Listen carefully, very carefully from now on when President Obama speaks.  Listen not only to what he says; listen to what he doesn’t say.  Here are some key examples:

1.    Obama says that Universal Health Care must be passed and passed very quickly to reduce the cost of health care.

a.    Obama “doesn’t say” what he actually means by reducing the cost of health care, how this will be accomplished, what health care will mean to you, the individual.  As all common sense people know, everything has a cost either in dollars or in product or service.  Obama doesn’t say” that health care will be rationed to save money; in other words you won’t receive health care the same way that you used to receive health care.  He “doesn’t say or explain” that statistical analysis will be used to justify the denial of health care primarily based on age and probability of recovery.
b.    He “doesn’t say” or explain how spending 2 trillion on health care by borrowing from foreign countries actually generates a savings.
c.    He “doesn’t say” that all of this spending will NOT result in everyone being covered anyway … because it’s not enough money.
d.    He “doesn’t say” that you will give up your freedoms; freedom to choose your physician, to choose your hospital, to choose when you will get your care.
e.    He “doesn’t say” that up to 35% of the 46 million uninsured DON’T WANT IT;  these are mostly young people who have done the math and decide that it isn’t worth it based on their age … not because they can’t afford it.
f.    He “doesn’t say” that 25-30% of the 46 million are illegal aliens and, at the least, should pay for the health care they receive without any subsidy from legal aliens and citizens as a simple matter of right and wrong.

2.    Obama says he doesn’t wish to “meddle” with the internal situation in Iran or other countries.

a.    Obama “doesn’t say” that he doesn’t wish to meddle with Israel.  On the contrary, he creates a moral equivalency between the building or expansion of settlements in the West Bank and the fact that Israel has no partner in any serious peace negotiation because there is no Palestinian representative willing to recognize the State of Israel or even admit to any sense of legitimacy.

3.    Obama says that we have to get back to fiscal responsibility and a “pay as you go” system.

a.    Obama “doesn’t say” that this is quite a statement since he just spent 10+ times more than any other modern day President in just the first 100 days of his administration and how that can make any sense at all.
b.    He “doesn’t say” that all Americans, rich, middle class and poor, will pay huge new taxes on virtually everything we pay for.
c.    He “doesn’t say” that under active consideration is a VAT (Value Added Tax) or National Sales Tax that we will all pay in addition to everything else.  He further “doesn’t say” that the so-called tax cut on 95% of Americans is ultimately a ruse to help mask the real agenda of huge, unprecedented spending, taxation, regulation and huge infringements on our liberty we all face dead ahead.

4.    Obama says that he has saved over 100,000 jobs so far and projects 600,000 saved jobs in the next 90 days.

a.    Obama “doesn’t say” that he has no idea how he can say this because there is no known metric for measuring “saved jobs.”
b.    He “doesn’t say” that we have lost an additional 2+ million jobs since inauguration day.
c.    He “doesn’t say” that the unemployment rate is now more than 1 percentage point higher than he said it would go.

5.    Obama says that he doesn’t want to be in the auto business or the banking business or the insurance business.

a.    Obama “doesn’t say” that he is in the auto business and could have avoided it completely by letting the natural course of capitalism, the bankruptcy laws and the free markets deal with it as it has always done so well and efficiently.
b.    He “doesn’t say” that he did it to protect the labor unions for the votes and to shoot the finger to the capitalists that invested in the bonds of the auto companies.
c.    He “doesn’t say” that the he didn’t readily accept repayment of the TARP from the likes of Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley because he doesn’t want to relinquish control and authority over executive pay.
d.    He “doesn’t say” that he has no interest in returning AIG back into the free market instead opting to maintain control of the largest insurer in the world affecting financial relationships across the country and around the world.

6.    Obama says that he wants to make sure that all stimulus money is well spent and accounted for and that “no one messes with Joe” referring to Joe Biden who was put in charge of making sure of all of this.

a.    Obama “doesn’t say” that the stimulus isn’t really about stimulus anyway.  It’s mainly a political document that serves to reward all those constituents, mainly the labor unions that supported him and the Democrat Party.
b.    He “doesn’t say” that the stimulus hasn’t resulted in 1 provable new job, at least in the private sector.

