Rational Nation USA

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Birthplace of Independent Conservatism We are one nation, with common values and principles that set us apart from the rest of the world. Or so I have chosen to believe for over 50 years. Call me the old fashioned reactionary village idiot if you like. Go ahead, I am used to it from the progressive collectivists. The fact is I am damn proud of being given that moniker by them. Truth be known {and I don't mean Truth 101 } I really don't care what progressive collectivists think of my values and principles, or the political views I hold. I'm good with them and that is all that matters. Frankly I don't care because I,  just like each and every one of the progressive/statists know I am right. Since any rational value system must be based on objectivity, rather than emotionalism, the left always loses on purely logical and rational grounds. However, don't bother to attempt a rational discussion with them on this point becaus

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Birthplace of Independent Cknservatism Harry Alford, president and CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce, tore into President Obama yesterday on The Laura Ingraham Show calling his administration anti business. Mr. Alford referred to the president as a neophyte, saying he is dangerous, and is wrecking the country. That and a whole lot more. Indeed Mr. Alford. You are spot on. Cross posted to the Left Coast Rebel Via: Drudge Report Via: Real Clear Politics

by the Left Coast Rebel This just in from Gallup : PRINCETON, NJ -- The large majority of Americans say spending too much money on unneeded or wasteful federal programs is to blame for the federal budget deficit, while 22% say the deficit is a consequence of not raising enough in taxes to pay for needed programs. These poll numbers are very hopeful but miss a key part of the deficit picture: our woes are necessarily caused by wasteful spending but that wasteful spending is given free reign because of a government that has no bearing on our founding and sensible, limited government. In order to reign in wasteful spending, we must first realign that which we expect of our government and send those to Washington DC that reflect those values ( hint : Rand Paul, not John Boehner). Until that day, the idiots in DC will argue about nibbling at the fringes of our destructive and illegitimate government-with-no-restraint but lose the big picture and put us all at the same national bankrupt

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Birthplaces of Independent Conservatism Either the Obama administration is completely inept, or it is completely inept. The Government Accounting Office (GAO)recently released a report on Criminal Alien Statistics: Information on Incarcerations, Arrests and Costs, showing the three convicted criminals with ties to international terrorism were granted U.S citizenship. After they were convicted. This administration can't be for real. Can it? I must be dreaming this. (CNSNews.com) -- Three people convicted of crimes as a result of a terrorism-related investigation by the Department of Justice (DOJ) were later naturalized as U.S. citizens by the Obama administration, according to federal auditors. The March 2011 audit (released on April 21, 2011) by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), entitled Criminal Alien Statistics: Information on Incarcerations, Arrests and Costs, shows that three individuals were among “defendants where the

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Birthplave of Independent Conservatism America is becoming a nation whose populace is dependent on government entitlements in ever increasing numbers. The percentage of Americans that earn their income through work is declining. This is a sure recipe for the eventual collapse of our {semi} capitalist economic and social structure. The very structures that built this nation and made it the greatest and most prosperous the world has ever known. "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch" was written by C. Jeffery Small. He does an excellent job of confronting the issue of entitlemnts, the ethics which they breed, the subsequent erosion of the work ethic, and the ultimate cost to society. "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch." — Robert Heinlein, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress When Heinlein wrote these words, he was simply referring to the obvious fact that you cannot get something for nothing. Everything consu

by the Left Coast Rebel Trump is trumping China and raising the anti-trade rhetoric (sounding oh-so presidential): "Listen you mother f***ers we're going to tax you 25 percent" I'm no prude; but seriously, folks? A serious candidate wouldn't have gone there. NSFW video of Trump's speech in Las Vegas wherein he drops the f-bomb, referencing the Chinese: It's good to see that Trump has moved on from the birth certificate to the taxing-the-hell-out-of-the-Chinese and "take-their-oil" dual platform of unconservative, unlibertarian, populist ideas. Of course it's entertaining, but serious thought and a serious platform? Of course not. Maximum result for minimal effort = throwing around the f-bomb during a speech. Trump is clearly enjoying himself and basking in the sunlight of his notoriety. But, the guy is peaking already and this may be one of his last headline-grabbing hoorays. Hat tip Memeorandum , cross posted to LCR.

