Oh How the Left Loves to Hide Anti-Rich Propaganda...

You know why (well, one of the many reasons) the left teams up against the rich? It isn't just the jealousy, or the pure envy, but a mixture of those emotions and the fact that there are so few rich to compared to the amount of non-rich that exist.

Frankly, there is a bullying element in it.

But regardless, the left will stop at nothing to incorporate the "we hate the evil, stinking, filthy rich" feeling into everything they do. It feels too good not to. Those who pride themselves on "social" everything love banding together in groups (hello unions) in order to facilitate a change.

Why did I bring this up? Well, it's because I wanted to discuss the article titled, "After Your Job is Gone." - (http://techcrunch.com/2013/06/01/after-your-job-is-gone/)

Obama says "There is no Immediate Debt Crisis"

And then claims, "in fact, for the next 10 years, it's gonna be in a sustainable place."

Wait, WHAT?!

I just had to post this. It seemed so "out of whack" that I figured it would be something worth talking about: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/03/president-obama-there-is-no-debt-crisis/

Take a look at The President's interview, and share your thoughts. I will say, upon looking at some of the comments in the article, these sum it up the best:

 - "The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. Government can't pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our government's reckless fiscal policies... Increasing America's debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that 'the buck stops here.' Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem, and a failure of leadership. America deserves better." - Senator Barack Obama, March 16, 2006

- "The problem is, is that the way Bush has done in the last eight years is to take out a credit card from the Bank of China in the name of our children, driving up our national debt form $5 trillion for the first 42 presidents - #43 added $4 trillion by his lonesome, so that we now have over $9 trillion of debt that we are going to have to pay back - $30,000 for every man, woman, and child. That's irresponsible. It's unpatriotic." - Candidate Barack Obama, July 3, 2008

What do YOU think?

Open Forum: President Obama's Second Inaugural Address - What Do You Think?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/

Below is the full transcript of President Obama's second inaugural address. It was found at CNN.Com.

This Open Forum is designated for debate on the President's speech. It has been label by republicans as divisive, while democrats praise it as encompassing and progressive.

What do you think? How would you rate this speech? Is it what the country needs and what the country needs to hear, or is it divisive and counterproductive? Please share your thoughts below.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Vice President Biden, Mr. Chief Justice, members of the United States Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens:

Each time we gather to inaugurate a President we bear witness to the enduring strength of our Constitution.We affirm the promise of our democracy. We recall that what binds this nation together is not the colors of our skin or the tenets of our faith or the origins of our names. What makes us exceptional - what makes us American - is our allegiance to an idea articulated in a declaration made more than two centuries ago:

President Obama's 23 Executive Orders Involving Guns

The purpose of this post is to pass along the information and specifics of President Obama's 23 executive orders pertaining to gun rights and gun control. I'm not labeling every executive order as a "gun control" measure, so that's why the title is named as such.

I have not yet developed an opinion of each order specifically, and since I'm not a Constitutional lawyer, I might not be able to for a long time. I will certainly share what I think based on the headlines of each order (of the entire proposal in full), but I don't believe it would be significant to address them individually. Regardless, since this blog exists to pass along information and foster civil, informative debate, I believe it's imperative to share this information.

Here is the PDF of Obama's plan titled "Now is the Time" - http://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/556943/white-house-now-is-the-time.pdf

Here is a list, summarized by CainTV and Herman Cain's staff, that extracts from the main document the 23 orders in principle: http://www.caintv.com/complete-list-of-obamas-execut

Ben Shapiro Takes on Piers Morgan the Right Way

One week ago, I posted the video clip of conservative radio show host Alex Jones making what I think is a fool of himself on the Piers Morgan show. If you don't already know, Morgan has made himself the prime time, cable TV voice of gun control in America, and he has repeatedly, time and time again, brought on gun rights advocates and demeaned, insulted, and berated them for views Morgan deems "absurd." In Jones' case, the message was resounding, but the delivery and the behavior was quite off and disrespectful. Granted, this is what Morgan does to his own opponents who have differing views, but as I said in last week's write-up, we on the right shouldn't behave in this way. We should let the left maintain their contempt and intolerance for opposition and diversity, and we should not shoot back with disrespect, even if it is manifested in a different form. It is ever more clear that Morgan knew how to get a buzz out of the "right" by inviting a fringe, hot-button member on his show, and that ratings and hollow pulpits, above all things, are all that matters to Morgan and CNN.

