The VAT Cometh - by Charles Krauthammer

WASHINGTON -- As the night follows the day, the VAT cometh.
With the passage of Obamacare, creating a vast new middle-class entitlement, a national sales tax of the kind near-universal in Europe is inevitable.

We are now $8 trillion in debt. The Congressional Budget Office projects that another $12 trillion will be added over the next decade. Obamacare, when stripped of its budgetary gimmicks -- the unfunded $200 billion-plus doctor fix, the double counting of Medicare cuts, the 10-6 sleight-of-hand (counting 10 years of revenue and only 6 years of outflows) -- is at minimum a $2 trillion new entitlement.

It will vastly increase the debt. But even if it were revenue-neutral, Obamacare pre-empts and appropriates for itself the best and easiest means of reducing the existing deficit. Obamacare's $500 billion of cuts in Medicare and $600 billion in tax hikes are no longer available for deficit reduction. They are siphoned off for the new entitlement of insuring the uninsured.

This is fiscally disastrous because, as President Obama himself explained last year in unveiling his grand transformational policies, our unsustainable fiscal path requires control of entitlement spending, the most ruinous of which is out-of-control health care costs.

Obamacare was sold on the premise that, as Nancy Pelosi put it, "health care reform is entitlement reform. Our budget cannot take this upward spiral of cost." But the bill enacted on Tuesday accelerates the spiral: It radically expands Medicaid (adding 15 million new recipients/dependents) and shamelessly raids Medicare by spending on a new entitlement the $500 billion in cuts and the yield from the Medicare tax hikes.

Obama knows that the debt bomb is looming, that Moody's is warning that the Treasury's AAA rating is in jeopardy, that we are headed for a run on the dollar and/or hyperinflation if nothing is done.

Hence his deficit reduction commission. It will report (surprise!) after the November elections.
What will it recommend? What can it recommend? Sure, Social Security can be trimmed by raising the retirement age, introducing means testing and changing the indexing formula from wage growth to price inflation.

But this won't be nearly enough. As Obama has repeatedly insisted, the real money is in health care costs -- which are now locked in place by the new Obamacare mandates.

That's where the value-added tax comes in. For the politician, it has the virtue of expediency: People are used to sales taxes, and this one produces a river of revenue. Every 1 percent of VAT would yield up to $1 trillion a decade (depending on what you exclude -- if you exempt food, for example, the yield would be more like $900 billion).

It's the ultimate cash cow. Obama will need it. By introducing universal health care, he has pulled off the largest expansion of the welfare state in four decades. And the most expensive. Which is why all of the European Union has the VAT. Huge VATs. Germany: 19 percent. France and Italy: 20 percent. Most of Scandinavia: 25 percent.

American liberals have long complained that ours is the only advanced industrial country without universal health care. Well, now we shall have it. And as we approach European levels of entitlements, we will need European levels of taxation.

Obama set out to be a consequential president, on the order of Ronald Reagan. With the VAT, Obama's triumph will be complete. He will have succeeded in reversing Reaganism. Liberals have long complained that Reagan's strategy was to starve the (governmental) beast in order to shrink it: First, cut taxes -- then ultimately you have to reduce government spending.

Obama's strategy is exactly the opposite: Expand the beast, and then feed it. Spend first -- which then forces taxation. Now that, with the institution of universal health care, we are becoming the full entitlement state, the beast will have to be fed.

And the VAT is the only trough in creation large enough.
As a substitute for the income tax, the VAT would be a splendid idea. Taxing consumption makes infinitely more sense than taxing work. But to feed the liberal social-democratic project, the VAT must be added on top of the income tax.

Ultimately, even that won't be enough. As the population ages and health care becomes increasingly expensive, the only way to avoid fiscal ruin (as Britain, for example, has discovered) is health care rationing.
It will take a while to break the American populace to that idea. In the meantime, get ready for the VAT. Or start fighting it.

Nanny Calls Summit on Texting While Driving

"The Obama administration will convene a summit of experts to figure out what to do about the problem of texting while driving."

