Comments on: A New Populism? More and more “Tea Parties” to come, while the liberal media continues to not report on them. http://www.fireandreamitchell.com/2009/02/21/a-new-populism-more-and-more-tea-parties-to-come-while-the-liberal-media-continues-to-not-report-on-them/ Exposing the Andrea Mitchell bias and Media bias in America! - This site is NOT politically correct! Terrorists are actually called terrorists! Sun, 14 Mar 2010 10:07:58 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Wes Johnson http://www.fireandreamitchell.com/2009/02/21/a-new-populism-more-and-more-tea-parties-to-come-while-the-liberal-media-continues-to-not-report-on-them/comment-page-1/#comment-1377 Wes Johnson Wed, 18 Mar 2009 16:06:20 +0000 http://www.fireandreamitchell.com/?p=1992#comment-1377 Obama keeps saying – not implying but stating categorically – that almost every economist from every perspective left and right agree with his spending policies and “stimulus” package. Either Obama is not as brilliant as virtually everyone seems to believe, or he is simply lying to the American people. To begin, let’s verify my first point from an Obama news conference: “I've said is what other (sic) economists have said across the political spectrum, which is that, if you delay acting on an economy of this severity, then you potentially create a negative spiral that becomes much more difficult for us to get out of.” Also: “Most economists almost unanimously recognize that, even if philosophically you're -- you're wary of government intervening in the economy, when you have the kind of problem we have right now -- what started on Wall Street, goes to Main Street, suddenly businesses can't get credit, they start paring back their investment, they start laying off workers, workers start pulling back in terms of spending -- that, when you have that situation, that government is an important element of introducing some additional demand into the economy.” Also: “That's why the figure that we initially came up with of approximately $800 billion was put forward. That wasn't just some random number that I plucked out of -- out of a hat. That was Republican and Democratic, conservative and liberal economists that I spoke to who indicated that, given the magnitude of the crisis and the fact that it's happening worldwide, it's important for us to have a bill of sufficient size and scope that we can save or create 4 million jobs.” Finally: “And, you know, when you talk to economists, there's some general sense of how we're going to move forward. There's some strong consensus about the need for a recovery package of a certain magnitude. There's a strong consensus that you shouldn't put all your eggs in one basket, all tax cuts or all investment, but that there should be a range of approaches.” He doesn’t leave much doubt about his position does he? Most Americans who follow politics are aware of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office’s own analysis of the stimulus package, however: they believe Obama’s plan will do more harm than good. At least four Nobel Laureates have voiced opposition to the plan: Gary Becker, Vernon Smith, James Buchanan, and Ed Prescott. Even Obama’s own National Economic Council Advisor Larry Summers stated in January 2008 that, “poorly provided fiscal stimulus can have worse side effects than the disease that is to be cured . . . fiscal stimulus, to be maximally effective, must be clearly and credibly temporary—with no significant adverse impact on the deficit for more than a year or so after implementation. Otherwise it risks being counterproductive by raising the spectre of enlarged future deficits pushing up longer-term interest rates and undermining confidence and longer-term growth prospects." Clearly, Mr. Summers own position is more akin to that of the CBO than that of Obama. Well what about all the so-called “shovel ready” projects? Those are surely going to provide a big boost, right? Not according to what the President Obama’s own Budget Director, Peter Orszag, said last year: “Large-scale construction projects of any type require years of planning and preparation. Even those that are 'on the shelf' generally cannot be undertaken quickly enough to provide timely stimulus to the economy.” David Brooks writes for the liberal New York Times, and considers himself to be a moderate conservative. Frankly, in most circles Mr. Brooks simply doesn’t qualify as that. He loves to bash the right (people like Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin), and has been known to write lovingly regarding President Obama and the tax cheat Tim Geithner. So Mr. Brooks is inclined to go along with Obama in most matters. In a recent op-ed piece however, even Mr. Brooks is beginning to see through the flowing rhetoric: “. . . the Obama budget is more than just the sum of its parts. There is, entailed in it, a promiscuous unwillingness to set priorities and accept trade-offs. There is evidence of a party swept up in its own revolutionary fervor — caught up in the self-flattering belief that history has called upon it to solve all problems at once. So programs are piled on top of each other and we wind up with a gargantuan $3.6 trillion budget. We end up with deficits that, when considered realistically, are $1 trillion a year and stretch as far as the eye can see. We end up with an agenda that is unexceptional in its parts but that, when taken as a whole, represents a social-engineering experiment that is entirely new. The U.S. has never been a society riven by class resentment. Yet the Obama budget is predicated on a class divide. The president issued a read-my-lips pledge that no new burdens will fall on 95 percent of the American people. All the costs will be borne by the rich and all benefits redistributed downward. Those of us who consider ourselves moderates — moderate-conservative, in my case — are forced to confront the reality that Barack Obama is not who we thought he was. His words are responsible; his character is inspiring. But his actions betray a transformational liberalism that should put every centrist on notice. As Clive Crook, an Obama admirer, wrote in The Financial Times, the Obama budget 'contains no trace of compromise. It makes no gesture, however small, however costless to its larger agenda, of a bipartisan approach to the great questions it addresses. It is a liberal’s dream of a new New Deal.' . . . [I]n the past weeks, Democrats have legislated provisions to dilute welfare reform, restrict the inflow of skilled immigrants and gut a voucher program designed for poor students. It will be up to moderates to raise the alarms against these ideological outrages. But beyond that, moderates will have to sketch out an alternative vision. This is a vision of a nation in which we’re all in it together — in which burdens are shared broadly, rather than simply inflicted upon a small minority. This is a vision of a nation that does not try to build prosperity on a foundation of debt. This is a vision that puts competitiveness and growth first, not redistribution first. Moderates are going to have to try to tamp down the polarizing warfare that is sure to flow from Obama’s über-partisan budget. They will have to face fiscal realities honestly and not base revenue projections on rosy scenarios of a shallow recession and robust growth next year.” Again, this is from an Obama supporter. At least he was before Obama showed his true colors; his true agenda. Obama does not believe in the nation our forefathers believed