Barker's Newsbites: Monday, March 8, 2010

It's a new week, folks...

Join me inside the Comments Section!

Weekend Newsbites: Sat. & Sun., March 6 & 7, 2010

My opinion...?

Ignorance is not bliss.

Wise up...

Barker's Newsbites: Friday, March 5, 2010

It's Friday my friends...

TGIF...!

Barker's Newsbites: Thursday, March 4, 2010

N*E*W*S*B*I*T*E*S...

...inside the Comments Section of this thread!

Barker's Newsbites: Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Newsbites...! Newsbites...! Get your newsbites...!

The Anti-Bunning Twenty-One

Last night 21 stupid, cowardly Senate Republicans voted with the Democrats to pass without amendment H.R.4691 - a bill "To Provide a Temporary Extension of Certain Programs, and For Other Purposes" - which the CBO estimates will add over $10.3 billion to the national debt between 2010-2020... all this additional "emergency" deficit spending somehow exempt from the so-called PayGo "requirements" that Congress passed only weeks ago.

Consequently I introduce into the Hall of Shame the following:

Bond (R-MO); Brown (R-MA); Brownback (R-KS); Chambliss (R-GA); Cochran (R-MS); Collins (R-ME); Graham (R-SC); Grassley (R-IA); Inhofe (R-OK); Isakson (R-GA); Kyl (R-AZ); LeMieux (R-FL); Lugar (R-IN); McCain (R-AZ); Murkowski (R-AK); Roberts (R-KS); Shelby (R-AL); Snowe (R-ME); Vitter (R-LA); Voinovich (R-OH); and Wicker (R-MS).

So much for honor, intellectual integrity, and proclaimed allegiance to fiscal conservatism.

(*SNORT*)

We've grown to expect such behavior from the likes of Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins, and the other "usual suspects," but from James Inhofe... Sam Brownback...

(*SIGH*)

Of course McCain and Graham are part of the gang that can't shoot straight...

(*SMIRK*)

The American People deserve better. Conservatives, Libertarians, Constitutionalists, "Big L" Liberals all deserve better than this.

Remember these names, people... these are the folks we simply can't trust.

To be fair, though, not all Republican Senators "took a dive." There were actually 19 Republicans who stood on principle:

Alexander (R-TN); Barrasso (R-WY); Bennett (R-UT); Bunning (R-KY); Burr (R-NC); Coburn (R-OK); Corker (R-TN); Cornyn (R-TX); Crapo (R-ID); DeMint (R-SC); Ensign (R-NV); Enzi (R-WY); Gregg (R-NH); Hatch (R-UT); Johanns (R-NE); McConnell (R-KY); Risch (R-ID); Sessions (R-AL); and Thune (R-SD).

Of course Tom Coburn is "one of the good guys."

Interestingly... and I always try to give credit where credit is due... Minority Leader Mitch McConnell stood with "the good guys" and put his vote where his conservative rhetoric has been.

If only McConnell had fought alongside Bunning from the start perhaps the GOP could have engineered a real breakthrough... at least breaking through the sob story rhetoric of the Democrats and their Main Stream Media allies in order to use this specific bill as a case study in how and why dysfunction is the rule rather than the exception in Washington D.C.

Mitch McConnell... in the end you voted the right way... but as a Leader... you sir are a failure.

Partial Kudos to President Obama

President Barack Obama's latest budget proposal, released in February, includes a provision that would shrink deductions for mortgage interest, real-estate taxes, charitable contributions and other items for married couples with annual incomes of more than $250,000, or individual filers earning more than $200,000. Under the proposal, such taxpayers would save 28 cents of tax liability for every $1 of mortgage interest or other eligible expenses, down from 35 cents now.

Good for you, Mr. President!

As flawed by half-measures and a socialistic mentality as the proposal is, basically you call for a move in the right direction, Mr. President.

For that... kudos!

My position... there should be no "tax break" for home ownership - no tax deductibility.

You wanna buy a house...? Buy a house! Good luck! God bless ya! But don't ask the greater society to partially subsidize your lifestyle choice.

Government requires "income." We all "get" that. But for God's sake, make the means as fair and transparent as possible. Jeez... even the thickest reader out there must "get" that in order to balance out the bottom line on revenue for each "break" in the existing tax code there must be corresponding "compensation" in the form of higher overall taxes. In other words... there's no free lunch.

