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Co-founder of GraniteGrok, my concern is around Individual Liberty and Freedom and how the Government is taking that away. As an evangelical Christian and Conservative with small "L" libertarian leanings, my fight is with Progressives forcing a collectivized, secular humanistic future upon us. As a TEA Party activist, citizen journalist, and pundit!, my goal is to use the New Media to advance the radical notions of America's Founders back into our culture.

Blogline of the Day – on Charity

Steve has the info on Romney’s tax returns – consistently outgiving, percentage-wise those that have been yammering for his returns to be made public.  From Instapundit, reflecting on the ReProgressive definition of Charitable giving: “If you really care, you don’t give money yourself. You get the government to force other people to give. That’s what … Read more

Environmentalists who love crony capitalism

Because they can’t stand seeing their fellow citizens ignoring their bleats of “You shouldn’t do that” in some cases (like, you know, use electricity to live a modern lifestyle, or be allowed to drive a car that can, like, you know, can actually hold all of your family members and the grocery bags needed to feed them for a week – in 1 trip).  So, they’ve convinced elected politicians (or increasingly, the unelected bureaucrats that doing the pols’ job).  They certainly are in favor in taking away choice in little ways as in what kind of light bulbs you may purchase.

And when it comes to industries they like, like all things green, they are bound and determined not to let “green go dark” simply because the Free Market hates their ideas.  From that ever amusing, ever complaining, bastion of Watermelon Environmentalism (otherwise known as TreeHugger), the denizens are complaining about the Federal Venture Capital spigot being turned off (gee, and I thought ALL forms of conservation was good – including conserving our tax dollars!).

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There is a difference between the Free Market and the Government Market

And TreeHugger decided to demonstrate that, with clueless irony, all on their own.  Yes, one more from TreeHugger that shows that Environmentalism has really left its roots of DOING environmental work and very much all about getting Big Government and its big teat (and very much, dependent on that teat) to do it instead as well as forcing lifestyle changes upon people that otherwise would not.  This time, trying to go all yammering that Republicans not supporting Govt supported jobs is hypocritical and ignoring the foundation of their illogic:

Siemens Lays Off 38% of US Workforce – Cites Lack of Wind Power Support Romney Favors

That wind power jobs and installations in the US rise and fall in line with federal tax policy for the renewable energy source is solidly established,…

You’d think after decades of watching the “ups and downs”, and being tax experts (as all Big Multinationals are), some would learn to not play the game.  Problem is, profits are to be made when the Government either directly or indirectly manages a marketplace via tax policy.  And the writer of the post is surprised at this?  Mere youngster that thinks history starts with his birth.  However, he yammers onward:

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This seems about right – but he’s WAY too polite

‘Grok friend Chan over at Weekend Pundit has a quick succinct summary of Barack Hussein Obama’s 4 years: Despite the water-carrying the MSM is doing for Obama, the narrative has been shifting from Romney’s perceived ‘deficiencies’ to Obama’s failures, both foreign and domestic. His Middle East foreign policy has been shown to be a disaster … Read more

Progressives – it’s NOT your money if not being used for the greatest and common good

according to their philosophy.  And so say them directly – Hillary Rosen, Ann Kuster, and Barack Hussein Obama.  If you are not using your money for the common good according to  ReProgressives (presently, one’s money to be “in the economy”), they feel perfectly fine and capable to remove it from you and call it taxation. I remember when Democrat “strategist” Hillary Rosen made this claim back on “Meet The Press” (July 15) on a discussion on jobs and that silly argument that Romney wasn’t paying his taxes:

MS. ROSEN: Well, and that’s the problem. Right now the plan that we’ve seen from Mitt Romney is just mostly significant tax cuts for the wealthy. President Obama actually has put forth multiple plans that the Republican Congress has blocked. So, the only thing we have now is a choice. This conversation may not be what everybody wants, but we do have a choice between these two candidates. And when you look at something like what Mitt Romney has done, hiding his taxes, there’s– you– you know, if every American hid their money and invested it in overseas tax havens, where would this economy be? You know…

Well, Uber-Progressive Regressive Ann McKluster is making the same claim in a debate with Charlie Bass for US Congress in NH CD-2:

“It isn’t about millionaires against everybody else,” Bass said on the tax issue. “It’s about getting this economy turned around again. Raising taxes in the middle of this recession without having any comprehensive plan to turn the economy around is a bad idea.”

