Yearly Archives: 2012

Open letter to President Obama (Part 85.3)

June 1, 2012 – 6:52 am

Cato’s Michael F. Cannon Discusses ObamaCare’s Individual Mandate

Uploaded by on Mar 26, 2012

http://www.cato.org/event.php?eventid=9074

The individual mandate to purchase health insurance is the linchpin of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. It is among the issues to be handled by the Supreme Court beginning March 26, 2012.

Michael F. Cannon is the director of health policy studies at the Cato Institute.

____________________

President Obama c/o The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

I know that you receive 20,000 letters a day and that you actually read 10 of them every day. I really do respect you for trying to get a pulse on what is going on out here.

I wonder why we didn’t hear about the burden that Obamacare would put on state budgets when you were trying to get it passed?

Obamacare is a coming disaster and here is a chart fromt the Heritage Foundation:

A Medicaid Monster

Created on March 23, 2012

A Medicaid Monster

Slide 6 | Obamacare in Pictures

Obamacare increases coverage by adding millions of Americans to the low-quality, low-access Medicaid program, requiring billions of dollars from state budgets.

________

Thank you so much for your time. I know how valuable it is. I also appreciate the fine family that you have and your commitment as a father and a husband.

Sincerely,

Everette Hatcher III, 13900 Cottontail Lane, Alexander, AR 72002, ph 501-920-5733, lowcostsqueegees@yahoo.com

Related posts:

7 things wrong so far with Obamacare

Milton Friedman – Socialized Medicine at Mayo Clinic in 1978 Liberals think that people would just fall in love with Obamacare once they got a taste of it but it didn’t work out that way. Seven of Obamacare’s Biggest Failures from the Last Two Years Alyene Senger March 28, 2012 at 5:15 pm It has […]

Obamacare proponents say the Supreme Court should let it become law because the people want it!!!!

Randy Barnett Discusses ObamaCare at the Supreme Court Uploaded by catoinstitutevideo on Mar 26, 2012 http://www.cato.org/event.php?eventid=9074 Cato Institute Senior Fellow and Georgetown University law professor Randy E. Barnett discusses the arguments to be presented to the Supreme Court beginning March 26. I know that many people feel strongly that we live in a democracy and […]

Videos from Cato Institute on Obamacare

Cato’s Michael F. Cannon Discusses ObamaCare’s Individual Mandate Uploaded by catoinstitutevideo on Mar 26, 2012 http://www.cato.org/event.php?eventid=9074 The individual mandate to purchase health insurance is the linchpin of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. It is among the issues to be handled by the Supreme Court beginning March 26, 2012. Michael F. Cannon is the […]

Dan Mitchell of the Cato Institute takes on entitlement reform

It is the elephant in the room that nobody wants to talk about. Here Dan Mitchell takes it on. Everything You Need to Know about Entitlement Reform November 28, 2011 by Dan Mitchell Most people have a vague understanding that America has a huge long-run fiscal problem. They’re right, though they probably don’t realize the seriousness […]

Ryan’s plan better than Democrat’s plan but not as good as Rand Paul’s

Promote Federalism and Replicate the Success of Welfare Reform with Medicaid Block Grants Uploaded by afq2007 on Jun 26, 2011 The Medicaid program imposes high costs while generating poor results. This Center for Freedom and Prosperity Foundation video explains how block grants, such as the one proposed by Congressman Paul Ryan, will save money and […]

HERITAGE FOUNDATION INTERVIEW:Senator Blunt Vows to Keep Pressure on President Obama Over Contraceptive Mandate

Senator Blunt Vows to Keep Pressure on President Obama Over Contraceptive Mandate Uploaded by HeritageFoundation on Feb 13, 2012 http://blog.heritage.org/2012/02/13/sen-blunt-vows-to-keep-pressure-on-obama-… | Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) introduced legislation to protect religious organizations from Obamacare’s overreach last summer. Now, as President Obama presses forward with his anti-conscience mandate, Blunt is prepared to keep the pressure on the […]

HERITAGE FOUNDATION INTERVIEW:Senator John Barrasso On the Fight Against Obamacare

Senator John Barrasso On the Fight Against Obamacare Uploaded by HeritageFoundation on Mar 26, 2012 Sen. John Barrasso earned the nickname “Wyoming’s Doctor” after working for 24 years as an orthopedic surgeon in Casper. Today he represents the state in the U.S. Senate and is one of the leading critics of Obamacare. More than two […]

HERITAGE FOUNDATION INTERVIEW:Senator Marco Rubio Talks Cuba, Budget and Obamacare

Senator Marco Rubio Talks Cuba, Budget and Obamacare Uploaded by HeritageFoundation on Mar 22, 2012 http://blog.heritage.org/2012/03/22/exclusive-interview-sen-marco-rubio-talks… | Pope Benedict XVI will visit the communist island of Cuba next week. But while there, the Catholic leader has no plans to visit Cuban dissidents who are fighting for freedom from the Castro regime. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), […]

 

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Healthcare, President Obama | Comments (0)

Milton Friedman addressed the belief that inflation can cure unemployment, implicit in the Obama administration’s spending blowout “Friedman Friday”

June 1, 2012 – 6:42 am

Ep. 9 – How to Cure Inflation [1/7]. Milton Friedman’s Free to Choose (1980)

Cochrane’s Kinky Curves

Posted by Jim Powell

The doctrine that inflation can cure unemployment, implicit in the Obama administration’s spending blowout, goes way back.

