The Living Conservatism

GM's $1.2 billion loss: Progress?

2009-11-17T08:56:00.000-08:00

In news of sweetness and light, how about a $1.2 billion loss for GM in the third quarter? Now, I don't know about you, but to me, losing $1.2 billion over the course of a quarter sounds like a pretty substantial loss.

However, the media is reporting that this loss represents great progress for the government controlled GM. Yes, this is the same media that derided Ford's $1 billion profit for the same quarter as being misleading and insignificant. Again, what is the difference between Ford and GM, other than the obvious difference in profitability? The answer is, of course, that GM is controlled by the Obama government and Ford is not.

This is absolutely a case of extreme media bias. This much should be clear. The good news that the media is reporting in regards to this loss is that it frees up some $16 billion that the government had set aside for an emergency contingency fund. Apparently, still reporting massive losses doesn't mean that the company is still in trouble.

The media and Obama would love for us to believe that this is a significant turn around for GM, but the fact of the matter is that if the cash for clunkers program was the only reason that Ford was able to post a profit (as major media outlets reported) then GM's billion dollar loss for the last quarter is misleading as well. If that is the case, GM's losses really are not scaling back, but will be worse again at the end of this year.

So, how is it that profitability on the side of Ford is dismissed, while losses for GM are reported as great strides? The answer remains that the mainstream media is in the bag for the liberal agenda. It falls to us to declare that not everybody will buy into the propaganda. Not all of us will believe what the media chooses to tell us. We will stand up for our values and declare that only through smaller government and less control can corporations truly achieve success. We will stand together and declare that Conservatism Lives!

Dem's Health Vote: Form the Circle for the Firing Squad!

2009-11-11T17:31:00.000-08:00

That's right, it's no surprise that the Democrats can't really get together on the health care bill. In fact, the Dems haven't really been able to get together and agree on anything. Solid majorities in the House and the Senate have led to little to no significant legislation passed by Congress.

Nowhere, though, is this more apparent than on the issue of health care. Today, The Politico is reporting that angry liberals are launching grass roots campaigns to oust members of their own party who casted a vote against the health plan that was passed Saturday night. "In Central Florida, first-term Democratic Rep. Suzanne Kosmas was branded a “traitor” on signs at a protest Sunday that attracted about 60 people. Late last month, a group called the Alliance for Retired Americans staged a rally at one of Kosmas’s district offices — an effort the group plans to repeat again this week," reported The Politico.

So what we can see is that when they have a majority and control of Congress, all that must be done is for decent citizens to apply pressure to these liberals in an effort to get them to vote for their constituents. Once this pressure is significantly applied, the liberals will do as we can always count on them to do: eat their young.

Now we can look forward to 2010 with a sure knowledge that infighting within the Democrat party will help to sabotage any hope that the Democrats had of maintaining their significant majority in Congress. For all that we have heard about how divide conservatives are, this is by far the most public example of frustration by members of one of the two major political parties in recent memory.

This is the lesson to be taken away from this: liberalism is fluid by its very nature. It is a constantly changing ideology. As such, they are never truly satisfied with their parties platform. Instead, they ultimately spend their energies devoted to destroying those within their own party who are not liberal enough. This is what the Blue Dog Democrats are about to find out.

Add to this the fact that a major Republican and conservative resurgence is in the making, and we have a recipe for a fascinating year ahead of. The greatest discovery is one that the media and liberals know and have known, but have spent their energies ignoring, and it is that Conservatism Lives!

Who does Obama think are extremists?

2009-11-10T13:03:00.000-08:00

Following last Tuesday’s election, the last thing Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) wanted to do was allow Members of Congress to go home and talk to their constituents about the $2.6 trillion health care bill she was marshaling through Congress. The centerpiece of Pelosi’s trap and pressure campaign was a Saturday address by President Barack Obama in the Cannon Office Building, where Obama warned Democrats: “Does anybody think that the teabag, anti-government people are going to support them if they bring down health care? All it will do is confuse and dispirit [Democratic voters] and it will encourage the extremists.”

That's right, America, if you oppose Obamacare, that is to say, if you oppose turning over one sixth of the American economy to the government, our president thinks that you are an extremist!

There is a reason the leaders on the left are desperate to keep Members of Congress in Washington and away from their constituents. If they had to face real Americans, defenders of the House health care bill would have to defend the facts that their bill: Has a true ten year cost of $2.6 trillion while our country already faces record deficits. Raises taxes by $700 billion while our country already faces 10.2% unemployment. Massively expands a Medicaid program that already provides substandard reimbursement rates, is bankrupting states, and is bankrupt itself.

So basically, to freedom loving people in America, if you oppose increasing federal deficits, increasing taxes, and expanding government run programs that are already ill-used, ill-conceived and full of waste, you are to be considered an extremist by President Obama.

It is time for Americans to stand up for who they are and what they see America as being! The majority of Americans oppose the health care legislation passed by the House Saturday! Do we really believe that a desire for fiscal restraint is bred in an extremist foundation? Of course we don't!