in. He plans to re-invent our country in the image he and his visionary leftist friends believe in. And while President Bush allowed our budget to get out of control, Obama is taking us down an exponentially more dangerous financial slope. If we allow this to continue, our nation as we know it will be destroyed. Does any one else think Obama’s financial policies are wrong? (Of course, Obama says all economists basically agree with him. What about this ad then which was taken out in major newspapers by leading economists? "There is no disagreement that we need action by our government, a recovery plan that will help to jumpstart the economy." — PRESIDENT-ELECT BARACK OBAMA, JANUARY 9 , 2009 With all due respect Mr. President, that is not true. Notwithstanding reports that all economists are now Keynesians and that we all support a big increase in the burden of government, we do not believe that more government spending is a way to improve economic performance. More government spending by Hoover and Roosevelt did not pull the United States economy out of the Great Depression in the 1930s. More government spending did not solve Japan's “lost decade” in the 1990s. As such, it is a triumph of hope over experience to believe that more government spending will help the U.S. today. To improve the economy, policy makers should focus on reforms that remove impediments to work, saving, investment and production. Lower tax rates and a reduction in the burden of government are the best ways of using fiscal policy to boost growth. Burton Abrams, Univ. of Delaware Douglas Adie, Ohio University Ryan Amacher, Univ. of Texas at Arlington J.J. Arias, Georgia College & State University Howard Baetjer, Jr., Towson University Stacie Beck, Univ. of Delaware Don Bellante, Univ. of South Florida James Bennett, George Mason University Bruce Benson, Florida State University Sanjai Bhagat, Univ. of Colorado at Boulder Mark Bils, Univ. of Rochester Alberto Bisin, New York University Walter Block, Loyola University New Orleans Cecil Bohanon, Ball State University Michele Boldrin, Washington University in St. Louis Donald Booth, Chapman University Michael Bordo, Rutgers University Samuel Bostaph, Univ. of Dallas Scott Bradford, Brigham Young University Genevieve Briand, Eastern Washington University George Brower, Moravian College James Buchanan, Nobel laureate Richard Burdekin, Claremont McKenna College Henry Butler, Northwestern University William Butos, Trinity College Peter Calcagno, College of Charleston Bryan Caplan, George Mason University Art Carden, Rhodes College James Cardon, Brigham Young University Dustin Chambers, Salisbury University Emily Chamlee-Wright, Beloit College V.V. Chari, Univ. of Minnesota Barry Chiswick, Univ. of Illinois at Chicago Lawrence Cima, John Carroll University J.R. Clark, Univ. of Tennessee at Chattanooga Gian Luca Clementi, New York University R. Morris Coats, Nicholls State University John Cochran, Metropolitan State College John Cochrane, Univ. of Chicago John Cogan, Hoover Institution, Stanford University John Coleman, Duke University Boyd Collier, Tarleton State University Robert Collinge, Univ. of Texas at San Antonio Lee Coppock, Univ. of Virginia Mario Crucini, Vanderbilt University Christopher Culp, Univ. of Chicago Kirby Cundiff, Northeastern State University Antony Davies, Duquesne University John Dawson, Appalachian State University Clarence Deitsch, Ball State University Arthur Diamond, Jr., Univ. of Nebraska at Omaha John Dobra, Univ. of Nevada, Reno James Dorn, Towson University Christopher Douglas, Univ. of Michigan, Flint Floyd Duncan, Virginia Military Institute Francis Egan, Trinity College John Egger, Towson University Kenneth Elzinga, Univ. of Virginia Paul Evans, Ohio State University Eugene Fama, Univ. of Chicago W. Ken Farr, Georgia College & State University Hartmut Fischer, Univ. of San Francisco Fred Foldvary, Santa Clara University Murray Frank, Univ. of Minnesota Peter Frank, Wingate University Timothy Fuerst, Bowling Green State University B. Delworth Gardner, Brigham Young University John Garen, Univ. of Kentucky Rick Geddes, Cornell University Aaron Gellman, Northwestern University William Gerdes, Clarke College Michael Gibbs, Univ. of Chicago Stephan Gohmann, Univ. of Louisville Rodolfo Gonzalez, San Jose State University Richard Gordon, Penn State University Peter Gordon, Univ. of Southern California Ernie Goss, Creighton University Paul Gregory, Univ. of Houston Earl Grinols, Baylor University Daniel Gropper, Auburn University R.W. Hafer, Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville Arthur Hall, Univ. of Kansas Steve Hanke, Johns Hopkins Stephen Happel, Arizona State University Frank Hefner, College of Charleston Ronald Heiner, George Mason University David Henderson, Hoover Institution, Stanford University Robert Herren, North Dakota State University Gailen Hite, Columbia University Steven Horwitz, St. Lawrence University John Howe, Univ. of Missouri, Columbia Jeffrey Hummel, San Jose State University Bruce Hutchinson, Univ. of Tennessee at Chattanooga Brian Jacobsen, Wisconsin Lutheran College Jason Johnston, Univ. of Pennsylvania Boyan Jovanovic, New York University Jonathan Karpoff, Univ. of Washington Barry Keating, Univ. of Notre Dame Naveen Khanna, Michigan State University Nicholas Kiefer, Cornell University Daniel Klein, George Mason University Paul Koch, Univ. of Kansas Narayana Kocherlakota, Univ. of Minnesota Marek Kolar, Delta College Roger Koppl, Fairleigh Dickinson University Kishore Kulkarni, Metropolitan State College of Denver Deepak Lal, UCLA George Langelett, South Dakota State University James Larriviere, Spring Hill College Robert Lawson, Auburn University John Levendis, Loyola University New Orleans David Levine, Washington University in St. Louis Peter Lewin, Univ. of Texas at Dallas Dean Lillard, Cornell University Zheng Liu, Emory University Alan Lockard, Binghampton University Edward Lopez, San Jose State University John Lunn, Hope College Glenn MacDonald, Washington University in St. Louis Michael Marlow, California Polytechnic State University Deryl Martin, Tennessee Tech University Dale Matcheck, Northwood University Deirdre McCloskey, Univ. of Illinois, Chicago John McDermott, Univ. of South Carolina Joseph McGarrity, Univ. of Central Arkansas Roger Meiners, Univ. of Texas at Arlington Allan Meltzer, Carnegie Mellon University John Merrifield, Univ. of Texas at San Antonio James Miller III, George Mason University Jeffrey Miron, Harvard University Thomas Moeller, Texas Christian University John Moorhouse, Wake Forest University Andrea Moro, Vanderbilt University Andrew Morriss, Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Michael Munger, Duke University Kevin Murphy, Univ. of Southern California Richard Muth, Emory University Charles Nelson, Univ. of Washington Seth Norton, Wheaton College Lee Ohanian, Univ. of California, Los Angeles Lydia Ortega, San Jose State University Evan Osborne, Wright State University Randall Parker, East Carolina University Donald Parsons, George Washington University Sam Peltzman, Univ. of Chicago Mark Perry, Univ. of Michigan, Flint Christopher Phelan, Univ. of Minnesota Gordon Phillips, Univ. of Maryland Michael Pippenger, Univ. of Alaska, Fairbanks Tomasz Piskorski, Columbia University Brennan Platt, Brigham Young University Joseph Pomykala, Towson University William Poole, Univ. of Delaware Barry Poulson, Univ. of Colorado at Boulder Benjamin Powell, Suffolk University Edward Prescott, Nobel laureate