The modern version originated with William Phillips, a New Zealand-born economist who, in 1958, wrote a paper modestly titled “The Relation between Unemployment and the Rate of Change of Money Wage Rates in the United Kingdom, 1861‑1957.”  Phillips suggested that when inflation went up, unemployment went down. Keynesian economists Paul Samuelson and Robert Solow popularized Phillips’ idea as a reason to ratchet up government spending and inflate the money supply.  That’s what the Kennedy and Johnson administrations did during the 1960s.

In 1967, Milton Friedman expressed a skeptical view about what had come to be known as the Phillips Curve, launching an extended debate.  Then in 1973, President Richard Nixon, who had famously declared “I am now a Keynesian,” leaned hard on Fed Chairman Arthur Burns to inflate the money supply and drive down unemployment, hopefully to improve Nixon’s prospects for re-election.  Well, as those of us who were around back then recall, both inflation and unemployment went up!  This was a bit of a problem for Phillips Curve aficionados.

As if the stubborn stagflation of the 1970s wasn’t bad enough, subsequent efforts by new Fed Chairman Paul Volcker and President Ronald Reagan to stop inflation cold delivered another hammer blow against the Phillips Curve: both inflation and unemployment went down!

Now fast-forward to January 2009: President Obama levitated the Phillips Curve from the dead when he repeatedly declared that it was urgent to enact his $825 billion stimulus bill so unemployment would go down.  But both spending and unemployment went up!  It became harder to deny that the stimulus spending flopped, though the New York Times’ Keynesian columnist Paul Krugman tried valiantly.  He claimed stimulus spending flopped because Obama didn’t spend enough.  Accordingly, several weeks ago, Obama proposed still more stimulus spending to fight unemployment, and he begged people to support it: “If you love me, pass this bill!”

There shouldn’t have been any surprise about Obama’s flop, since the underlying idea – the Phillips Curve – proved to be a dud long ago.  This would be a good time to review experience with the Phillips Curve.

Thankfully, Cato Adjunct Scholar John H. Cochrane, the AQR Capital Management Distinguished Service Professor of Finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, has done just that.  He focused on the period from 1966 to the present.  That year, President Lyndon Johnson was going full bore, promoting runaway spending on new entitlement programs and on the Vietnam war simultaneously, and inflation reared its ugly head.

Cochrane charted what happened year-by-year to inflation and unemployment.  The result wasn’t a nice smooth curve dreamed about by Keynesians.  Rather, there was a kinky curve.  One year, inflation went up, and unemployment went down.  Next year, inflation went up again, and unemployment went up.  Then when inflation went down, unemployment went up again.  On and on as if we followed a drunk stumbling around a street.  Since a single chart would have become an unreadable tangle if it tried to cover the entire 45-year period, Cochrane developed two charts, 1966-1984 and 1985-2011.  Clearly, what we see is a random relationship between inflation and unemployment, that makes the Phillips Curve worthless as a policy tool.

The charts appear in an insightful article Cochrane wrote, published in the Fall 2011 National Affairs.  The article is important quite apart from the Phillips Curve charts.  Although the prevailing view seems to be that high inflation is most likely to occur if and when the Fed increases the money supply, Cochrane warns high inflation could occur as a consequence of soaring government debt.  Such inflation would amount to a default.  It would be triggered by a run on dollar-denominated assets, if and when investors conclude that the government cannot pay its debts.  Runs occur without warning, often after a succession of events have undermined investor confidence.

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Cato Institute, Milton Friedman | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Open letter to President Obama (Part 85.2)

June 1, 2012 – 6:40 am

Tim Sandefur Discusses ObamaCare’s Medicaid Expansion

Uploaded by on Mar 26, 2012

http://www.cato.org/event.php?eventid=9074

Tim Sandefur of the Pacific Legal Foundation explains some of the implications of the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion.

___________________

President Obama c/o The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

I know that you receive 20,000 letters a day and that you actually read 10 of them every day. I really do respect you for trying to get a pulse on what is going on out here.

At one point you said 98% would be covered by health insurance under Obamacare but it really is a lot lower than that.

Obamacare will tax us to death and that is not how you pictured it when you first put it forth.

