Sex, Monkeys, and Our Tax System

Posted on September 17, 2012 by Tom Balek Standard 1

There is a colloquialism that accurately describes our process of calculating, filing, and paying our federal taxes. I can’t say the term in mixed company, but it involves a large number of simians all having sexual relations at the same time.

There are so many things wrong with the IRS, our tax codes, and our attitudes about how we funnel money to our government, that this is one of those “Don’t Get Me Started” things.

Too late, I started.

At last estimate, only about 36% of taxpayers prepare their own returns. Most Americans would rather pay somebody else to file their returns than do it themselves, blindly trusting that the tax preparer will accurately calculate the correct tax. Many advertize that they will get you a bigger refund than the tax guy down the street! The taxpayers don’t know how to file, don’t want to know, and will do anything to avoid it, including handing over their checkbooks to a total stranger named Block.

Waterboarding? Ha! They should have made Khalid Sheik Mohammed fill out a Schedule D!

We are not only forced to pay part of our hard-earned money to the government, we are also forced to pay somebody else to decide how much we are forced to pay to the government! Even though many taxpayers could file a simple, one-page “simple” form, they are too afraid. Or they have gone to public schools, where learning about anything with a dollar sign attached is really frowned upon.

Business tax reporting is even worse.

For instance, when a business buys equipment, it can “write off” the cost over a period of years, which reduces income and, thereby, taxes. If the government allowed the entire cost to be deducted immediately, it would seriously reduce their cash flow. So our big-spending brothers and sisters in DC make businesses spread the cost over a number of years. How many years? Well, nobody knows. There is no chart where you can look up the depreciation percentage or number of years for, say a new widget-making machine. There are chapters and paragraphs and exceptions and alternatives and recaptures – but nowhere is there a simple chart that a human being can understand. Only the accountants can conjure up an answer, and ten different accountants will come up with ten different answers. The IRS doesn’t really care – ten IRS agents will come up with ten more completely different answers.

Even more strange – our tax “police” send out checks to anybody and everybody who requests a refund, without checking first to see if the filer is a citizen, has a job, or has already received thousands of refunds at the same address. The IRS doesn’t even attempt to collect the $1 billion in past due taxes owed by federal employees – Geez, guys, all you need to do is deduct them from their paychecks!

All I can say about our tax system is HOW BIZARRE! Candidates talk about more taxes or less taxes. But why isn’t anybody (other than Herman Cain) talking about our crazy tax system?

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

Ooh baby, it’s making me crazy
Every time I look around, it’s in my face
How bizarre! How bizarre, how bizarre!

How Bizarre – OMC

Yes Mom, He’s An Axe Murderer, But He’s So Cute!

Posted on September 14, 2012 by Tom Balek Standard 5

We bumped into a new neighbor the other day. After some chit-chat the conversation turned, predictably, to the sour economy – unemployment, inflation, the debt. The neighbor mentioned the weak real estate market and how difficult it is to sell or buy a house.

My wife chimed in, “I think everybody is waiting until after the election to make any major financial move.”

The neighbor said, “Yes, I know everybody wants Obama out because his policies have been terrible for the economy.” We agreed, assuming we had met a fellow conservative.

She continued, “I voted for Obama last time. And I suppose I will have to vote for him again.” My wife and I gave each other a puzzled look. “Why?” we asked.

“Well, I just couldn’t vote for Romney because of the way he flaunts his wealth.”

Huh?

My mind reeled at all the problems with this statement. Even if it were true, how is having money you earned yourself worse than deliberately destroying the wealth of American families?

When Romney was governor of Massachusetts he refused to take a salary. He also managed the Winter Olympics without pay. And he donated every dollar of his inheritance to charity. Stories of Romney’s incredible anonymous philanthropy are beginning to surface. Flaunt his wealth? Are Michelle’s expensive vacations not flaunting? Is sending a government jet to pick up Barack’s dog not flaunting?

