THE FIRST PRINCIPLES of RONALD REAGAN’S FOREIGN POLICY
A neo-Reaganite grand strategy offers the surest guide for restoring and sustaining American greatness in the 21st century. It incorporates the principles of the Founding without slight6ing the perennial imperatives of power and geopolitics. It inoculates us from pessimism of unrealistic realists, who underestimate the possibility of provisional justice, and the dangerous illusions of idealists, who underrate the obstacles of achieving it in international politics. It can facilitate the expansion of stable liberal democracy and economic prosperity, thereby minimizing the number and gravity of the threats the United States faces. Its commitment of American exceptionalism and American military preeminence not only enhances deterrence, but reduces the blood, toil, tears, and sweat of the wars that the United States must fight. And it contrasts favorably with any other plausible alternative, be it unrealistic realism, liberal internationalism, isolationism, or utopian versions of neoconservatism unconstrained by geopolitical imperatives…….Robert Kaufman
Few Presidents have surpassed the achievements of Ronald Reagan, the greatest American President since World War 2 with FDR his only peer in the 20th century. The remarkable success of Reagan’s foreign, in particular is his indispensable role he played in defeating the Soviet Union, an evil, totalitarian empire that threatened freedom and world peace for over FOUR DECADES. His economic policies, based on free markets, low taxes, and less intrusive government regulations of private enterprise, catalyzed three decades of unprecedented economic dynamism and laid the foundation of America’s military primacy, on which the robustness of freedom still exists.
The man in the White House, who claims he killed Ben Laden, led to the demise of the dictator of Libya, surely will not move off his appeasement mode of those who threaten the peace of the world, nor do I see any of the Republican candidates, challenging the President’s goal of changing America into a Socialistic, or Marxist state.
HOW TO LOSE AN ELECTION…….BE A REPUBLICAN …….GOP Senate leader Mitch McConnell famously said a year ago that his main task in the 112th Congress was to make sure President Obama would not be re-elected. Given how he and House Speaker John Boehner have handled the payroll tax debate, it would not be a miracle that they might end up re-electing the President before the 2012 elections take place.
The GOP leaders have some now managed the remarkable feat of being blamed for opposing the one year extension of a tax holiday that they are surely going to pass. This no easy double play. Republicans have also achieved the small miracle of letting Obama position himself as an election-year tax cutter, although he has spent most of his Presidency promoting tax increases and he would hit the economy with one of the largest tax increases ever in 2013. This should be impossible…..most people blame Boehner and his Tea Party for the mess up. In reality, the house had passed a one year extension that included spending cuts to offset the $120 billion, or so, in revenue, such as a freeze on raises for federal employees. Then McConnell met with Senate President Reid. Ended with a TWO MONTH extension financed by higher fees (oh for sure) from the two Freddie’s among other things. Reid immediately had the Senate approve the 2 month extension 89 -10…..someone must of cut the telephone lines between the Senate and the House while Mr. Reid and the White House are having too much fun blaming the Republicans for “raising taxes “on the middle class” as of January, just in time for Obama’s State of the Union address before a national audience.
Republicans would do best to cut their loss and find a way to extend the tax holiday quickly, go home, and return in January with a united House-Senate tragedy that forces Democrats to make positive specific choices that high light the differences between the parties on spending, taxes and regulation.
The most notable Tea Party, is a reference t0 the Boston Tea Party, who in 1773, objected to a British tax on tea, and demonstrated by dumping British tea from three ships docked in the harbor….that was then, and the new “Tea Party” began in 2009, with no central leadership but is composed of a loose affiliation of national and local groups that determine their own platforms and agendas, most consider themselves as Republicans. Endorsing reduced government spending, reduction of the National Debt, and federal budget deficit and adherence to an originality interpretation of the United States Constitution. And there lies the problem within the Republican program, which is more political than idealistic; hopefully this Tea Party will support the main stream Republican leaders.
“If we ever forget that we are one nation under God, then we will as a nation go under”……..Ronald Reagan
GROUNDHOG DAY……In the coming New Year 2012, both Groundhog Day and the President’s State of the Union address will occur on the same day…….this is an ironic juxtaposition of events.
