Will Washington's Failures Lead To Second American Revolution?

[^_^ 5,021]

By ERNEST S. CHRISTIAN AND GARY A ROBBINS

Posted 07/30/2010 06:30 PM ET

The Internet is a large-scale version of the "Committees of Correspondence" that led to the first American Revolution — and with Washington's failings now so obvious and awful, it may lead to another.

People are asking, "Is the government doing us more harm than good? Should we change what it does and the way it does it?"

Pruning the power of government begins with the imperial presidency.

Too many overreaching laws give the president too much discretion to make too many open-ended rules controlling too many aspects of our lives. There's no end to the harm an out-of-control president can do.

Bill Clinton lowered the culture, moral tone and strength of the nation — and left America vulnerable to attack. When it came, George W. Bush stood up for America, albeit sometimes clumsily.

Barack Obama, however, has pulled off the ultimate switcheroo: He's diminishing America from within — so far, successfully.

He may soon bankrupt us and replace our big merit-based capitalist economy with a small government-directed one of his own design.

He is undermining our constitutional traditions: The rule of law and our Anglo-Saxon concepts of private property hang in the balance. Obama may be the most "consequential" president ever.

The Wall Street Journal's steadfast Dorothy Rabinowitz wrote that Barack Obama is "an alien in the White House."

His bullying and offenses against the economy and job creation are so outrageous that CEOs in the Business Roundtable finally mustered the courage to call him "anti-business." Veteran Democrat Sen. Max Baucus blurted out that Obama is engineering the biggest government-forced "redistribution of income" in history.

Fear and uncertainty stalk the land. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke says America's financial future is "unusually uncertain."

A Wall Street "fear gauge" based on predicted market volatility is flashing long-term panic. New data on the federal budget confirm that record-setting deficits in the $1.4 trillion range are now endemic.

Obama is building an imperium of public debt and crushing taxes, contrary to George Washington's wise farewell admonition: "cherish public credit ... use it as sparingly as possible ... avoiding likewise the accumulation of debt ... bear in mind, that towards the payment of debts there must be Revenue, that to have Revenue there must be taxes; that no taxes can be devised, which are not ... inconvenient and unpleasant ... ."

Opinion polls suggest that in the November mid-term elections, voters will replace the present Democratic majority in Congress with opposition Republicans — but that will not necessarily stop Obama.

A President Obama intent on achieving his transformative goals despite the disagreement of the American people has powerful weapons within reach. In one hand, he will have a veto pen to stop a new Republican Congress from repealing ObamaCare and the Dodd-Frank takeover of banks.

In the other, he will have a fistful of executive orders, regulations and Obama-made fiats that have the force of law.

Under ObamaCare, he can issue new rules and regulations so insidiously powerful in their effect that higher-priced, lower-quality and rationed health care will quickly become ingrained, leaving a permanent stain.

Under Dodd-Frank, he and his agents will control all credit and financial transactions, rewarding friends and punishing opponents, discriminating on the basis of race, gender and political affiliation. Credit and liquidity may be choked by bureaucracy and politics — and the economy will suffer.

He and the EPA may try to impose by "regulatory" fiats many parts of the cap-and-trade and other climate legislation that failed in the Congress.

And by executive orders and the in terrorem effect of an industrywide "boot on the neck" policy, he can continue to diminish energy production in the United States.

By the trick of letting current-law tax rates "expire," he can impose a $3.5 trillion 10-year tax increase that damages job-creating capital investment in an economy struggling to recover. And by failing to enforce the law and leaving America's borders open, he can continue to repopulate America with unfortunate illegals whose skill and education levels are low and whose political attitudes are often not congenial to American-style democracy.

A wounded rampaging president can do much damage — and, like Caesar, the evil he does will live long after he leaves office, whenever that may be.

The overgrown, un-pruned power of the presidency to reward, punish and intimidate may now be so overwhelming that his re-election in 2012 is already assured — Chicago-style.

Christian, an attorney, was a deputy assistant secretary of the Treasury in the Ford administration. Robbins, an economist, served at the Treasury Department in the Reagan administration.

http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article/542171/201007301830/Will-Washingtons-Failures-Lead-To-Second-American-Revolution-.aspx

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

In case you havent noticed its already happening.