And besides, what the hell difference does it make? We have important problems to solve!

I’m befuddled as to why people vote the way they do. It’s mind-boggling.

What is more important than the looming bankruptcy of the largest economy on the planet? Does it really matter who pays for Sandra Fluke’s birth control pills? Do you vote for somebody only because of his or her sex, or race, or personal appearance?

President Obama’s policies have been a dismal failure, resulting in annual deficits exceeding $1 trillion and driving our nation into a disastrous, perhaps irreversible decline. He shows no interest in straightening out the mess. And yet Obama continues to lead in the polls because he is “likeable.”

At the DNC in Charlotte, Peter Schiff interviewed a couple dozen delegates – these are the Democrat party’s best and brightest. With a big grin, he asked each of them, “Do you think corporate profits should be banned?” Every one, without hesitation, said, “Of course! That’s a great idea!”

This is the “new” American voter. God help us.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

Don’t say nothin’ bad about my baby
Don’t say nothin’ bad about my baby
He’s good – he’s good to me –
And that’s all I care about!

Don’t Say Nothin’ Bad About My Baby – the Cookies

Supply and Demand – Another Law No Longer Enforced

Posted on September 12, 2012 by Tom Balek Standard 2

Supply and demand.

Please close your eyes, stop your busy brain for a second, and say those three words. Give me a quick one-sentence explanation of what it means to you.

Okay, ready?

Supply and demand. Did that phrase register with you? Was it a simple concept, an obvious and common thing like salt and pepper? Or did it kind of bounce off, a hazy theory, something you have heard of, but never really thought about?

Even if you can’t give a pretty definition, you probably do understand the concept. While economists can discuss nuances of the law of supply and demand for years, the basic concept is simple and intuitive: the less there is of something, the more valuable it is. A pound of gold is worth more than a pound of rocks, because there are a lot of rocks in the world, and only a little bit of gold.

Supply and demand is why we get up in the morning and go to work. We have needs and wants, we want our families to live better. Every single waking moment of our lives we are active on both sides of the law of supply and demand. We want to improve ourselves so that the demand for what we do is higher (competition), so we can make more money. Others want to get our money, so they try to provide something we demand (competition). The price of everything in the world is controlled by supply and demand.

I can think of no concept more critical to the success of every human being than a gut-level understanding of the law of supply and demand. It is as undeniable and righteous as the law of gravity. It should be the basis of our education system. Sadly, it isn’t. In fact the law of supply and demand is increasingly ignored, denied and dismissed in our schools, in the media, and certainly by our government.

To keep this sermon to a manageable length, here is an illustration: if you had a choice between two identical loaves of bread – one cost a dollar and the other cost two dollars – which one would you buy with your own money? Duh.

Now, if you had a choice between two employees doing the same work – one cost $50,000 and the other cost $100,000 – which one would you buy with your own money? Double Duh! So why do federal employees receive more than DOUBLE the compensation of the private-sector employees who pay their salaries?

How can that happen? The law of supply and demand has been broken. There is no scarcity of federal employees (over a half million of them make more than $100,000 per year). They are no more valuable than their private-sector counterparts. What’s going on here?

The answer is: Corruption. Pay to play. Quid pro quo. We have allowed government employees to unionize. The unions promise money, logistical support, and votes to elected officials in exchange for more union jobs and higher pay and benefits. Get me elected, I’ll pay you back, with somebody else’s money. Pay me back, I’ll get you elected. The taxpayer has no input or control over this. It is a done deal. The law of supply and demand has been broken, and until we eliminate government employee unions, this corruption will escalate until our economy and nation is destroyed.

There are many more examples of government breaking the law of supply and demand – crooked contracts, cronyism, manipulating interest rates, all the things that make elected officials stinking rich. But this one – government employee unions – is the big kahuna, because of the vast number of people involved. ObamaCare promises another 21 million government union employees. It’s the perfect crime.

