Attacks and Buffets

By William L. Garvin
It was very disconcerting to hear the President exhorting his acolytes that “if you love me, help me pass this bill,” while on the campaign trail. “If you respect me,” that’s one thing. “If you think this is good for America,” that’s another. Of course, “if you think this time we will actually create jobs,” would have been best of all. Instead he forsook rational and logical approaches and appealed to unadulterated, basic emotion…”if you love me.” Psychologists might opine that a narcissist would presume the answer is “of course I love you!” and flood the Democrat and Republican representatives’ offices with demands to pass the American Jobs Bill. It’s not happening.

Maybe it’s because Gallup found that only 40% of the populace think that “Son of Stimulus” and its $447 billion price tag will actually reduce unemployment. If you break it down, the numbers in the middle are pretty devastating for the President. In 2008, Senator Obama carried 52% of the independent vote; currently, only 21% of independents say they will vote for him. When 66% of independents say they disapprove of how he is “handling” the economy, the only reasonable translation is “one-term president.” It will be the Battle of the Independent Bulge in the middle of the political spectrum that will spell doom for the President and they’re showing him no love!



Conservatives who believe the federal government is entitled to only the limited and enumerated powers listed in the Constitution, who believe in fiscal responsibility, who know that free market capitalism is far superior to Ivy League eggheads and their centralized planning, will never vote for someone with this President’s disastrous economic record. Leftist liberals will gnash their teeth because we don’t already have socialized medicine and wail that he doesn’t go far enough in his plans to “redistribute the wealth” and provide “womb to tomb government security” but they will vote for him anyway. The American Communist Party (CPUSA) may call for a third party to represent “the people” but they still endorsed President Obama for four more years. The only way they would pull their endorsement is if Van Jones announced his candidacy. Chances are, they’ll just stay home and pout.



In a desperate effort to shore up feeble poll numbers, Obama for America launched a new website so that anyone who wasn’t “showing some love” to the Anointed One would be reported. James Carville, the Ragin’ Cajun Democrat strategist, should have been the first to be listed. He said it was time for the President to “panic!” Then there are all those darned Tea Partiers in Florida who voted Herman Cain as the winner in the straw poll. They probably voted for a black man just to prove they weren’t racist…it couldn’t be sincere. Of course they are the same ones who voted Lt. Colonel Allen West into the House of Representatives, but that’s probably just another coincidence. Oh yes, the Congressional Black Caucus should also be reported because they are complaining about the devastating unemployment among black youth and the President not visiting any of their minority districts. Now if they had some money for campaign donations….



Speaking of money, Warren Buffet has got billions but to hear him talk, nobody will let him pay more in taxes. Here’s how you do it, Warren. First, stop fighting the loopholes you’ve been trying to exploit for the last ten years and pony up the billion in taxes your company owes. Second, pay yourself a salary so you can be taxed at the top rate instead of giving yourself tons of stock options and living off dividends that are taxed at a lower rate. Third, pay your secretary more so she moves into a higher tax bracket or start paying her in stocks so she can be taxed at a lower rate. Fourth, just write a check payable to “United States Treasury”! Fifth, you and the President should stop itemizing your charitable contributions. You can give out of the goodness of your heart without considering economic benefits and place yourself in the position of paying more taxes at the same time. Until you do that, you should be reported to AttackWatch…along with people who tear the tags off their pillows and mattresses.

Who are the Homegrown Terrorists?

By William L. Garvin

Some time back, Janet Napolitano, head of Homeland Security, alienated a large number of U.S. citizens when she issued a report that listed numerous “homegrown terrorist threats.”   Her list included Christians and pro-life advocates, believers in strict interpretation of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, American exceptionalists, and anyone who believes in enforcing our borders and immigration laws.  In an incredible leap of logic, she also included military veterans because “they are trained in the use of firearms.”  Somehow she failed to include hunters, police and sheriff’s personnel, and members of her own department who are also trained in the use of firearms.

Recently, the Congressional Black Caucus reconstituted this hackneyed old refrain by chanting in Greek chorus fashion that the entire Tea Party amalgamation is terrorists and hostage takers.  They said the Tea Party was the “enemy” and were told to “go straight to hell.  “Rhymin’ Simon,” aka Jesse Jackson, combined his race baiting tactics by saying "The Tea Party is a new name on an old game."  In the same logic-free utterance, he claimed that Martin Luther King “fought the Tea Party.”  No, Jesse, you history-challenged anachronism, MLK was aligned with Republicans against southern Democrats favoring segregation and their terrorist arm, the KKK!  Try reading a history book—you may have lived it but you certainly don’t understand it.

Union leaders, tired of being upstaged, swung into action with Jimmy Hoffa opening a Labor Day introduction of President Obama in the following manner:  “We got to keep an eye on the battle that we face: the war on workers.  And you see it everywhere, it is the Tea Party.  And you know there is only one way to beat and win that war.  The one thing about working people is we like a good fight.  And you know what?  They’ve got a war, they got a war with us and there’s only going to be one winner.  It’s going to be the workers of Michigan, and America.  We’re going to win that war.  President Obama, this is your army.  We are ready to march.  Let’s take those sons of bitches out and give America back to an America where we belong.”

