Tag: Democrat

Why Democrats should vote Libertarian

Dear Democrats,

Let’s talk about who you are voting for.  I’m not going to try to convince you to vote Republican.  Lower taxes, economic freedom, equal opportunity, national security and all that isn’t for everyone, and I get that.  Seriously though, we have many of the same goals.  Lowering healthcare costs without destroying our healthcare system, helping people rise up out of poverty, keeping the country safe, keeping our neighborhoods safe, an end to racism, proper management of government with cuts to wasteful spending, these are all goals of both Democrats and Republicans.  We just have different ways of getting there.

But the Democrat party isn’t run by moderate Democrats anymore.  You have not one, but four Democrat Senate candidates who have been caught on hidden camera telling people they are far more radical than they can publicly admit.  They said on these hidden videos that they are hiding their agenda to try to get moderate votes.  We have Beto O’Rourke in Texas who wants to import cheap labor illegally so that America’s poor don’t have to work.  Instead, he wants to give them universal guaranteed income.  It would basically turn our country into a slave/welfare state.

Andrew Gillum was on staff with a radical activist group YP4 that wanted to defund police and end prisons.  You may agree with portions of their manifesto, but I’d imagine you’d be a little uncomfortable with their stances on ending capitalism, opening borders, and their dedication to liberation theology which is an ideology of racial supremacy.  You might have liked Obama, but you probably wouldn’t sit and listen to a sermon by Jeremiah Wright.

And then there’s Ocasio-Cortez.  The question Democrats have to ask themselves is if they really support unfunded economic programs like universal income and universal healthcare if they are going to cost $3.2 trillion a year and require massive tax hikes on the poor just to be sustainable.

You’re still a liberal, but you’re not quite as radical as your party has become.  You also don’t like the rhetoric.  You hate Trump, you hate what he says, you aren’t particularly fond of his followers.  But you don’t think we should attack his supporters.  You don’t agree with Maxine Waters that you should show up at restaurants and chase people like Mitch McConnell and his wife out.  You aren’t into the radical hatred stuff so much, you really just don’t like Trump.  You don’t even really hate your friend who voted for Trump.  So some of the leftist rhetoric, like Hollywood actors calling for a bloody revolution if Democrats lose the election isn’t your cup of tea.  You really just want to return to that mythical time when the two parties acted with civility.

Here is why the Libertarian party is for you:

  1. They support legalization of recreational marijuana.  Like you, they don’t think the government should decide what you put in your body.
  2. They support prison reform.  Not “cops are white supremacists we need to shut down all prisons and let the inmates go wild” radical Democrat prison reform.  But real prison reform where people aren’t locked up for victimless crimes.
  3. They, like you, are most often pro-choice.  They aren’t going around talking about how they are so happy they had abortions and telling people to get their abortions while they still can.  They aren’t dressing up in vagina suits and throwing menstrual blood at cops because a 13 year old might have to tell the authorities when someone illegally gets her pregnant.  But they do consider abortion to be a private choice between a woman and her doctor.  I disagree, but hey I’m not a Democrat.
  4. They hate government corruption.  You hate government corruption.  And many of the candidates in your party are corrupt.  Senator Bob Menendez went to the Dominican Republic on a lobbyist’s dime to rape underage prostitutes.  Andrew Gillum accepted bribes from undercover FBI agents.  Libertarians haven’t been to DC yet, so they are still pure and innocent.  They can’t even get a lobbyist to buy them a cup of coffee.
  5. They are fiscally responsible.  Now you might not agree with their reductions in social programs, etc.  But take heart, chances are none of them will actually win, much less get enough power to actually do something like reform Social Security with higher performing private accounts.  So you can rest easy that the government will still hold that leash.  But you can personally vote with a clean conscience.

So if you want to vote against Republicans, but you’re no longer comfortable with the crazy that your party has become, consider voting for Libertarians.  Check out their platform.  I think you’ll see a lot of things you agree with, and not too many you don’t.  Their 2nd amendment views will make you antsy.  But more antsy than the idea that the government should ban most hunting and sport rifles, and then confiscate them?  Because that’s where the DNC is today.

Sincerely,

Your friends at Political Brief

Fake News: Democrats care about the deficit

In 2006 the deficit was about $248 billion.  Democrats called it unpatriotic.  They said tax cuts had killed the economy and skyrocketed the deficit.  They said America was going to go bankrupt.  Conservatives stayed home, Democrats ran a group of so-called “blue dog” candidates who said they cared about the deficit.

Those blue dogs are gone now.  In 2007 when Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid came into power and Democrats took over the House and Senate, the deficit had dropped to $160 billion.  Then came the regulation and the spending.  By 2008 when Obama was elected the deficit was up to half a trillion and in Obama’s first year as President the deficit was $1.4 trillion.  Democrats lost Congress in 2010 and as Republicans gained more control the deficit slowly dropped.  In 2013, it was below $1 trillion again.

