Dakota Beacon

The news from Egypt has thrust President Obama’s State of the Union off the front pages. While that news is critical, so is further analysis of the State of the Union, especially from an economic perspective. My previous column focused on the political dimensions of the State of the Union address, about how Barack Obama has already entered full campaign mode in an attempt to woo the 5 or 10 percent of the swing vote that he needs for re-election. Today, let’s look at the economic aspects of the speech. One would hope that, after two years of failed policies and economic stagnation, President Obama would have seen the need for a changed economic strategy. Alas, beyond a few cosmetic touches, Obama’s approach to economics remains substantially unchanged.

Would Republicans nominate a presidential candidate who pushes thoroughly-debunked biofuel nonsense? Were the party to select Newt Gingrich, it will have nominated, in the Wall Street Journal's words, "Professor Cornpone."

Professor Cornpone hasn't yet officially announced, but he is running for President.

If Republicans stand up for freedom, they will be despised by the ruling class. They will miss the cocktail parties.  They will be demonized by the media. They will be loved by the people.

We sent Republicans back to Washington to represent the people, not the ruling class minority.  They are on probation. We can always vote third party next time.

Increasingly, our government reminds me of a certain old Star Trek episode.  It was titled “I, Mudd,” and in it the Enterprise explorers found themselves in the grip of seemingly perfect androids determined to serve man.  The automatons informed the crew that humans were “self-destructive,” needed their “help” and couldn’t be trusted with freedom.  One of the mechanical masters concluded by telling Captain Kirk, “we shall serve them [humans] and you will be happy…and controlled.”

After Barack Obama delivered his January 12 speech scolding the American left for politicizing the Loughner shootings, one of my readers warned that Obama was leveraging the occasion to draw attention from the presidential destruction of "an entire culture's hard earned lifestyle."  The reader added, "Barry learned in basketball, fake a goal shot with the right hand and score with the left one."

After Barack Obama delivered his January 12 speech scolding the American left for politicizing the Loughner shootings, one of my readers warned that Obama was leveraging the occasion to draw attention from the presidential destruction of "an entire culture's hard earned lifestyle."  The reader added, "Barry learned in basketball, fake a goal shot with the right hand and score with the left one."

In his State of the Union address, Obama played to the middle, paying lip service to free enterprise while making the case that it’s up to government to ensure future prosperity. His call for a five-year freeze on ‘discretionary spending’ was brilliant. While wooing independents and moderates with his talk of fiscal restraint, he must have delighted his leftist allies with his proposal to make the Pentagon bear the lion’s share of spending cuts.”

Obama’s strategy is masterfully conceived. It is a classic ‘two steps forward, one step back’ tactic for advancing his larger progressive goal of increasing the federal government’s power over the distribution of wealth in our society…. Democrats should take heart and Republicans had better watch out. This man means business, and he is already doing what he does best: campaigning. The ‘new Obama’ that some people see is really just the old Obama—a clever, driven politician committed to a permanent expansion of government power.

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What is the remedy?  It isn’t enough to merely ensure that 50 percent of reporters and pundits are Republicans.  Remember that while 40 percent of Americans describe themselves as conservative, only 21 percent self-identify as liberal.  Moreover, leftists have long emphasized the principle of “proportionality” (such as when they want to apply it to Title IX).  Thus, I’m sure they will agree that our media contingents should reflect the ideological composition of the wider population. And this wouldn’t be hard to achieve, either.  For instance, all a paper such as The New York Times would have to do is fire columnists such as Paul Krugman and Nicholas Kristof in favor of Selwyn Duke and S.L. Duke. 

The scientific method is just that--a method. And methods can be corrupted by people.

Today's most notorious illustration of junk science is the human-caused global warming hoax. However, even scientists who genuinely want to perform objective research are capable of practicing flawed science.

Scientists, mere Homo sapiens after all, instinctively see what they want to see. Schooler wanted to debunk the "describing improves memory" axiom. In his early experiments, Schooler probably inadvertently made it comparatively easy for test subjects who were not required to describe faces to recall those faces. Then after the work became repetitive and interest waned, his subsequent experiments were designed and conducted in a detached manner--in other words, objectively. Schooler has therefore never duplicated his early "success."

Last night, Republican Congressman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin delivered the official ‘Republican Response’ to the State of the Union (SOTU). I wish there were no official response, and that’s not because I didn’t want to hear from a Republican. I’m a Republican, and I’m even interested in some of Ryan’s ideas for controlling spending. I’d have the same position if the roles were reversed; that is, if a Republican were in the White House and a Democrat were responding. An official response to the SOTU is a recent invention that seems to have no positive effect.

