Club for Growth

America's Most Affordable Places to Retire

Andrew Roth

Forbes has the list, but they don't include Florida???

Posted at 6:00 PM, August 27, 2008 | Trackback (0) | Print | | #

Instant Replay in Baseball

Andrew Roth

I'm a huge traditionalist when it comes to baseball. I hate the designated hitter, aluminum bats, and Astroturf (although I'm indifferent towards Fieldturf).

That said, I'm okay with MLB's new experiment with instant replay. The above abominations distort the game, making it an ugly mutation of its former self. But with instant replay, baseball remains true to itself, it just makes the on-field decisions more precise, which is what everyone wants in the first place.

David Keating, our executive director and a baseball fan himself, may disagree, but I'm okay with it. Bring it on, I say.

Posted at 5:46 PM, August 27, 2008 | Trackback (0) | Print | | #

Defiance in New York

Andrew Roth

An online merchant, Newegg, is refusing to collect sales taxes on purchases made through their website in New York, where a questionable state law requires them to do so. Good for them.

Posted at 5:41 PM, August 27, 2008 | Trackback (0) | Print | | #

Lew Rockwell Defends Earmarks

Andrew Roth

Lew Rockwell doesn't seem to understand the budget process. He is a big defender of freedom, no doubt about it. His blog and the movement he has helped build deserves abundant praise. But he seems to defend earmarks merely because Ron Paul supports them.

Rockwell writes:

All the usual suspects are criticizing earmarks again. Being anti-earmark, like McCain and the Beltway types, is a way to seem anti-spending while actually strengthening executive power. Earmarks do not increase spending; they are congressional allotments of proposed spending. If money is not directed by Congressman X to the public library in Topeka, it goes to the presidency, where the federal agencies spend it. Earmarks are, in effect, a legislative blow at executive supremacy. A very minor one, it is true, but you can tell by the neocon yelps, not to mention the opposition of the Club for Growth, that earmarks are comparatively a good thing. So it is no contradiction for Ron Paul to request earmarks that his constituents want. He votes against the spending, of course, but if the earmark goes through, that's better than Bush and Cheney getting the dough for their nefarious scheme.

This argument is an old canard, that earmarks don't increase overall spending, they are merely carved out of current allocations. It's technically true, but full of smoke and mirrors. It presumes that Congress is helpless against itself. That it can't cut earmarks out of a budget and then subsequently reduce the total amount, which they are certainly capable of doing. Rockwell's line of thinking also presumes that earmarks are never used to buy off votes to pass really big spending bills that otherwise wouldn't pass the laugh test. In this application, earmark spending is a steroid that massively increases the size of government through leverage. Rockwell, a proud critic of government, certainly doesn't believe that politicians behave like kittens who don't buy each other off with earmarks, does he?

Congress could eliminate earmarks tomorrow, and not give the Administration one extra dollar. The fact that they don't do this isn't an indictment of earmarks, it's an indictment of a Congress unwilling to restrain itself.

Posted at 4:56 PM, August 27, 2008 | Trackback (0) | Print | | #

Who is the iPhone Girl?

Andrew Roth

I don't know why I liked this story so much, but I did. Maybe it's because the Chinese girl had a mischievous smile and what appears to be a happy-go-lucky attitude despite having a mindless job in a country with an authoritarian government. Or perhaps because the girl who assembled the product in China has "reached out" to the iPhone buyer in the U.S. in a "small world" sort of why. Or maybe it's because the Internet community gushed over the entire mystery until it was ultimately solved.

Posted at 3:01 PM, August 27, 2008 | Trackback (0) | Print | | #

Rudy is Right on Taxes

Andrew Roth

During an interview with Larry Kudlow, former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani hit the nail on the head about Obama's deceptive plan to raise taxes only on the "rich":

And the reality is, when you raise the capital gains tax, which [Obama] has promised to do, you’re raising taxes on over 50 percent of the American people. That’s not just the rich.

[...]Everyone who has a pension plan, absolutely, 50 percent of America, the American middle class. So they’re not telling you the truth when they tell you they’re not going to raise taxes on the middle class.

An increase in the capital gains tax goes right to the heart of the middle class. It will hurt our economy, I think in a way that you understand, Larry. It’s exactly the worst thing to do right now in the economic cycle that we’re in.

Bam! You're exactly right, Mr. Mayor. This message needs to be broadcast all across the country in every living room, diner, coffee shop, church, business, community center, sports arena, and street corner. If you have a 401(k) or any other kind of brokerage account, you will be affected by a capital gains tax hike. And it will not only hurt your net worth when you sell an asset, but the assets themselves will decrease in price since their after-tax return will be diminished. This is a very big deal. Props to Rudy and Larry for pushing this.

