tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96305412024-03-07T22:40:01.970-05:00Enlighten-AmericaUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9630541.post-40287561111514177802007-05-07T15:07:00.000-05:002007-05-07T15:08:08.479-05:00TestUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9630541.post-1124043062473998022005-08-14T11:55:00.000-05:002005-08-14T13:37:49.716-05:00Where Have All The Heroes Gone<a href="http://www.parkwayreststop.com/archives/001280.html">Why Casey Sheehan Died</a>. Like many, we have been reluctant to write a post on the Sheehan story. Mike Hill refers to it as the <a href="http://sluggoneedsanap.blogspot.com/2005/08/cindy-sheehan-problem.html">Cindy Sheehan Problem</a>. The fact that it has become the Cindy Sheehan story is instructive. The Sheehan news, as portrayed in the media, isn’t about an American soldier giving his life for his country, a bronze star winner and a hero, it’s <a href="http://www.nationalreview.com/york/york200508111811.asp">about politics</a>.<br /><br />Don Surber wrote a post entitled <a href="http://donsurber.blogspot.com/2005/08/zero-heroes.html">Zero Heroes</a> in response to the New York Times' piece <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/07/weekinreview/07cave.html?ei=5088&en=a87e12b7a1df90a1&ex=1281067200&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&pagewanted=all" target="_blank">Where Are The War Heroes?</a>. The Times attributes the lack of well known military heroes from the war on terror to a complex set of reasons; but in the end blames President Bush and the Pentagon for the media’s “zero heroes” reporting.<br /><br />The Times article, published on August 7, has a similar theme as our two postings on May 28; however, we reached a different conclusion as to why there are “zero heroes”. In our post, <a href="http://enlightennj.blogspot.com/2005/05/heroes-of-war-on-terrorism.html">The Heroes of the War on Terrorism</a>, we wrote:<br /><br /><blockquote>What are the names of the heroes of our war on terrorism - of the wars in Iraqi and Afghanistan? Surely with news available 24/7 we should be able to rattle off a list of names…<br /><br />And yet most of us can’t think of a single name of a service man or woman, connected to the war on terrorism, that hasn’t been tarnished in the media. Since the media covered the rescue of Pfc. Jessica Lynch and the death of Army Ranger, Pat Tillman, it’s been nothing but Lynndie England, Charles Graner and the others connected to Abu Ghraib.</blockquote>Of course the Times' article makes sure the names of Lynch and Tillman are tarnished as well:<br /><br /><blockquote>After the heroic tales of Pfc. Jessica Lynch and Sgt. Pat Tillman were largely debunked - with Private Lynch shown to have never fired a shot during her capture and rescue in Iraq, and Sergeant Tillman killed accidentally by fellow Americans, not the enemy, in Afghanistan - the Pentagon may have grown cautious. </blockquote>Early reports indicated Sgt. Pat Tillman was killed by enemy fire, but has his sacrifice for his country been debunked? This is how we remember Tillman’s death initially being reported in the media – <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4815441/">from MSNBC</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>Pat Tillman, who gave up the glamorous life of a professional football star to join the Army Rangers, was remembered as a role model of courage and patriotism Friday after military officials said he had been killed in action in Afghanistan.<br /><br />“Pat Tillman was an inspiration on and off the football field, as with all who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the war on terror. His family is in the thoughts and prayers of President and Mrs. Bush,” Taylor Gross, a spokesman for the White House, said in a statement.</blockquote>The Times mentions the Medal of Honor was awarded in a White House ceremony in April and the President’s praising of a Mexican immigrant soldier in a radio address and at the National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast in June. Then the Times adds, “but these citations did not occur in prime time, nor have they been repeated.”<br /><br />Curiously the media didn’t require a prime time presentation by the President or the Pentagon to tell negative military personnel stories. Again, from our May 28 post:<br /><br /><blockquote>When the media weren’t fixated on the Abu Ghraib gang, we were blanketed with stories questioning the legitimacy of combat actions by <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/12/12/sprj.nirq.west.ruling/index.html">Lt. Col. Allen B. West</a> … and the <a href="http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/1104/188129.html">marine filmed</a> killing a terrorist in the battle of Fallujah; the <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7089948/">check point shooting </a>involving Italian reporter Giuliana Sgrena; and Lt. Ilario Pantano who shot two Iraqi terrorists in <a href="http://www.defendthedefenders.org/">self defense</a>.<br /><br />Next we were bombarded with endless reporting and an unbelievable amount of hand wringing about a Koran that was not flushed down the toilet by an American serviceman at Guantanamo Bay.<br /><br />It didn’t end there though. Sensing another opportunity to create a scandal, the media are working themselves into a lather because military personnel have <a href="http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLD,GGLD:2005-13,GGLD:en&q=touch+++Koran">touched</a> detainee Korans…</blockquote>Plenty of ink and air time for negative stories, but what about the story of the soldier awarded the Medal of Honor? <a href="http://enlightennj.blogspot.com/2005/05/heroes-of-war-on-terrorism.html">We wrote</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>On April 4, 2005 President Bush presented the Congressional Medal of Honor in a ceremony at the White House. Name the solider that was the recipient - the soldier cited for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty?<br /><br />If you can’t remember his name, we are not surprised. Go to Time’s [Magazine] website and search their archives for <a href="http://www.time.com/time/searchresults?query=Medal+of+Honor+winner&x=10&y=16">Medal of Honor winner</a>, you won’t find a single story on this hero. Enter <a href="http://www.time.com/time/searchresults?search_date_range=range&searchnav=radioValue&amp;query=Abu+Ghraib+&from_month=01&from_day=01&from_year=1923&to_month=12&to_day=31&to_year=2005&x=40&y=9">Abu Ghraib</a> and you’ll find 107 articles. Enter <a href="http://www.time.com/time/searchresults?search_date_range=range&searchnav=radioValue&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;query=Guantanamo+Bay+&from_month=01&from_day=01&from_year=1923&to_month=12&to_day=31&to_year=2005&x=14&y=13">Guantanamo Bay</a> you’ll have a choice of 148 articles. Search Newsweek’s archives – same result. <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3668484/site/newsweek/">Medal of Honor winner</a> – no articles on the soldier winning the medal. <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3668484/site/newsweek/">Abu Ghraib</a> - 140 matches. <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3668484/site/newsweek/">Guantanamo Bay</a> – 108 articles.<br /><br />The name you remember - Lynndie England: <a href="http://www.time.com/time/searchresults?search_date_range=range&searchnav=radioValue&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;query=Lynndie+England&from_month=01&from_day=01&from_year=1923&to_month=12&to_day=31&to_year=2005&x=40&y=12">Time</a> - 8 articles, <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3668484/site/newsweek/">Newsweek</a> – 9 articles.<br /><br />The Medal of Honor winner - <a href="http://www.army.mil/medalofhonor/index.html">Sergeant First Class, Paul Ray Smith</a>. <a href="http://www.time.com/time/searchresults?search_date_range=range&searchnav=radioValue&query=Paul+R.+Smith&from_month=01&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;from_day=01&from_year=2002&to_month=12&to_day=31&to_year=2005&x=34&y=14">Time</a> – 0 articles. <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3668484/site/newsweek/">Newsweek</a> – 1 article, <strong>A War's Rising Toll</strong>, in which Paul R Smith was listed among those killed in action.</blockquote>The New York Times article mentions Sgt Paul R. Smith received the Medial of Honor and even publishes one of the same photos we used in our post - <a href="http://enlightennj.blogspot.com/2005/05/paul-r-smith-medal-of-honor-recipient.html">Paul R. Smith – Medal Of Honor Recipient</a>, but doesn’t bother to relate, as the Times would call it, his “heroic tale” or link to the U.S. Army's website devoted to <a href="http://www.army.mil/medalofhonor/index.html">the hero</a>.<br /><br />No, the media have settled on their hero for the war of terrorism – it’s Cindy Sheehan, a grieving mother who received <a href="http://varifrank.com/archives/2005/08/the_call.php">The Call</a>, not Casey Sheehan, the man that gave his life for his country.<br /><br />(We highly recommend you read “The Call” on Verifrank, it puts the Cindy Sheehan story into perspective.)