Thursday, October 25, 2012

Democrat/Republican Differences Corrections


As the quadrennial Presidential elections race to meet us, I thought some random coverage of political thoughts about what is at stake would be appropriate.  And please don't even think the tired, old Democrat lie that the Republicans want 'tax cuts for the rich at the expense of the poor.'  This year the Democrats are even making it more scary with their 'raising the taxes on the middle class to fund tax cuts for the rich.'  As a matter of fact [and something very apparent to President Kennedy], across-the-board tax cuts ALWAYS increase tax revenue, so paying for tax cuts is a phony mantra.

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Just to set the record straight because these comments are always being quoted out of context, this is an exact quote of the infamous "47%" comments of Mitt Romney, and you should understand it in context:

"Audience member: For the last three years, all everybody's been told is, "Don't worry, we'll take care of you." How are you going to do it, in two months before the elections, to convince everybody you've got to take care of yourself?

"Romney: There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe that government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you name it. That that's an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what. And I mean, the president starts off with 48, 49, 48—he starts off with a huge number.

These are people who pay no income tax. Forty-seven percent of Americans pay no income tax. So our message of low taxes doesn't connect. And he'll be out there talking about tax cuts for the rich. I mean that's what they sell every four years. And so my job is not to worry about those people—I'll never convince them that they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives. What I have to do is convince the 5 to 10 percent in the center that are independents that are thoughtful, that look at voting one way or the other depending upon in some cases emotion, whether they like the guy or not, what it looks like. I mean, when you ask those people…we do all these polls—I find it amazing—we poll all these people, see where you stand on the polls, but 45 percent of the people will go with a Republican, and 48 or 4…"
*
Note well that Romney does not mention Social Security and Medicare.  Those are not "entitlements" in the same vein as the welfare programs.  We already paid-in all our work lives for both of these.  And though many Social Security recipients don't pay income tax, they are not what Romney was talking about above.  There is a large 40s' percentage who will vote for Obama no matter what. 

Check out the You Tube video of the woman who will vote for Obama for more free things, like the telephone 'he' gave her.  So there are: those who want free things; those who don't want to work and will live on the taxpayer dime; black and white racists who will vote for him because he's black; those communists and socialists out there who recognize what Obama's ideology really is; those who vote Democrat no matter what; union members, whether their unions are communist led or not; those working in companies who were given largesse from the Federal Treasury---oh wait!  $Billions were sent to green companies, most of whom have gone bankrupt or are on the edge of oblivion.  So these are the people in the Obama camp: once again---the non-thinkers, the takers, the money wasters, the racists, the union members, the die-hard Democrats, the believers of the Democrat spin and lies put out by the campaigns.

My old friend Dave wrote to me in part:  "...Final point…I truly resent Romney’s comment on the fundraising tape about individuals “not willing to take responsibility for their lives.”  Does the fact that I receive Social Security and Medicare make me irresponsible?  Do you feel that way?  All things being equal, I do not wish to elect a man President who might potentially see me and millions of other individuals in such a light..."

So, once Dave understands the context of the Romney comments, and the fact that he wasn't talking about Social Security and Medicare recipients, he might see Mitt Romney in a better light. 

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As transcribed and analyzed in Real Clear Politics:

Pat Caddell [Democrat public opinion pollster and a political film consultant.  In the past, he has worked with George McGovern; Jimmy Carter; Gary Hart; Joe Biden; Jerry Brown.  After an acrimonious lawsuit with a Democrat consulting firm, Caddell left the Democrat Party] recently gave a speech in an 'Accuracy In Media' conference.

'...I think we’re at the most dangerous time in our political history in terms of the balance of power in the role that the media plays in whether or not we maintain a free democracy or not...'

[re the Benghazi terrorist attack:]  'We've had nine days of lies over what happened because they [the White House] can't dare say it's a terrorist attack, and the press won't push this,' said Caddell. 'Yesterday there was not a single piece in The New York Times over the question of Libya. Twenty American embassies, yesterday, are under attack. None of that is on the national news. None of it is being pressed in the papers.'

"Caddell added that it is one thing for the news to have a biased view, but 'It is another thing to specifically decide that you will not tell the American people information they have a right to know.'

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[a question from my Liberal friend in a recent email.  My comments are in the brackets:]

"I listened to the Caddell speech. I agree that the objective truth in reporting has been lost. *[Absolutely.]* There is a definite bias, but it cuts both ways."  [I don't think so.  The mainstream media is totally far left, and common sense and truth take a beating.  Anything not pro Obama doesn't always get covered.  As you say, objective reporting has
been lost.  It's been replaced with leftist ideology.  American listeners and viewers don't have a chance when they only hear one side of a problem or event, aren't told the truth or are misled, and generally are treated like lemmings.]