One involves a meaningless ritual in which we look to an insignificant creature of little intelligence for prognostication. The other involves a groundhog.
THE ARAB REVOLT in RETROSPECT……In the waning days of the SHAH, Egypt resembles nothing as much as Iran, in which a comparatively modern regime led by a sickly despot confronts a restive and radical public. Several weeks ago before the demonstrators arrived in Tahrir Square and Hillary Clinton reflexively judged the Mubarak regime “stable”. One doesn’t have to be particular clever to point out the obvious. But what to say of the State Department that failed to reach the same conclusion?
“If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins”………..Ben Franklin
VACLAV HAVEL, A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS ON BEHALF OF LIBERTY…..When Vaclav Havel and 241 others signed Charter 17 during the Cold War in 1977, they were denounced by the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia as “traitors and renegades and agents of imperialism. Havel spent years behind Communist bars for resisting the Party’s dogmas. Catapulting from prison to presidency of post-Communist Czechoslovakia in 1989, he resigned the office in1992, because of the country’s breakup into Czech and Slovak components had not voted on the change. Returned to the Presidency of the Czech Republic in1993 served another decade and became a statesman-celebrity almost on par with Nelson Mandela. When he died at the age of 76, he knew his legacy lived on with freedom seeking people around the world, not least the imprisoned signatures.
THE DRAFT DODGER and the SPAMMER……history repeats itself: first as a sitcom, then as a farce……..Amid falling poll numbers, and with no record to run on, Obama’s campaign sent an e-mail to supporters asking them to make A THREE DOLLAR ($3 DOLLAR) DONATION AND SUPPLY THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES OF THEIR REPUBLICAN FRIENDS….They claim this is a fund raising effort, but it smells more of the Orwellian Big Brother tactics Obama political machine is accustomed to employing.
In 2008, the Obama campaign launched “STOP the SMEARS” in an effort to silence the critics. The 2012, the Obama campaign earlier this year set up the “ATTACK WATCH “web-site to once again have people report any e-mail, website, blog or news article that that dared question Obama’s failed leadership. Now they want to develop a data base of Republican e-mail addresses to target conservative voters with miss-information and attacks against GOP candidates in 2012.
“Life is rough, it’s even tougher if you are stupid”………..John Wayne
IOWA AND THE FUTURE OF THE GOP…….No matter the outcome, Ron Paul’s strength indicates a resurgence of the libertarian and the isolationist wings of the Republican Party…………Judging by some of the television images of the 2012 Republican presidential race in Iowa, the contest is among a bunch of small-bore candidates courting farmers and born-again Christians out on the chilly prairie.
Look again. The 2012 Republican contest in Iowa is very much a battle over what the GOP should stand for in the years ahead. Just as Republican leaders in Washington can’t seem to reach a consensus of what they are for, so can’t rank and file activists here. Throughout the campaign, a variety of candidates have risen and fallen as caucus-goers have fallen love and then be struck by buyer’s remorse.
Today most leads in polls of the race are within the margin of error. One thing pollsters agree on: a majority of likely caucus-goers say that even at this eleventh hour, they could be persuaded to changing their minds before January 3rd. Get these balances right, and the GOP nominee can easily brush Obama from the White House as Reagan did Carter. Get it wrong by OVER DOING IT IN IOWA AND THE PARTY CAN WANDER THROUGH THE WILDERNESS FOR ANOTHER FOUR YEARS.
SAAB FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY………..Another casualty of how the government resolved the General Motors settlement, who while giving up owner ship, had the power to block takeover attempts by China, which concerned GM was SAAB’s technology would end up in the hands of the Chinese. Any deal to sell can be negated by GM who holds crucial licenses. That determines the value of the company… At the time of the bankruptcy, SAAB employed over 3,000 employees, sales, peaked in 2006, and dwindled by 2009.
SENATOR JOHN McCain STATEMENT ON THE DEATH OF KIM JONG 11 McCain who was tortured as a prisoner during the Vietnam war, didn.t pull any punches, when he said “I can only express satisfaction that the Dear Leader is joining the likes of Qaddafi, bin Laden, Hitler and Stalin in a warm corner of hell.”
