-->

Conservatively Speaking | Politics

Commentary on the News of the Day
  • Home
  • About
Facebook RSS
Clifton & Northern Virginia Homes
3D printing

Feed your Kindle Conservatively Speaking for only 0.99/month!

Archives

  • September 2019
  • July 2019
  • March 2019
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • November 2017
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • April 2015
  • February 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011

Our Favorite Links

  • Michelle Malkin
  • National Conservative Examiner
  • RedState
  • The DawgHouse
  • The National Talk-radio Network
  • TownHall

Ryan budget explodes deficits

Jan23
by admin on January 23, 2016 at 5:32 pm
Posted In: Budget

President Obama likes to boast about how the budget deficit has shrunk over the past three years; of course he doesn’t mention that it is primarily due to sequestration imposed by Congress in the Budget Control Act of 2011. Now, with a new Speaker of the House Paul Ryan at the helm, a new omnibus budget has blow a hole in the president’s talking points. This past week the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reported that, as many had predicted, this coming year’s budget deficit will rise significantly to $544 billion.

The report also detailed a slowing economy paired with huge increases in government spending will mean a return to the rising deficits of Obama’s early years.

Over the coming decade, the CBO predicts deficits totaling $9.4 trillion. That’s up $1.5 trillion just from this summer, mostly due to last month’s tax legislation, which permanently extended several tax cuts that Congress had typically renewed temporarily.

The deficit increase is due to numerous government spending increases, particularly the retroactive extension of tax cuts that had expired at the beginning of last year, additional money for the Pentagon, Obamacare and a spending windfall for domestic agencies. This is the type of irresponsible government spending expected under a Democrat controlled Congress, but not with both the House and Senate under Republican control.

The picture gets even dimmer as the years move forward. As deficits rise over the decade and the national debt grows, interest rates are likely to be forced up, economic growth could slow, and policymakers may have no choice but to raise taxes and cut spending more sharply than if they acted now. Increases in interest rates are even more problematic when the debt service on the nearly $19 trillion national debt further drives deficits.

The CBO predicts that deficits will rise to about 5 percent of gross domestic product within 10 years, further depressing the economy.

“Such high and rising debt would have serious negative consequences for the nation,” CBO said.

Sadly the the CBO forecast likely underestimates true deficits over the years since they are required by Congress to assume that current spending policies will remain despite history showing that government spending never stays constant. CBO’s estimates also don’t take into consideration the potential for recession even though recent downturns in Europe and Asia portend a much gloomier outlook.

Speaker of the House Ryan said, “Efforts to tangibly cut spending won’t be part of the 2016 agenda. The House will pass another nonbinding budget but won’t seek to deliver real, binding spending legislation to the president. Clearly that’s going to take a Republican president because this president has continued to kick the can down the road and I see no change in his behavior.”

Ryan’s logic that Congress should give the president what he wants because he’d veto a responsible budget is in itself an act of total irresponsibility. Congress is supposed to do what’s best for the nation, not what fits any president’s agenda. Ryan failed to acknowledge that prior to this omnibus budget prior stopgap measures have kept spending at more economical levels allowing the deficit to shrink. Clearly Mr. Ryan isn’t the man most GOP voters thought he was.

Share It:

  • Share
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Email
  • Print
└ Tags: budget, CBO, congress, deficits, spending
 Comment 

Harry Reid scuttles refugee security

Jan23
by admin on January 23, 2016 at 5:29 pm
Posted In: terrorism

Amidst the recent turmoil of thousands of Syrian refugees causing havoc in Europe and the specter of thousands entering the U.S., it’s hard to imagine anyone being against more scrutiny of refugees from Syria, but apparently there’s nothing Harry Reid won’t do to prop up his flailing president. On Wednesday, Senate Democrats, led by Minority Leader Reid, blocked a bill that would crack down on Syrian and Iraqi refugees coming to the U.S. as the Democrats turned the debate into an anti-Donald Trump referendum instead of focusing on the security of American citizens.

Harry Reid gives marching orders to his minions.

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Harry Reid could care less about your safety; if there are political points to be scored, the hell with you and your family.

With the required 60 votes to move the bill ahead, the Democrats stood in lock-step to prevent further action. Perhaps this is the Democrats way of saying you should buy a gun, cause hell if they’re going to lift a finger to protect you.

