Centralizing Power Is Really Expensive

The Foundation



"[W]hen all government ... shall be drawn to Washington as the center of all power, it will render powerless the checks provided of one government on another." --Thomas Jefferson


Editorial Exegesis




"The latest Congressional Budget Office calls the lie on President Obama's claim that the nation's debt crisis can be solved with just a few trims to spending and a bit more taxes on the rich. Obama lately has acted as though most of the work has already been done to get the debt problem under control. ... But the latest CBO report shows that the country is far from out of the woods. In fact, despite the supposed budget cuts and the $620 billion in tax hikes Obama brags about, deficits start climbing every year after 2015, reaching back up to $978 billion by 2023. Debt, too, starts expanding again as a share of GDP, climbing to 77% by 2023, with no end in sight. Even that grim outlook is unrealistic. The CBO's forecast assumes, for example, that Congress will let scheduled huge cuts in Medicare payments to doctors go through, even though they haven't done so for years. It assumes ObamaCare's costs don't explode, despite increasing evidence to the contrary. And it assumes there's no recession anytime in the next decade and that interest rates remain reasonably low. The CBO also makes it abundantly clear that the cause of this crisis is out-of-control spending, not insufficient tax revenues. ... The report is also clear that entitlements -- Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and now ObamaCare -- are to blame for the continued growth in spending. ... The CBO adds that 'unless the laws governing those programs are changed, debt will rise sharply relative to GDP after 2023.' So what is Obama doing in the face of this still-looming crisis? Instead of confronting spending and entitlements, he's focused on meaningless side issues like gun control and scoring short-term political points against Republicans. Given the scale of the nation's fiscal crisis, this is hardly the leadership we need right now. But unless something changes, it's the leadership we're stuck with for the next four years." --Investor's Business Daily



The Gipper



"The price for this freedom at times has been high, but we have never been unwilling to pay that price. ... It is time for us to realize that we are too great a nation to limit ourselves to small dreams. We're not, as some would have us believe, doomed to an inevitable decline. I do not believe in a fate that will fall on us no matter what we do. I do believe in a fate that will fall on us if we do nothing." --Ronald Reagan


Today marks President Ronald Wilson Reagan's 102nd birthday, or as he would have phrased it, the 63rd anniversary of his 39th birthday. The observance of this occasion provides a vital bond with our national heritage of Liberty and those who have devoted their lives and fortunes to advance it. Don't miss our remembrance.

Upright

"The income tax was considered ... one of the most notable achievements of the Democratic Party. ... Following the 16th Amendment, the Revenue Act of 1913 was passed and signed into law on Oct. 3, 1913. And so, the income tax was made a permanent part of American culture. In 1913, the highest income earners tax rate was 7 percent. That is dramatically different from today's highest earners, especially after the latest increase in income taxes. As of Jan. 2013, the top income rate is 39.6 percent, after the recent spike in income taxes at the beginning of 2013. This is a 465 percent increase from the original 1913 level of 7 percent. Even with this huge increase, the Democrats and media alike continue to call for raising taxes -- specifically on those who make more then $250,000 a year." --Media Research Center's Liz Thatcher
"The key to the progressive 'ratchet,' as it is often, correctly, called, is that no step forward may ever be retraced. ... The key to the success of Western socialism's 'progress' is not the periodic lurches toward the abyss. It is the art of effective stalling. All of today's political and moral outrages will be rationalized with a shrug tomorrow: 'What difference -- at this point -- does it make?'" --columnist Daren Jonescu
"This White House has already shown a propensity toward ruling by executive fiat -- whether by executive action that effectively enacts rejected legislation, by refusing to enforce existing law, or by crafting rules for legislation to grant vast new powers to bureaucrats. Once it has de-legitimized the opposition, the White House can claim it is left with no choice but to accelerate and expand its use of executive power. What else can they do, the president and his operatives will argue, when faced with the insanity of the Republicans?" --White House Dossier's Keith Koffler
"Not one of the past federal amnesties was associated with a decline in illegal immigration. Instead, the number of illegal aliens in the U.S. has tripled since 1986. The total effect of the amnesties was even larger because relatives later joined amnesty recipients, and this number was multiplied by an unknown number of children born to amnesty recipients who then acquired automatic U.S. citizenship. ... You want 'comprehensive immigration reform'? Start with reliable adjudications, fully cleared backlogs, consistent interior enforcement, working background checks for the existing caseload, and efficient and effective deportation policies that punish law-breakers and do right by law-abiders." --columnist Michelle Malkin
"There's an old saying amongst First Amendment lawyers that the proper cure for bad speech is better speech, and that Paul Harvey [Super Bowl] ad was, without doubt, better speech [than Beyoncé's halftime show]. To be clear, I'm not opposed to some good, old-fashioned cultural hand-wringing when the occasion demands it. Indeed, it's important to call out the wrong, but calling out the wrong without providing a compelling right will ultimately get us nowhere." --National Review's David French

