I’m not an economist. I have a minor in economics, but that’s only because I needed one extra class in college. I’ve been reading about the financial “crisis” since it became headline news, and frankly, I still don’t understand why it was necessary for congress to pass a $700 billion dollar bailout. If anyone has an article about how we would have most certainly gone into a depression without it, I’d love to read it.

In the meantime, I’ve been gathering a wealth of articles to help me (and you) better understand where the problem came from and what should have been done instead of a bailout. I think you’ll also notice a theme that shows how more government involvement is not the answer, but if anything is the reason we have this mess in the first place.

Trust Capitalism – This piece makes me think the bailout wasn’t necessary, and also shows how the federal government screwed with the free market.

Democrats to Blame? – This article talks about how President Bush tried to get something done in 2003, but how Democrats blocked those efforts. Funny how we keep hearing that this is all Bush’s fault though.

Bailout Politics – A great article by Thomas Sowell about how Barney Frank and Christopher Dodd, two democrats, can be saddled with a lot of the blame. Funny how the MSM hasn’t brought this up and simply let’s Obama off the hook whenever he blames Bush.

How is Obama Connected? – Another Thomas Sowell article detailing what role Obama has had in this mess.

But despite all the facts, my faith in the general public to think intelligently about these subjects is decreasing every day. Few people think about how the government’s role in all of this matters, but instead go along with the notion that the sky is falling, it’s all President Bush’s fault, and the only one that can save mankind is Barack Obama. That sounds like a best selling novel!

The following is an article from the Wall Street Journal by Ari Fleischer, the former press secretary for President Bush. It’s a very interesting article for many reasons. The most fascinating reason I find is that it shows that the “rich” pay most of the the taxes, but it also shows that “rich” doesn’t mean you make $5 million dollars. It’s a very good read, especially for Democrats that want to raise taxes. Article starts here:

If the tax forms you’re filing this year show Uncle Sam entitled to any income tax, you increasingly stand alone. The income tax system is so bad, and increasingly reliant on a shrinking number of Americans to pay the nation’s bills, that 40% of the country’s households — more than 44 million adults — pay no income taxes at all. Not a penny.

Think of it this way. After dropping off your tax forms at the Post Office, you find 100 people standing on the sidewalk. Forty of them will be excused from paying income taxes thanks to Congress. Twenty of them, the middle class, will pay barely a thing. The 40 people who remain, the upper middle class and the wealthy, will pay nearly all of the income taxes. continue reading…

Here’s more bait for the leftists.

I’ve heard it said that “the rich are getting richer, and the poor are getting poorer.” But a recent article I read has confused me. Hopefully someone can straighten me out. Here’s an excerpt.

**The number of U.S. households with a net worth of more than $5 million, excluding their primary residence, surged 23 percent to surpass one million for the first time in 2006, according to a survey released on Tuesday.

The survey by Chicago-based Spectrem Group found that the number of U.S. households with more than $5 million rose from 930,000 in 2005. In 1996, there were only 250,000 U.S. households in the “ultra-rich” category, Spectrem said.**

Here’s where I need help. How could more people be getting rich? If there is a small group of people at the top hoarding all the money, how could this group have grown by over 750k people? Where on earth are NEW rich people coming from? It doesn’t make any sense.

Hmmm, maybe this is a good answer. I bet it’s President Bush! He gets all the money from Iraq’s oil, and then he buys the whole world! And he’s like “hey you, come here and give me your money!” And all the poor people have to sell their Escalades and Jordans and have to start eating dirt. It’s so sad.

A couple quick thoughts on the election results. Obviously not what I was hoping for, but it’s really not that impressive of a win for the Democrats for a couple reasons. The losses in both the house and senate were on par for a president in the 6th year of his presidency. Considering that the war is so unpopular, you would really expect the gains by Democrats to be more substantial than they were. I think another reason it’s not an extremely impressive victory is the reason people were voting. People were voting against the war, not for liberal principals, just as they weren’t voting against conservative principals.

Ultimately I think the general public, who can’t sit through a 30-second commercial, can’t sit through a war. The talking heads on TV can’t even explain WHY it’s going "wrong," but people see a body count and assume it’s true. Best line of the night was from Howard Dean: "Clearly the people want a change in Iraq, and I think you’re going to see that." He couldn’t tell you what the heck "that" is, but there will be one!

I’m an optimistic fellow, and I see the next two years as an opportunity. Republicans should wake up and get back to small government basics. The Republicans in office have been pretty poor when it comes to core conservative values, and hopefully they can move back to what a majority of people want: less government. Already Democrats are talking about rasing the minimum wage, and President Bush is excited to have a congress controlled by Democrats because he thinks it will help his amnesty goals. Keep it up President Bush, and none of us will be sorry to see you leave.

Rush Limbaugh has an excellent article at his site.

I’ve said before that I am a conservative first and a Republican second. Because of this priority, there is something about President Bush that has made his presidency a little "off." Peggy Noonan hits it on the head in her newest article. While I think the President is a good and sincere man, Noonan points out how Bush has done many things that are contrary to conservative values. She does a great job of looking at how Bush’s policies have alienated the very people that put him in office.

The biggest obstacle facing the Republican party is not the Democrats, but instead returning to the basic conservative values that it’s members believe in.

"Please don’t build a fence. Guatemala doesn’t want uneducated criminals!"

Apparently Mexico doesn’t want the fence, and because they don’t want the fence, it has reinforced my beliefs that a fence would be good.

"Mexico pleaded with President Bush on Monday to veto a Senate proposal to build a fence to keep illegal immigrants out, saying it could backfire by making the border less secure." Less secure? How on earth could it be less secure? Unless Mexican citizens take up arms and storm the border by force, I really don’t see how this could make things less secure.

"This decision hurts bilateral relations, goes against the spirit of cooperation needed to guarantee security on the common border, creates a climate of tension in border communities." I would love to see a list of all the measures Mexico takes to prevent it’s citizens from illegally crossing into our country. As far as I know they’re too busy helping people cross the border.

"Hundreds of Latin Americans, mostly Mexicans, die each year crossing perilous rivers and deserts separating the two countries, and tougher control has increased fatalities." Maybe they should stop crossing then?

Border Wall Volleyball

President Bush had a good day today. He said that the national anthem should be sung in English, and people should learn to speak it. He also rejected a proposal that would tax oil company profits. Not bad W.

Now how about a fence and absolving half of the federal government?

On Thursday the California State Senate decided to support a walkout by illegal aliens. If you read the article there are a few quotes, which basically show that Democrats are supporting the walkout. It’s pandering for votes at its finest. So much for schools that have been preparing for May 1st and warning students not to skip school. Apparently the state government thinks it’s ok!

If all the toilet cleaners want to stay home that is fine with me. I clean my own toilet.

UPDATE

Another article from Drudge about May 1st. There was a specific part I found very humorous:

"Conservatives want the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants returned to Mexico and a fence built along the border.

Others, including President George W. Bush, want a guest-worker program and a path to citizenship."

Haha, there are conservatives, and then there is President Bush. How true!