novatownhall blog

The contrast between the two viewpoints could not be drawn in a manner any starker. Reagan is the adult in a room full of dimwitted children. “We want what we want, and we want it now”, is an apt summation of the cries of the Democrat Congressmen. Reagan’s counter point, one of personal responsibility could not be more poignant.

The Republicans will win the battle this fall. They will win not because of their brilliance, but because of a nationwide revulsion of the Democrats in power. The question is can the Republicans win the war. The 40% of the country that self identifies as conservative will be watching. If the Republicans revert to their 2006 big government big spender mode – they are finished as a party.

The answer to the Pelosi-Obama-Reid Democrats is not accommodation. Healthcare needs to be repealed. The mountain of deficit spending demands large cuts in spending, not an increase in taxes – we are long past the peak on the Laffer curve. Cap and trade is a job killer as is the recent economic ‘reform’ bill that only increased the level of uncertainty in the market.

Accommodation and compromise are called for when the two parties at the table have some common ground. When the issue on the table is the choice between liberty and servitude, where is there common ground? When the issue is a choice permanent state of national indebtedness and economic freedom, how does one accept servitude? When the choice lies between the US maintaining its hard won sovereignty and the likes of the UN making decisions for us, do we agree to let the likes of Libya, Sudan and China telling us how we are to live?

Reagan did not compromise his principles. He made deals in order to further his agenda and philosophy, and took what he could in the face of a foe who had the media in his pocket. The American people know the difference. We will be watching. The yardstick by which Republican performance will measured is not the sad marker set down by the Teleprompter in Chief. The yardstick will be the one stacked out by legacy of the Great Communicator.

You can see from the questions and their repetition that MSM cannot imagine what they are seeing.

“NEVER AGAIN!” was the cry after the National Socialist Workers Party was done with its attempt at a final solution to the “Jewish Question” in WWII. The West as a whole vowed to never stand by and allow a new pogrom to reignite. Today the liberals are not standing by. They are actively taking part and assisting the likes of Hezbollah and mad Mullahs of Iran.

Obama and his cabal have treated Israel with contempt, and grovelled before the dictators of the world. A nation has the right to guard its borders. A nation has the right to protect its people. Obama condemned Israel for doing this. Last year over 100 rocket attacks were inflicted upon Israel. These attacks emanated from Gaza and the West bank. These attacks were conducted by Hamas. The Turkish ambassador to the US has said that, “Hamas must be part of the final solution to the Israeli conflict.” This thug is still on our soil?

Imagine if India were to attack Chinese cities on 100 separate occasions. What do you imagine the response would be? Imagine if Buffalo NY, Flint MI, Boston MA, and Seattle WA were subject to weekly rocket fire from Canada. Would our media advocate not only restraint but concession in light of such bombardment? I instead would imagine that such action would be viewed as a casus belli.

Many in the West are echoing the propaganda of the Junta’s of the Middle East. The dictators that rule from Morrocco to Pakistan echo the puerile antisemitism that is common fare of Wahhabi dominated mosques. On college campuses today it is cool to be an anti-Semite. MSM today is slanted towards this warped view. If a second holocaust is to be avoided, good people must stand up in the public square and cry NEVER AGAIN.

UPDATE: Former Clinton spokesman, Joe Lockhart, said: “I hope we are strong enough as a country to sustain voices that are wrong, voices that offend, even voices that incite.” Cry me a river. This yahoo support’s shutting down the voices of descent with the ‘fairness doctrine.’ Great 1984-ism that bill.

Back to Germany and Poland?

Helen Thomas gives voice to what the media is thinking, the crazy aunt in the attic speaks what is on her ‘mind’

UPDATE:
One of our resident philosophers Wolverine has posed a most excellent question: Where is the ADL? If Thomas where a conservative pr a Republican the ADL, and other watchdogs, would be out in full force decrying this comment. If the president were Republican they would be demanding a statement of him as to whether he supports Helen’s comment. The ADL has become more of a liberal lapdog than a guard dog of Judaism. The Jewish community should take note of this.

Someone needs to explain that the German’s killed 6 Million Jews just 65 years back ‘home’ to Helen. Europe is no home to Israel, it is the land of their diaspora. The Kingdom of Israel covered the region from the Mediterranean to the Jordan River and beyond. Someone needs to explain this to Helen and the other anti-Semites in the liberal Media. The left has returned to its anti-Semitic roots. The world should take note of this.

