Happy Thanksgiving!

Definitely Not a Turkey

This is an awesome piece of work and definitely not a turkey, but Happy Thanksgiving anyhow!

Lawyers and Loggers

A heartwarming piece in Townhall this morning confirming what has already been reported in Oregon but has only elicited a yawn as far as I can tell - Oregon has spent over $305 million dollars on Obamacare/Cover Oregon and not enrolled a single person. Thank you Mr. President. Well done Gov. John. Quoting Margaret Thatcher: "The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money." We're there and it's only begun. Ho hum. What's on tv tonight?

townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2013/11/26/oregon-305-million-for-zero-obamacare-enrollees-n1753619

Obama Does Do Something Right

Growing up outside of Chicago, the Cubs were (and are) my favorite baseball team. Once a summer my dad would take us to a game at Wrigley Field and when we weren't there we would watch on WGN. I faithfully collected all their baseball cards too.

One of my two favorite players on the team in the 1960s was Ernie Banks. Not only was he a heckuva career player (Hall of Fame), but he was Mr. Baseball in Chicago. His famous phrase at the end of interviews, always delivered with a grin, was, "Hey, let's play two!" His attitude was infectious and the Cubs were actually contenders in those years although they never got to the brass ring. 

Last Wednesday at the White House, President Obama awarded Ernie and a number of others the Medal of Freedom, which is one of the country's highest civilian awards. It couldn't have happened to a nicer or more deserving guy. Thank you sir for showing us by your example what baseball is really all about.

www.wnd.com/2013/11/obama-does-something-right/

Wow!

Here's some good news - the unfunded PERS pension liabilities in Oregon are "only" $11 billion. What a steal! To give this a little perspective, the general and lottery funds portion of the 2011-2013 state budget was $14.8 billion. Definitely a steal.

www.kgw.com/news/PERS-unfunded-liability-drops-to-11-billion-233302781.html

Observation Point

“Joy is the serious business of Heaven.”  
 C.S. Lewis
 Letters to Malcolm, Chiefly on Prayer

Peace in Our Time!

Mark November 23, 2013 well because that is the date that the first nuclear exchange in the world since August 6, 1944 was set in motion like a ship sliding down the ways at launching. 

The picture is British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain announcing on September 30, 1938 upon his return home from a meeting with Hitler that he had secured "peace in our time" by negotiating a treaty with Germany. On September 1, 1939 Germany invaded Poland in violation of the worthless piece of paper in Chamberlain's hand and WWII was detonated, killing 100 million people over the next 6 years. 

Last night President Obama announced a similar agreement with Iran that allows them to continue developing nuclear materials but they agree (wink, wink) that of course they will never, ever use them in nuclear weapons. No sir, not ever! This is an interim agreement but it allows the Iranians 6 more months essentially without Western interference to get nukes up and running, which may be all they need. Now the only question is whether Israel, Iran or some third party like Saudi Arabia (against Iran) strikes first. 

Incidentally, President Obama used the phrase "peace in our time" in his second inaugural address in the foreign policy portion. Coincidence? Perhaps, but as Santayana noted, history tends to repeat itself. 

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-25074729

More "Good" News From Obamacare

"A number of the nation’s top hospitals — including the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, and children’s hospitals in Seattle, Houston and St. Louis — are cut out of most plans sold on the exchange."

townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2013/11/21/wapo-new-restrictions-on-doctors-and-hospitals-under-obamacare-n1750878

Renewable Story

Periodically I write about ethanol in gas for our cars and motor vehicles - a renewable story you might say. There has been some new activity on this front recently that is of interest for those of us who are tired of our cars catching and choking in the morning with water condensed in the fuel line overnight, schlepping across town to buy clear (non-ethanol) gas for our boats, etc., etc. And then there is the $40 billion in taxpayer subsidies to the ethanol industry since 1978, the raising of U.S. and world food prices, which in turn created food shortages in parts of the world, and other deleterious effects of this turkey of an idea.  