Posted at 2:39 PM, August 27, 2008 | Trackback (0) | Print | | #

Now That's a Brassy Move

Andrew Roth

From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

Seattle City Councilman Richard McIver used city money to pay a $1,000 fine levied by the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission last month after finding that he had given the appearance of favoritism in awarding city contracts to a longtime friend.

Posted at 2:29 PM, August 27, 2008 | Trackback (0) | Print | | #

How Do You Define "American-Made"?

Andrew Roth

Mark Perry asks several good questions about what constitutes an "American-made" product, including this:

"What about...American-made vehicles produced by UAW workers in American factories for foreign car companies, do they count as "American-made" or not?

Posted at 2:17 PM, August 27, 2008 | Trackback (0) | Print | | #

Dumbness in Knoxville, TN

Andrew Roth

You need a permit to go out of business in Knoxville, TN.

Posted at 2:04 PM, August 27, 2008 | Trackback (0) | Print | | #

Does a $250,000 Salary Make You Rich?

Andrew Roth

Here's a good debate on CNBC.

Posted at 1:58 PM, August 27, 2008 | Trackback (0) | Print | | #

Tax Revolt Day in New Hampshire

Andrew Roth

For Tax Revolt Day, angry taxpayers are paying the toll pike with pennies.

HT: Drew Nordgren

Posted at 10:38 AM, August 27, 2008 | Trackback (0) | Print | | #

Wednesday's Daily News

Andrew Roth

THE DAILY NEWS
Big Labor's Comeback - Wall Street Journal Editorial
The Pie Got Bigger - IBD Editorial
Economic Nobel Laureates Discuss Obama Agenda - Joellen Perry, WSJ
The Benefit of Lower Tax Rates - Robert Carroll, Tax Foundation
Confusing Wealth and Income - Richard Rahn, Washington Times

Biden is Wrench in McCain's VP Choice - Jeanne Cummings, The Politico
Lobby Ties Counter Biden's 'Outsider' Label - J. McElhatton, Washington Times
Is College Worth It? - Walter Williams, Townhall.com
Chambliss' Rhetoric Doesn't Match His Actions - Jason Pye, JasonPye.com
American Aristocracy - Waterbury Rep-Am Editorial

Cubs 14, Pirates 9 - Associated Press (This was a great game. Our pitching was lousy, but we lost the lead a couple of times and kept battling back. You can never count out our offense)

Posted at 10:35 AM, August 27, 2008 | Trackback (0) | Print | | #

Pic of the Day

Andrew Roth

Even if you aren't a dog lover, you gotta love this pic.

Posted at 10:14 AM, August 27, 2008 | Trackback (0) | Print | | #

Stat of the Day

Andrew Roth

From the Census Bureau via Mark Perry:

Of households in the lowest income quintile in 2001, 28.6% were in a higher quintile in 2003; of those originally in the highest income quintile, 32.1% were in a lower quintile 2 years later.

Posted at 9:51 AM, August 27, 2008 | Trackback (0) | Print | | #

Conserviatve Bloggers Pick VP Favorites

Andrew Roth

John Hawkins surveyed 67 right-of-center bloggers.

Posted at 9:08 AM, August 27, 2008 | Trackback (0) | Print | | #

Trent Lott Said What???

Andrew Roth

Former Senator Trent Lott made a startling confession to a local journalist [my emphasis]:

"John [McCain] used to harass me because I would get earmarks -- or pork barrel projects -- in Mississippi," [Lott] said. "And I would say, 'Well, yes, John, I'm a senator from Mississippi and we're the poorest state in the nation.'

"But we're not anymore, that pork paid off."

Then Lott made a couple of admissions I found startling.

"But you know what, in my heart I knew he was right," he said of his pork barrel ways. That's no way to do business, we shouldn't be doing all that earmarking -- it got completely out of control.

"It got out of control with Republicans and that's why we are being punished a little bit," he added. "Because we forgot how we got there, what we believed in, the principles that after 30 years put us in the majority, gave us the White House, the congress, the senate, the house. And then we ran out of ideas...

HT: Mark Tapscott

Posted at 8:54 AM, August 27, 2008 | Trackback (0) | Print | | #

Hugo Chavez and Capitalism

Andrew Roth

Chavez doesn't have to run too fast towards socialism -- capitalism will just run away from him. From AFP:

The recent nationalizations of strategic sectors in Venezuela are frightening away foreign companies and turning the country into South America's worst destination for foreign investment, analysts say.