Alex Jones on Piers Morgan: Right Message, Wrong Delivery

Alex Jones, the conservative radio host responsible for the White House petition to deport Piers Morgan, had a chance to face Morgan in a "debate" about gun rights versus gun control on Morgan's show last night:

Politico (VIDEO): http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2013/01/the-deport-piers-morgan-creator-blows-up-on-cnn-153577.html

CNN (VIDEO): http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/07/us/piers-morgan-guns-debate/index.html

Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/08/alex-jones-piers-morgan-guns_n_2429161.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003

The Fiscal Cliff Deal: Country-Helping Compromise or Crap Sandwich?

You've now undoubtedly heard that the House of Representatives has voted in favor of the Senate's version of the Fiscal Cliff bill (officially titled the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012). President Obama is expected to sign it soon. To see the pdf of the bill, go here: http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2013/images/01/01/american.taxpayer.relief.act.pdf

So what do you think? Is this good for the country? Did one side win? Did one side lose? What about the process?

My opinion:

First, I want to address the process. This might sound odd to some, but in my opinion, the process is the biggest winner here... to some extent. Our bicameral legislature was established to do exactly what the Congress just did: Debate, delegate, argue, and move slowly towards a compromise. While the Fiscal Cliff negotiation process was "oversensationalized" by the media, (albeit, a heavily-slanted media that used this opportunity to push an agenda), it went precisely as our Forefathers envisioned. Our legislative body, the Congress, was designed to be slow. It was designed this way to ensure tyrannical, quick, dictator-like laws were difficult to enact. Our Forefathers believed that if laws were passed quickly, they would not be passed properly. If it was possible for a bill to become law in quick fashion, without debate (which is a representation of the people spread around this country), why not just have one man or woman, namely, a king or queen, simply implement laws? I addressed this previously, and I do believe wholeheartedly in the concept of legislative compromise:

Open Forum: Gun Control; Recognizing Problems and Possible Solutions

As expected, the horrific tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut has sent the country into a whirlwind over gun control versus gun rights. Debates have been conducted on Sunday morning talk shows, Facebook, and social circles. I, for one, have been engaged in numerous Facebook debates since the tragedy unfolded as it seems there is no "waiting period" before starting up a discussion. While monitoring my Facebook feed at noon on Friday, the morning of the attack, I noticed gun control debates already flaring up on the social networking site quickly. Keep in mind, this sad attack on innocent school children was not the final straw that started this debate. It's a debate that happens constantly, and legally, it's debated and ruled upon often: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/12/us/illinois-appeals-court-overturns-state-ban-on-concealed-weapons.html?_r=0

This Open Forum is dedicated to a discussion on gun control.

Open Forum: Fiscal Cliff Friday

Here we are about one month away from the self-imposed "fiscal cliff," and, as expected, the opinions are flying. I believe that because of the mainstream media's liberal leaning it's difficult to get a real sense of what this situation comprises. It seems clear that the media has taken sides, (here, here, and here are just a few of many examples), so getting real, truthful, fact-based information might be difficult.

Regardless, based on what we do know, how would YOU solve the problem. Put yourself in any situation: As a senator, a representative, the President, a casual observer, a taxpayer... whatever you like. How would you handle the situation? Would you negotiate? What do you think should be the solution? What would you like to see as the outcome? This open forum is for just that: sharing any thoughts, opinions, advice, information, etc., that you have concerning the fiscal cliff. I'll put my quick opinion below; feel free to join in any time.

Happy Fiscal Cliff Friday! :-)

Politics and Violence - Steven Crowder Attacked by Union Thug... Where is the Media Outrage?

Yesterday, I posted an Open Forum debate for Michigan's new Right-to-Work law: http://loudmouthelephant.blogspot.com/2012/12/open-forum-michigans-new-right-to-work.html

As most of you probably know, this "hot-button" issue was the talk of the day in political circles yesterday. Opinions have been flying, left and right, on social media, and they're surely continue to do so long after the fervor dies down.

