The Legacy of Ronald Reagan

webeginbombinginfiveminutes
First, this was going to be an open letter to a crazy driver I saw this morning. Then, I learn that Gary Hilton (no relation to Paris) used to walk his dog in Murphy Candler Park. Daddy's Sunday school class had picnics there. (HT to Recovering Baptist)
Selfish drivers are a dime a dozen. Just one comment today...if I gave money to a useless organization like the Human Rights Campaign Fund, I would not boast about it on my vehicle.
I don't like to use my ride as an ad medium anyway. You never know when the next Jay Grodner will see you.

I had a realization this morning. Like many lightbulb over the head moments, it is amazing that no one else has realized this. Or maybe someone has, but just wasn't talking loud enough.
It is about the legacy of Ronald Reagan. Some whiner was asking "what would Reagan do" and bemoaning the lack of a Reagan in this years race.
And then, as if by magic, the answer hit me.

The heir to the legacy of Ronald Reagan is Barack Obama.

Reagan made America feel good about itself. He was a cheerleader, an optimist, and a speaker of happy thoughts. This is essentially what Mr. Obama is doing today.

It is a triumph of style over substance.

Mr. Obama's message is one of unity. We should unite as Americans, and work past our differences. Exactly how he intends to do this is a bit of a mystery.
I can hear the bedwetters already..."Reagan was a conservative, Obama is a Liberal". Now, on the surface that is true. But lets look at the record.
Reagan was essentially a secular man who courted the religious vote. The "true believers" didn't seem to mind.
He talked tough on defense, but didn't start any wars. When the marine barracks in Lebanon were bombed, our troops were out of there before you could say Morning in America.
He made arms deals with Iran.
He was an ally of Saddam Hussein.
The budget deficit went over 200 billion dollars a year while he was in office.
We used drug runners to deliver weapons to Nicaragua. The planes were not empty when they returned.
That doesn't sound very conservative. This did not seem to bother his fans. He presented the image of a conservative leader, and that was good enough. He was an actor, who knew his lines and didn’t trip over the scenery.

It was a triumph of style over substance.

On the other hand, the "Liberal" Obama is courting the Jesus Worship crowd. He did a campaign tour with the pathetic Donnie McClurkin.
Who is pulling the strings on this puppet?

The Foul Tax and Mr. Obama

longdrivetorightfieldiscurving
The original concept was for this post to be about either the fair tax or Barack Obama. The more I think, the more similarities I see between the two.
I can start with Mr. O. With his rock star looks and charisma, and the fact that he is not Hillary, his train seems unstoppable. It would be a symbolic moment if a dark skinned man were elected President, even if he is not the descendent of slaves. Yes, he has always been opposed to the War in Babylon.
Maybe he is just a photogenic front man, without any substance. The same could be said of Ronald Reagan, and America really didn't do too badly under him. Just who is pulling the strings on this puppet with star quality?
My main question with the man is how is he going to deal with the military machine. We now have an agreement with the Iraqi Government. This treaty that isn't a treaty has our troops supporting the Iraqi Government, in exchange for first access to the vast oil riches in Mesopotamia. What is the Junior Senator from Illinois going to do about that?
There is also the matter of this video. Do women really dance out of his mouth?






curvingjustshortofthefoulpole
An Obama Presidency is a great idea, with some serious questions about the implementation. Which brings us to the Fair Tax. (We are awaiting a call from the Umpire whether it is fair or foul, or maybe a sacrifice bunt).
Nobody likes the I.R.S. Calls to do away with it will always find an audience. Maybe the Fair Tax will be enacted, and maybe it will do all that it's supporters claim.
I suspect it is a good idea, with serious questions about the implementation. And no, I have not read the book.

1- I only have so much time to read, and I prefer to read fiction. OK, some of you say the Fair Tax book is fiction.
2- I don't trust the men who wrote it. One of them is a radio whiner who says every day, in effect, Don't believe anything I say unless your own experience goes along with it. The other is a Republican congressman. I suspect that neither of them really believes in the Fair Tax, but know a good gimmick when they see one.
3- I am aware of the power of rhetoric, sophistry, and the clever word processor. (See Mr. Obama above). You can make grand arguments in favor of a lot of things that are not completely true.

I hear a lot about the Fair Tax on the Whiners radio show. It seems like the more I hear, the more I don't like.
Here is an example from today. The concept of the Foul Tax is that a thirty percent sales tax would replace the income tax, and other Federal Taxes. (I know there is more than that, before you start to say, "Read the Book". For today’s illustration, that nutshell is sufficient)
As our example, lets say that we have a book selling for Ten Dollars. The book was written by a bald headed radio whiner, and says rude things about Liberals. Now, on the surface, with the Fair Tax, the book would cost thirteen dollars, that is, the cost of the book plus the thirty percent tax.
Today’s whine was about embedded taxes. According to the whiner, there are embedded taxes in the ten dollars. These are the corporate taxes paid by the publisher, and other taxes that are passed along to the consumer as part of the ten dollar price. I understand this concept, and realize that this is a big reason why many American goods are not competitive in the marketplace.
But then the whiner said something that I simply don't believe. He said that once the embedded taxes were removed, the cost of the book would go down. This cost would go down so far that the book would still sell for ten dollars, even with a thirty percent tax markup.
One, who is to say the publisher would not just keep a bit of those taxes in the form of added profits? Are the embedded taxes enough to lower the price so that a thirty percent markup wouldn't matter?
I am not an economist. Maybe the book has answers to this, and maybe they are not just clever words.
Chanting "Read the Book" only goes so far.

Barack Obama and the Flag Pin

iwearaflagundermyfiremanuniform
Barack Obama keeps saying things that appeal to me, and keeps falling further and further behind. This is the latest, courtesy of a local news service.
Iowa City - Presidential Candidate Barack Obama is trying to change political fashion. He gave a speech in Iowa City Wednesday and he wasn't wearing an American flag pin.
Those pins have become synonymous with politicians since 9-11.
Obama says he doesn't like how the pin has come to represent patriotism in America.
The senator told TV-9, "I decided I won't wear that pin on my chest, instead I'm going to try to tell the American people what I believe will make this country great. Hopefully that will be a testimony to my patriotism."
The candidate, owner of the most prominent ears since Lyndon Johnson, is not doing well in the polls. Hillary is kicking his mixed race butt.
Jesse Jackson accuses him of acting white.
It’s really a shame. Mr. O was opposed to the war in Babylon while the others were posturing over wmds'. He is a good speaker, and is younger than yours truly.
Part of the problem could be the shade of his exterior. He is expected to say things that appeal to black voters.(Hence the comment from Mr. Jackson) The only problem is that what appeals to African Americans frequently scares Whitefolk. He is in a tough spot.
The irony is, his mother was white, his father is from Kenya, and he was born in Hawaii. He is not the descendant of slaves.
This latest flap is one more thing that I like. I get tired of the flag used as jewelry, and exploited for commercial and political gain. A while back, a real estate lady in my area put a flag in everyone’s front yard, with her business card attached. I wonder how many of those flags wound up in a landfill, which is not a place of respect.
A co worker once had a sticker on her van, "try burning this one". After leaving the van in direct sunlight for a while, the pink, lavender, and beige were still there.
I have one flag on display. It is in my tool shed. I found it in a box of garbage once, while I was riding my bike. I rescued it.
But I don't use the flag as an item of jewelry. I applaud Mr. Obama for his not doing so.