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Friday, July 10, 2009

If Palin Were President Now

Sarah Palin's announcement that she will resign as Governor of Alaska has kicked off a new round of attacks on Palin's intelligence and integrity from pundits on both sides of the political spectrum. For most of the commentators, the resignation signals an end to Palin's chances at becoming President.

Few of the critics supported Palin before the resignation, so the resignation is not so much a revelation to them, as an opportunity to say "I told you so" and to take more cheap shots at Palin and her family. Among the non-political classes who form the base of Palin's support, I'm not sure the resignation makes much difference.

Despite the criticism of Palin and assertions that she is unfit for the presidency, it is hard to imagine that Palin could do any worse as President than Barack Obama is doing right now. For all Obama's smarts and syntax, he is driving this country off a cliff, with the pedal down to the floor while he reads the drivers' manual on how the brakes work.

If Palin were President, we would not have:
  • A debt and deficit rising so far out of proportion to historical norms as to threaten the near-and-long term viability of the country's ability to service the debt without destroying the value of the dollar, and passing on to our children and grandchildren unsustainable burdens.
  • A stimulus package filled with pork and giveaways to political constituencies, pushed through under false and fraudulent claims of job creation, and exaggerated claims of immediate economic disaster which themselves hurt the markets, in a process so disgusting that not a single Representative or Senator read the bill before voting.
  • Health care proposals which are wolves in sheep's clothing, using a seemingly benign "public option" to drive out private insurers, to increase the percentage of people dependent on the government, and eventually to obtain the "one nation, one plan" nationalization of health care which is the holy grail of Obama and his left-wing supporters.
  • A "cap-and-trade" proposal which seeks to regulate and tax the most fundamental aspects of the economy based upon the pure hubris that bureaucrats in Washington are capable of knowing what is best for individual businesses, and arising from disputed science as to the existence and causes of global warming, while proponents like Al Gore stand ready to make fortunes from "trading" carbon credits.
  • A foreign policy which strong-arms allies such as Israel and Honduras, while paying deference to enemies such as Hugo Chavez and Mahmood Ahmadinejad, and which denigrates the U.S. by showing subservience to foreign rulers and by distorting the historical role of the U.S.
  • An energy policy which increases our current dependence of foreign oil by locking up domestic resources, in the speculative hope that someday, somehow, alternative energy sources will make up the difference.
  • The use of federal government power to bully the private sector into giving up property rights in favor of unions and other political supporters of the administration, rather than letting the rule of law work in the normal fashion in auto industry bankruptcy proceedings, as happened with other industries that restructured.
An administration spinning out of control because of the same disease which characterizes all central planners; the false sense that central government is best suited to make decisions for individuals. And add to it the hubris of the political classes, the people who cannot fathom that anyone without the proper degrees or who isn't articulate lacks intelligence or common sense. By the time Obama figures out how to use the brakes, it will not matter.

Say what you want about Sarah Palin, she does not suffer from the Master of the Universe complex which drives this administration to push hard on the gas pedal as we approach the cliff. At least Palin understands how to put the brakes on government power. So who is the fool?

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22 comments:

  1. You make the mistake of attributing good faith to Obama. He is not trying to save the economy, he wants to destroy it so he can say free markets don't work, we need the big government socialist model. Every crisis is an opportunity.

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  2. In a nutshell.

    Thanks for saying it so well.

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  3. But... Alaska ranks #1 in taxes per resident and #1 in spending per resident. It's tax burden per resident is 2 1/2 times the national average. In 2005 (The last year info is available) Alaska ranked 18th in federal taxes paid per resident, and 1st in federal money spent per resident.

    Sarah Palin may talk a big game, but the numbers speak even louder. She was the governer of the most socialistic state in the U.S., and theirs no real evidence she would've treated this country any different.

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  4. She wasn't Governor till 2007, nitwit, it has a much smaller population, Stevens brought home a lot of pork, 70% of the State is owned by the federal government, saw how you didn't put up a link

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  5. "She wasn't Governor till 2007, nitwit, it has a much smaller population, Stevens brought home a lot of pork, 70% of the State is owned by the federal government, saw how you didn't put up a link"

    Calling someone a nitwit isn't effective when you can't use basic grammer. I'll give you a free lesson. Sentences end in periods. I also enjoy how you accuse me of not using links, and then in the same comment you don't use any links. As for the rest of that jibberish, it's completely irrelevent to my point.

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  6. So what you're saying is that Palin would not have taken the necessary measures to stimulate the economy, reform the healthcare system, advance the environmental agenda, change the sclerotic right-wing foreign policy, and support the rights of workers.

    Thank you for reinforcing my sense of relief that Obama was elected instead of the status-quo loving Republicans.

