RedStateVT turns today to local Vermont news where a Burlington Free Press story discusses the death of an armed robber at the hands of a store clerk. For those of you who do not follow local Vermont stories, this type of crime happens ALL THE TIME here, the state being plagued with abusers of prescription drugs.
Here is what we learned of the deceased burglar:
- Her autopsy indicated that she was "acutely intoxicated with cocaine."
- She wielded a knife during the burglary.
- She was the mother of four children ages 9 months to 19 years.
No doubt this poor soul had a tough life, but no doubt she made some really bad decisions along the way. Getting hooked on drugs was one. Getting pregnant at age 15 (she was 34 when she died) was another. Continuing to have children was yet a third.
But here is the kicker to the BFP story:
"The Attorney General’s Office also intends to review the Vergennes case. Attorney General William Sorrell has said his office could levy charges against the clerk, or ask a grand jury to consider whether charges are warranted."
Yes, you read that correctly. The AG is considering charges against the clerk who subdued a knife-wielding drug addict. Only in Liberal America. Years ago, the clerk would have received a commendation on the steps of City Hall from the mayor. Not any more.
Liberals have found a new class of victims: armed drug addicts.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Proof Positive
No Regrets
On a late fall morning, the president hosted a breakfast for a handful of members of Congress who had lost their seats: Kathy Dahlkemper, from Pennsylvania; John Spratt, the House budget chairman, from South Carolina; Jim Oberstar, the House Transportation Committee chairman, from Minnesota; and Melissa Bean, from Illinois. All were from moderate middle America districts. Over breakfast in the Roosevelt Room, they told Obama that unless he acted quickly, he was going to end up like them in 2012 -- out.
This group, too, was struck by Obama's lack of regret. "In retrospect, we can look back and say we could have done things differently, but I had a very ambitious agenda," Oberstar recalled Obama saying. "In the end, this is for the greater good of the country." He seemed entirely sure he knew what was best for the country; he seemed to think that he was a better judge than the public. (from "The Obamas" by Jodi Kantor as quoted in the Huffington Post, 1/6/2011)
A Democrat confirms what those on the Right have been saying for years about the mindset of the modern Liberal.
Encouragement
Congress allowed a grant program important to the solar power industry to expire at the end of the year. The program encourages private investment in solar power, is credited with creating thousands of jobs and should be renewed. (NYT editorial, 1/7/2012)
Only the New York Times could write an editorial advocating more government subsidies for solar power.....and not mention Solyndra.
Noted
RedStateVT has been watching Liberal commentators giggle over the past several days about how "unpresidential" the Republican challengers to Obama look and - by contrast - how very presidential Obama appears. Well we will note first that any politician is going to have an advantage standing at a podium with the presidential seal or stepping off of Air Force One. Second, there is nothing particularly presidential about the primary process itself. It tends to be an extended food fight. Obama certainly did not stand out for his gravitas while slugging it out with Hillary Clinton.
Pressured
The left’s centuries-old mission is to increase social harmony by decreasing antagonisms arising from disparities of wealth — to decrease inequality by increasing government’s redistributive activities. Such government constantly expands under the unending, indeed intensifying, pressures to correct what it disapproves of — the distribution of wealth produced by consensual market activities. But as government presumes to dictate the correct distribution of social rewards, the maelstrom of contemporary politics demonstrates that social strife, not solidarity, is generated by government transfer payments to preferred groups. (George Will, Washington Post, 1/6/2012)
New year, same old brilliance from George Will.
On a late fall morning, the president hosted a breakfast for a handful of members of Congress who had lost their seats: Kathy Dahlkemper, from Pennsylvania; John Spratt, the House budget chairman, from South Carolina; Jim Oberstar, the House Transportation Committee chairman, from Minnesota; and Melissa Bean, from Illinois. All were from moderate middle America districts. Over breakfast in the Roosevelt Room, they told Obama that unless he acted quickly, he was going to end up like them in 2012 -- out.
This group, too, was struck by Obama's lack of regret. "In retrospect, we can look back and say we could have done things differently, but I had a very ambitious agenda," Oberstar recalled Obama saying. "In the end, this is for the greater good of the country." He seemed entirely sure he knew what was best for the country; he seemed to think that he was a better judge than the public. (from "The Obamas" by Jodi Kantor as quoted in the Huffington Post, 1/6/2011)
A Democrat confirms what those on the Right have been saying for years about the mindset of the modern Liberal.
Encouragement
Congress allowed a grant program important to the solar power industry to expire at the end of the year. The program encourages private investment in solar power, is credited with creating thousands of jobs and should be renewed. (NYT editorial, 1/7/2012)
Only the New York Times could write an editorial advocating more government subsidies for solar power.....and not mention Solyndra.