 The President has failed to condemn Hoffa for any of this violent and uncivil rhetoric.  In fact, he said he was “proud” of Hoffa and other labor leaders.  Maybe that’s why hundreds of union workers turned thug and stormed a port in Longview, Washington, captured security guards, held them hostage, smashed windows, cut brake lines on railroad cars and dumped the grain at the center of the dispute.  They were also defying a federal restraining order issued the previous week against the union after it was accused of assaults and death threats.

In the meantime, our Department of Justice refuses to prosecute black militants who blatantly attempted to intimidate white voters at a Philadelphia polling place.  However, they quickly aligned with Mexico to prosecute every state attempting to protect its borders.  DOJ also quickly jumped on the SEC coattails to prosecute Standard and Poor’s after they downgraded the U.S. debt.  They suddenly want to know why the “toxic assets” received a triple-A rating.  To date, they are not investigating any other rating agency that gave the toxic assets the same rating.

Maybe it’s just a coincidence.  However, for the SECOND time, DOJ has raided Gibson Guitars and seized guitars, pallets of wood, and computers, effectively shutting down their “Made in USA” factories in Memphis and Nashville.  Why?  Even though Gibson has filed all the necessary forms and complied with all American laws, DOJ thinks there “may” be a violation of a law in India where the ebony and Indian rosewood was obtained.  Curiously, charges have yet to be filed from the first raid back in 2009.  Furthermore, none of the other guitar manufacturers who use the same wood in the same unfinished state from the same importer and the same supplier have been raided.  Maybe it’s just a coincidence that the Gibson owner is a Republican and the other companies are owned by Democrats.

So the question remains, who are the REAL homegrown terrorists? 

Labor Pains Replace Growing Pains

By William L. Garvin

This Labor Day celebration had a muted and hollow ring to it.  Maybe it was because the latest data shows that there were zero jobs created last month.  Maybe it's because the only reason the unemployment rate remained at 9.1% is so many of the long term unemployed have simply given up looking for a job!  Maybe it's because the present Administration's economic policies of the past have been such a dismal failure and their future plans will simply be more of the same.

It might also be because union members are becoming disenchanted with union leadership and their self serving ways.  Maybe they are wondering why over half of the waivers from ObamaCare have gone to union entities after they saw so much of their union dues spent to get it enacted.  Maybe it's why, despite spending $35 million on recall efforts in Wisconsin, union leaders were only able to unseat TWO Republicans!  Maybe it's because union members are seeing that what is actually occurring does not come close to resembling the apocalypse their union leaders predicted.

For instance, let's take a look at what happened in the Hartland-Lakeside School District, not far from Milwaukee.  The HLSD bargaining contract required that health insurance be purchased from the "WEA Trust."  The teachers found that health insurance could be purchased much more cheaply on the open market and overwhelmingly voted to change their coverage to United HealthCare.  The District approached the union with a mid-term change but union leaders refused their offer.

After Governor Scott Walker signed the Republican sponsored collective bargaining law, HLSD's contract expired on June 30.  The District then was able to change the health insurance coverage to United HealthCare.  "It's going to save us $690,000 in 2011-2012," said Superintendent Glenn Schilling.  Pewaukee School District said it will save $378,000 by changing their WEA Trust coverage and Menomonee School District will save a whopping $1.3 million!  Oh, by the way, "WEA" stands for "Wisconsin Education Association," the largest teacher union in the state.  In essence, they have been exploiting their own membership by extracting exorbitant health care premiums in addition to their previously mandated union dues.  Can anyone say "corporate cronyism"?

Speaking of corporate cronyism, look for the green bubble to burst.  Despite all the hype, solar and wind remains inefficient, unreliable, and expensive.  The only way these alternative energy sources remain on life support is with massive government infusions of cash.  Look closely at Solyndra, a California based solar panel manufacturer (the third such operation to fail over the last month).  President Obama personally visited Solyndra mid-2010 and declared them to be a gleaming example of green technology.  Solyndra has declared bankruptcy, closed its doors and thrown 1,100 workers out on the streets with no severance pay, no health insurance, and no advance notice.  This is despite having received $535 billion dollars in loan guarantees from the Federal government.

Now here's the fun part.  In January of this year, Solyndra only had about a month of operating capital left despite having "only" received $460 million from the feds.  The Department of Energy became involved in the restructuring and refinancing of the company and subsequently noted that DOE "believes that the restructuring plan represents the best possible course of action to achieve the highest return on its invested capital."  They continued to finance the company but curiously allowed $75 million from private investors to take precedence as "senior debt" in front of all but $150 million of taxpayer financing.

There's more.  The George Kaiser Family Foundation owns 35.7% of Solyndra.  The Foundation is supported by George Kaiser who just happens to have been a "bundler" raising campaign funds for President Obama's campaign in 2008.  Draw your own conclusions.

In summary, central planning "experts" should stop trying to pick winners and losers in a free market economy.  Union leadership should stop feathering their personal nests at the expense of their union members.  The political "ruling class" should stop meddling in areas where they have no expertise.  If not, next Labor Day will be even more depressing.  The labor pains are increasing and the economic contractions are coming with frightening frequency.