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9630541.post-1122358365572377362005-07-25T23:06:00.000-05:002005-07-26T01:14:08.323-05:00Federal Funding For Education Soars, Results Don’tHow often have you heard that President Bush or the Republican Congress is shortchanging our children by not adequately funding education? Then maybe you’d be surprised to <a href="http://remotefarm.techcentralstation.com/072505C.html">learn</a>:<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><blockquote>The entire education budget has ballooned during the president's time in office. The Department of Education's budget has grown by 82.5 percent in real terms from $34.9 billion in FY2001 to $63.7 billion in FY2005. This is the largest increase of any president since Lyndon Johnson.</blockquote>All well and good you say, but I’ve heard the Republicans are cheating “blue states” and the <a href="http://remotefarm.techcentralstation.com/072505C.html">education budget this year</a> has been cut to pay for “tax cuts for the wealthy”. Just because Corzine and his fellow travelers say it, it doesn’t make it so:<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><blockquote>President Bush's 2006 budget asks for more of the same. Every state sees an increase in grant money, nearly 5 percent on average. The average state receives a level of grant funding that is more than 50 percent higher than when President Bush took office; no state has an increase less than 35 percent.</blockquote>John Corzine and others in the Democrat party have predicted doom and gloom for the country unless we <a href="http://remotefarm.techcentralstation.com/072505C.html">invest more in education</a>. Invest as we know in the “progressive” dictionary means increase taxes. But, is it more money we need to “invest” to in order compete in the global economy?<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><blockquote>According to OECD figures, the U.S. spends 78 percent more per student than Germany, 58 percent more than France, 31 percent more than Japan, and 71 percent more than the U.K. But despite these large spending differentials, American students perform no better than average on international comparisons of math and reading skills.</blockquote>Property taxes have soared across the country and New Jersey holds the distinction for having the <a href="http://www.nj.com/opinion/ledger/editorials/index.ssf?/news/ledger/stories/edit04282004.html">highest property taxes in the nation</a>. The major cause:<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><blockquote>From 1960 to 2000, inflation-adjusted spending on education in the U.S. nearly tripled, yet test scores show little improvement, dropout rates are high, and a large racial achievement gap persists.</blockquote>The education industry has to be in a league of its own, <a href="http://remotefarm.techcentralstation.com/072505C.html">producing less with more</a> resources. Only a state subsidized industry could make such a claim:<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><blockquote>Education economist Caroline Hoxby explains that public schools today are doing less with more: school productivity -- achievement per dollar spent -- declined by 55 to 73 percent from 1971 to 1999. Meanwhile, private and charter schools are boosting student achievement with lower expenditures per pupil than public schools. In other words, there is no consistent, systematic relationship between education spending and student outcomes.</blockquote><a href="http://smadanek.blogspot.com/2005/07/educational-performance.html">Ken Adams</a> has completed a statistical study on public school spending in New Jersey and finds no correlation between spending per pupil and student achievement in our state. <a href="http://www.bcnys.org/whatsnew/2005/0317schoolspend.htm">New Jersey spends more per student</a> than any other state and yet produces average results at best. Ken asks: How can we solve the differences in performance between schools? Here’s our answer:<br /><br /><br />Parents that recognize the correlation between educational attainment and achievement in life pass this message on to their children. Children learn directly from their parents whether or not to value education and studies show that when parents expect their children to do well in school, they do. People that value education and take advantage of educational opportunities earn more than those that don’t. No mystery here.<br /><br /><br />Now, what do we do about it? We ask the community leaders where parents and children don’t value education to lead or get out of the way. We hold people accountable. Those schools producing results should maintain current levels of funding; those that don’t should lose funding until results are achieved. Schools still not producing should continue to lose funding until they hit the same average per pupil spending as non-Abbott schools.<br /><br /><br />More money and ever more expensive school facilities are not the answer. The education industry was used the more money “for the children” to silence the average person through guilt, preventing most from saying enough is enough. Politicians have been happy to indulge this special interest group – the education industry - to buy votes and achieve political power.<br /><br /><br />Student performance directly tied to funding is the incentive needed to bring about the changes so desperately needed. Now who will step up to lead?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9630541.post-1119148560153844612005-06-18T09:34:00.000-05:002005-06-18T21:36:00.160-05:00Saturday's Insight<p><a href="http://www.gopinsight.com/2005/06/democrats-long-on-blame-short-on.php" target="new">Democrats: Long On Blame; Short on Memory</a> - After two days of trying to get me to download a virus (you get me once, shame on you -- twice, shame on me. It's not going to happen again, fellas and gals), some of my Lib "friends" are now blitzing me with Emails about how President Bush lied and got us into war. Never mind the terrorists hit us first; never mind that every Democrat on the planet was as fooled as the Republicans by the intelligence about WMDs (which turned out to be there after all); never mind that the Democrats were begging the President to go to war. So I'm going to treat you to a list of things prominent Democrats said before we went to war in Iraq. <a href="http://www.gopinsight.com/2005/06/democrats-long-on-blame-short-on.php" target="new">Read More >></a></p><p><a href="http://www.gopinsight.com/2005/06/help-catch-killer.php" target="new">Help Catch a Killer</a> - You may remember the story of SPC Jorge Estrada, who was murdered by a coward while home on leave from Iraq for the birth of his daughter. Fabian Urrea, the man who killed him, is still free. <a href="http://www.gopinsight.com/2005/06/help-catch-killer.php" target="new">Read More >>></a></p><p><a href="http://www.gopinsight.com/2005/06/no-protection-for-children.php" target="new">No Protection for Children </a>- A 10-year-old autistic boy was preyed upon by a sexual predator and subsequently molested. So why is his family being questioned and looked at with suspicion by the authorities involved? Why are they not doing their job and working to assure that this never happened to another child in a similar situation? Why are the authorities not working to rectify this incident? Florida-- What is going on?!?!?<a href="http://www.gopinsight.com/2005/06/no-protection-for-children.php" target="new">Read More >>></a></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9630541.post-1118454297495434942005-06-10T15:43:00.000-05:002005-06-10T20:46:15.000-05:00Bye Bye ByrdieHere’s good news to the cause of good government. West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd, styled by partisan Democrats as the “conscience of the Senate” and by those who are less biased as the last troglodyte in the body, could be defeated in his bid for his umpteenth term in the Senate. He’s up for election in 2006, and the latest polling in West Virginia indicates that an attack of sanity and judgment may, at last, be hitting an electorate that has routinely elected the 87-year-old Byrd to the Senate eight times with never less than 59 percent of the vote <a href="http://www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/TheHill/Comment/DickMorris/060805.html">Full Article</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9630541.post-1118361919539665442005-06-10T07:04:00.000-05:002005-06-09T19:05:25.863-05:00Friday's Insight<script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.jonbonfeeds.com/gopinsight/today.php"></script>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9630541.post-1118361776478660022005-06-09T07:02:00.000-05:002005-06-09T19:02:56.486-05:00Thursday's Insight<a href="http://www.gopinsight.com/2005/06/voting-is-now-open-for-greatest.php" target="new">Voting is now open for Greatest American. </a>- Voting is now open for the Greatest American. Make your voice known. As a matter of fact I urge you to copy and paste this piece into an email and send it to everyone on your mailing list!! Vote for your favorite from the top 25 finalists on the Web at AOL, via a toll-free phone call, or by text messaging. The Top 5 vote getters will be unveiled