Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Guess who's back on the weed . . .


Senator Obama announced a few months ago he had kicked the habit. Guess what. He's back on the cancer sticks citing the stresses of the campaign, etc. (It's tough keeping track of the lies you've told and to whom you've told them. It must make the young Senator very anxious.)

Hmm . . . George Bush had an addiction to alcohol and kicked the habit. Of course, it took DISCIPLINE and steadfastness, but HE was able to do it. One can't help but wonder what habit PRESIDENT Obama, an admitted past cocaine abuser, might revert to when Iran nukes Israel, or Russia invades another country, or we're attacked again. Just something to think about . . .

Probably won't matter. It's just drugs.

9 comments:

vwatt said...

Guess who's a nut case??


Op-Ed Columnist
Palin’s Kind of Patriotism


By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
Published: October 7, 2008

Criticizing Sarah Palin is truly shooting fish in a barrel. But given the huge attention she is getting, you can’t just ignore what she has to say. And there was one thing she said in the debate with Joe Biden that really sticks in my craw. It was when she turned to Biden and declared: “You said recently that higher taxes or asking for higher taxes or paying higher taxes is patriotic. In the middle class of America, which is where Todd and I have been all of our lives, that’s not patriotic.”

What an awful statement. Palin defended the government’s $700 billion rescue plan. She defended the surge in Iraq, where her own son is now serving. She defended sending more troops to Afghanistan. And yet, at the same time, she declared that Americans who pay their fair share of taxes to support all those government-led endeavors should not be considered patriotic.

I only wish she had been asked: “Governor Palin, if paying taxes is not considered patriotic in your neighborhood, who is going to pay for the body armor that will protect your son in Iraq? Who is going to pay for the bailout you endorsed? If it isn’t from tax revenues, there are only two ways to pay for those big projects — printing more money or borrowing more money. Do you think borrowing money from China is more patriotic than raising it in taxes from Americans?” That is not putting America first. That is selling America first.

Sorry, I grew up in a very middle-class family in a very middle-class suburb of Minneapolis, and my parents taught me that paying taxes, while certainly no fun, was how we paid for the police and the Army, our public universities and local schools, scientific research and Medicare for the elderly. No one said it better than Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes: “I like paying taxes. With them I buy civilization.”

I can understand someone saying that the government has no business bailing out the financial system, but I can’t understand someone arguing that we should do that but not pay for it with taxes. I can understand someone saying we have no business in Iraq, but I can’t understand someone who advocates staying in Iraq until “victory” declaring that paying taxes to fund that is not patriotic.

How in the world can conservative commentators write with a straight face that this woman should be vice president of the United States? Do these people understand what serious trouble our country is in right now?

We are in the middle of an economic perfect storm, and we don’t know how much worse it’s going to get. People all over the world are hoarding cash, and no bank feels that it can fully trust anyone it is doing business with anywhere in the world. Did you notice that the government of Iceland just seized the country’s second-largest bank and today is begging Russia for a $5 billion loan to stave off “national bankruptcy.” What does that say? It tells you that financial globalization has gone so much farther and faster than regulatory institutions could govern it. Our crisis could bankrupt Iceland! Who knew?

And we have not yet even felt the full economic brunt here. I fear we may be at that moment just before the tsunami hits — when the birds take flight and the insects stop chirping because their acute senses can feel what is coming before humans can. At this moment, only good governance can save us. I am not sure that this crisis will end without every government in every major economy guaranteeing the creditworthiness of every financial institution it regulates. That may be the only way to get lending going again. Organizing something that big and complex will take some really smart governance and seasoned leadership.

Whether or not I agree with John McCain, he is of presidential timber. But putting the country in the position where a total novice like Sarah Palin could be asked to steer us through possibly the most serious economic crisis of our lives is flat out reckless. It is the opposite of conservative.

And please don’t tell me she will hire smart advisers. What happens when her two smartest advisers disagree?

And please also don’t tell me she is an “energy expert.” She is an energy expert exactly the same way the king of Saudi Arabia is an energy expert — by accident of residence. Palin happens to be governor of the Saudi Arabia of America — Alaska — and the only energy expertise she has is the same as the king of Saudi Arabia’s. It’s about how the windfall profits from the oil in their respective kingdoms should be divided between the oil companies and the people.