The vote came in response to a bill in the House that requires new FBI background checks and individual sign-offs from three high-ranking federal officials before any refugee from Syria or Iraq could come to the United States. The American Security Against Foreign Enemies Act cleared the House in November but has been languishing in the Senate, as most bills do, until Majority Leader McConnell brought it up this week for a vote. Note that the bill passed in the house received 289 votes, a veto-proof margin that included 47 Democrats, despite President Barack Obama’s opposition. Harry Reid, the bastion of bipartisanship, wasn’t about to let agreement in the House get in the way of his dirty politics.

“This bill is just another step in the absolute wrong direction, the direction of Donald Trump,” Reid told reporters before the vote. “The Democrats are committed to opposing the hateful views of Trump and his Republican enablers.”

It is difficult, in not impossible, under the current circumstances to effectively vet immigrants from war-torn countries like Syria and Iraq, where record keeping is meager, if at all. There is intelligence that reports that the Islamic State (ISIL) has stated that they intend to exploit the refugee screening program; still nothing sways the elite Mr. Reid.

“So it is any wonder that the citizens we represent are concerned?” McConnell said. “No wonder dozens of Democrats joined with Republicans to pass this balanced bill with a veto-proof majority over in the House.”

Three of the Republican presidential candidates — Ted Cruz of Texas, Marco Rubio of Florida and Rand Paul of Kentucky — left the campaign to return to Washington to vote to move the bill ahead.

Surprisingly, ultra-hawk Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who was campaigning for Jeb Bush in New Hampshire, missed the vote. Perhaps the most dedicated Republican on foreign affairs chose to stump for the failing Bush campaign over his responsibilities to his constituents. The message sent by Graham’s absence surely didn’t help move the bill forward. Shame on you Lindsey Graham.

Two Democrats from GOP-leaning states — Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Joe Manchin of West Virginia — voted with Republicans to move ahead on the legislation. Only two. Harry Reid is nothing if not a solid hamster herder; he was able to get more than 90 percent of his flock to potentially commit political suicide in an election year. Harry Reid is a true pied piper.

Those Democrats facing tight 2016 elections are now in a position of having to defend the indefensible: opposing what many consider to be a reasonable anti-terror measure in the wake of several terrorist attacks. Does the mainstream media still wonder why the Democrats have been bleeding congressional seats and governorships for the last four election cycles?

This House bill, Reid said, “scapegoats refugees who are fleeing war and torture instead of creating real solutions to keep Americans safe.”

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said the bill is a security test, not a religious one. “This reflects our values,” Ryan said. “This reflects our responsibilities.”

Cruz announced Tuesday he was canceling two events in New Hampshire and rescheduling two others in order to return to Washington to vote. While Republicans said the bill contains no religious tests for the refugees, Cruz and White House rival Jeb Bush have suggested giving preferences to Christians.

Obama scolded politicians for raising worries over taking in refugees fleeing the Islamic State’s harsh rule in Syria and Iraq, where it controls territory. “Apparently, they’re scared of widows and orphans coming into the United States of America,” Obama said when the House voted last year. The White House has said Obama will veto the legislation if it reaches his desk, so Reid’s move was simply to give his master cover.

Nice move Harry. When you depart after this term, we’re going to miss you almost as much as your boss.

Share It:

  • Share
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Email
  • Print
└ Tags: democrats house reid refugees
 Comment 

Michelle Obama tells parents to dumb down speech

Nov30
by admin on November 30, 2015 at 8:07 pm
Posted In: Insanity

It wasn’t enough that First Lady Michelle Obama wanted to redesign public school cafeteria food—a plan which caused a massive drop in cafeteria consumption across the nation—she is now prompting parents to change their communication style to get in line with the “short and sweet” communication patterns of their teenagers.

Michelle Obama offered advice which includes tossing proper grammar and punctuation, frequent use of emojis and focus on keeping content “raw and authentic.”

Imagine a simple request, such as, “You were supposed to be home by 9:00 PM. Where are you and why aren’t you home?” In Michelle Obama’s world that would be, “Past 9 what up homey Sad smile.”

Michelle Obama went on to lecture us silly adults that “email is dead.”

Ironically, Michelle Obama offered these morsels of wisdom while rolling out a new initiative aimed at encouraging America’s kids to value higher education.

Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised, even though rather silly, since her own kids are now teenagers; yet should we continue to cater to kids’ poor communication patterns, especially when discussing college and higher education? How will their college professors respond (in 140 characters no doubt) when those same kids text them, “report aint gonna make it…doh (face slap emoji.)”

“Don’t make the mistake of responding to a text using full sentences with proper grammar and punctuation,” Mrs. Obama said at the launch of her new “Better Make Room” initiative. “If you really want to get their attention, use symbols, little symbols. There’s the smiley face, the angry face, and all the other faces that can show any emotion that you may be feeling.”

God help us.

As much as this article might seem like some satirical exaggeration from my natural bias against Mrs. Obama, it is sadly a word-for-word portrayal of her actual words at the White House.

Let’s keep this in perspective; other first ladies set values and standards for their children, and by extension the children of the nation, not based on current trends, but on heartfelt values.

First Lady Laura Bush, suggested, “Young people need us in their lives,” Mrs. Bush told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in 2014. “They need to know they are valued, that somebody believes in them and that their success matters. The problems are great, but greater still is our love for our children.” She also advised that that parents should, “Play outside with your kids and then read to them.”

Jackie Kennedy valued writing thank you notes, and shared that good habit with her children, making sure they immediately sent out proper notes after they received gifts or kindnesses from others. “If you bungle raising your children,” she once said, “I don’t think whatever else you do well matters very much.”

Eleanor Roosevelt tackled exploring the world when she spoke about children. “I think, at a child’s birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift, that gift should be curiosity.”

Sadly, Mrs. Obama, on the other hand, tried to equate how all kids react based on her own experience with her teenage daughters.

“They usually stop listening to us after about six seconds,” she said. “Their eyes just glaze over as we blather on and on. We think we’re getting to them, but they’ve shut us off minutes ago.”

She wants us to believe that kids “want content that’s authentic and raw — nothing polished, nothing packaged.” What a wonderful example to send the leaders of tomorrow off to college with.

Kids are going to do what kids are going to do; we can’t change that; yet they expect parents to define rules that they can always fall back on. It’s difficult enough to teach children how to speak properly, write correctly and act appropriately without the first lady of the nation telling us to go with the flow. We try to instill the values we learned from our parents while Michelle Obama would prefer we just adapt to the speed and casualness of social media.

The media sheet for Mrs. Obama’s education initiative reads: “That is why, as part of her Reach Higher initiative, the First Lady is announcing a new public awareness campaign, Better Make Room, to target Generation Z, or young people ages 14-19, to celebrate education, change the national conversation, and reach students directly where they are and give them a space to create content while also navigating the college-going process.”

Mrs. Obama says teens would rather text than have a conversation, but nothing good comes from parents removing two-way communication from their parental duties and some conversations demand actual talk. If Michelle Obama has her way, the concept of a heart-to-heart will join punctuation on the list of outdated notions.

Mrs. Obama’s campaign calls on teens to use social media sites such as Vine, a partner in the initiative, as well as Twitter and Instagram to show off the accomplishments of their peers.

Though Michelle Obama doesn’t even understand how many of these social sites work, or the value of using them to our children, she doesn’t mind pushing it out to the parents of America as gospel.

“The truth is, I probably won’t understand everything we’re doing with this campaign and neither will many of you. But that’s OK — we’re old.”

Share It:

  • Share
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Email
  • Print
└ Tags: children, college, michelle obama, parents
 Comment 
  • Page 4 of 163
  • « First
  • «
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • »
  • Last »

Categories

  • 2012 Elections
  • 2016 Elections
  • Banking
  • Budget
  • civil rights
  • Corruption
  • CPAC
  • Debt
  • decline of society
  • Economy
  • Elections
  • energy
  • Foreign Aid
  • government waste
  • handguns
  • health care
  • heroism
  • Immigration
  • Insanity
  • leaks
  • Liberalism
  • North Korea
  • political correctness
  • privacy
  • Reagan
  • supreme court
  • taxes
  • terrorism
  • Uncategorized
  • Unemployment
  • war
Tweets by @consspeaking
NetworkedBlogs
Blog:
Conservatively Speaking
Topics:
politics, conservative, republican
 
Follow my blog