The EPA issued a proposed rule reducing the required levels of ethanol on November 15 by 3 billions gallons per year by not going from an E10 standard (10% ethanol) to an E15 standard (15% ethanol) in gasoline. This higher standard had been scheduled to go into effect that date and the EPA, bowing to sanity and away from wrecking our economy with more of a bad thing, relented. Finally. 

The move drew bi-partisan support, which is amazing itself any more. This is the second move toward junking this pork barrel sop to Midwest corn growers. The ethanol pirates raid of U.S. taxpayers ended in 2011 when a bipartisan coalition in Congress ended its $6 billion/year tax-credit subsidy. 

finance.townhall.com/columnists/maritanoon/2013/11/24/green-energy-the-rotary-dial-phone-of-the-future-n1752282/page/2

The Time of His Life

Normally we wish for someone who has died that they rest in peace. Thinking about C.S. Lewis, however, the phrase just doesn't fit. I rather imagine that he is having the time of his life. 

The giant of 20th century Christianity died 50 years ago yesterday, November 22, 1963. If that date has a familiar ring it is because America lost its young President JFK to an assassin's bullet the same day. 

Peter Kreeft from Boston College has written a wonderful little book that has Lewis, JFK, and Aldous Huxley, a somewhat famous British author who also died that day, in the waiting room outside God's office. Between Heaven and Hell focuses on their conversation while awaiting their appointments with Him. Lewis represents Christianity, Kennedy embodies pragmatism, and Huxley is Epicurean (Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die!). Just as he did in life, Lewis patiently and gently shows what is wrong with the other worldviews and why Christianity is the only one that fits the facts and provides answers to the meaning of life. Reading (or re-reading) Kreeft's book is a good way to remember Lewis and to understand why he is undoubtedly having the time of his life.

God's Vicar Looking Out for the Flock

I like this guy. The Church is a big place and although the Pope only oversees the Roman Catholic branch, his concern for the rest of Christendom is evident, most recently in his public comments about protecting Christians in the rapidly radicalizing and war-torn Middle East. Western governments have been pretty much no-shows on this subject even though murder and abuse of Christians is rampant and well documented in many Middle East countries. God bless him in his efforts to take care of the flock. 

townhall.com/tipsheet/leahbarkoukis/2013/11/22/pope-francis-we-wont-resign-ourselves-to-a-middle-east-without-christians-n1751744

Texas is Calling

Sriracha is a very popular hot sauce (Mark, are you listening?) causing a big stink in L.A. - so big a stink supposedly that neighbors in the surrounding neighborhood have taken the company to court to shut it down. The judge hasn't issued a decision yet, but it's pretty clear that its days are numbered. Besides, even if the neighbors don't get them, California's taxes and Nanny State regulations will. So who ya gonna call? I'd love to say Oregon, but naw - we're getting pretty Californicated too. I hear Texas is open for business. Glad someone is in the U.S.


townhall.com/news/us/2013/11/22/judge-considers-closing-sriracha-hot-sauce-factory-n1751862

Knockout Gamer Knocked Out

You may have heard about the "knockout game" which is apparently the thing for many young blacks around the country. Google the term and take a look at some of the videos that are posted. They are not very pleasant. Basically, the "game" involves walking toward or behind an unsuspecting victim and suddenly clocking them to see if you can knock them out with one punch. Sounds fun, doesn't it?  I just wrote about karma in another context, but here it makes an appearance in a different venue.

Young Mr. Marvell Weaver decided to play the knockout game on an unsuspecting father waiting at a bus stop for his daughter to arrive. Weaver thought a fun variation would be to use a Taser. Unfortunately for him, apparently the intended victim's clothing was apparently too thick for the Taser leads to penetrate and - doubly unfortunately - the victim was also possessed of a concealed carry permit and a .40 caliber handgun. Shortly thereafter Mr. Weaver got himself shot twice for his efforts. He survived and now says "Lesson learned." I hope so, but one wonders what lesson. It's getting to be a great world we live in. 

www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/11/21/Teen-Playing-Knockout-Game-Gets-Shot-Twice

On the One Hand and Then on the Other Hand...

