so-risky types, and it’s accepted as part of the process.  You win some, you lose some, and you hope that you win more than you lose.   Yes, my 401K is impacted by this, but in two years it will bounce back.

More importantly is ensuring that home buyers know they have an opportunity right now, and that the state of the market is in their favor.

If you want to and can, go buy a house!

Make sure you can afford it, thought.

(Links from The Wall Street Journal web site)

Tags: Fannie Mae, Federal Government, Freddie Mac, Home Buyers, Home Loan Banks, Housing, HR 3221, HR 5720, Investments, Risk, Stock market, Wall Street Journal

• Banks , Economy , Housing , Mortgages , US Congress
• Comments(0)