It's the Economy Stupid!

I was having a discussion with someone at work the other day who was flabbergasted at the fact that I stated that the U.S. economy is "doing great". She, being the good Dem that she is, opined that the economy is doing terribly and is on a downward spiral. I asked her for examples and indicators that she felt demonstrated the poor health of the economy and she dutifully stated "the price of gas". When reminded that she pays $2.00 for 20 oz. of filtered tap water from the vending machine every day she stopped for a moment and began to rant, " But Bush lied to get us into Iraq". When I explained to her that she was off topic she turned red, shouted a few heartfelt non-sequitors and stormed out of the room.
I would like to share with you some statistics about the economy that, depending on which side of the aisle you sit, will affirm the fact that the economy is going gangbusters or will be just another load of garbage from a dirty capitalist pig.
First to the unemployment picture. The U.S. has now achieved a 5.0% unemployment rate as opposed to 6% in Canada and a whopping 9.6% and 10.8 % in France and Germany respectively. Since the summer of 2003 the Bush taxcuts and the booming U.S. economy has produced over 4 million new jobs. We gained an average of 196,000 jobs in the first eight months of this year alone. Now, if you remember, during the presidential campaign the main point that Kerry et al. pointed to as the reason that our economy was poor was the 2.4 million jobs that were 'lost' during the Bush tenure. (remember "the most jobs lost since Hoover" mantra?) So if the unemployment rate and job creation are the measures by which we judge our economy, then we should stop discussing it and all agree that it is doing just fine since we now have a net gain of 1.5 million plus jobs under Bush.
We are not just creating jobs but we are creating good jobs with benefits. The average hourly rate is at an all time high of $16.27 per hour. Personal income has increased overall by 1.7%. The number of newly insured people rose by 2 million in 2004.
Productivity has been steadily increasing. We saw a 4.8% increase in productivity in the third quarter which followed a 3.6 % increase in the second quarter. The Consumer Price Index(CPI), which is a measure of the average change in the prices over time of good and services, rose only a paltry 0.2% in October. So much for rising oil prices driving the economy.
The Gross Domestic Product(GDP), which is the most comprehensive measure of a country's economic output, was $38,392 per capita in 2004, surpassing all industrialized nations. Norway was second with a per capita GDP of $37,379. This year for the third quarter we have seen an increase in our GDP of 3.8% which followed a second quarter increase of 3.3%. These are signs of a robust economy.
On the down side the poverty rate did increase 0.2%. If you believe the libs that Bush and the republicans are all a bunch of racists who never miss an opportunity to stick it to minorities/the poor and want to keep them poor and subjugated then you would not find this stat surprising. What you would find interesting if you are of the liberal bent is the actual people who saw the increase. The poverty rate for blacks and Hispanics remained unchanged and the rate for Asians actually decreased. The only group that saw an increase in the poverty rate is non-Hispanic whites who saw a 0.4% increase. Now I'm not saying that this is good and I'm not making a 'Oh, those poor white people' statement, I'm only stating facts.
I hope that these stats, which are readily available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau, shed some light on the state of the economy. This is a big week ahead with the release of multiple economic indicators which from all preliminary reports will show that the U.S. economy is continuing to show robust growth. Now go out there and support the economy with some holiday shopping.

Finally the Dems Lay Out Their Strategy

Originally on Little Green Footballs

Be Careful What You Wish For....

Well, once again the Dems have been shown to be the intellectually dishonest, political hacks that they are. Given the opportunity to vote on the record for immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq, their stated goal, the Dems in Congress folded like a house of cards. Rep. J. D. Hayworth R-AZ along with Rep.Duncan Hunter, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, drafted a resolution last Friday that was to serve as "a statement of clarity" that asked House members whether they supported the idea "that the deployment of United States forces in Iraq be terminated immediately." The results were a resounding no to the 'cut and run' philosophy. The final vote on this issue was not a mere defeat for the anti-war (read anti-Bush) side but a proverbial dope-smack to the left, with the final vote coming down at 403 to 3. The only yes votes for the plan were from comrades McKinney, Serano, and Wexler (cheers for being consistent, jeers for being anti-victory).
The reason that this resolution and vote became necessary is due to the words of Rep Jack Murtha D-PA. On Thursday of last week Murtha called on the House floor for the immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq. If you read the MSM you would be led to believe that Rep. Murtha had a sudden change of heart brought on by a state of new found higher conciousness. Murtha, as was reported ad infinitum, is a Democrat hawk and a decorated Vietnam war veteran, and now even he knows that the war is wrong. The only problem with these statements is that Rep Murtha has been espousing these kind of defeatist ideas since at least May of 2004 when he stood next to Nancy Pelosi and claimed the Iraq war was "unwinnable", no doubt a source of comfort for the men and women in the armed forces from his native western PA. Murtha is just another "war hero" trotted out by the left to try and deceive the people into believing that the Dems have a clue about how to protect this country and prosecute the war on terror.
You may ask yourself why the vote turned out so pro-war in this time of sinking poll numbers and seemingly fast-eroding support for the war, and there is one simple answer. The answer is that the Dems in congress hold no discernable moral convictions and so are unwilling to take a stand that may be unpopular or politically damaging. The ill-advised cut and run strategy espoused by Murtha, Sheehan, Code Pink et al., is a recipe for disaster and the Democrats know it, hence the overwhelming rejection of the call to quit Iraq despite all the wailing and nashing of teeth from the left. If the Dems truly felt that they had the people on their side and really wanted to bring the troops home, not just beat up on the administration in a disgraceful attempt to gain political position, then they would have jumped at the opportunity and voted for the resolution.
I guess the Dems can file this one under 'be careful what you wish for, you might get it'.