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  7. Stimulate the economy means borrowing trillions to distribute among supporters. No visible improvement in the economy.
    Reform the healthcare system means destroy the finest healthcare system in the world to bring about rationed healthcare and long waits for treatment.
    Advance the environmental agenda means to cause the price of energy to skyrocket to combat the imaginary threat of global warming, and further demolish the economy.
    Yeah what a relief that the Marxist was elected.

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  8. This country needed a heart-lung transplant. Sure it is expensive and sure it puts you in debt, but the alternative is worse

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  9. Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease and this is one of those times. This country will be unrecognizable if O has his way.

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  10. Trying to prove that you are fit to serve as VP by resigning early from the job you asked people elect you to is as disasterous a political move as I can imagine, and from there it only gets worse.

    On the eve of the 4th of July, Gov. Palin stood before a crowd and talked about how great Alaska was, how amazing her people are, and about how honored she was to have served. Please....

    Had Palin resigned her position as Governor to become VP, people would have understood. To quit now (in part because your kids voted for it) is to ignore those people you asked to put you in the office in the first place. You know, there are a lot of people out there who signed on to do something for four years. A lot of them are 19 year old kids sitting in a desert trying not to get blown up by an IED.

    They miss their famalies too and they probably don't like the way they are treated by the enemy anymore than Palin liked the way she was treated by the press. But the situations are not close to being the same. Those kids don't get to quit! Palin served as Gov. from a mansion. Those kids serve from a blistering landscape of wind blown sand and the bullets fired at them arent' made of ink and found on the editorial board of the local paper.

    On the eve of the 4th of July, something truly remarkable escaped Sarah Palin: That the nation we have was come by way of men and women who sacrificed everything to build a new nation. To want to be with her family, to want to get out of the line of fire--all of those things I understand. But of her own choice did she enter politics. She asked for a vote--and a number of people gave her that vote. To tell those poeople now that she's done, that she is turning out the lights is inexcusable.

    I am thankful today that John Adams (who spent half of his life away from his wife Abagail, who I'm sure misssed him from less comforting surroundings than a mansion) did not quit when things got tough and the risks became great. That Palin did gives her enemies a laugh, a pause, and a belief that they were right, all along.

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  11. There certainly is a strong contrast between Palin & Obama, & it is hardly flattering to the former. President Obama has a knack for formulating strong teams to work within & is a good listener - Palin's tendency to ignore good advice & go it alone is a matter of public record, as is her refusal to admit blatant deceit when it comes to things like her record on ethics charges, the "Bridge To Nowhere" or selling a jet on EBay (see 2008 Election).

    Obama has gotten most if not all his bills through Congress - Palin's batting average is, what, 1 for 14?

    I also doubt that her governorship of a Big Oil socialist state like Alaska would translate well to DC, nor would her notorious penchant for avoiding gruntwork - or her ongoing track-record of suddenly quitting once she gets tired of her current position.

    Since you're being speculative, let me add a little brainstorm of my own.

    One wonders if Palin would've attacked Iran by now (having been fully enlightened on the nuances of the same "Bush Doctrine" that the Allies executed Nazi war-criminals for practising at Nuremburg, & feeling the need to bring on the End Times that she sincerely believes are an essential prelude to the arrival of her Messiah on Earth) & given Iran's recent mutual-defence pacts with Russia & China, whether or not the results of such an act of lethal folly would prevent you from making such a post, or most of your readers from ever seeing it, for obvious reasons.

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  12. Reign, don't even presume to lecture people on the correct usage of "grammer" when it's appallingly evident that "theirs" no way you have any facility with the English language. And don't try to denigrate my attempts as the ramblings of a language nazi; I assure you they're totally "...relevent" to the situation.
    Narciso didn't have to validate his reply with a link, he was stating common knowledge. And a missing period at the end of a sentence is the unpardonable sin, of course, & the less said about that, the better

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  13. Spin Spin Spin all you on the Left want but people are not stupid. Most people know that when you are in a hole financially you don't take on more debt and then saddle your kids and grandkids with paying it. Most people know that you don't take what is not broken and "fix" it by destroying it which is what the Left proposes for healthcare. All those people who say they can't afford health insurance have cable and video games and every gadget under the sun...priorites...priorities... What ailes most Leftist is envy and wanting what someone else was willing to work hard for. This is the land of opportunity but you have to work hard at it and risk much... not have someone hand it to you.

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  14. Oh Jim. Where to begin with your flawed argument.

    Lets start with this. You say Obama has gotten in most of his agenda. Is that a good thing for the country with all that spending. Obama has all the #'s to get thru any bill he wants. Sarah has to work with more democrats than republicans who immediately stopped working with her after she got back from the 08 election.
    Lets see how much of Obamas agenda gets thru when the conservatives take over in 2010.

