Monthly Archives: April 2010

Posted on April 21, 2010 | Leave a comment

THERE IS ALWAYS A NEXT.

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WHEN INCOME TAX IS INCOME, NOT TAX

Posted on April 21, 2010 | 1 comment

The IRS provides a simple online income tax calculator. They call it an “Estimator”. You will find it here. One could enter the following hypothetical data:

Married with two children, adjusted gross income $50,000, child care expenses $1,500, claiming just 2 of the 3 child care credits offered.

Then enter $1,800 as income tax withheld and click the button to see the result.

The tax due is calculated to be $2,439 but the government pays it all, and more. The “refund” turns out to be $2,131 which is $331 more than was withheld in the first place. It all happens through the magic of “tax credits” in excess of tax due.

I will say one thing for this system. As a method to spread the wealth it is very efficient. An increment of money is taken from those who pay taxes and given directly to those who don’t. Administrative costs for this Robin Hood plan are minimal. It also qualifies as stealth welfare. Voters do not think of the IRS as a source of income and net income from the IRS does not show up in the welfare statistics. well, perhaps it’s not welfare, our citizen was earning $50,000 a year.

Bob B

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DID GOLDMAN DO IT?

Posted on April 20, 2010 | Leave a comment

It doesn’t matter.

Of course it matters civilly; if wrongs were committed the consequences should be applied. But guilt or innocence doesn’t matter politically because the allegation alone serves the purpose.

In Rules for Radicals Alinsky’s 13th Tactical Rule is “Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.” Goldman has been picked. (If they are guilty, a cynic might say they volunteered.) “Freeze it” means stay on it. Obama is coming to New York Thursday to stay on it. To “personalize it” means getting the community to feel personally harmed by it. You lost your job because of a recession by which Goldman profited. To “polarize it” is to use the target to fan the flames, to agitate. Get the people angry. Get them behind legislation to reform the financial markets. The government needs more power over the financial industry, to keep the cats from getting fat while you are looking for work.

Mayor Bloomberg learned of the intended visit only upon seeing it in the news. He was not amused. But the goals of polarization and agitation were advanced in the process. A good community organizer makes it plain that he is not subservient to the man, not part of the establishment. There is no need to coordinate with the mayor.

Random Thots hopes to publish an analysis of Goldman’s guilt or innocence when more details become available. In the meantime we recommend today’s article in the New York Times. It appears to be a fair and well written analysis.

Bob B

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Posted in Political philosophy, Political polemics

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Posted on April 20, 2010 | Leave a comment

If you are a golfer you will enjoy the defense of Obama’s golf outing yesterday, written by Stephen Smith in the Washington Examiner

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RON PAUL RISING ?

Posted on April 20, 2010 | Leave a comment

A Rasmussen poll puts Ron Paul in a dead heat with Barack Obama, 42 to 41 percent. Why are Ron Paul’s poll numbers so high? Because people are fed up with Washington, that’s why. Clinton soiled our house with Monica. Bush took us on a hunting trip for a target that did not exist and spent like a Democrat. Obama is selling America short around the world and leading us into bankruptcy at home. Taxes are going up and health care is going down.

Along comes Ron Paul, riding into this melee of disgust with his Libertarian message to eliminate the federal government, or at least a big part of it. He wants to bring all the troops home, end foreign aid, abolish the IRS and the Department of Health and Education. Hip! Hip! Hooray! for Ron Paul!…However, Paul’s popularity is a but a primal scream.

He has no chance of winning the nomination for the Republican party. His popularity will wane with time as sane Americans see him as a bit of a nut. It is one thing to cheer him on between elections but quite another to put him up as your candidate. Both conservatives and Republicans know that. However, the man is tenacious and has a loyal hard core constituency. President – no, spoiler – maybe, but only if he bolts the party.

Bob B

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THE NEXT PROBLEM

Posted on April 19, 2010 | Leave a comment

“And if we don’t change what led to the crisis, we’ll doom ourselves to repeat it.” “Opposing reform will leave taxpayers on the hook if a crisis like this ever happens again,” With these words Barack Obama has introduced the next problem that requires increased government control in order to solve. He was referring, of course, to the mortgage meltdown that precipitated the economic recession.

Kudos Mr. President. You have chosen the next problem well. Government’s responsibility has already been transferred to the private sector. Dodd is done. Criticism of Barney Frank can be framed as homophobia. Voters don’t know what a GSE is and Franklin Raines is remembered as the Editor in Chief of the New York Times. The word “crisis” plays nicely with the current Problem as well.

Of course Franklin Raines is the should-have-been convicted former head of the Government Sponsored Entity (GSE) known as Fannie Mae. It is interesting to note that the F in the official name stands for Federal, not Fannie. It was Howell Raines at the New York Times, the one who was discredited and dismissed as a consequence of the Jason Blair scandal. The two Raines are related, but only by ideology.

Related links

New York Times articles about Franklin’s fraudulent financial finagling.

