Auto Solution

Apparently, there is a relatively simple solution to the auto industry problem - something communist China has figured out using capitalistic principles. While the Obama administration wants to spend billions of dollars bailing out the auto industry, China has decided that cutting taxes works.
It has decided to cut taxes on new cars. China has cut in half the retail taxes on certain cars and drawn up plans to give out vehicle subsidies in rural areas to revive demand after auto sales rose at the slowest pace in a decade last year. The result: Auto sales in China went up 25 percent in February. In fact, even General Motors will gain from this action. GM has revised its forecast to double its forecast for growth in the China auto market.
Post courtesy of James J. Pirretti

Are We Idol Worshippers?

The election of President Obama was the culmination of the enhanced new phenomenon of unbridled " idol worship" that has emerged in our country over the past few years. It's all based on emotion - logic doesn't appear to enter into the equation. Many of the voters in Palm Beach and Broward counties fall into this category as political " idol worshippers", just by reading the letters-to-the-editor, in the local papers, and by listening to them at current events forums, and by the results of the last presidential election. The blind adoration of this unproven politician is unbelievable.
The most popular T.V. show is " American Idol", followed closely by " Dancing With The Stars". The cult of celebrity and celebrity wannabees drive the ratings of these shows. The added phenomenon of Oprah Winfrey, with her highly charged personal ingredients of race and gender, has catapulted her to the top of the afternoon talk show genre and to the top of the entertainment income earners as well. Added to the list of people who "idol worshippers" worship, you have to include certain athletes and some movie and entertainment personalities. These people have parlayed a specific talent into a combination of envy "idol worship", and a grossly exaggerated financial worth, which the " idols" command for that one major talent that they have. To the average " working Joe", those inflated salaries seem to be excessive, but to their fans, they conveniently overlook that fact and take it out on the corporate fat cats, who don't command that " idol worship", but get heaps of derision instead.
You don't have to be a rocket scientist to hit a baseball or catch a pass or to play the role of make- believe characters, but the adoring public couldn't care less. A-Rod, Bradgelina, Britney, Paris or Tiger are the role models or "idols" for many of us mortals. The remarkable election of Barack Obama is a case study in the wonder of "idol worship". The "Obamamaniacs" are blinded to any fact that might put their hero in a bad light. These people, who unabashedly adore President Obama, are the same people who have a visceral hatred of President George W. Bush, they are one and the same. Bush hatred and Obama euphoria typically co-exist in the same soul.
In many cases, "idol worship" can be very fleeting in its duration. Michael Jackson, O.J. Simpson, Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Rosie O'Donnell, and yes, Bernie Madoff etc., are all now on the scrap heap as fallen "idol worship" heroes. These people caused their own demise by doing things that their fawning idol worshippers didn't appreciate or condone, as well as by angering the general public.
President Obama will be the poster boy for hero worshippers as long as he does what his adoring fans think he should do, or conversely, if his decisions don't turn out to be beneficial to us, the citizens, he will lose that exalted status. I don't think that he will experience the fate of President George W. Bush, as the main stream news media has a stake in making and keeping President Obama as the political " Messiah" they made him out to be. President Bush was a pariah to the MSM. The media, from the first day Obama announced for president, propelled him to the highest office in the land by praising him and overlooking any "warts" he might have accumulated as a politician in the crime ridden City of Chicago. In the process, they abandoned the pre-primary media favorite, Hillary Clinton, for the future darling of the liberal press corps, Barack Obama. Who knows if his "idol" status will be a short term love affair or not? The news media will do anything to prevent that happening as it doesn't want to be proved wrong. Only time will tell. Stay tuned.

Written by Chuck Lehmann
"Chuck on the Right Side"

WHY ISN’T COMMON SENSE COMMON ANYMORE ?

( COMMON SENSE: sound practical judgment independent of specialized knowledge or training, normal native intelligence - Dictionary definition)

Just by watching the nightly news, you’ll see and hear some outlandish happenings by supposedly intelligent people making decisions that definitely are lacking in common sense. An example of this lack of common sense, that happened just recently, involved a 10 year girl who was suspended from school for bringing a steak knife to school for use in eating her lunch. The school authorities, instead of taking the knife away in compliance with its zero tolerance policy and possibly calling the girls parents, instead called the police and arrested her and, in addition, suspended her for two weeks. What in the name of Sam Hill are these people eating and drinking? How ridiculous can these so-called grownups get - they are really devoid of common sense.

