This country is broke, and the unprecedented scale of its brokeness is an existential threat. Yet, with the exception of Newt’s occasional flashes of contempt for the questioners, everyone else plays along with this absurd game. It’s not merely that the GOP is letting the left frame the contest but that a party willing to dignify this pitiful charade is sending a broader message about the likelihood of its mustering the determination to stand up to a Democrat-media establishment once in office and effect meaningful course correction.
I see Terence Jeffrey and Andy McCarthy are having a disagreement about the correct response to a question on gay adoption. The correct response is to take an unconstitutional federally-funded supersized condom, roll it over George Stephanopoulos’ head, and say, “That’s odd. I can no longer hear a word you’re saying. So let me throw in my two bits on impending multi-trillion-dollar ruin…”
It’s a joke that this (govt debt) isn’t the ONLY issue being discussed in USA. And it should also be the only issue of concern for most developed countries with greater than 50% GDP debt.
Everything else is a distant second. Or it soon will be.
Mark as always tells the brutal reality of things – yeas the US id broke, and in debt to a degree it can never recover from except a collapse of the Fed Reserve system ans a fire sale to debtors.
However, the reason for this is the monitarization of debt incurred play the role of world policeman involved in 3 protracted military conflicts which drain the national productivity pool. Mark has always supported this expensive foreign interventionist role but it seems he rails against the debt that such military projects incur. You cn’t have it both ways.
Perennial world cop or a sound dollar and debt-free domestic economy – pick one.
Precisely, Dave. Well said.
Unfortunately, word on the street is that math is hard.
When the existential turns the corner onto Reality Street
http://tinyurl.com/7fas6yy
Occam
Despite the undisputed fact that Defence is a signifigant budget item….health care and social programmes are the biggies.
The biggest accelerant to the US debt was the $3 TRILLION “Stimulus” which did not involve the military.
I switched over to the debate from the 37th viewing of Braveheart, and really needn’t have bothered. I continue to be astounded at the complete inability of Republican “candidates” – or for that matter any conservative – to establish the issues. Why do we give a rats ass who sleeps with who, and who adopts who, when the entire world is encouraging us to move to Idaho or Alberta and build a safe place where the sons of bitches can’t take away what I have left? The stunning waste of time on inconsequential issues indicates a lack of leadership at every level.
The Democrats in the US, Libs/NDP in Canada, and socialists generally have clearly lost the plot. But it is obvious that the right does not see any bigger picture either. I’d give my left nut for a pol who will stand up and say, “That crap doesn’t matter if the world has descended into anarchy. If you don’t like my ideas, don’t vote for me. I’m going to deal with the real issues.”
Mel Gibson may be an ass, but William Wallace wasn’t – “Freedom”. Remember what that used to be like?
Wow. I thought the Canadian media was bad, but they are a paragon of fairness compared to the American media. Truly a sad state of affairs.
Military expenditures are a small part of the problem. Massive, uncontrolled government employee hiring
and wage increases, the huge transfer payments to the states keeping surplus teachers and govt employees
on fat payrolls, and the mountains of wasteful spending to the benefit of crony unions and crony capitalists
are the reason for much of the huge debt increase.
Occam
I agree with you however i think it is possible to do both …….start charging for your services!!
start a contract ..hello we are america we notice your in a war and human suffering is involved torture so on and so forth …would you like us to interveen and stop this ? We will gladly do this for a fee if you don’t want us to good luck and god bless. We are open 24/7 don’t be afraid to call us later should you have second thought’s.
Plain and simple.
I do think iti s funny how everyone loves to hate america , but no one can protect themselves from there nieghbours with out the americans help , the reason this is ,is becasue of national defence most countries lean on america there so they can offer SOOOCIAL programs to the bleeding heart fell gooders out there who have a ton of solutions looking for a problem.
I am not sure witch way america will go in the future but if they were to pull all non essential people and bases and resources back home i think you would here a very loud out cry from most countries .
