Truth or Consequences

I am fortunate in my many avenues of financial pursuit to associate and work with some wonderful people, and through these associations have formed many relationships that are very important to me.  Although I effort in conversations when possible to illustrate truths with economic analysis without being overbearing or disrespectful to my co-workers, many have been and continue to be supporters of President Obama. That is their right, which I respect, but as President Reagan said, the only problem with our Democrat friends is that they know so much that isn't true.

"The Weather Man" is one of my favorites, who on several recent occasions joked that "yeah, and I can see Russia from my house".  Not a Palin fan and thinking she is seemingly an intellectual equal to Elmer Fudd, he got a gleam in his eye each time he fired out that quote. 

Engaging in a hostile exchange is not what I sought out as I informed him that although funny, Palin did not actually say that.  I did not expect, nor did I get, a hostile reply, as this individual realized that what he thought was true was not. 

While Palin was maligned across the media for something she did not say, Tina Fey of NBC's Saturday Night Live, who actually said the phrase, was named among Barbara Walters 10 Most Interesting People, for falsely imitating Palin.  Imagine that.

Now, The Weather Man's opinion of Palin did not change, but I was able to plant with him that information presented while listening to the mainstream media and late night left wing entertainment programs masquerading as news outlets cannot be trusted as truthful and due diligence is required as any information is consumed.

Sarah Palin, is not perfect, nor is George W. Bush, Dan Quayle or President Obama, who has made more gaffes, including a slew of them earlier this week in an appearnace on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, than most.  None of these individuals are intellectually challenged either, but the way they are presented in the media is radically different.

Rush Limbaugh spent a segment this afternoon discussing this, noting the alarming discrepancies that a growing number of the electorate find truthful.  In addition, The Blaze reported on the gaffes, which included one on geography which dwarfs the remark supposdedly made by Palin.  The media will not report that during the appearance Obama named three cities with ports on the Gulf of Mexico that are actually on the Atlantic Ocean, but they will cover it up for him.



From the St. Johns River, I have driven my boat through Jacksonville out the inlet into the Atlantic Ocean and can assure you the River City is not located on the Gulf of Mexico.  While I certainly do not subscribe to the media reports that Obama is so intellegent that he is bored acting as our President, I have no doubt he is far from an idiot and has full knowledge the map of the United States.

Obama and Biden have had a staggering number of these gaffes over the years.  Biden went into great detail telling Katie Couric, again with NBC, how Americans watched the fireside chats of FDR on television, while Obama campaigned in 57 states and mangled commentary regarding early treatment for sick children.

While it is certainly entertaining to listen to these gaffes and engage the thought that the politician on your opposite side is an idiot, only in rare instances is that actually the case.  What is concerning, and the basis for this bloog post, is that with a media set on promoting the agenda of their favored politician versus the efforts at discrediting and demenaing their opponents; hard working Americans struggling to put food on the table have hard time grasping what is fact.

The treatment of our two most recent Presidents should serve as a glowing example of how slanted the media presentation has been and continues to be.  Both of these men, and those in their repsective parties, should be challenged on the battlefield of ideas and judged upon their successes and failures.  The media has a responsibility to present us the facts leaving the American people to make their own assessments, and they are failing mserably. 

Report the facts, let the people decide. If a politician makes false statements, it is the job of the media call them out. The media should not be cozy, or be threatened by, any administration.  Seek the truth, which has no agenda. After all, as once said by George Orwell, "In a time of universal deceit - telling the truth is a revolutionary act."

Knowing Kennedy

As anticipated, the Vice Presidential debate between Vice President Joe Biden and Congressman Paul Ryan was sure interesting. What most took away from it was the Paul Ryan seemed logical and measured while Joe Biden came across practically unhinged, with excessive laughter and smirking, a condescending demeanor and incessant interrupting.

Certainly, the behavior Biden exhibited was not becoming someone who holds such a high position in our government; our citizenry should demand more. Media across the spectrum have weighed in unfavorably for Biden, from his lack of truthfulness in Investors Business Daily to his rude behavior on NBC's Saturday Night Live.

The RNC wasted no time in releasing a hard hitting video ad:





Even though there have been some great lines over the years, Vice Presidential debates typically do not move the needle very much in terms of the outcome of the general election.

Say it ain't so Joe! Certainly, fresh in our minds was the strong performance of Sarah Palin in 2008, and who can forget Lloyd Bentsen catching Dan Quayle in stage fright after his ill advised quote in comparison of John F. "Jack" Kennedy.

In the recent VP debate, Biden seem poised to grab a "Lloyd Bentsen moment", as Glenn Beck posted, but failed in his effort in trying to tag Ryan as attempting to cast himself as comparable to former President Kennedy.

No such luck for cranky Uncle Joe.  As it turns out, Biden was wrong, again, and Ryan was correct.  While JFK seems off limits for debate comparison for some reason, I would like to indulge Biden and have a conversation about the beloved former President.  Who, if anyone, and whose policies are similar to the arena of ideas and philosophies Kennedy advocated?

It is not Obama and Biden, as we noted it would not be back in 2008.

I understand how so many in my parents generation, my parents included, held great admiration for President Kennedy, similar in many ways how a greater majority of my generation, inclusive of myself, hold President Reagan in such high regard.

Certainly, in the era of televisions becoming widespread, there was the whole Camelot phenomenon that enhanced the romance of the young President and his beautiful family.  Unfortunately, on a dreadful day in Dallas in November of 1963, the dream was over and the innocence of the country was lost. In seconds.

One would have to imagine that their infatuation and support of President Kennedy was largely due to agreeing with a large degree of the policies President Kennedy advocated. We can begin with perhaps the most famous quote from JFK, "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country", which cannot be regarded as a ringing endorsement of expansive government entitlements.

Under the Obama administration, excessive regulation and taxation, increasing stimulus and expansive entitlements have been stunning in their advance, in no way resembling the positions JFK took with regard to this type of governance.

President Kennedy fought for tax cuts, noting they are an integral part of creating a growing and thriving economy.  While JFK thought, correctly, that free market capitalism requires a base of regulatory foundation, economies function best when those are not variable and are held to a minimum. 

In addition, and perhaps most importantly, Kennedy wanted to help create an environment where the citizens of America can pursue happiness, where hard work is rewarded with market driven pay scales allowing workers opportunities for advancement; morally, financially and ethically.  Kennedy was not a supporter of an expansion of entitlements, which creates a culture of dependency which restricts the freedom and incentive of the individual, robbing them of their identity.

Some say Ronald Reagan would be unable to be elected in the GOP of today.  Hogwash!  Reagan would be leading the opposition against the Progressives; in both parties.  In fact, the man who would not be elected in his own party, is John F. Kennedy.

In response to the disagreement over the truth in the debate, Western Free Press grabbed some old video and presented the answers.  Take a thorough listen:




Sadly, when reviewing many of the Democrats in support of Obama and his platform, it would be news to them that their beloved JFK would an opponent. I encourage those Camelot Democrats to expand their knowledge in getting to know Kennedy beyond the images associated with Camelot.  In his own words.

Don't tell Uncle Joe, but maybe Paul Ryan is the man who can carry the JFK torch? Just sayin.