    Lastly you say Sarah will bring on "the end times that she sincerely believes in are an essential prelude to the arrival of her Messiah on Earth".
    Show me where she has ever governed in such a way or is that just what you think she believes.
    This is what I love about Liberals like yourself. You always know what someone else thinks and believes.
    Oh I wish I was as smart as you liberals.

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  15. Obama is a good listener? Is that why his answer to every single republican is "I won the election". Sounds like a guy who listens real well.
    He listens well? Is that why even one of his biggest economic supporters Warren Buffett is saying that what Obama is doing is wrong for the economy yet he insists on more.
    Yeah, he listens real well.
    BTW. how many Czars are we up to now? 50?

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  16. Fact: Palin was the VP candidate.

    Fact: Palin ran on ethics reform and accountability platform. The residents of Alaska have the constitutional right to question her perceived breach of ethical conduct.

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  17. Reign2020:

    You clearly show your ignorance of Alaska and taxation policy in America by mis-interpreting general statistics.

    Those figures cannot be compared directly since there are differences in taxation policies among states.

    Reasons for Alaska's seemingly high tax per capita (or household):

    1. Alaska's High Federal funding. Yes. Alaska showcases two the largest Federal programs: The missile defense system in the north and the huge national parks in America. It's not Sarah's fault. THE MISSILE SYSTEM IS FOR AMERICA'S PROTECTION.

    2. Large tax per resident. Yes. Alaska has few residents compared to other states (YOUR DIVISOR). But the Tax collection is huge due to its oil and gas activities. The figures include taxes collected by the state government to the LARGE BUSINESS in Alaska. Federal laws declare that natural resources (oil and gas) are owned by the State of America. It's not regular tax. It's severance tax (in Middle East, they call it Royalty Tax).

    On Item 2, the taxes being collected from the BUSINESS is being transferred back to the people. But Sarah's policy is different: surplus collections from oil and gas business were returned DIRECTLY TO THE PEOPLE OF ALASKA in form of DIRECT CHECK TO HELP the people from the high cost of heating during winter days.

    Obama's Democratic Socialist of America (although he's not admitting it) accused Palin of being a socialist because of the above. DSA is idiotic. It's not European-style socialism of FD Roosevelt. Government owns everything and people works for the Government.

    It's called American-style Republicanism of Teddy Roosevelt. Government receives income from the "services" it renders and allows private industries to utilize state-owned natural resources for profit at certain cost .... and Government's income generation should directly return to the people.

    But compare Alaska's macroeconomic statistics in end of 2006 (midterm election) and mid 2009. You'll see the great accomplishments of Ms. Palin in just 2 years of office. BY THE WAY, ALASKA HAS A BALANCED BUDGET UP TO 2010 THAT CAN ONLY BE CHALLENGED BY TEXAS (Thanks to Sarah's friend Rick Perry). Note that the calculations was based on lower oil/gas prices. But the Gas and oil prices are starting to peak again. That means that Alaska will once again have a surplus budget.

    Plus, Palin has just made sure that the contracts for the largest natgas pipeline project in America ever in history have been successfully closed before she leaves office by end of July. THAT MEANS ALASKA WILL BE RICH... VERY RICH.

    Congratulations, Sarah!

    Question: How is the Genius Obama and the ObamaCrats managing the TARP 1 and all the bailouts, huh?

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  18. To Jim:

    Sorry the truth, despite the liberally biased Truthmeters of MSM, show that:

    1. Sarah change her policies for the better when new and better information are available. That's Bridge to Nowhere.

    2. Selling the Jet plane second hand is way better. The cost of maintaining it and using it for sheer caprices of the good old boys in Alaska is INDEED a wise financial decision for the state.

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  19. So what's your solution? I don't see a solution in there. Yes, Obama is bad, I get that. Let's hear what Sarah would have done.

    Exactly.

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  20. Is this a practice article for the Onion?

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  21. Palin is not afraid. She boldly claims to be a daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother and business person, in a seemingly equal (or higher) status as govenor. She is who she is, not the office she holds. She is a person first, a politican second.

    Contrary to the lessons Bill Clinton taught us, when personal problems outweigh public issues, it is time to leave, not hang in there and waste limited resources. Dodd, Rangel, Murtha, and even Sanford are doing an injustice for the public they represent. In solving problems, who's do you think they will take time for first, their own, or the publics'?

    Obama's agenda calls for decision by person and circumstance, not legal structure, so it will be difficult for him to leave the office, like so many entities that rely on a personality, and have it run the way he wants. That is why we will become more totalitarian.

    Time for a constitutional convention seems long overdue.

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