Tag Archives: world news

Cogs Won’t Work in Galt’s America, Obama

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Updated.

Keep your eyes open America.  It can happen here. A power wielding and hungry White House is preaching to America fiscal responsibility as it did today at Rio Rancho High School in New Mexico.  The President blames you Americans for your extravagant ways while spending not only money we, Americans,  don’t have, but money the next generation of American won’t have.

Beside printing money to pay the bills, Obama has other irons in the fire, forging a workers’ paradise.  Meanwhile, countries living socialism’s dream, England, comes to mind, are mired in mediocrity and living off the glory of the past.   The talent of the country is worried and some think of “going Galt.’  According to Michelle Malkin, the talented have problems staying with England’s tax ladened Ship of State. As socialism takes it’s toll across the Pond, taxes bring fresh tears, and sneers, and have the talented crying foul.  Malkin quotes the manifesto of renowned composed Andrew Lloyd Webber, who fearing a talent exodus, writes of the punitive taxes.

Here’s the truth. The proposed top rate of income tax is not 50 per cent. It is 50 per cent plus 1.5 per cent national insurance paid by employees plus 13.3 per cent paid by employers. That’s not 50 per cent. Two years from now, Britain will have the highest tax rate on earned income of any developed country.

I write this article because I fear the inevitable exodus of the talent that can dig us out of the hole we find ourselves in. It is inevitable, given that other countries are bidding for entrepreneurs. The Government must modify its proposals.

Will entrepreneurs be there when we want and need them.  Don’t count on it.  With ground rules being written by government bureaucrats, the inventive and ingenious may look elsewhere to plant their talent

‘Going Galt’ is an alternative option to emigration to lands of lower taxation. Eric Etheridge writes: ‘Going Galt’: Everyone’s Doing It! With Tristero of Hullabaloo’s help, Etheridge explains ‘Going Galt’ in a nutshell:

John Galt is the copper-haired, white-boy protagonist in Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged. Galt leads a revolutionary movement in which all the top leaders of the banks and corporations forsake their corporate jets and perks to work in diners or as subway repair guys. No they weren’t fired by Galt. Rather, Galt urged them to go on strike and withdraw their expertise from an increasingly socialist world. Deprived of the genius of their genius, the world economy collapses.

Who exactly is thinking about Going Galt? Lisa Schifferen at The Corner has the rundown:

The doctors, lawyers, engineers, executives, serious small-business owners, top salespeople, and other professionals and entrepreneurs who make this country run work considerably harder than pretty much anyone else (including most of the chattering class, and all politicians). They are not robber barons, or trust-fund babies, or plutocrats, or even celebrities. They are mostly the meritocrats who worked hard in high school and got into the better colleges and grad schools, where they studied while others partied. They pushed through grueling hours and unpleasant “up or out” policies in their twenties and thirties at top law firms, banks, hospitals, and businesses to earn salaries in the solid six figures (or low seven) today — in their peak earning years. Their work ethic is prodigious, and . . . in their spare time they sit on the boards of most of the complex charities and arts institutions that provide aid and pay for culture in America. No group of people contribute more to their community. And now the president, who followed a path sort of like that, and who claims that his wife’s former six-figure income was a result of precisely such qualifications and efforts, is demonizing them. More problematically, he is penalizing their success and giving them very clear incentives to ratchet back on productivity.

My take: “We the People” aren’t cogs in a machine, even a great machine, that our dear leader can fit to his purposes.  We began this experiment of nationhood in revolution due to unresponsive tyranny: “In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury.” Decaration of Independence.

We are America and the America of our Founders is precious to the hearts of the American People, our people.  We must seek better options than going Galt or conforming to Obama’s social  socialist dream, never forsaking freedom and free enterprise.

Our problems were caused not by free enterprise but by poor governance.  We can not expect government to fix us.  We must fix ourselves with the help of a good God.  Our Founders formed a nation that depends on a morally healthy people.  We are a people awaiting our transformation; seeds breaking open, falling into the ground and bringing forth healthy, holy new life.  This is the American dream.  It is the dream of the broken but more importantly, the gifted, the resourceful, the ingenious and the industrious, empowered by God to be a blessing to our Nation and the world. The is an old saying that says, ‘Without God we can’t do it; but without us, God won’t do!” Together as one People, let’s do it!

