Christians are being murdered, persecuted and chased out of Muslim lands. If the roles were reversed, Christians attacking Muslims, the world would rightly be crying ethnic cleansing.
Here's what a "moderate" Pakistani imam had to say about the cold-blooded murder of a politician by his bodyguard. The politician has defended a Christian woman against accusations of blasphemy:
They even went so far as to warn government officials and journalists that the “supporter is as equally guilty as one who committed blasphemy,” and so therefore they should all take “a lesson from the exemplary death” of Salman Taseer. (NY Post)Are we able to take a lesson?
Pension and benefit packages threaten to collapse entire cities and states
Benefits packages for government workers are unsustainable, and we need to have a responsible discussion focused on the financial facts. The purported cupidity or sanctity of the pensioners has nothing to do with the facts on the ground. If someone opened the door to paradise, who among us would not walk in? So it's not about the people, it's about the fiscal mess we are now in.
We set up a system where people could grab with both hands while being completely insulated from the consequences.
What's the Answer?
Privatize it. City workers, teachers, auditors, logistics. This is not a knock against public servants. The good ones will get hired by the private sector and the bad ones will no longer be able to scam the system. End all government pensions and drive everyone to a 401K-type retirement plan. End all government health insurance plans and drive everyone to private insurance. End government disability programs; anyone who wants such protection can buy it in the public insurance market. These actions would put our federal, state and local governments on a pay as we go basis, reducing future unfunded liabilities.
Sound draconian? The private sector has already done it.
Further Reading:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-01-03/snowplow-slowdowns-might-become-american-way-commentary-by-kevin-hassett.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/04/us/politics/04fiscal.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper
http://pajamasmedia.com/victordavishanson/raging-against-them/?singlepage=true
http://econlog.econlib.org/archives/2010/12/where_i_differ.html
Nugent Schools Rosanne Barr
Go here and watch Ted Nugent school Rosanne Barr
Notice how every time he shuts her down she moves on to another issue?
My favorite line was when the host said Obama had accomplishments before becoming president; he helped the people of Chicago, to which Uncle Ted replied: "The people of Chicago don't look very helped to me"
Have a happy weekend!
12 comments:
Don't know if you saw this encouraging item that reports on how Muslim Egyptians came to the defense of Coptic Christians after the Christians were attacked and killed:
"Yet by Coptic Christmas Eve, which took place Thursday night in Egypt, things had changed completely. As Egyptian Copts attended mass at churches across the country, “thousands” of Muslims, including “the two sons of President Hosni Mubarak,” joined them, acting as “human shields” to protect from terrorist attacks by extremists. The Muslims organized under the slogan “We either live together, or we die together,” inspired by Mohamed El-Sawy, an Egyptian artist:
Egypt’s majority Muslim population stuck to its word Thursday night. What had been a promise of solidarity to the weary Coptic community, was honoured, when thousands of Muslims showed up at Coptic Christmas eve mass services in churches around the country and at candle light vigils held outside. From the well-known to the unknown, Muslims had offered their bodies as “human shields” for last night’s mass, making a pledge to collectively fight the threat of Islamic militants and towards an Egypt free from sectarian strife.
“We either live together, or we die together,” was the sloganeering genius of Mohamed El-Sawy, a Muslim arts tycoon whose cultural centre distributed flyers at churches in Cairo Thursday night, and who has been credited with first floating the “human shield” idea. Among those shields were movie stars Adel Imam and Yousra, popular preacher Amr Khaled, the two sons of President Hosni Mubarak, and thousands of citizens who have said they consider the attack one on Egypt as a whole. “This is not about us and them,” said Dalia Mustafa, a student who attended mass at Virgin Mary Church on Maraashly. “We are one. This was an attack on Egypt as a whole, and I am standing with the Copts because the only way things will change in this country is if we come together.”
We Americans could learn from this show of unity.
Unfortunately, there are not enough stories like this in that are of the world. The trend is unmistakably clear: The Christian community is shrinking. That is a hateful, intolerant part of the world. Just ask Jews, outspoken women and homosexuals.
Christians were living in relative peace in the middle east until recently - until we started meddling around over there.
It's stupid to "privatize" anything like that. You are simply forcing money into the markets. That's not free market capitalism, that public funded corporatism. It's too bad conservatives don't understand basic capitalist principles.
Ted Nugent is a lowbrow, pandering, stupid, moron. I remember catching his radio show in Detroit back in the mid-90's. Adolescent tripe. If you are over like ten years old, and find Ted Nugent smart or funny, you have a developemental problem. ;)
JMJ
Jersey: You're upside-down and factless on everything you just said. I disagree with all of it.
At the rate Pakistan is going, that nation will end up being ruled by strict shari'a law. The murdered politician mentioned in this post wanted at more open Islam. Well, look what he got instead.
-----------------
Those government pension and benefits plans, particularly the local plans, are in deep trouble. In fact, a few small ones have already gone bankrupt. Bigger ones, if they manage to stay afloat, are going to require that local taxpayers are taxed even more.
They are inarguable facts, Silver. You can't just stick your fingers in your ears and shout "la la la, la la la," and make an alternate reality. It doesn't work that way.
Most Christians lived in relative peace in the Middle East until recently. Pushing people into private investment markets is not free market capitalism, but coerced corporatism. And finally, Ted Nugent is a moron. All inarguable facts.
JMJ
You're full of it, Jersey. Christian decline is well documented from the middle ages on.
As for privatization, I guess you don't watch the news. It works. Go google Chile privatizing their social security.
More government? Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting the same result.
Jersey, you seen an intelligent man capable of putting a coherent thought on paper...do I really need to list all the anti-christian atrocities, massacres, and significant incidents that have occured in the middle east between 1900-1990 to rebuke your statement that "Most Christians lived in relative peace in the Middle East until recently"?
Do I need to outline the collapse of the Ottoman empire and subsequent holocausts of Armenian, Syrian/Assyrian, and Greek Orthodox Christians that occured in the first quarter of the last century?
The anti-coptic riots and massacres in Egypt from the collapse of British Control to the rise of Nasser?
The ongoing persecution of Christians in Saudi Arabia?
Violence against Christians in Pakistan from 1950-1990?
Come on man, you're as capable as using google as I am!
You can't just stick your fingers in your ears and shout "la la la, la la la," and make an alternate reality.
Finn schooled ya again, Jersey. You need to do your homework before you comment...
That was great how Ted Nugent held his ground, brought out the facts and left those three Democrats in the dust.
I believe the Christian woman in Pakistan is still alive, she is presently in prison awaiting her sentence. God help her.
Awesome post, Silverfiddle. And I do love Ted Nugent!
Notice that it's the hard rock and country musicians who are usually conservative? I wonder why.
Karen,
Maybe it's because they got where they are by dint of their own hard work.
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.