on Discovery Channel on Sunday, June 19, at 9 p.m. ET/PT. <a href="http://www.gopinsight.com/2005/06/voting-is-now-open-for-greatest.php" target="new">Read More >>></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.gopinsight.com/2005/06/d-stands-for-democrat.php" target="new">D Stands for Democrat </a>- The mantra of the Democrats has been, "We're smarter than you!" The media and his "supporters" painted John Kerry as an intellectual elite northern liberal and President Bush was the dumb southern redneck. Kerry's grades from Yale were finally released, however, and it trumps all the Democrats have said for the past 5 years. <a href="http://www.gopinsight.com/2005/06/d-stands-for-democrat.php" target="new">Read More >></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.gopinsight.com/2005/06/closing-book-on-mark-felts.php" target="new">Closing the Book on Mark Felts </a>- No wonder he went undercover. And no wonder he denied his duplicity for so many years. Mark Felts was a convicted felon. He was convicted for authorizing illegal break-ins at homes in 1972 of people associated with the radical Weather Underground movement--the very kind of crime he exposed as "Deep Throat." <a href="http://www.gopinsight.com/2005/06/closing-book-on-mark-felts.php" target="new">Read More >>></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9630541.post-1118165290473591332005-06-07T12:27:00.000-05:002005-06-07T12:28:16.013-05:00Tuesday's Insights<script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.jonbonfeeds.com/gopinsight/today.php"></script>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9630541.post-1118068375229564562005-06-06T09:32:00.000-05:002005-06-07T12:30:00.410-05:00Monday's Insights<a href="http://www.gopinsight.com/2005/06/al-zarqawi-is-dead.php" target="new">AL-ZARQAWI is dead? </a>- Adnkronos International is reporting that Al-Zarqawi died last friday. If he truly has died from a US Attack he will go down in history as a hero to extremists. Will his death cause a rise in violence in the Middle East? Should we be happy he is dead? Should we be sorry that we didn't get to try him as a mass murderer? Should we be worried about what his death will do to the Middle East? <a href="http://www.gopinsight.com/2005/06/al-zarqawi-is-dead.php" target="new">Read More >>></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.gopinsight.com/2005/06/all-jihad-all-time-just-no-disturbing.php" target="new">All Jihad, All the Time! Just No Disturbing Sheep Images, Please! </a>- This is really a good one. Apparently it's haram (i.e, it ain't kosher) to kill an animal (in this case a sheep) in any torturous and painful way, but it's perfectly halal (i.e., okie-dokie) to go around lopping people's heads off. Don't ask me, ask the kooks at Al-Jazeera. <a href="http://www.gopinsight.com/2005/06/all-jihad-all-time-just-no-disturbing.php" target="new">Read More >></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.gopinsight.com/2005/06/three-liberals-walked-into-bar.php" target="new">Three Liberals Walked Into A Bar</a> - As a hobby I enjoy surfing the web for sites that give me something to write about and tonight I found just that. Democrats.com is full of lovely blog posts, including the one I found entitled "The Conservatism Disease." Despite all the grammatical and spelling errors, it was... well... typical. <a href="http://www.gopinsight.com/2005/06/three-liberals-walked-into-bar.php" target="new">Read More >>></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9630541.post-1118001890920638002005-06-05T14:59:00.000-05:002005-06-06T09:34:12.843-05:00GOP Insight<p><a href="http://www.gopinsight.com/2005/06/who-is-greatest-american.php" target="new">Who is "The Greatest American"?</a> - On Sunday, June 5th, Discovery Channel?s Greatest American show will start presenting the 100 nominees who were nominated by America. The show will air every Sunday in June and after the first airing Americans across the country will be able to place their vote for who should be selected the Greatest American of all. <a href="http://www.gopinsight.com/2005/06/who-is-greatest-american.php" target="new">Read More >></a></p><p><a href="http://www.gopinsight.com/2005/06/wmds-were-there.php" target="new">The WMDs WERE There!</a> - It looks like the US has every reason to be afraid -- VERY afraid. Seems the UN has been doing a little spying on activities in Iraq without our knowledge (what are friends for, anyway?) and they're able to pinpoint, to some degree at least, where the weapons were. But not what happened to them -- although they can guess. <a href="http://www.gopinsight.com/2005/06/wmds-were-there.php" target="new">Read More >>></a></p><p><a href="http://www.gopinsight.com/2005/06/howard-dean-doesnt-work-for-living.php" target="new">Howard Dean Doesn't Work For A Living Either</a> - I guess when your job title is "Chairman of the Democratic National Committee" you have a right to be bitter. Dean remarked that Republicans don't work for a living but because I deal in reality, I beg to differ with him. <a href="http://www.gopinsight.com/2005/06/howard-dean-doesnt-work-for-living.php" target="new">Read More >>></a></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9630541.post-1114875171096425582005-04-30T10:30:00.000-05:002005-04-30T10:32:51.096-05:00Bush's Benefit Increase<div align="center"><SCRIPT language=JavaScript src="http://www.patrickruffini.com/SSCalculator.htm"></SCRIPT></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9630541.post-1114555421090470192005-04-26T14:42:00.000-05:002005-05-16T16:39:45.293-05:00Only In American<p><img src="http://photos8.flickr.com/11100946_3b48f1eeec_m.jpg" width="240" align="left" /><a href="http://www.radiobs.net/thebluestateconservatives/archives/2005/04/los_angeles_mar_1.html">The Blue States Conservatives</a> has a post by USMC-Vet about a Los Angeles Hispanic television station that has put up this billboard along a California freeway. As you’ll note, the ad touts Noticias 62 as being broadcast from Los Angeles, <span style="color:#ff0000;">M<span style="color:#009900;">e</span>x<span style="color:#009900;"> i</span>c</span><span style="color:#009900;">o</span>.<br /><p></p><p>USMC-Vet, a resident of “the People’s Republic of New Jersey”, does a great job of explaining the import of the billboard and the story behind this brazen marketing program. A veteran of the Gulf war, you can also find the Vet posting over at <a href="http://www.wordunheard.com/">The Word Unheard</a>.<br /></p><p>Meanwhile, Democrat Senator from Massachusetts <a href="http://kennedy.senate.gov/index_low.html">Teddy Kennedy</a> is commemorating the first anniversary of the Abu Ghraib scandal. And as the WSJ, Best of the Web would add - Mary Jo Kopechne could not be reached for comment.</p>And speaking of the <a href="http://www.opinionjournal.com/best/?id=110006609">WSJ, Best of the Web</a>:<br /><blockquote><p>More than 700 people joined religious leaders and Democratic politicians at two rallies yesterday to denounce Christian conservatives' use of a Louisville church as a platform to advocate prohibiting filibusters against judicial nominees.<br /></p><p>Speakers called both the assault on filibusters and the injection of religion into politics "un-American" threats to religious freedom and to constitutional checks and balances.<br /></p><p>The larger of the two rallies, designed to counter a telecast from Highview Baptist Church last night, took place at Central Presbyterian Church near downtown Louisville.</p></blockquote><p><br />Cross posted on <a href="http://enlightennj.blogspot.com/">Enlighten-NewJersey</a>. </p><p></p><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9630541.post-1112675640108350082005-04-04T23:33:00.000-05:002005-04-04T23:34:00.110-05:00Social Security - Get With The Program<center><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,0,0" width="348" height="280" id="SocialSecurityDebate" align="middle"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="sameDomain" /><param name="movie" value="http://www.patrickruffini.com/archives/SocialSecurityDebate.swf" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#ffffff" /><embed src="http://www.patrickruffini.com/archives/SocialSecurityDebate.swf" quality="high" bgcolor="#ffffff" width="348" height="280" name="SocialSecurityDebate" align="middle" allowScriptAccess="sameDomain" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" /></embed></object></center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9630541.post-1108361494557545962005-04-02T17:08:00.000-05:002005-04-04T23:37:23.403-05:00Runaway Spending<p align="center"><img src="http://www.heritage.org/research/features/budgetchartbook/images/charts_S/charts-6.jpg" /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9630541.post-1107465782592473972005-02-03T12:17:00.000-05:002005-02-03T16:23:02.593-05:00Social Security Debate BeginsTo help educate the public about the President's Social Security plan, the RNC has launched a new Web site: <a title="http://www.preservingsocialsecurity.com/" href="http://www.preservingsocialsecurity.com/">www.preservingsocialsecurity.com</a>. This web site is to provide up-to-date news, facts and ways for people to get involved in the debate.
