The Cato Institute Fact-Checks, Responds to President Obama’s State-of-the-Union Address

Were you deceived by President Obama's speech? It actually began very well and sounded very good. The war in Iraq over, "all the troops home", the auto industry was saved by the great GM bailout and "millions of jobs were saved".

Listen to Cato's non-partisan analysis (which won't necessarily make war-mongering republicans who are stupidly eager to spark conflict with Iran happy either) and think again:


The Cato Institute Fact-Checks, Responds to President Obama's State-of-the-Union Address

Bush's Final Report Card: Biggest Spender Since LBJ

Fair and balanced analysis from Cato Institute. Republicans need to confess this if they expect to have any credibility in criticizing Obama's liberal spending. The American people are sick of bi-partisan lying and hypocritical finger-pointing

Obama's first report card, where all spending is under his watch, will not be available until next year, 2010 (which should be a doozy too).

President George W. Bush’s last year was fiscal 2009. Outlays that year were $3.522 trillion, according to the CBO. However, $108 billion was spending for the 2009 economic stimulus package passed under President Obama.Bush was thus roughly responsible for $3.414 trillion of spending in 2009, which includes outlays for the financial bailouts enacted under his watch.

clipped from www.cato-at-liberty.org George W. Bush: Biggest Spender Since LBJ Figure 1 shows the average increase in total spending under recent presidents. Bush II was the biggest spender since LBJ. His spending increases were far larger than the three prior presidents. Of course, presidents share spending power with Congress and it is easier for presidents to control discretionary spending than entitlement spending. Nonetheless, the results in these charts reflect the general spending approach taken by the presidents quite well. Figure 2 shows total federal spending without interest payments. Presidents have the least discretionary control over interest. The biggest spenders by this measure were again LBJ and Bush II. The Congressional Budget Office has released final budget numbers for fiscal year 2009. The numbers allow us to take a last look at the Bush administration’s record on spending from a statistical point of view. he presided over an 83-percent increase in overall federal spending

Financial Crisis and the Fed: How the Fed Obtained Its Power

historical value of dollar (click to enlarge)

In light of the present financial crisis the public needs to know how the Federal Reserve and our present money supply they control came into being. The public should also notice the interesting similarity of circumstances now playing out in which the Fed is seeking even more power under the plea of "necessity". This 8-minute video sheds alot of light on present circumstances.

April 15th: Is the Federal Income Tax Lawful and Compulsory?

Former IRS Special Agent, Joe Banister, recounts his coming to terms with the truth about the Federal Income Tax

THE REAL TAX EVASION

Here, IRS Commissioner blatantly evades answering the open and honest questioning about what law actually requires Americans to pay the Income Tax, in a press conference about that very subject. No law, not even the 16th Amendment, is given in reply to the reporter. Why? Even at their own press conference, inviting questions, they are unable to answer forthrightly to settle the legal argument once and for all.

Ruling Elite vs. Poor: The Economic Gap Between West Virginians and State Government

This Daily Mail article (from the more conservative paper) made Drudge Report on March 30th highlighting that 1 in 6 West Virginians are on food stamps--an incredibly high percentage! This should be an economic wake up call to the ruling elite in State government and citizens alike, especially with a State that is not bashful about imposing taxes and user fees, and where there are many state employees even making six-figure salaries (see WV Auditor report in right margin of blog)!

This is a good opportunity to consider just how big West Virginia government is, how tax burdensome it is comparatively with other states, and the disparity between the government and citizenry economically. Frankly, the media, while always running stories about the publics' general obesity, never reports that it is West Virginia s government that is outrageously FAT.