Yad Vashem – God Remembers Their Names

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“I will give, in my house and within my walls, a  monument and a name. I will give them an everlasting name which shall not be cut off.” With this passage from the Book of Isaiah, Pope Benedict XVI began a recollection of those slain in the Holocaust and memorialized at Yad Vashem. This passage furnished two words: Yad meaning “memorial” and shem “name.” The Pope recalled how each person remembered there bears a name. Though robbed of their life they could never be robbed of the name God had given them.   The Pope said that he can only imagine the joyful expectation of their parents as they anxiously awaited the birth of their children; “What name shall we give this child?  What is to become of him or her?” He said, that they could never have imagined that they would be condemned to such a degradable fate. Their cries still echos in our hearts.  the Pope said that it is the cry of Able rising from the earth to the Almighty.  Pope Benedict prayed from the Book of Lamentations proclaiming that the favors of the Almighty are never exhausted and His mercies are not spent.They are renewed each morning. So great is His faithfulness.

Israel – Sheikh Attacks with Words -Pope Walks

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The enemies of peace are many and emerge unexpectedly.  In the events of the day we are getting another admonition to be ever vigilant because those enemies are poppong out of the woodwork even in the name of peace.  Islam, I believe, means peace.

H/T Whispers in the Loggia for this report by The Jerusalem Post.

“Sheikh attacks Israel, Pope walks out”

Chief Islamic Judge of the Palestinian Authority, Sheikh Tayseer Rajab Tamimi, launched a poisonous verbal attack on Israel at a Monday night gathering attended by Pope Benedict XVI. In a meeting with organizations involved in inter-religious dialogue at the Notre Dame Jerusalem Center, Tamimi called upon Muslims and Christians to unite against what he said were the murderous Israelis.

Taking the podium after the pope without being on the original list of speakers scheduled for the evening, Tamimi, speaking at length in Arabic, accused Israel of murdering women and children in Gaza and making Palestinians refugees, and declared Jerusalem the eternal Palestinian capital.

Following the diatribe and before the meeting was officially over, the pope exited the premises. Army Radio reported that the pope shook Tamimi’s hand before walking out.

Minutes after the embarrassing occurrence, Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Holy See press office, released a response to the incident.

“The intervention of Sheikh Tayseer Tamimi was not previewed by the organizers of the interreligious meeting that took place at Notre Dame Centre in Jerusalem,” the message read. “In a meeting dedicated to dialogue, this intervention was a direct negation of what [it] should be,” it continued.

“We hope that such an incident will not damage the mission of the Holy Father aiming at promoting peace and interreligious dialogue, as he has clearly affirmed in many occasions in this pilgrimage,” Father Lombardi added.

“We hope also that interreligious dialogue in the Holy Land will not be damaged by this incident,” the message concluded.

“Israel condemns Tamimi’s disparaging comments,” read a joint statement issued by the ministries. “Instead of advancing peace and coexistence, he chose to sow fear and hatred between Israelis and Palestinians, and between Jews, Muslims and Christians.”

Nine years ago, Tamimi caused a similar scandal when at an interfaith meeting at the Notre Dame Jerusalem Center, attended by the late Pope John Paul II who was the pontiff at the time. Then, the Palestinian religious leader condemned Israel for a long list of offenses.

Never referring to Israel by name, Tamimi had called on “the occupier” to stop “strangling Jerusalem and oppressing its residents.”

Israel in Jeopardy – Secret Accord Jeopardized

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Ed Morrissey notes Assistant Secretary of State Rose Gottemoeller’s track record of demanding Israeli disarmament as the Washington Times exclusive breaks the bad news:

President Obama’s efforts to curb the spread of nuclear weapons threaten to expose and derail a 40-year-old secret U.S. agreement to shield Israel’s nuclear weapons from international scrutiny, former and current U.S. and Israeli officials and nuclear specialists say……

Mr. Netanyahu is expected to seek assurances from Mr. Obama that he will uphold the U.S. commitment and will not trade Israeli nuclear concessions for Iranian ones.