Gary Quinlivan, Saint Vincent College Reza Ramazani, Saint Michael's College Adriano Rampini, Duke University Eric Rasmusen, Indiana University Mario Rizzo, New York University Richard Roll, Univ. of California, Los Angeles Robert Rossana, Wayne State University James Roumasset, Univ. of Hawaii at Manoa John Rowe, Univ. of South Florida Charles Rowley, George Mason University Juan Rubio-Ramirez, Duke University Roy Ruffin, Univ. of Houston Kevin Salyer, Univ. of California, Davis Pavel Savor, Univ. of Pennsylvania Ronald Schmidt, Univ. of Rochester Carlos Seiglie, Rutgers University William Shughart II, Univ. of Mississippi Charles Skipton, Univ. of Tampa James Smith, Western Carolina University Vernon Smith, Nobel laureate Lawrence Southwick, Jr., Univ. at Buffalo Dean Stansel, Florida Gulf Coast University Houston Stokes, Univ. of Illinois at Chicago Brian Strow, Western Kentucky University Shirley Svorny, California State University, Northridge John Tatom, Indiana State University Wade Thomas, State University of New York at Oneonta Henry Thompson, Auburn University Alex Tokarev, The King's College Edward Tower, Duke University Leo Troy, Rutgers University David Tuerck, Suffolk University Charlotte Twight, Boise State University Kamal Upadhyaya, Univ. of New Haven Charles Upton, Kent State University T. Norman Van Cott, Ball State University Richard Vedder, Ohio University Richard Wagner, George Mason University Douglas M. Walker, College of Charleston Douglas O. Walker, Regent University Christopher Westley, Jacksonville State University Lawrence White, Univ. of Missouri at St. Louis Walter Williams, George Mason University Doug Wills, Univ. of Washington Tacoma Dennis Wilson, Western Kentucky University Gary Wolfram, Hillsdale College Huizhong Zhou, Western Michigan University Additional economists who have signed the statement Lee Adkins, Oklahoma State University William Albrecht, Univ. of Iowa Donald Alexander, Western Michigan University Geoffrey Andron, Austin Community College Nathan Ashby, Univ. of Texas at El Paso George Averitt, Purdue North Central University Charles Baird, California State University, East Bay Timothy Bastian, Creighton University Joe Bell, Missouri State University, Springfield John Bethune, Barton College Robert Bise, Orange Coast College Karl Borden, University of Nebraska Donald Boudreaux, George Mason University Ivan Brick, Rutgers University Phil Bryson, Brigham Young University Richard Burkhauser, Cornell University Edwin Burton, Univ. of Virginia Jim Butkiewicz, Univ. of Delaware Richard Cebula, Armstrong Atlantic State University Don Chance, Louisiana State University Robert Chatfield, Univ. of Nevada, Las Vegas Lloyd Cohen, George Mason University Peter Colwell, Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Michael Connolly, Univ. of Miami Jim Couch, Univ. of North Alabama Eleanor Craig, Univ. of Delaware Michael Daniels, Columbus State University A. Edward Day, Univ. of Texas at Dallas Stephen Dempsey, Univ. of Vermont Veronique de Rugy, George Mason University Allan DeSerpa, Arizona State University William Dewald, Ohio State University Jeff Dorfman, Univ. of Georgia Lanny Ebenstein, Univ. of California, Santa Barbara Michael Erickson, The College of Idaho Jack Estill, San Jose State University Dorla Evans, Univ. of Alabama in Huntsville Frank Falero, California State University, Bakersfield Daniel Feenberg, National Bureau of Economic Research Eric Fisher, California Polytechnic State University Arthur Fleisher, Metropolitan State College of Denver William Ford, Middle Tennessee State University Ralph Frasca, Univ. of Dayton Joseph Giacalone, St. John's University Adam Gifford, California State Unviersity, Northridge Otis Gilley, Louisiana Tech University J. Edward Graham, University of North Carolina at Wilmington Richard Grant, Lipscomb University William Green, Sam Houston State University Kenneth Greene, Binghamton University Gauri-Shankar Guha, Arkansas State University Darren Gulla, Univ. of Kentucky Dennis Halcoussis, California State University, Northridge Richard Hart, Miami University James Hartley, Mount Holyoke College Thomas Hazlett, George Mason University Scott Hein, Texas Tech University Bradley Hobbs, Florida Gulf Coast University John Hoehn, Michigan State University Matt Holian, San Jose State University Daniel Houser, George Mason University Thomas Howard, University of Denver Chris Hughen, Univ. of Denver Marcus Ingram, Univ. of Tampa Joseph Jadlow, Oklahoma State University Sherry Jarrell, Wake Forest University Scott Kelly, Albany State University Carrie Kerekes, Florida Gulf Coast University Robert Krol, California State University, Northridge James Kurre, Penn State Erie Peter Leeson, George Mason University Tom Lehman, Indiana Wesleyan University W. Cris Lewis, Utah State University Stan Liebowitz, Univ. of Texas at Dallas Anthony Losasso, Univ. of Illinois at Chicago John Lott, Jr., Univ. of Maryland Keith Malone, Univ. of North Alabama Henry Manne, George Mason University Richard Marcus, Univ. of Wisconsin-Milwaukee James Barney Marsh, University of Hawaii at Manoa Timothy Mathews, Kennesaw State University John Matsusaka, Univ. of Southern California Thomas Mayor, Univ. of Houston John McConnell, Purdue University W. Douglas McMillin, Louisiana State University Mario Miranda, The Ohio State University Ed Miseta, Penn State Erie James Moncur, Univ. of Hawaii at Manoa Charles Moss, Univ. of Florida Tim Muris, George Mason University John Murray, Univ. of Toledo David Mustard, Univ. of Georgia Steven Myers, Univ. of Akron Dhananjay Nanda, University of Miami Stephen Parente, Univ. of Minnesota Allen Parkman, Univ. of New Mexico Douglas Patterson, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and University Timothy Perri, Appalachian State University Mark Pingle, Univ. of Nevada, Reno Ivan Pongracic, Hillsdale College Robert Prati, East Carolina University Richard Rawlins, Missouri Southern State University Thomas Rhee, California State University, Long Beach Christine Ries, Georgia Institute of Technology Nancy Roberts, Arizona State University Larry Ross, Univ. of Alaska Anchorage Timothy Roth, Univ. of Texas at El Paso Atulya Sarin, Santa Clara University Thomas Saving, Texas A&M University Eric Schansberg, Indiana University Southeast John Seater, North Carolina University Alan Shapiro, Univ. of Southern California Thomas Simmons, Greenfield Community College W. James Smith, University of Colorado Denver Frank Spreng, McKendree University Judith Staley Brenneke, John Carroll University John E. Stapleford, Eastern University Courtenay Stone, Ball State University Avanidhar Subrahmanyam, UCLA Scott Sumner, Bentley University Clifford Thies, Shenandoah University William Trumbull, West Virginia University A. Sinan Unur, Cornell University Randall Valentine, Georgia Southwestern State University Gustavo Ventura, Univ. of Iowa Marc Weidenmier, Claremont McKenna College Robert Whaples, Wake Forest University Gene Wunder, Washburn University John Zdanowicz, Florida International University Jerry Zimmerman, Univ. of Rochester Joseph Zoric, Franciscan University of Steubenville Obama keeps saying – not implying but stating categorically – that almost every economist from every perspective left and right agree with his spending policies and “stimulus” package. Either Obama is not as brilliant as virtually everyone seems to believe, or he is simply lying to the American people. To begin, let’s verify my first point from an Obama news conference:

“I’ve said is what other (sic) economists have said across the political spectrum, which is that, if you delay acting on an economy of this severity, then you potentially create a negative spiral that becomes much more difficult for us to get out of.”
Also:
“Most economists almost unanimously recognize that, even if philosophically you’re — you’re wary of government intervening in the economy, when you have the kind of problem we have right now — what started on Wall Street, goes to Main Street, suddenly businesses can’t get credit, they start paring back their investment, they start laying off workers, workers start pulling back in terms of spending — that, when you have that situation, that government is an important element of introducing some additional demand into the economy.”
Also:
“That’s why the figure that we initially came up with of approximately $800 billion was put forward. That wasn’t just some random number that I plucked out of — out of a hat. That was Republican and Democratic, conservative and liberal economists that I spoke to who indicated that, given the magnitude of the crisis and the fact that it’s happening worldwide, it’s important for us to have a bill of sufficient size and scope that we can save or create 4 million jobs.”
Finally:
“And, you know, when you talk to economists, there’s some general sense of how we’re going to move forward. There’s some strong consensus about the need for a recovery package of a certain magnitude. There’s a strong consensus that you shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket, all tax cuts or all investment, but that there should be a range of approaches.”

He doesn’t leave much doubt about his position does he? Most Americans who follow politics are aware of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office’s own analysis of the stimulus package, however: they believe Obama’s plan will do more harm than good. At least four Nobel Laureates have voiced opposition to the plan: Gary Becker, Vernon Smith, James Buchanan, and Ed Prescott. Even Obama’s own National Economic Council Advisor Larry Summers stated in January 2008 that, “poorly provided fiscal stimulus can have worse side effects than the disease that is to be cured . . . fiscal stimulus, to be maximally effective, must be clearly and credibly temporary—with no significant adverse impact on the deficit for more than a year or so after implementation. Otherwise it risks being counterproductive by raising the spectre of enlarged future deficits pushing up longer-term interest rates and undermining confidence and longer-term growth prospects.” Clearly, Mr. Summers own position is more akin to that of the CBO than that of Obama.

