MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU AND YOURS!

America: The Last Stronghold of Faith

I couldn't resist copying and pasting part of this article from Tony Blankley. I hope you will be as inspired and proud as I was in our country when you read it. There is real beauty in liberty.

When a democratic public loses faith in the future -- as France did in the 1930s, as Britain did in the 1970s, and as too many Americans have today -- it is something to promptly correct, not secretly rejoice in. Optimism is a source of our strength.

Of course, in this week before Christmas, Christians are particularly reminded of the reason for optimism and faith -- Jesus was born 2010 years ago to redeem us.

But whatever our religion, or lack of a religion, Americans have solid political grounds for swelling with optimism as we end 2010.

For me, the miracle of the American spirit began to reveal itself in the late spring of 2009. We were still in the midst of an economic meltdown. Our homes and 401(k)s were (and for many of us still are) shockingly reduced in value.

Many of us had lost our jobs or had our incomes substantially reduced. The greatest corporation in American history -- General Motors -- was going bankrupt. The great Wall Street banks that commanded the heights of world finance were illiquid and moving toward insolvency. And the newly inaugurated president, in the early weeks of February, had talked about our economic collapse being a catastrophe from which we might never recover.

Most of the country had turned fearful (I know I was scared -- and so were some very experienced New York financiers whom I personally knew.) President Obama started applying the typical remedies: bailouts, nationalizations, trillion-dollar stimulus -- spreading the wing of the state to "protect" the helpless people.

And then the American miracle occurred; not in Washington, but in the hearts and heads of the American people. The polls started to show that the American people wanted Washington to do less, not more. They didn't want to be sheltered under the wing of the state.

The American people feared the permanent loss of liberty more than they feared the temporary loss of their income or property.

The tea parties self-formed without leadership from above. But millions of people who didn't join the tea parties nonetheless endorsed their sentiments and values -- so that by last month, polls showed that the tea parties were more identified with than the Republican Party, which itself had just won the greatest election victory in well over half a century.

No other people in the world would have responded to economic danger by seeking more liberty and less government protection.

No other people would have thought to themselves, "If I have to suffer economically in order not to steal from my grandchildren, so be it."

We know this is not true of other nations. Just look in the streets of Greece, France, Ireland ... my dear old England found its streets filled with violent people demanding their "right" to retire early or have heavily subsidized university fees or guaranteed government jobs -- even if it means the impoverishment of their progeny.

Such attitudes reflect not a faith in their future -- but an indifference to the future of their civilization.

I believe that 2011 will reveal an American people who will go into the streets not with violence to protest government spending cuts -- but in peace and discipline to protest any failure by their government to make such cuts.

So in this Christmas season, as many of us prepare to fall to our knees in thanks for the gift of our eternal optimism and salvation, let us also celebrate the continuing miracle of the American people's abiding love of liberty -- and acceptance of the sacrifices it will take to keep that liberty.

Merry Christmas, and, pray God, continue to Bless America.

2010 Tax-Friendly Politicians and Groups

Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) just issued its naughty and nice list for 2010. In it, it rates various politicians under the category "naughty" if they have taken a position suggesting they are in favor of more taxes and "nice" those that have done the opposite.

As expected, President Obama topped the naughty list along with Robert Gibbs and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson for her campaign to tax and fine emissions-causers. However, there were surprises as Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels made the list for even considering a VAT. 

The nice list encompassed the tea party movement, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie "for staring down government union bosses" (woo woo!) and even Snooki, for busting Obama's inclusion of a 10% tanning tax in Obamacare. And last but not least, House member Charlie Rangel made the list, "for lowering at least one American's tax burden." You gotta love that sarcasm.

State House Winners

The 2010 census reapportionment numbers today told of winners and losers state-wise. The lone star state, Texas, was the big winner with a pick up of four House seats and New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania were the biggest losers with a loss of two seats each. Sunny Florida gained two seats while Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, South Carolina, Utah and Washington all picked up only one. Conversely, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri and New Jersey all lost a single seat. Let the redistricting begin!

Census Speaks Well for GOP

The 2010 census report that's due out tomorrow will apparently be well received by Republicans. There has been a continued migration from Democratic-leaning Rust Belt states to Republican-leaning Sun Belt states. The biggest gain in population has been in Texas, a GOP heavy state expected to gain up to four new House seats, for a total of 36. The states that lost the most were dark blue New York and purplish Ohio, which will likely lose two seats each.

This population shift, in conjunction with landslide GOP victories in state legislatures in 2010, which will allow GOP majorities to create new districts "to their liking," will add more electoral pressure for Obama and the Dems. Since each House seat represents an electoral vote in the presidential election process, the states that Obama lost will have more votes and the ones he won, less. I can't wait to watch it all unfold.