I'm confused. OK, so what else is new? True, but hear me out. The headline on today's Statesman-Journal proclaims "State's economy is rebounding." Really? Because in The Oregonian today appears this story on Oregon's unemployment that goes the other way:

"Unemployment is falling in part because more adults are exiting the workforce, a trend that we write quite a bit about.

The so-called "labor force participation rate" is now 61.2 percent, falling by a full percentage point in just six months. The percentage of adults in the workforce falls to a new post-1976 low most months. The nationwide rate is similarly shallow." (Emphasis added)

Translated, are new jobs really being created? Many more people have now given up looking for a job and are out of the potential labor pool, so even without jobs growing, the relative percentage of unemployed goes down. This is the shell game that the Federal Labor Department has been playing with its unemployment statistics. 

The column goes on to say:

"The report says the root causes, and thus ways to reverse the decline, remain hidden: "How much is attributable to the severe nature of the business cycle, from which one could reasonably expect a rebound, and how much is a fundamental shift in Oregon’s economy is unknown at this time."

www.oregonlive.com/money/index.ssf/2013/11/about_the_labor_force_participation_rate_oregon_the_economy.html

It could be that temp and sub-30 hour/week jobs (Obamacare) are increasing a little bit for Christmas, but if this tumbles after January 1, the fundamentals of Oregon's employment picture would be more like that described in The Oregonian piece and we will have a "surprise" revenue shortfall at some point next year and the "clear need" for another tax hike to make it up. That doesn't even take into account that the trend on Obamacare/Cover Oregon signups, such as they are, which appear to be heavily weighted toward Medicaid and therefore necessitating a big bump in public subsidies. 

Karma - It Will Haunt You

Because President Obama and the Dems have been getting trashed over the Obamacare debacle, I have been concerned to see what they might do in terms of a response - go into a a fetal thumb-sucking position or come out snarling like a rabid dog. Rabid dog is the winner!

Harry Reid's Senate, the same Harry Reid who railroaded Obamacare through with a perversion off Senate rules, led Dems today in kicking over the ancient Senate filibuster rule on everything except Supreme Court appointments. It is an incredibly stupid move that will come back to bite them in the kabooty when Republicans regain the Senate, which they will at some point, and use this against the Dems to ram through their own agenda. The filibuster rule is designed to empower the minority and require at least some bipartisan consensus in governing the country. In the meantime, though, Harry and the Beasts look like they are going to try a reprise of the Obamacare caper to impose a Leftist flavor to everything before their hands are pried from power. Except this time the House is solidly in Republican and can block all of the shenanigans - if House leadership hangs tough. Hang tough. Help is coming in 2014. 

townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2013/11/21/reid-threatens-nuclear-option-in-senateagain-n1750877

If You're Not a Conservative at 40, etc., etc.

It's amazing what a collision with reality will do to a person instead of being cuddled up in the bosom of Uncle (Mama?) Sam. Stephen Green reports on the exploding cigar story of Jessica Sanford from our great neighbor to the north, Washington, which is illustrative:

After Obama mentioned her story, Sanford started having problems. Sanford said she received another letter informing her the Washington state health exchange had miscalculated her eligibility for a tax credit.
In other words, her monthly insurance bill had shot up from $198 a month (she had initially said $169 a month to the White House but she switched plans) to $280 a month for the same “gold” plan offered by the state exchange.
 
Sanford said she was frustrated with the state’s error. But she decided to purchase the new plan and thought everything was fine.

It wasn’t fine. Last week, Sanford received another letter from the Washington state exchange, stating there had been another problem, a “system error” that resulted in some “applicants to qualify for higher than allowed health insurance premium tax credits.”

The letter said the state exchange was “disappointed to have discovered this issue” and apologized.

The result was a higher quote, which Sanford said was for $390 per month for a “silver” plan with a higher deductible. Still too expensive

A cheaper “bronze” plan, Sanford said, came in at $324 per month, but also with a high deductible – also not in her budget.