Well what about all the so-called “shovel ready” projects? Those are surely going to provide a big boost, right? Not according to what the President Obama’s own Budget Director, Peter Orszag, said last year: “Large-scale construction projects of any type require years of planning and preparation. Even those that are ‘on the shelf’ generally cannot be undertaken quickly enough to provide timely stimulus to the economy.”

David Brooks writes for the liberal New York Times, and considers himself to be a moderate conservative. Frankly, in most circles Mr. Brooks simply doesn’t qualify as that. He loves to bash the right (people like Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin), and has been known to write lovingly regarding President Obama and the tax cheat Tim Geithner. So Mr. Brooks is inclined to go along with Obama in most matters. In a recent op-ed piece however, even Mr. Brooks is beginning to see through the flowing rhetoric:

“. . . the Obama budget is more than just the sum of its parts. There is, entailed in it, a promiscuous unwillingness to set priorities and accept trade-offs. There is evidence of a party swept up in its own revolutionary fervor — caught up in the self-flattering belief that history has called upon it to solve all problems at once.

So programs are piled on top of each other and we wind up with a gargantuan $3.6 trillion budget. We end up with deficits that, when considered realistically, are $1 trillion a year and stretch as far as the eye can see. We end up with an agenda that is unexceptional in its parts but that, when taken as a whole, represents a social-engineering experiment that is entirely new.

The U.S. has never been a society riven by class resentment. Yet the Obama budget is predicated on a class divide. The president issued a read-my-lips pledge that no new burdens will fall on 95 percent of the American people. All the costs will be borne by the rich and all benefits redistributed downward.

Those of us who consider ourselves moderates — moderate-conservative, in my case — are forced to confront the reality that Barack Obama is not who we thought he was. His words are responsible; his character is inspiring. But his actions betray a transformational liberalism that should put every centrist on notice. As Clive Crook, an Obama admirer, wrote in The Financial Times, the Obama budget ‘contains no trace of compromise. It makes no gesture, however small, however costless to its larger agenda, of a bipartisan approach to the great questions it addresses. It is a liberal’s dream of a new New Deal.’

. . . [I]n the past weeks, Democrats have legislated provisions to dilute welfare reform, restrict the inflow of skilled immigrants and gut a voucher program designed for poor students. It will be up to moderates to raise the alarms against these ideological outrages.

But beyond that, moderates will have to sketch out an alternative vision. This is a vision of a nation in which we’re all in it together — in which burdens are shared broadly, rather than simply inflicted upon a small minority. This is a vision of a nation that does not try to build prosperity on a foundation of debt. This is a vision that puts competitiveness and growth first, not redistribution first.

Moderates are going to have to try to tamp down the polarizing warfare that is sure to flow from Obama’s über-partisan budget. They will have to face fiscal realities honestly and not base revenue projections on rosy scenarios of a shallow recession and robust growth next year.”

Again, this is from an Obama supporter. At least he was before Obama showed his true colors; his true agenda. Obama does not believe in the nation our forefathers believed in. He plans to re-invent our country in the image he and his visionary leftist friends believe in. And while President Bush allowed our budget to get out of control, Obama is taking us down an exponentially more dangerous financial slope. If we allow this to continue, our nation as we know it will be destroyed. Does any one else think Obama’s financial policies are wrong? (Of course, Obama says all economists basically agree with him. What about this ad then which was taken out in major newspapers by leading economists?

