What's That Stench?

I don’t know the technical definition of Marxism, but I know it stinks. In fact, I bet it smells a lot like the putrid odor that is wafting out of Congress these days.

Something in those hallowed halls has gone terribly...rotten.

The House of Representatives, once populated by great men, great thinkers, great lovers of individual freedom and protectors of private property, is now, through its Democrat majority, a fully-baked product of the Obama Administration – a cesspool of radical thought, and even more radical legislation.

That we sent to Congress an individual who so comfortably swims in those foul waters is a measure of our gullibility. Gullibility and simple trust that this man would go to Washington and fight the good fight – fight to keep us free, as he is supposed to do. Fight to protect and defend the Constitution, as he is sworn to do.

Instead, time and time again he votes to enslave our economy, and by extension enslave us, to a gaggle of federal bureaucrats.

Worse yet, he votes with liars and America-haters. He votes with thugs and sneaks. He’s part of a majority that promised transparency, yet rams bills through with 300-page amendments issued in the blackest part of night, bills that are so impactful that they transform the basic relationship between government and private industry; bills that are passed before they are even presented in their final form, and hence, cannot even have been read.

I cannot call this representation, and I cannot sit idly by and pretend that a few bucks and a few jobs is a fair tradeoff for the destruction of the country that I love. American men and women have died to defend our rights and liberties for over 200 years, but now the ghosts of those brave soldiers must look on in horror, as our current so-called “representatives” filch those liberties, piece by piece, in the middle of the night like a gang of sneak-thieves.

Reprehensible. I don’t know whom you represent, Michael McMahon, but it sure ain’t me.

I cannot promise that you will be defeated in 2010, Congressman, but I do promise you this: by the time Staten Islanders march into that voting booth, they will be educated. They will know how you are voting, and what the real impacts of those votes will be – not the fluffy spin you will put on them in a four-color brochure.

No, I cannot reach everyone in the 13th, I don’t have the money or the platform - but I won’t stop trying. Your votes, and your often-insulting defense of them, have succeeded in creating a small, tough core of activists on Staten Island. Probably nothing for you to worry about – yet. But every day, the word seeps out to more and more people, and more and more people become aware and alert…and engaged.

To whatever extent I have anything to say about it, Congressman McMahon, Staten Islanders will not be sleep-walking into the voting booths in 2010. They will be voting with their eyes wide open.

We are paying attention, now. House by house, block by block, Staten Islanders are being roused from their slumber.

I Know I Could Certainly Stand To Lose a Few Pounds...

You Just Can't Make This Stuff Up.

There was an album that I used to love as a kid. It was the first-ever release by the Mamas and the Papas, entitled If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears, and as I peruse the political landscape these days, that phrase just keeps popping into my head.

The latest foray into insanity by this bizarre Congress comes to us today courtesy of Sen. Benjamin Cardin, D.-Md.

You see, Senator Cardin has figured out a way to staunch the flow of red ink that has been afflicting most major, left-leaning newspapers throughout the country, all long-time allies of the Liberal establishment that they are loath to see lose further ground to the blogosphere.

The crux of his proposal is that he wants to allow newspapers, if they so desire, to choose to become non-profit organizations, thereby avoiding the burden of paying taxes. Liberals are so good at avoiding that particular heavy load, aren't they?

After all, newspapers perform a public service for democracy and should be allowed to operate as tax-exempt non-profits! Right? RIGHT? His bill would explicitly include newspapers as an eligible organization for 501 (c) (3) status, the same status as public radio and public television.

I will pause here for a moment to allow you to catch your breath if you are doubled over with laughter, or to resume breathing if you were momentarily struck dumb at the horror of it all.

The business-ownership model under which these non-profits would operate is called L3C, short for Low-profit, Limited Liability Company. Under the legislation proposed by Cardin, newspaper revenues would be tax-exempt and conversely, those who purchase newpapers could declare their "contributions" as tax deductions.

