(As always, you can click the cartoon for a larger view)As Yogi Berra would say, "It's Deja Vu all over again." Only this time we're not talking about Barack Obama's latest effort to spend hundreds of billions of dollars (that we don't have) on shovel ready jobs (which don't exist).
No, we're talking about "Attack Watch," the new website which exists for the sole purpose of letting people rat out anyone who speaks negatively of Barack Hussein Obama. The website, which sports a black background which is about as welcoming as a hug from Darth Vader, invites people to share what "attack" they've heard, where they heard it, and promises that tipsters will receive 30 pieces of silver in the future "if those terrorist sons of bitches in the GOP House just pass the president's entirely paid for spending bill".
Okay, it doesn't actually say that, but it's pretty clearly implied.
And the reason that all of this smells so familiar is because Obama did it all before when he demanded that citizens turn in their neighbors at the offensively-named Flag@Whitehouse.gov a couple of years ago (and which Hope n' Change covered here).
And while all of this suggests the frightening totalitarian mindset of Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, or East Germany, there is good news to report.
The president's "Attack Watch" website has rapidly been turned into one of the biggest jokes on the Internet by tens of thousands of Americans who believe that Freedom of Speech is something to be exercised instead of reported...and that attacks on the Constitution are more dangerous than attacks on a sleazy, hate-mongering political hack from Chicago.
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From the man who said national "unity" should be the legacy of 9/11.-
The answer to our young equestrian's question is, of course, that a horse's digestive system is long, complicated, and not designed to create applesauce. Similarly, the governmental system is long, complicated, and not designed to create jobs. In fact, the government system produces exactly the same thing that a horse does...but in greater quantity and at far higher cost.
But that hasn't stopped Barack Obama from saying that his "American Jobs Act" will cause the government to magically start excreting jobs ("topped with cinnamon!") if he's just given another half-trillion dollars to feed into the beast.
And where is that half-trillion dollars going to come from? If you said those "evil millionaires and billionaires" who earn $200,000 a year running businesses, you'd be partially right. But surprisingly, with the nation's poverty rate at new, shocking highs, you could just as accurately say that Obama wants to take that money from the poorest people in America. But how?
Simple. Despite claiming in his alleged jobs speech that his plan would be entirely funded through spending cuts, almost 90% of the president's plan would be funded by eliminating deductions for charitable giving. Which means the poor won't get the efficiently (and privately) administered money, benefits, and services they desperately need...and Obama will use their money to buy votes, "creating" short term jobs at an average cost of over $250,000 each after the money has worked its way through the system.
And if that's not horseshit, we don't know what is.-
Readers: no "official" cartoon and commentary today, but after yesterday's admittedly (and unashamedly) angry post, I wanted to share something positive and uplifting with you.
The image you see above is from a commemorative t-shirt that I received in the mail yesterday. It was a gift from frequent commentor Jim Hlavac, whose brother-in-law perished with other firefighters in the elite "Rescue 1" group on September 11th, 2011 after rushing into the burning World Trade Center to save lives (which was his unsung job every day).
His name is in the list above, but I didn't want to single it out...in part out of respect for his family's privacy, but also because every name listed above is that of a hero.
When the daily news and the world of politics wear me down (which is often), it's important for me to take time to reflect on the real heroes out there who are doing far more courageous things every day than writing an opinion blog.
It's those heroes, living and dead, that have made this a country worth celebrating and worth defending. -