Then another letter from the state exchange with even worse news.

“Your household has been determined eligible for a Federal Tax Credit of $0.00 to help cover the cost of your monthly health insurance premium payments,” the latest letter said.

“I had a good cry,” Sanford said about her reaction to the latest news from the state.

Ah - the sound of a conservative in the making. And Green's parting shot about the President is priceless - he still has the merde touch, doesn't he? I will let you look up the French translation.

pjmedia.com/vodkapundit/2013/11/19/your-obamacare-fail-of-the-day-9/

Who Turned the Lights Off?

Good question. It could be an EMP (electro magnetic pulse) attack, it could be the sun switching its poles which, by the way, it is expected to do sometime this month or next. A recent Federal drill that ran a computer simulation of the effect of events like these and others on the U.S. power grid showed that it would be lights out - and everything else - for tens of millions around the country for 1-4 days. One entire region of the country had no power for a much longer period and no food, water, etc. Conclusion: stock up on enough food and water to get through at least a week or more. Write your senators and representative to finally do something about this glaring weakness that is and has been a huge and visible Achilles heel for the U.S. I am pretty sure that the Irans and North Koreas of the world have noticed it.

www.wnd.com/2013/11/suns-flipping-poles-could-mean-lights-out-for-u-s/?cat_orig=world

Freefalling

Al Jazeera, backed by oil profits of the sheik who owns Qatar, is having a little trouble breaking into the American market. The latest ratings show it with an average of 13,000 viewers, which is half of the 31,000 average of the prior channel, Current TV. The current U.S. population is 313,900,000 and the average American watches 4-6 hours of television per day. It would appear that there is a lot of room for market penetration. Or not. Current was owned by yes, Al "That Great Patriot and Greenie" Gore and he unloaded the turkey for $500M, which I guess evens out the trade imbalance a little bit with the Gulf states - an illustration of the Invisible Hand doing its thing. 

www.breitbart.com/Big-Journalism/2013/11/18/Al-jazeera-america-loses-more-than-50-percent-current-tv-audience

In Cahoots with the President

Is the Obamacare train wreck just the fault of President Obama? Well, naw. Senator Gillibrand, who replaced Hillary Clinton in NY, admitted on one of the talk shows Sunday that "we all knew" he was lying about keeping your current health policy. Which is precisely why in next year's Senate and House elections there should be a clean sweep of Democrats right out the door. This wasn't a little white lie but a big honkin' in-your-face whopper. In the private sector, civil  and criminal  fraud actions would have already been filed. 

townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2013/11/18/democrat-kristen-gillibrand-yeah-we-knew-obama-was-lying-about-people-keeping-their-plans-n1748547

Do You Feel Lucky Punk?

My daughter living in Seattle says that businesses around town are beginning to proudly display decals on their front windows saying that their establishment is a "gun-free" zone - leave your gun outside. I will let her comments speak for me: 

"I wonder how long it will be before decals say "Lots of Guns Protecting This Establishment" begin to pop up? I'm not a fan of guns but for goodness sake, at least let someone who is hell bent on doing something bad wonder if maybe someone is armed."

                                                                                    Couldn't have said it better myself.  

Coming to Earth

It has not been a very good second term for President Obama. The gates have now really opened; the barbarians are inside. Hubris has been found wanting. The President has probably not figured it out yet, although much of Washington has, and he is standing more and more alone. Fouad Ajami takes a thoughtful look at Obama's fall back to earth and it is well worth reading. 

online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304243904579196440800552408

(Tip o' the hat to Clover Stein)

Fading Away

“Of the four wars in my lifetime none came about because the United States was too strong.” --Ronald Reagan

This is an excellent piece by a former DOD official on the current state of the American military. The gist of his article describing the readiness of  our military paints a dismal picture:

"The Army is smaller than it was in 1950, when North Korea invaded South Korea. The Navy has half the combat vessels it had 15 years ago. American combat aircraft—Air Force and Navy—are rusting on the runways. The American nuclear arsenal, last updated in the early 1990s, ages while Russia modernizes its arsenal and China expands its global reach. Combat tested junior and mid-level officers and non-commissioned officers, vital to the future leadership of our armed forces, are opting for more promising careers elsewhere. Senior officers courageous enough to resist the inanity of politically correct polices are retiring—if they haven’t been forced out already."