"We are losing our newspaper industry," Cardin said in a statement. "The economy has caused an immediate problem, but the business model for newspapers, based on circulation and advertising revenue, is broken, and that is a real tragedy for communities across the nation and for our democracy."

Now here's the onion: In order to maintain its tax-exempt status, the non-profit newspaper would not be allowed to endorse political candidates. But DO NOT panic - they would still be able to report political news. Because, y'know, the way they report a story doesn't carry any built-in political proclivities, or any kind of agenda or anything. Nope. No siree.

Fair. Balanced. Tax-free.

Short Memories. Absolutely Amazing....

Gentle readers, please pay particular attention to Barney Frank's remark, "...and we wouldn't bail 'em out, anyway."

Michael Goodwin NAILS IT!

One of the great feelings in life is to find a deeply-held conviction, which you just cannot quite put into words, expressed by another with great clarity. You know what I mean - the kind of writing that makes you say "Yes, there it is! THAT is what I wanted to say..."

So along comes Michael Goodwin of the New York Daily News, a columnist who is not a staunch Conservative by a long shot, and he draws a bead on Washington, takes dead aim, and hits the target dead center. Here is his column in its entirety:

Everybody makes mistakes, and I made a beaut the other day. I was wrong to call members of Congress blow-hards and buffoons and declare them worse than useless.

I was too kind.

I should have said our representatives are gangsters in pinstripes and pearls. They are petty tyrants and the more power they grab, the more at risk we are. Homeland Security should flash Code Red any time this Congress is in session.

It is twilight in America now. The House vote to use the tax code to retroactively punish bonus babies was an act of sheer madness. What started as phony outrage at AIG has crossed the line into insane policy. It is stunning that the vote was lopsided and bipartisan.

The Senate is itchy to go along, and President Obama says he's ready to tighten the thumbscrews on the banks. Is there no adult who will bring a straitjacket?

We should all be very afraid. Class warfare is mere predicate for a witch hunt that, once unleashed, will not stop with misbegotten wealth. It will punish success and stifle innovation. Dissent will invite dishonor.

That Congress is a gang of cheap connivers is not news. Chris Dodd, Charlie Rangel, Charles Grassley, Barney Frank - they have been national embarrassments for years.

But now they are dangerous, emboldened by public fear and anger. They know nothing, but have power and smell opportunity for more.

Missing in action is the Barack Obama who vowed to unite the country around common values. Lately he has been the very opposite of the man he promised. Instead of hope, many have a growing fear of the arrogant government he leads.

Obama is smart, quick and charming, and, as he showed on "The Tonight Show," owner of a thousand-watt smile he can deploy at will. He silkily manages to make the ridiculous sound reasonable. When he insults the Special Olympics, he is forgiven.

Yet even "Tonight" host Jay Leno broke from full flattery to reveal his qualms about the meaning of the bonus tax. "Here's something that kind of scared me," he said. "If the government decides they don't like a guy, all of a sudden, hey, we're going to tax you and then, boom, and it passes."

Obama brushed it off, part of an endless road show claim that he will bring back "common sense" to the financial system and restore "those values that built America."

If only. In truth, there is no history for what he is doing. He is the most radical President of our times, far outside the mainstream of our political philosophy.

He is not a reformer who fixes things. He fancies himself "transformative," a man who reshapes and reorders. It apparently begins with smashing the existing order under the pretext of managing the crisis he inherited.

During the campaign, a fellow journalist confided that "I know Obama is a Manchurian candidate, I just can't figure out what for."

I laughed then, but no more. Obama represents a secular religion that believes, no matter the malady, Washington is the antidote. More government is the chicken soup of his tribe.

It is an illusion of many Republicans and Democrats that Washington can successfully manage the economy and our lives. Our institutions and culture are too big, too diverse and too unruly to be run like a banana republic.

Yet the economic mess has robbed the nation of its confidence, and the vacuum is being filled by politicians bearing promises and borrowed dollars. The true cost of this "help" will come later, with back-breaking debt and a lack of growth and opportunity.

We can't say we haven't been warned. "Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad" is more than folklore. It predicts our fate if we follow the government mob.