I can’t help but wonder if more Americans understood and recognized and respected and enforced the law of supply and demand, would they hold their government accountable?

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

These days the buck stops nowhere
No one takes the blame
But evil is still evil
In anybody’s name
If dirt were dollars
If dirt were dollars
If dirt were dollars
We’d all be in the black

If Dirt Were Dollars – Don Henley

Yeah, Right, We Hate Women and Kids

Posted on September 11, 2012 by Tom Balek Standard Reply

Conservatives are big meanies, right? We hate women, and minorities and children. We want dirty air and water, and we would throw Granny over the cliff in a heartbeat. All because we want to take money from poor people and give it to rich people.

Today I took my two-year old twin grandkids out for their first fishing experience. It was Grandpa heaven – digging the worms, baiting the hooks, enjoying the warm sunshine on the dock with a picnic lunch. Lydia caught a fat little catfish right away, and minutes later Conrad caught a perch. They were mesmerized, and Grandpa was a hero. “Goodbye, Mr. Fish,” they waved, as we threw them back in the water to get bigger for next time.

Yeah, I kind of care about these little guys. So much that I will do anything to protect them and their futures. I am compelled to work toward reducing the debt so they won’t be burdened with crushing taxes. I want to strengthen our private sector economy so they can have meaningful jobs and live in a secure, prosperous nation. I am driven to improve our educational system so their adult lives will be rich and rewarding. I would never condone anything in their environment that would harm them in any way.

Liberals, you can accuse me, and my fellow conservatives, of a lot of things. But let’s drop the crap about how we hate women and children.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

Here’s a song I wrote for the kids a while back, looking forward to this day!

Let’s go fishin’, it’s a beautiful day
There’s not a single cloud in the sky, now, what do you say?
Nothin’ better than a fish on your line
Just take him off and throw him back, he’ll be bigger next time

Let’s Go Fishin’ – Tom Balek

The “Grown-Up In The Room” – Still Herman Cain

Posted on September 10, 2012 by Tom Balek Standard 1

A few weeks ago I nominated Paul Ryan to the “Old Bean Counters” club, of which I am the founding member. We “Old Bean Counters” believe in the sanctity of honest accounting. We understand that careful budgeting and controls (fail to plan, plan to fail) results in success for businesses and for governments. And we believe we could save the nation’s economy if we were allowed to move in and clean up the books.

Today another eloquent statement in support of fiscal sanity was written by our level-headed old friend Herman Cain. I remain a huge Cain fan. He gets my top grade for leadership, common sense, and patriotism. Herman is still the “grown-up” in the room, and must be added to the “Bean Counters” club.

The War of Words: No One Wins
By Herman Cain

As someone who has spent a long career in the business world, confronting problems and solving them, I find that there’s something surreal about two weeks of political conventions in a nation that faces very big problems – and desperately needs effective solutions.

In the business world, when people are attacking each other, hurling accusations and leveling blame, the first thing a leader has to do is put a stop to that. In such an environment, it is extremely difficult to devise solutions, and it is almost impossible to implement them effectively.

Today’s political environment is exactly what I just described on a 24/7 basis. It is a never-ending war on words. And this is a war that no one wins.

This is not going to be one of those columns where the writer tries to appear above the fray by blaming both sides equally, and pretends not to be taking sides. Get real. You know perfectly well that I support Mitt Romney and that I oppose Barack Obama. You’ve read my criticisms of Obama’s policies in this space and others. I am not decrying all criticism because a) it is a healthy part of our system of government; and b) I engage in it as much as anyone.

But there’s a difference between honest criticism and simply saying anything you have to say for the sake of your own power. This is the phenomenon that was on display at the Democrats’ convention in Charlotte, and it was astounding.