For the past 40 years, Israel and the U.S. have kept quiet about an Israeli nuclear arsenal that is now estimated at 80 to 200 weapons. Israel has promised not to test nuclear weapons while the U.S. has not pressed Israel to sign the nuclear NPT, which permits only five countries – the U.S., France, Britain, China and Russia – to have nuclear arms.

In the Guise of Human Rights

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H/T Anchoress,  who hopes for conversion of President Obama on issues of life.  I’ll pray for that!  I’m sure Obama now knows who Mary Ann Glendon is and may give ear to what she has to say he only out of curiousity, due to a well publicized run in with this woman of integrity.

From the text of the address of Mary Ann Glendon, president of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, to Pope Benedict XVI and reported by Zenit:

“We have also been mindful of the fact that in today’s world, ironically, many threats to the dignity of the person have appeared in the guise of human rights. As you pointed out in your memorable speech to the United Nations last year, there are mounting pressures to ‘move away from the protection of human dignity towards the satisfaction of simple interests, often particular interests.’ “……………

“We have paid special attention to rights that are currently under assault such as the right to life, the right to found a family, freedom of conscience and religion, and to rights that have too long awaited fulfillment such as the right to decent subsistence.”

From Pope Benedict’s response: (Full text here)

“The Church’s action in promoting human rights is therefore supported by rational reflection, in such a way that these rights can be presented to all people of good will, independently of any religious affiliation they may have”. At the same time, “insofar as human rights need to be re-appropriated by every generation and by each individual, and insofar as human freedom … is always fragile, the human person needs the unconditional hope and love that can only be found in God and that lead to participation in the justice and generosity of God towards others”.

Gird Your Loins

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Yesterday, Michelle Malkin in speaking of the possibilities for our next Supreme Court nominee, advised “gird our loins.” Last night I talked about how low Germany’s population numbers had fallen, perhaps to irrevocable levels.  This morning the world wakes up to find the German people must suffer even lower levels of poor taste and irreverence.  I say irreverance for our leaders are those who of old we hold in high regard for the good of society and the nation. The Huffington Post reported that the AFP revealed that German Chancellor Angela Merkel appears in a lingerie ad wearing nothing more than a purple matching bra and panties set.

The 1,000-square-foot image of the half-naked world leader is part of a nationwide advertising campaign for an underwear company aiming to cash in on the success of a “cash-for-clunkers” scheme for old cars.
Punters trading in old underwear will get a $7 discount on a new pair, the ad promises, under the slogan: “The country needs new undies.”

We’ve had to bear bare-chested Obama and Putin.  Now female leadership is made spectacle with little more than girded lions. Who suffers for the sale of panties?  I think we all do.  We might as well be laughing at the debauchery of a fallen Rome, or fiddling with Nero as Rome burned and we wink.

In our day, decency takes the hit.  We’re expected to believe the young are deaf and blind. In the Roman Era, “Gird your loins” related to a practice of tucking and tying excess material out of the way to prevent a fall and help with agility, mobility and readiness, lest one slip on one’s undergarments.  In scripture, it has to do with purity and applying the righteousness of Truth.

Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind, live soberly, and set your hopes completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Like obedient children, do not act in compliance with the desires of your former ignorance
but, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in every aspect of your conduct,
for it is written, “Be holy because I (am) holy.” 1 Peter 1: 16-17

We are not in for a fall, we are falling.  When our leaders wink at lies and license, who hears our cries? Fortunately, there is One with an inclined ear ready to make us ready.

Finally, draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power.
Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil.  For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens.
Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground.
So stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate, and your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace. In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all (the) flaming arrows of the evil one.And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.With all prayer and supplication, pray at every opportunity in the Spirit. To that end, be watchful with all perseverance and supplication for all the holy ones.” Ephesian 6:10-18