Suggestions for getting us out of the Recession

Here are some suggestions that might help us out of the jobless recovery/recession we are struggling to pull out of.

1. Repeal Obamacare, kill Cap-and-Trade.
2. Make Bush Individual Income Tax Cuts permanent.
3. Repeal Capital Gains and Dividend Taxes
4. Cut Corporate Tax rate from 35% (second highest in developed world), to somewhere around 20-25%.
5. Six month suspension of payroll tax.
6. BALANCED THE #$@&#$%!!! BUDGET. Cut discretionary spending by $300 billion (~20%), then freeze it there. Reform entitlement programs to make sure their costs grow by 1% per year or less, instead of 5-15% like they are now.
7. Simplify the Tax Code.
8. Sell Canada.

Also, States with high corporate tax rates (5% and above) should consider cutting them dramatically.

There is no guarantee this will bring us to the promise land, but I think it could really do a lot of good really fast.

Unemployment and Jobs Report

The media has done a lot of work to try and convince the American people we are pulling out of this recession. Everytime there is a government report with some positive news or the stock market moves up for a week or two, they are quick to say on TV "Are we finally coming out of this recession???". But then there is this jobs report from April. It estimates that 260,000 jobs were added to the economy, but unemployment went up to 9.9%. How is this possible?

The unemployment number is a joke. It counts only people drawing unemployment from State and Federal unemployment insurance. If you are not drawing insurance, like say if you just graduated college and haven't paid into it, you are not counted. If you have given up looking for a job after your unemployment ran out, you are not counted. If you are working part time and are dying for a full time job, you are not counted. That 9.9% is a pretty high number in historical terms, but what is sad is that its a low-ball estimate of the true misery in the US economy.

Adding in the millions who have left the labor force because they can't find a job and have given up, those who have taken major cuts to hours, and others, the real unemployment rate in the United States is 17.1% and is the highest it has been in over 30 years.

What about the confusing jobs and unemployment reports? Jobs were created, but a lot of people have decided to re-enter the labor force after leaving it for the last couple months, or longer. So of 260,000 jobs created, it may be that about 500,000 people are now looking for jobs that weren't before (don't know for sure, just guessing). The total number of "discouraged" workers numbers in the millions. So added it all up and we would need to add at least 500,000 jobs per month for several years to get back to 6% unemployment. Not likely.

Americans don't need a jobs or unemployment report to tell us that things are very rough. We don't need the media to tell us how the economy is doing, or to convince us that we are either still in recession or we aren't. We know the truth. Whatever they say is according to government-produced numbers. They aren't lying, but consider the source and consider that any capable statistician and skew the numbers to show a more favorable result.

Projections are not good. Stock Market is still stuck at 10,000-11,000 which is basically where it was in 2008, so in the last two years we have done nothing but climb out of the pit to where we were in terms of value. Nothing to be happy about. Most economists and experts predict that we will not see unemployment decline below 9% well into 2011, which means the REAL unemployment will stay at 15-17% for at least another year.

Can we please accept that fact that the Stimulus Package failed, even better that Washington's entire economic policy since 2008 has failed to turn us around, meanwhile they have spent trillions of taxpayer dollars trying to do just that. Normally I would argue that Washington is not responsible for the ebb and flow of the economic cycle, but in this case they stuck their necks out with the Stimulus, TARP, bailouts, and all sorts of other expensive and aggressive programs to turn this economy around. All of it at our expense by the way.

The American people need to stop tossing cash into the money pit. Two years later the house is still falling apart.

Obama's Ideal Model of Good Government is crumbling: the EU

The policies of President Obama and the Democratic Party are those of the left-wing parties of the Europe. Obama's Healthcare Plan was to be the Universal Healthcare coverage system of Great Britain. His ideas for new taxes are similar to those of France, Italy, and elsewhere. Tax the income, profits, and inheritance of the rich, impose a value-added tax, and tax carbon emissions. His fiscal policy of spending our way out of economic recession, massive debts, and expanded mandatory spending programs is almost identical to every European country, like Greece for example.

President Obama seems to think we should be more like Europe. The problem is this center-right country is comprised mostly of selfish, intolerant, knuckle-dragging rednecks that cling to their guns and religion. But after 2008, he and his liberal-socialist allies had a chance to change all that and transform this country into another European Union.

We can now see where that leads.

Greece is on the verge of defaulting on its bonds and declaring the equivalent of national bankruptcy. Portugal and Spain have had their credit ratings reduced this week. Nearly every European country has massive national debts, high unemployment, low economic growth, and powerful public labor unions that have all but paralyzed government attempts to solve the fiscal problems.