*
Peter Ferrara [Director of Entitlement and Budget Policy for the Heartland Institute; Senior Adviser for Entitlement Reform and Budget Policy at the National Tax Limitation Foundation; General Counsel for the American Civil Rights Union; and Senior Fellow at the National Center for Policy Analysis; and he served in the White House under President Reagan.]  in Forbes during June 2012, noted that:  "...President Obama has led America into an accelerating downward spiral.  Destination: Argentina.  Last Friday’s calamitous jobs report was just a signpost on the way...

"...Argentina enjoyed the world’s fourth highest per capita GDP in 1929, on par with the U.S. at the time.  But then the nation lost its way through its embrace of a leftist, union allied government, which took control of the economy and imposed wildly irresponsible taxes, spending, deficits and debt.  After World War II, the hugely popular Juan Peron came to power and institutionalized the madness.  It has been all downhill for Argentina ever since.  Sound familiar?.."

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John Hawkins is a Conservative columnist for 'Townhall', 'Linkiest', 'Pica Quote', and he has accounts with Facebook, Twitter, G+, Pinterest, and at Pajamas' Media.  His excellent articles on 25 examples of both situations indicated were posted on Townhall in August of this year.  25 Examples of life if Everyone were Liberal; and 25 Examples of life if Everyone were Conservative.

Examples of life if Everyone were Liberal:

3) Gas would cost $9 a gallon. Liberals would consider this a plus because it would cause more people to get tax credits to buy government subsidized $40,000 electric cars.

5) The corporate tax rate would be 15 percent higher, most American workers would be unionized and tax rates would soar. As a result, our economy would be stagnant and our unemployment rate would permanently be in the 10-20% range.

7) There would be price controls on electricity, gasoline, and most household goods. Of course, there would also be regular shortages of electricity, gasoline, and most household goods.

9) Conservatism would be considered hate speech that could draw a massive fine or even jail time for repeat offenders.

11) Wearing a cross, mentioning the Bible, or advocating Christian beliefs anywhere outside of a church would be illegal because it might "offend people."

13) America's military would be so weak we'd have to rely on Mexico and Canada to defend us from potential threats.

14) The Israelis would be driven into the sea, Taiwan would be swallowed by China, and Russia would begin to gobble up the countries that broke free after the Soviet Union fell[---because Obama had more flexibility after the election.]

17) Activists would be able to sue on behalf of individual plants and animals in court.

18) The government would control health care top-to-bottom. It would take six months to get an operation, which would be considered a feature, not a bug because a lot of old people would die in the interim and save the government money.

22) We'd have open borders and so many illegal aliens in the southern United States that California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas would end up being ceded back to Mexico.

Examples of life if Everyone were Conservative:

1) …There would be fewer regulations, lower taxes, a business-friendly environment, and a much smaller government that would lead to considerably stronger economic growth and job creation. In fact, we'd probably have to dramatically increase the number of work permits we hand out to foreign workers, not because there are "jobs Americans won't do" (which don't actually exist), but because so many Americans would be employed that we'd have to bring in more people to do all of the available work.

5) ...Welfare and food stamps would still exist, but there wouldn't be as much need for them, it would be considered shameful to take either, and you can be sure that people would have to work for every hand-out they receive.

8) ...We'd have the same sort of "loser pays" legal system that’s practiced in much of the rest of the civilized world. That would dramatically reduce the number of lawsuits and the cost of legal insurance.

11) ...The fence would be built, the border would be secure, anyone who overstayed his VISA would be tracked down and deported, and illegal aliens who did make it into the country would be forever barred from visiting here legally or becoming citizens.

12) ...Legal immigration would be faster, cheaper, and much more efficient. We'd also be selecting new American immigrants based on merit instead of rewarding people for breaking our laws or allowing them to come here because their son or cousin already managed to become a citizen.

13) ...English would be the national language.

17) ...All people would be welcome to practice their religious faith with no official state-run religion, just as the Founding Fathers intended. So, yes, you could have a manger in front of the town hall at Christmas and the Ten Commandments on a court house wall, and teachers in public school could teach from the Bible in class when it was appropriate.

20) ...Kids would start out school with the Pledge of Allegiance and a daily prayer.

22) ...You wouldn't have terrorists, communists, and people who hate America teaching at our universities.

24) ...We'd have safe water, safe food, clean air, and a clean environment, but we'd put an end to the years of legal challenges to new building projects and people having their land declared a "wetland" because the ground gets soggy for a few days a year.

25) ...There would be no public unions. Private unions would, of course, still exist, but no one would be forced to join and employers, if they so desire, would be able to fire everyone in the union and get a new work force.

***
Excerpts from the Voice of America News, we have a commentary of the differences between the Democrat and Republican Platforms.

Democratic, Republican Platforms Reveal Stark Policy Differences

"Here is a look at key provisions in both platforms...

SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

Democrats:  Support "marriage equality" and efforts to secure equal legal treatment for same-sex couples;  Support full repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, a 1996 measure defining marriage as a union between one man and one woman.

Republicans  Support the Defense of Marriage Act;  Back the rights of states and federal governments NOT to recognize same-sex relationships licensed in other jurisdictions.

ABORTION

Democrats:  Support Roe versus Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion.

Republicans:  Support a "human life amendment" to the Constitution;  Oppose use of public revenue to promote or perform abortion or fund organizations that do so.

HEALTHCARE

Democrats:  Oppose any efforts to privatize or set up a voucher program for Medicare, the U.S. healthcare program for the elderly;  Seek to expand health benefits and reduce fraud.

Republicans:  Vow to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the health reform legislation dubbed "Obamacare" by critics;  Seek to modernize Medicare and say the program, in its current form, is unsustainable.

IMMIGRATION

Democrats:  Want comprehensive immigration reform that would bring undocumented immigrants "out of the shadows," requiring them to "get right with the law, learn English and pay taxes" to be considered for citizenship.

Republicans:  Oppose any form of "amnesty" for those who "by intentionally violating the law" when entering the United States "disadvantage those who have obeyed it."

ECONOMY

Democrats:  Seek to extend tax cuts put in place under Republican President George W. Bush for Americans earning less than $250,000 a year;  Support the expiration of tax cuts imposed at the same time for those earning more than $250,000.

Republicans:  Seek to extend the Bush-era tax cuts for all Americans, pending reform of the federal tax code;  Want to rein in government spending and reduce regulations.

SMALL BUSINESSES

Democrats:  Call U.S. small businesses the 'engine of job growth in America.'  Support tax cuts for small businesses enacted by President Barack Obama.

Republicans:
-Call small businesses the 'backbone of the U.S. economy';  Seek to reform the tax code to allow businesses to "generate enough capital to grow and create jobs."

ENERGY

Democrats:  Seek to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign oil by developing domestic wind, solar, geothermal, nuclear and hydropower, biofuels, oil, clean coal and natural gas, as well as by increasing energy efficiency in buildings, industries and homes, and promoting "advanced" vehicles and fuel economy standards;  Want to protect "sensitive" public lands, including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, from exploration.

Republicans:
-Support opening the coastal plain of Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for exploration.
-Seek allowances for more oil and natural gas exploration on federally owned and controlled land.

MIDDLE EAST HOT SPOTS

Democrats:  Iran: Support President Obama's commitment to 'using all instruments of national power' to keep Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Syria: Vow to work to end regime of President Bashar al-Assad and support a political transition.

Republicans:  Iran: Say the threat of a nuclear Iran has grown under President Obama because of a 'failed engagement policy';  Syria: Support a transition to a 'post-Assad Syrian government' that would be 'representative of its people.'

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Film producer and marketing expert Mark Joseph, a self-proclaimed registered independent, says that despite more Republicans' increase ease expressing their political views, the majority of Tinseltown conservatives still prefer to keep their lips sealed.

“Liberals feel the freedom to be more outspoken about their beliefs whereas conservatives tend to keep their beliefs to themselves for fear of backlash," Joseph said. "My general rule in any election year is that I can tell who the conservatives are because they’re the ones who aren’t saying anything about either candidate. With each person who steps out for the GOP, whether it’s Clint Eastwood or Stacey Dash or Lindsay Lohan, whatever stigma there is, is lessened.”

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"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."  - John Adams

"The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government."  - Patrick Henry

"Laws that forbid the carrying of arms... disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes... Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man.   - [Thomas Jefferson's 'Commonplace Book,' 1774-1776, quoting from 'On Crimes and Punishment,' by criminologist Cesare Beccaria, 1764.

"Americans [have] the right and advantage of being armed, unlike the citizens of other countries whose governments are afraid to trust their people with arms."  - James Madison

"The Constitution of most of our states (and of the United States) assert that all power is inherent in the people; that they may exercise it by themselves; that it is their right and duty to be at all times armed and that they are entitled to freedom of person, freedom of religion, freedom of property, and freedom of press."  - Thomas Jefferson

"We, the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow men who pervert the Constitution."  - Abraham Lincoln

"I am for doing good to the poor, but I differ in opinion of the means. I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. In my youth I traveled much, and I observed in different countries, that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer."  - Benjamin Franklin, On the Price of Corn and Management of the Poor, November 1766

"Repeal that [welfare] law, and you will soon see a change in their manners...Six days shalt thou labor, though one of the old commandments long treated as out of date, will again be looked upon as a respectable precept; industry will increase, and with it plenty among the lower people; their circumstances will mend, and more will be done for their happiness by inuring them to provide for themselves, than could be done by dividing all your estates among them."  - Benjamin Franklin, letter to Collinson, May 9, 1753