[evli1966 88]

By ERNEST S. CHRISTIAN AND GARY A ROBBINS

Posted 07/30/2010 06:30 PM ET

The Internet is a large-scale version of the "Committees of Correspondence" that led to the first American Revolution — and with Washington's failings now so obvious and awful, it may lead to another.

People are asking, "Is the government doing us more harm than good? Should we change what it does and the way it does it?"

Pruning the power of government begins with the imperial presidency.

Too many overreaching laws give the president too much discretion to make too many open-ended rules controlling too many aspects of our lives. There's no end to the harm an out-of-control president can do.

Bill Clinton lowered the culture, moral tone and strength of the nation — and left America vulnerable to attack. When it came, George W. Bush stood up for America, albeit sometimes clumsily.

Barack Obama, however, has pulled off the ultimate switcheroo: He's diminishing America from within — so far, successfully.

He may soon bankrupt us and replace our big merit-based capitalist economy with a small government-directed one of his own design.

He is undermining our constitutional traditions: The rule of law and our Anglo-Saxon concepts of private property hang in the balance. Obama may be the most "consequential" president ever.

The Wall Street Journal's steadfast Dorothy Rabinowitz wrote that Barack Obama is "an alien in the White House."

His bullying and offenses against the economy and job creation are so outrageous that CEOs in the Business Roundtable finally mustered the courage to call him "anti-business." Veteran Democrat Sen. Max Baucus blurted out that Obama is engineering the biggest government-forced "redistribution of income" in history.

Fear and uncertainty stalk the land. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke says America's financial future is "unusually uncertain."

A Wall Street "fear gauge" based on predicted market volatility is flashing long-term panic. New data on the federal budget confirm that record-setting deficits in the $1.4 trillion range are now endemic.

Obama is building an imperium of public debt and crushing taxes, contrary to George Washington's wise farewell admonition: "cherish public credit ... use it as sparingly as possible ... avoiding likewise the accumulation of debt ... bear in mind, that towards the payment of debts there must be Revenue, that to have Revenue there must be taxes; that no taxes can be devised, which are not ... inconvenient and unpleasant ... ."

Opinion polls suggest that in the November mid-term elections, voters will replace the present Democratic majority in Congress with opposition Republicans — but that will not necessarily stop Obama.

A President Obama intent on achieving his transformative goals despite the disagreement of the American people has powerful weapons within reach. In one hand, he will have a veto pen to stop a new Republican Congress from repealing ObamaCare and the Dodd-Frank takeover of banks.

In the other, he will have a fistful of executive orders, regulations and Obama-made fiats that have the force of law.

Under ObamaCare, he can issue new rules and regulations so insidiously powerful in their effect that higher-priced, lower-quality and rationed health care will quickly become ingrained, leaving a permanent stain.

Under Dodd-Frank, he and his agents will control all credit and financial transactions, rewarding friends and punishing opponents, discriminating on the basis of race, gender and political affiliation. Credit and liquidity may be choked by bureaucracy and politics — and the economy will suffer.

He and the EPA may try to impose by "regulatory" fiats many parts of the cap-and-trade and other climate legislation that failed in the Congress.

And by executive orders and the in terrorem effect of an industrywide "boot on the neck" policy, he can continue to diminish energy production in the United States.

By the trick of letting current-law tax rates "expire," he can impose a $3.5 trillion 10-year tax increase that damages job-creating capital investment in an economy struggling to recover. And by failing to enforce the law and leaving America's borders open, he can continue to repopulate America with unfortunate illegals whose skill and education levels are low and whose political attitudes are often not congenial to American-style democracy.

A wounded rampaging president can do much damage — and, like Caesar, the evil he does will live long after he leaves office, whenever that may be.

The overgrown, un-pruned power of the presidency to reward, punish and intimidate may now be so overwhelming that his re-election in 2012 is already assured — Chicago-style.

Christian, an attorney, was a deputy assistant secretary of the Treasury in the Ford administration. Robbins, an economist, served at the Treasury Department in the Reagan administration.

http://www.investors...evolution-.aspx

[Peikko 1,575]

Stirring the waters A.J?

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

"The American Revolution was a beginning, not a consummation." -- Woodrow Wilson

[Peikko 1,575]

Putting the rhetoric aside, are there people on VJ who seriously believe that violent revolution would be a proper course of action when a president/congress/the house are acting within the rules, albeit in a way that they personally find repugnant? There are elections scheduled and those who are unhappy have the opportunity to vote and what is more they can vote for candidates who clearly hold alternate views.

