THE ENTERPRISE—THE CLASH OF IDEOLOGIES—AND AN ELECTION YEAR

 

THE LATEST GOP DEBATE SHOWED A LOT

One of the best “Governors” (John Kasich) didn’t come out so well. He talked way too much good sense and practical truth—all steak and no sizzle.

A governor I like (Chris Christie) hurt his cornerstone—credibility—by making claims that were either false or at least arguably wrong—too bad.

A third governor (Jeb Bush) spoke strongly but still looks like an outraged school teacher scolding a class—NOT a president—incredibly wonky, weak.

(He needs to call off his super-PAC and its vicious attack ads on his fellow GOP opponents. I wouldn’t vote for him just because of those.)

A great doctor, and smart, good man, (Ben Carson) sounded like that—but miles & miles from being presidential—NO WAY a president in the 21st century.

The undercard continues to make me wonder—WHY is this happening? Rand Paul’s boycott was a great success—he needs to hold onto his Senate seat!

 

And then there were three: Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio. 

 

Donald Trump is growing into the role he’s been playing. He’s actually learning a lot. And he’s been able to get by with the broadest, most vague policy statements imaginable—a dream for a political candidate. He does know how to lead and manage—at least in his style and in corporate settings. He is a strong negotiator—no small talent in a president. He is also becoming a better “debater.” He still has a lot of people who do not like him. Whether he can bring out enough moderates and “Rockefeller Republicans” (moderate Democrats) to win is unclear. 

 

Ted Cruz may win Iowa—or not. He still comes across far too often as too smart, too slippery and too clever. I don’t trust him and neither do most of his colleagues in Congress who see him for what he is—a glib, rampant opportunist. The Barack Obama of the GOP. The purity of his conservative positions is sometimes heartening until you wonder if it is just another phony ploy—playing to the audience.

 

Marco Rubio is young and looks younger—but the barrage of attacks he laid on Cruz and his shifty, slippery record was amazing. Cruz even claimed that half of it was wrong (which means conversely that half of it was true—or more than half!) What an admission! Rubio still comes across as the principled adult on the stage. He stands by his positions and justifies them with solid, logical reasoning. You can agree or not, but he’s clear about his plans, his values and his intentions.  I wish he had more “‘real leadership” experience in an executive job…but in this year, in this election, it appears people are going for ideology and the ability to talk clearly about it instead of credentials (or family name).

 

AN IMPORTANT POINT. TO NEED THE EXPERIENCE TO GOVERN, A CANDIDATE MUST FIRST WIN THE ELECTION. 

Rubio is the only one who has consistently beaten Democratic candidates in polls—over and over. Hillary’s campaign fears him most. That is if her campaign actually delivers her the nomination—not as sure as it once seemed. I don’t know how the next few months will play out…but I still wouldn’t vote for Cruz for dogcatcher. I still like, admire, and respect Rubio’s intellect, his calm, rational and engaging communication style and his knowledge.

 

WE ARE IN THE START OF THE 2016 ELECTION YEAR—A YEAR IN WHICH CLASHING IDEOLOGIES WILL BE THE FOCAL ISSUES.

While foreign affairs, terrorism and immigration have taken our attention recently, the Wall Street “Correction” that has occurred over the past couple of weeks will certainly reclaim Americans’ attention. 1) China’s slowing growth—no one really knows what it is but it’s no longer 7%—it may be 3% or 5%, but China is so big that it’s slowing has rippled throughout the global economy and the US Stock market.  2) The collapse of oil prices to a sub $30/bbl level shows that too much of a good thing (supply) can turn into a bad thing (oversupply and collapsing prices). This shock has also rippled through the US economy. 

 

RECESSION AND DEFLATION

Add the sluggish growth of the Obama non-recovery, and his rampant anti-business policies, and economists that mentioned two scary words lately: Recession and Deflation. Both are trouble, but deflation is the worse of the two—it drives everything into a downward spiral. Claims that a sub 5% unemployment rate are so much delusion. Real employment is far from that good. So many people have abandoned looking of jobs that the old unemployment metrics are simply illusions that fail to describe Americas try malaise. Disability rolls are exploding, helped by crooked doctors approving the disability; multiple part time jobs is becoming the norm; Obamacare has driven a full time job definition to 30 hrs./wk vs. 40 hrs./wk, which makes the statistics look better and the American people worse off than ever.

 

ISIS, IRAN, NORTH KOREA AND SYRIA (AND UKRAINE) AND MORE

Global unrest is immense.Whether it is ISIS brutality and its spread around the world, or North Korea’s crazy, immature and unstable leader (with Nukes in hand), or Iran’s blatant violation of the terms of every agreement they entered, (and the seizing a couple of our small Navy boats and humiliating the crews for propaganda value…the only words that fit are scary and unstable. Seeing John Kerry grovel toward Iran’s actions is just typical of how badly misguided America’s president and his minions are.