Noted
RedStateVT has been watching Liberal commentators giggle over the past several days about how "unpresidential" the Republican challengers to Obama look and - by contrast - how very presidential Obama appears. Well we will note first that any politician is going to have an advantage standing at a podium with the presidential seal or stepping off of Air Force One. Second, there is nothing particularly presidential about the primary process itself. It tends to be an extended food fight. Obama certainly did not stand out for his gravitas while slugging it out with Hillary Clinton.
Pressured
The left’s centuries-old mission is to increase social harmony by decreasing antagonisms arising from disparities of wealth — to decrease inequality by increasing government’s redistributive activities. Such government constantly expands under the unending, indeed intensifying, pressures to correct what it disapproves of — the distribution of wealth produced by consensual market activities. But as government presumes to dictate the correct distribution of social rewards, the maelstrom of contemporary politics demonstrates that social strife, not solidarity, is generated by government transfer payments to preferred groups. (George Will, Washington Post, 1/6/2012)
New year, same old brilliance from George Will.
Friday, January 6, 2012
The Harp Unstrung
Really Truly
The 2010 reform law gives Americans a truly competitive health insurance market. In the past, insurers could get away with huge premium hikes because there was little transparency or accountability. People saw their insurance rates rise but had little way of knowing whether the increase was justified. In a market where consumers had little information, prices and insurance-company profits soared. (Kathleen Sebelius, Washington Post, 1/5/2012)
RedStateVT's health insurance premiums increased in 2012 by 57.46214% This is not a misprint. When we questioned the increase, we were told that it was because of the new health insurance law.
Fashioned
As Mr. Santorum’s standing in the race for the Republican presidential nomination has been energized by his strong showing in the Iowa caucus, so too has the scrutiny of his activities since leaving the Senate. When he left office he was not especially wealthy, but records show he wasted little time fashioning a lucrative post-government career based largely on income from businesses that had benefited from his work in Congress. (NYT, 1/6/2012)
As one Republican candidate after another has surged in the polls, the New York Times has had to work overtime to dig up dirt. Inevitably, it is Rick Santorum's moment. His sin? He had a career (and made lots of money!) after he left government. Frankly, we are much more concerned about politicians who get rich WHILE in office. How about it Mr. Reid?
The 2010 reform law gives Americans a truly competitive health insurance market. In the past, insurers could get away with huge premium hikes because there was little transparency or accountability. People saw their insurance rates rise but had little way of knowing whether the increase was justified. In a market where consumers had little information, prices and insurance-company profits soared. (Kathleen Sebelius, Washington Post, 1/5/2012)
RedStateVT's health insurance premiums increased in 2012 by 57.46214% This is not a misprint. When we questioned the increase, we were told that it was because of the new health insurance law.
Fashioned
As Mr. Santorum’s standing in the race for the Republican presidential nomination has been energized by his strong showing in the Iowa caucus, so too has the scrutiny of his activities since leaving the Senate. When he left office he was not especially wealthy, but records show he wasted little time fashioning a lucrative post-government career based largely on income from businesses that had benefited from his work in Congress. (NYT, 1/6/2012)
As one Republican candidate after another has surged in the polls, the New York Times has had to work overtime to dig up dirt. Inevitably, it is Rick Santorum's moment. His sin? He had a career (and made lots of money!) after he left government. Frankly, we are much more concerned about politicians who get rich WHILE in office. How about it Mr. Reid?
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Embattled Illusions
Recess Time
Republicans had attempted to block the president from installing nominees they opposed over the long break by holding “pro forma” sessions over the holidays, in which members of both chambers — usually those who live in states close to the Capitol — gavel in for minutes or even seconds before gaveling out to try to meet the definition of holding a Congressional meeting. Senate Democrats had taken similar steps to block President George W. Bush from making what are known as recess appointments, which can last up to two years. Until Wednesday, the tactic had prevented two administrations from putting their choices in place without Senate confirmation.
The action by Mr. Obama immediately sparked questions of what constitutes an actual Congressional recess, the legality of Mr. Obama’s move and the future of the Congressional confirmation process. (NYT, 1/5/2012)
Democrats had used a similar process to try to thwart Mr. Bush's recess appointments late in his term when they controlled both the House and the Senate. Prodded by West Virginia's Robert C. Byrd, who has since died, Majority Leader Harry Reid kept the Senate in pro forma session. Some advisers urged Mr. Bush to ignore the Senate and make recess appointments anyway, but he declined. Now Mr. Reid is supporting Mr. Obama's decision to make an end run around a Senate practice that he pioneered. (WSJ, 1/5/2012)
Where to begin? Reid hypocritical. Bush principled. And where are the Liberals who screamed about Bush and Cheney running roughshod over the Constitution?