Consider the fact that the Democrats apparently have decided the word “voucher” can be used in a negative way to hang a political anvil around Republicans. Repeatedly, they attacked Republicans for wanting to replace Medicare with what they call “Vouchercare.” What made this so appalling was not the mere fact that there’s nothing wrong with a voucher, which is simply premium support that seniors can use to purchase their own insurance. No, what made this so appalling is the fact that, even as the Democrats were tossing this word around as if it were a euphemism for a concentration camp roundup, the Obama Administration itself was in the process of moving 2 million seniors into vouchers as a pilot program designed to improve Medicare.

In other words, they don’t even mean what they say. They simply say it because it’s tested well with focus groups or something. Attack vouchers and land blows against Republicans. You know it’s total BS, but it works.

Another example is their constant use of the phrase “middle class,” usually accompanied by a denunciation of “tax cuts for millionaires.” You’d think, to listen to these guys, that the middle class was doing great under them – since they warn darkly of its fate in the event of a Republican victory. In fact, middle class incomes have fallen by more than $4,000 per household since Obama took office. The people who constantly drone on about the middle class have nothing to offer the middle class. But the words sure sound good.

Republicans can be susceptible to the same thing. They spent a lot of time at their convention attacking out-of-control federal spending. And rightly so. But they did that in 1994, and were handed control of Congress by voters who agreed with them. The Republican Congresses of the 1990s did control spending for awhile, which is why we got the balanced budgets that Bill Clinton attributes to his own excellence in arithmetic. But by the time we hit the new millennium, congressional Republicans had discovered that they liked spending too – and pretty soon fiscal discipline was a thing of the past. Yet here they are in 2012, saying the same words. It might win them the election. And if it does – and they remain mere words – no one will have won.

It’s easy to blame this on political consultants who poll-test every theme and concept, and put it before focus groups to see how it will play. It’s easy to blame the shallow news media, which covers the horse race and the strategy of every campaign as if there’s no such thing as governing that comes after the election.

But ultimately, it’s the candidates who choose to follow these strategies, using these words to get elected knowing full well that they don’t mean what they’re saying.

This country is in big trouble. The national debt, now at $16 trillion, is more than our entire gross domestic product. Our unfunded entitlement obligations run into the hundreds of trillions. We have 15 percent of the population on food stamps. We have 15 percent of the population either unemployed or underemployed. And the federal government is spending a quarter of our GDP every year in a futile attempt to somehow fix all this. It is not working.

Under these circumstances, it is absolutely mandatory that the nation turn to leaders who are serious about solutions, serious about honest data and willing to give it to us straight about the nation’s situation. It is still possible to fix this mess, but it can’t be done by people who are unserious, dishonest and willing to say absolutely anything to remain in power.

In the business world, you need to understand facts, test your ideas and be honest about when solutions to problems are not working. Otherwise you will never make the necessary adjustments. People who do this are respected, because they are the ones who ultimately get results. Those who are out of ideas, and offer nothing more than the same ideas that have already failed, are fired. Sometimes, if they have integrity, they recognize that they are not the right people for the job and they step aside to make room for more competent leadership.

That’s why business leaders solve problems but the political class never does. And it’s ultimately the responsibility of the voters not to put up with this nonsense. If our only response to the very real problems facing this nation is a war of words, people need to understand that is a war that no one wins.

We still need ya, Herman. Welcome to the Bean Counters club. And keep reminding us it’s time to grow up.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

Come back when you grow up, girl
You’re still livin’ in a paper-doll world
Livin’ ain’t easy, lovin’s twice as tough
So come back, baby, when you grow up

Come Back When You Grow Up – Bobby Vee

How’s This For A Plan? STOP!

Posted on September 9, 2012 by Tom Balek Standard Reply

I’m tired of hearing Democrats insisting that the Republicans and conservatives “have no plan”.

The liberal solution to every issue, question, and challenge is a new government “program” that will spend more money and will live forever, even after it fails or is obsolete. Education is failing? We must not be spending enough. Our GDP is not growing? More government spending. Our favorite socially-engineered industry (green energy) can’t compete in the real world? Give them more public money.