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9630541.post-1107404637215507402005-02-02T23:21:00.000-05:002005-02-02T23:27:35.106-05:00President Bush - State Of The Union AddressMr. Speaker, Vice President Cheney, Members of Congress, fellow citizens:
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<br />As a new Congress gathers, all of us in the elected branches of government share a great privilege: we have been placed in office by the votes of the people we serve. And tonight that is a privilege we share with newly elected leaders of Afghanistan, the Palestinian territories, Ukraine, and a free and sovereign Iraq.
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<br />Two weeks ago, I stood on the steps of this Capitol and renewed the commitment of our Nation to the guiding ideal of liberty for all. This evening I will set forth policies to advance that ideal at home and around the world.
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<br />Tonight, with a healthy, growing economy, with more Americans going back to work, with our Nation an active force for good in the world — the state of our union is confident and strong. Our generation has been blessed — by the expansion of opportunity, by advances in medicine, and by the security purchased by our parents' sacrifice. Now, as we see a little gray in the mirror — or a lot of gray — and we watch our children moving into adulthood, we ask the question: What will be the state of their union?
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<br />Members of Congress, the choices we make together will answer that question. Over the next several months, on issue after issue, let us do what Americans have always done, and build a better world for our children and grandchildren.
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<br />First, we must be good stewards of this economy, and renew the great institutions on which millions of our fellow citizens rely.
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<br />America's economy is the fastest growing of any major industrialized nation. In the past four years, we have provided tax relief to every person who pays income taxes, overcome a recession, opened up new markets abroad, prosecuted corporate criminals, raised homeownership to the highest level in history, and in the last year alone, the United States has added 2.3 million new jobs. When action was needed, the Congress delivered — and the Nation is grateful.
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<br />Now we must add to these achievements. By making our economy more flexible, more innovative, and more competitive, we will keep America the economic leader of the world.
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<br />America's prosperity requires restraining the spending appetite of the federal government. I welcome the bipartisan enthusiasm for spending discipline. So next week I will send you a budget that holds the growth of discretionary spending below inflation, makes tax relief permanent, and stays on track to cut the deficit in half by 2009. My budget substantially reduces or eliminates more than 150 government programs that are not getting results, or duplicate current efforts, or do not fulfill essential priorities. The principle here is clear: a taxpayer dollar must be spent wisely, or not at all.
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<br />To make our economy stronger and more dynamic, we must prepare a rising generation to fill the jobs of the 21st century. Under the No Child Left Behind Act, standards are higher, test scores are on the rise, and we are closing the achievement gap for minority students. Now we must demand better results from our high schools, so every high school diploma is a ticket to success. We will help an additional 200,000 workers to get training for a better career, by reforming our job training system and strengthening America's community colleges. And we will make it easier for Americans to afford a college education, by increasing the size of Pell Grants.
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<br />To make our economy stronger and more competitive, America must reward, not punish, the efforts and dreams of entrepreneurs. Small business is the path of advancement, especially for women and minorities, so we must free small businesses from needless regulation and protect honest job-creators from junk lawsuits. Justice is distorted, and our economy is held back, by irresponsible class actions and frivolous asbestos claims — and I urge Congress to pass legal reforms this year.
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<br />To make our economy stronger and more productive, we must make health care more affordable, and give families greater access to good coverage, and more control over their health decisions. I ask Congress to move forward on a comprehensive health care agenda — with tax credits to help low-income workers buy insurance, a community health center in every poor county, improved information technology to prevent medical errors and needless costs, association health plans for small businesses and their employees, expanded health savings accounts, and medical liability reform that will reduce health care costs, and make sure patients have the doctors and care they need.
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<br />To keep our economy growing, we also need reliable supplies of affordable, environmentally responsible energy. Nearly four years ago, I submitted a comprehensive energy strategy that encourages conservation, alternative sources, a modernized electricity grid, and more production here at home, including safe, clean nuclear energy. My Clear Skies legislation will cut power plant pollution and improve the health of our citizens. And my budget provides strong funding for leading-edge technology — from hydrogen-fueled cars, to clean coal, to renewable sources such as ethanol. Four years of debate is enough — I urge Congress to pass legislation that makes America more secure and less dependent on foreign energy.
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<br />All these proposals are essential to expand this economy and add new jobs — but they are just the beginning of our duty. To build the prosperity of future generations, we must update institutions that were created to meet the needs of an earlier time. Year after year, Americans are burdened by an archaic, incoherent federal tax code. I have appointed a bipartisan panel to examine the tax code from top to bottom. And when their recommendations are delivered, you and I will work together to give this Nation a tax code that is pro-growth, easy to understand, and fair to all.
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<br />America's immigration system is also outdated — unsuited to the needs of our economy and to the values of our country. We should not be content with laws that punish hardworking people who want only to provide for their families, and deny businesses willing workers, and invite chaos at our border. It is time for an immigration policy that permits temporary guest workers to fill jobs Americans will not take, that rejects amnesty, that tells us who is entering and leaving our country, and that closes the border to drug dealers and terrorists.
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<br />One of America's most important institutions — a symbol of the trust between generations — is also in need of wise and effective reform. Social Security was a great moral success of the 20th Century, and we must honor its great purposes in this new century. The system, however, on its current path, is headed toward bankruptcy. And so we must join together to strengthen and save Social Security.
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<br />Today, more than 45 million Americans receive Social Security benefits, and millions more are nearing retirement — and for them the system is strong and fiscally sound. I have a message for every American who is 55 or older: Do not let anyone mislead you. For you, the Social Security system will not change in any way.
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<br />For younger workers, the Social Security system has serious problems that will grow worse with time. Social Security was created decades ago, for a very different era. In those days people didn't live as long, benefits were much lower than they are today, and a half century ago, about 16 workers paid into the system for each person drawing benefits. Our society has changed in ways the founders of Social Security could not have foreseen. In today's world, people are living longer and therefore drawing benefits longer — and those benefits are scheduled to rise dramatically over the next few decades. And instead of 16 workers paying in for every beneficiary, right now it's only about three workers — and over the next few decades, that number will fall to just two workers per beneficiary. With each passing year, fewer workers are paying ever-higher benefits to an ever-larger number of retirees.
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<br />So here is the result: Thirteen years from now, in 2018, Social Security will be paying out more than it takes in. And every year afterward will bring a new shortfall, bigger than the year before. For example, in the year 2027, the government will somehow have to come up with an extra 200 billion dollars to keep the system afloat — and by 2033, the annual shortfall would be more than 300 billion dollars. By the year 2042, the entire system would be exhausted and bankrupt. If steps are not taken to avert that outcome, the only solutions would be drastically higher taxes, massive new borrowing, or sudden and severe cuts in Social Security benefits or other government programs.
