Paul Krugman’s idiotic minimum wage hike argument ignores the facts

In his State of the Union address last week, President Obama called for a $1.75 per hour minimum wage hike, from $7.25 to $9.00.

New York Times columnist Paul Krugman opined that, “surprisingly,” increasing the minimum wage may be good policy: “Why ‘surprisingly’? Well, Economics 101 tells us to be very cautious about attempts to legislate market outcomes.” No, I didn’t make up that disclaimer; that’s just Krugman trying to sucker you with a little false modesty. Don’t worry — he still comes out all in favor of the wage increase.

By /// February 21, 2013

What is it about guns that turns liberals’ brains to mush?

In the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings, liberals have been whipping out all sorts of clever analogies to persuade shallow thinkers of their stance:

“If the logic is, it’s useless to regulate guns because criminals will still break the law, then why have traffic laws?”

This was a post on Facebook’s Being Liberal fan page, to which I replied, “I didn’t realize cars were used for self-defense, or that traffic laws prohibit people from owning cars.”

 

By /// December 27, 2012

Mass murderers don’t suffer anguish over disobeying gun control laws

Every school and non-school mass shooting in the United States over the past decade has taken place in one of the states in the upper half of the country by strictness of gun control laws, as measured by the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.  The sole exception was the targeted political assassination attempt of Representative Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona in 2011.

Even in mass shootings that unfolded in states near the middle of the rankings — e.g., Colorado — the massacres took place in locations where guns were banned.  In Aurora, Colorado, the shooting was carried out in a Century 16 cinema, whose parent company’s policy prevents firearms on its premises.

By /// December 18, 2012

Liberal Myths about the economy: Holiday edition

How many liberal myths can a news announcer cram into one 90-second, top-of-the-hour news briefing?  On a major news radio station’s New York affiliate one recent December evening I counted seven.

First the reporter announced that seasonal hiring was up this year compared to last year and that increased holiday spending showed the economy was improving. He also claimed that goods being purchased in the U.S. are unfortunately being made more often overseas.

By /// December 14, 2012

Anti-Obama pizzeria ‘hate crime’ allegation has no sauce

In this age of phony rape charges by a black stripper and phony racial profiling cases, have we learned nothing?  Why does the public always accept the alleged hate crime victim’s splashy version of the story without subjecting it to a whit of scrutiny, while jumping to the conclusion that America is a hotbed of racial resentment of the Obama presidency?

It’s important that Americans remember that in our judicial process everyone is innocent until proven guilty.

By /// December 6, 2012

Panic is the Democrats’ preferred currency

Harry Reid’s Democratic-controlled Senate has refused to pass a federal budget for three consecutive years or even bring a proposal to the floor as required by law.

In 2011, Reid announced that passing a budget would be “foolish” because of ongoing negotiations over other fiscal matters. Sen. Chuck Schumer declared that proposing budgets was “not the point” of the Senate.

Later in 2011, Nancy Pelosi claimed that when Democrats controlled the House in 2010, they didn’t pass a budget because Republicans would have filibustered it. Yet budgets require only a simple majority to pass.

By /// December 2, 2012

Shorter Democrats: Filibuster For Me, But Not For Thee

In anticipation of another two years of Congressional gridlock, Democrats are once again fervently trying to block Republicans from using the Senate filibuster to stop their horrific agenda.

The Senate filibuster is a longstanding parliamentary tactic. It is not mandated by the Constitution but has been in use since 1837 to stop overzealous Senate majorities. Both Democrats and Republicans have relied on it when they were the minority party.

By /// November 14, 2012

Obama Was Dealt a Dream Hand: Part Two

This article is continued from a previous article, Obama was dealt a dream hand: Part One.

Not only was Obama dealt a dream hand when it comes to taking credit for pulling the US economy out of a recession, he was also dealt a dream hand on national security. And with a favorable press, a Democratic controlled Congress and a Nobel peace prize under his belt, it’s a wonder if the president realizes just how good he had it.

It was a piece of cake for Obama to end the Iraq War, since all he had to do was follow to the letter the Status of Forces Agreement for the drawdown of troops that Bush had set up for him before he left office.

By /// November 5, 2012