Experts? Teen-aged girls? Seriously, who is an expert on this? This kind of crap drives me insane!

The follows right in line w/ increasing taxes on tobacco, sodas, fast food, output of atmospheric gases, transportation(oil and gasoline), heating and cooling (coal). Nanny Barry wants to legislate your personal activity to control your life and dictate your activities to meet their ideological goals. Before inauguration day some pundits conjectured that Barry wanted to be loved, be a great President and get a second term. I say they are wrong; that was Billy Jeff Clinton, the glory hound. Barry is an ideologue. He wants to "transform" the country - his words, not mine.


That is why, I believe, he and Rahm and Nancy and Reid and all the other Reds in DC are rushing everything to the floor for votes. The transparency they so loudly boasted was coming under Democrat rule died before it ever saw the light of day. Not one piece of proposed legislation has been posted online for the 48 or 72 hours of review they claimed it would be. Barry and his ilk want to hurry and push through as much transformational legislation that we will have a very tough time overturning legislatively - if ever. They also know that if they get the unions more power and money they are almost ensured re-election in perpetuity. They can do this through EFCA, immigration "reform" (read: amnesty for illegals), government giveaways, control (manipulation) of the census.


They see money as power and they want both. They'll tax you into oblivion, then give you your money back as they see fit - only for doing the things they want you to do. Make no mistake, taxes are going up on everyone - indirect taxes you'll pay in the form of higher prices and income taxes. Have a great day!

See a good recap of the situation around the above posters here.

Local Idiocy = Federal Idiocy

In case you couldn’t tell, I am growing more and more fed up w/ government “leaders” at all levels. If you watch the news or listen to any talk radio outside of NPR (or its network and cable equivalents) then you know pretty much what the Fed is doing, and trying to do, these days. It is pretty sickening. Sadly, though, the BS doesn’t stop in DC.

Our local city council in their infinite wisdom, prudence and logical forethought relied on a $3M grant from the Fed to fund city police and fire services in an effort to close the $20M budget deficit. (There is also a $40M deficit projected for next year. How much do you want to bet it turns out to be bigger?) Guess what? Shocker of all shockers, the grant didn’t come through. This is the same city council that tried to close last year’s deficit in part by installing red light cameras to catch local taxpayers running red lights, then mail tickets to the car’s registered owner (maybe not the driver), to raise funds (hidden tax) instead of cutting costs. Great idea folks.

This little ploy to threaten to lay off cops and firefighters is very similar to the California legislators “worrying” that great state may have to lay off teachers and cops and open up the prison doors in order to cut costs. They still haven’t done it months later.

But back to The ‘Nati… I understand that in bad times all departments need to make sacrifices, but that is only after all unnecessary programs have been slashed and/or killed. This is definitely not the case. They found it necessary to put in $3M for a new environmental department for a 4th layer of EPA-type oversight (isn’t $3M what the supposed grant was for?), they want to give section 8 housing in a new riverfront commercial / condo development downtown, etc. and they are pursuing a trollycar / streetcar on a fixed track route. This would cost at least $100M, all for a downtown area near a part of town recently ranked #1 on deadliest neighborhoods list in the nation?! WTF?? Talk about an Epic Fail if that goes through. How many tourist and suburbanites are gonna be mugged or killed on the streetcar if they build it? We’re already claiming we can’t afford the cops and extra jail space. (The voters did turn down a wopping tax increase to build a new jail, but if they could have come up with a plan for a jail at a reasonable price, it would have gotten the votes.)

There is still a little problem of a $7M deficit that they haven’t addressed – and have gone into a summer recess. I had this very short exchange on Twitter with a member of city council. The first 3 were posted before I logged in to check the updates.