Insight

"The only good bureaucrat is one with a pistol at his head. Put it in his hand and it's good-bye to the Bill of Rights." --American author H. L. Mencken (1880-1956)
"To do evil a human being must first of all believe that what he's doing is good." --Russian novelist and Soviet dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn (1918-2008)

The Right ... to Keep and Bear Arms

Barack "Skeeter" Obama and his NeoCom cadres aren't letting up on their anti-gun agenda. We can't let down our guard, either.
Please take a moment and join the 37,000 of your fellow Patriots who have pledged to support and defend our Constitution, including the Second Amendment. Share it with your family, friends and colleagues via social media and email, as well.

Sign the 2A pledge!

Demo-gogues

Feelings: "[I]f there's even one thing we can do to keep our children and our community safe -- there's just one step we can take to prevent more families from feeling what they feel after they've lost a loved one -- we've got an obligation to take that step." --Barack Obama, still stumping for gun control on nothing but emotion
Gun grabbers: "I'm sorry it's taken two years for us to convene this hearing, that it took Newtown, Connecticut, to finally bring us to our senses and to open this national conversation [on gun control]." --Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL)
"Where are we going with [the Second Amendment]? I mean, do individuals get to own nuclear weapons? Do they get to own submarines, with this notion that they have a right to bear arms? No." --Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI)
Reminders: "I think it's important to remind everybody that, what I've said previously, I am not a king, I am head of the executive branch of government. I am required to follow the law, and that is what we've done. But what I have also said is let's make sure we apply law in a way that takes into account." --Barack Obama, who all too often behaves as a king
Raise taxes: "There is no doubt we need additional revenue, coupled with smart spending reductions in order to bring down our deficit. And we can do it in a gradual way so it doesn't have a huge impact." --Barack Obama (Translation: So you don't notice quite as much.)
Coming to terms: "I hope no one uses the term 'illegal immigrants' here today. Our citizens are -- the people in this country are not illegal, they are out of status, they are new Americans that are immigrants, and I think that we can forge a path to citizenship that will be able to pass muster." --Rep. John Conyers at this week's House immigration hearing
Change: "My attitude is that gays and lesbians should have access and opportunity the same way everybody else does in every institution and walk of life, and the [Boy] Scouts are a great institution that are promoting young people and exposing them to opportunities and leadership that will serve people for the rest of their lives, and I think that nobody should be barred from that." --Barack Obama, calling for major policy change for the Scouts

Playing make believe: "[Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell] continues badmouthing the recovery. We are in a recovery. ... Growth went down in the fourth quarter because of reduced government spending. The economy was rejecting the austerity and brinkmanship." --Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)

Dezinformatsia

Department of Corrections: "An earlier version of this article misstated the type of weapon that President Obama fired in a photo released Saturday by the White House. It was a shotgun, not a rifle." --The New York Times (See Barack "Skeeter" Obama on the range.)
Is this a fashion show? "Obama is outdoors amid grass and trees with a rifle cocked in his left shoulder, his left index finger on the trigger and smoke coming from the barrel. He is wearing jeans, a dark blue, short-sleeved polo shirt, sunglasses and headphones." --Associated Press writer Darlene Superville
Fearmongering: "I was thinking, you know, there's a few place in the country we are safe from the NRA, maybe California, maybe the Northeast. ... [But] I read the other day Cuomo's numbers have crumbled pretty much on that one issue in New York State. ... [I]s anybody safe from the NRA?" --MSNBC's Chris Matthews
Hot air: "When the president and certainly the incoming secretary of state who has been a leader on climate change is talking about doing something about greenhouse gases, haven't the storms -- Superstorm Sandy, Irene last year -- haven't all of these recent storms and the fluctuations in temperature taught us if nothing else, that we have a real climate problem and that we have to deal with this here even if the rest of the world isn't going to deal with it, in China and elsewhere?" --NBC's Andrea Mitchell