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Birthplace of Independent Conservatism The use of the race card has always been a tactic of the left. Democrat progressives have employed its use for years. The simple truth is democrats in particular, and the progressive movement in general, have used the race card for purely political purposes. Rather than acting as a unifying force the democrats and progressives have used race as a divisive tool to insure the election and re-election of their politicians. Having said the above lets move on to the birther issue. The birthers, who are mostly conservative, with "The Donald" as their most recent spokesperson, simply refuse to accept that President Obama is a United States citizen. Even after the President released his LFBC (long form birth certificate} many still question whether it is legitimate. To make matters worse 'The Donald questioned the President's grades implying they were not good enough for acceptance to Harvard

By: Pamela D. Hart President Obama released his long form birth certificate yesterday and said , "This issue has been going on for two, two and a half years now. I think it started during the campaign. I have watched with bemusement, I've been puzzled at the degree at which this thing just kept on going." He’s correct, the issue has been going on since the campaign, and during that time-frame, no one, not even lawyers, have been able to get the President to release his birth certificate. Then, Donald Trump comes into the arena and the media gobbled up and promoted him and the Birther movement because he packaged it with a pretty bow and powerful words, which gave it serious momentum, and ultimately forced the President to release that mysterious piece of paper that those Birthers were certain had invisible script which proved Obama was an alien from outer-space. This entire Birther movement is ridiculous to me in more ways than one. First, I do NOT believe tha

by the Left Coast Rebel Tea Party Representative Allen West ( Future POTUS-FL ) has been in the news a lot lately, and that's a good thing. West -- in my humble opinion -- may just one day be President of this country. Trust me, the guy has a bright future and the sky's the limit. Also, if patriots like Allen West were in the mix in the GOP 2012 hopeful field, there would be a lot more excitement than there is at this time -- and he's the real deal and not a publicity-whoring charlatan with anything but a conservative or libertarian track record. Anyway, the congressman doesn't mince words (which is just what we need today), talking candidly about the program that has the highest unfunded liability going forward and is the ultimate third rail in American politics: Medicare . Florida's WPTV reports: BOCA RATON, Fla. - If those opposed to U.S. Rep. Allen West have their way, the 2012 election will be fought on his recent vote to privatize Medicare starting in 2

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Birthplace of Independent Conservatism So, President Obama has finally released his long form birth certificate. A day later the internet has gone into overdrive, again. Still many in our country question his citizenship. I continue to scratch my head and wonder to what end. Some snippets from the blogoshere: Michelle Malkin : But while Obama complains about “distractions,” his media water-carriers have served him well by falsely and opportunistically casting every conservative activist as a fringe birther conspiracist — and by boosting celebrity big-government fraud Donald Trump at the expense of bona fide conservative candidates/issues. Much hay will be made about the timing of the release, the authenticity of the document, who gets the “ credit ” for forcing Obama’s hand, etc., etc. etc., blah, blah, blah. As I’ve said consistently throughout the entire birther circus, I have chosen to fight other grass-roots conservative/limited

by the Left Coast Rebel As Sam Foster wrote early this morning, the White House just released Obama's official "long-form" birth certificate. Sam had a great take on the issue in that the Obama birth certificate issue has actually been the longest running Clinton scandal. Nevertheless, the question for me -- given the ease at which the White House got their grubby paws on and released the long-form birth certificate -- is what gives and why didn't they do this before? I smell a thick trail of rank incompetence and William Jacobson agrees: The ease with which the White House obtained the documents demonstrates the rank idiocy of the mainstream media, which has been feeding us a steady stream of excuses as to why Obama could not obtain the document. Professor Jacobson is on to something here: the media-led frantic discussion on Obama's m.i.a. long-form birth certificate proves just how idiotic they are. And , they played right into the publicity whore Donald

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Birthplace of Independent Conservatism The image of our American flag, with a hammer and sickle where the fifty stars belongs sickens me. It sickens me to the point of anger. What sickens me even more, just as as it should all who desire liberty and the right to prosper based on your own merit is this... There is an organized and growing effort to defeat American capitalism and the liberty that it creates. The progressive movement, which is in reality synonymous with communist socialism, has of course been around since the early 20th century in America. And it has insidiously been working to undermine our American value system every since. Sadly, given the obvious and growing reliance on government, and the increasing socialist statism brought to us complements of "The Barry", the progressive plan for America seems to be working. Our institutions of so called higher learning are becoming cesspools of progressive thought. A case in