Council Member: Sigh. Another suburbanite telling Enq street car is wasteful and analysis needed. Well, we did anlysis, which is why we want to build it.
Council Member: Maybe city residents should start complaining more about the billions we spend on sprawl highways to subsidize your suburban lifestyle?
Council Member: Well, we want an urban lifestyle here--based in transit, not 3-car garages.
Me (ajh1836): @Council Member: urban life=hi pop density. you have 2 clamp dwn on crime b4 any1 agrees 2 live dwntwn & use streetcar sys. can't RiF cops.
Council Member:(By Direct message) Well, 64 percent of our budget goes to public safety--$103 mill to CPD. Obviously this Council prioritizes safety.
Me (ajh1836): (By Direct Message) Yet Council threatens 2 layoff cops & firefighters because foolishly relied on gov grant? Politcal tactic? other cuts (enviro dept) better.

And then the conversation was ended. Why didn’t he (or likely his aide) respond? Notice how “they” responded by direct message, out of the public timeline? Easier to be snarky and make misleading assertions where the public won’t see. Pathetic,but not unexpected.

So, is it any wonder people across the country are fed up with their government at all levels? When you hear threats of layoffs for cops and opening of prison doors, is it any wonder gun sales are up across the country?

Here is an article from a senior law enforcement professional in Columbus, OH. Sobering stuff. It isn’t just crazy, end of the world, folks buying up guns and ammo. Cops, grannies, working stiffs... all worried about a breakdown of government services, mainly cops and jails, riots due to loss of jobs/income, etc., general disenfranchisement and distrust of government - buying firearms and getting their concealed carry permits, if Nanny allows it. Do you see what is going on in France? Could it be coming here? Throughout history, the best way to control a people is to disarm them. A majority of the population are already mindless sheeple waiting for their feed at the Public trough. Maybe it won't be too hard for the gov to take that next step. They tried it in New Orleans after Katrina...
--- ---- - - - -- ----

Every move the Congress and President have made over the last year (obviously longer, but we’ll stick to recent events) has been about control. Not the welfare of the people or the future of the country. As the Fed amasses more power and takes oversight of, stock in, and partnerships with, private business we’re further down the fascist road. How many “leaders” move in and out of government and private sector jobs in big corporations? Goldman Sachs, Fannie/ Freddie, SEIU, AFL-CIO, ACORN, etc, etc. And the state / local level politicians, and Congressional Reps grovel for scraps of bailout and stimulus money, “sweeteners” (aka bribes), selling their states and constituents out in hopes of getting enough dollars for the next campaign and enough uninformed voters to keep them in power.

“I know of no safe repository of the ultimate power of society but people. And if we think them not enlightened enough, the remedy is not to take the power from them, but to inform them by education.” – Thomas Jefferson

Uh-oh....not the change he was talking about.

I normally don't have much use for polls. I think you can make them say whatever you want them to say by changing up a few words in the questions / making them a bit confusing / less straight-forward. But we'll assume Rasmussen is reliable and respectable. Barry went negative for the first time a week or two ago, then hit -2, -3.... Now this week he's hit -5 and -8 in two straight days of reporting.

Is it the growing deficit for this year, the mounting national debt, the 2009 Euorpean/ Mid-East apology tours he's been on, the lack of transparency he's pushing with Crazy-Eyes Pelosi and Whorehouse Harry, the capNtax / Gorebal Warming nonsense, the Sotomayor nomination, the nomination (and confirmation) of transnationalist Harold Koh, paying back the unions big time with the GM and Chrysler bailout/nationalization/restructure/screwing of the primary creditors, pushing EFCA, agreeing to a nuclear disarmament deal w/ Russia, staying silent on the Iran protestors, but siding w/the Leftist would-be dictator in Honduras in record time (with Castro, Chavez, et al), etc. etc. Quite a list off the top of my head.

So, maybe, just maybe the American Sheeple and starting to wake up and say to themselves, "This doesn't seem right. Maybe this isn't what I bargained for when I flushed my vote down the toilet and let the patients run the asylum." I hope I'm right and the tide is turning. Only time will tell, but it may already be too late save the ship.

And some random notes from the news......

