The Stupidest Thing I Ever Heard

My commentary isn’t really required. Neal Boortz at Townhall breaks down comments over the weekend from MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry.

A couple days ago I posted about how the left and right use a common set of words but they mean different things to us than they do to them. I used “investment” and “charity” as examples. Melissa continues that theme, equating crime and violence with the state of being “poor.” And disassociating “risk” from anything other than direct bodily harm. She then goes on to conclude that the safety nets currently existing in America only protect the rich, while the poor have no safety nets and some must be created. Oh, and racism:

“What is riskier than living poor in America? Seriously! What in the world is riskier than being a poor person in America? I live in a neighborhood where people are shot on my street corner. I live in a neighborhood where people have to figure out how to get their kid into school because maybe it will be a good school and maybe it won’t. I am sick of the idea that being wealthy is risky. No. There is a huge safety net that whenever you fail will catch you and catch you and catch you. Being poor is what is risky. We have to create a safety net for poor people. And when we won’t, because they happen to look different from us, it is the pervasive ugliness.”

And she’s serious.

Posted in Economy, Society | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The Stupidest Thing I Ever Heard

Wednesday Morning News and Links

Posted in News and Links | Comments Off on Wednesday Morning News and Links

Remember When…

Remember 6 weeks ago when Mitt Romney was a wimp?


Apparently something has changed and he’s not as insecure as the progressives thought. It seems, in fact, that he’s downright dangerous and the left is changing its collective tune dramatically. Red Alert Politics is reporting that:

Patrick Gaspard, executive director of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), compared 2008 Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin to Lord Voldemort, the villian in the Harry Potter book and movie series.

After calling 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney “one of the of the most extreme right-wing candidates to ever have the Republican nomination,”

One day he’s a wimp, the next day he’s a vicious corporate raider, after that he’s a flip flopper, then he’s killing grandma, after that he’s magic underwear Mormon boy, then he’s evil rich, then he didn’t pay taxes. And dog on roof! Ugh.

During the primaries, voters paying any attention at all heard Republicans call him a squish and RINO and more, expressing frustration that Romney wouldn’t be true enough to conservatism. And now, he’s “one of the most extreme right-wing candidates ever”?!

Talk about hyperventilation! It’s making me dizzy. See, here’s the thing. I can hear the message that Romney’s an evil, rich, Mormon, corporate crushing entitlement killer. But it’s undercut by the Benny Hill music and the hapless doofus characterizations. Alternately I can hear the message that Romney’s a religious clown, a wimp and a rich, out-of-touch winger who doesn’t care about any of us and just wants to get richer on our tax dime. But that message is undercut by the deliberate corporate raider, business and job killer, throwing-grandpa-off-the-cliff characterization. The two arguments weaken each other.

What’s more telling is the observation that the guy has succeeded on his own by every measurable standard. From his own heart, head and faith, to his private sector experiences, to his personal and family economic well being, to the use of his own wealth towards charitable ends, to giving his entire inheritance to charity, and enjoying the blessing of a huge family and many grandchildren. From all accounts, a classic American success story.

But yea. Scary, rich, evil, wimp. And Seamus! (And Taxes!)

Posted in Government/Politics | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Remember When…

A Few Afternoon Links

Posted in News and Links | Comments Off on A Few Afternoon Links

Freedom: It’s Not The Same All Over

I love America. I appreciate and am grateful for the freedoms and rights that I know I have here in the US and don’t have anywhere else. And I am weary of conversations with fools who lecture me on the “equal freedoms” enjoyed in Europe, Down Under, etc.. That’s bullshit. American freedom isn’t available anywhere else.

From the “Hate To Say ‘I Told You So’ Department” we have news out of England as reported by the BBC. Four men aged 27, 23, 31 and 33 were arrested on suspicion of aggravated burglary after breaking into a couple’s home in Leicestershire:

Police said they were alerted by the householder on Sunday , who said a group of men had broken into his home in Welby, Melton Mowbray, and he had fired a legally held shotgun.

One of the suspected raiders called an ambulance. Another went to hospital.

Their injuries are not regarded as life-threatening, police said.

Officers said a man aged 35 and his wife aged 43 had been arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm.

Yes, you read that right, they were arrested for protecting themselves and their property. In England, you’re supposed to cower and allow the perpetrators to take what they want in the hope that they’re simple thieves or burglars and will be satisfied with their haul. And you’re banking that their intent isn’t to commit assault, or rape, or murder. In these cases, cowering and acquiescing won’t work so well. But… well, that’s freedom in England.

As the leftists and Progressives repeat the tired canard that American freedoms aren’t so special and are enjoyed by peoples in many places across the globe, let this serve as a simple reminder that the truth is very different.

Posted in Society, World | Tagged | Comments Off on Freedom: It’s Not The Same All Over

You Forgot Narcissist

The New York Times has a piece up on President Obama, titled, “The Competitor in Chief: Obama Plays to Win, in Politics and Everything Else” and, unexpectedly, it’s neither a puff piece nor complementary:

For another, he may not always be as good at everything as he thinks, including politics. While Mr. Obama has given himself high grades for his tenure in the White House — including a “solid B-plus” for his first year — many voters don’t agree, citing everything from his handling of the economy to his unfulfilled pledge that he would be able to unite Washington to his claim that he would achieve Israeli-Palestinian peace.

Those were not the only times Mr. Obama may have overestimated himself: he has also had a habit of warning new hires that he would be able to do their jobs better than they could.

“I think that I’m a better speechwriter than my speechwriters,” Mr. Obama told Patrick Gaspard, his political director, at the start of the 2008 campaign, according to The New Yorker. “I know more about policies on any particular issue than my policy directors. And I’ll tell you right now that I’m going to think I’m a better political director than my political director.”

Though he never ran a large organization before becoming president, he initially dismissed internal concerns about management and ended up with a factionalized White House and a fuzzier decision-making process than many top aides wanted.

Read the whole thing. Richard Karlgaard provides the analysis over at Forbes:

Imagine, for a minute, that you are on the board of directors of a company. You have a CEO who is not meeting his numbers and who is suffering a declining popularity with his customers. You want to help this CEO recover, but then you learn he doesn’t want your help. He is smarter than you and eager to tell you this. Confidence or misplaced arrogance? You’re not sure at first. If the company was performing well, you’d ignore it. But the company is performing poorly, so you can’t.

With some digging, you learn, to your horror, that the troubled CEO spends a lot of time on — what the hell? — bowling? Golf? Three point shots? While the company is going south?

What do you do? You fire that CEO. Clint Eastwood was right. You let the guy go.

Posted in Government/Politics | Tagged , | Comments Off on You Forgot Narcissist

Tuesday Morning News and Links

I hope you all had a safe and enjoyable Labor Day weekend!!

Posted in News and Links | 1 Comment