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<br />I recognize that 2018 and 2042 may seem like a long way off. But those dates are not so distant, as any parent will tell you. If you have a 5-year-old, you're already concerned about how you'll pay for college tuition 13 years down the road. If you've got children in their 20s, as some of us do, the idea of Social Security collapsing before they retire does not seem like a small matter. And it should not be a small matter to the United States Congress.
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<br />You and I share a responsibility. We must pass reforms that solve the financial problems of Social Security once and for all.
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<br />Fixing Social Security permanently will require an open, candid review of the options. Some have suggested limiting benefits for wealthy retirees. Former Congressman Tim Penny has raised the possibility of indexing benefits to prices rather than wages. During the 1990s, my predecessor, President Clinton, spoke of increasing the retirement age. Former Senator John Breaux suggested discouraging early collection of Social Security benefits. The late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan recommended changing the way benefits are calculated.
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<br />All these ideas are on the table. I know that none of these reforms would be easy. But we have to move ahead with courage and honesty, because our children's retirement security is more important than partisan politics. I will work with members of Congress to find the most effective combination of reforms. I will listen to anyone who has a good idea to offer. We must, however, be guided by some basic principles. We must make Social Security permanently sound, not leave that task for another day. We must not jeopardize our economic strength by increasing payroll taxes. We must ensure that lower income Americans get the help they need to have dignity and peace of mind in their retirement. We must guarantee that there is no change for those now retired or nearing retirement. And we must take care that any changes in the system are gradual, so younger workers have years to prepare and plan for their future.
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<br />As we fix Social Security, we also have the responsibility to make the system a better deal for younger workers.And the best way to reach that goal is through voluntary personal retirement accounts. Here is how the idea works. Right now, a set portion of the money you earn is taken out of your paycheck to pay for the Social Security benefits of today's retirees. If you are a younger worker, I believe you should be able to set aside part of that money in your own retirement account, so you can build a nest egg for your own future.
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<br />Here is why personal accounts are a better deal. Your money will grow, over time, at a greater rate than anything the current system can deliver — and your account will provide money for retirement over and above the check you will receive from Social Security. In addition, you'll be able to pass along the money that accumulates in your personal account, if you wish, to your children or grandchildren. And best of all, the money in the account is yours, and the government can never take it away.
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<br />The goal here is greater security in retirement, so we will set careful guidelines for personal accounts. We will make sure the money can only go into a conservative mix of bonds and stock funds. We will make sure that your earnings are not eaten up by hidden Wall Street fees. We will make sure there are good options to protect your investments from sudden market swings on the eve of your retirement. We will make sure a personal account can't be emptied out all at once, but rather paid out over time, as an addition to traditional Social Security benefits. And we will make sure this plan is fiscally responsible, by starting personal retirement accounts gradually, and raising the yearly limits on contributions over time, eventually permitting all workers to set aside four percentage points of their payroll taxes in their accounts.
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<br />Personal retirement accounts should be familiar to federal employees, because you already have something similar, called the Thrift Savings Plan, which lets workers deposit a portion of their paychecks into any of five different broadly based investment funds. It is time to extend the same security, and choice, and ownership to young Americans.
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<br />Our second great responsibility to our children and grandchildren is to honor and to pass along the values that sustain a free society. So many of my generation, after a long journey, have come home to family and faith, and are determined to bring up responsible, moral children. Government is not the source of these values, but government should never undermine them.
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<br />Because marriage is a sacred institution and the foundation of society, it should not be re-defined by activist judges. For the good of families, children, and society, I support a constitutional amendment to protect the institution of marriage.
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<br />Because a society is measured by how it treats the weak and vulnerable, we must strive to build a culture of life. Medical research can help us reach that goal, by developing treatments and cures that save lives and help people overcome disabilities — and I thank Congress for doubling the funding of the National Institutes of Health. To build a culture of life, we must also ensure that scientific advances always serve human dignity, not take advantage of some lives for the benefit of others. We should all be able to agree on some clear standards. I will work with Congress to ensure that human embryos are not created for experimentation or grown for body parts, and that human life is never bought and sold as a commodity. America will continue to lead the world in medical research that is ambitious, aggressive, and always ethical.
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<br />Because courts must always deliver impartial justice, judges have a duty to faithfully interpret the law, not legislate from the bench. As President, I have a constitutional responsibility to nominate men and women who understand the role of courts in our democracy, and are well qualified to serve on the bench — and I have done so. The Constitution also gives the Senate a responsibility: Every judicial nominee deserves an up-or-down vote.
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<br />Because one of the deepest values of our country is compassion, we must never turn away from any citizen who feels isolated from the opportunities of America. Our government will continue to support faith-based and community groups that bring hope to harsh places. Now we need to focus on giving young people, especially young men in our cities, better options than apathy, or gangs, or jail. Tonight I propose a three-year initiative to help organizations keep young people out of gangs, and show young men an ideal of manhood that respects women and rejects violence. Taking on gang life will be one part of a broader outreach to at-risk youth, which involves parents and pastors, coaches and community leaders, in programs ranging from literacy to sports. And I am proud that the leader of this nationwide effort will be our First Lady, Laura Bush.
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<br />Because HIV/AIDS brings suffering and fear into so many lives, I ask you to reauthorize the Ryan White Act to encourage prevention, and provide care and treatment to the victims of that disease. And as we update this important law, we must focus our efforts on fellow citizens with the highest rates of new cases, African-American men and women.
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<br />Because one of the main sources of our national unity is our belief in equal justice, we need to make sure Americans of all races and backgrounds have confidence in the system that provides justice. In America we must make doubly sure no person is held to account for a crime he or she did not commit — so we are dramatically expanding the use of DNA evidence to prevent wrongful conviction. Soon I will send to Congress a proposal to fund special training for defense counsel in capital cases, because people on trial for their lives must have competent lawyers by their side.
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<br />Our third responsibility to future generations is to leave them an America that is safe from danger, and protected by peace. We will pass along to our children all the freedoms we enjoy — and chief among them is freedom from fear.
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<br />In the three and a half years since September 11th, 2001, we have taken unprecedented actions to protect Americans. We have created a new department of government to defend our homeland, focused the FBI on preventing terrorism, begun to reform our intelligence agencies, broken up terror cells across the country, expanded research on defenses against biological and chemical attack, improved border security, and trained more than a half million first responders. Police and firefighters, air marshals, researchers, and so many others are working every day to make our homeland safer, and we thank them all.
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<br />Our Nation, working with allies and friends, has also confronted the enemy abroad, with measures that are determined, successful, and continuing. The Al Qaeda terror network that attacked our country still has leaders — but many of its top commanders have been removed. There are still governments that sponsor and harbor terrorists — but their number has declined. There are still regimes seeking weapons of mass destruction — but no longer without attention and without consequence. Our country is still the target of terrorists who want to kill many, and intimidate us all — and we will stay on the offensive against them, until the fight is won.
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<br />Pursuing our enemies is a vital commitment of the War on Terror — and I thank the Congress for providing our servicemen and women with the resources they have needed. During this time of war, we must continue to support our military and give them the tools for victory.
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<br />Other nations around the globe have stood with us.In Afghanistan, an international force is helping provide security. In Iraq, 28 countries have troops on the ground, the United Nations and the European Union provided technical assistance for elections, and NATO is leading a mission to help train Iraqi officers. We are cooperating with 60 governments in the Proliferation Security Initiative, to detect and stop the transit of dangerous materials. We are working closely with governments in Asia to convince North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions. Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and nine other countries have captured or detained Al Qaeda terrorists. In the next four years, my Administration will continue to build the coalitions that will defeat the dangers of our time.