Head, Hands and Feet
But many researchers have reached a conclusion that turns conventional wisdom on its head: Americans enjoy less economic mobility than their peers in Canada and much of Western Europe. The mobility gap has been widely discussed in academic circles, but a sour season of mass unemployment and street protests has moved the discussion toward center stage. (NYT, 1/5/2012)
Astute readers know that these stories are a staple of state-controlled media reporting during Republican administrations (the legions of homeless during the Reagan years, spiraling poverty in the Bush years, etc.) So what is going on here? Why the stories under Obama?
Allow RedStateVT to explain.
Obviously the blame does not accrue to Obama. Instead the objective is to "document" the inequities in the American system as it now works so that Obama and the Democrats can build the case for more wealth redistribution. This is another part of the "fundamental transformation of the country" that Obama talked about at his inauguration. Yes, we were listening.
Republicans had attempted to block the president from installing nominees they opposed over the long break by holding “pro forma” sessions over the holidays, in which members of both chambers — usually those who live in states close to the Capitol — gavel in for minutes or even seconds before gaveling out to try to meet the definition of holding a Congressional meeting. Senate Democrats had taken similar steps to block President George W. Bush from making what are known as recess appointments, which can last up to two years. Until Wednesday, the tactic had prevented two administrations from putting their choices in place without Senate confirmation.
The action by Mr. Obama immediately sparked questions of what constitutes an actual Congressional recess, the legality of Mr. Obama’s move and the future of the Congressional confirmation process. (NYT, 1/5/2012)
Democrats had used a similar process to try to thwart Mr. Bush's recess appointments late in his term when they controlled both the House and the Senate. Prodded by West Virginia's Robert C. Byrd, who has since died, Majority Leader Harry Reid kept the Senate in pro forma session. Some advisers urged Mr. Bush to ignore the Senate and make recess appointments anyway, but he declined. Now Mr. Reid is supporting Mr. Obama's decision to make an end run around a Senate practice that he pioneered. (WSJ, 1/5/2012)
Where to begin? Reid hypocritical. Bush principled. And where are the Liberals who screamed about Bush and Cheney running roughshod over the Constitution?
Head, Hands and Feet
But many researchers have reached a conclusion that turns conventional wisdom on its head: Americans enjoy less economic mobility than their peers in Canada and much of Western Europe. The mobility gap has been widely discussed in academic circles, but a sour season of mass unemployment and street protests has moved the discussion toward center stage. (NYT, 1/5/2012)
Astute readers know that these stories are a staple of state-controlled media reporting during Republican administrations (the legions of homeless during the Reagan years, spiraling poverty in the Bush years, etc.) So what is going on here? Why the stories under Obama?
Allow RedStateVT to explain.
Obviously the blame does not accrue to Obama. Instead the objective is to "document" the inequities in the American system as it now works so that Obama and the Democrats can build the case for more wealth redistribution. This is another part of the "fundamental transformation of the country" that Obama talked about at his inauguration. Yes, we were listening.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Troubled Track
In Which RedStateVT Breaks Its 2012 Resolution Not To Write About Paul Krugman
Deficit-worriers portray a future in which we’re impoverished by the need to pay back money we’ve been borrowing. They see America as being like a family that took out too large a mortgage, and will have a hard time making the monthly payments. This is, however, a really bad analogy in at least two ways. First, families have to pay back their debt. Governments don’t — all they need to do is ensure that debt grows more slowly than their tax base. (Paul Krugman, NYT, 1/1/2012)
Here's the problem with Krugman's "grow the tax base faster than the debt" solution: He and his fellow Liberals are constantly reducing the tax base by increasing the number of people dependent on government. If 50% or so of all Americans don't pay ANY taxes, then the other 50% have to pick up a larger share. Surely a PhD could figure that out.
One More Thing
But right now, other things matter more. We need more, not less, government spending to get us out of our unemployment trap. (Paul Krugman, NYT, 1/1/2012)
It occurs to us that Liberals should be reminded that they are naive to think that politicians - given access to more taxpayer dollars - are going to behave responsibly. More dollars in the hands of politicians are only going to lead to more payoffs to supporters (unions and teachers in the case of Democrats) and more waste (see Solyndra). THAT is why RedStateVT argues for austerity.
Wagering
President Obama's campaign has boasted that it will have as much as $1 billion to spend this campaign year, and you can bet his super PACs will come out swinging at the GOP nominee as soon as that choice is clear. (WSJ, 1/4/2012)
Sen. Bernie Sanders will be a guest on The Colbert Report tonight to discuss his Saving American Democracy Amendment. Bernie’s amendment to the Constitution would reverse a Supreme Court ruling that lets corporations spend unlimited and undisclosed amounts of money to influence elections. (Sanders.enews, 1/3/2012)
Guess we will have to wait and see if the Colonel's outrage extends to Obama's super PAC....