So when a Republican does not propose a new “program” featuring more government spending (and debt), that is the equivalent of “doing nothing” or “having no plan”.

Hogwash. Here’s a plan for you.

We must immediately STOP the ridiculous, wasteful government programs already in place that accomplish nothing. The liberals’ insistence that government spending spurs the economy is deceitful – every dollar government gives to one person or company was taken from another person or company, and a big slice is missing by the time it gets to the receiver due to waste, corruption, and inefficiency. Government spending, while sometimes necessary, is a proven drag on the economy. Raising taxes makes it worse, and printing and/or borrowing money to spur the economy just delays the pain.

The quid pro quo, pay-to-play, corrupt paybacks to unions, corporate donors, cronies, and special interest groups must be STOPPED now.

Let’s immediately STOP the attacks and roadblocks on our energy industry by the Obama administration via the EPA and other agencies and aligned special-interest groups. We have the resources and the technology to become the energy supplier to the world, and could do so quickly. What do they not like about more jobs, a positive balance of trade, and elimination of the dependence on hostile foreign suppliers?

We can and must immediately STOP the flow of illegal aliens across our borders, most of whom end up collecting welfare. This isn’t even a choice, as our laws and Constitution require it.

We must STOP throwing good money after bad, doing things the same way out of habit. We have to STOP politicizing and polarizing every issue and shouting at each other across the ideological divide without even listening for kernels of wisdom that might be on the other side.

And because the stakes are so high, and our fiscal crisis is so urgent, we must focus on economics and STOP wasting time on all the distractions and bogus issues – the class warfare, the make-believe “war on women”, the race-baiting. Unless we straighten out our fiscal mess, nothing else really matters.

One of the corny, childish jokes from the old Hee Haw television program (yes, you ARE old enough to remember) featured Archie Campbell as the country doctor. A different patient every week would complain, “Doc, it hurts when I do this.” The wise doctor would always give him a whack and yell, “Then DON’T DO THAT!” Not exactly rocket science, is it?

There are a lot more specifics to the plan of Republicans and conservatives. But the best parts of their plan include the word STOP!

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

It’s time we stop,
Hey, what’s that sound
Everybody look what’s goin’ down

For What It’s Worth – Buffalo Springfield

Juneau: Montana Kids Are Abused

Posted on September 6, 2012 by Tom Balek Standard 6

Montana Children Waiting To Be Fed By Their Teachers

On behalf of the state of Montana, I apologize to America. Our state superintendent of schools, Denise Juneau, spoke to the DNC and the entire nation yesterday, and I am embarrassed to have everyone see how low our once-great state has sunk.

Juneau revealed to the world that “Sometimes school is the only place where our kids can get a hot meal and a warm hug”. She admitted that Montana parents do not care enough about their children to even feed them, or show affection.

She confessed that without President Obama, our kids have no chance for success. But if Obama is re-elected, the opportunities are limitless – our children, she said, can emerge “from a home with a struggling single mom to the White House”.

Montana parents offer no future to our kids, especially single moms and our Native American families. “Teachers are the only ones who tell kids they can go from the Indian reservation to the Ivy League,” she said. I’m sorry you have to see how horrible our Montana parents are, based on the damning report by Denise Juneau. So bad that teachers have to raise our kids for us, and even they can’t succeed unless Barack Obama is re-elected.

Juneau’s opponent for the office of superintendent of Montana schools, Sandy Welch, says if we can stop the Obama administration, senators Baucus and Tester, the EPA, and the radical environmental groups from blocking the development of our abundant energy resources, our economy will improve dramatically, along with family incomes, the tax base, and funds for education.

But Denise Juneau, in her speech, pointed out that it’s better to beg for scraps from a federal government sinking in debt, and rely on more hope and more change from a failed President rather than support Montana parents and local school boards and administrators, even if it holds down teacher salaries.