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<br />In the long term, the peace we seek will only be achieved by eliminating the conditions that feed radicalism and ideologies of murder. If whole regions of the world remain in despair and grow in hatred, they will be the recruiting grounds for terror, and that terror will stalk America and other free nations for decades. The only force powerful enough to stop the rise of tyranny and terror, and replace hatred with hope, is the force of human freedom. Our enemies know this, and that is why the terrorist Zarqawi recently declared war on what he called the "evil principle" of democracy. And we have declared our own intention: America will stand with the allies of freedom to support democratic movements in the Middle East and beyond, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world.
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<br />The United States has no right, no desire, and no intention to impose our form of government on anyone else. That is one of the main differences between us and our enemies. They seek to impose and expand an empire of oppression, in which a tiny group of brutal, self-appointed rulers control every aspect of every life. Our aim is to build and preserve a community of free and independent nations, with governments that answer to their citizens, and reflect their own cultures. And because democracies respect their own people and their neighbors, the advance of freedom will lead to peace.
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<br />That advance has great momentum in our time — shown by women voting in Afghanistan, and Palestinians choosing a new direction, and the people of Ukraine asserting their democratic rights and electing a president. We are witnessing landmark events in the history of liberty. And in the coming years, we will add to that story.
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<br />The beginnings of reform and democracy in the Palestinian territories are showing the power of freedom to break old patterns of violence and failure. Tomorrow morning, Secretary of State Rice departs on a trip that will take her to Israel and the West Bank for meetings with Prime Minister Sharon and President Abbas. She will discuss with them how we and our friends can help the Palestinian people end terror and build the institutions of a peaceful, independent democratic state. To promote this democracy, I will ask Congress for 350 million dollars to support Palestinian political, economic, and security reforms. The goal of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace is within reach — and America will help them achieve that goal.
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<br />To promote peace and stability in the broader Middle East, the United States will work with our friends in the region to fight the common threat of terror, while we encourage a higher standard of freedom. Hopeful reform is already taking hold in an arc from Morocco to Jordan to Bahrain. The government of Saudi Arabia can demonstrate its leadership in the region by expanding the role of its people in determining their future. And the great and proud nation of Egypt, which showed the way toward peace in the Middle East, can now show the way toward democracy in the Middle East.
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<br />To promote peace in the broader Middle East, we must confront regimes that continue to harbor terrorists and pursue weapons of mass murder. Syria still allows its territory, and parts of Lebanon, to be used by terrorists who seek to destroy every chance of peace in the region. You have passed, and we are applying, the Syrian Accountability Act — and we expect the Syrian government to end all support for terror and open the door to freedom. Today, Iran remains the world's primary state sponsor of terror — pursuing nuclear weapons while depriving its people of the freedom they seek and deserve. We are working with European allies to make clear to the Iranian regime that it must give up its uranium enrichment program and any plutonium re-processing, and end its support for terror. And to the Iranian people, I say tonight: As you stand for your own liberty, America stands with you.
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<br />Our generational commitment to the advance of freedom, especially in the Middle East, is now being tested and honored in Iraq. That country is a vital front in the War on Terror, which is why the terrorists have chosen to make a stand there. Our men and women in uniform are fighting terrorists in Iraq, so we do not have to face them here at home. And the victory of freedom in Iraq will strengthen a new ally in the War on Terror, inspire democratic reformers from Damascus to Tehran, bring more hope and progress to a troubled region, and thereby lift a terrible threat from the lives of our children and grandchildren.
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<br />We will succeed because the Iraqi people value their own liberty — as they showed the world last Sunday. Across Iraq, often at great risk, millions of citizens went to the polls and elected 275 men and women to represent them in a new Transitional National Assembly. A young woman in Baghdad told of waking to the sound of mortar fire on election day, and wondering if it might be too dangerous to vote. She said, "hearing those explosions, it occurred to me — the insurgents are weak, they are afraid of democracy, they are losing. … So I got my husband, and I got my parents, and we all came out and voted together." Americans recognize that spirit of liberty, because we share it. In any nation, casting your vote is an act of civic responsibility; for millions of Iraqis, it was also an act of personal courage, and they have earned the respect of us all.
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<br />One of Iraq's leading democracy and human rights advocates is Safia Taleb al-Suhail. She says of her country, "we were occupied for 35 years by Saddam Hussein. That was the real occupation. … Thank you to the American people who paid the cost … but most of all to the soldiers." Eleven years ago, Safia's father was assassinated by Saddam's intelligence service. Three days ago in Baghdad, Safia was finally able to vote for the leaders of her country — and we are honored that she is with us tonight.
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<br />The terrorists and insurgents are violently opposed to democracy, and will continue to attack it. Yet the terrorists' most powerful myth is being destroyed. The whole world is seeing that the car bombers and assassins are not only fighting coalition forces, they are trying to destroy the hopes of Iraqis, expressed in free elections. And the whole world now knows that a small group of extremists will not overturn the will of the Iraqi people.
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<br />We will succeed in Iraq because Iraqis are determined to fight for their own freedom, and to write their own history. As Prime Minister Allawi said in his speech to Congress last September, "Ordinary Iraqis are anxious … to shoulder all the security burdens of our country as quickly as possible." This is the natural desire of an independent nation, and it also is the stated mission of our coalition in Iraq. The new political situation in Iraq opens a new phase of our work in that country. At the recommendation of our commanders on the ground, and in consultation with the Iraqi government, we will increasingly focus our efforts on helping prepare more capable Iraqi security forces — forces with skilled officers, and an effective command structure. As those forces become more self-reliant and take on greater security responsibilities, America and its coalition partners will increasingly be in a supporting role. In the end, Iraqis must be able to defend their own country — and we will help that proud, new nation secure its liberty.
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<br />Recently an Iraqi interpreter said to a reporter, "Tell America not to abandon us." He and all Iraqis can be certain: While our military strategy is adapting to circumstances, our commitment remains firm and unchanging. We are standing for the freedom of our Iraqi friends, and freedom in Iraq will make America safer for generations to come. We will not set an artificial timetable for leaving Iraq, because that would embolden the terrorists and make them believe they can wait us out. We are in Iraq to achieve a result: A country that is democratic, representative of all its people, at peace with its neighbors, and able to defend itself. And when that result is achieved, our men and women serving in Iraq will return home with the honor they have earned.
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<br />Right now, Americans in uniform are serving at posts across the world, often taking great risks on my orders. We have given them training and equipment; and they have given us an example of idealism and character that makes every American proud. The volunteers of our military are unrelenting in battle, unwavering in loyalty, unmatched in honor and decency, and every day they are making our nation more secure. Some of our servicemen and women have survived terrible injuries, and this grateful country will do everything we can to help them recover. And we have said farewell to some very good men and women, who died for our freedom, and whose memory this nation will honor forever.
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<br />One name we honor is Marine Corps Sergeant Byron Norwood of Pflugerville, Texas, who was killed during the assault on Fallujah. His mom, Janet, sent me a letter and told me how much Byron loved being a Marine, and how proud he was to be on the front line against terror. She wrote, "When Byron was home the last time, I said that I wanted to protect him like I had since he was born. He just hugged me and said: ‘You've done your job, mom. Now it's my turn to protect you.'" Ladies and gentlemen, with grateful hearts, we honor freedom's defenders, and our military families, represented here this evening by Sergeant Norwood's mom and dad, Janet and Bill Norwood.
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<br />In these four years, Americans have seen the unfolding of large events. We have known times of sorrow, and hours of uncertainty, and days of victory. In all this history, even when we have disagreed, we have seen threads of purpose that unite us. The attack on freedom in our world has reaffirmed our confidence in freedom's power to change the world. We are all part of a great venture: To extend the promise of freedom in our country, to renew the values that sustain our liberty, and to spread the peace that freedom brings.
