The American Spectator

Reader Mail

Memorable Reunions

8.21.08 @ 12:01AM

(Page 4 of 5)

Your humble servant,
-- Jonathan Vowell

MOROCAN MISAPPREHENSION
Re: Col. D. Moroco's letter (under "On Target") in Reader Mail's Right-Wing Cotton Candy:

One of the easiest mistakes people can make is to get their news from the mainstream media, e.g. major network news, The New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, etc. Otherwise why would anybody hold the notion that U.S. manufacturing is in decline? "In fact U.S. industry continues to produce a greater share of industrial value added than any country in the world, and it has been growing every year." (Prof. Michael Pettis of Columbia and Peking Universities. Do an "Ask" search under "U.S. Industrial Production" and read the whole article.) But apparently Col. Moroco is doing just that, as evidenced by his remarks about our not having a "surge" capacity in industry, and that laissez faire economic and free trade are discredited. Nonsense; none of the data when interpreted honestly support that assertion That's why, with 6% of world population we produce 20% of the dollar value of the world's manufactured goods.

As to the "desolation" in eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania, give credit, or blame, where it is due. For starters, try tax-crazed politicians in hock to state employees unions and labor union bosses. Add in some co-opting of the tax eaters and cheap attacks on the revenue producers and you have a good recipe for economic stagnation...sort of like existed during the Great Depression with its sky-high tariffs and government assault on bankers and utility companies.

The principal objective for domestic industrial capacity is NOT to meet national defense needs, colonel. It's one element of national economy that enables it citizens to improve their lives and raise their families. National security is but one (essential) capability derived from such an economy.

One of the most incompetent administrations in history? How's that? Under Clinton defense's share of GDP fell from 5.5% to 3%, as old Bill let the nation take a break from history. Under Bush, excluding Iraq and Afghanistan, it's risen to 4% (Heritage Foundation). But Moroco blames Bush. Eight million new jobs created between 2003 and 2007. Twenty quarters of positive GDP growth. Oh, gasoline prices are high, and it's all because Bush drove the dollar down? No, the Federal Reserve, answerable to congress, let the dollar fall. As to our "craven, corrupt, overpaid incompetent CEOs," does Colonel Moroco means the ones leading the oil majors to "obscene" profits. Or are these profits the result of low oil supplies artificially induced by politicians banning drilling in face of rising demand?

One final thing, as I know this letter is much too long: I'm sick and tired of people bashing this president. When the pantywaists and the intellectuals were screaming caution after September 11th Bush did the resolute thing, the manly thing, and acted. Despite the cackling and hectoring of the elitists who hate America and the second-guessing of snot-nosed senators who want us to lose this war he has held firm and fought the good fight. Yeah, sure, he's made mistakes, but he's learned, e.g. the "surge" in Iraq, which, by the way, has succeeded with only half the troops that General Shinseki said were needed (see Col. Moroco's Spectator letter of 3 July 2007, under "Nails on the Head"). Even now, with all the caterwauling about our "weak" response to Russia's adventure in Georgia we're signing missile defense agreements with Poland and the Czech Republic. It's been ten whole days! Give the guy a minute, dammit!
-- Paul DeSisto, CFA
(Lt Col. USAF, Ret.)

Colonel Moroco, with all due respect, stop talking about tariffs. You want to talk about the corporations outsourcing labor because we cannot have a 'level' playing field without protective tariffs. I would say 'let's give that a try' just so you can watch it fail, but the truth is we tried that a few decades back, and it took a bad recession and turned it into a ten year long depression. You talk about the ruins that are Pennsylvania and Ohio. I counter with the blooming Tennessee, Texas, and other Right to Work states. You rant about companies moving their jobs overseas and do you think this is because the 'CEOs' are just unpatriotic, mean, and incompetent?

Well, you're wrong. Everything else you talked about in your response is 100% correct. Energy is power. Our reaction to Russia has been anemic at best. Our military has been gutted. But your economic statements are just flat out wrong. We can still build nuclear reactors. The Navy builds several every year, and we have the natural talent pool necessary to build more if we choose to do so. We have plenty of surge capability in our industry, it just needs a reason to be used. As for laissez faire economy failure...what laissez faire economy? Our economy spends as much as $500 billion dollars (yeah, that's a b) to comply with the tax code. The other regulations, and these are just Federal, cost our economy as much as a trillion or more, it's almost impossible to estimate. A trillion dollars, Colonel. Wasted on government regulations in a supposed laissez faire economy?

There is an estimated $14 trillion dollars in off-shore tax shelters, what's that doing to our economy? Nothing. Just imagine if we could pull that back in, think it might make a difference? Why is so much money off-shore? Because those who earned it think they should keep it and not send it up to Feds. Want to know why companies send work off-shore? Because they don't have to pay a 20% surcharge on every worker. Then they can avoid the second highest tax rate in the industrialized world. They don't have to fight over-bearing unions making them pay 10 people at 80 grand to do what they could pay 4 people at 60 grand to do. They go and they find people who had parents sacrifice for a real education and so they understand the value of hard work, rather than a bunch of barely competent college grads expecting even higher paychecks while refusing to actually show any loyalty to the company, or do the work necessary to succeed on their own. And I should know, I work with (or have worked) with people just like that. They don't have spend millions satisfying the environment lobby or meeting onerous and unnecessary environmental regulations.

Want to know why we haven't had any new nuclear reactors or oil refineries in three decades? Want to know why we're 70% dependant on foreign oil? Want to know why companies seek employers and investments outside the US? The answer is all the same: government.

You want a better economy? Get government out. Want a better life? Lower your government. Government involvement hasn't worked in over five thousand years. I don't see any reason why the latest 'crises' that government caused is going to get solved by government. Any government.

Note: Some of this is exaggeration, none of it is exactly fact-checked. The only two figures I know for a fact are accurate are the $500 billion and $14 trillion mentioned above. See www.fairtax.org for more information.
-- Charles Campbell
Austin, Texas

IF ONLY
Re: Jeffrey Lord's Batman and Rush: Why McCain Will Win:

I wish that were true. But have you taken a close look at the under 35's, whom Obama may bring out in droves? They are being brought up, it seems, to believe that all behavior is relative, that all actions are equal, if it is based on raising self-esteem, that they would save a pet's life before a human, that we're all alike and that the melting pot doesn't blend us into Americans, rather, has us being separate diverse ethnic blobs that happen to meet in America, loyal to their own country. These are the kids who are taught not to stand up for the Pledge of Allegiance if it offends them or their parents, assuming it's even allowed in their schools anymore, and that grades don't count, or winning and losing, rather, we're all alike and as long as we "Try" we should be rewarded.

Letter to the Editor

topics:
Taxes, Education, Trade, Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Bill Clinton, Mainstream Media, Religion, Abortion, Environment, Books, Law, Military, Iraq, Russia, NATO, North Korea, Energy, Oil, Unions