Holy crap. Big Nance did something I actually agree with. Don't know why she did it, and for now, I don't care. This Rep. Jackson-Lee is a whack-job. She's been pimping this resolution so much it is sickening. Check out this nice recap at RedState.com. As a bonus you'll get to see Rep. Peter King (R-NY) turn a nice little partiotic piece into a great tirade against MJ and the media. I don't agree with the guy on everything he says and does, but on this one, I think he's pretty much got it down.

Of course the money is going to those who put him in office. I don't necessarily think there is anything conspiratorial going on here. Like the article says, they are just signing checks and sending them out to whoever asks and maybe qualifies. If you look at a breakdown of the '08 Presidential voting like this one, with the county bubbles and county leaders filters, you see that Barry won in the NE, Midwest and West coast where there are large cities and mostly urban population centers. So if you ship the money off to big cities blindly, you end up giving the money to those who voted for you.

Dear lord! First he gets punked by Chavez in the whole sucker "book gift" photo-op at the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad, then he bows to the king of Saudi Arabia, bows the Putin, now he's glad-handing it with Qaddafi? WTF? I'm not buying this whole "repairing the US image around the world BS." You can "repair" our image without making us look like the class punk whose next in line to get his head flushed down the toilet after gym class. This guy doesn't know the first thing about earning respect. Kissing ass just gets you laughed at and used. If America has been so horrible that he needs to "transform" it, why have we been the lone superpower in the world for the last two decades?

And a good story to end the day. Video of a guy who fought off a car jacking punk in Florida. It's great to see the good guy win!

More Random News from the World

Arrogant a**holes

Top Notch Security by our Nanny.gov

From the "No Sh*t Department" ... we have this.

But wait, Barney has a new plan. I'm sure THIS ONE will work out better......pure thievery.

Great QB, community servant, bad husband/father, Crazy woman. All the cheaters out there better be careful- I'm sure this story has them sweating. This story really pisses me off on so many levels.

Check the chop-shop. They may be stripping him down for parts. Can we move on from this now? Finally? Please?

And a nice long article on Leftist tactics and the mouth foaming hatred of Sarah Palin. For now, I think she made a mistake, but we'll see. I heard someone say on the radio the other day, that the problem conservatives (and libertarians, for that matter) have is that we don't see politics as our life or our religion, but the Progressives do. It is their reason for being; 24/7, everything relates to politics and nothing is sacred or off-limits. The ends just about always justify the means. How do you argue with that energy, drive, hatred, when all you want to do is enjoy your private life, family, friends, and working hard to succeed and provide a future for your kids?

If any combination of Cap N Trade, ObamaCare, Amnesty for Illegals and EFCA passes into law, I fear we are all done. Turn out the lights, the parties over.

"Economic power is exercised by means of a positive, by offering men a rewared, an incentive, a payment, a value; political power is exercised by means of a negative, by the threat of punishment, injury, imprisonment, and destruction. The businessman's tool is values; the bureaucrat's tool is fear." --- Ayn Rand

Random Thoughts on the World's Craziness

Sotomayor Wrong Again

This New Haven, CT firefighters case is ridiculous. These firefighters studied their asses off and passed a test that was created by specialty firm, hired by the city, then tested and validated to be an effective and accurate tool to determine who were the best of the bunch and who would make the best candidates for promotions. Why the hell did the city then penalize them for playing by the rules that they set? To avoid a "potential" lawsuit from civil rights groups. So they screwed one group of people to "help" another? Sounds like Barry redistributing the wealth.

Why didnt' the city stand up for itself when they were right? Unless they didn't want to be right, or they were plagued by "white guilt" like so many in government are. It is absolutely ridiculous.

I don't want people in critical positions in my own company who only got where there are through the help of a numbers game instead of on their own skill and merits. Not to mention jobs where lives can be at stake, such as police, firefighters, auto mechanics, pilots, construction workers, Supreme Court Justices....