 Here is a chart from the Heritage Foundation:

Created on March 23, 2012

Taxed Enough Already? Just wait until Obamacare kicks in

Slide 9 | Obamacare in Pictures

To pay for generous subsidies to purchase health insurance, a huge expansion of Medicaid, and other new spending, Obamacare raises taxes and adds 17 new taxes or penalties that will affect all Americans.

_______

Thank you so much for your time. I know how valuable it is. I also appreciate the fine family that you have and your commitment as a father and a husband.

Sincerely,

Everette Hatcher III, 13900 Cottontail Lane, Alexander, AR 72002, ph 501-920-5733, lowcostsqueegees@yahoo.com

Related posts:

7 things wrong so far with Obamacare

Milton Friedman – Socialized Medicine at Mayo Clinic in 1978 Liberals think that people would just fall in love with Obamacare once they got a taste of it but it didn’t work out that way. Seven of Obamacare’s Biggest Failures from the Last Two Years Alyene Senger March 28, 2012 at 5:15 pm It has […]

Obamacare proponents say the Supreme Court should let it become law because the people want it!!!!

Randy Barnett Discusses ObamaCare at the Supreme Court Uploaded by catoinstitutevideo on Mar 26, 2012 http://www.cato.org/event.php?eventid=9074 Cato Institute Senior Fellow and Georgetown University law professor Randy E. Barnett discusses the arguments to be presented to the Supreme Court beginning March 26. I know that many people feel strongly that we live in a democracy and […]

Videos from Cato Institute on Obamacare

Cato’s Michael F. Cannon Discusses ObamaCare’s Individual Mandate Uploaded by catoinstitutevideo on Mar 26, 2012 http://www.cato.org/event.php?eventid=9074 The individual mandate to purchase health insurance is the linchpin of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. It is among the issues to be handled by the Supreme Court beginning March 26, 2012. Michael F. Cannon is the […]

Dan Mitchell of the Cato Institute takes on entitlement reform

It is the elephant in the room that nobody wants to talk about. Here Dan Mitchell takes it on. Everything You Need to Know about Entitlement Reform November 28, 2011 by Dan Mitchell Most people have a vague understanding that America has a huge long-run fiscal problem. They’re right, though they probably don’t realize the seriousness […]

Ryan’s plan better than Democrat’s plan but not as good as Rand Paul’s

Promote Federalism and Replicate the Success of Welfare Reform with Medicaid Block Grants Uploaded by afq2007 on Jun 26, 2011 The Medicaid program imposes high costs while generating poor results. This Center for Freedom and Prosperity Foundation video explains how block grants, such as the one proposed by Congressman Paul Ryan, will save money and […]

HERITAGE FOUNDATION INTERVIEW:Senator Blunt Vows to Keep Pressure on President Obama Over Contraceptive Mandate

Senator Blunt Vows to Keep Pressure on President Obama Over Contraceptive Mandate Uploaded by HeritageFoundation on Feb 13, 2012 http://blog.heritage.org/2012/02/13/sen-blunt-vows-to-keep-pressure-on-obama-… | Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) introduced legislation to protect religious organizations from Obamacare’s overreach last summer. Now, as President Obama presses forward with his anti-conscience mandate, Blunt is prepared to keep the pressure on the […]

HERITAGE FOUNDATION INTERVIEW:Senator John Barrasso On the Fight Against Obamacare

Senator John Barrasso On the Fight Against Obamacare Uploaded by HeritageFoundation on Mar 26, 2012 Sen. John Barrasso earned the nickname “Wyoming’s Doctor” after working for 24 years as an orthopedic surgeon in Casper. Today he represents the state in the U.S. Senate and is one of the leading critics of Obamacare. More than two […]

HERITAGE FOUNDATION INTERVIEW:Senator Marco Rubio Talks Cuba, Budget and Obamacare

Senator Marco Rubio Talks Cuba, Budget and Obamacare Uploaded by HeritageFoundation on Mar 22, 2012 http://blog.heritage.org/2012/03/22/exclusive-interview-sen-marco-rubio-talks… | Pope Benedict XVI will visit the communist island of Cuba next week. But while there, the Catholic leader has no plans to visit Cuban dissidents who are fighting for freedom from the Castro regime. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), […]

 

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Healthcare, President Obama | Comments (0)

Hank Hanegraaff on the issue of abortion (Part 5)

June 1, 2012 – 6:31 am

Francis Schaeffer

Uploaded by on Feb 7, 2012

Happy Birthday to someone who made a Big Difference. I’m John Stonestreet, and this is The Point. Visit http://www.thepointradio.org for more commentaries about life, culture, and current events.

______________

Francis Schaeffer, Part 2

We need pro-life judges to be appointed in the future.

What Is Abortion?

Article ID: DA375

By: Hank Hanegraaff

The following is an excerpt from article DA375 by Hank Hanegraaff. The full article can be found by following the link below the excerpt.