Consider the following comparison of West Virginia versus the other states in Total Taxes as a Fraction of Personal Income 2005 data, demonstrating the relative disparity in West Virginia from other states in taxation versus the publics' income. Note especially how West Virginia ranks not only high (top four in high taxation relative to income!), but also higher than the peer states surrounding it, which are highlighted:

State Total Taxes as
Fraction of Personal Income (Nominal)
STATE	2005	Rank
Vermont	0.1102	1
Hawaii	0.101	2
Wyoming	0.0917	3
West Virginia	0.0897	4
Arkansas	0.0885	5
New Mexico	0.0832	6
Minnesota	0.0831	7
Delaware	0.083	8
Alaska	0.0788	9
Louisiana	0.0777	10
Kentucky	0.0771	11
Maine	0.0756
Mississippi	0.0746
California	0.0737
Idaho	0.0721
Wisconsin	0.0715
Michigan	0.071
North Dakota	0.0705
Connecticut	0.0698
Rhode Island	0.0693	20
Montana	0.0692
North Carolin	0.0692	22
Utah	0.0689
Washington	0.0665
Indiana	0.0658
Nevada	0.0658
Ohio	0.0657	27
Nebraska	0.0656
New York	0.065
Oklahoma	0.0646	30
Massachusetts	0.0644
United States	0.0634	32
Pennsylvania	0.0629	33
Kansas	0.062
Arizona	0.0616
Iowa	0.0612
South Carolina	0.0609
New Jersey	0.0601
Alabama	0.0579
Maryland	0.0575	40
Illinois	0.0571
Florida	0.0561
Virginia	0.0561	43
Georgia	0.0555
Oregon	0.0555
Tennessee	0.0543	46
Missouri	0.0527
South Dakota	0.044
Texas	0.044
Colorado	0.0437
New Hampshire	0.041

Source: Query for State and Local Government; Tax Policy Center

clipped from www.dailymail.com One in 6 West Virginians is on food stamps About one in every six West Virginians gets food stamps, the highest level of participation in at least 30 years. Amid rising food and fuel costs, the assistance is becoming worth less and less. And supplemental food programs for poor families are struggling to keep up with the added demand as donations are on the decline. Last month, 274,487 state residents received food stamps. That's up from 246,890 just five years ago, according to data from the state Department of Health and Human Resources. A total of 122,877 of the state's estimated 743,064 households currently receive food stamps. That's up from 105,365 households in 2003. Meanwhile, the cost of food is expected to jump by up to 4 percent this year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service. Nationally, the average cost of a gallon of regular gas today is $3.26, according to the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report. A year ago, the average cost was $2.59 a gallon.

Ron Paul s Speech, West Virginia Republican Convention

Click the link to watch Ron Paul s speech at the West Virginia Republican Convention, Feb. 5th, courtesy of Charleston Newspapers and the Charleston Gazette. (To view all candidate speeches, including Romney and Huckabee, click here).

I do not consider the neoconservatives republicans at all.
--Republican Congressman TX Ron Paul

clipped from media.cnpapers.com

Jefferson County Elects Majority of Ron Paul Delegates to WV GOP Convention

Jefferson County at-large delegates for the West Virginia GOP convention were finalized in an election Saturday, and the majority of delegates chosen were for Ron Paul.

Change for West Virginia is in the air, and this maverick, plain-speaking tax payers' friend for limited, Constitutional government is leading a revolutionary movement to change the course of Washington and take back the republican party from the neoconservatives.

This is a key political area, the heart of the West Virginia eastern panhandle, and could be a bellwether of things to come state-wide.

The West Virginia GOP establishment appears to favor Romney, but the leadership appear divided between him, Fred Thompson, and even the New York former democrat Rudolph Giuliani. Senator Vic Sprouse, for example supports and is a delegate for Giuliani, Daily Mail columnist and blogger Don Surber favors Thompson, while the GOP chair favors Romney.

It should be noted that a majority of at-large delegates state wide were uncommitted prior to the county elections. How many uncommitted delegates are elected for the convention could change the dynamic of the Feb. 5th GOP convention considerably, including candidate appearances.

clipped from journal-news.net Area Republicans elect delegates CHARLES TOWN — Jefferson County Republicans voted Saturday at the Charles Town Library for 17 of the 32 delegates who will represent county party-members on Feb. 5 at the state Republican convention. In Charleston, delegates from each county of the state will select two-thirds of the delegates to represent West Virginia at the Republican National Convention in September when the Republican candidate for president will be selected. The remaining one-third of delegates to the RNC will be selected May 13 during the West Virginia primary election. Presidential hopeful Ron Paul was the apparent beneficiary of Saturday’s election. Seventeen of the 30 candidates for Jefferson County delegates have already committed to giving their first round of votes in Charleston to delegates who have committed to support Paul at the RNC. No other presidential candidate has more than three of the possible county delegates committed to him or her.