 

STATE OF THE UNION SPEECH: DENIAL, DELUSION AND DECEPTION—A TYPICAL OBAMA ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSE 

I confess, I could not watch it except for brief snippets. The disconnect of this clueless president from reality is staggering. I guess he still believes that if he says things are OK long enough people will believe his lies. Perhaps only a Benghazi-style attack on the White House might bring Barack Obama back to reality—and that is not even certain—he’d probably run for the hills and blame it on some movie or video.

 

SINCE I DIDN’T WATCH THTE SOTU—IF YOU DIDN’T WATCH BARACK OBAMA’S LATEST PARADE OF LIES, HALF-TRUTHS AND DELUSIONS, HERE IS ANOTHER PERSON’S SUMMARY OF IT. 

 

SOVEREIGN MAN: NOTES FROM THE FIELD     [MY EMPHASIS ADDED]

January 13, 2016  Santiago, Chile     If you’re not watching it purely for the entertainment value, sitting through a State of the Union speech ranks somewhere between a colonoscopy and a root canal.  Every year I opt for the former (entertainment value, not colonoscopy).  But because I live overseas, one of the added entertainment benefits is that I’m surrounded by foreigners who are seeing this highly ritualistic propaganda for the first time. The absurdity starts almost immediately.  The Sergeant-at-Arms introduces the President of the United States, and he receives a massive, five minute standing ovation as he walks across the water to the podium. The applause finally dies down briefly, until, immediately after, the Speaker of the House formally introduces the President. And then the applause begins anew. Try explaining that to a foreigner who’s never seen it before.  Foreigner: “Why is everyone clapping again for the President as if they weren’t just clapping for him 30 seconds ago?”  Me: “Because that’s just the way they do it.”  Foreigner: “But why?”  Me: “… ummm… because they’re all trained monkeys?”  But it is at this point that the real propaganda begins, where the President of the United States tells his fellow Americans that they are prosperous and free.  He cited, for example, the 14 million jobs created since he took office.  Of course he failed to mention the more than $8 trillion in debt (77% increase) that has been accumulated since he was inaugurated seven years ago.  If the President truly wants to take credit as the job creator-in-chief, the basic math works out to be nearly $600,000 in government debt for every single job created.  Zerohedge showed yesterday, in fact, that while debt in the US has increased 77% over the last seven years, GDP has only increased by 13%.  Now, you’d think that for each additional dollar the US government was spending and indebting future generations, there would be at least $1 in GDP growth.  Ideally you’d get more than $1 in GDP growth. Duh. Businesses have to do this every single day.  If I borrow $10 million to buy and develop agricultural farmland, obviously the net effect once I’m finished should result in a property that’s worth MORE than $10 million. But that’s not how it works when governments spend money. It took them $3.71 of debt to buy just $1 of GDP growth.  Yes, the overall result may show that the economy is technically bigger than it was in 2009.  But this ratio is completely screwed up, and it is not indicative of “the strongest, most durable economy in the world.”  In the meantime, there have never been more pages of laws, rules, and regulations ever in the history of the United States than there are today, January 13, 2016.  Just this morning, in fact, the federal government published another 369 pages of regulations. Tomorrow there will be even more.  Should you find yourself out of compliance with any of them, the government can summarily deprive you of your freedom, your property, and even your family.  And it can do so administratively, without a fair and speedy trial in front of an impartial judge and a jury of your peers.  This is not what freedom and prosperity are all about.  President Obama is undeniably upbeat about America. And he’s right, there are a lot of amazing people doing great things in the US.  The United States is a wonderful country. It’s clean. Modern. Reasonably safe. Standard of living is very high.  But decades of insane regulation, government debt, and astonishingly destructive monetary policy have resulted in a society where it is now easier to consume than produce.  Prosperity is not complicated. People figured out thousands of years ago that if you wanted to do well, you had to produce more than you consumed. But the American system is the exact opposite, favoring those who recklessly borrow and spend, rather than those who work hard and responsibly save.  The President of the United States boldly accused everyone who doesn’t share his view as just making things up. In his words, “Anyone claiming that America’s economy is in decline is peddling fiction.” This is an extraordinary (and delusional) statement.  The government’s own numbers show that they are completely insolvent, to the tune of nearly $18 trillion. The annual reports for the Social Security trust funds show that they are rapidly running out of money. The Federal Reserve’s own balance sheet shows that it is precariously undercapitalized, with net capital less than 1% of total assets.  The Census Bureau’s data shows that the earnings for middle class Americans are stagnating. The Labor Department’s numbers show that the number of Americans who have dropped out of the work force hasn’t been at this level since the Carter administration.  USDA figures show that the number of food stamp recipients is near an all-time high, simultaneously when the number of homeless children in America is at a record high. And all of this, at a time when trust in government is near an all-time low.  These are all facts, not fiction. The only fiction is pretending that this story has a happy ending.   Until tomorrow,  Simon Black Founder, SovereignMan.com  ==================