“Power corrupts: absolute power corrupts absolutely. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work”……..Anonymous
THE NLRB’s BOEING SHAM……..WHAT A SHAM , OR SCAM……….Last week, the International Association of Machinists approved an extension of their existing contract with Boeing, in which the company agreed to manufacture it’s Max jet with union labor in Washington State. The very next day, after receiving the all-clear from the machinists, the National Labor Relations Board (NCLB) dropped their lawsuit against Boeing in South Carolina. I always thought the NLRB was supposed to be an independent agency? This settlement now allows Boeing to continue making their787’s MAX in South Carolina By dropping the case, the Obama team at the NLRB, can now claim it delivered a lesson without having to go to court… This gives Democrat Tim Kaine in Virginia being spared from having to endorse a union position that is unpopular in this right to work state.
TROUBLE IN IRAQ….a day after U.S withdrawal, a sectarian compromise unravels……..any one surprised? Only the speed and gravity of the crises now unfolding comes as a surprise…….
In hosting Prime Minister al-Maliki at the White House last week, President Obama hailed Iraq as “a sovereign, self-reliant and democratic”. Mr. Maliki returned home and immediately began a putsch against his Sunni coalition partners. Before television cameras, Maliki announced that his Vice President al-Hashemi a Sunni was a terrorist and ordered for his arrest, during which time Mr.Hashemi fled to autonomous north Kurdish region. Instability, renewed violence or a breakup of Iraq would be welcomed by Tehran, some of its Shiite proxies in Iraq, al-Qaeda inspirited terrorist.
American military presence had calmed these sectarian fevers. In the opinion of Iraqis, U.S. soldiers were honest (no such word in the Iraqis dictionary) brokers in Kurdish and Sunni eyes, shielding them from Maliki’s heavy hand, at the same time Maliki had less reason to fear threats from his rivals. U.S. commanders recommended a force of 15,000 to 18,000 to stay no, which was welcomed by the Kurds and Sunnis, especially the Sunnis, interspersed with Shiites, realizing the Shiites in a “get even mode” would force the Sunnis to leave, but with no place to go.
President Obama determination to end the “bad war”, making sure every NATO soldier would be out of Iraq by year’s end, as promised…
NAVY BUYS BIOFUELS FOR $15 PER GALLON FROM STIMULUS-LINKED FIRM. The Institute for Energy Research unearthed this recent contract. “Last week, the navy signed a contract with two biofuel companies to purchase 450,000 gallons of advanced fuel biofuels at $12 million to assist in President Obama’s goal to establish a domestic biofuel industry and to advance it ways that does “not require Congressional approval.”. While this purchase is only a drop in the bucket compared to the Navy’s annual usage of more than 670 million gallons, their goal is to fuel a normal Navy mission with 50% blend of biofuels and gasoline by 2016… ……the Company selling the fuel is called “SOLAZYME”, and the company’s corporate board includes former and Chief Operations Officer of the Department of Energy, meaning he has experience dealing with energy issues on both sides of the regulatory equation. The Administration seems to be looking for ways to push alternative fuels “WITH OUT CONGRESSIONAL APPROVAL “and the military is a logical place to start. The Heritage’s Jack Spencer noticed the trend last year, “the Pentagon and the environmental movement have found a common cause by linking “America’s national security to the basic tenets in the President’s green agenda. Unfortunately, there are real costs for national security, energy technology the tax payer, and the American consumer.” GOVERNMENT EFFORTS TO PROP UP FAVORED INDUSTRIES ALSO TEND TO BENEFIT THE POLICALLY CONNECTED, SOLAZYME CERTAINLY FITS THE BILL…….
“Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl, is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves”…….Albert Einstein
MIA ON THE SHORES OF TRIPOLI……The United States defers to Qatar and the UN in Libya….President Obama often criticized the Bush Administration for failing to “finish the job” in Afghanistan, so it’s odd to see him leave himself vulnerable to the same charge in Libya. Two months after the death of Gadhafi, the cautious and reluctant White House follow up the NATO war resembles its approach to this year’s Arab upheavals in general. The demobilization of dozens of militias and clashes with the new government police, underscore the need for a new arm and police force.