FOX Loses Credibility as New Hampshire GOP Drops Debate Sponsorship for Snubbing Ron Paul

CNN interviews Ron Paul and Fox is made to look like the neocon shills they are. There was no valid justification for excluding him from a FOX televised debate in New Hampshire and the biggest rebuke came from the more honorable state GOP party which immediately dropped sponsorship for their media interventionism and gross bias. FOX refused to report, again, or for their viewers to decide.

This is also one of the most powerful and brief position statement, contrasted with Romney and Huckabee, on taxes, including justification for abolishing the income tax! Why would republicans be against this, unless they do not value freedom and love big government?

Oil Prices Jump on "Geopolitical Issues"--Calculate Your War Tax

Oil "prices have risen 55 percent this year"! You are paying a war tax at the pumps. Gas prices were 1.50 per gallon in 2003 pre-Iraq invasion, and even 2.09 last year at this same time, compared to 3.09 today.

CALCULATE your personal war tax for yourself by comparing just the increase in gas prices versus last year at this same time. Example: If you fill up 4 times per week, at 12 gallons per fill up, you are paying an additional $48 per week, over $200 per month, and over $2400 per year on gas versus last year! How does that compare to any pay increases? What has that done to your discretionary income, and potential spending in the economy? Is it any surprise that due to gas prices alone a recession is threatening?

The war is not only increasing the national debt, but also killing the economy and robbing Americans through gas prices, energy costs (home heating) and fuel prices as well for transportation of all the consumer products (groceries to durable goods) being purchased! TIME TO WAKE UP AND CALCULATE THE COST OF WARS BEING WAGED THAT ARE NOT EVEN WARS OF SELF DEFENSE!!

Are Americans now willing to consider changing the neoconservatives' war policy?

clipped from www.bloomberg.com Oil Rises After Report Turkey Attacked Kurdish Rebels in Iraq Dec. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Crude oil rose for a third day in New York on concern shipments from Iraq may be disrupted after the Turkish military attacked bases of Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq. Turkish planes bombed an area of Iraq near Turkey's border to attack Kurdish rebels, Agence France-Presse reported yesterday, citing an unidentified Iraqi-Kurdish security official. Iraq exports crude oil through its northern pipeline to Turkey. ``That has made the market nervous,'' said Tetsu Emori, a fund manager at Astmax Futures Ltd. in Tokyo. ``Geopolitical issues are still out there keeping the upside risks intact.'' Prices have risen 55 percent this year.

Iowa Debate: GOP Candidates Awake to Economic Crisis--Sort of

Note Fred Thompson's quote. Almost sounds like Ron Paul doesn't he? But they offer no concrete proposals as does Ron Paul and their cheer leading for "optimism" (e.g. blue-blood Romney) is a denial of the severity of the problem that Americans already realize. Ron Paul offers the real solution, to eliminate the Income Tax cut the Federal government back to Constitutional limits and stop excessive spending particularly on a trillion dollar war policy. At least Thompson has acknowledged the truth, while hedging on solutions. So republican voters should bear this in mind as an issue that is as equally important now as the war.

clipped from news.yahoo.com In a debate that did not address hot campaign trail topics like the Iraq war and immigration, the Republicans found plenty of room for agreement on the need to rein in federal spending, bring down taxes and achieve energy independence. The focus on economic issues gave the candidates a chance to lay out already published plans to ease growing public worries about the economy and reduce a federal debt they said was becoming a national security threat. "Our country has a $9 trillion debt. A good chunk of that is owned by China. We're bankrupting the next generation, without any question," said Fred Thompson, the former Tennessee senator and Hollywood actor. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who has fallen behind Huckabee in Iowa polls after leading for months, said the future was bright and the country's leaders should not "wring their hands." "We need leaders up in Washington that will rein in excessive spending," he said.