 

SOMETHING TO SHARE WITH EVERY YOUNG PERSON OF COLLEGE AGE

(THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A LIBERAL-SOCIALIST AND A CONSERVATIVE-FREE ENTERPRISE APPROACH)

 

An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before, but had recently failed an entire class. That class had insisted that socialism worked well since no one would be poor and no one would be rich, thus providing a great equalizer.

The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on the Socialist plan".... All grades will be averaged and everyone will receive the same grade so no one will fail and no one will receive an A.... (substituting grades for dollars - something closer to home and more readily understood by all).

After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy. As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they likewise studied little.

The second test average was a D! No one was happy.
When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F.

As the tests proceeded, the scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one was motivated to study for the benefit of anyone else.

To their great surprise, ALL FAILED and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward (and risk) is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when government takes all the reward away, no one will work really hard to succeed.

Could not be any simpler than that. (Please pass this on)
These are possibly the 5 best sentences you'll ever read and all applicable to this experiment:

1. You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity.
2. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.
3. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.
4. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it!
5. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that is the beginning of the end of any nation.

 

[NOTE: OUR PRESIDENT SAYS IT’S ONLY “FAIR” TO TAKE FROM THOSE WHO HAVE AND GIVE TO THOSE WHO AREN’T TRYING… KARL MARX SAID IT DECADES BEFORE HIM—IN THE COMMUNIST MANIFESTO]

 

Can you think of a reason for not sharing this? Neither could I.

 

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FROM FRIEND ADOLPH SANTORINE of West Virginia: 

A great recap of Hillary’s past failings!

If you're under 50 you really need to read this .   If you ’ re over 50, you lived through it, so share it with those under 50. Amazing to me how much I had forgotten!

When Bill Clinton was president, he allowed Hillary to assume authority over a health care reform.  Even after threats and intimidation, she couldn’t even get a vote in a democratic controlled congress.  This fiasco cost the American taxpayers about $13 million in cost for studies, promotion, and other efforts.

Then President Clinton gave Hillary authority over selecting a female attorney general.  Her first two selections were Zoe Baird and Kimba Wood – both were forced to withdraw their names from consideration.  Next she chose Janet Reno – husband Bill described her selection as “my worst mistake.”  Some may not remember that Reno made the decision to gas David Koresh and the Branch Davidian religious sect in Waco, Texas resulting in dozens of deaths of women and children. 

Husband Bill allowed Hillary to make recommendations for the head of the Civil Rights Commission.  Lani Guanier was her selection. When a little probing led to the discovered of Ms. Guanier’s radical views, her name had to be withdrawn from consideration.

Apparently a slow learner, husband Bill allowed Hillary to make some more recommendations.  She chose former law partners Web Hubbel for the Justice Department, Vince Foster for the White House staff, and William Kennedy for the Treasury Department.  Her selections went well: Hubbel went to prison, Foster (presumably) committed suicide, and Kennedy was forced to resign.

Many younger votes will have no knowledge of “Travelgate.”  Hillary wanted to award unfettered travel contracts to Clinton friend Harry Thompson – and the White House Travel Office refused to comply.  She managed to have them reported to the FBI and fired.  This ruined their reputations, cost them their jobs, and caused a thirty-six month investigation. Only one employee, Billy Dale was charged with a crime, and that of the enormous crime of mixing personal and White House funds. A jury acquitted him of any crime in less than two hours.

Still not convinced of her ineptness, Hillary was allowed to recommend a close Clinton friend, Craig Livingstone, for the position of Director of White House security. When Livingstone was investigated for the improper access of about 900 FBI files of Clinton enemies (Filegate) and the widespread use of drugs by White House staff, suddenly Hillary and the president denied even knowing Livingstone, and of course, denied knowledge of drug use in the White House.  Following this debacle, the FBI closed its White House Liaison Office after more than thirty years of service to seven presidents.

Next, when women started coming forward with allegations of sexual harassment and rape by Bill Clinton, Hillary was put in charge of the “bimbo eruption” and scandal defense.  Some of her more notable decisions in the debacle was: 
She urged her husband not to settle the Paula Jones lawsuit.  After the Starr investigation they settled with Ms. Jones.