So, when President Obama speaks … LISTEN … but not just to what he says or how he says it … LISTEN to what he doesn’t say.  The real truth about what drives this President and his policies can be found just by careful listening.

Arthur Cooper

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… Rank: wait… Traffic: wait… Price: wait… C: wait…

“I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experience would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life.”
- Supreme Court Nominee, Sonya Sotomayor

This statement on its face should cause all American’s grave concern.  Just change one word … replace the word “Latina” with “White” and the word “white” with the word “Latina” and the main stream media would completely eviscerate the nominee charging racism, lack of sensitivity, poor judgment and surely much worse.

In a 2005 panel discussion at Duke University, Sotomayor told students that the Federal Court of Appeals is where “policy is made.” She said:

“Court of Appeals is where policy is made. And I know, and I know, that this is on tape, and I should never say that. Because we don’t ‘make law,’ I know. [Audience laughter] Okay, I know. I know. I’m not promoting it, and I’m not advocating it. I’m, you know. [Audience laughter] Having said that, the Court of Appeals is where, before the Supreme Court makes the final decision, the law is percolating. Its interpretation, its application.”

As a judicial activist, she jokingly admits “making policy” from the bench.  I ask what about separation of powers, The Constitution of the United States and limited government.  The Supreme Court and the Justice System is charged with applying and interpreting the law, not making the law.  It makes me feel, as a citizen, pretty sour to hear this level of cynicism or sarcasm when referring to the role of the courts, particularly where it is diametrically opposed to the Constitution.

On Face the Nation, this morning, Senator Dianne Feinstein said that there is only one word that is wrong with the first quote; the word is “better” … and she says she feels like she knows what she meant and then goes on to not actually say what she felt she meant.  I don’t know what she meant?  I can only read or listen to what she actually says in the context of what she says.  Feinstein then goes on to pontificate about what a great story she has referring to her life, her environment, accomplishments and career.  While I am sure that the life of Sotomayor is a great and compelling story, it has little to do with choosing the very best Supreme Court Justice available; Latina, White, Black, Jew, Gentile, Atheist, Man or Woman.  There are many great and compelling life stories.  These factors should have nothing to do with the choice simply because all have a great life story with long and distinguished careers.

Sotomayor will surely be confirmed.  Democrats will rubber stamp President Obama’s choice and not take on their Constitutional responsibility to “Advise and Consent.”
If Judge Roberts was confirmed who said the Supreme Court should be a neutral umpire, then how can we not have serious, sober debate about statements that are complete contradictions to Constitutional Law and the words of existing confirmed Justices.  This is not to say that there cannot be differences between Justices; however, we are talking here of basic elements of the Constitution that cannot / should not be debated appropriately, unless, we were to call for a new Constitutional Convention.

Possibly more importantly, what does this nomination say about President Obama?  President Obama used the word “empathy” or being able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes as an important consideration in his choice.  There is no elaboration from Obama.  But when Sotomayor said in her writings that she felt in most cases people cannot be expected to rule out their background in judging cases, you cannot ignore linkage from President Obama’s statement on empathy in his choice.

In Obama’s weekly radio address, he warned against a long confirmation battle and urged consideration of her qualifications, background, etc and not prolong Senate approval.  However, Senator Obama led the filibuster attempts against the nomination of Judge Alito who clearly had the background, qualifications et al.  Senator Obama argued against the idea of just rubber stamping the President’s choice just based on intellect and “whether or not he is nice to his wife.”  So we have the latest example of double standards, cheap politics, and hypocrisy coming from Washington.  Change you can believe in … yeah, sure.

It is chilling to this writer how radical this President has proven to be.

So, what do you think of this nomination and what do you think this says about President Obama?  Your comments are welcome … always.