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Birthplace of Independent Conservatism As Representative Allan West {R-FL} took the stage Tuesday night at his Ft. Lauderdale Town Hall meeting progressive hecklers begin to almost immediately badger Mr. West. Their disruptive, and direspectful conduct had no affect on West as he told them, You're not going to intimidate me . West in his typical cool and level headed manner handled the leftist lunitics with class and dignity. However, police did arrest one women who in addition to keckling the Congressman also deemed it justified to harrass his wife as well. Video: The leftist low lifes are simply and utterly unbelievable. Yet their method of operation has become quite predictable Much more at the SHARK TANK and The Other McCain Cross posted to the Left Coast Rebel Other discussions @ Memeorandum

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Birthplace of Independent Comservatism Here is something to help make Obama's speeches almost tolerable. Just print this page, distribute it to friends, and listen to his next speech. (rules are listed at bottom) Rules for Bullshit Bingo : 1. Before Barrack Obama's next televised speech, print your "Bullshit Bingo" card 2. Check off the appropriate block when you hear one of those words/phrases. 3. When you get five blocks horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, stand up and shout "BULLSHIT!" h/t: eronc63

There are basically two main theories as to how "we" got out of the Depression; 1) that the New Deal got us out and 2) that the second world war got us out. I've already addressed the first article of faith in a previous post (concluding that the New Deal was essentially a wash). In this one, I'll examine the latter................................................................................................To those who argue that WW2 got us out of the Depression, these people generally point to the significantly lower unemployment rate and the historic expansion of GDP (they also argue that this is proof-positive that Keynesian economics works). Rather than the New Deal programs (which a lot of these individuals actually saw as too anemic), these people say that it was the amped up production necessitated by the war that finally got the economy moving............................................................................................Of course, what these fo

It was called fascism when Bush did it by the Left Coast Rebel Bear with me, this issue may seem convoluted, but it is anything but. As reported by Alicia Mundy in the Wall Street Journal , yesterday: A government attempt to oust a longtime drug-company chief executive over his company's marketing violations is raising alarms in that industry and beyond about a potential expansion of federal involvement in the business world. The Department of Health and Human Services this month notified Howard Solomon of Forest Laboratories Inc. that it intends to exclude him from doing business with the federal government. This, in turn, could prevent Forest from selling its drugs to Medicare, Medicaid and the Veterans Administration. If the government implements its ban, Forest would have to dump Mr. Solomon, now 83 years old, in order to protect its corporate revenue. No drug company, large or small, can afford to lose out on sales to the federal government, a major customer. (SNIP

Teenage-faced useful idiot for the far-left cause WaPo's Ezra Klein: in it so deep that rubber galoshes are required by the Left Coast Rebel Via. Newsbusters : Liberals are always trying to place themselves in the center. Washington Post business columnist Ezra Klein tried out the old saw on Tuesday that just as Bill Clinton described himself pejoratively as an “Eisenhower Republican,” Barack Obama isn’t a socialist, he’s a moderate Republican of the George H.W. Bush era: Perhaps this is just the logical endpoint of two years spent arguing over what Barack Obama is — or isn’t. Muslim. Socialist. Marxist. Anti-colonialist. Racial healer. We’ve obsessed over every answer except the right one: President Obama, if you look closely at his positions, is a moderate Republican of the early 1990s. And the Republican Party he’s facing has abandoned many of its best ideas in its effort to oppose him. If you put aside the emergency measures required by the financial crisis, three m

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Birthplace of Independent Conservatism I am guessing there is the possibility as I post the following video I do so at  great peril to the health of this site. However, those that regularly read Rational Nation USA already understand the site is not a supporter of  "The Donald."  A man that is as blatantly opportunistic and as self centered an individual {in the worst possible way}, as anybody we can think of. When the Objectivist  considers "The Donald" they certainly don't find objective and rational thought. The sooner he fades away the better. As is proper {and right},  Rational Nation  give a huge h/t to Progressive Eruptions for the following video. The Daily Show - Back in Black - Trump 2012 Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes , Political Humor & Satire Blog , The Daily Show on Facebook Those of independent and objective thought should seriously consider the candidacy of  Gary Johnson . Via: Memeoran

