Main Stream Media Publishing Requirement #1

An article in MyWay.com gave a blow-by-blow description of the President’s surprise visit to Iraq on July 13. Details and quotes in what I was briefly fooled into thinking was a fair report… until the middle of the piece when the authors - Steve Holland and Omar al-Ibadi – noticed that they had forgotten to insert today's liberal talking points (my emphasis):

“Others had expected to see him at Camp David on Tuesday where a videoconference with Iraqi officials was due to be held.

The U.S. death toll in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion is approaching 2,500, and tens of thousands of Iraqis have died.

U.S. public unease with the war is growing in a congressional election year and Bush faces calls to set a timetable for withdrawal of some 130,000 U.S. troops.

On Monday he reiterated they would stay until conditions improved to the point where they could be withdrawn.”

Now why are these two statements randomly inserted between two virtually unrelated paragraphs? It is as if these talking points are a requirement to be published these days, like a copyright notice.

Here are a few examples of my own:

The President – whose popularity is at all-time low – went jogging this morning.

President Bush – whose attempt to privatize Social Security was a miserable failure – arrived in Baghdad at 9AM local time.

Republicans – the party of disgraced Congressman Duke Cunningham – voted in favor of adjournment.

An Iraqi source, told reporters today that he had seen George Bush stop his car and ordered his secret service to beat seven children senseless on his way to a meeting with the President of Iraq – a country in which 2500 American servicemen and tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis (mostly babies in their mother’s arms) have died during the war.

And so it goes.

Jonathan Chait's Common Sense Free Zone

Jonathan Chait (whoever he is) is probably an ivy league genius of some sort, surely he does much more research than I do, and he's a far better writer... but he lacks one thing: Common Sense. In todays (7/11/06) LATimes he proves it.

A “study by William Niskanen of the Cato Institute, found that the conservative "starve the beast" strategy does not work. Indeed, since 1981, he found that tax cuts tend to produce more spending, while tax hikes produce less.”

The theory is, according to Chait, that the Democrats will not cut spending so that the Republicans can --Worn Out Cliche ALERT-- “give tax cuts to the rich”; and only "when Republicans agree to raise taxes, large numbers of Democrats will join them to cut spending." In other words, the Democrats will cut spending only if we, the People, give them more money; but take away “their” money by cutting taxes, and they will spend more.

Chait is disappointed that more conservatives haven’t commented on Niskanen’s devastating dismantling of their faith in tax cuts. Hey Jonathan! The reason that you haven’t seen many comments is that the “study” (while it may indeed be true) is Stupid on its face and requires no commentary. This argument doesn't even have to be about Democrats or Republicans to be ridiculous. Politicians spend every dime they get... always have... always will. Anyone who believes otherwise is a fool (no offens Johnny). The ONLY way to reduce spending is to reduce the dimes.

What Chait and Niskanen seem to be arguing is that the Democrats are so bent on obstruction that they will spend more and more of our money until they get their way... their way being to TAKE more of our money through taxes. Then and only then, Chait promises with a straight face, will they consider reducing spending. When that day comes - and the Democrat's spite will not let up until it does - I presume they will take the excess money gained from additional taxes and spending cuts and put it in a box somewhere. In other words... one way or another, they're gonna get our money.

This is what passes for logic among liberals in the “We’ll-show-you” Party.

Take away our money and (We’ll-show-you”)…we’ll just spend even more.

Try to do something about anything - immigration, welfare, healthcare, social security, etc. - and (We’ll-show-you”)… we’ll obstruct you.

Try to win a war which will make Republicans look even stronger on security and (We’ll-show-you”)… we’ll undermine you.

Win an election and (We’ll-show-you”)… we’ll accuse you of cheating.

Someone tell me how 48% of America can be stupid enough to swallow this crap.