What seems to be missing from the mainstream media's daily "news" reports is the violence that occurred on the lawn of the Michigan State Capitol during the union's protest of the passage of the Right-to-Work bills. A quick check of the MSM's websites does not mention that Fox News reporter Steven Crowder was viciously attacked by a union thug. Also missing is the union's violent destroying of an AFP, an organization that supports Right-to-Work legislation, tent. Is this deliberate? Are they intentionally not reporting the brutality and the animosity because it was a democratic faction that propagated it? Allegations, speculations and rhetorical questions aside, I think we can agree with some degree of certainty that if this was a GOP or Tea-Party rally and this kind of malicious attack occurred, it would be plastered front-and-center on every MSM news site out there. Of course, these occurrences are rare, and ones that do exist are simple propaganda. Republicans rarely act like this. We don't scream and yell and chant and attack when we don't get our way. It's just that simple. When Obamacare crossed key hurdles, (its passage and the Supreme Court's ruling), did republicans attack people? Did we threaten to riot if Obama was reelected. Of course not. We don't act like this... If we did, you'd hear a LOT more about it in the media.

Open Forum: Michigan's New Right-to-Work Law

If you don't already know, Michigan, the bastion of unions and workers' rights, is expected to sign into law Tuesday new Right-to-work legislation. This will make Michigan the nation's 24th Right-to-Work state.

Here are a few articles on the subject:

CNN Money: http://money.cnn.com/2012/12/10/news/economy/michigan-right-to-work/

CBS News: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-34222_162-57558290-10391739/obama-takes-on-union-fight-in-michigan/

NBC News: http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/10/15825072-gop-set-to-deliver-blow-to-labor-in-union-heavy-michigan?lite

This Open Forum is dedicated to a discussion on Michigan's impending new Right-to-Work law.

Mr. Obama: What are These Fiscal Cliff Negotiations Really About?

Call this an open letter, a fair question, or a continuation of this blog's debate on the Fiscal Cliff:

Part 1 - Fiscal Cliff Open Forum: http://loudmouthelephant.blogspot.com/2012/11/open-forum-fiscal-cliff-friday.html

Part 2 - Speaker Boehner's Offer/Proposal to the President: http://loudmouthelephant.blogspot.com/2012/12/speaker-boehners-letter-and-fiscal.html

And now Part 3 - Trying to discover what this is truly about. I pose what I think is a very real question:

"Mr. President (and, by association, democrats), would you accept a GOP-sponsored proposal IF it raised the exact same revenue as your proposal but did so by cutting loopholes, deductions, etc., and not raising tax rates?"

Can everyone see where I'm going with this? It's philosophical, sure... but it gets at the heart of this negotiation.

Team Obama's "My First Time" Ad

Here is the new controversial ad from Team Obama: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=o6G3nwhPuR4 #MyFirstTime

Does anyone see a problem with this? Is Obama's campaign seriously comparing voting for Obama to a young woman losing her virginity? Is this how democrats view women? That when they vote, it's like a hook-up? That voting for your unquestioned, unchecked king is something sensual? That they chastise republicans for a "war on women" and wanting to take away women's rights, but "hey, voting for us is like sex! Bring it on!?" Lena Dunham, in the clip, says that voting caused her to go from being a girl to a woman. Come on!

Honestly, in my opinion, this ad lacks class. Mixing sex, especially when sensitivities are high from recent statements about rape and sexuality in general have been made, with voting seems to be going too far. Yes, this is done by Team Obama. It's on their barackobamadotcom YouTube channel.

But maybe I'm way off on this one. I don't have kids, but I'm curious how mothers feel about this. How does the mother of a 16-18 year old feel about the innuendos in this ad. I'm not religious, but how do religious fathers of teenage daughters feel about this ad? I think, personally, that the ad sinks to a new low in campaigning. And, of course, I predict the media won't even make this a story. Can you imagine the media outrage if the GOP dared to put something like this out?

What do you think? Am I way off? Please share your opinions below. Happy Friday!

Barack Obama Logo on American Flag Mock-Up - Is This Going Too Far?