America, I’m sorry for what has happened to our Montana kids.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

Hungry for those good things, baby
Hungry through and through
I’m hungry for that sweet life, baby
With a real fine girl like you

Hungry – Paul Revere and the Raiders

Michelle says: I – I – I am j – j- just like you!

Posted on September 5, 2012 by Tom Balek Standard 2

I couldn’t help but notice Michelle Obama stammering her way through her speech at the DNC last night. About every second or third sentence began with a stutter (for example, check out the first 30 seconds of this clip). And these stumbles were not the least bit accidental. The words “I – I – I’ve seen it in – in people . . . ” may have appeared on the teleprompter to remind her.

You see Michelle, and her husband Barack, have been coached to stutter when speaking to the wretched masses. President Obama started using the fake stutter tactic a few months ago – more recently, his favorite is “uh”. It is intended to make them seem more common, less imperial. The theory is that if they sound a little less polished, you might forget Michelle’s extravagant lifestyle and her husband’s considerable wealth. You might think they are just like you.

I’m not saying the Obamas should be ashamed of their wealth, mind you. But I am annoyed that Michelle, in her speech, sought pity for their humble roots when, in fact, both were pampered rich kids who never knew a day of financial stress. Barack’s mother was a well-paid federal employee; his adoptive father, Lolo Soetoro, had a management job with Union Oil, and his grandmother was a well-connected bank vice-president who left him an inheritance of perhaps a half-million bucks in stocks. Michelle’s father enjoyed a fat government paycheck thanks to his Daley connections in Chicago – $50k plus in the early 1970’s, the equivalent of $250k today.

Both attended tony private high schools and exclusive colleges, including Barack’s years at two expensive Ivy League universities with no visible means of support. Even if they were financed with loans and scholarships, it’s hard to shed any tears. Their careers reek of patronage as well.

It really doesn’t matter. I rather doubt Mitt Romney regularly irons his own “Costco” shirts, either.

There is only one thing that matters to me in the upcoming elections, at every level and in every locale: do you understand simple mathematics and economics? Will you make the hard decisions it will take to save our nation from financial ruin? If so, I support you. If not, then you are just like pretty much every other political leader currently in office, and God help us all if you are elected.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

The ballad of Barack and Michelle –

Together we can make it baby –
From the poor side of town . . .

The Poor Side of Town – Johnny Rivers

Write a check to your school for $88,000?!

Posted on September 2, 2012 by Tom Balek Standard 6

In my neck of the Montana woods, the annual cost to educate a K-12 student is over $11,000, which is about the state average. Some nearby rural school districts spend $15,000 per student and one spends over $22,000 per kid per year. (Data is available at the ‘Transparency in MT Schools’ website – thanks to the Montana Policy Institute). This does not include the additional costs of government offices and personnel related to education.

Most people say we should spend more on education. They aren’t specific about how much would be enough – $25,000 per student? $50,000? $100,000?

Forgive my “old Bean Counter” instincts, but hearing these numbers makes me think: If I live in this small Montana town where educating a student costs $22,000 per year, and I have four kids, do I have to write a check for $88,000 every August?

Now, I’m not going to tell any community or school board that they can’t spend that much, or more, if they are spending their own money. The problem is, they aren’t.

For reference, Montana’s 2008 per capita income was under $35,000. Most parents have no idea how much their schools spend, because they don’t write a check to the district — school funds come from somewhere else.

The costs are hidden. Just like GRANTS. Just like EMPLOYER PAID HEALTH INSURANCE and MEDICAID. Just like pretty much ALL GOVERNMENT SPENDING.

It’s so easy to spend somebody else’s money. The trouble is, as Margaret Thatcher famously said, “You eventually run out of other people’s money.” She’s right. We are out, and are now having to borrow and print the money we spend.

I’m not an anarchist – I know that there are important things that are better done collectively than individually. And I’m not picking on Montana, our school spending pretty much mirrors the national average and test results are above average. Much of the cost is mandated.