Sound familiar? It should, I could've easily been talking about California or Illinois.

The European Union is in decline economically and politically. Its influence in the world has been in steady decline for years, its economy has been stagnant, and its fiscal problems are finally about to erupt. Many experts speculate we may be witnessing the end of the Euro currency and a collapse of the European Union as a whole.

Well, its a global recession right? Not really. China, India, Brazil, and Indonesia are seeing positive growth. They have recovered. China projects growth this year at 8-9%. So as the United States and European Union continue to drown in debt and see growth of less than 1%, other countries are growing. We can safely conclude that the US and EU are seeing their massive lead in the world economy and world politics shrink rapidly.

So who should we look to? China? Brazil? Well maybe. These countries don't have a great deal in common though. They do have lower taxes on corporations, no massive entitlement programs, low debt, and business-friendly labor laws.

Meanwhile we are doing the opposite. More taxes on corporations, new entitlement programs, more debt, and stricter labor laws.

One can see the contrast within the United States as well. Should we be adopting the same policies as our own states of California and Illinois? That is what Obama and the Democrats seem to be doing. Who should we be following?

The answer: Texas, Oklahoma, and Alaska. Low tax burdens, business-friendly conditions, small deficits, no big entitlement programs, and they are seeing unemployment rates much lower than the national rate of 9.7%. They are actually growing while the rest of the country is stagnant.

The answer is right in front of us.

President Obama is following a failed model. The European Union is on the verge of collapse, the euro is about to vanish, and the continent will soon shatter into disarray and might shift back to its historic roots of nationalistic rivalries and arms races.

The United States needs to adopt a new model. And fast.

More on the Tea Party: Not Radicals

This is from my Princeton Fox Blog, so it is more directed at Northeasterners. Here is what I have observed as contrasts between places like Illinois, North Carolina with New Jersey:

I am frankly surprised at the misconceptions and total lack of knowledge that New Jerseyans have of the Tea Party. It is clear the media, journalists, and others have successfully written them off as radicals, racists, and revolutionaries. And you have bought it.

The Tea Party Platform
The Tea Party is a loose confederation of conservatives, libertarians, concerned citizens, unaffiliated voters, conservative democrats, and independents. These groups may have their own top issues or most important agenda items but there are three main common themes:

1. Limited Government (in both power and dollars)
2. Individual Freedom (protections for religion, speech, right to bare arms, states' rights)
3. Free markets (strong rejection of socialism)

Gallup surveys showed the Tea Party's demographics are fairly mainstream. In other words, they are not All-White, All-rich, All-Christian, All-Republican, or All anything.

So really what makes them tick? The massive growth in government spending, the national debt, the increase in government power in areas of the banking sector, finance, healthcare, student loans, and automobiles. This political event alone is what awakened them. And I say awakened for a reason.

Gallup has also consistently shown this is a center-right country, 40% identify themselves as conservatives and other polls show that 50% or more have fiscally conservative views. Only about 26-29% of people identify themselves as liberal. And yet the Democrats won 255 of 435 seats in the House, and 60 of the 100 seats of the Senate. Obama won with 53% of the vote. How is this possible? Why is it that the Republicans don't dominate American politics???

The Awakening of the Right Wing
Like I said, this conservative side has only recently awakened. There is a segment of conservatives that don't vote because they regard both parties as essentially the same (and have a good case for it). However, the political battles and divergence of policies between the two parties in the last year and a half has changed that sentiment and "awakened" this segment. In other words, Obama's left-wing agenda awakened them. Had he practiced some moderation in his policy proposals, this movement might've remained asleep.

Another segment of the Tea Partiers simply don't vote because they don't feel their vote really makes a difference. Most of this type are not politically active at all. They have these beliefs but would rather keep to themselves and keep their beliefs to themselves. They have been convinced by televisions, movies, and other media that their beliefs are radical fringe right-wing ideas and that they would be ridiculed if they got more vocal of them.

Another segment is the far-right wing. They are a very small group, probably about 5-8% of the total population. They are militias, Christian Fundamentalists, most of them probably racist, and are in many respects anarchists. They may align themselves with the Tea Party, but a vast majority of the other groups in the Tea Party regard these people as crazy, just like the rest of the country.

The final segment, the largest, are disenchanted Republicans and fiscal conservatives that felt their party failed them and did not vote in 2008. This group is the most politically active in general, vote often, but this changed due to Republican failures in 2005-2007. They stopped identifying themselves as Republicans and expressed utter frustration with their party and the country as a whole. this segment was likely to awaken regardless of how leftist Obama's agenda was. It is the combination of this group with the others that give the Tea Party tremendous potential. They are reaching into populations of non-voters and even unregistered voters. Not to mention the fact that Independents are steadily realizing that the Tea Party reflects their ideas in regards to the deficit and government spending.