Democrats don’t care about the deficit.  If they did, they would talk about cutting spending.  Tax hikes have a negative effect on the economy, and a poorly producing economy means less tax revenue.  But Democrats want tax hikes because it allows them to spend more and accomplish their goal of redistributing wealth from GDP producers to their voters.  So if they can use a high deficit to say we need to raise taxes, they will.

How do we know they don’t actually care about the deficit?  Because Democrats view every dollar cut from anything but the military as draconian austerity measures that throw Grandma off a cliff.  They even include that in their advertising.  Democrats, in addition to opposing any non-military spending cuts, have proposed spending that would double our entire US budget.  They want to spend $3.2 trillion a year on universal healthcare and another trillion a year on guaranteed tuition and jobs.  Even if they cut the entire $600 billion military budget and took every penny of the $2 trillion held by America’s billionaires, they would still need to tax every day Americans an additional $2 trillion a year.  Compare that to Trump’s tax cuts that cost $200 billion a year.

The Democrat budget wish list would cost Americans 20 times Trump’s tax cuts.  And there simply aren’t enough dollars in existence in America to pay for it.  Don’t tell me the Democrats care about deficits.

Cuomo: America was never great

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is in hot water for countering Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan with one of his own: “America was never that great”.  I don’t know how far that’s going to get him with the majority of Americans, but it will play well with the radical Democratic Socialists on the Left.  Just yesterday Bernie Sanders said America is “fundamentally immoral and wrong”.  Andrew Cuomo’s brother and CNN commentator Chris Cuomo recently got himself in trouble suggesting that punching right-wingers was morally justifiable.

Democrat governor says America was never great

Economists are taking Elizabeth Warren to task over her far fetched Accountable Capitalism Act.  Warren, who opposes free market capitalism, came up with the idea of having corporations have to obtain a “Federal charter” to operate.  The license, in addition to the hoops they have to jump through to work in their state, would raise $1 billion in fee taxes.  Warren’s so-called “charter” would require corporate directors to consider not just their stakeholders, but also their employees and communities.

Of course, this is moronic.  Any well run company has to consider the well-being of their employees and communities or the free market will eliminate that company from competition.  In fact, that point was made by none other than BET co-founder Robert Johnson.  The Black Entertainment Television co-founder said “Most companies and most boards look at all of their stakeholders, not only their shareholders. They look at their employees, they look at the community where they reside and do business, they look at even the vendors that they do business with. So I think it’s a solution in search of a problem that’s absolutely not necessary,”

What Warren’s bill, along with the exemptions for friends of the ruling party that we have seen with previous Socialist overreaches, would create a new avenue for crony capitalism.  In other words, to get an exemption for your federal charter or to guarantee you have your charter maintained, you have to stay friendly with the party in power.  We saw the same thing with ACA where Obama’s biggest supporters received exemptions to various new labor rules.

Warren’s new socialist measure to control businesses gets a failing grade

Trump is implementing what Obama failed to do with his new Buy America push.  Trump is planning on using an executive order to create rules to ensure that federal agencies use American made goods and services for their projects.  There are questions about the legality of the executive order and sure to be legal challenges.  There are also issues of increased costs to the taxpayers if the government has to buy more expensive American goods.

Obama tried and failed to pass a buy American provision in 2009 and again in 2011.  He backed off of the provision in 2009 after American companies who sell overseas swayed him away from the influence of the US labor unions with fears of foreign retaliation.  When Obama flopped back to supporting Buy American, the Jobs Act of 2011 was squashed by the GOP.

Our opinion?  It was wrong when Obama tried it, it’s wrong now.  Free trade produces lower prices for consumers and taxpayers, and competition helps American producers to be efficient.  A better way to help American producers is to cut taxes and regulation so that they can compete on the high end of the global scale.  But Trump is doubly wrong by doing this as an executive order rather than through Congress.  Many Democrats support Buy American provisions.  Labor unions love it.  By going it alone, Trump will alienate conservative and free market GOP members, but I doubt he’ll receive any recognition from the left.  Democrats also supported protectionist tariffs, until Trump did it.  All around this is poor strategy and contrary to free market principles.

Trump to accomplish Obama agenda item with Buy American executive order

8/14/18:The missing tape

CBS is leading off today with a new recording from Omarosa from 2016 in which Omarosa insists to other campaign officials that Trump used the N word while filming the Apprentice.  Omarosa has maintained this claim and that there is a recording, although the existence of the recording remains unverified.  In the recorded phonecall with Lynne Patton and Katrina Pierson, Patton says she asked Trump if he had used the word and he said no.  Someone believed by CBS to be Pierson then says “no, he said it”, although that could be Omarosa talking.  Pierson has denied that they knew about this tape or were trying to spin it.

Omarosa insists that she heard this supposed recording of Trump using the N word, but has not given any details about the specific context.  Producer Mark Burnett apparently called Trump to reassure him no such tape exists.  Omarosa was fired for multiple ethics violations and potentially violated the law by illegally taping White House meetings.