One thing is for sure america cannot kepp going this route period something has got to give, people cannot just excpect america to protect them then slap americans in the face by telling them to mind there own buisness also while doing such there hand is out stretched for more foriegn aid.
Personally i don’t think there is an honest electable candidate up there the best one was herman cain and he was shot down quicker than you could say plantation.
Sorry my opinion is truley that it is not bad enough in america right now , that must be laughable for you reading this but i think iti s true , they are still making bone head decisions putting forth debt cieling raises i mean there is not crisis in america yet …like kate say’s what they need is a real real damn good depression or famine some real big show stopper , cause people are still muckin about prasing obama, so on and so forth so the situation is not dire enough yet so elect him again and then we will see what happens i think obama care will definatly start the ball rolling in 2014 but i think a solid dirty bomb attack and more muslim extremism in america , and perhaps some out side threat liek china (but china knows what is good for it right now and attacking america will surley guarentee a non payment of debt holding ) but someone somethign some where .
I truley don’t think it is bad enough in america right now the tea party are still laughed at and called rasicts, the occupirers are still raping and partying like it is 2011 , the epa is still choosing frivoulous feel good laws over economics across the land , the A.C.L.U. is still busy chipping the ten comandment’s away from court buildings , and removing crosses from public schools , so all is well to me in america .
IT AINT BAD ENOUGH YET!!!
When the Soviet Union folded,
two countries went down with it.
Cuba and North Korea.
Cuba, where nearly 100 percent of the country’s fresh fruit and produce are grown within the country’s borders.
“Cuba has devoted a lot of space to urban agriculture, even growing food atop government buildings and made an effort for many,
many years to grow food locally,” says Grewal, because trade embargoes prevented the nation from importing food,
and the dissolution of the Soviet Union left its citizens unable to import oil for fertilizers and pesticides.
Despite the problems Cuba has with a dictatorial government,
its citizens enjoy abundant access to fresh local food.
Even beyond access to fresh food, “urban agriculture can bring lots of jobs and money to local communities..
I have no comments concerning North Korea.
America needs to impeach Oblamer,
declare bankruptcy,
put our citizens to work growing food,
and start over.
15 years from now we will still be able to feed our population and emerge a stronger,
more independent,
and self sufficient nation..
Drudge’s headline today – STEPHANOPO-MESS – encapsulates it nicely.
MSM partisanship is only matched by the general dumbing-down of the culture. Too many of the moderators are trying to debate the candidates themselves, or else play the Donald Trump / Simon Cowell reality host role.
Too many young people, if they follow politics at all, rely on Jon Stewart for their political attitudes.
Steyn says: “This country is broke, and the unprecedented scale of its brokeness is an existential threat.”
Maurice Strong* said:
“*…In order to save the planet, the group decides: Isn’t the only hope for the planet that the industrialized nations collapse? Isn’t it our responsibility to bring this about?’”
Could the USA be brought down to its knees; thus, bringing down Western civilization? Is this the end game? Is this game afoot? Or, is this a fantasy flom UNaBomber Mao Stlong*, Liberal leader Bob Rae’s uncle Mo?
One “accident”, one last straw, and, ….?
“*Our man in North Korea
by Judi McLeod
January 13, 2003”
http://www.canadafreepress.com/2003/main012003.htm
BTW, Davos meets in about 2 weeks. Agenda is: How To Save Europe.
Is the US media aping Canadian media or are they simply in sinc? Our media twits sure do love the big talking machine, aka, President Obama.
I do not think it would have to be super size to fit Georges head!
“BTW, Davos meets in about 2 weeks. Agenda is: How To Save Europe.”
a few dozen well aimed nukes?
“This country is broke, and the unprecedented scale of its brokeness is an existential threat. Yet, with the exception of Newt’s occasional flashes of contempt for the questioners, everyone else plays along with this absurd game.”
