Oregon Elephant

I have been watching the "John Adams" miniseries on HBO, and it has me fairly obsessed (my wife is getting a little irritated with me starting every sentence with "methinks").  It has gotten me thinking about the founders, and what they envisioned.  I came across this quote from Alexander Hamilton in #45 of The Federalist Papers: The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite. The former will be exercised principally on external objects, as war, peace, negotiation, and foreign commerce; with which last the power of taxation will, for the most part, be connected. The powers reserved to the several States will extend to all the objects which, in the ordinary course of affairs, concern the lives, liberties, and properties of the people, and the internal order, improvement, and prosperity of the State.  Sometimes people will say that t...

Below is a graph showing our tax rates compared to the rest of the industrialized world (taken from Wikipedia): Two things to note: Our personal income taxes are not as bad as some anti-tax zealots would have you believe…they are lower than most. Our corporate rates, however, are horrific.  They are higher than any other industrialized country save Japan. Lesson to be learned:  it’s easy for politicians to sell lower taxes for individuals.  Much harder to sell lower rates for corporations.  And very easy for liberals to paint corporations as getting off easy (the “big, bad conglomerate” schtick).  However, it’s just not true.  “Facts are stubborn things.”  - John Adams

Michael Cannon offers a great analysis at National Review online of the experiment Oregon undertook in 2008 to provide a lottery-picked group of Oregonians with Medicaid coverage.  Some of the interesting tidbits: "medical consumption was no higher in the first half of the year, suggesting there was no “pent-up demand” for medical care." "Though President Obama has claimed that broader health-insurance coverage and consumption of preventive care would lead to a reduction in emergency-room visits, the OHIE found no discernible difference in ER use between Medicaid enrollees and the control group." " Though the president has claimed his health-care law will “save lives,” the OHIE detected no evidence that extending Medicaid to 10,000 adults did so in the first year. " There was an improvement in patient's own assessment of their health.  However, "two-thirds of the improvement in self-reported health occurred almost immediately after enrollmen...

This is a GREAT post in NW Republican: NW Republican: Ronald Reagan was more than an actor He is basically making the point that I've made...that while I agree with Christine O'Donnell on points of policy, she was a terrible candidate. We mock Joe Biden for being prone to gaffes, but she was almost as prone to it as he is. We mocked Barack Obama for being unqualified to be President, but what are her qualifications? What has she actually done ? We need to get to a point where someone needs to actually be a good candidate with significant life achievements, not just have the right views and look good on TV. The ones who fit that bill in the last election (Pat Toomey, Marco Rubio, John Kasich, Rob Portman are examples) won. Here is a link to the original column by Peggy Noonan that he refers to in his blog post: "Americans Vote for Maturity", by Peggy Noonan, WSJ, 11-5-2010

This is worth a look for sure. Rudy on "The View" completely in command...he talks Sarah Palin, Obamacare, elections, and terrorism.

He's held all major electoral positions in New Hampshire, serving as Representative (representing the district that includes Nashua) from 1981 to 1989, Governor from 1989 t0 1993, and Senator from 1993 to the present. His father, Hugh Gregg, was Governor of New Hampshire from 1953 to 1955 Gregg stood in for John Kerry during practice sessions held by George W. Bush in preparation for the 2004 United States Presidential Election Debates. Four years earlier he had played the part of Al Gore for the same purpose. Gregg won more than $850,000 in 2005 after buying $20 worth of Powerball tickets at a Washington, D.C. convenience store. Gregg endorsed Mitt Romney in 2008, and is considered a fiscal conservative and social moderate

Governor Ted is assembling a team to ask the feds for stimulus money to rebuild a school in Vernonia, damaged by the flooding in 2007. I think this is great - schools are a good thing to spend stimulus money on. But...then his train goes off the tracks... He wants to make the main thrust of the request that we will build a "green school"...now, I'm not opposed to doing responsible things to care for the environment, but I'm guessing doing extra stuff out of the ordinary, would make it much more expensive. With our economy the way it is, I just think that the people in charge of giving the money out are going to look at what can be done in a state, and how cost-effectively it can be done. If Oregon wants $5 million (I'm just making these numbers up) for a school to teach 1000 students, and Arizona will build a school, with the same facilities, same everything else, except they can do it for $3 million becuase it isn't a "green" school, and that m...