UPDATE II: Helen Thomas Retires!!
Good riddance to bad rubbish I say.

This is great stuff. Colonel West would have my vote if I lived in Florida. I have sent a check. We need more speeches like this. We need more candidates like this. The milquetoasts in the party need to get a spine and kick it up a notch, or get the hell out of the way.

Conservatives have nothing to be ashamed about. America was founded on the ideal that a man left to his own devices will in the pursuit of his own interests create prosperity. This is an ideal that is worth fighting for. This is an ideal that once lost is very hard to regain. The culture of dependence is another word for servitude. People have been taught that they need to be taken care of. That is the antithesis of being free.

The national debt we see as a killer and rightfully so. People are all upset about it and we know it stinks. But it seems we lose sight of it the closer it comes to home.

The county has been financing capital projects with debt it for what seems like forever. Every single ballot item for bonds related to building schools has been passed every year I’ve been here. What does it cost us now? A whole lot more than the 30 million or so that is going to put 290+ people out of work because the county budget needs to be cut. (Plus much larger classroom sizes, and we already have students that won’t be able to take AP courses because we don’t offer them every year.) Why? If you ask me it is because we don’t know fiscal responsibility.

“It’s the economy, stupid” applies to nearly everyone. As a single income household, attempting to live on a teacher’s salary, I don’t have a choice of using credit to pay for things. Some of you might be thinking that means I have to use credit … NO! Just the opposite. I cannot afford to use credit to pay for things. If I used credit, then I wouldn’t be able to stay a teacher, I’d have to find another job. How many of the problems with the economy are from people defaulting on loans? Debt is a killer for people as well as the county.

What’s more, the debt that kills the people is the reason people think it is “okay” to contract debt for the county. (If people buy a $3000 TV with debt … really stupid idea, people … then why wouldn’t they think that a county with a couple of billion budget should contract a debt of a $100 million or so for a school?) Both lead to the same disastrous consequences; the entity that does this ends up spending more and more of the total income on debt than the things it needs to survive. Buy a TV on debt? Why not? Buy a school on debt? Of course!

That brings us to the country as a whole. Elect idiots that believe that the “entitlements” cannot be touched and that it is okay to have debt (financially irresponsible people like us) and what happens? We have a national debt that is so high that we are facing national bankruptcy if the interest rates go up by just a little. Remember when mortgages where 16% a year … what happens if the interest rates triple yet again?. The interest per year triples as well. Look at our current proposed county budget; it includes $151 million in debt service (notice they do NOT break out principle and interest, so we can easily see how much waste is included). Waste? What do we get for the interest? Nothing … spending money to have today rather than tomorrow is the most essential waste I can imagine. I want it, and I want it NOW! Wait a year and you can pay cash, or you pay three times as much. (In other words, how stupid is it to put appliances on a mortgage rather than pay cash? Why pay $4500 for a $1500 washer/drier?)

Which brings us to the federal budget as well. How much do we spend on interest? What have we done electing people that think nothing of increasing our debt instead of paying it off? We are electing people that are as stupid as we are. WAKE UP! If Loudoun had never borrowed to finance building, we would not have the tax rate we do today, let alone the need to lay off 290+ LCPS employees (not that there isn’t waste in the school system as well … I’m not saying anything about that.) Wake up! If we want the future to be anything near reasonable, pay off the debt. I’d rather see a tax increase and a mandated unbalanced budget (i.e., a mandate for a surplus every year) than have the tax remain the same and not pay down the debt. $150 million is more than enough to lower taxes *and* provide full funding for the LCPS budget. If we had been paying as we go, it would have saved enough to build every school in the county we have now (even at the insanely small size we build schools). For the federal government, it may have taken longer, but the situation is exactly the same.

It is insane to borrow money except for an emergency, or something that is a one-time expense which is greater than the yearly income an entity generates. It is also insane not to pay off that debt as quickly as possible. Otherwise, we have a situation in which we are paying interest (total waste of funds) for what gets us nothing in return. If the freezer breaks down with $500 of food in it, it makes sense to buy a new freezer to save the $500 in food, but pay it off! It does not make sense to carry debt. In fact, it makes sense to save money so when an emergency happens (as it always does) you have the money to pay for the fix. If we have six months of income in the bank, there are few emergencies that would force us to borrow money. That is true for the county, the state, the federal government, or even individuals.

by Brian Withnell

History shows that when a significant percentage of a population is enraged with the government, the government fails. Mostly through some kind of revolution; sometimes through despotism, sometimes through a popular uprising. That percentage historically has always been less than 30% (find any country in which 30% of the population is angry about the government in which the government has remained … I don’t think it possible). Right now, there is a large percentage of people in this country that are enraged with what congress has done. It may be that the change of government will be peaceful … we do have an election in November coming. But knowing how polarized the country has become I’m not confident we can continue in a peaceful exchange of power any more.