Well except for Ron Paul. But he has been declared unelectable of course. Do you think their might be a connection?
Why should we say ‘no’ to drugs when the government won’t say ‘no’ to spending?
Until they do, we need the drugs.
It’s a joke that this (govt debt) isn’t the ONLY issue being discussed in USA.
Perennial world cop or a sound dollar and debt-free domestic economy – pick one.
I’d give my left nut for a pol who will stand up and say, “That crap doesn’t matter if the world has descended into anarchy. If you don’t like my ideas, don’t vote for me. I’m going to deal with the real issues.”
Personally i don’t think there is an honest electable candidate up there the best one was herman cain and he was shot down quicker than you could say plantation
Z O M G
Has, in the last few hours, SDA morphed into an MSM-like Ron Paul free zone?
Electable? Mitt Flip-flop Romney? A guy who believes that after ignoring the Earth for 1800 years, God sent an angel to a midwest conman to read unseen golden (Moses only got clay,, remember?) tablets, and then said God promptly ignored the Civil War, WWI, WWII, etc.?
Rick Sanctimonious, who couldn’t get re-elected in his home state vs a guy who’s been re-elected 10 times? Whose stance on abortion (WRONG) and gay marriage (WRONG) is more electable than a man who says “let each state decide – it’s not my business or function”?
The Salamander? Never mind the other ethics issues – here’s a guy who treats traditional marriage like an unfashionable suit AND gets all high and mighty about gay marriage? How do you spell hypocrite? I start it N-E-W…
Rick Perry? There’s three reasons why he’s not the one. First, he’s a good looking idiot stuffed into a monkey suit. Second… oops, I forgot.
What is happening here?!?
Yes, the right should take control of the agenda. Here’s how.
(Question)So Mr. Jones, would you take action on abortion.
(Reply) Although I have serious concerns about abortion, I am running to save the economy of the US from the predatory socialist policies of Obama.
This is why I wanted Sarah Palin to run. Figured shed be well groomed for debates by now.
At the very least I was kinda hoping that she would be able to help steer the conversation and keep it on track, but it seems she’s keeping her mouth shut for the most part now. Probably expecting a VP nod and not wanting to step on any toes though…
I wish Newt Gingrich would just take his loot, be thankful he’s never been caught, and go disappear somewhere with McCain into the lost pages of history.
Enough already.
I don’t know which debate Steyn was watching.
Newt Gingrich might have been uncomfortable with the questions, but the only one who managed to turn around the those questions into talking about how the country is broke and the need to cut spending was Ron Paul. Ron Paul said so in the debate! He said that none of the other candidates are talking about cutting spending. They even voted to increase the size of government. While Ron Paul is proposing to cut 1 trillion spending in his first year in office and balance the budget in 3 years.
This a video of yesterday debate’ s highlights. Watch the whole thing but if you can’t listen to Paul’s answer the 13:28 mark:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=SvZ5D_fU39w#!
According to Steyn America is broke and it is in the verge of collapse and none of the anointed GOP candidates talks about it. But he chooses to ignore Ron Paul who is the only candidate that is doing so.
In all fairness to Steyn, if he said anything positive about Ron Paul, he could never again guest host for Limbaugh and Fox News. So he is just looking after his job.
“Pleasing your enemies does not turn them into friends”
I’ve always thought that this slogan sounded like it was written by a kid in grade two.
I watched the debate last night from about five minutes in,and the first thing that struck me was the inanity of the questions.
Unimportant fluff,gay marriage,gay adoption, instead of THE ECONOMY. SDA’ers are right, some one of the candidates should have had the sense and shown the LEADERSHIP to refuse to answer fluff questions.
Leadership requires that you stand up to your foes,and the Press is certainly the “foe” in this case. Leadership means being willing to take the unpopular road when you think it’s necessary.
We have too many politicians that have no opinions or principles,just swing in the breeze. No one on that panel, except Ron Pail, who DID tell the moderator not to argue with him,sought to turn the debate to where it should have been, as per Steyn’s column.