“If these resources were being used to create new jobs, then the small business wouldn’t be paying taxes on them,” said Kuster. “That’s a deduction.

“The point is, these people with this kind of income right now are not putting the money back into the economy,” she said. “They’re not hiring new people. Frankly, they’re not even buying new goods.”

You see, you do not own yourself.  You are not entitled to the fruits of your labor – your wages, your salary, your income if you are not using it according to THEIR purposes.

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Oh yeah, let’s not forget about “They don’t need it” argument – the foundation for Redistribution

That’s another tenet of Liberalism / Regressivism Progressivism to go along with “You don’t do the right things with it” meme.  They look at the well to-do, the rich, and the uber-rich and think “we can take it because they won’t miss it and they don’t need it”.  Really?  You can take it because YOU feel they don’t need it?  Really, how much closer to a bad rationalization do you have to make keep from letting your better side from realizing “er, isn’t that stealing“?  Just because someone has WAY more than you have means that it is perfectly legitimate for you to just take what they own for your own Progressive purposes?  Not only is this wrong, it is the absolute epitome of the definition of selfishness.  How hollow it must be to publicly be saying “look at what we give to people” all the while working hard (or being very dismissive) to not square the cognitive dissonance that the possible freedom they give to some in a material way is far outweighed by the tyranny laid upon those from who they take on the other side of the equation.

Sure, it is always posed as “We are merely asking that the rich give a little more“.  Absolute nonsense – as the top 10% of income earners pay 70% of all income taxes, how much more should they be paying?  There  is no “asking” (which implies one can say “no” as an acceptable answer) and there is no “giving” (which would be voluntary).  Such sophistry and solipsism: any “asking” is really a legal demand while the “giving” is merely paying a tax bill – or landing in the Old Pokey with nice steel bars around you.  There is no “voluntary” about it.  Oh, to be sure, there will be commenters that will jump all over this with that silly “We all belong to the Goverment as the one thing we do” or we all have to pay taxes.  Oh, to be sure, we do have to pay taxes – but Progressives want Government to overspread and take over Society such there there is only Government, and that takes more and more and more in taxes (in which, Progressives act just like, and are no better with respect to Private Property, Willy Sutton).

Truly, Progressivism is a morally bankrupt philosophy.

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Indeed – the next President will inherit a mess

A loyal reader sent this in: Obama has made a habit of blaming everything that has gone wrong during his Administration on his immediate predecessor. This will be fun to watch for a little bit, as we all circle and swirl around the drain if Obama get re-elected… (H/T: Dan)

TMEW and I are very much dog folks

and we have three. Ivan and Kiah are in the pix; just can’t find one with them with Meeka, the newest that is inbetween the two in size. Ivan is 15 years old and we almost lost him about 6 months ago to what appeared to be kidney failure (which is why we got Meeka … Read more

A new site from ‘Grok friend, John Hawkins – PicaQuote!

John is one of the few independent professional bloggers that I know and his first blog, RightWingNews, was one of the first of the national level blogs that started linking to us when we opened the doors here at GraniteGrok.  He was also a favorite guest on our radio show “Meet The New Press”.  Since … Read more

Blogline of the Day – Professor Paul Rahe

I watched Susan Rice, Obama’s Ambassador to the UN on the Sunday morning shows making a complete asshat of herself by: By even trying to try to make us all believe that some poorly done movie short could be the sole reason for her fellow Ambassador’s assassination (really, what kind of a “protest” comes fully … Read more

Fall is the time for yard sales…..are you doing one for Obama??

Ugh.  First, the audacity of asking that in lieu of a wedding gift as you and your spouse start your new life together, consider having them just send money to a political campaign (Obama’s).  I know Michelle all wants us to move more and eat less better, but to skip a meal and then send … Read more

Data Point – US Crude Oil Reserves, 1955 – 2010

Er, weren’t we supposed to be running out (Peak Oil theory) instead of increasing (and one of the reasons why Enviro-wackos want to keep us from using more now – “it’s for future generations!“).  It just goes to show that the Malthusians amongst the Enviros never seem to consider the idea of human ingenuity in … Read more

Glen Reynolds nails it – “Why Barack Obama should resign”

What do you say about a Government that care more about its image, more about its power, and more about re-election than doing what it is supposed to be doing?  I don’t often put up entire posts – but this one deserves to be read in it entirety – Glen Reynolds aka “Mr. Instapundit” aka The BlogFaddah” (emphasis mine):

WHY BARACK OBAMA SHOULD RESIGN. Just for the record, this is what it looked like for a man who made a film that made the Obama Administration uncomfortable:

Here’s the key bit: “Just after midnight Saturday morning, authorities descended on the Cerritos home of the man believed to be the filmmaker behind the anti-Muslim movie that has sparked protests and rioting in the Muslim world.”