The present government came about because of liberals being enraged over Republican policies (not what I would call conservative policies, but what Bush I and Bush II did). There were a high percentage of people angry about government then. Now there is a similar percentage of people angry about the government. In a very real sense, there is little ability for the country to cut a “middle ground” as the polarization becomes more and more complete.

The fundamental issue that presses is the proper role of government. If one group hears “We are from the government; we’re here to help” as a curse, and the other hears the same words as a blessing, there is little way to have reconciliation and compromise that will satisfy either group. Those that see government take over of everything as a curse will be upset by a government that imposes itself in more and more of life. Those that see government take over of everything as the only way to be “fair” will by upset unless government does take control. Even a middle ground is excluded, both side will dislike it.

My hope is many people see the problem, and realize this could be the end of the republic.

The time to remember is November…both 2010 and 2012…. Let us hope that we can pass through one more change (in both congress and executive branches) and that the people will remember how they were betrayed by those they elected.

Scott Ott, a conservative blogger and news satirist, gets the contradiction that every conservative active in politics must live with.  The following list is the resume for a politician who will uphold freedom.

We need politicians who see a problem and think…

1. How can government diminish its role as the cause of that problem?
2. What will happen if government does nothing about it?
3. How can we remove impediments to private-sector solutions?
4. How can we enhance individual responsibility, and thus, human dignity?

For the rest of the article go here.

When Rome was a Republic, selfless public service was considered a a virtue, if not a requirement.  “For the good of the nation!”, men of talent stepped forward and built Rome into a powerful nation from a motley set of villages atop seven hills.   Everyone served in the military, many served in public works, some served in the Senate and its supporting bureaucracy.  Cinncinatus, while human, was an example by which many of the founders of our country lived:

His [Cinncinatus] immediate resignation of his absolute authority with the end of the crisis has often been cited as an example of outstanding leadership, service to the greater good, civic virtue, and modesty.

Washington followed this creed, as did the members of the continental army who followed Washington.  Our country was blessed by Washington’s stepping away from the presidency after two terms.  This was a tradition that was not broken until the progressive FDR — masquerading as a Democrat — selfishly felt the country needed him for four terms.   Unfortunately, selflessness in public service today is not a virtue followed by many, if any at all.  Congress follows Roosevelt’s not Washington’s model.  We are poorer for it.

I believe that the military (Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force) should remain all volunteer. What we could do, as a nation, is enforce a 2 year period of service. This could include firefighting, nursing, BORDER patrol, coast guard, prison guard, EMT, CUSTOMS inspection etc, etc. Unlike the draft earlier in mid-twentieth century, all would serve.  No exceptions.  No waivers for those in college, nor for a medical condition.  No exceptions.  For example, a paraplegic could answer phones in an emergency call center.

The Military would require 4 years of service, two is not enough for a modern force.  Military service would still be voluntary.  A battery of aptitude tests, both academic and athletic,  would put the incoming eighteen year old’s on scale.  Those with the highest scores would get first pick.  The Military could very well itself get an inductee class that is better than ever.

As the choice of assignment is based on merit, the better assignments would go to the more adept.  Military, EMT, nursing, and other choice positions would go to those who scored well.  Guarding the Alaska-Yukon border would go to those at the bottom of the barrel.

Think of the benefits outside the military arena.  Currently we cannot inspect every ship, and every container coming into the country.  With a manpower pool in the 7M range, this issue would to go away.  Considering the repercussions of a nuclear weapon coming into port and detonating, such a force is warranted.  Considering the fallout of finally being able to really stop the flow of drugs coming into the country, such service would also be highly beneficial.

Service to the country is a republican ideal, not a Republican ideal.  This country is a Republic,  we would be well served to remember that.

Janet is worried about Muslims.  In her bizarre world Muslims are the targets of White, Christian oppression here in our country.  Muslims are also the targets of attack by returning veterans according to dear Janet.