So, are they racist? Maybe 1 in 20 has white supremacist beliefs, AT THE MOST.
Are they anarchists? No, not even close.
Do they advocate overthrow of the government? No
Are they Christian Evangelicals or Fundamentalists? Many of them are, but none of the issues they are demonstrating for are related to religious or social issues. Sometimes yes, but like I said government power and spending are at the top of the list.

And it is important to note, the Tea Party is steadily growing. Gallup and other surveys show that more Americans consider themselves part of the movement in comparison to three months ago.

So what is their objective?
The slogan most often heard at Tea Parties is "Remember in November". A political protest and demonstration that wants to increase energy AND VOTE. What a bunch of psychos right? They are supporting candidates, donating money, hell they are voting in record numbers! MY GOD, they are going to tear this country down!!! They are critical of a Black President! Surely they are racists!!! By that logic, a Black President is infallible.

A Cautionary Note for Northeasterners
Most Americans do not live within 100 miles of New York or Washington. Most Americans do not get their news from the Big 3, or CNN, or MSNBC. Most Americans are not afraid of guns. Most Americans are not afraid of God or Christians. Whatever sophistication or education level you have achieved, remember you are in the minority and if you fail to take movements like the Tea Party seriously, you will remain in the minority in a sort of hyper-urbanized bubble of the East Coast from DC up to Boston. You are a minority and I think its time you do a MUCH better job understanding the rest of the country and their beliefs because in my experience in New Jersey there is a poor level of understanding.

Self-identified Republicans and moderate conservatives in the Northeast seem to be somewhat elitist and arrogant similar to liberal democrats. That must change. Not only Republicans but Northeasterners in general because last I checked the Census projects Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania will be losing electoral votes to Texas, Utah, and Georgia.

Its time to make a better effort to understand the rest of the country. Because there are more of them than you, and in November, more of them will win election to the House and Senate while Democrats will likely still dominate the Northeast.

Chicago Tax Day Tea Party

It was an interesting week. Tea Party protests went on in every city and some in the media decided the story was that some of them were not as big as last year. Nevermind the fact that there were probably more protests than last year. I got to attend the Chicago Protest in Daley Plaza the epicenter of the Democratic Party Machine.

It was a group that likely exceeded one thousand, filling most, if not all of the plaza. All this in probably one of the five most liberal democratic cities in the country. There were tons of posters, flags, colonial hats, and of course a couple party crashers. An anti-war protest tried to butt in with a banner indicating war is the biggest wasteful spending. In another oddity, a professionally printed and distributed sign said war makes up 57% of the budget, something that is VERY off. Defense spending is roughly $600 billion (less than 20% of the budget). Just goes to show that liberal protestors feel that any and all strategms, including blatant lies, are morally justified as long as the ends are just. It includes infiltrating non-liberal protests with inflammatory and idiotic signs and chants. The ends justify the means. Truly sad.

Others said No to war, and there were a couple signs that were anti-semitic, blaming Israel for all the problems of the world. Tea Party organizers and fellow protestors confronted these people asking them why they were there and arguing that the protest had nothing to do with either issue. Instead of physical confrontation, which is a common result of battles with left wing protestors and "anti-war" activists, a couple of people made signs indicating "plant" or "liberal" or "NOT part of the Tea Party". They stood next to these infiltrators with their own signs so that any idiot CNN or MSNBC camera would catch both the silly sign and the sign indicating the Tea Party Movement has nothing to do with it.

Earlier, a man was walking around with a giant swastika on a poster. The sight disgusted many, Chicago Police asked him to leave, at least I believe that is what happened. I had to leave to meet friends at the train station and bring them back to the Plaza. Either way, that guy was not there when we returned.

The speakers included a former gubanatorial candidate, five candidates for Congress, a couple activists, a doctor, a health insurance salesman, and the two individuals that were accosted by a CNN reporter over a year ago at a similar protest. That incident probably did more for the Tea Party than any other of these major BS media stories.

There were posters responding "we are NOT racist" or "I don't give a ___ that Obama is Black, it scares me to death that he is RED". The speeches were about government spending, taxes, corruption, greed, and the various offenses to the Constitution that President Obama and other Democratic leaders are responsible for.