Newspulper Headlines:

Out on a Limb: "Could John Kerry Broker a Mideast Peace Deal? Probably Not" --NationalJournal.com
Working Title: 'What Difference Does It Make?': "Hillary Clinton to Write Second Memoir" --Today.com
So Much for an End to Name Calling: "Chuck Hagel, John McCain Butt Heads at Defense Secretary Confirmation Hearing" --ABCNews.com
It's Always in the Last Place You Look: "Hitler's Toilet Is in New Jersey" --TabletMag.com
Longest Books Ever Written: "Media Bias in the Age of Obama" --Commentary website
Bottom Story of the Day: "Gore Calls Lack of Climate-Related Questions in Presidential Debates 'Pathetic'" --TheHill.com
(Thanks to The Wall Street Journal's James Taranto)

Village Idiots

A little self reflection? "There are some people in politics and in the press who can't be confused by the facts. They just will not live in an evidence-based world. And that's regrettable. ... If you look back, we've done some really stupid things over two hundred years." --Hillary Clinton
Blame game: "We live in Chicago and one of the reasons we have such a huge problem is all around us are areas with weak laws and with very lax background checks and a lot of illegal guns flow into this city." --White House adviser David Axelrod blaming gang violence on law-abiding gun owners who don't live in Chicago
Help wanted: "We look at death coming down the street[s] [of Chicago] and can't stop it. We need federal intervention. It must be seen as a threat to national security. It's not just local. When the president shows up, it shows ultimate national seriousness." --Jesse Jackson
"Last year we hit a record number of murders from guns [in Chicago]. And this year we are already outpacing last year's numbers. Now, there are contributing factors that are not under anybody's control and may seem odd, but it is factually true. One of them is actually the weather. There is a dramatic increase in gun violence when it is warmer. And we are having this climate change effect that is driving that." --former Playboy chairwoman and CEO Christie Hefner
Hollywood hypocrites: "I know people get [upset] and go, 'They're going to take away the assault weapon.' Who ... needs an assault weapon? Like really, unless you're carrying out an assault. ... You can't hunt with it. ... Who's going to attack your house, a [expletive] army?" --actor Sylvester Stallone, who's latest movie is "Bullet to the Head"
"[Anyone] who would run out to buy an assault rifle after the Newtown massacre has very little left in their body or soul worth protecting." --actor Jim Carrey

Short Cuts

"[The] Founders could have never imagined television, radio, Internet. Clearly, we need photo ID and background checks to use these things. Twitter can reach millions in seconds. Clearly, the Founders never imagined such power. It should be banned. The First Amendment clearly only applies to quill pens on parchment, and primitive printing presses. ... Twitter, Pintrest, Instagram, Facebook, etc., should be shut down since minors illegally use their products. Bullying on social media has led to an outbreak of violence/suicide. Clearly social media requires registration. One should not be allowed to register social media under an alias under penalty of prison time." --PJMedia's Bob Owens
"The state of Washington is now looking for a marijuana consultant now that marijuana is legal up there. I think this is one of those green jobs President Obama is always talking about." --comedian Jay Leno
"President Obama's campaign staff and operation was rolled into a permanent lobbying group. Democrats can still buy items on his website to support his efforts for hope and change. Each Obama bumper sticker comes with a Toyota Prius attached to it." --comedian Argus Hamilton
"Despite the EPA's crackdown on coal-fired plants, the power plant heating the Capitol still burns coal. I think there's a more obvious source of hot air they're overlooking here." --Fred Thompson
Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus et Fidelis!
Nate Jackson for The Patriot Post Editorial Team


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