But I am a realist when it comes to budgets, and a believer in the miracle of the free market. Gang, I’m sorry, we can’t keep spending more and more on education in this country, especially when our kids are not getting our money’s worth.

Many people just can’t get used to the idea of school vouchers, or school choice. But look at it this way. Let’s say you have three school kids. Would you be ready and willing to write a check for $33,000 for the school year? If you were able to write that check, would you be more demanding about what you are getting for your investment?

Now turn that scenario around. Most people could not, or would not write that check. So if instead you received a check from the government for $33,000, how would you spend it?

Would you spend it on the best education for your child that your money could buy? For $33,000, would you perhaps stay at home and educate your own children? Would you pay college tuition for your high-functioning senior instead of high school?

If one small-town school is your only choice, obviously that’s where your voucher goes. You may choose to supplement it with your own money or contributions until it meets your standards.

Alternatives quickly spring up in the free market to supply any consumer demand. Education is no different – why wouldn’t I buy the education product that is best for my family and student (quality, safety, value)?

Give me a million dollars and a hundred kids, and I’d sure like to give it a shot. Bet I could hire some damn good teachers, and every graduate would be ready for financial independence and a productive career, or higher education. There would be plenty of funds to transport, feed, and educate students at a level that is unattainable by the current system, along with a profit.

I recently heard a career public school educator remark, “the best math comprehension model I have ever seen is the one in place at Sylvan Learning Center.”

This is a deep discussion, with many questions (i.e. special education, extracurriculars, social issues, welfare kids), and this post is already too long. But there are as many answers and ideas as there are questions – the free market has a way of finding solutions to consumer wants and needs.

I just want every parent to give some serious thought to the possibilities and potential of school choice, rather than dismiss it out-of-hand. It’s time we take the chance.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

Gonna do my very best and it ain’t no lie
If you put me to the test, if you let me try
Take a chance on me
(That’s all I ask of you honey)
Take a chance on me

Take A Chance On Me – ABBA

Obama Is A Conservative!

Posted on August 31, 2012 by Tom Balek Standard 4

Yesterday I viewed Dinesh D’Souza’s outstanding new movie “2016: Obama’s America”.

As a pretty wired-in conservative, I didn’t find much in the way of new revelations in the movie, but it was a powerful and riveting 90 minutes nonetheless.

D’Souza’s mission is to bring context to the Obama mystery. He assembles the parts into a final product: a clear definition of why President Obama repeatedly takes such baffling, and arguably anti-American positions and actions.

Why would an American president return the treasured bust of Winston Churchill, a gift from our British friends and allies? Why would he surround himself with avowed Marxists? Why would he align with the Palestinians and snub Israel, a long-time ally of the US? Why would he allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons while striving to eliminate them here?

The answer to these, and many more questions, according to D’Souza: President Obama’s entire life experience has made him a confirmed anti-colonialist – a doctrine not familiar to Americans, but one that prevails in many parts of the world, including Kenya, the home of Obama’s father and paternal family. D’Souza contends that America is viewed by the under-developed world, and by Obama, as a colonialist oppressor.

D’Sousa takes the viewer to President Obama’s ancestral home in Kenya, and the homes of his youth, Indonesia and Hawaii. He interviewed people who knew his parents, and Obama himself as a youth, and they seem to corroborate D’Sousa’s theory.

There was one surprise in the movie. It revealed that Obama IS a conservative! George Obama, that is – Barack Obama’s half-brother.

D’Souza interviewed George Obama in Nairobi, where he lives a very modest lifestyle without any support from his wealthy and powerful half-brother, Barack.

George Obama admits his mother is disappointed in him because he “did not finish his education”. But his wisdom has not suffered. He slyly deflected D’Souza’s inferences about his brother’s seeming lack of family charity. George brushed them off, saying, “I am an adult. I don’t need his help.”