“There is no disagreement that we need action by our government, a recovery plan that will help to jumpstart the economy.”
— PRESIDENT-ELECT BARACK OBAMA, JANUARY 9 , 2009
With all due respect Mr. President, that is not true.
Notwithstanding reports that all economists are now Keynesians and that we all support a big increase in the burden of government, we do not believe that more government spending is a way to improve economic performance. More government spending by Hoover and Roosevelt did not pull the United States economy out of the Great Depression in the 1930s. More government spending did not solve Japan’s “lost decade” in the 1990s. As such, it is a triumph of hope over experience to believe that more government spending will help the U.S. today. To improve the economy, policy makers should focus on reforms that remove impediments to work, saving, investment and production. Lower tax rates and a reduction in the burden of government are the best ways of using fiscal policy to boost growth.
Burton Abrams, Univ. of Delaware
Douglas Adie, Ohio University
Ryan Amacher, Univ. of Texas at Arlington
J.J. Arias, Georgia College & State University
Howard Baetjer, Jr., Towson University
Stacie Beck, Univ. of Delaware
Don Bellante, Univ. of South Florida
James Bennett, George Mason University
Bruce Benson, Florida State University
Sanjai Bhagat, Univ. of Colorado at Boulder
Mark Bils, Univ. of Rochester
Alberto Bisin, New York University
Walter Block, Loyola University New Orleans
Cecil Bohanon, Ball State University
Michele Boldrin, Washington University in St. Louis
Donald Booth, Chapman University
Michael Bordo, Rutgers University
Samuel Bostaph, Univ. of Dallas
Scott Bradford, Brigham Young University
Genevieve Briand, Eastern Washington University
George Brower, Moravian College
James Buchanan, Nobel laureate
Richard Burdekin, Claremont McKenna College
Henry Butler, Northwestern University
William Butos, Trinity College
Peter Calcagno, College of Charleston
Bryan Caplan, George Mason University
Art Carden, Rhodes College
James Cardon, Brigham Young University
Dustin Chambers, Salisbury University
Emily Chamlee-Wright, Beloit College
V.V. Chari, Univ. of Minnesota
Barry Chiswick, Univ. of Illinois at Chicago
Lawrence Cima, John Carroll University
J.R. Clark, Univ. of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Gian Luca Clementi, New York University
R. Morris Coats, Nicholls State University
John Cochran, Metropolitan State College
John Cochrane, Univ. of Chicago
John Cogan, Hoover Institution, Stanford University
John Coleman, Duke University
Boyd Collier, Tarleton State University
Robert Collinge, Univ. of Texas at San Antonio
Lee Coppock, Univ. of Virginia
Mario Crucini, Vanderbilt University
Christopher Culp, Univ. of Chicago
Kirby Cundiff, Northeastern State University
Antony Davies, Duquesne University
John Dawson, Appalachian State University
Clarence Deitsch, Ball State University
Arthur Diamond, Jr., Univ. of Nebraska at Omaha
John Dobra, Univ. of Nevada, Reno
James Dorn, Towson University
Christopher Douglas, Univ. of Michigan, Flint
Floyd Duncan, Virginia Military Institute
Francis Egan, Trinity College
John Egger, Towson University
Kenneth Elzinga, Univ. of Virginia
Paul Evans, Ohio State University
Eugene Fama, Univ. of Chicago
W. Ken Farr, Georgia College & State University
Hartmut Fischer, Univ. of San Francisco
Fred Foldvary, Santa Clara University
Murray Frank, Univ. of Minnesota
Peter Frank, Wingate University
Timothy Fuerst, Bowling Green State University
B. Delworth Gardner, Brigham Young University
John Garen, Univ. of Kentucky
Rick Geddes, Cornell University
Aaron Gellman, Northwestern University
William Gerdes, Clarke College
Michael Gibbs, Univ. of Chicago
Stephan Gohmann, Univ. of Louisville
Rodolfo Gonzalez, San Jose State University
Richard Gordon, Penn State University
Peter Gordon, Univ. of Southern California
Ernie Goss, Creighton University
Paul Gregory, Univ. of Houston
Earl Grinols, Baylor University
Daniel Gropper, Auburn University
R.W. Hafer, Southern Illinois
University, Edwardsville
Arthur Hall, Univ. of Kansas
Steve Hanke, Johns Hopkins
Stephen Happel, Arizona State University
Frank Hefner, College of Charleston
Ronald Heiner, George Mason University
David Henderson, Hoover Institution, Stanford University
Robert Herren, North Dakota State University
Gailen Hite, Columbia University
Steven Horwitz, St. Lawrence University
John Howe, Univ. of Missouri, Columbia
Jeffrey Hummel, San Jose State University
Bruce Hutchinson, Univ. of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Brian Jacobsen, Wisconsin Lutheran College
Jason Johnston, Univ. of Pennsylvania
Boyan Jovanovic, New York University
Jonathan Karpoff, Univ. of Washington
Barry Keating, Univ. of Notre Dame
Naveen Khanna, Michigan State University
Nicholas Kiefer, Cornell University
Daniel Klein, George Mason University
Paul Koch, Univ. of Kansas
Narayana Kocherlakota, Univ. of Minnesota
Marek Kolar, Delta College
Roger Koppl, Fairleigh Dickinson University
Kishore Kulkarni, Metropolitan State College of Denver