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Birthplace of Independent Conservatism The Supreme Court has correctly decided to allow the challenge to ObamaCare, the President's misguided so called health care reform law, to proceed through the federal appeals courts before hearing the case. In as much as I don't like the decision it is the proper protocol to follow. By the  Associated Press  and carried by Yahoo News . WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court rejected a call Monday from Virginia's attorney general to depart from its usual practice and put review of the health care law on a fast track. Instead, judicial review of President Barack Obama's signature legislation will continue in federal appeals courts. The justices turned down a request by Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, a leading opponent of the law, to resolve questions about its constitutionality quickly. The Obama administration opposed Cuccinelli's plea. Only rarely, in wartime or a constituti

The greatest female tap dancer ever (sorry Eleanor Powell fans, but it's true), and the hottest sweetness this side of Cyd Charisse. She probably should have come with a warning-label, frankly.

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Birthplace of Independent Conservatism Several months after the Federal Reserve initiated it's experiment to spur economic recovery by buying large quantities of federal debt The New York Times is reporting most economist now view the effort as disappointing. But most Americans are not feeling the difference, in part because those benefits have been surprisingly small. The latest estimates from economists, in fact, suggest that the pace of recovery from the global financial crisis has flagged since November, when the Fed started buying $600 billion in Treasury securities to push private dollars into investments that create jobs. As the Fed’s policy-making board prepares to meet Tuesday and Wednesday — after which the Fed chairman, Ben S. Bernanke, will hold a news conference for the first time to explain its decisions to the public — a broad range of economists say that the disappointing results show the limits of the central bank’s

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Birthplace of Independent Conservatism One has to wonder, I mean really really wonder about the Moonbats that heavily populate the democratic party, and the progressive movement. Author and reporter David Cay Johnston has just taken Moonbattery to new heights. I mean really new heights! During an MSNBC segment with Ed Schultz {one of the moonbats} discussing Rep. Paul Ryan's Path to Prosperity deficit reduction proposal he questioned Ryan's legitimacy because he is an advocate of Rand's views. He pointed to Rand's bestseller The Fountainhead , a story about a fiercely individualistic young struggling architect  as as a reason to question Rep. Ryan's legitimacy. Of course by condensing the entire plot to a singular event in the book, without giving proper lead in and explanation, Mr. Johnston was attempting to question not only Ryan's legitimacy, but his motive and integrity as well. Excerpt  and video from The

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Birthplace of Independent Conservatism There are times I feel in a more, shall we say, cultural mood. In hearkening back to my musical past, which was by and large classical, I found myself listening to the great work of a fine Russian composer, Tchaikovsky. So, in keeping with my weekly music selection here is the 1812 Overture Finale by Tchaikovsky. A true musical masterpiece. For those who enjoyed the finale here's the link to the complete Overture . Have a great week!

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Birthplace of Independent Conservatism Having just logged into Memeorandum I came across a most interesting article written for The Telegraph by British columnist Jane Daly . I was impressed by the articles content, especially since Briton is an example of European socialism at it's best {or worst}, depending on your perspective. Like a mythical traveller seeking truth, a think tank has asked a profound question: what is fairness? And lo, the people have answered with (almost) one voice: what "fair" means is that those who are deserving shall receive, and those who are not shall be – well, not exactly cast out, but certainly not entitled to everything that's going. As we report today, Policy Exchange – supposedly the Prime Minister's favourite ideas outlet – has done a brave and unusual thing. Rather than polling the public just on policy and voting intention, it has put a far more abstract moral issue before them. It

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Birthplace of Independent Conservatism Remember David Stockman, a former Republican representative from Michigan and the director of the Office of Management and Budget from 1981 to 1985 during the first Reagan term? I caught the following at Memeorandum this morning. Mr. Stockman presents a case worth considering as he analyses both sides in the debt/deficit issue. IT is obvious that the nation’s desperate fiscal condition requires higher taxes on the middle class, not just the richest 2 percent. Likewise, entitlement reform requires means-testing the giant Social Security and Medicare programs, not merely squeezing the far smaller safety net in areas like Medicaid and food stamps. Unfortunately, in proposing tax increases only for the very rich, President Obama has denied the first of these fiscal truths, while Representative Paul D. Ryan, the chairman of the House Budget Committee, has contradicted the second by putting the entire bu