To reiterate my basic tax position, while I concede the inevitability of some level of "progressivity" in the income tax code, I reject the current Frankenstein's monster federal tax code as unfair, burdensome, and economically counter-productive.

If you're going to tax "income" then tax income in the most straightforward manner possible while staying true to the American ethos of personal freedom.

Everyone should pay at least a token "contribution" to the upkeep of government. Set the minimum at 5%... or 3%... or 2%... or 1%... but all Americans should share a part of the burden.

By the same token, in a nation founded upon the principles of liberty it seems to me that no American should ever - at least during periods of peace - be subject to federal income taxes of greater than a third (33.3%) of his or her income.

How Americans choose to spend their hard earned income is their business!

Government should neither "reward" nor "punish" personal choice.

Barker's Newsbites: Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Newsbites...!

Come and get 'em...!

Get 'em while they're hot...

Egomaniacal... or simply yet another example of my being Usually Right?

The question posed in the thread title concerns... me.

You know... I'm a lucky guy. I really am! I may not have the status, salary, or all the common trappings of my more successful friends, but I have the time - the leisure - to pursue knowledge for the sake of knowledge.

The written word - theory, fact, analysis - is my oyster... my continuing education.

Of course I'm not so lucky as the folks who get paid to research and opine... but as those of you familiar with my "lifestyle" and travel related blog postings know... I do ok.

(*GRIN*)

Here's what I want to know, though: Isn't a thirst for knowledge a trait that should be not only applauded, but advanced... passed on?

I'm very proud to be Godfather to my best friend's daughter. She's a lovely young woman of fifteen - a freshman in high school.

She's bright. She'll no doubt do well in life. She enjoys all the advantages of having loving, materially successful parents. On all counts she's a well-adjusted adolescent with a bright future ahead of her.

A while back I suggested to her father - my best friend - that he have her start reading my "newsbites" on a daily basis.

A bit of background: My buddy is politically aware, involved, and broadly knowledgeable. He holds a bachelor's in finance, an MBA, and after working for several years at IBM he decided to start a second career and so went to law school and is now a successful attorney in a midtown Manhattan business law practice.

My pal is as interested in the sort of social/political/economic/historical stuff I'm interested in. Like me he's been "a Wall Street Journal man" since high school. While he doesn't have my level of contextual and factual command...

(*IMMODEST CHUCKLE*)

...pertaining to certain areas of shared interest which I possess, truth be told, he doesn't have the time to spend on accumulating such knowledge that I do.

Few people do...

(*SHRUG*)

Nor does he have the academic background in history, political science, and foreign affairs which I possess.

Which is perhaps the secret to his success... but I digress...

(*HUGE FRIGG'N GRIN*)

See... seriously... that's my point in wanting his daughter - my Goddaughter - to avail herself of my "newsbites."

Obviously I believe most folks would benefit from "piggybacking" upon the knowledge I pick up day in and day out via my reading and which I willingly pass on to anyone interested in taking advantage of my labors, but my Goddaughter isn't just anyone... she's my Goddaughter!

My buddy humors me... but I know he's not taking my request to heart; he certainly hasn't acted upon it. I think this is a bad decision.

As a freshman in high school... as a young woman who is destined to live the life of an upper middle class American - hopefully beyond "merely" upper middle class - it seems to me that getting her familiar with the sort of info she'd learn from reading my daily "newsbites" would only serve her well; will only serve to make her a wiser and more knowledgeable person than she'll likely turn out to be absent early and ongoing exposure to such information and insights.

Com'on... the average American is a relative ignoramus! Sure, in theory my Goddaughter is getting a fine education - and relatively she no doubt is! But look at where the bar is set!

The kind of info I highlight daily within my "newsbites" is - frankly - knowledge which I highly doubt many of my Goddaughter's teachers possess.

The kind of info I highlight daily within my "newsbites" is the sort of knowledge that all citizens should possess... but rarely do.

Anyhow... that's my position.

I'm posting this... er... post... specifically for my buddy's benefit.

Nah... in case anyone is wondering, no, he won't be pissed...

This post is just my way of reiterating the point that my pal should take me up on my... er... offer.

My... er... suggestion.

Remember pal... The Godfather Is Always Right!

Hey... I think it's in the Bible...!

(*WINK*)

Barker's Newsbites: Monday, March 1, 2010

Yes... America's Olympic Hockey Team failed the nation... but I won't!

(*WINK*)

Check out the Comments Page of this thread for today's newsbites.