I recommend reading “The End of Journalism” by Victor David Hansen

Remember President Thomas E Dewey? At least three major newspapers hit the streets election night with banner headlines DEWEY WINS. A few hours later, when all the votes were counted the people had rejected the New York governor and elected a man from fly-over country, Harry S Truman. So take the polls with the same skepticism as you take the pols.

Senator Obama, in a rare moment of candor, all but told "Joe the plumber" that his wealth should be seized in the name of equity. Their personal encounter this past Sunday played out one of the old themes of democratic politics: the appeal to the many to take from the few. It's traditionally an easy sell in democratic regimes.

Despite Obama's implication to the contrary, however, it doesn't represent much in the way of change.

The personal income tax, the federal government's main source of revenue, is collected overwhelmingly from a relative handful of Americans. Indeed, the most recent IRS data shows that the top 1 percent of filers paid nearly 40 percent of all income taxes. That means the top 1 percent paid about the same as the bottom 95 percent, according to the Tax Foundation, a nonpartisan research group. The bottom 50 percent paid just 3 percent.

Given that poorer citizens always outnumber the rich, political philosophers have long worried that government based on majority rule could lead to organized theft from the wealthy by the democratic masses. "If the majority distributes among itself the things of a minority, it is evident that it will destroy the city," Aristotle warned. 

If you doubt it, you just have not been paying attention. Remember Karl Marx formed his ideas around the notion “From each according to his ability to each according to his need”. Translation – take by force of government, assets from those who earned and own them and give to those who did not and do not.

Bill Whittle at NRO has the very best commentary. Here is a link to the audio/video with Obama’ own words. .    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iivL4c_3pck#

You must have heard the audio by now but do not miss Whittle’s commentary. It is clear, succinct and very much to the point. As a bonus he has an interesting story to tell about how this tape surfaced.

And the MSM goes wild with the theme ‘al Qaeda favors McCain’. Now I don’t think it makes much difference what the twisted minds of Hamas or al Qaeda think or whom they endorse. But those who do think it matters should know that a comment entered by the reader of a website or blog is the opinion of the person posting the comment, nothing more.

Apparently Nicholas Kristoff of the New York Times does not understand this. Read his op-ed column here if you must. He becomes aware of one person who enters a comment on a pro al Qaeda website and reports it as an al Qaeda endorsement. Even Bill O’Reilley, bless his soul, knows the difference between a commenter on The Daily Kos website and the Democratic party.

Am I being too generous when I say Kristoff, who speaks for the New York Times, does not understand this? I will settle for calling it ignorance because ignorance is not malevolence and I hesitate to castigate.

James Pethokoukis, blogger for the US News and World Report says, uh huh, looks like it is.

How are Venezuela’s equity investors doing now that their country has gone totally Socialist? Does Cuba even have a stock market? If, just if, Obama is a genuine Socialist what can we expect from the US stock market? The answer is we should expect to see just what we are seeing in the US stock market today.

But we have a problem with such a conclusion. This is a worldwide crisis, not just a US crisis. I know, Obama has said he is going to change the World, not just the US but too much of the world is favoring Obama to conclude his election is a matter of worldwide economic concern.

Then there is this concept. The US is the dominant economic power in the world. What is bad for the US is bad for the world. We have a problem with this idea too. First, it’s pompous beyond reality. Second, there is no evidence the rest of the world sees it that way.

Let’s look at another idea. There was a government sponsored housing bubble. Bubbles bust. This bubble burst big because it flattened the financial foundation of the nation. Then the sinkers of the ship swore they should be selected to save our souls and it seems we are saying yes.

Investors put their money where their expectations are. It would be reasonable to think they have researched the background of Barack and found he is simply not capitalism friendly. Obama confirmed what many had already concluded with his “spread the wealth” comment and investors may have found it sounding too much like “From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs”. If you do not know where that quote comes from, please check it out.

A Socialist president is enough to scare any investor and investors shun scary things. If McCain wins and the market rallies we will know it was an Obama market. Other scenarios won’t tell us much.

Markets collapse worldwide. Brazil and Russia suspend trading.

There is talk of a second US Depression

Europe is in worse shape than we are as evidenced by the upward skyrocketing dollar.

Now if we are to believe the polls, we are about to put the political party who incubated and nurtured this plague in charge of the proverbial hen house. We are about to elect a leader whose only real executive experience is as a Community Organizer, which included bringing pressure to bear on lenders to lower their standards. The victims are about to honor their victimizers.

Only ignorance can account for it. Total mind boggling ignorance.

I recently had the experience of traveling by small plane from my home in the greater NY area to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Neither fuel nor bladders allow a non stop in a four seat airplane. So we stopped to p#&, eat lunch and RON (aviator lingo for Remain Over Night). Aviators may not realize overnight is one word but we do know not to use words like pee when in the Bible belt.

Well my good friend and copilot, we remain good friends because we rarely discuss politics, sex or taxes, seemed utterly amazed by what he saw on the ground in flyover country. “Wow ! Look !, a Walgreens !” is but a sample, and I did not make it up. How clean everything is. How trusting the people are, how welcoming, how friendly. Amazing ! Wow ! Never imagined it !

Now please understand, I love my good friend. He is a real gem. But all I could think as these exclamations came forth is ‘out of touch with the real America’. Yet he has lived in New England for many years, visited Florida, Texas, and worked in California. He is a genius. He is sophisticated. (I cringe when I use that word as a compliment as I do in this case.). He is an American citizen and loves this country yet seems completely out of touch with its quintessential core. Sadly he is not alone.

Perhaps John Edwards was right there are two Americas, just not the two he saw.

Joe’s case is his opposition to having money he may earn taken from him and given to others who have not earned it. His evidence is Barack’s statement “we need to spread the wealth around”. The evidence is rock solid. The only defense is to discredit the witness. That is what we are seeing.

Nothing Obama supporters have said about Joe is relevant to the question at hand. The question is, doesn’t increasing taxation on small businesses discourage those who would endeavor to develop such a business? Whether Joe happens to be a licensed plumber in Toledo or someone named Sam with an unpaid bill for $1,200 has no bearing whatever on the question. Joe is a straw man.

Seems to me it has become instinctive. What do you think?

Sorry, there is no joke here. But if you want to read a really funny comment on the subject of Joe go to this Mark Steyn column.

This column by John Howard is an absolute must read.

 Family Security Matters » Publications » Exclusive: Obama – The One They’ve Been Waiting For (Part One of Two)

It will send shivers up your spine greater than those that went up Chris Matthews leg.