The Impending Destruction of US Economy and Ron Paul's Solution

Economist and former assistant treasury secretary in the Reagan administration, Paul Craig Roberts, does not mince words in the article below. Recall that some Wall Street firms this week finally issued a warning of coming recession. (Yes, Don Surber, there is a recession coming). Roberts points out just who Washington and the Fed will support--and it will not be you, the American citizen or taxpayer. (In fact just yesterday the Fed compromised, lowering interest rates a quarter percent, which sent investors grumbling as too little.)

Meanwhile Ron Paul is the only presidential candidate consistently warning about the economy and taking on the Fed (interest rates and money supply) while offering the best solution for this problem: (1) stop the utopian global wars for "democracy" (costing $1 trillion thus far) per the neoconservative agenda (its not really about terrorism, but hegemony per their own blueprint), (2) eliminate the Income Tax (which would be the biggest economic stimulus package in US history), (3) reduce the size and scope of the federal government by eliminating useless and corrupt agencies (like Reagan on steroids), all of which would retrieve much of our freedoms.

Why should conservatives or republicans be against any of this, given the present economic danger? Do republicans really want to stop big government and limit it and stimulate the economy and lower taxes, or 'stay the course' into certain economic disaster? Republicans, being hijacked by the neoconservatives, have forgotten what made Reagan popular, which is the reason behind the "revolution" of Ron Paul as well. It was speeches like this:

In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem...It is my intention to curb the size and influence of the federal establishment.
--Ronald Reagan

And the same applies to the present. We will soon see what the republican electorate says, if they can be heard over the repetitious propaganda coming from the establishment to continue on the same course as the first neoconservative republican ever to hold the White House.

Meanwhile the lives of Americans hangs in the balance. The issue is now on the table and the people should demand it to be dealt with openly, whether republican or democrat.

Impending Destruction of the US Economy Hubris and arrogance are too ensconced in Washington for policymakers to be aware of the economic policy trap in which they have placed the US economy. If the subprime mortgage meltdown is half as bad as predicted, low US interest rates will be required in order to contain the crisis. But if the dollar’s plight is half as bad as predicted, high US interest rates will be required if foreigners are to continue to hold dollars and to finance US budget and trade deficits. Which will Washington sacrifice, the domestic financial system and over-extended homeowners or its ability to finance deficits? The answer seems obvious. Everything will be sacrificed in order to protect Washington’s ability to borrow abroad. Without the ability to borrow abroad, Washington cannot conduct its wars of aggression, and Americans cannot continue to consume $800 billion dollars more each year than the economy produces.

RON PAUL RADIO AD - ELIMINATING THE INCOME TAX

National Debt Grows $1 Million a Minute; Bush Will Have Doubled Debt in 8 Years

Nothing conservative, just neoconservative, about this administration which this report shows will have DOUBLED THE NATIONAL DEBT since taking office (taking, literally) in 2001. Unjust wars is the leading culprit on this dramatic increase of spending, approaching $1 trillion, on the backs of Americans. And only one 2008 candidate of either party is pointing this out and vowing to reduce and limit the size of government, while all the rest vow to carry out the status quo of unjust wars and the growing welfare state started by democratic president Roosevelt known as Social Security.

clipped from www.chicagotribune.com National Debt Grows $1 Million a Minute WASHINGTON - Like a ticking time bomb, the national debt is an explosion waiting to happen. It's expanding by about $1.4 billion a day -- or nearly $1 million a minute. It means almost $30,000 in debt for each man, woman, child and infant in the United States. Even if you've escaped the recent housing and credit crunches and are coping with rising fuel prices, you may still be headed for economic misery, along with the rest of the country. That's because the government is fast straining resources needed to meet interest payments on the national debt, which stands at a mind-numbing $9.13 trillion. The national debt -- the total accumulation of annual budget deficits -- is up from $5.7 trillion when President Bush took office in January 2001 and it will top $10 trillion sometime right before or right after he leaves in January 2009. the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates could cost $2.4 trillion