Now it is more important than ever to stand up for what we believe in! We must point out to those in power that we are done with the days of government waste and higher taxes! Now it is of great importance to realize the nature of those on the left who have power. They will stop at nothing in their course to implementing their future failures into America. Now we must tell them that we reject higher taxes and greater government spending! Now is the time to tell them that Conservatism Lives!

Obama vs. Bush Quiz

2009-11-09T10:48:00.000-08:00

The American Thinker has released a fascinating and telling quiz comparing President Obama to President Bush. Given everything that we constantly hear in the media comparing President Obama to President Bush, some of the answers to the quiz will come as a great surprise. Of course, that's not to say that we can actually expect anybody in the mainstream liberal media to actually hear about this quiz, let alone read it.

Perhaps the most telling and interesting part of the quiz as presented by The American Thinker (the whole quiz can be found at www.americanthinker.com/2009/11/bush_or_obama_the_quiz.html ) is the last question. It reads "Obama criticized Bush for Guantanamo, military tribunals, wiretaps, troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and "signing statements." Which one of these Bush practices has Obama ended?" Most Americans would not know how to answer this question. Obviously, most people know that Guantanamo is still in operation. I sincerely hope that everyone knows that there are still troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, I get the sense that most Americans have no idea if military tribunals are still being used, if the government is still using wiretaps, and whether or not Obama is using signing statements. In fact, I wonder if Americans even understand these issues, let alone whether they actually stay up to date on what is happening with these issues. The answer to this question, regardless of how well you understand the issue, is still telling as far as how well the American president is keeping his promises.

The answer? Obama has not ended any of those Bush practices of which he was highly critical! Not one!Guantanamo is still open and probably will be into 2010, maybe longer. Obama is keeping military tribunals and clandestine wiretapping programs. Obama plans to keep most troops in Iraq until the summer of 2010. Even then, he is talking of keeping about 50,000 troops there (compared to about 124,000 now). The number of US troops in Afghanistan increased from 37,000 in January 2009 to 62,000 by August 2009, and Obama is expected to send over 30,000 more. The total number of US troops in both Iraq and Afghanistan has increased under Obama so far (from about 184,000 in January to 186,000 in September). Obama has used signing statements himself in order to tell law enforcement officials to ignore certain parts of newly passed law.

Then we have a little question, don't we? What exactly has Obama changed? He's made the nation drastically more liberal. He has enormously increased the federal deficit. His spending continues to drag the nation deeper and deeper into financial disaster and continue to contribute to a dire recession. Soon, Americans are going to have to ask themselves how this change is working out. If a genuine answer is sought, there is one change that will truly help America: a return to conservative values! America must realize that Conservatism Lives!

Ford: Not owned by Government and Profitable

2009-11-09T07:17:00.000-08:00

Breaking news over the fabulous weekend: Ford has reported a surprise $1 billion profit for the third quarter! Now, it's interesting to note that Ford is the only American auto company that has reported any sort of a profit recently. Why is it important to note this? Because Ford is also the only American auto manufacturer that is not owned by the U.S. government.

When auto companies were in trouble earlier this year, Ford was insistent that no Federal funds would be accepted. General Motors and Chrysler, however, ultimately were forced to accept government funds as a result of huge losses posted by those companies. Ford pressed on and managed to cut costs by $1 billion through layoffs and improved productivity.

Now, obviously, the fact that Ford was forced to commit to layoffs in order to improve profitability is less than satisfying, but in the end if American auto companies are to become strong and industry leaders, cutting costs and improving their product, something that Chrysler and General Motors have been unable to do. The argument here is that as long as a liberally prone government maintains control of any part of the automotive industry, tax payers will continue to subsidize this industry.

What we now have are companies that are controlled by the unions. As a result of this union control, costs continue to rise. You can't expect unions to fire themselves, and short of doing this, cutting costs will be very difficult. You also cannot expect unions to scale back benefits that they pay to themselves, and, again, short of doing this, you are not going to be able to cut costs and restore productivity and profitability.

For the full story on Ford and their impressive economic turnaround, be sure to check the whole story over at Fox News and be sure to understand that Ford's situation and status within the world market is improving precisely because big government hasn't infiltrated its corporate system. Just follow the link to www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,571009,00.html

Once again, let us advocate smaller government that doesn't control every aspect of our lives. Smaller government that does not feel the need to exert control over corporations that make up the backbone of the American economy. We must be advocates of supporting lower taxes and greater corporate responsibility. These things will ultimately strengthen our economy and help to create jobs for more Americans than the trillions of dollars in bailout money have been able to buy so far. As always, let us advocate that Conservatism Lives!

What is the winning message?

2009-11-04T21:52:00.000-08:00

A day after the elections, we can now ask ourselves what the winning message for any political contest is. It is a universal message, and one that never changes year to year. In every campaign, we can see the same message. That message is simple and it is three-pronged: cut taxes, cut spending and improve the economy.

In nearly every campaign ad in nearly every election, from town council to Presidential elections, these are the three messages that are absolutely guaranteed to hit home with every single voter!!! Nobody in their right mind wants to pay more taxes! Every reasonable person understands the danger of driving a country, state or town into debt! Everybody wants to improve the economy and create new, better paying jobs!