Those who continue to fight legislation restricting abortion are in reality not “pro-choice.” Rather, they are singularly “pro-murder.” While the rhetoric has served to camouflage the carnage, abortion is really nothing more than the painful killing of an innocent human being.

What Is Abortion?- Painful

It is painful because the methods employed to kill a preborn child involve burning, smothering, dismembering, and crushing. Dr. James Dobson offers a terrifying description of one method of abortion called Dilation and Extraction (D & X):

Over two days the cervix is dilated. Then an ultrasound device and forceps are used to reach in and grab the baby’s feet. The little body is pulled downward until just the head remains in the cervix. Next the abortionist grasps the nape of the neck and cuts open the back of the skull with blunt scissors. A device called a cannula is then inserted into the wound and the brain material is sucked out. If kidneys or other organs are desired, they are removed while the child is still partially in the vagina. Initially at least, these surgical procedures are performed on a live baby who has not specifically been anesthetized (although the mother’s medication may reduce some of the pain).9

Abortion is also performed by a procedure called Dilation and Curettage (D & C), in which a tiny hoe is used to chop the baby’s body to pieces. The body is then scraped off the wall of the uterus and subsequently reassembled to ensure that no remaining parts have been left behind. Other methods include:

• Saline Solution — a salt solution is injected into the amniotic fluid, burning the skin off the baby who, after thrashing in the uterus for a number of hours, is reduced to a shriveled corpse;

• Suction — presently two-thirds of all abortions in the United States and Canada are carried out using a suction tube, which tears the child apart and deposit the pieces into a jar;

• Hysterotomy — similar to a Caesarean section, except it is designed for the express purpose of killing rather than saving the baby;

• Prostaglandin — the injection of a chemical into the uterine muscle, causing it to react violently, thus expelling the preborn child (the few children who survive decapitation resulting from the violent contractions are exterminated after delivery).

What is Abortion?- Killing

Abortion involves killing because the zygote, which fulfills the criteria needed to establish the existence of biological life (including metabolism, development, the ability to react to stimuli, and cell reproduction), is indeed terminated.

What is Abortion?- Innocent

While it is true that everyone is conceived and born in sin, preborn children are innocent because they have done nothing wrong. They deserve protection, not capital punishment.

What is Abortion?- Human Being

The living baby in the mother’s womb is a human being because he or she is the product of human parents and has a totally distinct human genetic code. This truth that abortion terminates the life of a human being is substantiated by science:

• As Dr. Micheline Matthew-Roth, a principal research associate at Harvard Medical School’s Department of Medicine, puts it, “It is scientifically correct to say that an individual human life begins at conception, when egg and sperm join to form the zygote, and this developing human always is a member of our species in all stages of its life.”10

• French geneticist Jerome L. LeJeune bore eloquent testimony to the truth of Dr. Matthew-Roth’s remarks when he gave the following testimony to a United States Senate sub-committee: “To accept the fact that after fertilization has taken place a new human has come into being is no longer a matter of taste or opinion. The human nature of the human being from conception to old age is not a metaphysical contention, it is plain experimental evidence.”11

• Perhaps Dr. Hymie Gordon, professor of medical genetics and a physician at the prestigious Mayo Clinic, best summarized the perspective of science when he said, “I think we can now also say that the question of the beginning of life — when life begins — is no longer a question for theological or philosophical dispute. It is an established scientific fact. Theologians and philosophers may go on to debate the meaning of life or purpose of life, but it is an established fact that all life, including human life, begins at the moment of conception.”12

Long before science substantiated the truth that abortion is the painful killing of an innocent human being, the psalmist summarized the view of sacred Scripture with these words:

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Psalm 139:13-16

March 30th, 2009 by CRI | Type: Standard

Filed Under: Abortion, Articles Tags: , , ,

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Francis Schaeffer, Prolife | Comments (0)

Should the 10 Commandments be banned from public life?(Part 2, David Barton’s Affidavit in support on 10 Commandments)

June 1, 2012 – 1:12 am

I read back on Dec 8, 2011 that Tony Perkins, president of Family Research Council, a social conservative advocacy organization, said in 2011 that President Obama has been “hostile” and “disdainful” toward Christianity. Rick Perry actually said President Obama had a war on religion. One of the most basic things that our founding fathers did is base our laws on the ten commandments. At the Supreme Court there is one depiction showing Moses sitting, holding two blank stone tablets. There is one depiction showing Moses standing holding one stone tablet. There are two stone tablets depicted with Roman Numbers I-X carved in the oak doors.

David Barton has studied the history of the founding of our country for many years and I wanted to share a portion of a document he wrote concerning the 10 Commandments:
David Barton – 01/03/2001
(View the footnoted version on Liberty Council’s website)

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

EASTERN DISTRICT OF KENTUCKY

LONDON DIVISION

SARAH DOE and THOMAS DOE, on behalf

of themselves and their minor child, JAN DOE

Plaintiffs,

v Civil Action No. 99-508

HARLAN COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT;

DON MUSSELMAN, in his official capacity

as Superintendent of the Harlan Country

School District,

Defendents.