She refused to release the Whitewater documents, which led to the appointment of Ken Starr as Special Prosecutor. 

After $80 million dollars of taxpayer money was spent, Starr's investigation led to Monica Lewinsky, which led to Bill lying about and later admitting his affairs.
Hillary’s devious game plan resulted in Bill losing his license to practice law for 'lying under oath' to a grand jury and then his subsequent impeachment by the House of Representatives. 

Hillary avoided indictment for perjury and obstruction of justice during the Starr investigation by repeating, “I do not recall,” “I have no recollection,” and “I don’t know” a total of 56 times while under oath.  After leaving the White House, Hillary was forced to return an estimated $200,000 in White House furniture, china, and artwork that she had stolen. What a swell party – ready for another four or eight year of this type low-life mess?

Now we are exposed to the destruction of possibly incriminating emails while Hillary was Secretary of State and the “pay to play” schemes of the Clinton Foundation – we have no idea what shoe will fall next.  But to her loyal fans - “what difference does it make?”
Electing Hillary Clinton president would be like granting Satan absolution and giving him the keys to heaven!

 

======================

The Ball Marker 
A golder walks into the pro shop at the local course and asks the golf pro if they sell ball markers. 
The golf pro says they do, and they are $1.00. 
The guy gives the golf pro a dollar. 
The golf pro opens the register, puts the dollar in, and hands him a dime to use as the marker. 

FYI: This economic model is also used by the U.S. Government.

=======================

 

 

BARACK OBAMA TOLD US WHAT HE PLANNED TO DO

You have to admit, he lived up to his words. You are allowed to be shocked or stunned, but just pass it on.

 Yes, he told us in advance what he planned to do. Too few were listening. 

 

The following is a narrative taken from a 2008 Sunday morning televised "Meet The Press”. From Sunday's 07 Sept. 2008 11:48:04 EST, Televised "Meet the Press" THE THEN Senator Obama was asked about his stance on the American Flag.

 

General Bill Gann, USAF, (Ret) asked Obama to explain WHY he doesn't follow protocol when the National Anthem is played.

 

The General stated to Obama that according to the United States Code, Title 36, Chapter 10, Sec. 171...During rendition of the national anthem, when the flag is displayed, all present (except those in uniform) are expected to stand at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. Or, at the very least, "Stand and Face It".

 

Senator Obama replied :

"As I've said about the flag pin, I don't want to be perceived as taking sides." "There are a lot of people in the world to whom the American flag is a symbol of oppression..." "The anthem itself conveys a war-like message. You know, the bombs bursting in air and all that sort of thing."

 

Obama continued: 

"The National Anthem should be 'swapped' for something less parochial and less bellicose. I like the song 'I'd Like To Teach the World To Sing'. If that were our anthem, then, I might salute it. In my opinion, we should consider reinventing our National Anthem as well as 'redesign' our Flag to better offer our enemies hope and love.It's my intention, if elected, to disarm America to the level of acceptance to our Middle East Brethren. If we, as a Nation of warring people, conduct ourselves like the nations of Islam, where peace prevails - - - perhaps a state or period of mutual accord could exist between our governments ......"

 

When I Become President, I will seek a pact of agreement to end hostilities between those who have been at war or in a state of enmity, and a freedom from disquieting oppressive thoughts. We as a Nation, have placed upon the nations of Islam, an unfair injustice which is WHY my wife disrespects the Flag and she and I have attended several flag burning ceremonies in the past".

 

"Of course now, I have found myself about to become The President of the United States and I have put my hatred aside . I will use my power to bring CHANGE to this Nation, and offer the people a new path. My wife and I look forward to becoming our Country's First black  Family. Indeed, CHANGE is about to overwhelm the United States of America."

 

Yes, you read it right.  Dale Lindeborg, Washington Post (Not verified)

 

EVERYONE IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NEEDS TO READ THIS, SO KEEP IT GOING!!

SAVE AMERICA BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE!!

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I APOLOGIZE IF THESE MADE YOUR HEAD HURT, OR YOUR GUT, OR YOUR HEART. WE CAN CHANGE THINGS, BUT ONLY IF WE ARE ALL WILLING TO GET INVOLVED, AND SPEAK OUT, AND SUPPORT THE CANDIDATE WE FINALLY CHOOSE TO OPPOSE AND BEAT WHOEVER THE DEMOCRATS CHOOSE—PROBABLY HILLARY CLINTON.

 

IT STARTS VERY SOON IN IOWA, NEW HAMPSHIRE AND SOUTH CAROLINA…

 

 

BEST, JOHN

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See my commentary at http://www.brennerbrief.com/author/johnmariotti/ and 
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