Arthur Cooper

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… Rank: wait… Traffic: wait… Price: wait… C: wait…

On Tuesday, California voters sent a resounding and complete rejection of new and confiscatory taxes on a whole range of Propositions. Too bad all states couldn’t do the same thing through this process of voting on specific proposed increases in spending and taxes.  California has been a very “blue” state voting for liberal and democratic politicians, particularly over the past 15 years.  Tax increases on income, sales, property, etc were all defeated on Tuesday.  These were not squeaker votes; they were all landslides with 60%+ plurality.  So Hurray for California, hurray for limited government and hurray for the individual … FINALLY!

California has sent the strongest message yet that REAL PEOPLE, though they may still like the style of President Obama, when it comes down to our daily lives and the reality of bigger government, controlling government, the country is really CONSERVATIVE on the ground.

Have no doubt about this:  Obama, Reid, Pelosi and their ideology will be proven to be wrong, dangerous and detrimental to the country.  Many who voted for Obama thought he was bringing to us a new day of change.  However, it will become clearer and clearer, as the facts on the ground become evident, that raising taxes whether it is through income taxes, cap and trade, nationalizing health care, dictating to private industry and assuming more and more control of the individual are not in the interest of the country and the individual himself.

It was interesting and ironic that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger wasn’t even in California on the day of decision by its citizens.  He was in Washington DC, with President Obama, taking accolades for policies, initiatives and actions that do nothing but seek to control our lives.  Specifically, Obama was praising the “governator” for California’s Auto Standards, environmental initiatives, etc.  This is what Obama seeks for the entire country, despite the fact that these kinds of standards, initiatives and plain command and control of everything that they can get their hands on, has created one of the greatest financial crises in history.  California is in deep deep trouble.  President Obama is following California’s lead.  All Americans are witness to this and are certainly beginning to see the cause and effect.  The fact is, those that have been successful in California are leaving the state in droves.  The same is also happening in all of the high tax states like New York, New Jersey, Michigan, etc.  States like Texas, Nevada, Florida are gaining new citizens as a result … they DON’T TAX INCOME and their property taxes are very low, at least by comparison.

While high tax states are the losers so will the United States be the loser as we drive CAPITAL, the lifeblood of free markets and commerce, away from our shores.  This is happening and will continue to happen as long as government continues to treat capital badly.  When you tax investment gains, corporate profits, etc, private capital seeks a better place.  The better places include Singapore, China et al that do not tax capital or corporate profits.  As capital leaves to other countries that welcome capital and just plain treat it better, each and every one of us will suffer.
However, the citizens in California have sent the first real message of rejection to policies that can only lead to failure and hardship.  This same state voted overwhelmingly for Obama just 6+ months ago.  What has changed?  One word … REALITY.  The same is destined to happen across the nation as the realities of what President Obama’s changes will mean to the lives of individuals.  When your utility bills whether it is oil, gas, electric, and hot water all skyrocket through Cap and Trade … all in the name of global warming … you will see what this all means to you.  This carbon-based tax will significantly increase the price everyone pays for everything from gasoline to food and anything that uses carbon-based energy sources in the manufacturing and distribution process.

Likewise, when you see your personal choices are limited or removed by the government in virtually every aspect of your lives including health care, automobile purchases, financial services including credit cards and loans, etc, you too will ultimately reject these assaults on your personal freedom and liberty.  Rather than change, you will come to realize that this is only the reemergence and acceleration of the long term trend of government to command and control over every aspect of your life in subservience to the state.

So, Hurray for California.  We, the People, need to take back our country and reassert our natural rights and severely limit the power, authority and control of government as was the vision and the genius of the framers of our Constitution.

Arthur Cooper

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… Rank: wait… Traffic: wait… Price: wait… C: wait…

What exactly do I mean by this title?  Am I saying that government agents are coming to American homes, one by one, seizing your prized possessions?  Am I saying that the government is taking away people’s homes? … Of course not.  Private Property represents all those life’s possessions we have earned, traded for, acquired or inherited throughout our lives.

However, take a close look at this list and tell me what you think is happening to our private property.