Yes, indeed. To echo many other posters, Ron Paul states loudly and particularly clearly that the USA is broke and extraordinary measures must be taken to bring the spending under control.
Of course, some ramifications of such measures — e.g. decreased military spending and the end to military interventionism, the end of the drug war and other Steyn-endorsed gov’t programs — make Ron Paul an anathema to Mark Steyn and others, so Ron Paul is ignored despite his deep support among voters.
Steyn should be ashamed.
I still don’t think it matters a damn who they nominate. The Republican candidate will win because he’s not Barry. The Republicans will sweep the House and Senate races with Tea Party types. Because they aren’t Democrats.
Stephy Stephanopolis may have forgotten that 15 trillion bucks the USA is in the hole for, but I guarantee you nobody else has.
Yes, the Party of Stupid has let the MSM apparatchiks frame the election. Again. But this time its different, because the general public is leaving the MSM in -droves- the last five years. Nobody is going back to the KoolAid table this year.
In 2016 there may not even -be- a DemocRat party. The Republican Party will be the new far Left and under serious siege from the Tea Party on the Right. I’d LOVE to see that happen. 🙂
This is one of those juggernaut Idea Whose Time Has Come/Shot Heard ‘Round The World things. Anybody who is standing in the road is going to get run over. Steffy Snuffelupagus has boot prints on his face today, right? Right.
It should be an axiom we all learned by grade two. Unfortunately, no.
Mark has always supported this expensive foreign interventionist role but it seems he rails against the debt that such military projects incur. – occam
Steyn understands that, because of culture, you cannot turn Greeks workers into German workers. The EU’s attempts to do this has resulted in a regulatory quagmire and pending economic collapse.
Yet, he and many other conservatives seem to believe – despite centuries of culture, history and religion – that you can turn Muslims nations into Christian democracies.
The Steyn Paradox? The Steyn Enigma?
All of you are mistaken about one thing though. To the uneducated and media brainwashed, gay marriage and adoption ARE the important issues. The left isn’t setting the terms of the ‘debate’ or the ‘election’ we have let them set the terms of political discourse for years. I always assumed that historically republicans assumed that commonsense and logic would prevail, but children are brainwashed now to not have reasoning skills or commonsense (everybody wins is not commonsense).
In the grand scheme of things they’ve been yelling crazy stuff and we’ve been whispering the truth. We have to start getting angry. Tea Party to the rescue. Now lets start yelling and keep yelling and never stop.
Phantom said: I still don’t think it matters a damn who they nominate.
——————————————–
It DOES matter who they nominate.
In the end if they nominate a big government conservative and he wins the election, the population gets the same Keynesian economics and increase in the size of government via entitlements, with the same DISASTROUS economic results, but it is REPACKAGED and REBRANDED as right-wing conservatism to the ignorant masses. So when the inevitable crisis ensues, people get the idea that conservatism brings economic chaos.
Bush was a big government conservative. Bush grew the size of government tremendously and people thought that the crisis that Bush left was a result of ring-wing politics, so they voted overwhelmingly for the left-wing guy only to get more of the same.
So it does matter, not only because of the DISASTROUS economic results, but also because it damages the conservative brand in the eyes of the general public.
Very good Ron Paul presentation video – it highlights some of the other candidates follies that never seem to air:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92OV3RbU3ek&feature=relmfu
Steyn is a great writer, and he’s got a point, but the primary blame for the lack of focus on important issues is not the media it’s the republicans, both the nominees and the (Iowan) GOP base. Many of these are people who seriously think Christianity is under threat from a homosexual agenda. They have themselves to blame for not prioritizing and for being portrayed as the nutjobs they are.
In 2016 there may not even -be- a DemocRat party. The Republican Party will be the new far Left and under serious siege from the Tea Party on the Right. I’d LOVE to see that happen.