The House-Senate came to an agreement... Suspicion is that Reid pulled a fast one on Pelosi... Larry Kudlow says the "tax cuts are why we're here" argument of Obama's is bunk (sound familiar?) Bill & Melinda Gates like the stimulus... Moderate Declan McCullagh thinks the bill is a dog (or, more accurately, a pig)

I'm not usually one to look backwards, but I was listening this morning, to Ronald Reagan's famous "A Time for Choosing" speech, given in 1964 in support of Barry Goldwater. In speaking about the greatly-expanding government and rapidly higher levels of taxation occuring at the time, he said: In this vote-harvesting time, they use terms like the "Great Society," or as we were told a few days ago by the President, we must accept a "greater government activity in the affairs of the people." But they have been a little more explicit in the past and among themselves--and all of the things that I now will quote have appeared in print. These are not Republican accusations. For example, they have voices that say "the cold war will end through acceptance of a not undemocratic socialism." Another voice says that the profit motive has become outmoded, it must be replaced by the incentives of the welfare state; or our traditional system of individu...

President Obama at his press conference stated that: There is no disagreement that we need action by our government, a recovery plan that will help to jumpstart the economy. In fact, this is clearly not true. Over 300 leading economists, from places like Stanford University and Columbia University, took issue with Obama's statement and wrote an open letter to Obama, published in leading newspapers. For the complete letter, click here .

Well, I saw the movie "Coraline" over the weekend...it's made by Portland-based animation studio Laika (owned by Nike co-founder Phil Knight). This is their first movie, so it's a big deal around here. Lots of people have been asking me what I thought, so I thought I'd put down some thoughts here... First of all, the look of it is very unique. We're so used to the computer-animated look, thanks to movies like the "Ice Age" franchise and movies like "Flushed Away" and "Surf's Up" that it's a refreshing change to see a stop-motion animation movie. This is where, instead of images being computer-drawn, there are puppets or sculptures that are moved incredibly small amounts for each frame shot. Needless to say, it's VERY labor-intensive, but definitely it gives a movie a "made by hand" look. The story is inventive and engrossing, for young ones and adults. I saw the movie with my wife, 12 year old stepson and ou...

Well, I watched most of the press conference ...most of it was pretty much what I expected, Obama re-reciting the talking points of his proposal. He is defiinitely getting good at creative distortion. Some examples: But as we learned very clearly and conclusively over the last eight years, tax cuts alone cannot solve all our economic problems – especially tax cuts that are targeted to the wealthiest few Americans. We have tried that strategy time and time again, and it has only helped lead us to the crisis we face right now. OK, this part isn't a straw man, as much as it's just plain wrong. Does he seriously think that unemployment is at 7.6% and the stock market is in the tank because of tax breaks? Not because of banks making bad loans? Not because of lack of government oversight of the mortgage business? But because of tax cuts ? This is just insane. I'm going to give the president the benefit of the doubt and assume he is just playing politics here. I am struck by how h...

I'm moving to using Typepad, so my blog address is moving to http://oregonelephant.typepad.com . It's live now, so feel free to have a look and change any links you might have to my blog. I'll be posting in both locations the rest of this week, and starting next week the blogspot location will be available, but I won't post to it any more.

The GOP is hosting a web summit on Wednesday, Feb 11th...but the very fact that this isn't a webcast (or at the very least something that interested people can call into and listen to live) shows the amount of work we have to do. Bloggers have to let the party leaders know how much we can help them. If you are a blogger and want to give suggestions and ideas, send an email to ecampaign@gop.com with the words "Tech Summit" in the subject.