What we saw Tuesday may portend things to come. As we approach the mid term elections of 2010, one thing is for sure: the message that will win voters over is one of conservatism. Conservatism when it comes to tax cuts is absolutely the message that will resound most clearly with voters. Fiscal conservatism will win voters over funding for entitlement programs that have already gone too far out of control. Of course, the end result, as has been proved time and again, of these two conservative policies is an improved economic condition for the United States. Ignoring the effect of conservative fiscal policies is dangerously naive.

Conservatism will continue to be the best solution to the problems and difficulties facing our nation. Adherence to conservative policies will make our country, already the greatest in the world, even greater and stronger. Now what remains is convincing Americans that even though both parties will present themselves as desirous of tax cuts, decreased spending, and improved economic conditions, only one party is actually willing to enact policies and legislation that will lower taxes, decrease federal spending, and improve the economy through being fiscally conservative.

We must rally around the candidates that can and will achieve this. We must avoid those candidates who would have us believe that we can compromise on our core issues and still achieve our ultimate goal. In the end, we must be convinced that Conservatism lives!

Conservatism didn't lose the NY-23

2009-11-04T14:02:00.000-08:00

TheBestLinks

Today, amidst glowing resolve from right came gloating from the left. Democrats from the White House and Congress are declaring that things aren't so bad for the left. They make this assertion based upon the fact that a Democrat was able to squeak out a victory in the New York 23rd Congressional District. Democrats accept this as a referendum to continue the push on their liberal agenda.

However, before we become too convinced that this is indeed a sign that Democrats will continue to dominate in 2010, let us take a look at some facts. First, there was the fact that there was no primary run-off. The result of this was the appointment by Republican party bosses of a left-of-center candidate, Dede Scozzafava, who would eventually drop out of the race and throw her support behind the eventual winner, Democrat Bill Owens. You read that right, the Republican nominee ended up throwing her support behind her Democratic opponent!

The whole reason Scozzafava dropped out of the race in the first place was because truly conservative voters in NY-23 were disgusted at the options presented to them electorally. Thus, voters chose to split the Republican vote and throw support behind Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman. Facing long odds as a third party candidate, Hoffman scored an impressive 45% of the vote, ultimately losing by a mere 5,500 votes. If we were to take the 7,000+ voters who cast a ballot for Ms. Scozzafava, Mr. Hoffman wins an impressive victory. If the Republicans had actually nominated a conservative in this district, we would be talking about a complete sweep for conservatism in the off year elections last night. Instead, we're forced to listen to the continued left-wing media bias declare Democrats the winners from last night.

As conservatives, it is time to wake up and tell Republican party bosses that we want conservative candidates! Let us declare that our votes will go for conservative candidates, not Republicans in name only, or RINO's as Rush Limbaugh has called them.

This is a call to arms. In order to protect our nation and our Constitution, we must rush to support those candidates who are true conservatives. Only by so doing can we assure that America is safe from the dangers that face us in the future. We must declare that Conservatism Lives!

Rousing victories for the right in Virginia and New Jersey

2009-11-04T12:44:00.001-08:00

TheBestLinks

That's right, we get to start off this new blog on a happy day for Conservatism.

Last night, as polls closed, President Obama and the rest of the liberals in Washington and who control network news were handed a stunning defeat by average Americans.

Despite efforts of Obama himself to campaign for R. Creigh Deeds in the gubernatorial race in Virginia, Republican contender Robert McDonnell won a resounding victory last night, securing 59% of the vote. Attempts at a smear campaign on McDonnell, in which he was accused of making sexist remarks and being a "caveman", McDonnell has shown that true Conservative values will ultimately carry the day. This defeat might be particularly crushing for Obama as it shows the tendency of those who got him elected, particularly minorities and younger voters, to stay home come election day.

In other stunning electoral news, traditionally Democratic New Jersey has ousted incumbent Democratic Governor Jon Corzine lost to Republican challenger Christopher Christie. Christie garnered 49% of the vote to Corzine's 45%. This comes as yet another blow to the belief in the invincibility of democrats. While it is true that Corzine has not been the most popular governor in the history of New Jersey, it was nevertheless widely believed that the charisma of Obama would lead to his reelection. Democrats were seen as bulletproof. That is, until last night.

Now, even liberal news outlets are bemoaning the losses and the portent of things to come in next year's mid term elections. For example, the New York Times declared "A Year After Dousing, Republicans' Hope Rekindled". MSNBC reported "White House Distances Itself From Losses." CNN meanwhile reported on the "Democratic implosion in Virginia" as well as discussing how the GOP "(took) down" the Democrats in New Jersey.

So we have the news today, and media outlets seem surprised by it: the GOP is back. Conservatism lives, and that is our message. At the end of the day, the message of lower taxes, strict control over spending, protecting America from our enemies abroad, and promoting the best interests of all Americans today and in the future is the message that will carry the day over increased debt, increased social programs, and increased taxes for mainstream America.

As Conservatives, now is the time to rally! We have the momentum, we have the ability to stand up to those Liberals that would see America as it is presently constituted destroyed, and it is time for us to say to them that our patriotic ideals will carry the day! We shall rise up and be victorious! Conservatism Lives!