______________________________________________

AFFIDAVIT OF DAVID BARTON IN SUPPORT OF DEFENDANTS’ OPPOSITION TO PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR CONTEMPT, OR, IN THE ALTERNATIVE, FOR SUPPLEMENTAL PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION

STATE OF TEXAS

COUNTY OF PARKER

THE INCORPORATION OF DIVINE LAW INTO AMERICAN COLONIAL LAW

12. The Ten Commandments are a smaller part of the larger body of divine law recognized and early incorporated into America’s civil documents. For example, the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut-established in 1638-39 as the first written constitution in America and considered as the direct predecessor of the U. S. Constitution -declared that the Governor and his council of six elected officials would “have power to administer justice according to the laws here established; and for want thereof according to the rule of the word of God.”

13. Also in 1638, the Rhode Island government adopted “all those perfect and most absolute laws of His, given us in His holy word of truth, to be guided and judged thereby. Exod. 24. 3, 4; 2 Chron. II. 3; 2 Kings. II. 17.”

14. The following year, 1639, the New Haven Colony adopted its “Fundamental Articles” for the governance of that Colony, and when the question was placed before the colonists:

Whether the Scriptures do hold forth a perfect rule for the direction and government of all men in all dut[ies] which they are to perform to God and men as well in the government of families and commonwealths as in matters of the church, this was assented unto by all, no man dissenting as was expressed by holding up of hands.

15. In 1672, Connecticut revised its laws and reaffirmed its civil adherence to the laws established in the Scriptures, declaring:

The serious consideration of the necessity of the establishment of wholesome laws for the regulating of each body politic hath inclined us mainly in obedience unto Jehovah the Great Lawgiver, Who hath been pleased to set down a Divine platform not only of the moral but also of judicial laws suitable for the people of Israel; as . . . laws and constitutions suiting our State.

16. Significantly, those same legal codes delineated their capital laws in a separate section, and following each capital law was given the Bible verse on which that law was based because:

No man’s life shall be taken away . . . unless it be by the virtue or equity of some express law of the country warranting the same, established by a general court and sufficiently published, or in case of the defect of a law, in any particular case, by the Word of God. (emphasis added)

17. There are other similar examples, but it is a matter of historical fact that the early colonies adopted the greater body of divine laws as the overall basis of their civil laws. Subsequent to the adoption of that general standard, however, the specifics of the Decalogue were then incorporated into the civil statutes.
By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in David Barton, Founding Fathers | Comments (0)

John Brummett: President Obama has not been big spender

May 31, 2012 – 12:23 pm

Dan Mitchell explains in the above video that Europe can grow and prosper, but only if politicians are willing to reduce the burden of government spending and lower tax rates.

_____________

I have a lot of respect for Tea Party heroes like Tim Huelskamp and Justin Amash who are willing to propose deep spending cuts so we can eventually balance our budget. Nevertheless there are some liberals like John Brummett that want us to think that President Obama did right by doing that stimulus spending and he has not been a big spender. I will straighten that out later in this post.

It is a fact that we must balance the budget soon. I do not believe that we can wait to balance the budget at some distant time in the future. The financial markets will not allow us a long time to get our house in order. Look at how things have been going the last four years and no matter how anyone tries to spin it, we are going down the financial drain fast. Dan Mitchell of the Cato Institute showed in an article that I posted earlier about how much spending has exploded the last four years.

John Brummett wrote in the online addition of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on May 30, 2012:

Obama did indeed run up the deficit with a stimulus measure to keep the economy from collapsing as he entered office…But in regard to budgets that he actually has proposed as president, beginning with the one for the fiscal year starting nearly a year after his election, Obama has raised spending at a slower rate than Clinton…

Republicans simply are more effective than Democrats at declaring a simple untruth loudly and repetitively through a pliable and powerful echo chamber of talk radio and cable news, thus embedding that untruth beneath the superficial consciousness of people otherwise disengaged.

__________

Now the truth of the matter is that Obama has spent around 25% of GDP when Clinton and most of the other presidents spent 20% or less. This fact allow disproves Brummett’s assertions listed above.

Dan Mitchell of the Cato Institute sets the record straight concerning Obama’s spending:

Last week, I jumped into the surreal debate about whether Obama has been the most fiscally conservative president in recent history.

I sliced the historical data from the Office of Management and Budget a couple of ways, showing that overall spending has grown at a relatively slow rate during the Obama years. Adjusted for inflation, both total spending and primary spending (total spending minus interest payments) have been restrained.

So does this make Obama a fiscal conservative?

And how can these numbers make sense when the President saddled the nation with the faux stimulus and Obamacare?