1.    Income Taxes - all those earning a living, above the poverty line, pay federal and state income taxes.  The rates generally range from 15% (a few pay 10%) to 35% depending on income level.  The top rate will rise to 40%+ with the expiration of the 2003 tax cuts in 2011.
2.    Payroll Taxes - another 6%+ of your income for the first 100+K of your income.  Payroll Taxes are supposed to go the Social Security Fund for you personally, but actually doesn’t.
3.    Medicare Taxes
4.    State Disability, Workmen’s Compensation and Unemployment Insurance Taxes collected by most states.
5.    Sales Taxes paid in most states.
6.    Property Taxes

Have I told anything you don’t already know?  Probably not or at least you haven’t looked at your gross income as your private property.  However, it surely is.  But none of these taxes existed 100 years ago.  We accept these taxes as part of the necessary truths we need to keep on going.  I am not proposing a ban on taxes as the government certainly needs funds from its citizens to provide for the defense and protection of the country and the states, to provide certain essential services to insure a free-flowing and increasingly efficient society.

However, since 1933, and now under great acceleration under the Obama Administration, the government has seized a huge new mantle of “rights” that government, not the individual, bestow on the individual; this is as if the individual doesn’t have his own set of natural rights and responsibilities without the oversight or interference by a controlling central government.

So, now we have a huge acceleration of the war on private property; in fact, I maintain that it is a direct war on the individual himself.

Consider these unfolding facts:

1.    Cap and Trade - if enacted, all carbon-based products, processes, manufacturing, et al will be strictly controlled through punitive tax policy.  This will trigger huge increases in the prices we all pay for everything we buy or use.  Few understand what this will mean and it will only be recognized when the individual sees their utility bills double or worse, food prices skyrocket, gasoline go shooting up.  Where will the money go … directly to the government.
2.   Universal Health Care - this is a multi-trillion dollar program dictated by a government seeking to further tax and ultimately control your life; under this socialized form of medicine, the individual is completely obliterated in favor of government control of exactly what health care will mean to you.  Choice of provider (doctor, hospital, therapist and therapy) will be taken from the individual and controlled by the government.  Statistics will be used instead of personal choice to justify and prescribe, what will be done, if it will be done, when it will be done and by whom it will be done.  Don’t let anyone tell you that the government will pay for it … the government never pays for it … you pay for it … just another part of your private property.
3.    New Taxes Forever - whether it is smoking, alcohol, sugar, fats, preservatives, travel, gasoline, investments and capital gains, your private property is under attack … relentlessly.  Even death carries a tax.
Why?  … why does the government, regardless of party to a greater or lesser degree, continually grab more and more of your private property?  Read “Liberty and Tyranny” by Mark Levin to get a very complete answer and insight.  However, it comes down to the willful determination of a central government to control and direct the lives of the individual.  Levin calls it the “statist” referring to the diminution of the individual and the absolute power of the state.  You can call this the death of the individual.  The government is seeking control of the banking system, insurance companies, the automobile industry, under the guise of protecting the public.  It is nothing like protecting the public however.  Freedom and free market capitalism is being wiped away.  The very essence of our Constitution is being trashed and ignored towards this inexorable drive to control our lives in every way possible.
What made this country great is the flow of immigrants coming to a new world to gain true freedom, to build a life for themselves, by themselves with equal opportunity to pursue life, liberty and happiness.  This country was born out of complete subservience to the individual and tight controls on the power of a central government; it was called Federalism and Reagen proposed a “new” Federalism 25 years ago to specifically reassert the principals and concepts of the US Constitution.

The statist is waging war on you and your private property.  It is up to the individual, one by one, to work together to oppose this assault on our personal freedoms, rights and responsibilities.

What do you think?

Arthur Cooper

PR: wait…  I: wait…  L: wait…  LD: wait…  I: wait… wait…  Rank: wait…  Traffic: wait…  Price: wait…  C: wait…

Readers, it escapes me exactly how Nancy Pelosi became Speaker of the House or how she even became a power player in Washington.  This has nothing to do with my decidedly conservative views or her liberal ones.  It has to do with the obvious lack of conviction she has about any issue of substance to the American people.  You can read from any blogger about her obvious major current embarrassment which clearly is a pathetic attempt to protect herself politically, and at all cost, including the false accusations of the CIA misleading or lying to her about water-boarding or enhanced interrogations.

It is clear that she only cares about one thing:  Democrats Good, Republicans Evil, therefore destroy Republicans.  She frankly is still attacking the Bush Administration … Nancy, MOVE ON!

More than all this, Nancy Pelosi has clearly demonstrated that she is completely scripted, not up on the issues ever and frankly is an embarrassing figure that sits in the #2 figure in the line of succession behind the Vice President.  Many saw her stammering and stuttering but this is nothing new.  Those paying attention have heard this for years.  She is simply a political operative that for the last 8 years had only one agenda and that was to bash the hell out of President Bush.  She is acting and continues to act as little more than an oppositional child rather than a serious legislator or leader.

Democrats really must act for the country to get her out as Speaker at least.  She has handed the sword to anyone who needs to use it on her with her atrocious behavior.  She needs to go away.  CIA Director, Leon Panetta, thankfully, responded and, in effect, set the record straight and clearly implicated Pelosi as clearly and blatantly lying just to save her own political skin; the hell with the country, the war, our troops and all those selfless patriots who really have a soulful conviction about important things.

Speaker Pelosi, get out; Democrats, REMOVE HER!  There is never a time to tolerate this level of incompetency and shamelessness, much less at this point in our present state of affairs.

Arthur Cooper

PR: wait…  I: wait…  L: wait…  LD: wait…  I: wait… wait…  Rank: wait…  Traffic: wait…  Price: wait…  C: wait…

It’s been about 120 days since President Obama was sworn in as our 44th President.  To me, it feels like years.  Rarely a day passes where I don’t see the President, Treasury Secretary Geithner or another cabinet member speaking of, proposing or acting on radical changes that affects every citizen.  Consider the following blistering pace of policy and initiatives:

1.    Proposing and ultimately signing what is called a fiscal stimulus bill into law using borrowed money to provide very little in the way of fiscal stimulus.  The President repeats incessantly that 95% of all Americans will receive a tax cut.  If this were true it would indeed be a good measure.  However, what actually is happening is that 10’s of millions will receive, this year and next, a check of several hundred dollars, whether or not the individual citizen is actually paying income tax.  This is not fiscal stimulus that “we can believe in.”  There is no decrease in actual tax rates that will last year after year.  There is precious little here to build anything, particularly infrastructure.  The final law, rather than stimulating the economy, is rather a huge political payoff to those in the traditional Democratic Party bloc i.e. big unions, including the teacher’s union which has done nothing in my lifetime to improve public education in this country.

2.    Taking the baton from the previous administration, Obama has continued and accelerated the nationalization of the banking system.  The government now owns and controls a large piece of the entire banking system.  This control is ominous at least as we are already seeing intervention, central control and the dismantling of free market capitalism.  Rather than living with and dealing with the natural ebbs and flows (booms and recessions) of the free market, a proven and natural self-correcting system, the government is arresting control and clearly seeks to keep it.  Just look at the resistance to repaying the TARP by the likes of Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, et al.  It’s like your mortgage company disallowing pre-payment of your home loan.

3.    The expansion of TARP to include other businesses and industries.  Another huge threat to free market capitalism and another major step towards control of the economy by a huge central government.

4.    A 4 trillion dollar budget; twice as much as last year with a projection of a 1.8 trillion dollar deficit this year.  The national debt is projected to balloon to over 20 trillion dollars within the next 10 years.  These numbers indicate the deep commitment to central control and command of what we once knew as the free market.  Rather than rational regulation, the numbers, the rhetoric and the actions repudiate capitalism, spreading the wealth in the name of “the greater public good.”  What this ultimately means? … The government now controls almost half of our national economy (45%).  By definition, we have withdrawn from a free market system if this stands for much longer.

5.    The signing into law of a huge supplemental spending bill that includes thousands of earmarks; directly in defiance of his campaign pledge to end earmarks.  Rather all spending (stimulus bill, budget and supplemental spending) are incalculable earmarks for special interest groups.

6.    The government takeover of Chrysler and General Motors.  We have a “car czar.”  Can you believe it?  We actually have a car czar to control and command the future decisions of 2 of the 3 major auto manufacturers in this country.  Further, and of great importance, is the bankruptcy package for Chrysler which will surely be repeated when the GM deal is done.  The bond holders of Chrysler, those free market capitalists that risked their capital, got the finger from President Obama by being put at the end of the line instead of the front of the line which is the way free market capitalists have sold bonds for the past 100+ years.  Instead, President Obama put the unions and the government first and gave the bond holders only 30 cents on every dollar they invested.  Moreover, Obama ridiculed the bond holders referring to them as speculators and blaming them for the failure of a settlement.  The bond holders are just exercising their right to seek a better deal through the bankruptcy court.  I wonder what the final result will be for the bond holders.

7.    Nationalization of Health Care.  The administration, Pelosi, Reid et al are moving swiftly to nationalize health care to control all aspects of health care; that is, how we will receive health care, who we will get it from, whether we will get it, from whom we will get it, etc.  The proposal claims that this is what has to be done to control health care costs.  However, this will cost the taxpayer over 2 trillion dollars, fully 17% of our national economy.  What they aren’t saying is what precious few realize … that everyone will be under the thumb of the government for health care.  We will be dictated to short and sweet.  Health care will be rationed so that you will not necessarily get the care that you need when and where you need it.  The government will use statistical analysis that will result in decisions based upon the likelihood of success of the medical procedure or treatment.  There will be no options to seek the best care for the individual based on individual analysis.  The individual will be subordinate to the state.  Yes, I am describing centrally controlled socialized medicine.  Where is the media on this?  Where is a truthful and strong investigative report that exposes what it is like to live in Great Britain and Canada and receive health care?

8.    The Carbon Tax.  This is something else that few in this country understand.  Those who received the paltry tax cut and / or a check from the government will see all of that go away many times over when they see the government cause you to pay more for almost everything you buy; gasoline, heating, electricity, food, cars, etc.  The reason:  Global Warming.  Global Warming is being used by the Obama administration to justify the so-called Cap and Trade which simply means that the government seeks to control the use of carbon and its derivatives in the name of saving the planet; never mind that man-made global warming is NOT a fait accompli AND never mind that China, Russia and India have no plans to do this.  Global Warming is being used to justify further command and control of our economy and our lives.

9.    Just this week, President Obama, showing no signs of slowing down, is laying the ground work for new taxes.  With no shame or reflection, he had the gall to tell an audience that the borrowing and spending is unsustainable.  Can you believe this?  He just spent the last 100+ days spending us into oblivion and now he says that it’s unsustainable.  It reminds me of giving your kids $100 and spending it inside of 30 minutes and coming back to daddy and asking for more only to realize that the money is spent and there isn’t any more.   Obama is starting to prepare us for new taxes as he surely shows no signs whatsoever of limiting spending.  He had more gall announcing a grand total of 17 billion in spending cuts … he made an announcement about this … its less than one tenth of one percent of our deficit!  He made an announcement!  I could do better with GEICO!

10.    At the same time that all of this is going on, NOT ONE WORD about Medicare and Social Security … why, you may ask?  These are government-controlled programs that control our lives; never mind that they are horribly run and waste valuable capital that can clearly be better used by the individual.

Ok, so we have a Democratic Socialist who is pushing his policies and beliefs.  But why all the hyperactivity … a generation of change in 4 months!  I suggest that President Obama is trying to do exactly what he said he was going to do; effect fundamental change in this country.  Further, he knows that his time is limited and he can’t afford to spread out all of his initiatives because he will never be more popular than he has been up to now.  He has taken his plurality in the election with Democratic Party domination in Congress and is acting under his perceived mandate to transform us into a socialized democracy which seeks to control our lives.  All of his policies and initiatives follow the playbook of socialism; the limitation and control of the individual by the state.

Arthur Cooper

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… Rank: wait… Traffic: wait… Price: wait… C: wait…