W.W.R.D?

What Would Reagan Do?
This is the question that our illustrious president should ask himself before every decision he makes. GWB would be well served to look back to the Reagan revolution and realise that conservatism works every time it is tried in earnest.
I'm not talking about the touchy- feely, work both sides of the aisle, Kumbaya, brand of "compassionate conservatism" that GWB brought from the Texas Governor's mansion. This is the viewpoint that brought us the biggest increase in Medicare since its inception and let Ted Kennedy cowrite the education bill which together resulted in higher spending then ever before on some of the biggest new entitlements since the New Deal.
Nooo! I'm talking about the tax-cutting, 'Mr. Gorbachev tear down this wall', shining city on the hill, brand of conservatism that Ronaldus Maximus espoused. The type of conservatism that brought us out of the decades spanning hangover of our homegrown defeat in Vietnam. The type of conservativism that dispensed with the malaise(which bordered on suicidal tendancies for some) that was the Carter presidency and did away with feeling that maybe we didn't deserve to be the greatest nation in the world. The type of conservative thinking that swept the GOP into power in 1994 and that is sought by the conservatives today who were instrumental in electing GWB twice, most recently with the most votes obtained by any Presidential candidate in history. Without good conservative cred and the support of the right, Republicans do not win elections and this concerns me for 2006.
Please do not get me wrong, I am not a Bush hater. I wake up at night in a cold sweat after dreaming about what might have been with a President Gore/Kerry. There is no one on the political scene today who I could think of that I would rather have leading this country at this time.
Bush has handled the war on terror exactly as it should be handled. He realises that we are dealing with an enemy unlike any we have faced before. The kind of enemy that finds it acceptable to have women, children, and the mentally disabled blow themselves up in markets and squares. GWB understands that negotiating and coddling Islamo-fascists is seen by them as weakness and is to be exploited. The only thing understood by terrorists is overwhelming force. GWB knows, and rightly so, that any withdrawl or concession is viewed by the terrorists, and to a lesser extent the Arab world, as a defeat for "the Great Satan." In this case GWB understands that the best defense is a good offense.
GWB's taxcuts were and are inspired. This is one area where the president has learned from the Reagan legacy. You do not have to be a genius to know that when you allow people to keep more of their money they are prone to feel more secure and are more willing to put that money back into the economy which results in economic growth. Never mind the fact that its your money to begin with and nobody should have the right to take it from you. The U.S. economy came out of the Clinton/9-11 recession for two reasons, GWB's taxcuts and the American people's desire to not to be victimised.
If you doubt my hypothesis that conservatism is what will/does sustain this presidency you need look no farther than the recent SCOTUS nominations. The President has never been at greater risk of losing everything than when he nominated Myers for O'Connor's (big Reagan mistake) seat. Conservatives elected GWB with the idea in mind that he would nominate judicial conservatives to the Supreme Court and when he nominated Myers, who had no conservative credentials, he lost his base. This could have been the proverbial last straw. With the Alitto nomination the conservatives have come back into the fold.Even though GWB is presently in a rough patch, he has his troops behind him and the general public will come back around when the hearings begin because any time the conservative ideology gets a fair hearing in the public arena the American people are very receptive to the message.
If I had the opportunity to speak with the president I would bring up some of these points and I would beseach him, " Please ask yourself WWRD, and then go do it."

To go where many men have gone before.....

Hi Y'all. I've finally done what I've been threatening my family I'd do and entered the blogosphere. This being my first foray into the new media I expect to have some fits and starts. I started this blog mostly so I'll have an outlet for my numerous daily rants and so that my wife won't have to listen to me so much and hopefully won't leave me. I plan mostly to write about my political views, but I'll write about whatever is on my mind at the time.
Right at this moment what's on my mind is my beloved Philadelphia Eagles. Monday night Football is currently on and the Eagles are tied 7-7 with the accursed Dallas Cowboys. America's team my ASS!!! Da' birds are fighting to stay above .500 tonight and the pressure is on. Without T.O. the whole offensive scheme has to change but they made it to the playoffs last year without him and they should be able to salvage the season and do the same this year. Football's on gotta go. E-A-G-L-E-S --EAGLES!!!