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<br />As Franklin Roosevelt once reminded Americans, "each age is a dream that is dying, or one that is coming to birth." And we live in the country where the biggest dreams are born. The abolition of slavery was only a dream — until it was fulfilled. The liberation of Europe from fascism was only a dream — until it was achieved. The fall of imperial communism was only a dream — until, one day, it was accomplished. Our generation has dreams of its own, and we also go forward with confidence. The road of Providence is uneven and unpredictable — yet we know where it leads: It leads to freedom.
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<br />Thank you, and may God bless America.
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9630541.post-1107396094369609762005-02-02T20:54:00.000-05:002005-02-02T23:28:44.436-05:00Downsides to Blogging<a href="http://instapundit.com/archives/020939.php">Instapudit</a> says "there are two downsides to blogging. One is that it can fill up your time, one five-minute chunk after another. The other -- much worse -- is that it forces you to pay attention to the news, which is usually depressing, infuriating, or frightening, or some combination of all three."
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<br />We've had the same thoughts. Then we think maybe the news is more depressing, infuriating and frightening than needs be, because people don't pay enough attention to the news and take action to make things better. So, for at least the time being we will keep blogging. If nothing else, we're learning a lot.
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9630541.post-1107285425649832972005-02-01T13:03:00.000-05:002005-02-01T14:19:37.780-05:00Maybe There Is Hope After AllIt’s nice to find a journalist with an open mind. Excerpts below from Mark Brown’s Sun-Times column - <a href="http://www.suntimes.com/output/brown/cst-nws-brown01.html">What if Bush Has Been Right About Iraq All Along</a>? Read the whole piece, it has a surprise ending.
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<br />Maybe you're like me and have opposed the Iraq war since before the shooting started -- not to the point of joining any peace protests, but at least letting people know where you stood.
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<br />You didn't change your mind when our troops swept quickly into Baghdad or when you saw the rabble that celebrated the toppling of the Saddam Hussein statue, figuring that little had been accomplished and that the tough job still lay ahead.
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<br />Despite your misgivings, you didn't demand the troops be brought home immediately afterward, believing the United States must at least try to finish what it started to avoid even greater bloodshed. And while you cheered Saddam's capture, you couldn't help but thinking I-told-you-so in the months that followed as the violence continued to spread and the death toll mounted.
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<br />By now, you might have even voted against George Bush -- a second time -- to register your disapproval.
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<br />But after watching Sunday's election in Iraq and seeing the first clear sign that freedom really may mean something to the Iraqi people, you have to be asking yourself: What if it turns out Bush was right, and we were wrong?
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<br />It's hard to swallow, isn't it?</blockquote>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9630541.post-1107297625025331712005-02-01T09:46:00.000-05:002005-02-01T17:44:12.636-05:00You’ve Had Your Say, Now Sit DownHoward Dean, stumping in <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/wn_report/story/276020p-236422c.html">New York </a>to be the Head of the Democratic National Committee, had this to say:
<br /><blockquote><p><span style="font-size:130%;">"I hate the Republicans and everything they stand for, but I admire their discipline and their organization.”</span></p></blockquote><p>Well, we don’t like your tone Dr. Dean, you’ve had your say, now shut up and sit down!
<br /></p><p>The Democrats dodged a bullet when they wisely passed on Dean as their Presidential nominee last year. But we are beginning to believe they have a death wish. Hate and anger drove the Dean Presidential campaign in 2004 and in part John Kerry’s. And we see how well that worked. What makes them think it will work any better this go around? Declaring your hate for about half of your fellow citizens may turn off more than a few people.
<br /></p><p>Can you imagine a Republican leader making a similar remark – I hate the Democrats and everything they stand for? We can’t. The closest we can imagine is a Republican leader saying, I hate the terrorists and everything they stand for. Now be honest, don’t we have a good point?
<br /></p><p>While we’re on the subject, conventional wisdom has been that Dean lost his primary bid because of his “I have a Scream Speech”. We disagree. Dean lost the Iowa caucuses and then made the infamous speech. Had he won Iowa, we believe we would have taken New Hampshire. Dean lost Iowa because of his arrogant and angry demeanor and the tipping point in Iowa came with his “you sit down” <a href="http://www.geocities.com/shutuphowarddean/howarddean-yousitdown.mp3">rant</a>. </p>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9630541.post-1107284497367979112005-02-01T09:30:00.000-05:002005-02-01T14:01:37.366-05:00A Not So Sober JusticeAlice Robie Resnick, a state Supreme Court Justice was arrested and charged with operating a motor vehicle under the influence after several motorists called to report an erratic driver on an interstate.
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<br />Resnick <a href="http://www.newsnet5.com/news/4149693/detail.html">failed field sobriety </a>tests and had her driver's license automatically suspended because she refused to take a blood-alcohol content test. Resnick has been a justice since 1989 and is the court's only Democrat.
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<br />Yes, we know it can happen in the best of political parties. But it just seems as though the Democrats have more than their fair share.
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9630541.post-1107213324280888412005-01-31T17:13:00.000-05:002005-02-01T14:30:19.920-05:00Leading Democrat Claims Social Security In Crisis – Calls For Private Sector Investment With the number of elderly Americans set to double by 2030, the baby boom will become a "senior boom." So first and above all, we must save Social Security for the 21st century.
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<br />Today, Social Security is strong. But by 2013, payroll taxes will no longer be sufficient to cover monthly payments. And by 2032, the trust fund will be exhausted, and Social Security will be unable to pay out the full benefits older Americans have been promised.
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<br />The best way to keep Social Security a rock-solid guarantee is not to make drastic cuts in benefits; not to raise payroll tax rates; and not to drain resources from Social Security in the name of saving it.
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<br />Specifically, I propose that we commit 60 percent of the budget surplus for the next 15 years to Social Security, investing a small portion in the private sector just as any private or state government pension would do. This will earn a higher return and keep Social Security sound for 55 years.
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<br />Now, these changes will require difficult but fully achievable choices over and above the dedication of the surplus. They must be made on a bipartisan basis. They should be made this year. So let me say to you tonight, I reach out my hand to all of you in both houses and both parties and ask that we join together in saying to the American people: We will save Social Security now.
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<br />Who are we quoting - <a href="http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/stories/1999/01/19/sotu.transcript/">Bill Clinton – State of the Union Speech - January 19, 1999 </a>
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<br />Did you hear the Democrats and their fellow travelers calling Bill Clinton a liar when he said Social Security needed to be saved? Or that he was just paying off his wealthy Wall Street friends when he suggested a portion of Social Security funds be invested in the private sector?
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<br />No of course not. There is a difference of course – Clinton’s idea would have given the government ownership and control of the private sector Social Security investments and any tax surplus. President Bush’s idea would give the taxpayers ownership and control of the money. Loss of government power and control over taxpayer money is something the Democrats can not tolerate.
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<br />As the Democrats fight President Bush on Social Security reform, launch campaigns to scare seniors into believing their benefits will be cut and younger workers that the risky scheme will leave them destitute in old age, ask yourself, who are they fighting for? Are they fighting for you or for the government?
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9630541.post-1107210304978353332005-01-31T15:20:00.000-05:002005-01-31T19:56:00.350-05:00Democrats Use Public Employees To Sir Up Fear Over Social SecurityEnlighten-New Jersey has a post <a href="http://enlightennj.blogspot.com/2005/01/stirring-up-fear-over-social-security.html">Stirring Up Fear Over Social Security </a>that has two interesting stories to tell:
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<br />The first is about a taped telephone message one of their readers received explaining that their congressman supported the President’s Social Security reform plan that would cost taxpayers $2 Trillion and cut future benefits by 47%. The call recipient was given a toll free number to call their congressman to complain about his support for the plan. The number was not in operation, but was traced back to the American Federation of Teachers.