Good questions. It turns out that Obama supposed frugality is largely the result of how TARP is measured in the federal budget. To put it simply, TARP pushed spending up in Bush’s final fiscal year (FY2009, which began October 1, 2008) and then repayments from the banks (which count as “negative spending”) artificially reduced spending in subsequent years.

The combination of those two factors made a big difference in the numbers. Here’s another table from my prior post, looking at how the presidents rank when you subtract both defense and the fiscal impact of deposit insurance and TARP.

All of a sudden, Obama drops down to the second-to-last position, sandwiched between two of the worst presidents in American history. Not exactly a ringing endorsement.

But this ranking is incomplete. At that point, I was trying to gauge Obama’s record on domestic spending, and the numbers certainly provide some evidence that he is a stereotypical big-spending liberal.

But the main debate is about which president was the biggest overall spender. So I’ve run through the numbers again, and here’s a new table looking at the rankings based on average annual changes in inflation-adjusted primary spending, minus the distorting impact of deposit insurance and TARP.

Obama is still in the second-to-last position, but spending is increasing by “only” 5.5 percent per year rather than 7.0 percent annually. This is obviously because defense spending is not growing as fast as domestic spending.

Reagan remains in first place, though his score drops now that his defense buildup is part of the calculations. Clinton, conversely, stays in second place but his score jumps because he benefited from the peace dividend after Reagan’s policies led to the collapse of the Soviet Empire.

Let’s now look at these numbers from a policy perspective. Rahn Curve research shows that government is far too big today, so the goal of fiscal policy should be to restrain the burden of government spending relative to economic output.

This means that policy moves in the right direction when government grows more slowly than the private sector, as it did under Reagan and Clinton.

But if government spending is growing faster than the productive sector of the economy, as has been the case during the Bush-Obama years, then a nation eventually will become Greece.

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Cato Institute, President Obama, spending out of control | Comments (0)

Future SEC football schedules in discussion

May 31, 2012 – 8:15 am
Arkansas and LSU have met as each other's regular season finale since the Hogs joined the SEC for football in 1992.
Image by Mark Wagner
Arkansas and LSU have met as each other’s regular season finale since the Hogs joined the SEC for football in 1992.
_____________

I am for the 6-1-1 format because I really do think that Tennessee and Alabama have a lot of history in that series and so do Auburn and Georgia in their series.

I admit that none of the other schools have a history in the other series. Miss St v. Kentucy and Ole Miss v Vandy and SC v. Texas A&M and Arkansas v. Missouri are not barnburners with a great history.

I do think that new series like that could turn into great series. For instance, Arkansas is next door to Missouri and could turn into an intense rivalry. In fact, maybe that should be played the last week of the year since the LSU v Arkansas game is no longer going to be the last week of the year after this year according to Arkansas Sports 360.

Scheduling is hot topic at SEC meet

by David Paschall

With two days down and two days remaining at the Southeastern Conference spring meetings, the future football scheduling format continues to be passionately debated.

The only certainty is that Steve Spurrier’s proposal that only division games determine division winners is out.

SEC commissioner Mike Slive described the 6-1-1 model, in which each team plays its six divisional opponents, a permanent foe from the opposite division and a rotating foe from the opposite division, as “the leader in the clubhouse.” LSU officials, however, would like to end their annual matchup against Florida and believe a 6-2 model would be more balanced and would enhance the frequency in which teams from the opposite sides would play.

“Mississippi State is going to play Kentucky every year, and I think that is disproportionate,” Tigers coach Les Miles told reporters Wednesday at the gathering in Destin, Fla. “I’m not for Auburn playing Georgia every year. Again, it’s disproportionate. I think there should be an opportunity to see a greater segment of the conference.”

Said LSU athletic director Joe Alleva: “It’s not because I’m opposed to playing Florida. I just think it creates a competitive inequity. In my opinion, people are voting for their own self-interests, not what is best for the whole league.”

Adopting a 6-2 model would eliminate Alabama playing Tennessee and Auburn playing Georgia on an annual basis. There has been discussion of those four schools using a 6-1-1 format and the other 10 teams going with a 6-2.

“We have looked at that, and there is some real complexities with that,” Slive said. “That is a nice solution if it was available, but like everything else, every time we do something it raises another set of issues, and you have got to balance those against the issues raised by another format.”

Coaches voiced their concerns to their athletic directors Wednesday, and the athletic directors are scheduled to make their recommendation to school presidents Friday.

The league’s basketball counterparts have had a much easier time, proposing an 18-game schedule in which each team would play the other 13 teams at least once. There would be one permanent home-and-home series annually, while the remaining four games would rotate among the other 12 teams.

Among the permanent basketball rivalries would be Tennessee-Vanderbilt, Florida-Kentucky, Alabama-Auburn and Georgia-South Carolina, so Kentucky and Tennessee no longer would play twice in most years.

Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Comments (0)

Top football stadiums in the country (Part 9)

May 31, 2012 – 7:42 am

South Carolina D vs Arkansas O 2011

Tennessee ’86 Sugar Bowl Memories by Russ Finley

Uploaded by on Dec 12, 2009

All video footage is copyright of WATE-TV6 and the University of Tennessee, but legally reproduced here in conjunction with Fair Use laws.

Vols feature (1986 win over Miami 35-7 in the USF&G Sugar Bowl) Russ Finley and Russ Hollingsworth

Here is a list of the top football stadiums in the country.

Power Ranking All 124 College Football Stadiums  

By Alex Callos

(Featured Columnist) on April 19, 2012 

When it comes to college football stadiums, for some teams, it is simply not fair. Home-field advantage is a big thing in college football, and some teams have it way more than others.

There are 124 FBS college football teams, and when it comes to the stadiums they play in, they are obviously not all created equal.

There is a monumental difference from the top teams on the list to the bottom teams on the list. Either way, here it is: a complete ranking of the college football stadiums 1-124.

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When I think of South Carolina it makes me think of how good they were last year and still everyone overlooked them. Did you know that #9 South Carolina came into Fayetteville last year to play the #7 Razorbacks but since #1 v #2 were playing at the same time in Alabama that night nobody talked about the Razorback victory.

Tennessee’s coach Johnny Major got his coaching start at Arkansas and he led Tennessee back into the top 10 in 1985 with a 35-7 Sugar Bowl victory over top ranked Miami.

64. Sun Life Stadium: Miami (FL) Hurricanes
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Sun Life Stadium is probably more widely known as being home to the Miami Dolphins, and also the Orange Bowl.

The Miami Hurricanes also call this place home. It has been around since 1987 and seats 76,500.

The atmosphere here is average as best, and the stadium is kind of located in a not-so-great residential area.

Still, this is Miami, so the weather is nice, and the place can get loud at times.

 

63. Memorial Stadium: Illinois Fighting Illini

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Memorial Stadium is another of those old facilities with bleacher seating.

It was built in 1923 and seats 62,872. The Fighting Illini have not been too good in recent years, but the stadium is usually packed with a sea of orange.

The surrounding area is great, but everything inside is average and on the lower end of the scale as far as Big Ten goes.

 

62. Raymond James Stadium: South Florida Bulls

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Raymond James Stadium is an excellent place to watch and NFL game. As far as college goes, though, it is average.

Built in 1998 for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, this stadium is very new compared to other college fields.

It seats 66,321, and there is not a bad seat in the house. It has an open feel to it so visitors can enjoy the nice Tampa weather.

Overall, not a bad place; just not with as much of a college atmosphere as other stadiums.

 

61. Floyd Casey Stadium: Baylor Bears

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Floyd Casey Stadium was built in 1950 with a seating capacity of 50,000.

Perhaps the best aspect about the older stadium is the fans. They fill up the place and bring quite an atmosphere to the stadium.

It has been renovated multiple times, as recently as 2004, and that is keeping it up to date and in the middle of this list.

 

60. Romney Stadium: Utah State Aggies

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Built in 1968, this stadium only has a seating capacity of 25,513, but what sets this stadium apart from many others is the beautiful surrounding area.

There are mountains in the background, making this a perfect place to come for a late-afternoon game as the sun sets.

The atmosphere inside is not bad as well, and the isolated town of Logan makes for a nice place to watch a game.

 

59. Gerald J. Ford Stadium: SMU Mustangs

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This horseshoe shaped stadium was built in 2000 with a seating capacity of 32,000.

The stadium is actually located right in downtown Dallas and has the atmosphere of a more eastern campus than those in the south.

One of the standout aspects of this stadium is the SMU band known as the “Hub of SMU Spirit.”

 

58. BB&T Field: Wake Forest Demon Deacons

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There are not a lot of tiny stadiums in the country with an atmosphere quite like the 31,500-seat BB&T Stadium.

Even though it is small in size, with such an excellent atmosphere, this stadium built in 1968 cracks the top 60 on the list.

All of the features of the stadium are updated, and it has a newer feel even though it is nearly 50 years old.

Certainly one of the most unique in the ACC.

 

57. Falcon Stadium: Air Force Falcons

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Even though it may not look like it, this stadium seats 46,692. It was built in 1962 and has the most amazing backdrop of any college football stadium.

While Utah State has quite a background outside of their stadium, the Rocky Mountains surrounding Falcon Stadium are simply superb.

The stadium is 6,620 feet above sea-level, making it the second-highest of all the stadiums. There is a lot to see in and around the stadium here that makes the experience something to remember.

 

56. Folsom Field: Colorado Buffaloes

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Located in the middle of the beautiful campus of Colorado, Folsom Stadium is one of the older facilities in the country, having been around since 1924. 

It seats 53,750 and has gone through a few improvements and expansions over the years, allowing it to stay updated.

