Rock and Roll Conservative

The city that watches you

I may be a Chicago Bears fan but that doesn't mean I care much for a lot of what the city also represents. Here's something you might not have known: Chicago has over 15,000 cameras that watch you constantly -- and most of them are private but linked into a city system. So yes, your fellow citizens are aiding Big Brother.

I'd quite that old line about those who would trade their liberty for security, blah, blah, blah, but no one gives a damn these days.

What a shame

ACORN is widely perceived as a powerful entity, thanks in large part to its connection to Barack Obama. The reality? When it comes to their finances, they are in big trouble.

I believe the term is "schadenfreude"

Oh poor CNN. Once upon a time they were the go to network for breaking news and commentary. Today? Even with a Democrat in the White House they regularly finish third behind Fox and, incredibly enough, MSNBC.

And they still argue they're still non-partisan even as their audience tilts heavily towards Democrats. No bias? All bull!

Uhhh....thanks

If the name of New London sounds familiar it's because you probably heard of it in connection with the U.S. Supreme Court case Kelo v New London, whereupon the town took it upon itself to take through eminent domain a charming neighbourhood and raze it so that Pfizer could build a facility there.

And?

Well, the facility is no more.

ObamaCare and you

Robert Bidinotto has a good essay up looking at the similarities between the House and Senate health care bills. Short answer? Neither is good for you or America.

One year later

W. James Antle III has an essay up at The Guardian arguing that Republican fortunes are beginning to turn one year after Barack Obama's victory.

Pity that conservative fortunes weren't improving as well...

Can't see any potential problems with this one...

Given that almost everyone has received some stimulus money from the Obama administration it shouldn't be a surprise that those who haven't want in on the action. The latest to cry for some cake? Journalists.

In an editorial which ran in yesterday's Washington Post, Robert W. McChesney and John Nichols argue that journalism is so important that public money should be used to subsidize it.

A cynic would argue that any media organization taking money from the federal government would eventually be beholden to it but given how the majority of the press already treats the Obama administration it might not be that much of a threat.

That said, what the two editorialists failed to address was what happens after media outlets begin to rely on the money merely to survive, as eventually happens to any entity that gets access to that "free", sexy money from the Beltway? The decline in public consumption of newspapers and many mainstream media outlets is a fact confirmed by the media itself. That means their budget would gradually see a greater and greater share coming from the feds. Journalists have been bitching for years about how the Chinese Wall between the ad department and the newsroom has been slowly eroded, would they bitch too when a Democratic administration made it quietly known how they wanted a story to be treated?

We know, after all, that a Republican administration could never dictate terms to the unbiased corps of brave journalists who work in the Beltway...

The man behind the speechifying

John Hawkins has an eye-opening interview with former George W. Bush speech writer Matt Latimer that you really must read.

Different standards

It's Sunday so something tangentially involving football is appropriate. Mark Steyn has a good column about Rush Limbaugh, Anita Dunn and the different standards of speech. Very different standards, it turns out.

Do it already

Something you might not know about me: I'm a boxing fan. Apparently Barack Obama isn't because he still hasn't pardoned Jack Johnson for the "crime" of being romantically involved with a white woman.

Here's a shock

When the U.S. Supreme Court handed down the Kelo vs. City of New London decision a few years back more than a few of us predicted that cities across the U.S. would take advantage to grab homes from their owners for whatever idiotic project they managed to dream up.

According to Leonard Gilroy, New York state is eminent domain happy.

I think they were called ACORN

According to the GAO, the U.S. Census Bureau managed to hire 200 ex-cons, and possibly many more, to help with the 2010 Census.

Oh behave!

Apart from being a dated pop culture reference, the title of this entry is also what a lawyer told ACORN last year. Worried that some of the organization's actions might get it into trouble, a lawyer advised the group to put controls in place to avoid...oh, let's say...workers from advising people how to open brothels staffed with under-aged foreign hookers.

More on a leaked memo concerning the warning here and Matthew Vadum was interviewed on Liddy's show (MP3) about it.

Kind of explains itself

So why are members of Congress so resistant to joining a government-run health care system for the masses? Because the health care they get on Capitol Hill is sweeter than honey.

Health care reform dummies like me

If you're like me, your eyes probably glaze over at the mention of American health care reform. Part of the problem is figuring out what plan someone is going on about and how does it compare to the others.

The Kaiser Family Foundation has done Americans a solid and has virtually every major plan -- including Barack Obama's no-plan plan -- in plain English side-by-side here. You can even create your own custom document here.

Passage

I feel like I should be writing this in a very erudite way: William Safire has passed away at the age of 79.

The nut doesn't fall from the tree

Gary Larson has a good essay up about the whole ACORN brouhaha over at Intellectual Conservative that you should read.

Passage

The term "neocon" is used to describe any brand of conservatism these days but Irving Kristol was the real deal. In classic neocon fashion, Kristol was a former Trotskyite who turned to the right and helped craft the basis for neoconservatism. He died today at the age of 89.

Here's an odd one

I missed this when it appeared two days ago but the Republicans may see an odd face in the Senate after next year. Linda McMahon.

Don't know who she is? She's the wife of WWE impresario Vince McMahon and until Wednesday the CEO of the wrestling league. If she captures the GOP nod, she'll be up against Christopher Dodd.

Read on.

This, among several reasons, is why I don't consider Brian Mulroney a conservative

Bob Plamondon argued in his recent book Blue Thunder: The Truth about Conservatives from MacDonald to Harper that Brian Mulroney, who celebrated the 25th anniversary of his first election win today, was Canada's most conservative prime minister. An amazing assertion given that Lyin' Brian -- as many Canadians know him -- presided over the biggest tax grab in history, is a solid environmentalist, ran up monster deficits and passed exactly zero socially conservative policies.

Oh, and he supports Barack Obama's drive for an American universal health care system.

Want to know how unpopular Mulroney was during the end of his tenure as prime minister? George W. Bush had higher approval ratings at his nadir then Mulroney did at his. Now that's saying something.

If you pressed me I doubt I could name a single conservative cause that Brian Mulroney championed his entire political career -- with the possible exception of the free trade accord with the U.S, though free trade was traditionally a Liberal policy position throughout Canada's history. It's good to know that retirement hasn't changed the man.

Seems a bit high

But plausible. What's that? A new poll finds that up to 45 per cent of doctors would consider quitting the profession of Congress passes a health care bill.

Between a rock and a hard place

W. James Antle III has a good essay up at The American Spectator exploring some of the tough decisions that Blue Dog Democrats face in the next session of Congress.

Jeremy Lott: Liberal

One of the biggest thrills us conservative writers can experience is when Rush Limbaugh reads one of your essays on his show. Happened to me a few years back. Happened to Jeremy Lott today.

The difference? Limbaugh didn't assume that I was a liberal.

Sorry Jeremy :-)

Too bad he wasn't a Bear

With the exception of the occasional odd bird, the vast majority of NFL players seem to be political conservatives. The latest is retired tight end Jay Riemersma who has announced he'll be running as a Republican to replace the seat being vacated by Rep. Peter Hoekstra.

Good news

Plenty of Americans were rightly worried when it was learned that ACORN was going to play a role in conducting the U.S. Census next year. Well, thanks James O'Keefe's video tape of helpful ACORN staffers caught on tape explaining how to run a prostitution ring complete with underage hookers and income tax evasion, the director of the census has terminated all ties with the group.