The quote from President Reagan that prefaces his article is spot on and we ignore it at our extreme peril. Anyone with even a cursory knowledge of history understand this. It would seem that democracies have an inevitable death wish. Very strange.

townhall.com/columnists/earltilford/2013/11/15/department-of-defenses-death-spiral-n1746522

The Not-So-Good Samaritan

Here is a telling story. The Philippines was recently clobbered by Typhoon Haiyan and is still digging out its dead. Infrastructure was totally erased in some places and people are struggling just to survive. The U.S. sent the George Washington carrier battle group to fly helicopter supply missions and use the on-board fresh water distillers to produce water for Filipinos. The Brits also sent a carrier and other countries have sent substantial monetary and in-kind resources to help the beleaguered country. All except one. 

China has sent $100,000 - yes, the number of zeroes is correct - and pledged another $100K and we'll call you for a golf game when you get back on your feet. Hmm. The Chinese have a brand new 300-bed hospital ship floating next to the dock snug in a Chinese harbor. Isn't that special? Well, the Lord loves a cheerful giver. As I said at the start, a telling little story.

Sidebar: Does a country need a hospital ship unless it anticipates being involved in overseas combat operations? It certainly isn't for humanitarian purposes, as this episode amply demonstrates. 

news.yahoo.com/no-sign-help-philippines-chinas-hospital-ship-093715108.html

Veteran's Day Epilogue

This is how the troops know their CINC cares. 

Thank You Veterans

Thank you Mom, Johnny, Addie, Harry, Gary, Bill, Brent, Ed, Ben, Nate, Josh, Dave, Taylor, Todd and all the others who are serving or who have served our country. We salute you!

Didn't Know I Liked This Guy

“It’s funny — I mean — I talk to some of my friends and they don’t want to get a job at Starbucks or they don’t want to get a job at wherever because they feel like it’s below them. And I think the only thing that could be below you is to not have a job! Go work until you can get the job you want to have. And I'm really lucky to get to work with a lot of entrepreneurs that are building some of the coolest, new stuff in the world and these guys work—guys and girls—work really hard and they put in the hours and they're generous and care about other people and its what lead to their success."   

                                                                              Ashton Kutcher on the Ellen Degeneres Show

Under the Bus You Go

A story flying under most folks' radar is the conference in Geneva between the major Western powers and Iran over the latter's nuclear program. As the article below states, it has hit some "snags" as Iran has basically told the West to blow off - it is going ahead with its nuclear program regardless. It is the French (the French!) who are taking the toughest position, with the French Foreign Minister saying that France did not to be part of a "con game" in these talks. Vive la France!

townhall.com/news/politics-elections/2013/11/09/world-powers-set-for-new-round-of-iran-nuke-talks-n1743646

The U.S. has previously announced that it is bed with China and Russia on this one, Obama's buddy Putin having done such a wonderful job in Syria. China gets much of its oil from Iran and Russia depends on keeping the Middle East in turmoil to inflate oil prices and thereby prop up the Russian economy, since oil and natural gas are about all that country produces, so no self interest there. But wait, as they say on television - there's even more!

Apparently for 5 months or so, the Obama Administration has eased up on international sanctions against Iran. www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/11/08/exclusive-obama-s-secret-iran-d-tente.html  This is the old "signal" variety of diplomacy where you basically show your intentions by progressively taking off all your clothes and bending over while the other side just sits there. Inevitably, someone gets screwed and it's usually not the guy in the chair. 