It requires a level of unimaginable blind hate to level such broad, vile accusations at these two groups.  The first is statistically the most peaceful in the country and the least likely to carry out an attack against anyone.  The veterans, are statistically more likely than some other groups to be involved in a legal incident, however, when one considers their service they are worthy of praise, to target them as potential domestic terrorists is a national betrayal.

Christian killings of abortion doctors, a liberal bugaboo, numbers 6 incidents and 9 deaths.  Muslim based violence, killing in the name of Allah, in this country alone the body count is 3000+.  When taken in its totality across the globe, it runs into the tens of thousands.  909 in the month of October, 2009 alone — and counting!  From the attack by a Muslim on a military recruiting station, to the Muslim trying to run students over at a college campus, to 9/11 — every reason is explored, “for why they hate us?“   The better question is what will it take to make them stop, aside from a mass national conversion to Islam.  But dear Janet is worried.  What are returning vets, gun owners, Christians and Republican going to do to the Muslims in America?

Janet Napolitano is part of the problem.  The political correctness of the DHS and the ARMY is ridiculous.  This PC mentality is what allowed Nidal Malik Hasan to remain in the Army even though he espoused violence against non-believers — and the army knew about it.  Hasan was in contact with an Iman with known contacts to Al Quaeda.  Why?  Because the policy since Napolitano has been to announce worries over Christian conservatives with known links to the NRA?  Of a rise in militias?  After the killing of 13 of our soldiers at Ft. Hood, Janet announces her big worry:

Janet Napolitano says her agency is working with groups across the United States to try to deflect any backlash against American Muslims following Thursday’s rampage by Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan

The woman has got it backward.  Following Janet’s lead, MSM is looking for any reason for the shootings other than that  Hasan was a Muslim terrorist.  Only 23% of the initial coverage mentioned that Hasan was Muslim and 93% of the reports failed to call this an act of terrorism, until Obama hinted it might be.  So on top of the press willful blindness, it is still the president’s lap dog.  Until the fourth estate, MSM wing,  stops carrying water for the Democrat party the hyper-PC foolishness will continue and Americans will continue to die.

McDonnell conducted an excellent interview with Chris Wallace this Sunday.  During the course of this interview McDonnell was unapologetic about how his campaign was conservative across the spectrum, in both the fiscal and cultural arenas.  It was surprising to see an elected  Republican this conservative in public.

The campaigns that McDonnell and Cuccinelli conducted here in VA should be a blue print for the Republicans in 2010.  These Virginia Republican campaigns focused on jobs, economic development, and transportation.  The campaigns also avoided making negative personal attacks on their opponents, unlike their Democrat opponents, who focused on such negative ads.  Instead, the Republican message focused on a positive outlook based on what were detailed solutions for a campaign.  While this was not mentioned in the interview, the Republican campaigns also effectively answered the attack ads of their intellectually bankrupt opponents.

McDonnell also acknowledged how national events played into the Republicans’ favor:  card check, out-of-control spending in Washington, unfunded mandates, and cap-and-trade, a.k.a the energy tax.  These issues energized the the Republican base across the nation.  It reminded small and large businesses why socialist solutions lead to economic ruin.

McDonnell’s running mate on the ticket, Ken Cuccinelli, never flinches from his conservative views and is often the spear tip of conservative legislation. Ken not only is a conservative, he sponsors conservative legislation. I was very pleasantly surprised to hear McDonnell answer questions in a similar vein with regard to his conservatism.  McDonnell was direct, honest and unapologetic.  When asked by Wallace what is the bigger message in order for the party as a whole to get healthy again, McDonnell replied, “Stick to your conservative principals but focus on quality of life issues.”  Kudos!

McDonnell’s message targeted fiscal conservatism.  This was an abandoned ideal, and I have not heard many Republicans explain it well in the past few years.  Listening to some Republicans discuss fiscal responsibility is akin to Democrats misapplying bible quotes or bungling economic theory.    When someone does not understand the underlying principles, they mangle the message.  McDonnell was sure footed in this area; hopefully he will govern as well as he campaigned.

McDonnell stated recently that he will govern as he campaigned. When asked what this meant, he said that the dominant campaign themes will be the priorities of his governance of Virginia.  The economic state of VA demands this.  However, without Wallace’s prodding, McDonnell went on to announce that he is pro-life and pro-family, and he will defend both.  When pointedly asked how he will manage the needs social conservatives in the party, he returned to the list of economic issues as his first concern; but, he also added that protection of families, fatherhood, and educational choices were also part of his platform.   He clearly claimed his message was conservative throughout.  How nice not to hear that smarmy refrain, “BUT, I am a moderate on <pick an issue>.”