Obama is major recipient of  campaign contributions from FNM

Washington Post reports extensive fraud at Government Sponsored Entity

The Motley Fool publishes a summary of Fannie Mae culprits.

Bob B

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Posted in Political polemics

THE NEED FOR PROBLEMS

Posted on April 19, 2010 | Leave a comment

Politics 101. Politicians justify their existence and gain voter support by solving problems, the bigger the problem the better. Having a problem to be solved is an imperative. It establishes the need for government involvement and enables a political party to proclaim they are the one best suited to solve it. Problems must be carefully chosen, skillfully enlarged and loudly proclaimed. In extreme cases it may even be necessary to create the problem. Once identified, a problem must not be wasted.

There must always be a current problem. When one problem has outrun its usefulness another must be started. In choosing a problem for government to solve do not be deterred if it happens to be a problem that government created. Blame is easily transferred to the private sector with a little populist rhetoric. And of course, one should make maximum use of the word “crisis”. If an actual crisis is not available, the specter of one may be used.

Bob B

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Posted in Political philosophy, Satire

SOME SUNDAY MUSIC

Posted on April 18, 2010 | Leave a comment

Jim Nabors sings the Old Rugged Cross

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Posted in Audio/Visual

WASHINGTON BY THE WEEK

Posted on April 17, 2010 | Leave a comment

Week ending April 16 2010

Leftovers
Once upon a time I had a neighbor who insisted his wife never made an original meal, only leftovers. (Is it still OK to say “wife”? I am never sure these days.)

Leftovers from last week, Friday April 9
Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens resigns
Stevens was leaning left, as they say, so the numeric balance will not change but the angle of the dangle, as they say, may increase.

Dawn Johnson withdraws
Most Americans are unfamiliar with the name. She was Obama’s pick to head the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel. The Leftside bloggers are very upset. The Rightside speculates that Dawn was too far left for Harry Reid to be able to garner enough votes for confirmation, even with his filibuster proof majority.

Originals for this week
Saturday
Obama breaks protocol
The Prez ducks the press and goes to a family function without them. I told you the man is not insane. Good for him!

Monday
Google CEO proposes screening your news
Eric Schmidt is a political activist supporting Obama. He is also CEO of Google. He says technology of the sort employed by Google should be used to determine what you are given to read. Joseph Goebbels would have loved the idea.

Obama bows again
President Barack Obama greets Chinese President Hu Jintao with a bow during the official arrivals for the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington. It would be nice if he had shown the same respect to someone like the Dali Lama.

Tuesday
Rasmussen poll – 58% of likely voters favor repeal of Obamacare

White House asks the White House Correspondents’ Association to limit access of conservative newsgroup to the association’s annual banquet.

Wednesday
Rasmussen poll – Surprises, Ron Paul vs. Barack Obama would be a dead heat if election were today, 41 to 42 percent. And 24% of voters consider themselves part of the Tea Party movement.

Neil Armstrong says Obama decision will make the U.S. a 2nd or 3rd rate player in space.

Thursday
Cap and Tax revived in Senate.
The House has already passed their own version.

Friday
White House complains about CBS report that potential Supreme Court Justice nominee may be a lesbian
So what?

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BEWARE OF ARCTIC ICE

Posted on April 16, 2010 | Leave a comment

If you are planning a canoe trip up North this year, perhaps to the Bering Sea, you no longer need to fear the consequences of an inadvertent paddle across the line in the water that marks the Russian border. We are on the same side now. But the campsite you used last year may no longer be reachable by water.

According to this report, ice coverage is increasing in the Arctic. That raises concern for the polar bears who now have to waddle farther to get to the water where the seals are. Where is PETA when you need them?

Al Gore preached another warming sermon on April 8th but we don’t know if he addressed the polar bear issue because he disallowed press coverage except for the first 5 minutes. And he wouldn’t take questions from the floor, only by previously submitted cards so the inconvenient ones could be screened out.

Global temperatures have not risen past their peak established in 1998, twelve years ago. The solution to that problem was to change the mantra from “global warming” to “climate change”. Now we need to give more control to the government so they can combat climate change. Autumn colors are an extravagance the planet can no longer afford.

Poor Al, central to his case was the frightening hockey stick graph with the handle representing the world up until now, and the upward pointing end that whacks the puck representing the suffering we would endure when it hit us. Unfortunately, it turned out to be the concoction of some fraudulent scientists. Record cold temperatures were recorded across the nation last winter and it snowed in Bagdad.

So you can’t blame the former Vice President for being nervous. With warming cooling he is feeling the heat. His very raison d’etre is slipping away. His income is in jeopardy. He lost his job with the government. His old Buddy Bill of Clinton fame has accused him of citing the advent of Spring as proof of global warming. That must have hurt. But he won’t go homeless. I am sure some Senator will be glad to build an igloo for him.

THE BENEVOLENT INHOFE FAMILY

Tell your friends about Random Thots.

Bob B

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Posted in Satire

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