My biggest question to those who consider violent revolution is in order is, what exactly are you hoping to achieve by such action? Merely destroying that which you do not like is worse than leaving things as they stand (Iraq springs to mind), having an alternate, better proposition to replace it with is essential and if such proposals and plans are available, why have they not been proposed via the normal channels (who are the candidates in the election that have policy proposals to curb the rules that they feel the president is using improperly for example)?

In the absence of anything but these oped pieces and the rantings of thugs who want to plug undocumented migrants and politicians who do not align with their particular ideology, one is left to believe that this ugliness is merely election propaganda. American politics is very seedy.

[^_^ 5,021]

My biggest question to those who consider violent revolution is in order is, what exactly are you hoping to achieve by such action?

The tea party end goal, presented in the only medium tea partiers understand - pictures. In descending order of priority.

[_Simpson_ 250]

Putting the rhetoric aside, are there people on VJ who seriously believe that violent revolution would be a proper course of action when a president/congress/the house are acting within the rules, albeit in a way that they personally find repugnant? There are elections scheduled and those who are unhappy have the opportunity to vote and what is more they can vote for candidates who clearly hold alternate views.

My biggest question to those who consider violent revolution is in order is, what exactly are you hoping to achieve by such action? Merely destroying that which you do not like is worse than leaving things as they stand (Iraq springs to mind), having an alternate, better proposition to replace it with is essential and if such proposals and plans are available, why have they not been proposed via the normal channels (who are the candidates in the election that have policy proposals to curb the rules that they feel the president is using improperly for example)?

In the absence of anything but these oped pieces and the rantings of thugs who want to plug undocumented migrants and politicians who do not align with their particular ideology, one is left to believe that this ugliness is merely election propaganda. American politics is very seedy.

I dont believe we should resort to violence.

Using the Iraq war in this situation is weak, apples and oranges.

[Peikko 1,575]

I dont believe we should resort to violence.

Using the Iraq war in this situation is weak, apples and oranges.

Really? Iraqi leaders were removed because they were considered evil but the US and UK singularly failed to have a strategy in place to prevent Iraq descending into chaos once the dictator was removed. That is what happens when there is a power vacuum. Seems to me like that is a very apt comparison.

The tea party end goal, presented in the only medium tea partiers understand - pictures. In descending order of priority.

Well, Somalia doesn't have a government, and that country is doing very well, isn't it?

In fact, historically and currently we have any number of examples of states without government - the ordinary folks tend not to fare very well in these scenarios. You have to be a member of an armed elite in order to survive, that doesn't sound anything like the American dream to me.

[Peikko 1,575]

The tea party seeks to eliminate France? Brilliant!

Actually, that list is reminiscent of many a dictator - the tea party sounds like it's advocating a totalitarian regime and I am meant to believe it is a legitimate and rational organization from that?

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

My biggest question to those who consider violent revolution is in order is, what exactly are you hoping to achieve by such action?

Where did you get the idea a revolution has to be violent?

[Peikko 1,575]

Where did you get the idea a revolution has to be violent?

It normally is, but not always - regardless, revolutions only succeed where the alternate, more appealing objective is clear to all. The aims of the tea party from the list Simpson provided appears to be a totalitarian state - is that the appealing alternative that a velvet revolution will achieve?

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

Aj, pics of signs are lovely. How many pics of violent protesters that were arrested in Arizona can you find? That you ignore to mention. Deflections of your desperation's are comical.

[Peikko 1,575]

Are you hallucinating? A.J did not post any pictures - that was Simpson.

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

It normally is, but not always - regardless, revolutions only succeed where the alternate, more appealing objective is clear to all. The aims of the tea party from the list Simpson provided appears to be a totalitarian state - is that the appealing alternative that a velvet revolution will achieve?

Is the revolt against banks from Obama violent? Is the revolt against insurance companies from Obama violent? These types of revolt are more hideous than the violent type. Is what Obama doing totalitarian? Not to you or AJ cuz you dont see it that way.

If you and AJ were truly concerned about violent revolt there would be pics of ppl being arrested in the violence down in Arizona.