The American Spectator

THE REAL REPUBLICAN
Re: Robert Stacy McCain’s NY23: ‘Do You Believe in Miracles’?:

Normally a third party vote will hand an election to the Democrat. New Jersey may re-elect corrupt John Corzine because independents, some conservatives and tea party activists who are “fed up” with politicians (Democrats and Republicans) are too foolish to realize that a vote for Daggett is a vote for Corzine. They can deny it all they want, but Daggett is only helping Corzine (possibly what he always intended). In fact, Daggett is nothing more than Corzine lite. But things are different in the 23d District of New York where the real Republican is Doug Hoffman!

This is one of those occasions where the local GOP leaders misread their candidate (an Obamacon like Bruce Bartlett) and what the people of the district wanted, New York deserves, and the nation needs. Blind to reality they chose a person who supposedly solicited the Democrat nomination first and has shown herself to be like the blue Democrat lapdogs — loyal to Barack Obama and his radical agenda. If she were to be elected one can imagine she’d be the one lone Republican in the House supporting the Obama Democrats’ craziness. It wouldn’t even be surprising if she pulled an Arlen Specter once in ensconced in DC.

Hopefully, Doug Hoffman will trounce both leftists and Christie will beat Corzine and his shadow. Along with victories in Virginia this will send a clear message to Democrats that voters abhor their agenda and Barack “Insane” Obama’s “economic terrorism.” But if a Hoffman win encourages an ill-fated “grassroots” movement to begin a third party that will be a disaster that only benefits Democrats at the expense of the country. Democrats need to be decimated and relegated to the minority status that they represent in the nation and Barack Obama needs to know he is a failed one-term President who’s only claim to fame is he’s the first “female” President in US history as Bill Clinton was the first “black” President.
— Michael Tomlinson
Jacksonville, North Carolina

THE X-PRIZE
Re: William Tucker’s Unscientific American:

I actually am a big believer in solar power. My ideal collector would be in geo-stationary orbit over the Pacific Ocean, beaming its power down to floating rectifying antennas and sent via undersea superconducting cable to the mainland. I despair at our civilization’s justifying its ongoing suicide. I truly believe that we should double down and invest in our future, especially space technology. X-Prizes and other ways to encourage private space efforts are the solution. Lots of innovation, and NOTHING spent until there is a practical device. Let’s say we give the first enterprise with a 1000 MW orbital power station a check for 200 Billion dollars tax-free. Use the Stimulus. Then sit back and watch. Remember, NOTHING is spent until the power is actually coming down from the sky. This is the twenty-first century. It’s about damn time we acted like it.
— Craig A. Zimmerman

UNACCOUNTABLE
Re: Philip Klein’s Medi-Fraud for Everyone:

Mr. Klein points out that Medicare loses billions of dollars to fraud, estimated at ten percent of the gross spending. He counter balances these losses with the substantially smaller losses of the private health insurance industry, 1.5%, and the less than 1% lost by the multi-trillion dollar credit card services. Mr. Klein does not ask why nor does he seek to answer the unasked question, but to anyone with knowledge of private business and government financing knows full well the answer: accountability.

With private business, the stockholders keep vigil on expenses. Ultimately, the board of directors and their subordinates must answer to those who hold the purse strings. With government, accountability is reduced to an absurd and unheard of noun. “Follow the money” is good advice, but with the ever growing list of Czars, agencies and their supporting bureaucracies doing so has become near impossible. Sadly, the American public doesn’t seem overly interested in holding Congress and other crooks responsible — a majority has supported the porkulus bill. Somehow, people still believe the canard that the government has its own money. This ridiculous untruth is the foundation on which politicians grow their budget priorities (re-election) off the sweat of their constituents.

Fiscal conservatives need to educate the population (no easy task considering the liberal bent of our public schools) on monetary and fiscal matters. If and when the general population “gets” the idea that any government transfer of funds from the “haves” to the “have nots” involves their money, not government money, the United Socialist States of American will face a revolution not seen in over 200 years. In the meantime, fiscal conservative must fight the growth of the government by any means necessary.
— I.M. Kessel

FOLLOWING FALSE GODS
Re: Jeffrey Lord’s Catholic Bishops ‘Misrepresented’ by Fox, Talk Radio Attackers:

Mr. Lord has done an exhaustive job in analyzing this whole fiasco and describing the roles of the various groups, specifically the Catholic Bishops, and he is to be commended for his patience in tracking down the facts especially when such are subtle. But in my mind two questions are still unanswered. Why in the world did the Bishops ever let themselves get connected in any way with this gang of un-American and lying thieves? Also, why does Mr. Lord and his congregation continue to belong to a denomination that has obviously been taken over by the Jeremiah Wright and worse types? Once a church has gone this far down the road to perdition it is too toxic to ever reclaim. It is not following Jesus anymore but many false gods.
— Jack Wheatley
Royal Oak, Michigan

NOPEINHAGEN
Re: Peter Hannaford’s Cluck, It’s Cold Outside:

This past June, the U.N. and some international advertising, marketing and media agencies launched the “Hopenhagen” organization. You can become a citizen of Hopenhagen, where the community banner reads “We can save ourselves from ourselves.” Even get a passport.

But on Oct. 26, according to a U.N. Climate Change Conference COP15 news release, Janos Pasztor, director of the U.N. secretary-general’s Climate Change Support Team, indicated that a Kyoto Protocol replacement likely will not be coming out of Copenhagen this December.