There were no Neo-Nazis, no Klan members, no one advocating that all illegals should be rounded up and kicked out, no one calling Obama a fascist but plenty calling him a socialist, this was a regular political protest with nothing radical to speak of. No one called for revolution or violent overthrow of the government, much to the disappointment of Bill Clinton. His "fear" of these anti-government protests is really just fear that Democrats will lose power in November.

One of the speakers had an interesting comment: When asked by a reporter what the Tea Party was, where is its website, and who is its' leader, this woman laughed answering "we are not some top-down movement with some sort of demi-god at its head. This is as grassroots as you can get, decentralized, spread out, and very large. No professionally made signs, no corporate or political money bringing us together. In fact, if any insurance companies were paying these protestors, she feinted anger that she didn't get a check."

Sorry to disappoint democrats, socialists, liberals, and others out there. No crazies. This is a legitimate and mainstream political protest that is large in scale and threatens to completely destroy the Democratic majorities in both the House and Senate in November. Should it continue, President Obama has little chance of re-election. Even now his job approval has been consistently below 50% for over a month now. A Healthcare Reform and Nuclear Treaty failed to create any momentum.

The Tea Party is a rejection of a large federal government, taxes, encroachment on individual rights, and the attempted takeover of the economy. It sometimes ventures into other issues but this is its core, if one existed. Nothing racist, nothing radical, no revolutionary themes, actually it is the opposite. It is a counter-revolutionary theme in direct opposition to the dramatic changes President Obama and Democrats have attempted to bring to us. It is rooted in the Constitution, the beliefs and writings of the founders, and the conservative principles that have been around the whole time.

This is different than the right-wing of the Bush Presidency. This is not driven by Evangelicals or a desire to change the world. This is more focused on the United States itself, its very Foundation, and the future of the political system that was formed 230 years ago. It is actually more conservative in that sense than Bush or his Evangelical Base. It is likely larger and can reach into virtually every state in the Union (as opposed to the more Christian Fundamentalist regions of the country).

It is grassroots, decentralized, and unguided by any political elite. Its as American as you can get really. Will it succeed? Will it lead to change in November? The evidence strongly suggests yes. This is still a center-right country and this rejection of the Government policies of the past three to five years was, in many ways, inevitable.

U.S. needs to start teaching men to fish

The Proverb: Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish. Feed him for a lifetime.

The U.S. does not seem to see the wisdom in this proverb. Today we hand out fish to people that need it because of a bank meltdown, layoffs, economic downturn or whatever. We extend unemployment benefits past six months, isn't that just handing out fish? We give tax credits to people who don't even pay federal taxes. We gave bailouts to automakers and banks. We gave bailouts to states so they could keep their public employee unions happy and keep those high quality pension systems intact.

And where are we now? Outta fish.

Here is the liberal democrat explanation: Some people have trouble fishing because of historical and cultural barriers, or that the Wall Street crisis is so severe that people are no longer be able to fish on their own and will starve without the government handing out fish for a couple years. Maybe some people just aren't good fishermen, and so we need to help them. Where does that lead us? According to studies there are more people dependent on the federal government than at any point in U.S. history. We are now supplying more fish to more people.

Why is it that as time passes and we have progressed in the modern era, we seem to have become steadily more incompetent as fishermen. Why is it that despite the breakthroughs in nutrition, exercise, vitamin supplements, and carcinogens that there are so many more of us with physical and psychological defects that make it difficult for us to fish. Has the modern era made us more incompetent?

The answer is no.

We have been slowly persuaded that this group needs extra help, that group needs help, that its only temporary and only a one time deal. But entitlement programs are never temporary and it seems that these bailouts are massive and come around every 6-10 years. Meanwhile the needy groups are weakened into a sense of utter dependency. They never learn to fish because they don't have to. But what happens when we run out of fish to handout?

Examples: Look at the southside of Chicago and other parts of the country where liberal policies are enacted and government handouts are distributed at amazing rates. How are those communities doing now? How has the southside done thanks to all the community organizing that Jesse Jackson and Barack Obama have done over the past few decades? They are exactly where they were decades ago because the democrats have sold them false hope. The income disparity remains, the education disparity, the high crime, and other problems remain.

We need to stop handing out fish. It does not work, it makes people dependent and in this world you will eventually have to fish for yourself. The United States must find ways to teach its citizens how to fish, not just hand out fish. We don't do that through entitlements, high taxes, bloated public service programs, bailouts, or stimulus. The government must help citizens become independent, teach them how to fish.

It most cases it is merely getting the hell out of the way. Let the people learn on their own or let them return to fishing rather than just going to the big G store. In other cases it might be lessons on fishing, providing lures, line, and poles. But in the end, they have to catch the fish.