More darkly, despite protestations from the Regime, the stories read together lead to the possible inference that the U.S. has made the strategic decision to feign a protest over Iran going nuclear, but that's the extent of it. And if Israel gets nuked, well - que sera, sera. Middle East problem solved. But not really. Iran has said for a long time that Israel is the Little Satan and the U.S. is the Great Satan, but progressives never believe things like this, just like Chamberlain in Britain did not believe Hitler and look how well that turned out.

Observation Point

"The most dangerous ideas in a society are not the ones being argued, but the ones that are assumed."  C.S. Lewis

Decaf Faith

Owen Strachan in his new book Risky Gospel makes the following observation:

Our marriages are okay. Our kids are fine. Our church - well, it is getting along. We're not setting benchmarks for Christian laborers in our jobs, but we're doing what we need to do. Occasionally we read the Bible. Once in a while we talk with someone about the Lord. But it's all very maintenance-y. Ordinary. Without zip. This is decaf faith.

Ouch! Make mine espresso after all. 

Is It the Time and the Season?

Billy Graham has his final message tonight and while the political debate about the disasters befalling this country is important, Graham's message carries much more meaning in the long run. In particular, it is very interesting to hear that he believes that the alignment of events in the world is such that the End Times could really be near and I will look forward to his elaboration on that theme tonight. 

Scripture says that no one, not even Jesus, knows the date and the hour that God chooses to bring this grand experiment to an end. Matt. 24:36. But Jesus also said that we can know the season that this will occur and that is what Graham is referring to. Matt. 24:32-33. 

In that regard, another most interesting story is making the rounds. Yitzhak Kaduri was one of Israel's most prominent rabbis when he died at age 108. Just before his death he wrote a note that was not to be opened until a year after his death. This was not surprising because when it was opened, it said that the name of the Messiah was "Jesus." This caused quite a stir in Israel in light of his position and it reverberates even today.

www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23877/Default.aspx

Looking at the "season", it is unequivocal that God fulfilled the prophecy in Isaiah that for a second time He will gather His people, the children of Abraham, from the four corners of the earth and establish them in Israel. Isaiah 11:11-12. This happened in 1948 with the creation of the modern state of Israel. Reading the rest of Isaiah 11, it is also clear that this historical event is part of "the day" on  which the Lord establishes His Kingdom on earth. Isaiah 11:11. A "day" in the Lord's eyes, however, is like a 1000 years in our eyes, so exactly when all this could roll out still is subject to a lot of uncertainty.  Psalm 90:4; 2 Peter 3:8. Events are happening today, though, that have not been seen in my lifetime and perhaps historically that could signal that this may be the time and hence the pertinency of Graham's message - events like Rabbi Kaduri and the reestablishment of the Sanhedrin after a 1,600 year hiatus. God has used Billy Graham throughout his ministry and He may do so this one last time. 

Regardless of what Graham says or doesn't say, two things are also clear from Scripture. First, things are going to get worse before they get better. Matt. 24:3-25. Secondly, He will come when we least expect it, so be ready. Matt. 24:36-44. Good advice and a word that we should all take to heart. 

Move Over Blackbird

Lockheed's "Skunk Works" has regularly come up with aircraft that push the boundaries like the first operational stealth aircraft, the F-117 Nighthawk and the SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest aircraft ever built. Rumors have persisted for years that an SR-71 replacement is flying but these rumors have never been confirmed. Now they have been, although it's not flying yet. 

Lockheed has announced the SR-72 as the Blackbird's follow-on. Flying at Mach 6, the 100' unmanned aircraft can reach anywhere in the world in an hour or so and provide both realtime intelligence and offer the option to take out whatever has piqued the interest of the intelligence users. It remains to be seen if this Administration will pop for this capability, but it is a safe bet that a future President will want it to give the U.S. a real and timely alternative in the nasty world in which we live.

www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/awx_11_01_2013_p0-632731.xml&p=1

The Germans Get It

finance.townhall.com/columnists/danieljmitchell/2013/11/04/mocking-obama-n1735571

On the Road to Damascus

Kirsten Powers is a contributor to Fox News, USA Today, and a columnist for Newsweek and The Daily Beast. She was a Clintonista and generally comes at politics from the Democratic/liberal side of the spectrum. I began noticing a gradual evolution in her views, though, as expressed on Fox over the last year from the usual knee-jerk Democratic positions to a more nuanced and thoughtful approach. I attributed this to the Churchillian progression (e.g. - 20-yr. old -heart/40-yr. old head) but it turns out it was much more.