Dem Leaders Refuse to Attend Tax Bill Signing

The $900 billion tax cut and unemployment benefits package is now the law of the land. The tax cuts are with us for another two years. Period.

The signing ceremony was conciliatory between the President, the GOP and most members of his party, but not all. Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi were invited, but had "scheduling conflicts," aides said. Right. How juvenile. Thank God at least Pelosi will be in the distant background very, very soon.

Health Care Split

The repeat Rasmussen surveys on health care show a general unpopularity, but more interestingly, they show the break down by legislative area of concern:

One little-noted aspect of the debate was a disagreement over the purpose of the legislation. Most voters identified cost as the biggest problem with health care in America today, but about one-in-four said the lack of universal coverage was the top issue. Among those who see the lack of universal coverage as the biggest problem, 86% favored the legislation. However, among the majority who see cost as the biggest issue, 68% opposed the health care bill.

Democratic Dementia

As everyone, I am shocked that the Democrats would submit the Senate omnibus budget bill for a vote given the political climate. It’s as if they saw the midterm elections as a normal partisan pendulum swing rather than a mandate against pet projects, deficit increases and Obamacare. 

Apparently the bill has over 2,000 pages filled with various handouts for unnecessary projects in all fifty states. It's a bill that was written long before the November elections that both parties should've scrapped in light of the obvious convictions of the voters. A continuing resolution would suite us all just fine, but, nope. Democrats are going for it. At this point, I have to believe they just don't care what the voters want, even if voting in kind could gain them reelection. It's complete insanity, especially during a lame duck session, to propose such obvious waste which will do the one thing the majority of Americans oppose -- add to the national deficit.

Watching the opposing party routinely commit suicidal acts would be funny, if it didn't have such dire consequences for the rest of us. Let's hope the moderate Democrats in the house stand up against this, as I predict they will. Also, let's hope the Rinos that run with this bill are held accountable in the coming election cycles. 

Kagan's Recusal Could Kill Obamacare

As of yesterday, Americans are aware of the ruling that found Obamacare unconstitutional since it allows Congress to compel Americans to buy health insurance. We are also aware of the left's knee-jerk response to the ruling, which basically involves a Congressional amendment to allow the law to squeak past the constitutionality issue. However, aside from the fact that the economics of the bill are not viable without the mandate, everyone but Jennifer Rubin overlooked this:

[The ultimate decision] will rest with the Supreme Court, whether the case goes directly there, as Republicans are urging, or whether it stops first in the 4th Circuit (which, I would venture, is very likely to uphold the district court ruling). But here's the tricky part: Justice Elena Kagan, having served in the Obama Justice Department, is surely to recuse herself. With the "liberals" one judge down, even a Kennedy vote to uphold the individual mandate would presumably result in a 4-4 tie. And guess what? If there is a tie, the lower ruling stands. In other words, this is really bad for ObamaCare advcoates.

This must be making the White House very nervous.

60% of People Favor Repeal of Health Care

The latest Rasmussen survey shows that 60% of likely voters at least somewhat favor repeal of the health care law while only 34% are opposed to repeal. Support for repeal has ranged from 50% to 63% in weekly tracking since March. 

It will be interesting to see how the polling shifts as people take note of the federal bench's decision today. (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-13/u-s-health-care-law-requirement-thrown-out-by-judge.html) I predict the numbers will increase when people consider the opinion and the unconstitutionality of forcing consumers to buy a service generally.

Voters Want Spending Slashed Ahead of Deficit Reduction

A new Rasmussen poll finds that 57% of likely voters think reducing federal government spending is more important than reducing the deficit. In fact, only 34% thought that reducing the deficit should be the first priority. Of course, as always, there was a marked divide across ideological and political lines. Sixty-five percent of so-called mainstream voters believe cutting spending is more important, while 72% of the political liberal class say the primary emphasis should be on deficit reduction. About 74% of Republicans and 50% of Independents say cutting spending is more important than reducing the deficit and Democrats are narrowly divided on the question. 

51% Say They Are Worse Off Under Obama

Fifty-one percent of Americans now say they are worse off than they were two years ago when President Barack Obama took office, a Bloomberg National Poll shows. The pessimism cuts across political parties and age groups, and is common to both sexes.

Bishop Narrowly Bests Altschuler

The last House election is finalized at last, although to a disappointing end. Randy Altschuler conceded to Tim Bishop in the Hamptons race, which Bishop won by only hundreds of votes. This race means that the Republican tally finally stands at plus 63 in the House.

More Evidence We Should Cut California Off

The Berkeley City Council will consider a resolution that would declare the Army private suspected of leaking classified information to WikiLeaks a hero and call for his release.

