Green stuff
The trend of letting the state, rather than the market, pick favorites continues. Solyndra was not "the true engine of economic growth" that President Obama thought when it burned through a $500 million loan guarantee in less than 10 months. The same applies to government ventures into education and housing. Private capital markets (free to the taxpayer) are ruthlessly efficient and self-correcting in placing capital with winners — away from losers. If private capital is not right, their money vanishes.
Washington lends on ideology and political expediency. Government Sponsored Entities (GSE) like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are projected to lose $400 billion by the Congressional Budget Office. Overinvestment by the government and overconsumption by consumers are making society poorer.
Washington lent its support to education as well. College graduates, in normal times, earn more over their lifetimes. Uncle Sam again distorted the market. College is not best for all, and subsidized tuition pushed the market away from affordable colleges, trade schools or work. A decision many parents and students regret.
Easy credit from government fuels the overinvestment by education by shielding educators from true cost. Tuition increases are in multiples of CPI, energy and health care because of government support.
In the face of all the harm they do, GSEs, educational loans and government funding of private-sector activities like Solyndra continue today. The obvious victim is the taxpayer, and the unintended victim is the borrower, who pays more for or has lost access to capital through distortion.
HIL CASSELL
Lewisville
Finish the job
Our country is in trouble. I submit that our political leaders have let us down — especially the Republican Party.
In 2001, George W. Bush became president — unfortunately. After taking office he said that virtually anyone could experience the American dream of home ownership. So he opened the floodgates and allowed most anyone who applied to be approved for a home loan. Many of these were unqualified borrowers and thus are now under water or worse. Bankers were happy, and Wall Street titans became wealthy. Then the bubble burst. We have yet to recover as a country.
Then came 9/11. Bush vowed retaliation. The "three of a kind," Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, vowed that Osama bin Laden would be dealt with regardless of the cost. They forced Congress to declare war on Afghanistan in order to go after bin Laden and his wild bunch.
Then the three of a kind coerced Secretary of State Colin Powell into going before the nation to declare that there was proof positive that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and that Saddam Hussein must be dealt with. Thus, they set plans in motion for the invasion of Iraq. Ten years later, with thousands of lives lost and trillions of dollars spent, we are stagnated by misapplied foreign policies.
Now the Republican Party wants back in power, seeking to finish the job of the three of a kind, continuing to carry America down a dead-end road.
JACK LUTZ
King
For president
Ron Paul for president. His first non-act would be to cancel his pay, which would accompany his terminating the government. Without tax collection and primary mail service, no debt to anyone would be paid. With the absence of police, fire departments, health care, safety, the military, representatives of the "bureaucracy," etc., chaos would reign. He and his Confederate throwbacks would be so pleased that the new Confederacy would be installed behind their armor-gated communities.
Mitt Romney would move to the Cayman Islands, three of which he purchased with the taxes he never paid to the U.S. Newt Gingrich would set up a harem. Rick Santorum would sponsor a general baby-making fest. When our population outnumbered China's and India's, war would be declared. But without healthy, educated, responsible adults, the myriad broods would misspell gun for fun. This, while they continue not to choose responsibly planned lives.
Ron Paul for president. Our end would be slow enough for Fox TV to lie about right-wing Republican achievements. West Somalia could be established posthaste.
MARCIALITO CAM
Winston-Salem
Justice Kagan
Will Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan be impartial when the U.S. Supreme Court hears the constitutionality of Obamacare in a few weeks? I believe she actually lied under oath when asked by senators during her confirmation hearings if she had ever been asked for her legal opinion regarding the merits or legal issues of Obamacare.
She's not just a liar; she was knee-deep in the Kool-Aid. The highest court in the country is being stained by a socialist extremist, and it's no secret. If this great nation is to remain a nation of laws for all people, Elena Kagan should be impeached — and the sooner the better.
PERRY HUDSPETH
Winston-Salem
What about Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the ugliest woman alive, she's a piece of work after her recent statements.
ReplyDeleteBucky,
DeleteI'm not sure what Ruth Bader Ginsburg recently said, but I love the quote attributed to Sandra Day O'Connor on Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney.
