The American Spectator

FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHT
Re: Jeffrey Lord’s  Boxing With Barbara, Liz, and the Latina:

Thank you, Mr. Lord for distilling the predations we’re seeing on our civil rights. While the ACLU spends its time making sure that enemy combatants being lawfully detained in Guantanamo have an ever increasing menu of new “rights,” the average American Citizen is watching helplessly as our Constitution is shredded and our civil rights are stripped from us. And the MSM is leading the cheerleading section, selling us out for unprecedented access to the White house all the while playing to an ever-dwindling audience.
— Greg Mercurio
Vacaville, California

“Do me a favor, can you say ‘senator’ instead of ‘ma’am’? It’s just a thing. I worked so hard to get that title, so I’d appreciate it. Thank you.”
— Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) to Brig. Gen. Michael Walsh of the Army Corps of Engineers

What was that guy’s name who wrote snappy replies to stupid questions for Mad Magazine?

To Senator Boxer: “Yes, Senator. I must say, Senator, that I really love what you’ve done with your hair!”

“I’m sorry, Senator. I thought you were a staffer.”

“Just ’a thing,’ Senator?  No need to be self-deprecating, Senator.”

“Yes, Senator. You’re welcome, Senator. Now will you please fill my water glass?”

To Committee Member Senator Arlen Spector:  ”Yes, ma’am.”

By the way, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works website lists “Barbara Boxer  Chairman.” Heads should roll!
— Dan Martin
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

BIG GOVERNMENT? THAT’S RICH
Re: John Berlau’s Nationalization Review:

I subscribe to The American Spectator, Human Events, National Review, and the Weekly Standard. The ever-weakening commitment to limited government in, especially, NR and WS is alarming. What with “national greatness conservatism” and whatever the strange stew being cooked by NR is to be called, I hardly consider them organs of the conservative movement any more. And I pass on quickly when Rich Lowry supports TARP and other monstrosities of “industrial policy.” The neo-cons at WS have always been a bit squishy on limited government, but at one time NR honored the sensible economics of Mises and Hayek and was willing to take forthright stands for the economic freedom that built our country and the strong national security that protected it from the depredations of totalitarian enemies. NR’s Frank Meyer practically invented “fusionism:” commitment to traditional American values, basic libertarianism, and opposition to expansionary totalitarian movements. And now the ever more enlightened Rich Lowry finds common cause with the Bush and Obama administrations as they turn the most productive economy ever known to man into crony capitalism managed by political favor mongering. We’ll see how well American capitalism fares when the “rules of the road” are ever changing at the latest political whim — or hate hearing. We had a whiff of this in the 30’s, and this time we have a real statist at the helm, dedicated not to control to achieve prosperity (which is a chimera in any event), but control at the expense of prosperity.

Libertarian conservatives should oppose every element of the Obama program to re-make America into something worse than France. We should voice commitment to free markets and free men. We should remind Rich Lowry that National Review was founded to stand athwart history and yell “stop”! We should make it totally clear to all the Rich Lowry’s (and, unfortunately, there are many of them) in what is left of the conservative movement that they no longer speak for us and that they need to re-educate themselves as to what has made our country great.  

Rich Lowry supported TARP, and he got a politicized slush fund. Rich Lowry supported auto bail-out, and he got a wet kiss to the UAW. Rich Lowry now supports nationalization as a response to “systemic risk.” Any sensible person knows where that will lead. Rich Lowry is not an enlightened intellectual of the right. He is one of Lenin’s “useful idiots.” In the old days, Bill Buckley supported some pretty sketchy Republicans (Nixon comes to mind), but was always willing to oppose their many bad ideas. Lowry has turned that around. He opposes Obama, but supports many features of “Obamaism.” By the way, Rich, have you noticed that part of re-regulation is the strengthening of the Community Reinvestment Act, which, taken together with insane Fed policy, was the fountainhead of our economic crisis? The government doesn’t ameliorate systemic risk; it creates it.
— Steve Zierak
Kansas City, Missouri

TAX INCIDENCE
Re: James M. Thunder’s Employer Mandate and the Alternative: