Rubio Has It Backwards

Sen. Marco Rubio stated: “First comes the legalization. Then come the measures to secure the border. And then comes the process of permanent residence.” The security of this country should ALWAYS come first and if Rubio doesn’t understand that, he needs to go. Border security has been neglected far too long and a focus on social issues over security is dangerous and irresponsible.

Rubio’s backward agenda is one more sign that conservative values are being eroded by media pressure and vote pandering. The leftward shift of the political middle ground is being assisted by those who are freely giving up ground in a foolish effort to be popular with the loudest segment of the population rather than be true to long-held conservative values. This is an abandonment that will have dire consequences. Then again,  consequences no longer seem to matter.

David J. Hentosh

Here Comes the Immigration Reform Farce

A bipartisan group of senators is ready to put forth a so-called “broad” immigration bill that is nothing but a farce. In today’s skewed political climate, “bipartisan” is only mentioned when conservatives cave in to the loud, shrill demands of the left. If a liberal moves to the right, he is called a traitor, a racist, or much worse, but never “bipartisan”.

Amnesty, the only goal of progressives’ immigration reform, is on the way. The “bipartisan” demand to secure the borders first, an absolute necessity before real immigration reform can begin, was given lip service and then watered-down to appease the “bipartisan” senators who will now pretend they fought hard for, and won, a working compromise.

The bill allows ten years of planning and/or securing the borders before any real impediment to citizenship can be put into place for failing to comply. Meanwhile, a path to citizenship for illegals will begin immediately with nothing to stop it from morphing into full-blown amnesty. In the span of ten years with little border security, that “path” to citizenship will become a fully paved, toll-free, four-lane, busy highway.

True comprehensive immigration reform is impossible until the borders are secure. Therefore, other immigration reforms will not even become a topic for discussion. One of those other reforms in need of addressing is assimilation.

According to a Hudson Institute’s comparison study of native-born to naturalized American citizens, native-born Americans are: 30% more likely to consider themselves American rather than citizens of the world; 30% more likely to believe the U.S. Constitution is a higher legal authority than international law; 31% more likely to believe schools should focus on American citizenship rather than ethnic pride; and 23% more likely to believe all citizens understand English.

Assimilation allowed the US to become a successful “melting pot” never before seen in the history of the world. We have become a less cohesive society the more we have ignored the importance of assimilation. We can’t realistically address this or other reforms until the borders are secure. This latest bill is a farce, reforms nothing, and opens the door to chaos.

David J. Hentosh

Pre-writing History

Repetition, repetition, repetition – It is the method being used by the left to forge public perception and pre-write history. The bombardment of false perceptions has taken root in many, and future historians may not be able to discern the truth. The squeaky wheel of the left may get the historians’ grease.

According to the progressive left (including, of course, the media): Dick Cheney is evil; the GOP is racist; the rich pay no taxes; Bush wrecked the economy; the Catholic Church promotes pedophilia; Obama has superior intelligence; the US is the most terroristic nation in the world; socialism works well; Castro is an humanitarian; there is no deficit problem; taxing the rich for their “fair share” will solve the deficit problem; limiting abortion is a war on women; Obamacare costs less; etc., etc.

The list goes on and on, with reality never making an appearance. Yet, these things are accepted by a lot of people, and they vote, sometimes more than once. Obama was elected, then re-elected, by an overflow of uninformed voters inundated with talking points from the media, celebrities, and progressive politicians. Nothing negative was attributed to Obama and, consequently, may not appear in future history books, either.

Before thinking this is too pessimistic, look at how many in the GOP have panicked and are now abandoning conservative principles in an effort to become “relevant” with what they perceive to be a progressive majority. They see the writing on the wall as: “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em”. For them, abortion is losing its ugliness, immigration reform is beginning to sound like amnesty, same-sex marriage suddenly appeared in the Constitution exactly where the right to bear arms disappeared, social issues are becoming the government’s main responsibility, and Obamacare is beginning to look cheap at twice the original estimate.

If the Republican Party caves, only one, distorted view of history will survive and it is currently being written. Historians will have to drink the Kool-Aid because it may be the only drink available.

David J. Hentosh

Stigmatizing From the Left

As always, Ann Coulter pulls no punches when holding liberals accountable for their actions and she never fails to present facts highlighting liberal hypocrisy. Mayor Bloomberg’s “Big Gulp” fiasco provided a perfect springboard for Ann to do her thing.

From Ann Coulter

Posters are popping up in subway stations and bus stops giving statistics about teen pregnancy…It’s one thing to stigmatize “Big Gulp” drinkers, but liberals are hopping mad at this attempt to stigmatize teen pregnancy, 90 percent of which is unwed. To put it another way, if you’re a New York teen with a distended belly these days, it had better be because you’re pregnant…Liberals act as if gun owners, soda-guzzlers and smokers are innocent victims of the gun, food and cigarette industries, but the $542 million-a-year birth control industry is a quarry of angels…

Far from opposing stigmas, liberals are the main propagators of them — against cigarettes, guns, plastic bags, obesity, not recycling, Fox News, racist “code words,” not liking “Lincoln” and junk food…And what exactly was the purpose of the Journal-News publishing the names and addresses of every legal gun owner in various counties in New York state a few months ago? To congratulate them? To start a hunting club?

Los Angeles has banned plastic bags at supermarkets…But a little ad campaign describing the downsides of teenage pregnancy — which is still subsidized — and liberals howl in protest…single mothers are revered victims — victims in need of an ever-expanding social safety net, staffed with well-pensioned government workers…It would be hard to make the case that fast food, plastic bags and cigarettes do more damage than single motherhood.

Read it all here:  Trouble in the Nanny State

DJH

Obama Opened the Closet Door

Obama’s presidency has convinced the progressive left that their ideology is now mainstream America. They feel empowered by the arrogance of Obama’s ‘in-your-face’ liberalism and re-election and believe it is time to come out of the closet. Taking their cue from Obama’s war against everything conservative, they no longer try to hide contempt for conservative, Middle America values.

Thus, we find MSNBC show host Melissa Harris-Perry boldly admitting that the US military is despised as an engine of war by many progressives. This has been vehemently denied for years due to the backlash at the despicable treatment soldiers received during the Vietnam War era. The sham of respecting the military is being dropped.

We also find CBS boldly airing a segment about giving up on the Constitution. Many progressive ideas have been hampered by the Constitution and it is obvious they would like it altered, or eliminated, to suit their ideology. The process of removing that obstacle is being legitimized by the CBS segment.

President Obama has repeatedly shown that he cares more about redistribution than the country’s poor economy, spurring the progressive left to unleash resentment and hatred of the wealthy. Consequently, the rich have now replaced Bush as the scapegoat for all that is wrong.

Obama continues to rail against FOX News, the lone news network refusing to carry his water. This has emboldened many progressives to adopt that criticism, even while admitting they never watch FOX. This is deliberate abuse of the presidential “bully pulpit”. It is unseemly and it furthers the partisanship that is damaging the country.

From celebrity Samuel Jackson admitting voting for Obama because he is black to a NY Times reporter admitting almost every news organization submitted quotes to an Obama campaign “gatekeeper” for censoring, progressive liberals are no longer trying to hide their dirty ideological laundry.

Obama opened the closet door and whether it is true or not, progressive liberals believe the majority is behind them. As we all know, belief does not give ground to reason. The next four years may irreparably damage the very fabric of this nation.

David J. Hentosh

Nanny Mayor Blumberg Not Always Wrong

NY City’s Mayor Blumberg became the poster boy for the Nanny State when he banned the sale of large sodas in NY city. He then outdid himself with a ban on donations to homeless shelters (because the city can’t properly assess salt, fat and fiber in the donated food). His obsession with governing food intake was also evident when he demanded hospitals stop handing out baby formula, attempting to persuade more mothers to breastfeed.

Intrusive governing moves such as these make it hard not to doubt everything he does but, like a stopped clock, even Blumberg can end up right once in a while. He now seems to at least be onto something that truly needs attention with his recent (optional) guidelines attempting to limit hospital ER doctors from doling out more than a three-day prescription of painkillers.

Drug deaths due to painkillers now outnumber those due to heroin and cocaine combined. Opioid painkillers are being prescribed by doctors all over the country in quantities that far exceed the need. This is resulting in an increase in the number of addicts as well as an increase in supply on the street, hence, an increase in deaths.

Any attempt to curb the flow of these painkillers is a move in the right direction and to Blumberg’s credit, he is doing just that. Emergency rooms naturally distribute a lot of painkillers and, consequently, are often preyed upon by addicts. This makes emergency rooms a good place to start any effort to limit distribution, and that effort is long overdue.

Blumberg is a liberal politician so he is automatically being criticized by conservatives for this move. He has a history of advancing the Nanny State, making him an easy and deserving target, but this should not be treated as a political issue. This actually makes sense for the common good, and that is a rare occurrence in today’s political world.

David J. Hentosh

The Racist Whistle Only Dogs Hear

From Mark Steyn

…American racism: The less there is, the more extravagantly the racism-awareness lobby patrols its beat…Chris Matthews declared this week that Republicans use “Chicago” as a racist code word…Lawrence O’Donnell pronounced “golf” a racist code word…over at The Huffington Post, Geoffrey Dunn…was scoffing at Clint Eastwood’s star turn at the convention – “better known as the Gathering of Pasty White People”…

…now that “golf” and “Chicago” – along with “Clint,” “Medicare,” “debt,” “jobs,” “foreign policy” and “quantitative easing” – are all racist code words, are there any words left that aren’t racist?… On the matter of those racist dog whistles all these middle-age white liberals keep hearing, the Wall Street Journal’s James Taranto put it very well: “The thing we adore about these dog-whistle kerfuffles is that the people who react to the whistle always assume it’s intended for somebody else,” he wrote. “The whole point of the metaphor is that if you can hear the whistle, you’re the dog.”

Read it all here: Racist Dog Whistles

DJH

Chris Matthews Following Olbermann to Obscurity

When Keith Olbermann began believing he knew best about everything and, especially, about politics, he turned his commentary into a delusional personal agenda that contained little rational thought. His blind hatred of conservatives and Republicans clouded everything he did and he became an embarrassment that could no longer be tolerated. Chris Matthews is on the same path.

Obsessed with race, Matthews finds racism in everything he dislikes about conservatives. It has become his rebuttal in almost any debate on any issue and it is becoming as embarrassing as the screeds that brought down Olbermann.

Matthews has been painting the GOP platform as “tribal messages, the war drums of racial division” even before one speech was delivered at the convention. He has been repeating his delusional observation of a racist “dog whistle” in everything the GOP says, a whistle only he seems to hear. He finds racism where none exists and he finds it everywhere.

Coupled with his blind hatred of conservatism, his unhinged racist charges are turning “Hardball” into “Screwball”, polluting the airwaves with nonsense. It has long been a leftist tactic to brand conservatives as racists, but Matthews is taking it over the top and he is headed down the tubes. It is no longer a tactic for Matthews. It has become a personal disease and he is infecting rational discourse. The sooner he is gone, the better we’ll all be.

David J. Hentosh

The GOP’s Best Candidate?

GOP presidential candidate debates have, so far, given us a stage overflowing with candidates, inconsistent performances, party in-fighting, and rollercoaster poll results. Fortunately, there is still time to sort it all out, but a clear consensus has not yet formed. Is there one candidate that can rise to the top in time to wage a successful campaign against Obama?

Many in the GOP believe there is such a candidate and they are trying to get him to enter the race. N.J. Governor Chris Christie has been receiving many phone calls urging him to reconsider his decision not to run. He has made it clear that he does not want to run, but there seems to be a huge campaign afoot to compel him or, so to speak, “draft” him as a candidate.

It is interesting that some in the GOP who believe Obama will lose to almost any competent Republican candidate are still seeking the “best” candidate. Politically, that is a much fresher approach than just putting forward any candidate who can win, a tactic with consequences the country is now experiencing.

It is unfortunate that if Christie runs, his weight will become a subject of attack more than his political views. Personal attacks are a favorite tactic of the “elites” and it will be easier to call him fat than to call him dumb. Joy Behar, in anticipation of a Christie run, officially kicked this campaign off when she asked Michael Moore: “Do you think the country will tolerate a fat president?” Asking Michael Moore this question reeks of irony, denial, and ignorance, but it will become a talking point.

As governor, Christie has displayed the character, ability, and values that appeal to the GOP and many conservatives. His straight talk and his stance against demands of teacher’s unions infuriate the left, adding to his appeal. He has stated in the past that he doesn’t believe he is ready to be president, but sometimes the knock at the door is insistent. He surely hears that knock, but will he answer? If he does, the GOP may actually end up with the “best” candidate.

David J. Hentosh

Wisconsin’s Reforms are Working

From Christian Schneider at NRO’s Corner

Wisconsin governor Scott Walker’s critics are…loath to put numbers on stats — numbers that show his public-sector collective-bargaining reforms are benefiting the state. Wisconsin is replete with examples of cities and school districts that are reforming their finances to finally balance their books — and doing it without significant cuts to services…under Walker’s plan to require greater health-care and pension contributions from government employees, the City of Milwaukee actually comes out $11 million ahead…the Brown Deer school district is implementing a plan to allow performance pay for its best teachers…In Appleton, the collective-bargaining reforms allowed the school district there to save $3 million by bidding for health care on the open market…In Manitowoc, County Executive Bob Ziegelbauer altered overtime procedures for county employees, saving taxpayers $100,000…all over the state, teacher jobs are being spared due to the increased benefit requirements in Walker’s plan. The Wauwatosa School District, facing a $6.5 million shortfall, anticipated needing to cut 100 teacher jobs — yet they were able to spare those teachers through shared sacrifice.

Read the rest here: Reforms Working

DJH