I’d love to talk with unicorns bit it isn’t going to happen. The TP already looks pretty faded. ‘Daniel hates RINOS’ sums up all.
“Steyn is a great writer, and he’s got a point, but the primary blame for the lack of focus on important issues is not the media it’s the Republicans…” — libertariansaresmarter
Um, that’s the point – the only point, essentially – that he’s making: that the Republican candidates are to blame for playing along with the media.
If you think Steyn is such a great writer you should actually read what he writes:
Read the column again, libertariansaresmarter – it’s very short. He blames the Republicans for “acquiescing” to the media’s self-considered right to decide what the putative ‘issues’ shall be.
Jen, do you have kids — or do you teach?
I don’t know one grade-two kid, let alone any grade-twelve kid, especially all the ones — virtually all of them — on Facebook, who don’t think that if they please others, enemy or not, they’ll make them friends.
The only kids I know who don’t fall for that propaganda are those who have a strong Christian faith and are, therefore, grounded in their family, church, and community relationships.
Grade-two kids are all about pleasing others; that’s their developmental default.
I guess I just thought about it differently. Steyn sees the media leading the GOP on, but I think the GOP doesn’t need prodding to talk about issues that aren’t important.
Man. What the Repubicans need is a go-for-the-jugular kind of guy like Hudak.
Mark Steyn is a great and incisive writer, but perhaps even better is David Goldman.
His recently-published “It’s Not the End of the World, It’s Just the End of You: The Great Extinction of the Nations” is almost super-Steyn.
Scar @1:00 – “Yes, the right should take control of the agenda.”
Indeed. Not letting CNN talking heads moderate GOP debates would be a start. (I mean, does Megyn Kelly umpire dem blab-fests?)
“Pleasing your enemies does not turn them into friends”
“I’ve always thought that this slogan sounded like it was written by a kid in grade two.”
Posted by: Jen at January 8, 2012 1:25 PM
I bet you have tonnes of other fascinating insights to go along with that, don’t you, Jen? Do you also have a “Well-Bahaved Women Rarely Make History” bumper sticker? Is that bumper-sticker stuck on the rear end of a Prius? I’m conducting sociological research on smug people, so I’d love to subscribe to your newsletter.
“However, the reason for this is the monitarization of debt incurred play the role of world policeman involved in 3 protracted military conflicts which drain the national productivity pool.”
Posted by: Occam
——————————
The entire US defense budget is barely more that the recent increase in the debt ceiling. And I’m sure you’ve noted that in spite of pulling out of Iraq and cutting the defense budget, Obama is still increasing the US budget for next year.
I read that the US Defense budget has doubled since 2000.
and cutting the defense budget
There is no cut do defense spending, only decreases in the rate of increase. US military spending is a big chunk of the budget and plays a role in US fiscal problems.
Uh, Batb? You there? The only kids you know who don’t fall for “that” are what now? They must be Christian?
WOW.
I know you are proud of your way, and that’s fine. But that is almost a Stalinistic/SS type of comment.
My kids are being raised very much on old fashioned values. If they have a problem, they are expected to fix it. They know if they do someone wrong, there will be consequences. They know there are winners and losers. They know their attitude of life is the single most important ingredient to their happiness. They know they will need to work with others, but hold their own values. They are told how lucky they are to be raised in Canada by two very dedicated parents, with a very strong home.
They will not be lead down any path to any organized religion. Should they choose that path after sensible thought and discussion later on, that’s fine.
But they will not fall for any ridiculous propaganda!
There is no cut do defense spending, only decreases in the rate of increase. US military spending is a big chunk of the budget and plays a role in US fiscal problems.
Posted by: LAS
———————————————-
You should pay more attention to the news. They are cutting billions from the defense budget, there will be massive cuts in personel and equipment. Analysts suggest that the US will no longer be able to sustain even a minor foreign war.
Jason: “But they will not fall for any ridiculous propaganda!”
‘Glad to hear it.