When taking office, the President does not swear to create jobs. He does not swear to “grow the economy.” He does not swear to institute “fairness.” The only oath the President takes is this one:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

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Yo, elwood from Blue Hampshire! You’re thinking Communist/Socialism – but you forgot that OTHER political system

Either elwood, over at the Boo-Hoo Hamsters (aka Blue Hampshire), either is not conversant with the various political systems or dares not bring up that which really describes what is going on here in America – and one which Maggie “The Red” Hassan literally tried to do legislatively.  He’s whining about a statement from Charlie Bass:

He is running ads claiming that Annie Kuster, who supports the Affordable Care Act, is endorsing a “government takeover of health care.”

Far be it for me to defend good ole’ self-described Progressive Republican Charlie Bass – I’m not going to even paper veneer anything positive for him given that he LIED about only running one more time – and now he’s running again.  A pox on his political future (which may well happen this time around).  However, that aside, elwood is STILL wrong:

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Unease and Anxiety walks upon the land – Has a Preference Cascade started?

What is a Preference Cascade?  A great definition after the jump – but think how quickly the TEA Party movement started three years ago.

Part 1: I generally do my gun and ammo purchasing at one of two gun shops (unpaid plugs: Belmont Firearms on Rte 106 in Belmont, NH (and I have a membership at their indoor range) and Skip’s Gun & Sport Shop in Bristol, NH).  Well, TMEW and I had stopped practice shooting for a while and one day we both looked at each other and said “Hey, we haven’t gone to the range in a long time….” and we’ve restarted.  Looking at what I had on hand,  I went up to Skip’s to get some ammo for the Walther P22 that TMEW uses a lot and for which BF didn’t have in stock (yes, I could have ordered it, but I hadn’t been up to Skip’s for a long time and wanted to see the results of their expansion).  Bought some other ammo types, a new range bag for TMEW, a handgun rack for the safe, and a few other things that go boom!

Anyways, I ended talking with the clerk at the counter, and a comment was made (seeing the cases of 9mm and .380 I put on the counter) that people were not really buying ammo by the box (20, 25, 50, et al) anymore but rather , more and more, by the case (e.g., 500 or 1,000 rounds at a whack).  And it isn’t by just single people coming in but groups of people, or a single person buying for a whole gaggle of folks.  She looked at me and said words to the effect “People are getting nervous and anxious – people are not sure what is about to happen next.”

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Unease and Anxiety walks upon the land – Has a Preference Cascade started? Part 2

The conversation I had with the clerk today (er, just looked at the clock – yesterday) about what might be just over the horizon?  What set me off on this topic was a post I read a bit ago on Patheos by The Anchoress – “I expect the crowd in power to destroy everything…“.  She starts off referencing a post from Instapundit:

GOING JEAN GALT? Patrick Carroll writes:

I decided to take six months off this year. I sold stock and did what I wanted for a blissful six months. I read books, drank good wine, watched my garden, got out my high-powered binocs and looked at the planets, hiked, cooked, ate well, just lived. I did so because I expect the crowd in power to destroy everything, so I thought I’d take a break before the deluge…I also bought guns (rifle, shotgun, pistol each for the wife and I), and have contracted with a local landscaping company to build a highly-defensible, nice-looking (fence/hedge combination) perimeter for my property.

Oh, and I bought water barrels. And a propane tank. And a generator.

And then adds (emphasis removed, and added by me):

What’s interesting is that I am hearing similarly discomfited talk around me, and seeing it in my emails. In the past few weeks I’ve heard some surprising people admit they’ve been arming themselves and purchasing ammunition — one such discussion happened all around me at the hairdresser’s while I sat and listened. The stylist and his boss, they’re storing food and arming themselves. The chiropractor who popped in to say hello while taking his afternoon stroll said he is armed, too: “never in my life thought I’d have a gun in the house, now we have two.”

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