This may be an opening for Washington, under the NATO flag. Cost can’t be an issue, rich in oil and gas; Libyan authorities can easily pick up the tab. The Europeans, who pushed hard for a NATO intervention, seem to care more about buying Libya’s oil than “mid-wifing”a new Arab democracy.. Libyans are grateful to the U.S. for helping topple Gadhafi and they want help to build their new country. Assisting them would be in the U.S. interest- to prevent another radical regime from taking over, and more important to show Arabs across the Middle East. That there is a better future (despite the mess up in Iraq) when a dictator falls. Mr. Obama’s Libyan intervention will not be a success unless he finishes this job.
“The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just….whatever you are, be a good one”
TO PRESIDENT OBAMA and all 535 VOTING MEMBERS of CONGRESS, PAST and PRESENT. In ORDER to be CLASSIFIED as a “DO NOTHING” CONGRESS, YOU HAVE DONE NOTHING TO IMPROVE PAST ACTS OF THE CONGRESS, WHICH MAKES YOU A MORON…….. U.S. Postal Service. Was established in 1775, you have had 236 years to get it right, and is broke…… B….Social Security was established in 1935,you have had 76 years to make it profitable…..C..Fannie Mae was established in 1938,. you have it for 73 years to make it profitable…..D….War on Poverty started in 1964. After 47 years and over $1 trillion dollars each year, it is still broke……E..Medicare and Medicaid were established 1965, you have had it for46 ears and it is still broke………F..Freddie Mac was established in1970, you have had 41 years to correct, still broke………G,,Dept. of Energy was established in 1977 to lessen our need to buy from foreign countries, It has ballooned to 18,000 employees, 34 years later we import more oil than ever before……..YOU HAVE FAILED IN EVERY “GOVERNMENT SERVCE” THAT YOU CREATED AND SHOVED DOWN OUR THROATS WHILE OVER SPENDING OUR TAX DOLLARS……HAVE WE LOST OUR MINDS TO” POLITICAL CORRECTNESS”………Maybe we should be thinking of turning over these, and others, to WAL-MART, who handles 8,2 billion different purchases per year, (Earth’s population is about 6.5 billion)…….90% of all AMERICANS live within 15 miles from a WAL-MART, NO!!! I DO NOT OWN ANY WAL-MART Stock!.. and this idea probably originated when there was talk about WAL- MART placing a Post Office at each location.
While watching TV and hunting for a closing statement, sure enough it did not take too long to find a story that illustrates what is happening to our country. The subject matter was about who should be paying for some work on the World Trade Center Memorial, which still does not have a name, but thousands of folks visit the site daily. While these three political “hacks”, one from New Jersey, one from the Port Authority and the Mayor of New York, each represent the governing body of the site……..while these three were stating their arguments, close to 100 workers dropped their tools and went home. And that is an example how government works, and why the Memorial is still not finished, nor has a name……..this “story” is repeated many times, in fact this example is probably one of the reasons why our country is stagnant, and millions of people are out of work, and the related costs continue to rise.
Well folks this is the last day in December 2011, a year most of us will take a deep sigh of relief. I was a depression child, and remember it well. We were one of the more fortunate, as my father had a job throughout this period. He started to sell attached homes, and observe the construction of a project in Rosedale, Queens County. I don’t think it paid very well, like watching my mother make meat loaf, which was a combination of chopped meat mixed with hard boiled eggs in the middle, and a half a loaf of wet white bread. Selling houses during this period, was limited to those who were cops, firemen, school teachers, employees of the gas and electric companies, who were able to obtain mortgages, about 10 t0 15 % buyers were either self-employed, or worked for a credit worthy firm. My father’s job had some perks, we occupied one of the many empty house, every time a house was sold, my father would notify the moving company the milk company, the laundry company, the coal company and the bakery, for which we received free milk and dairy, fresh rolls, ice, discounted coal and other goodies.
Let me take a moment to wish you and your families a most Happy and Healthy New Year, and that the “Revolution” will contain only good news, and civility will once again exist amongst all of us……….see y’all in the funny papers……..AP