President Hugo Chavez's decision to take over electricity, oil, steelmaking, cement and telephone enterprises over the past year may strengthen the "revolutionary" drive towards building a socialist nation, but it also drives off multinationals which have the funds to boost economic activity.

Several groups, notably US energy companies ExxonMobil and ConocoPhilips, have simply abandoned operations there.

Posted at 8:31 AM, August 27, 2008 | Trackback (0) | Print | | #

AK-AL: Young Takes Slight Lead

Andrew Roth

Don Young is up by 61 votes with 17 precincts left (98% reporting).

UPDATE: Good news...perhaps. I'm being told that there could be 9,000-10,000 absentee ballots that still need to be counted. Plus, a recount is automatic if the margin of victory is less than 0.5%, and right now it's well below that, at 0.06%.

Posted at 8:06 AM, August 27, 2008 | Trackback (0) | Print | | #

AK-AL: Not Over Yet

Andrew Roth

With 89% reporting, Sean Parnell has only 142 more votes than Don Young. Stay tuned...

Posted at 7:32 AM, August 27, 2008 | Trackback (0) | Print | | #

Club for Growth Commends RNC

Press Release

Club for Growth Commends Republican National Committee for Naming Ken Blackwell Vice Chairman of Platform Committee

Washington – The Club for Growth commends the Republican National Committee for naming former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell Vice Chairman of the Platform Committee.

“Ken Blackwell is a committed conservative with a strong record of fighting for pro-growth, limited-government policies,” said Club for Growth President Pat Toomey. “His work in Ohio and as a leader in the Republican Party is exactly what the conservative movement needs. The Club for Growth is proud to have Ken Blackwell on its board and we know he will be a vital asset in his position as Vice Chairman of the Republican Platform Committee.”

Posted at 7:48 PM, August 26, 2008 | Trackback (0) | Print | | #

Obama Is Not a Cubs Fan

Andrew Roth

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

“You go to Wrigley Field, you have a beer, beautiful people up there. People aren’t watching the game. It’s not serious. White Sox, that’s baseball.”

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, upsetting Northsiders during an interview with ESPN.

Maybe the two teams will be in a "Red Line El Train" World Series, which is very possible, so that we can find out which team is truly "serious" about baseball.

HT: Adam Rozansky

Posted at 1:46 PM, August 26, 2008 | Trackback (0) | Print | | #

Tuesday's Daily News

Andrew Roth

THE DAILY NEWS
Card Check Path to Economic Ruin - Bernie Marcus, Wall Street Journal
The GOP and Earmarks - Las Vegas Review Journal Editorial
The Dirty Rotten Sneaky Tax - Rich Karlgaard, Forbes.com
Sell Sarbanes-Oxley - New York Sun Editorial
Schumer: “The Drilling Issue Has Peaked” - Daniel Reilly, The Politico

It's Unwise To Tax 'Well-Earned' Profits - Margo Thorning, IBD
'Seeding' Sales and Science - John Calfee, American.com
Over 100 Years, Food Prices Have FALLEN By 82% - M. Perry, Carpe Diem
Nudges are for Markets Not Nations - Tim Harford, FT.com
Random Thoughts - Thomas Sowell, Townhall.com

Cubs 12, Bucs 3 - Associated Press

Posted at 10:30 AM, August 26, 2008 | Trackback (0) | Print | | #

The Latest VP Odds

Andrew Roth

From InTrade's prediction market:

p(Romney) - 60.0%
p(Pawlenty) - 20.0
p(Ridge) - 10.0
p(Meg Whitman) - 9.0
p(Cantor) - 8.2
p(Crist) - 6.2
p(Portman) - 3.0
p(Lieberman) - 2.6

Posted at 10:12 AM, August 26, 2008 | Trackback (0) | Print | | #

Quote of the Day

Andrew Roth

The following is by Barack Obama, talking about his economic advisor, billionaire investor Warren Buffett, in an interview with the New York Times (via Jimmy P.):

"If you talk to Warren, he'll tell you his preference is not to meddle in the economy at all—let the market work, however way it's going to work, and then just tax the heck out of people at the end and just redistribute it."

Posted at 9:28 AM, August 26, 2008 | Trackback (0) | Print | | #

The Youth Vote

Andrew Roth

Ed Morrissey asks a good question: "Does Biden lose the youth vote with his support of the RIAA?"

College students hate the RIAA with the flaming-hot intensity of a thousand supernovas.

HT: Instapundit

Posted at 9:15 AM, August 26, 2008 | Trackback (0) | Print | | #