At least the king of Saudi Arabia, in advocating “drill baby drill,” is serving his country’s interests — by prolonging America’s dependence on oil. My problem with Palin is that she is also serving his country’s interests — by prolonging America’s dependence on oil. That’s not patriotic. Patriotic is offering a plan to build our economy — not by tax cuts or punching more holes in the ground, but by empowering more Americans to work in productive and innovative jobs. If Palin has that kind of a plan, I haven’t heard it.

vwatt said...

As far as Bush kicking his bad habits, his "self-discipline" came from Laura who was about to kick him out if he didn't clean up his act. However, when it came time to make a serious run for Governor/President, Rove told him to stress publicly that he had "found Jesus" as it would get him more votes...and he was right!!

Brodad Unkabuddy said...

Ask the Patriots who attended the Boston Tea Party what they thought of taxation. PALIN HAS MORE EXPERIENCE THAN OBAMA! Just because you say the same thing over and over for two years while trying to hide your liberalism and radicalism doesn't make you qualified to be President. Ask Joe Lieberman. And what about the coke snorting?

Brodad Unkabuddy said...

Somebody's been watching too many previews of Oliver Stone's latest hit job.

Mike West said...

Oh yeah. Low blow Vance on the Jesus comment. I have learned not to question someone's confession as a believer. He changed and is still changing my life. I'm sure He can do the same for George Bush or anyone else who makes the decision to do their homework and see if Jesus really is who He said He was. Lord, Liar or Lunatic. We get to choose. Now that's Pro-Choice.

Mike West said...

Just curious; will government healthcare reward nonsmokers?
Patriotic - "vigorous support of one's country." I have never considered myself patriotic when I pay taxes. I do it to stay out of jail for the most part. It's a duty, a responsibility. I consider anyone who has served in the armed forces as being patriotic. Patriotic is being as loosely used in this incidence by Biden as the word "hero." Before long I guess we'll all be "heroes' for paying taxes or being debt-free. Fair share? I interpret that to mean our government spends our money fairly and wisely and we should just shut up and pay our taxes. Biden's comment was meant to prepare us for higher taxes and helping us to feel "patriotic" about it.
Why is Palin the most popular governor in the country? Just curious. Is it because she gave money back to the taxpayers? Did she bribe them? Is it possible she's done a hell of a job of getting rid of corruption and government waste. I guess anyone who recognizes her leadership qualities, and her track record of getting things done is an idiot too. Us West boys and the Alaskan citizens. What a bunch of idiots. Palin didn't say we shouldn't pay taxes or that paying taxes was a bad thing. She just said it wasn't "patriotic." Which, in my humble opinion is a misuse of the word.
Hey Vance. Here's an idea. Why don't you start a new movement. You could call it "Patriots For Higher Taxes." My guess is the domain name for that is still available.

vwatt said...

I had a feeling religion and politics shouldn't be combined!-and so did the Founding Fathers- so I was wrong to interject it- I will give that ownership back to those who misused it to get Bush elected. Fortunately our country is changing morally(more open/tolerant) and politically at a fast pace and the 24% Bush crowd will be a fading image in the rear view mirror for the rest of the 21st century. Palin will be remembered as a dumber(yesterday she said," our neighboring country, Afghanistan) version of Quayle and we will probably never know how much better a President McCain would have been than Bush.
For me, it's all good this year, whoever wins, and I look forward to not having to wince through another Bush press conference-but it looks like many will lose a lot of sleep over this election and for the next four years.

Mike West said...

At least she didn't say we have 57 states in the US. "Tolerance." Now there's an interesting approach. Sounds very nice. A "feel-good" word. How could someone ever be against tolerance? A lot of hidden agendas are pushed through under the name of tolerance; like the attempt to redefine the word marriage. If socialism and and an anything goes society is considered progress. I will relish living in the rear view mirror.

Brodad Unkabuddy said...

The Founding Fathers said nothing in the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution about politics and religion being separated. What is apparent in those documents is that the Founding Fathers felt that the new government should be "God-based" and its citizens allowed the freedom to practice whatever religion they want, be it Islam or atheism.

I love how the libs love to insult the intelligence of the Republicans and Bush and then complain about they were "tricked" into voting for the Iraqi invasion. I can tell you one thing for sure, Sarah Palin is at least as intelligent as Nancy Pelosi, who happens to be 2 heartbeats from the Presidency.