Since 1982 neither party could resist the urge to respond to the SOTU. Even with various formats … the official responses have produced nothing but a string of forgotten events with no discernible influence on policy development.

"Faith opens reason and liberates it, without faith, reason would stop short,” said Caldecott  “Those who pursue a technocratic logic look at man as only a biological machine where the sum on his parts are to be used, developed and marketed”.

Wedged between Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday and Black History Month, but far in advance of St. Patrick’s Day, resides an almost-forgotten celebration of a very famous Celtic poet.Robert Burns was born January 25, 1759, in Ayrshire, Scotland. Two hundred fifty-two years later, Scotland’s immortal bard is still remembered on Burns Night around the world, particularly in British Commonwealth countries.

For me, the life issue is my starting point, of far greater value than where a politician stands on social security or the minimum wage. Obviously, other issues matter. The right to life, however, is the first and most fundamental of rights, without which other rights are impossible. And if you, personally, are unsure when life begins, consider Reagan’s recommendation: ‘If there’s even a question about when human life begins, isn’t it our duty to err on the side of life?’

The North Dakota University System is out of control.  Most legislators, of both parties, will agree with that to some extent (Sometimes publicly, more often privately.)  

“Clear Thinking” blog reader and business owner Don Ross recently received an email complaint from a customer. Don’s reply comprises a solid condemnation of Washington’s explosive invasion into our private lives. Don graciously granted me permission to post that reply following a summary of the customer’s concerns.

As I've often observed, the U.S. Constitution poses no serious threat to our form of government; it now bears roughly the same relation to that government that the Book of Revelation bears to the Unitarian Church. And liberals aim to keep it that way.

Which is what, at one level, the fight over Roe is all about. And some liberals are honest enough to admit this. You will find some advocates of legal abortion who agree that Roe was badly reasoned; but you won't find any opponents of legal abortion who think it was well reasoned.

The Republican Party is truly on probation with America.  Conservatives have stayed the course. They have loyally supported Republican candidates and elected them to high office.  They did so for a reason.  They want real reform, not just a changing of the guard while the looting goes on behind closed doors.  The Republican Party asked for a chance to prove itself, in effect.  Now the leadership must do that.

They simply cannot view people as they are, warts and all, and love and value them equally anyway. This is why, when dealing with individuals they look down upon, secularists make the worst snobs. It is why, when they want to feel good about themselves by promoting equality, they make the worst social engineers. And it is why, when they have power and have shed this emotional imperative, they become the worst killers (e.g., eugenics, forced abortion).

University Student’s Creed.
They come to school to socialize;
To become popular, not wise.
They think no thoughts, They read no books,
They spend their time on “outward” looks.
If “beauty” lies in “other’s” eyes,
Why waste time becoming wise?
Just buy the clothes and play the part;
Develop the image, not the heart.
They put their faith in lies and guile,
And hide their falsehood with a smile.
These “friends” are like the sifting sand,
And have no base on which to stand.
They’d rather party than go to classes,
They all think it’s cool, the ignorant asses.
So, reject the lure to socialize,
Which forces one to equalize,
And destroys your right to individualize.  

- Ruben Lackman, March 2005

1949 Ford 8N, ND Media, ObamaCare, Regulatory Fiat

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The Democratic Party’s definition of civility is when we all shut up and go along with their agenda. This debate was never about civility, it’s really about censoring the voices of freedom through intimidation.

Democrats are panicking after the historical beating that they received in November. They have lost the debate over their transformation of our nation and simply want the debate to end.

The two insuperable problems that afflict the international monetary order today are the acceptance of fiat currencies and government monopolies. It is impossible for a country, let alone the entire world, to build a durable monetary order on the weak foundation of an un-backed paper currency. Indeed, history demonstrates that fiat currencies inevitably end up being worth exactly what they are—insignificant scraps of paper.”

The Party of Spenders must be repudiated. We now realize there is no such thing as a moderate Democrat.

"Consensus" science. Where have we heard that before?

Church of Global Warming Pope Al Gore as well as other church members and officials have for years advanced the utterly wrong notion that because agenda-pushing "scientists" had reached a "consensus" on humans heating up the planet, then humans must surely be heating up the planet. Not letting facts, evidence, knowledge, and other pesky manifestations of reality get in the way, the NOAA uses consensus science to "predict" solar activity.