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<br />The second tells about a Social Security claims representative from Seattle that recently testified before an all-Democrat Senate panel. The SS claims representative stated that SSA employees have been told that Social Security is in a crisis that only private accounts can salvage. He said the employees "have been directed to share this message with the public at every opportunity." He said: "I do not believe it is proper for public funds or public employees to be used to stir up fear" and push the White House agenda.
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<br />The President has not put forward a Social Security reform plan and has only spoken of allowing younger workers to put a portion of their SS taxes into private accounts. This is not a plan, it is an idea. It’s impossible to cost out or determine benefit reductions without knowing the scope and details of an actual Social Security reform plan. So the scare campaign by the public school teachers union is bogus.
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<br />Social Security Commissioner Jo Anne Barnhart said in a statement, "I have never, nor will I ever, ask or direct Social Security employees to promote or advance any specific proposal for Social Security reform." So you can make what you will of the guy from Seattle’s story.
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<br />Amazing isn’t it, the Dems had to spend taxpayer money to bring in someone from Seattle to make their point. If SSA employees had been directed to share the “Social Security is in crisis and only private accounts can save it” message, couldn’t the Senate Democrats have found someone say, in D.C. to testify?
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<br />We agree, public employees are being used to stir up fear and push an agenda - the agenda of public employee unions and the Democrats.
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9630541.post-1107289873169005012005-01-31T10:28:00.000-05:002005-02-01T15:32:38.100-05:00Enlightened? We don’t Think SoAh, Europe is so enlightened compared to the United States. At least that’s what we hear from our “elite” fellow citizens and our European “friends.” This despite our best efforts to turn that problem around.- Enlighten-America blog and all.
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<br />Well, we may need to rethink this enlighten bit, if this is what it <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/01/30/wgerm30.xml">means</a>. Enlightened, we don’t think so. Just another example of government control taken to the absurd.
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9630541.post-1107218579120130602005-01-30T19:35:00.000-05:002005-01-31T19:55:28.220-05:00We Almost Agree With Ramsey Clark On One PointWhen news reporters are dismissive or derogatory about a left-winger, you know they must really be out there. Especially when it deals with the United States and Iraq.
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<br /><blockquote>The news, when it found its way back to the United States, caused something of a stir. A few news reports were inquisitive — and some were skeptical — but most were simply dismissive or derogatory. "There goes Ramsey Clark again," they seemed to say. "Isn't it a shame? He used to be attorney general of the United States and now look at what he's doing."</blockquote>We can’t say we have ever found ourselves in agreement with Ramsey Clark on anything before, but in this one part of his Iraqi Dictator Has Been Demonized column, he nearly nails our opinion.
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<br />However, we would have said: Isn’t it disgusting? He used to be attorney general of the United States and now look at what he's doing - defending evil incarnate and comparing the leaders of the United States to the Butcher of Baghdad.
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<br />Think we are being a bit hash, see the excepts below or the entire column <a href="http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/printstory.mpl/editorial/outlook/3014680">here</a>.
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<br /><blockquote>The United States, and the Bush administration in particular, engineered the demonization of Saddam, and it has a clear political interest in his conviction. Obviously, a fair trial of Saddam will be difficult to ensure — and critically important to the future of democracy in Iraq. This trial will write history, affect the course of violence around the world and have an impact on hopes for reconciliation within Iraq. <p>Saddam has been held illegally for more than a year without once meeting a family member, friend or lawyer of his choice. Although the world has seen him time and again on television — disheveled, apparently disoriented with someone prying deep into his mouth and later alone before some unseen judge — he has been cut off from all communications with the outside world and surrounded by the same U.S. military that mistreated prisoners at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay. </p><p>The United States has destroyed any hope of legitimacy, fairness or even decency by its treatment of the former president and its creation of the Iraqi Special Tribunal to try him.</p><p>Finally, any court that considers criminal charges against Saddam Hussein must have the power and the mandate to consider charges against leaders and military personnel of the United States, Britain and the other nations that participated in the aggression against Iraq, if equal justice under law is to have meaning.</p></blockquote>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9630541.post-1107109396771492052005-01-30T12:19:00.000-05:002005-01-30T13:25:18.066-05:00Kerry “Over-Hyped” – Not Iraqi ElectionsSome came on crutches, others walked for miles then struggled to read the ballot, but across Iraq, <a href="http://reuters.myway.com/article/20050130/2005-01-30T141229Z_01_BAK023473_RTRIDST_0_NEWS-IRAQ-ELECTION-SCENE-DC.html">millions turned out to vote</a> Sunday, defying insurgents who threatened a bloodbath.
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<br />But Senator John Kerry (D-MA), in an interview on <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6886726/">NBC's Meet The Press</a> said "It is hard to say that something is legitimate when whole portions of the country can't vote and doesn't vote. No one in the United States should try to over-hype this election. I believe the world is less safe today than it was two and a half years ago.”
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<br /><a href="http://polipundit.com/index.php?p=6230">PoliPundit</a> asks “Why is this guy on Meet the Press? He’s the losing presidential candidate.” Why indeed. He has nothing to offer but negativity. Even <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=71000001&refer=top_world_news&sid=aqkoN4tLMDv8">George Soros</a> who spent $26 Million dollars to help elect Kerry says “Kerry did not, actually, offer a credible and coherent alternative.'' So when his biggest financial backer doesn’t think he is credible or coherent, why should anyone care to hear his pessimism and his failed campaign rhetoric? We think Kerry is “over-hyped” and the majority of the American people thought so too.
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<br />Now on to the good news from the <a href="http://reuters.myway.com/article/20050130/2005-01-30T141229Z_01_BAK023473_RTRIDST_0_NEWS-IRAQ-ELECTION-SCENE-DC.html">Reuters report</a> about the Iraqi election.
<br /><blockquote><p>Baghdad's mayor was overcome with emotion by the turnout of voters at City Hall, where he said thousands were celebrating. “I cannot describe what I am seeing. It is incredible. This is a vote for the future, for the children, for the rule of law, for humanity, for love," Alaa al-Tamimi told Reuters.</p><p>Western Baghdad polling stations were busy, with long queues of voters. In Sadr City, a poor Shi'ite neighborhood of northeast Baghdad, thick lines of voters turned out, women in black abaya robes in one line, men in another.</p><p>In the so-called "triangle of death," a hotbed of Sunni insurgency south of Baghdad, turnout was solid. In Baquba, a rebellious city northeast of Baghdad, spirited crowds clapped and cheered.</p><p>In the shrine city of Najaf in the Shi'ite heartland, hundreds of people walked calmly to polling stations. "This is a wedding for all Iraqis. I congratulate all Iraqis on their newfound freedom and democracy," said Jaida Hamza, dressed in a black Islamic veil that also hid her face.</p><p>In mainly Shi'ite Basra, Iraq's second biggest city, hundreds of voters queued patiently at polling centers. "I am not afraid," said Samir Khalil Ibrahim. "This is like a festival for all Iraqis, smiling after he voted.</p><p>In Mosul, scene of some of the worst insurgent attacks in recent months, U.S. and local officials said turnout was surprisingly high. One of the first to vote was President Ghazi al-Yawar, a Sunni Muslim Arab with a large tribal following, who cast his ballot inside Baghdad's fortress-like Green Zone. "Thanks be to God," he told reporters, emerging from the booth with his right index finger stained with bright blue ink to show he had voted. "I hope everyone will go out and vote."</p><p>In Falluja, the Sunni city west of Baghdad that was a militant stronghold until a U.S. assault in November, a steady stream of people turned out, confounding expectations. Lines of veiled women clutching their papers waited to vote. "We want to be like other Iraqis, we don't want to always be in opposition," said Ahmed Jassim.</p></blockquote>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3