Sotomayor is a self-admitted product of the affirmative action system. She claimed her test scores coming out of college were not the best, but she still got into a top law school. She said in the early 1990's that she is "...a product of affirmative action" and her "test scores were not comparable to my colleagues at Princeton and Yale." And now we find out this isn't the first time she's been on the side of the "oppressed." In the 1980's she helped hispanic police officers challenge a promotions exam in NYC while part of a Puerto Rican legal advocacy organization. Shocking!

Past colleagues and lawyers who have argued cases in front of her speak negatively of her professional demeanor and approach to cases, her opinions are described as short, weak, and poorly thought out. She has been accused of showing blatant disrespect to and belittling of lawyers. Her opinions lead to more centralized power with the Fed and less power for the states- exactly opposite of what the country needs now.

But alas, she will still get in because the Dems are blind to right and wrong, and the Repubs are weak and won't stand up for principle and the best for the nation. It won't change the make up of the court - Souter was no conservative or centrist. It is the next 1, 2 or 3 that Barry may get to appoint that will screw the country for decades.

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More from across the vast web of news.

Story of the day - good for this homeowner, bad for the burglar. Ouch!

Barry waits over a week to say anything about the Iran uprising against dictators, but rushes to the teleprompter to speak out against the Honduras gov and military removing their President when he tried to grab power through unconstitutional additional terms in office. He is on the same side as Castro, Ortega and Chavez. Is anyone surprised by this?

Holy cow, I hope this isn't true, but you can put the pieces together and decide. What about this one? Pamela Gellar over at Atlas Shrugs is no nonsense. She puts it all out there to read and see.

All for now. I can't read anymore tonight. Sleep tight.

Minnesota, You Idots‏

(Not Everyone, just those that voted for this guy or didn't vote)

Al Franken?!? This guy???


Hollywood gave him the money and you guys put him in (though likely with the help of ACORN and definitely with the help of the courts. Now the Socialists, err, Democrats in the Senate have a filibuster proof majority. Bend over folks, the "change" can get kicked into high gear at anytime (assuming it isn't already- I "hope" not). This guy is not qualified, has no sense of rational thought and will vote the Party line without even thinking.

Isn't the Senate supposed to be one of, if not the most, respected bodies in the nation? And no this clown is a member? Too bad it isn't funny.

Have to go scrub my eyes with a brillow pad now.

The Traitorous 8

Coming from the email link for the first time....

We knew pretty much what to expect from the Dems. But 8 House Repulicans, too?

Arlen Spector must be so proud.

These are the 8 pieces of waste politicians who should use this Congressional break, to actually talk to their constituents and find out how many really back on this horrendous capNtax bill they just let through. And then beg for forgiveness. Which they may get, but no more votes for re-election.

Bono Mack (CA)
Castle (DE)
Kirk (IL)
McHugh (NY)
LoBiondo (NJ)
Lance (NJ)
Reichert (WA)
Smith (NJ)

Don't forget about these losers when you're paying more for your electricity, natural gas, gasoline, food, clothes, cars, airline tickets, tires, building materials, fertilizer, property taxes, etc etc etc. Everything! This is an economy and job killer.

Even if you can't vote against them in 2010, donate to their opponents in the Primary.

I think I'm going to be sick.

Quick! Look Over Here....

Look, I liked the guy. He was great. He was on TV almost every weeknight for decades. Ed McMahon was so comfortable with himself playing "second" to Johnny Carson. Many think he made Johnny better, setting up his jokes, laughing at the jokes, making his own, etc. And who could forget the Publisher's Clearinghouse work he did. Classic.

Never cared for Farrah, but can't say I watched her much. Maybe she was hot in her younger days. Beauty fades and from what I saw, she turned out to be nuts. Remember her appearance on Letterman years back?

As for MJ, I can't say I care much. Nobody, including me, ever wishes for, or rejoices in someone's demise, but..... is anyone surprised? He made good music, but his personal life was nuts and he may or may not have spent "alone time" with little boys. I can't respect that and I can't pretend to get all broken up over his death. And to top it all off, he was reportedly in debt to the tune of a "measly" $400M!!!! WTF???!?? He sold 61M albums in the US alone! How many people is he screwing over via this debt? Bye bye to all his music rights, his home, cars, cash on hand, furniture, art, dishes, bath towels, toothbrush, old noses, etc.