Another example where common sense is lacking is when people talk about economics and infuse politics in making an erroneous determination. The Bush administration claimed in 2001, that by cutting the marginal tax rates for taxpayers, the economy would prosper and tax revenues would increase dramatically. That occurred as planned, but the national debt also increased and the opponents of cutting taxes blamed the lowering of the marginal tax rates as the reason for the increase in the national debt and in running up annual deficits, although the deficit has been reduced over the past few years. Instead of lowering the national debt and reducing the deficit to zero, which should have happened as a result of the increase in revenues, the Congress, in its infinite wisdom, increased their spending over and above the increased revenues generated by the tax cuts. The Congressional opponents of the tax cuts are devoid of common sense by continuing their profligate spending thereby increasing our deficit and national debt, but claiming, erroneously, on purpose, that the deficits are caused by the tax cuts.

Another area of life where there seems to be an absence of common sense, is in the public discourse on affirmative action. In order to assuage our national conscience over past discrimination against minorities, some leaders propose and try to implement programs to give a leg up to members in the minority classes who once were discriminated against. These affirmative (a/k/a quotas) action programs are inherently immoral and unethical because you are taking away from someone to give to someone else, solely on the basis of their minority status, which then becomes reverse discrimination and compounds the problem you were trying to remedy in the first place. Common sense dictates that we should make the rules fair to everybody and let the people strive to reach their potential by not depriving someone else of their rightful aspirations.

In addition, another area where common sense seems to be lacking is in the area of using and implementing school vouchers (a/k/a opportunity scholarships). Many politicians, due to tremendous pressure from the teachers unions, are adamantly opposed to letting poor and moderate income citizens being able to enroll their children in better performing schools if their present school is failing or under-performing. The hypocrisy of the opponents, many of whom are financially able to pay for private schools for their children, turn common sense on it head. Many Congressmen and Senators and present day working teachers, send their own children to private schools instead of enrolling them in a local public school. It’s a “do-as-I-say, not a do-as-I-do” method of obfuscating an issue for partisan political reasons and not by using common sense. As an affirmation of my views, the noted economist and syndicated columnist Thomas Sowell once said: “When you want to see the poor remain poor, generation after generation, just keep standards low in their schools and make excuses for their academic shortcomings and personal misbehavior”. Vouchers could alleviate that inequity by giving the parents an opportunity to help their children receive a better education at a better school.

I’ve listed some of the instances where common sense hasn’t been used properly by our leaders and by others. But, can common sense ever make a comeback in our society? Common sense says no, but it is inherently possible if we can also do away with political correctness which is driving these inane and stupid decisions on the part of people who should know better.

Written by Chuck Lehmann
"Chuck on the Right Side"

Quote from Henry Morganthau, FDR’s Secretary of the Treasury

Quote from Henry Morganthau, FDR’s Secretary of the Treasury.

He admits the whole thing ( The New Deal) failed.Here’s what Henry Morganthau said in May, 1939, 7 years after the New Deal began and the country was still in the throes of the Great Depression.

“We have tried spending money. We are spending more than we have ever spent before and it does not work. And I have just one interest, and now if I am wrong somebody else can have my job. I want to see this country prosper. I want to see people get a job. I want to see people get enough to eat. We have never made good on our promises. I say after seven years of this administration, we have just as much unemployment as when we started. And an enormous debt to boot”.
That was the Secretary of the Treasury in charge of the money disbursement and statistics collection during the 1930’s, making that statement.

“Those who don’t remember the past, are bound to repeat it”, (George Santayana quote). Tell that to President Obama and the Democratic Congress, as they are giving drunken sailors a bad name by their profligate, irresponsible spending and thereby mortgaging our children and grandchildren’s future.

Submitted by Chuck Lehmann
"Chuck on the Right Side"