The New York Times has the story...A.Q. Khan, Pakistani scientist and proliferator of nuclear weapons material and technology to North Korea, Libya and Iran, has been release from house arrest by the Pakistani government. Our reaction was predictably concerned: In Washington, officials condemned the move. While it is almost inconceivable that Mr. Khan would again be actively involved in Pakistan’s nuclear program, which has created an arsenal of roughly 100 weapons, there was broad concern that he could reactivate an international black market network that was only partly dismantled. “He’s still a proliferation threat,” said Robert A. Wood, the spokesman for the State Department. “We’re very troubled by this.” Khan himself was defiant and unapologetic: Washington’s concerns were defiantly dismissed by Mr. Khan, who, beaming and smiling, was thronged by supporters and television cameras outside his residence in an affluent neighborhood upon news of his release. “Let them talk,” he said....

At Oregon Catalyst, Lars goes off on Brandon Mayfield , the incorrectly-apprehended Portland lawyer who was subjected to surveillance, then apprehended for two weeks before being released. He won a $2 million settlement and an apology from the DOJ, but apparently Lars is not in much of an apologizing mood: A finger print was found on a bag of detonators, confirmed to be Mayfield’s fingerprint even by a fingerprint expert hired by Mayfield’s lawyer. Lars goes on to then take him on for using his newfound money to go after the Patriot Act: In the meantime, his work financed with our money, is gutting the Patriot Act that has saved American lives. Brandon Mayfield, not a terrorist, but definitely a threat to my country. Wow, where do we start. OK, to begin with, this is what Wikipedia has to say about the fingerprint issue: As was discovered during the court case, even the FBI's own records show that this finger print, despite the sworn testimony of FBI and DOJ agents, was in all rea...

MaxRedline had some thoughts on Sam Adam's comments that he is staying on as Mayor because he wants to help the city. Here's a tidbit: This is not a gay issue or a sex issue, this is an honesty issue…or that’s what we were saying before it was confirmed that the boy was seventeen. People feel violated, and don’t think they can ever trust Sam Adams again. How can the city stand behind some one who would lie like this? My thoughts: I agree, it's ultimately an honesty and ethics issue. The problem for liberals is that when you sacrifice your sense of right and wrong for some other benefit, you start down the road of political destruction. It, of course, has happened to Republicans...every day, Sam looks more and more like Richard Nixon. Maybe to understand Sam...we should go see Frost/Nixon.

The unemployment rate isn't good (and if you just lost your job, it doesn't matter at all)...but it IS interesting to look at how it fits into the last 40 years or so. Here is a graph from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that shows the rate since 1970: As you can see, the rate is somewhat high, but not unprecedented. As Clueless Emma notes, one-third of the months since 1970 have been worse than now. Moral of the story: let's all just take a breath.

Maine Senator Susan Collins, one of the moderate Republicans to craft the stimulus compromise in the Senate, just said on Fox News that if the bill balloons above $800 billion or contains more spending projects in it in its final form, she won't support it (which would mean that Reid would have to maneuver politically to break a filibuster). Interesting...

Here is Michael Steele delivering the weekly Republican address: Transcript: This is Michael Steele, Chairman of the Republican National Committee. Democrats have controlled both branches of government for less than a month. And you have to wonder if all that power has gone to their heads. For the last two weeks, they've been trying to force a massive spending bill through Congress under the guise of economic relief. All of us - Republicans and Democrats - agree the government must act to kick-start the American economy. American families are doing their best to balance their own budgets and pay their mortgages. The fastest way to help those families is by letting them keep more of the money they earn. Individual empowerment: that's how you stimulate the economy. But the Democrats have a different philosophy. Instead of leaving money in the family checkbook, they want to send it to Washington, run it through a slow and inefficient government, and hope that does some good. Wh...