McDonnell said he wants to cuts spending.  When asked about cutting Planned Parenthood off from state funds, McDonnell stated point blank that people do not want tax payer funding going to abortion services, and that should be the state policy.  McDonnell stated that the death penalty should be expanded to all those involved in the murder of someone during the commission of a crime; and, unlike his Democrat predecessor, he would sign, not veto, this legislation.  McDonnell is against Obamacare.  McDonnell said point blank that he would finish his term as governor and not get distracted by other pursuits, unlike our current governor.

This is one of the better interviews by a politician I have heard in many years. It was impressive because the Governor was frank and touted his conservatism.  Wallace was able to cover a lot of ground because McDonnell answered the question as it was posed, not veering into some smarmy talking point.  McDonnell and Cuccinelli deserve the support of conservatives, until they demonstrate they deserve otherwise.  If McDonnell continues in this conservative vein, it will bode well for our great State.

This is the astro-turf in DC last Saturday. Note the scripted singing of strange and obscure songs.

Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer wrote op-eds in US Today that called those who protest the Obama-care take over of the medical industry in the United States Un-American.  Regardless of whether you support or protest Obama-care this should be seen as outrageous.  The Republican Congressional leadership, and the Bush White House never attacked citizens of this country in this way.

Partizan hacks who level this accusation abound on both sides of the political divide.  They have a role to play, albeit a dubious role.  Robust discussion is a must for a Republic such as ours to survive.  This is not small potatoes.  I am sure the kool-aid drinking left will by and large level the tired and sorry charge of ‘but they do it too’!  But the charge that is not true.  The Republican speaker of the house never called those who protested Bush’s policies Un-American.  The previous President never told them to shut up.

This is the elected political leadership of the party in power.   Obama, with his flag@whitehouse.com and Pelosi and Hoyer with their op-Ed’s that are engaging in what is an attempt to chill public dialogue.  That is very different from some opinion writer or blogger doing the same.  It is orders of magnitude worse.  It is something that is not some yahoo blowing off steam, this is political leaderhsip — who have a responsibility to the country — engaging in what should be a private conversation amoung partisan supporters of a political philosophy.

The lack of restraint on the part of Obama and Pelosi is stunning.  Go look up on youtube Bush’s response to Sheehan protesting him.  Bush’s response is worlds apart from Obama’s, and obviously lost on the modern left.  The modern Democrat has become a criminal organization masquerading as a political party.  The take over of the auto-industry is illegal; as is the take over of the Banking industry.  TARP was illegal.  The 40 Czars are illegal.  Maybe it is time to recognize this criminality.  Maybe winning the argument is not the only thing.  This will not be forgotten.  Maybe it is time to hold all of our leadership both red and blue to some standard, and terminate their political careers when they run off the reservation.

The goal of all the Democrat’s health care initiative is the government take over of the entire health care industry. They have said it over and over again. One only needs to find them speaking in front of the right people. This has come from many different voices in the congress, the White House, and elsewhere in the Democrat party. Ignore this take over at your peril.

Government managed health care has not worked in Hawaii, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, or California. We have Canadian and British citizens coming here — not the reverse.  Ever wonder why? Getting pills is not treatment.  Those pills originated in the US, ‘big pharma’ in this country is still inventing new drugs.  Look at all of Europe, and Canada — their pharmaceutical research is a fraction of what we do.  Does this give you pause?

We do far better when we get cancer or heart disease with regard to survival rates.  Ever wonder why?  The WHO scores us poorly because we do not have de jour universal coverage.  In the categories that have something to do with medical treatment we are on top.  Think about that.  We are scored poorly because some bureaucrat thinks we are not fair.  Who decides what is fair?  No one elected the paper pushers at the WHO.  Why do they get to decide what is fair?

The more the government gets involved, the greater the costs — unless you ration via long waiting lists, which lower survival rates.  The Democrats, with Obama on point, are not going to tell you the truth. The truth is that HR3200 already has parts that are designed to phase out private insurance. Supporters of the Democrat party, do you like your insurance? Think. Being a yellow dog Democrat is not going to help you or the country. Call your congressman, call your Senator, write a letter to the local paper.

The nature of government is that it grows more corrupt the bigger it gets. This fact is inescapable.  No government ever has defied this reality.   Think about how much bigger the government is going to get when this happens.  Think how corrupt our Government is already.  Think.