"One is a practicing polygamist, and he's not even the Mormon."
Zero is referring to Justice Ginsburg's recent comment that Egypt should look at some of the newer constitutions rather than our much older one. She suggested South Africa, Canada and the European Declaration of Human Rights, all of which are improvements upon our original document, especially for someone starting out in the 21st century.
DeleteOf course, one could not expect certain narrow-minded fools to understand any of that.
Must be a talk radio/Fox talking point. On the old board, Roblo and DCHunter were pretty good about regurgitating them.
DeleteYesterday it seemed that Wes Patterson was filling in for both of them.
DeleteI was hoping you or Bob would at least counter that Mitt's mom was Welsh. Indicating that both of Romney's parents weren't natural born as Patterson seemed to indicate was necessary to be a real natural born citizen of these United States.
And Santorum's Dad was born in Italy. And his old country relations remain active in the Italian Communist Party.
DeleteI try not to engage birthers though, as I basically think they're a bunch of mouth-breathing racists.
Good afternoon folks!
ReplyDeleteLTE 1: A free market purist. Private markets are indeed ruthlessly efficient as we have seen over the last 30 years where the US market has become as deregulated as anytime since the pre-Depression days. The winners are those with an education and specialized skills desired by the marketplace, while those with just a HS education or less are being left behind as those skills can be found overseas for pennies an hour. I agree not everyone is cut out for a 4 year college degree, but the marketplace of today demands skills beyond the HS level. As for overconsumption by the consumer making society poorer, it's more of a wash. In AZ, the ones who sold their houses at the peak of the market gained life changing wealth, whereas the ones who purchased those houses are suffereing life changing losses. But then again, that's how the free market works.
LTE 2 & 3: Oh, no..please don't tell me we're already into endorsement season again. A couple of TB endorsements for the D's.
LTE 4: TB checklist: "liar", "knee-deep in the Kool-Aid", "socialist extremist",and ooh...calling for a removal before "this great nation" falls completely apart tomorrow!..not bad, but I've seen other LTE's with many more TB tags. I would suggest Mr. Hudspeth take a chill.
9th Circuit Court judges rule CA's prohibition against gay marriages unconstitutional, so NC's vote may very well become moot.
ReplyDeleteFrom Twitter:
DeleteLOLGOP:
REMINDER: Newt Gingrich defines marriage as being between a man and a woman who does not have cancer.
The 9th Circuit is the most overruled court (by the SCOTUS) in the country. You and your boyfriend shouldn't get too excited just yet.
DeleteNewt and Bucky two grandiose PhDs.
DeleteWordly, Johnny was banging Rielle while his wife was getting 'chemo', what's the difference?
DeleteI wish Newt would be nominated. I'd like to see how that 'affirmative action' IQ holds up under a real debate.
DeleteI agree Bucky that Newt and Edwards are both very bad bad boys. Edwards denied it until there was irrefutable proof. Newt just wanted an open marriage while purporting to be a family values man.
DeleteAs I posted just prior to your recent hiatus I believed that you and Newt are like minded, but that's just my opinion.
Wordly, I think you're probably a lot like Nancy Pelosi, but I don't have enough information to draw that conclusion. I would say the same could be said of your belief about Newt and me.
DeleteI see the forum has been on fire since I left. I am glad, however, you've become a little more expressive, Wordly.
"The 9th Circuit is the most overruled court (by the SCOTUS) in the country."
DeleteAs always, irrelevant. The decision is extremely narrow and applies only to the 9th Circuit, so unlikely to be reviewed by the Supremes. Knowing this, the christian hypocrites in Cali will probably ask for a full review by the 9th Circuit, with the same result
Meanwhile, the popular movement to repeal prop 8 in Cali is making great progress and is likely to succeed in November, thus rendering the whole sideshow moot.
Also meanwhile, since Newt's imminent departure from the race means that our own May GOP primary will be meaningless, while Bev's departure from the governor's office means that our May Democratic primary will actually be meaningful, a strong Democratic turnout in that election should kill the bigot's anti-gay marriage amendment.
Great irony. When fools think that they have everything figured out, they almost never do.