The council plans a vote Tuesday on the resolution in support of Pfc. Bradley Manning, who is being held in a military brig in Virginia. A city commission already has approved it.

Bob Meola, who authored the resolution, tells the San Francisco Chronicle that Manning is a patriot who deserves a medal.

Federal officials have criticized the leaks, saying they could endanger lives.

Leaders of the famously left-leaning city have weighed in on controversial national issues before, including votes to advise that a Marine recruitment office wasn't welcome downtown and to force local compliance with United Nations human rights treaties.

Unemployment Hitting Youth the Hardest

On Friday, the unemployment figure creeped up to 9.8%, which caused economists to wring their hands and begin to assess the "recovery" in terms of history. When they compared the previous recoveries from all 10 American recessions since 1948, this year's figures were bleak as only the 2001 recovery took longer to raise unemployment figures back to pre-recession numbers.

This is the worst recession on record, but when will the 15.1 million unemployed Americans get back to work? The jobless rate has remained above 9% for 19 straight months, the longest stretch on record since 1949, and it's affecting everyone.

Not surprisingly, high school dropouts have the highest rate of unemployment at 15.7%, but, right behind them are college graduates at 5.1%. In fact, those at the beginning of their life cycle are suffering at a much greater rate:

Age 16 to 19......21.5 %

Age 20 to 24......9.3 %

Age 45 to 54......8.1 %

Age 55 and up....7.3 %

http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/marksjarvis_on_money/2010/12/unemployment-for-college-graduates-and-people-over-45-hit-highs.html??track=ct-daywatch-12610

All those college kids and hipsters that got out the vote for Obama must be cursing him now.

Sixty Percent Say Congress Won't Cut Spending

Despite the president's bipartisan deficit reduction commission and the Republican's pledge to slash spending, most voters continue to expect the government to keep spending our money. A new Rasmussen poll finds that just 33% of likely voters think it is at least somewhat likely that Congress will significantly reduce government spending over the next year. However, 60% say a significant reduction in government spending is unlikely. Interestingly, the 60% is comprised of 63% of Republicans and 73% of voters not affiliated with either political party whereas Democrats are evenly divided on the question.

The party that introduces legislation that increases our budget will be called on the carpet this time around. I know the GOP won't attempt this, but I hope they also don't squander the opportunity to place as many cost cutting pieces of legislation on Obama's desk as possible. People need to see a real sea change in the party's fiscal responsibility to once again trust the convictions of the party.

House Votes No Tax Cuts for "Rich"

The House voted 234-188 today to pass legislation that would extend the Bush-era tax cuts only for those making less than $200,000 or $250,000 as a family. Twenty Democrats, Brian Baird (WA), Dan Boren (OK), Kathy Dahlkemper (PA), Artur Davis (AL), Lloyd Doggett (TX), Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (SD), Ron Klein (FL), Jim Matheson (UT), Mike McIntyre (NC), Mike McMahon (NY), Jerry McNerney (CA), Walt Minnick (ID), Gwen Moore (WI), Jim Moran (VA), Collin Peterson (MN), Earl Pomeroy (ND), Bobby Scott (VA), Gene Taylor (MI), Mike Thompson (CA) and Pete Visclosky (IN) voted against the bill after 33 had defected in a previous test vote. Three Republicans, Walter Jones (NC), Ron Paul (TX) and John Duncan (TN), voted with Democrats to renew only the middle-class cuts.

This vote is superfluous, however, since Senate Republicans have vowed to filibuster the proposal. They have pledged to hold out for an extension on all cuts, making Pelosi the silliest sitting duck.

Republicans Pledge to Fillibuster All Lame Duck Bills

All 42 Senate Republicans have pledged to refuse to vote for cloture on any bill until the federal government is funded beyond this week and the Bush tax cuts are addressed before they expire December 31. Apparently, they sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid this morning stating their intention to stifle any quick passage of bills Democrats are considering taking up before addressing the tax cuts. The two most publicized such bills relate to a defense authorization that includes a repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy and the Dream Act, giving some illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children a path to legal residence.

Of course, to politicize the issue, Reid said he is "also lining up action on a labor-backed bill to guarantee collective bargaining rights to first responders, such as police and firefighters, and a bill to extend health care coverage and compensation to people who worked in the World Trade Center ruins after 9/11 and since became sick." That way, he can condemn the Republicans for their obvious homophobia and refusing to take care of 9-11 victims. Let him do it. The GOP is attempting to do the responsible thing in this lame duck session and can remind voters in 2012 that four Democrats voted against the earmark ban:

•Jon Tester (Montana)

•Ben Nelson (Nebraska)

•Kent Conrad (North Dakota)

•Joe Manchin (West Virginia).