Deepak Lal, UCLA
George Langelett, South Dakota State University
James Larriviere, Spring Hill College
Robert Lawson, Auburn University
John Levendis, Loyola University New Orleans
David Levine, Washington University in St. Louis
Peter Lewin, Univ. of Texas at Dallas
Dean Lillard, Cornell University
Zheng Liu, Emory University
Alan Lockard, Binghampton University
Edward Lopez, San Jose State University
John Lunn, Hope College
Glenn MacDonald, Washington
University in St. Louis
Michael Marlow, California
Polytechnic State University
Deryl Martin, Tennessee Tech University
Dale Matcheck, Northwood University
Deirdre McCloskey, Univ. of Illinois, Chicago
John McDermott, Univ. of South Carolina
Joseph McGarrity, Univ. of Central Arkansas
Roger Meiners, Univ. of Texas at Arlington
Allan Meltzer, Carnegie Mellon University
John Merrifield, Univ. of Texas at San Antonio
James Miller III, George Mason University
Jeffrey Miron, Harvard University
Thomas Moeller, Texas Christian University
John Moorhouse, Wake Forest University
Andrea Moro, Vanderbilt University
Andrew Morriss, Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Michael Munger, Duke University
Kevin Murphy, Univ. of Southern California
Richard Muth, Emory University
Charles Nelson, Univ. of Washington
Seth Norton, Wheaton College
Lee Ohanian, Univ. of California, Los Angeles
Lydia Ortega, San Jose State University
Evan Osborne, Wright State University
Randall Parker, East Carolina University
Donald Parsons, George Washington University
Sam Peltzman, Univ. of Chicago
Mark Perry, Univ. of Michigan, Flint
Christopher Phelan, Univ. of Minnesota
Gordon Phillips, Univ. of Maryland
Michael Pippenger, Univ. of Alaska, Fairbanks
Tomasz Piskorski, Columbia University
Brennan Platt, Brigham Young University
Joseph Pomykala, Towson University
William Poole, Univ. of Delaware
Barry Poulson, Univ. of Colorado at Boulder
Benjamin Powell, Suffolk University
Edward Prescott, Nobel laureate
Gary Quinlivan, Saint Vincent College
Reza Ramazani, Saint Michael’s College
Adriano Rampini, Duke University
Eric Rasmusen, Indiana University
Mario Rizzo, New York University
Richard Roll, Univ. of California, Los Angeles
Robert Rossana, Wayne State University
James Roumasset, Univ. of Hawaii at Manoa
John Rowe, Univ. of South Florida
Charles Rowley, George Mason University
Juan Rubio-Ramirez, Duke University
Roy Ruffin, Univ. of Houston
Kevin Salyer, Univ. of California, Davis
Pavel Savor, Univ. of Pennsylvania
Ronald Schmidt, Univ. of Rochester
Carlos Seiglie, Rutgers University
William Shughart II, Univ. of Mississippi
Charles Skipton, Univ. of Tampa
James Smith, Western Carolina University
Vernon Smith, Nobel laureate
Lawrence Southwick, Jr., Univ. at Buffalo
Dean Stansel, Florida Gulf Coast University
Houston Stokes, Univ. of Illinois at Chicago
Brian Strow, Western Kentucky University
Shirley Svorny, California State
University, Northridge
John Tatom, Indiana State University
Wade Thomas, State University of New York at Oneonta
Henry Thompson, Auburn University
Alex Tokarev, The King’s College
Edward Tower, Duke University
Leo Troy, Rutgers University
David Tuerck, Suffolk University
Charlotte Twight, Boise State University
Kamal Upadhyaya, Univ. of New Haven
Charles Upton, Kent State University
T. Norman Van Cott, Ball State University
Richard Vedder, Ohio University
Richard Wagner, George Mason University
Douglas M. Walker, College of Charleston
Douglas O. Walker, Regent University
Christopher Westley, Jacksonville State University
Lawrence White, Univ. of Missouri at St. Louis
Walter Williams, George Mason University
Doug Wills, Univ. of Washington Tacoma
Dennis Wilson, Western Kentucky University
Gary Wolfram, Hillsdale College
Huizhong Zhou, Western Michigan University
Additional economists who have signed the statement
Lee Adkins, Oklahoma State University
William Albrecht, Univ. of Iowa
Donald Alexander, Western Michigan University
Geoffrey Andron, Austin Community College
Nathan Ashby, Univ. of Texas at El Paso
George Averitt, Purdue North Central University
Charles Baird, California State University, East Bay
Timothy Bastian, Creighton University
Joe Bell, Missouri State University, Springfield
John Bethune, Barton College
Robert Bise, Orange Coast College
Karl Borden, University of Nebraska
Donald Boudreaux, George Mason University
Ivan Brick, Rutgers University
Phil Bryson, Brigham Young University
Richard Burkhauser, Cornell University
Edwin Burton, Univ. of Virginia
Jim Butkiewicz, Univ. of Delaware
Richard Cebula, Armstrong Atlantic State University
Don Chance, Louisiana State University
Robert Chatfield, Univ. of Nevada, Las Vegas
Lloyd Cohen, George Mason University
Peter Colwell, Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Michael Connolly, Univ. of Miami
Jim Couch, Univ. of North Alabama
Eleanor Craig, Univ. of Delaware
Michael Daniels, Columbus State University
A. Edward Day, Univ. of Texas at Dallas
Stephen Dempsey, Univ. of Vermont
Veronique de Rugy, George Mason University
Allan DeSerpa, Arizona State University
William Dewald, Ohio State University