There are big-screen televisions on each end of the field, something a lot of stadiums do not have. A six-story press box has also recently been added.

 

55. Williams-Brice Stadium: South Carolina Gamecocks

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Williams-Brice Stadium is one of the larger stadiums in the country, with a seating capacity of 80,250. Built in 1934, it is also relatively old as far as stadiums are concerned.

There is a lot to experience here outside of the stadium before, during and after the game.

As one of the 20 largest stadiums in the country, this place can get a little loud, and while it is not one of the top stadiums in the SEC, there is a lot here to enjoy on a Saturday afternoon.

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Comments (0)

Hank Hanegraaff on the issue of abortion (Part 4)

May 31, 2012 – 7:37 am

Church History & Abortion

Uploaded by on Sep 30, 2010

This 10.5 minute Power Point presentation gives statements from Church leaders (early and late) regarding the Christian Church’s opposition to abortion.

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I am hopeful that we will have some pro-life judges appointed in the future. Without that happening then abortion will continue to go up at a rapid pace.

Should abortions be permitted in the case of rape or incest?

 

When the subject of abortion comes up, rape and incest are often used as an emotional appeal designed to deflect serious consideration of the pro-life position: “How can anyone deny a hurting woman safe medical care and freedom from the terror of rape or incest by forcing her to maintain a pregnancy resulting from the cruel and criminal invasion of her body?” The emotion of the argument often precludes serious examination of its merits.

First, it is important to note that the incidence of pregnancy as a result of rape is rare, with studies estimating that approximately 1 percent to 4.7 percent of rapes result in pregnancy. Thus lobbying for abortion on the basis of rape and incest is like lobbying for the removal of red lights because you might have to run one in order to rescue someone who is about to commit suicide. Even if we had legislation restricting abortion for all reasons other than rape or incest, we would save the vast majority of the 1.8 million preborn babies who die annually in the United States through abortion.

Furthermore, one does not obviate the real pain of rape or incest by compounding it with the murder of an innocent preborn child. Two wrongs do not make a right. The very thing that makes rape evil also makes abortion evil. In both cases, an innocent human being is brutally dehumanized.

In both cases, an innocent human being is brutally dehumanized. Finally, the real question is whether abortion is the murder of an innocent human being. If so, abortion should be avoided at all costs. In an age of scientific enlightenment we now know that the embryo even at its earliest stages fulfills the criteria needed to establish the existence of biological life (including metabolism, development, the ability to react to stimuli, and cell reproduction); that a zygote is a living human being as demonstrated by its distinct genetic code; and that human personhood does not depend on size, location, or level of dependence. Thus, abortion should be avoided even in cases of rape and incest.

For further study, see Hank Hanegraaff, “Annihilating Abortion Arguments,” available through the Christian Research Institute (CRI) at http://www.equip.org.

Proverbs 17:15:
“Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent-the LORD detests them both.”

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Francis Schaeffer, Prolife | Comments (0)

Open letter to President Obama (Part 85)

May 31, 2012 – 7:31 am

President Obama c/o The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

I know that you receive 20,000 letters a day and that you actually read 10 of them every day. I really do respect you for trying to get a pulse on what is going on out here.

It seems that government was in control of the desert then we would have a shortage of sand as Milton Friedman used to quip.

You Keep Using the Word ‘Affordable.’ I Do Not Think It Means What You Think It Means.

Posted by Michael F. Cannon

The federal government gave a $10 million “affordability” prize to a giant corporation for manufacturing a $50 lightbulb. The Washington Post:

The U.S. government last year announced a $10 million award…for any manufacturer that could create a “green” but affordable light bulb.

Energy Secretary Steven Chu said the prize would spur industry to offer the costly bulbs…at prices “affordable for American families.”…

Now the winning bulb is on the market.

The price is $50.

Retailers said the bulb, made by Philips, is likely to be too pricey to have broad appeal. Similar LED bulbs are less than half the cost.

This is the same federal government that refers to ObamaCare, which costs more than $6 trillion, as the “Affordable Care Act.”

Thank you so much for your time. I know how valuable it is. I also appreciate the fine family that you have and your commitment as a father and a husband.

Sincerely,

Everette Hatcher III, 13900 Cottontail Lane, Alexander, AR 72002, ph 501-920-5733, lowcostsqueegees@yahoo.com

Religious Liberty: Obamacare’s First Casualty

Uploaded by on Feb 22, 2012

http://blog.heritage.org/2012/02/22/morning-bell-religious-liberty-under-attack/ | The controversy over the Obama Administration’s anti-conscience mandate and the fight for religious liberty only serves to highlight the inherent flaws in Obamacare. This conflict is a natural result of the centralization laid out under Obamacare and will only continue until the law is repealed in full.

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Cato Institute, Healthcare, Milton Friedman, President Obama | Comments (0)