Deficit-worriers portray a future in which we’re impoverished by the need to pay back money we’ve been borrowing. They see America as being like a family that took out too large a mortgage, and will have a hard time making the monthly payments. This is, however, a really bad analogy in at least two ways. First, families have to pay back their debt. Governments don’t — all they need to do is ensure that debt grows more slowly than their tax base. (Paul Krugman, NYT, 1/1/2012)
Here's the problem with Krugman's "grow the tax base faster than the debt" solution: He and his fellow Liberals are constantly reducing the tax base by increasing the number of people dependent on government. If 50% or so of all Americans don't pay ANY taxes, then the other 50% have to pick up a larger share. Surely a PhD could figure that out.
One More Thing
But right now, other things matter more. We need more, not less, government spending to get us out of our unemployment trap. (Paul Krugman, NYT, 1/1/2012)
It occurs to us that Liberals should be reminded that they are naive to think that politicians - given access to more taxpayer dollars - are going to behave responsibly. More dollars in the hands of politicians are only going to lead to more payoffs to supporters (unions and teachers in the case of Democrats) and more waste (see Solyndra). THAT is why RedStateVT argues for austerity.
Wagering
President Obama's campaign has boasted that it will have as much as $1 billion to spend this campaign year, and you can bet his super PACs will come out swinging at the GOP nominee as soon as that choice is clear. (WSJ, 1/4/2012)
Sen. Bernie Sanders will be a guest on The Colbert Report tonight to discuss his Saving American Democracy Amendment. Bernie’s amendment to the Constitution would reverse a Supreme Court ruling that lets corporations spend unlimited and undisclosed amounts of money to influence elections. (Sanders.enews, 1/3/2012)
Guess we will have to wait and see if the Colonel's outrage extends to Obama's super PAC....
Monday, January 2, 2012
Closing Time
Bright and Shiny
While the economic picture in the United States has brightened recently with more upbeat employment figures, Europe remains mired in a slump. (NYT, 1/2/2012)
Preparing for Obama's reelection campaign, the New York Times announces that the U.S. economy is squarely on the rebound. Job growth came in the "shovel-ready green energy" sector.
The Case
The country obviously needs more jobs. Mr. Obama needs to lay out the case that industry, with government help, can create hundreds of thousands of clean energy jobs without incurring environmental risks — by upgrading old power plants to comply with environmental laws, retrofitting commercial and residential buildings that soak up nearly 40 percent of the country’s energy (and produce nearly 40 percent of its carbon emissions) and promoting growth in new industries like wind and solar power and advanced vehicles. (NYT, 1/2/2012)
Speaking of those green energy jobs! What the country needs - according to the Times - is more Solyndras.
While the economic picture in the United States has brightened recently with more upbeat employment figures, Europe remains mired in a slump. (NYT, 1/2/2012)
Preparing for Obama's reelection campaign, the New York Times announces that the U.S. economy is squarely on the rebound. Job growth came in the "shovel-ready green energy" sector.
The Case
The country obviously needs more jobs. Mr. Obama needs to lay out the case that industry, with government help, can create hundreds of thousands of clean energy jobs without incurring environmental risks — by upgrading old power plants to comply with environmental laws, retrofitting commercial and residential buildings that soak up nearly 40 percent of the country’s energy (and produce nearly 40 percent of its carbon emissions) and promoting growth in new industries like wind and solar power and advanced vehicles. (NYT, 1/2/2012)
Speaking of those green energy jobs! What the country needs - according to the Times - is more Solyndras.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
RedStateVT Announces 2011 Cheney Award Winner
Loyal readers know that every year at this time RedStateVT selects one individual to receive our coveted Cheney Award. Given to the person who has done the most to preserve and promote the values of American liberty, strength and exceptionalism, the award honors former Vice-President Dick Cheney for his service to and defense of this great country. Past winners have included Glen Beck and Dick Morris. Of course each year there is a strong field of contenders and 2011 was no exception. Representative Paul Ryan, author and commentator Mark Steyn, and media watchdog Brent Bozell were among the names we considered and all are certainly deserving. One person in particular stood out for her dogged pursuit of the scandals and hypocrisy of the Obama administration and the Democrat party. Her best seller – Culture of Corruption – illustrates in shocking and gory detail the corruption of the Chicago political machine which gave us Obama. You cannot read the book and ever again view Obama as the above-the-fray visionary and savior that the media writes about. He is a product of Chicago in all its political grime. Of course, we are talking about author and commentator Michelle Malkin.
Malkin did the hard work digging into the dirty details and connecting the dots of Chicago politics: who scratched whose back, why and what the payback was. She was at it first and continues to this day with her latest column reminding us of – what else – the Obama scandals. Listen to her on her television appearances and several things come through: her detailed recitation of the corrupt dealings of the Obama-Chicago nexus and her absolute outrage that they are getting away with it. For her passion and her advocacy, Michelle Malkin is the winner of the 2011 Cheney Award from RedStateVT.
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