Jeff Dorfman, Univ. of Georgia
Lanny Ebenstein, Univ. of California, Santa Barbara
Michael Erickson, The College of Idaho
Jack Estill, San Jose State University
Dorla Evans, Univ. of Alabama in Huntsville
Frank Falero, California State University, Bakersfield
Daniel Feenberg, National Bureau of Economic Research
Eric Fisher, California Polytechnic State University
Arthur Fleisher, Metropolitan State College of Denver
William Ford, Middle Tennessee State University
Ralph Frasca, Univ. of Dayton
Joseph Giacalone, St. John’s University
Adam Gifford, California State Unviersity, Northridge
Otis Gilley, Louisiana Tech University
J. Edward Graham, University of North Carolina at Wilmington
Richard Grant, Lipscomb University
William Green, Sam Houston State University
Kenneth Greene, Binghamton University
Gauri-Shankar Guha, Arkansas State University
Darren Gulla, Univ. of Kentucky
Dennis Halcoussis, California State University, Northridge
Richard Hart, Miami University
James Hartley, Mount Holyoke College
Thomas Hazlett, George Mason University
Scott Hein, Texas Tech University
Bradley Hobbs, Florida Gulf Coast University
John Hoehn, Michigan State University
Matt Holian, San Jose State University
Daniel Houser, George Mason University
Thomas Howard, University of Denver
Chris Hughen, Univ. of Denver
Marcus Ingram, Univ. of Tampa
Joseph Jadlow, Oklahoma State University
Sherry Jarrell, Wake Forest University
Scott Kelly, Albany State University
Carrie Kerekes, Florida Gulf Coast University
Robert Krol, California State University, Northridge
James Kurre, Penn State Erie
Peter Leeson, George Mason University
Tom Lehman, Indiana Wesleyan University
W. Cris Lewis, Utah State University
Stan Liebowitz, Univ. of Texas at Dallas
Anthony Losasso, Univ. of Illinois at Chicago
John Lott, Jr., Univ. of Maryland
Keith Malone, Univ. of North Alabama
Henry Manne, George Mason University
Richard Marcus, Univ. of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
James Barney Marsh, University of Hawaii at Manoa
Timothy Mathews, Kennesaw State University
John Matsusaka, Univ. of Southern California
Thomas Mayor, Univ. of Houston
John McConnell, Purdue University
W. Douglas McMillin, Louisiana State University
Mario Miranda, The Ohio State University
Ed Miseta, Penn State Erie
James Moncur, Univ. of Hawaii at Manoa
Charles Moss, Univ. of Florida
Tim Muris, George Mason University
John Murray, Univ. of Toledo
David Mustard, Univ. of Georgia
Steven Myers, Univ. of Akron
Dhananjay Nanda, University of Miami
Stephen Parente, Univ. of Minnesota
Allen Parkman, Univ. of New Mexico
Douglas Patterson, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and University
Timothy Perri, Appalachian State University
Mark Pingle, Univ. of Nevada, Reno
Ivan Pongracic, Hillsdale College
Robert Prati, East Carolina University
Richard Rawlins, Missouri Southern State University
Thomas Rhee, California State University, Long Beach
Christine Ries, Georgia Institute of Technology
Nancy Roberts, Arizona State University
Larry Ross, Univ. of Alaska Anchorage
Timothy Roth, Univ. of Texas at El Paso
Atulya Sarin, Santa Clara University
Thomas Saving, Texas A&M University
Eric Schansberg, Indiana University Southeast
John Seater, North Carolina University
Alan Shapiro, Univ. of Southern California
Thomas Simmons, Greenfield Community College
W. James Smith, University of Colorado Denver
Frank Spreng, McKendree University
Judith Staley Brenneke, John Carroll University
John E. Stapleford, Eastern University
Courtenay Stone, Ball State University
Avanidhar Subrahmanyam, UCLA
Scott Sumner, Bentley University
Clifford Thies, Shenandoah University
William Trumbull, West Virginia University
A. Sinan Unur, Cornell University
Randall Valentine, Georgia Southwestern State University
Gustavo Ventura, Univ. of Iowa
Marc Weidenmier, Claremont McKenna College
Robert Whaples, Wake Forest University
Gene Wunder, Washburn University
John Zdanowicz, Florida International University
Jerry Zimmerman, Univ. of Rochester
Joseph Zoric, Franciscan University of Steubenville

]]> By: Michelle Malkin: Tea Party U.S.A.: The movement grows Time To Unite America Legal Citizens Voters : Illegal Illegals Report Call ICE 1-866-DHS-2ICE Report Employers Call ICE 1-866-347-2423 “No Amnesty” English National Language http://www.fireandreamitchell.com/2009/02/21/a-new-populism-more-and-more-tea-parties-to-come-while-the-liberal-media-continues-to-not-report-on-them/comment-page-1/#comment-989 Michelle Malkin: Tea Party U.S.A.: The movement grows Time To Unite America Legal Citizens Voters : Illegal Illegals Report Call ICE 1-866-DHS-2ICE Report Employers Call ICE 1-866-347-2423 “No Amnesty” English National Language Sun, 22 Feb 2009 05:30:44 +0000 http://www.fireandreamitchell.com/?p=1992#comment-989 [...] A New Populism? More and more “Tea Parties” to come, while the liberal media continues to not re... [...] [...] A New Populism? More and more “Tea Parties” to come, while the liberal media continues to not re… [...]

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