The media fawns and crowds weep. Meanwhile, back on the Hill, our duly elected distinguished leaders in the House took another step to royally screw the country (mainly taxpayers and businesses w/ out connections) with the Crap and Tax bill. Where is the media on this? UCLA med center trying to find out what MJ's last meal was. The utter dumbing down of our society is leading to the ruination of the country. Hopefully, nobody will die when ObamaCare or EFCA come up for a vote. Or God forbid there be a rainstorm, or a celebrity cat fight.

Can we talk about the N Korean's and their nukes? Can we talk about China looking to dump the dollar and not buy our debt any longer? The trillions we're printing? Harold Koh got confirmed by the Senate - anyone hear about that? He's a bad dude and, like Barry, wants to "transform" the nation. But, we lost MJ and Farrah ON THE SAME DAY!!!! OMG! For sure! What a joke.

Arlen, Arlen, Arlen......

I have to admit I haven't followed the career of Arlen very much, up until last fall, so I've been doing some reading on the guy. What a creep. Weasel. Worm. Spineless. What else? First he was a Democrat, but ran with a Republican. Then switched to the GOP. Lost an election, won, lost, won, etc.

Just days before the switch, he said he would not leave the GOP because he thought he "played an important role" in maintaining a balance between the parties in the Senate. I guess a few promises from the Donkeys and/or the fear of having to enter private life again can make a weak man jettison his principles and character. Maybe this is his character, he already switched once in his career. Maybe he doesn't have any principles. Specter claimed the Republicans moved too far to the right for him to stay in the party. Who is he kidding? Who believes that? The Republicans have moved left in the last 20 years in an attempt to "expand the party" and increase membership. Our friggin' Presidential nominee wrote a pro-amnesty bill for illegal immigrants, wrote and passed a campaign finance "reform" bill that ended up hurting him and hurts the country in general, in pro-cap-n-trade / global warming "fix" and wouldn't take the fight to his political opponent on real and legitimate issues due to fears of not being politically correct or insensitve or whatever his lame excuse was. Specter was just making shit up to try to cover his butt and blame others for his lack of will and courage.

Arlen said in his presser announcing his latest switch, "I am not prepared to have my 29 year record in the United States Senate decided by the Pennsylvania Republican primary electorate." Wow! Honesty! Too bad he is proclaiming that this move isn't about issues, but is really about saving his own political ass.

So now he gives the Dems 59 votes. After the Minnesota disgrace, Stuart Smalley, gets into the Senate, they Dems will, for all intents and purposes, have the necessary 60 votes to push through any piece of crap legislation they want. EFCA - get ready. Socialized medicine - start taking your vitamins now and pray you don't get sick. Taxes, Federal debts, gun control, more welfare, anti-business legislations of all kind, the most liberal Supreme Court in decades coming into being and presiding for the next several decades to come, etc. etc. But Arlen says he's not going to be the automatic 60th vote. He doesn't have to be. He has Maine Senators Snowe and Collins to pick up the vote for him.

On the not-so-dark side, now everything that passes through the Senate that royally screws up the country will almost entirely have to be owned by the Dems. I doubt there are any clear thinkers outside the MSM who think Snowe and Collins will really count as republican votes or make any bill "bi-partisan."

It really is amazing what people will do to save themselves. He never was a Conservative and rarely voted like one. Specter had the balls this weekend to claim that the GOP is somehow to blame for Jack Kemp's death by not funding medical research. But in the next breath says that he has benefited from such research. The National Cancer Institute had a $4.8 billion budget in fiscal 2008 and has had in excess of $80 Bn since the early 1970's. This guy's a joke. The Dems are going to use him and then sabbotage him in the 2010 Democratic Primary. Who in their right mind is going to vote for him?