Powers "comes out" as a Christian in this month's issue of Christianity Today. Her gradual journey to faith is reminiscent of C.S. Lewis's. Tim Keller's church in New York was instrumental in this process, although several people were critical at various times including a boyfriend. 

She will pay a price for this in her political and intellectual circles, which makes her autobiographical article a courageous act. She is also not a Republican, but God's Kingdom is bigger than any particular political party. 

We welcome you Kirsten as a fellow Christ follower and pilgrim on the journey. It will be interesting to see His plans for you unfold.

www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2013/november/fox-news-highly-reluctant-jesus-follower-kirsten-powers.html?paging=off

Observation Point

What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. 
                       
                                                                                                                                                                                         A.W. Tozer

A Modest Proposal

Taking political potshots is easy - Oregon and the Feds are producing a very target-rich environment. It's time to be constructive, however, so let's start in Oregon with taxes. 

Oregon's "progressive" income tax is an albatross around the state's neck and it's time to get rid of it. The prevailing mindset in this state is the "rich aren't paying their fair share." Thus, brackets creep up and deductions are slowly vanishing. Of course, the "rich" are loosely defined as anyone who makes more than you do, which ensnares in the tax net a lot of people who aren't exactly the Gates or Buffetts of the world. It isn't by accident that Washington, with no state income tax, has developed a much broader manufacturing base than Oregon. Most recently, Measures 66-67 had a strong punitive as well as revenue raising element to them. They have raised considerably less revenue than had been forecast because many owners of small and medium businesses moved their businesses out of state than have another gouge taken out of their hides. I'm shocked I tell you - shocked! So, what to do?

Abolish the income tax and replace it with a sales tax. A sales tax is a consumption tax. There is no penalty for creativity and the wealth production that goes with it. Also, if a person saves the money they make there is no tax either, which encourages capital formation and investment. This in turn helps fuel the economy by providing loans to new and expanding businesses, which then produce new jobs and wealth. On the other hand, anyone who wants to buy the bling can do so but they will pay the going rate on the sales tax. Bring on the corporate jets and Ferraris! 

The big condition to this change - a Constitutional amendment that kills the income tax D-E-A-D. Politicians always want to have their cake and eat it too, so they would love to have an extra source of cash for their coffers. Fuggedaboutit! This is an either/or proposition. A consumption tax would benefit Oregon if it's rates are reasonable and it is not just dumped on top of the income tax. Do that and we become another New York, New Jersey, or California complete with their awful economic indicators. 

If Oregon wants to begin the road back to economic health, this is a good place to start. Then we can move on to other things like how we spend tax revenues - serious PERS reform, cutting the fat out of the state budget, eliminating the burgeoning Nanny State, and a host of other issues.  Getting a handle on all of these would make Oregon an economic powerhouse that matches its natural beauty. 

For That Extra Sense of Security

Our health insurance company recently changed its name to Moda. Really? Moda? Am I the only one who thinks this sounds like a feminine hygeine product? Trust yourself to Moda. Great. A sign of the times I guess. 

Quote;Unquote

"Obamacare is not a left–right issue; it’s a fraud issue."
                                                                    Mark Steyn

Don't Mess with Halloween

As a paean to the true spirit of Halloween, here is a panel's tough review of proposed changes from the Nanny State to the long-lived tradition of Halloween candy. My sentiments exactly.

(Tip o' the hat to Clover Stein/Sue Barnes)

An Early Veteran's Day Salute

Veteran's Day is coming up but here is a story that is well worth reading about an American hero coming home to rest. Thank you for your service.

travel.yahoo.com/ideas/fallen-soldier-213011521.html