What do you think of the following item being sold at BarackObama.com? (https://store.barackobama.com/obama-2012-store-collections/artists-for-obama/our-stripes-flag-print.html) - Please vote using the buttons below. Instructions are in this post - click "Read More"

(Click the image for an expanded view)

Don't Believe the "Red State" Lie

We conservatives say that one of the main reasons we should not re-elect President Obama is because of his failure to turn the country around. Often times we are met with the excuse, "well, it was soooooo messed up... George W. Bush left us with such a mess that Obama can't fix it in just four years."

Hmmm, what an interesting concept. If GWB was only president for 8 years, and it is unrealistic to expect the country to "turn" as we were promised it would... how long do you think it would take to turn a state or a group of states that have been blue for, oh, I don't know... many, many decades?

Open Forum: Mitt Romney's Secretly-Taped Comments

Open forums are a place for debate. That's really all this is about. A position is shared, there isn't much analysis, and the position is debated.

Today's topic: Mitt Romney's comments about the 47% of people that will not vote for him. I'm sure if you've turned on the TV or logged onto a news website today you've heard the latest. You were probably met with headlines of "Mitt Romney claims Obama supporters feel 'entitled'" or something along those lines. To get straight to the source, here are the videos from the socialist publication Mother Jones: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/09/secret-video-romney-private-fundraiser

The biggest quote that is making its way through the headlines:

Quantitative Easing 3 (QE3) - Another Bad Move by The Fed

I'm sure by now you've heard the about the announcement by the Federal Reserve to start what it calls Quantitative Easing - Round 3. If you haven't, here is the an article from Bloomberg online that sums it up: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-09-13/fed-plans-to-buy-40-billion-in-mortgage-securities-each-month.html. Ron Paul supporters should be up in arms about this, and quite frankly, I am, too.

For my take, I will try my best to keep my thoughts simple. But first, I will attempt to explain this (who knows how this will go) with an analogy:

Have you ever had an issue with drafty windows in your house? It's a pain in the rear, isn't it? Have you ever tried to fix the issue by simply starting fires in your living room? Probably not. If you started a fire in the living room, sure, you'd be warm, but the draft would still exist, and most importantly, you'd have a new problem to worry about. As rough as this analogy is, it applies to QE3. The US has a problem (well, we have many problems). The economy is not recovering quickly enough, and too many Americans are out of work. So what does the Fed do? It creates another problem! It starts another fire for what it thinks will be a fix to the "drafty window" problem. It's bad policy, bad economics, and its potential benefit is certainly not worth the potential drawbacks. Let's get to some "technicals."

The Official "Campaign" Slogan of This Blog: #Question

Designed by Pachyderm Pride

Why "Question?" Where does this come from? And why the similarities to the Obama "Forward" logo? All this will be explained. 

First, let me explain one of the original reasons I titled the blog The Elephant in the Room. As a sub-30 year old republican living in Maryland, I'm certainly a rare breed. Naturally, many of my friends (and yes, this definitely extends to Facebook) are democrats. Heck, my wife is a democrat, and I don't fault her for it. :-) Because of that, I'm obviously outnumbered not only in my age group, but in my social circles as well. I'm okay with this. I chose the screen name and web address "Loudmouth Elephant" because I care about politics and economics, and in order to be heard, that's what I have to be. Regardless, I tend to be the "elephant in the room" when it comes to political discussions.

A Quick Thought About the CBO's $1.1 Trillion Budget Deficit Prediction

Yes, you read the headline correctly. The Congressional Budget Office has predicted that the final budget deficit, the amount by which the government spends more than it takes in for a year, will close the 2012 fiscal year at about $1.1 trillion (see it here: http://www.cbo.gov/publication/43539). The government will have spent $3.8 trillion while taking in revenues of $2.7 trillion. And yes, I must through this out there, taxing the rich more will not change the $1.1 trillion deficit. See those numbers here: http://loudmouthelephant.blogspot.com/2012/03/tax-rich-obama-class-warfarecampaign.html

This post isn't scientific; it's just some thoughts about these numbers. Think about this:

How Would YOU Handle This? - Bullied School Bus Monitor Incident (Video)

Disgusting. Appalling. Vomit-inducing. Horrifying. The list of negative adjectives goes on and on. When I first saw the headlines for this disgusting incident, I couldn't watch the video because I was at work. When I got home that night, I watched it the very first opportunity I could. I was speechless; it brought tears to my eyes. 

 

Source: Youtube