Omarosa cites phantom recording of Trump, but has no evidence

Al Gore is out there now resetting the Global Warming apocalypse timeframe.  Gore said Trump hasn’t been as bad as he thought, and with a new President we could be back on track to save the planet.  Gore has previously cited Global Warming studies to predict that the polar ice caps would be melted and gone by 2014.  Gore also predicted 2016 would be the point of no return for hoping to stop Global Warming.  Apparently, having survived two previous near apocalypses, if only we can get a new President we’ll be OK.  I wonder who he has in mind?

Al Gore discovers the Global Warming apocalypse hasn’t happened yet

Radical Democrat protesters are being investigated by the Secret Service after calling for violence against the President.  The Antifa group, made up of Democrats, Democratic Socialists, and Communists, attacked Trump supporters, beat cops, and tangled with Secret Service in violent demonstrations over the weekend.  Some protesters were asked on camera what they would do if they saw Trump.  Their suggestions ranged from unhinged violence to sodomy and murder.  It is a felony to threaten to harm or kill the President.  The protesters also called on violence towards “fascists”, but their definition is broad and includes pretty much anyone who disagrees with them.

We believe that if Trump has a duty to denounce white supremacist groups over and over, then Democrat leaders have a duty to denounce Antifa as well.  Last year when a tiny group of white supremacists clashed with violent Antifa members, Trump was severely criticized for denouncing violence “on both sides”.  We are now calling out Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and anyone else who considers themselves leaders on the Left.  It’s time to condemn the violent bigotry of Antifa and call on them to go home and consider joining only in the civil debate our political system is built on.

Violent Democrats and Leftists under investigation

Breaking: Almost two years later, Peter Strzok is fired

The FBI agent who was an integral part of the Clinton and Trump investigations has finally been fired.  Peter Strzok, who became infamous for his anti-Trump and election meddling texts, was originally only to be demoted and suspended.  However, FBI Deputy Director David Bodwich overruled the disciplinary office and fired Strzok.

Strzok’s private texts were a goldmine for Trump supporters as the Trump Russia collusion investigation fell apart.  Strzok was having an affair with FBI attorney Lisa Page and texted her about his progress in investigating Trump.  Strzok texted her that Hillary should win, even though he was still investigating Hillary for her illegal email server.  Strzok went on to text that they would “stop Trump”, and went as far as colluding with her to spark the Russian investigation.

Strzok texted with Page about Andrew McCabe’s idea of the Russian investigation being an “insurance policy” in case Trump was elected.  They also texted about Strzok’s relationship with FISA Court judge Contreras in the context of how to spy on the Trump campaign.

In testimony before Congress, Strzok appeared angry, confident, and incredulous that he would be questioned over his texts.  He attempted to explain them away as simply personal political activism that didn’t affect his job, however even Lisa Page admitted that everyone understood his activism in the context of his job at the FBI.

Strzok’s friend and boss, Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, was fired earlier this year for leaking to the media.  McCabe was in charge of the Clinton and Trump investigations, and responsible for using Hillary’s bought and paid for Russian dossier propaganda to get FISA warrants to spy on Trump.  McCabe refused to recuse himself, even though his wife was running for office in Virginia as a Democrat.

With McCabe and Strzok fired in disgrace and admissions from Comey and Mueller that Trump was never a target of the Russia investigation, the only thing left for Mueller is the possibility of a perjury rap if he can get Trump under oath.  This isn’t likely at this point unless Mueller subpoenas Trump.

Leftists admit Socialism is unaffordable

“The democratic socialists may do well in November.  Yet upon arriving in Washington, they will discover that even their revolution cannot repeal the laws of math.”  That is how an article with Vox by Brian Riedl ends.  Riedl uses leftist and Democrat sources to compile the costs of the Democratic Socialist agenda and finds that even the most generous sources leave them with $3.4 trillion per year to make up in tax revenues.

Democrats have gained traction in the coming election by claiming that deficits are bad and we need to tax the rich to fix it.  But don’t mistake their feigned concern for actual fiscal sanity.  Even the extensive list of new taxes laid out by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wouldn’t cover 10% of the cost of their agenda.

According to Reidl, Democratic Socialists could pay for all the free stuff they are promising with a 100% tax on all corporations and 100% tax on all family income over $150,000 for married taxpayers and $90,000 for singles.  This would be on top of the current tax structure and assumes the willingness of business owners and capital providers to devote their hard work to charity rather than profit.  Another idea to add on to our current taxes would an 87% value added tax.  Basically, in every step of the manufacturing process, the government gets 87 cents of every dollar made.  The inflation would kill the middle class.  Lastly, we could do it if we added a 37% flat payroll tax on top of the current tax structure.  For the middle class this would mean an all in tax rate of 77%.

So let’s talk about this blue wave?  Are voters really ready to kill the economic growth by ending the Trump tax cuts?  Are they really ready to hand over their healthcare decisions in exchange for giving 77 cents of every dollar they make to the government?  Is this what people really want?  It’s not like the Left is running on anything else, except for extreme Trump hate.  Well, now you have an idea of how much that hatred will cost you just in taxes.