A Liberal’s Thoughts On A Conservative’s Problem

 Posted by  Debt and Deficit, Healthcare, Legal Reform, Poverty  20 Responses »
Dec 022009
 

A commentator on this site Blue Foot, just posed a really interesting question that I thought I would take a shot at answering. But the answer got long, so I thought I’d put it in a post instead of a comment. The question was:

“So what’s the path to small government?”

So I’m pretty liberal and don’t particularly think that smaller government is the answer. But as a hypothetical question, I find it fascinating. So allow me to give all of my more conservative brethren some advice.

First off, conservatives need to keep in mind four basic facts about the American Government:
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Short-Sightedness and Stupidity

 Posted by  Crime, Education, Fiscal Issues, Poverty, The Media  2 Responses »
Oct 072009
 

I apologize for my extended absence. I could tell you a story about taking care of a two-year old, getting the flu, and then working on a book (all of which are true), but the greater reality is that I simply allowed myself to get out of the habit of posting here. But I’ve missed it–mostly the discussions–so I’m back now and read to rant about one of my favorite topics: the short-sightedness of fools. Ah, it’s good to be back.

A couple weeks ago, I saw on Fox & Friends (if you think the name is bad, you should see the show) a segment on Where Your Tax Dollars Are Going, or something similar. Continue reading »

Right-Wing Rhetoric

 Posted by  Debt and Deficit, Poverty, Religion  7 Responses »
Jun 162009
 

I was recently forwarded a sermon by the late Dr. D. James Kennedy, a mega-church pastor (Coral Ridge Ministries) and syndicated televangelist. The sermon, “Christianity and the Federal Deficit” laid out pretty succinctly the basic arch-conservative argument against liberal fiscal policies, and phrases it in quasi-Biblical terms to boot. I will note that the sermon was originally given back in 1993, shortly after President Clinton was elected on a platform of economic mismanagement by President Bush and in an election in which the size of the federal deficit played a huge rhetorical role. It was rerun by Coral Ridge Ministries on nationally syndicated television a week ago, for reasons you can probably guess.

Anyways, the arch-conservative argument goes something like this (along with quotes from Dr. Kennedy so that you can see how this actually plays out, rhetorically):
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Measuring Success

 Posted by  2008 Election, Poverty  4 Responses »
Sep 022008
 

The most interesting comment that Barack Obama made in his speech last Thursday night was this passage that came about a third of the way through:

You see, we Democrats have a very different measure of what constitutes progress in this country.
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“Obamanomics”

 Posted by  2008 Election, Business And Regulation, Debt and Deficit, Healthcare, Poverty, Social Security and Welfare  No Responses »
Aug 202008
 

It’s an awful word, but I couldn’t resist using it. In any case, if you have any interest at all in the upcoming presidential election, you should read this article on what Obama’s economic priorities are. Obama has been characterized as both a conservative and a socialist, and the article attempts to explain the truth behind both of those statements. The article is very long, and obviously written from a friendly perspective, yet it also contains some pretty keen insights and observations about how the man who would be president views taxes, the budget, business and environmental regulation, and many other things.

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