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Spreading The ???

Spreading The ???

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As I've been listening to and contemplating the whole discussion around "spreading the wealth", it's occurred to me that when the wealth is being spread, there's more than just wealth that gets spread. That's right, the poverty gets spread too. Of course, calling it "spreading the poverty" might seem too severe, but here's the thing: people have poverty, wealth, or something in between. If you spread one, you spread it all. My preference now is to think of it as "spreading the mediocrity". As we discussed in the past, providing equal access to economic resources ("spreading the wealth", or "wealth redistribution") is going to lead to a society that is motivated to meet the status quo, to do just enough to get by, to even lower itself to ensure that there is just enough work to either[...]
Stevens Guilty

Stevens Guilty

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I am not surprised at the guilty verdict handed down against US Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) on seven counts of making false statements. And nor should anyone else. I stated earlier in the year that Alaskan Republicans needed to find another candidate, but they failed. It amazes me that people like Ted can imagine that they are not only above the law, but that in the midst of failure they should continue on with their struggle for power when they should be focusing on dealing with the issue at hand... planning a appeal. From The Hill:

The senator vowed to “fight this unjust verdict with every ounce of energy I have” and said he would return home to defend his seat.

“I am innocent. This verdict is[...]
Yet Another Plot To Assassinate Obama

Yet Another Plot To Assassinate Obama

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The Feds managed to spoil a new plot by apparent amateurs who wanted to try and kill Barack Obama. Repudiating any attempt to take a life is easy. Seeing what this can mean is a little harder. Strong emotions are clearly evident across the country, and varying degrees of violence are queuing up to be released in very short order. I am watching people on both ends of the spectrum, and even many in the middle, becoming so charged with anger and frustration, and yet often end up misdirecting their fire. I've been on the receiving end of that recently, and[...]
TCR Endorsements: President

TCR Endorsements: President

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Second Presidential debate in Nashville, Tennessee
The major candidates for President are considerably closer in their policies and philosophy than the overwhelming rhetoric may lead you to believe. For some, this really is a hard choice. It took a while for the conservative base of the Republican Party to get through the grieving process when it became apparent that John McCain was the nominee. The result of that process is a candidate who has managed to reconcile with the base by both making statements that fit the conservative agenda more adroitly (some would say McCain is not exactly honest in this regard), and the addition of a stronger conservative on the ticket in the person of Sarah Palin. McCain professes and hopefully holds to a more conservative leaning on some key social issues, but still tends toward a more liberal approach to fiscal policy. It is[...]
Spreading The Wealth: Is It Socialism?

Spreading The Wealth: Is It Socialism?

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It's been an interesting week so far as reaction to the whole Joe The Plumber escapade has heightened people's awareness of Barack Obama's agenda. For the sake of full disclosure, and ensuring people don't accuse me of taking his words out of context, you can see the full transcript of the conversation between Obama and Joe here. I'm going to focus on one sentence that Obama said:
I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody.
One can argue a hundred different opinions on this topic, and there's been a lot of comments around how this is a Socialist agenda (and many consider this to be pretty obvious). However, the new argument from the Left is that there's nothing new here that make Obama's plans more Socialist than we are today. Or more Socialist than we have been for nearly 100 years. I received an email
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