Monday, November 19, 2012

RedState Briefing 11/19/2012


Morning Briefing
For November 19, 2012



1. An open letter to conservatives
I had a very exciting time at the Republican National Convention.  My conservative allies and I all worked very hard in the presidential election.

When I woke up the day after the election, everything I had worked for appeared to be in ruins.  An extreme leftist had been reelected president of the United States.

Some liberal Republicans immediately began to blame newly activated conservatives for the presidential defeat.  I knew they were wrong.  It was clear to me that these newly active conservatives would be the key to major future victories for conservative principles.

The day was Wednesday, November 4, 1964. . . . please click here for the rest of the post 



2. Ironic: Teamsters Called For Secret-Ballot At Hostess While Pushing To Eliminate Secret-Ballots
For the last several years, union bosses have been fighting to effectively eliminate workers’ right to vote through secret-ballot elections on whether or not to become unionized. Yet, with 6700 members’ jobs about to be wiped out, when push came to shove last week—knowing how unions can manipulate other methods of voting—the Teamsters called for the bakers’ union to hold a secret-ballot vote to let members determine whether or not to continue the strike that would close Hostess.  . . . please click here for the rest of the post 

3.  As Union Bosses Spin Twinkies’ Demise, Bakers’ Union Boss Admits Union Knew Hostess Would Die
With the demise of 18,000 jobs weighing on their shoulders (though certainly not their consciousness’) and just in time for the Sunday morning talk shows union bosses are now trying desperately to point fingers at the victim (and Mitt Romney) for the union’s strike that ultimately destroyed Hostess and its 18,000 jobs. . . . please click here for the rest of the post

4.  Obama’s EPA Continues Handouts for Rich Ethanol Farmers on the Backs of Consumers
Nothing exemplifies the failure of Republicans to communicate more than the exit polling data regarding the public’s perception of the cost of living.  A whopping 37% of voters selected ‘rising prices’ as their most important issue in the election, yet amazingly, they split their votes evenly between Romney and Obama.  Hence, the arsonist behind the high prices for food, fuel, healthcare, and every other vital product and service affected by his tax and regulatory regime, was regarded as the firefighter by half the electorate.

The single most regressive market-distorting policy to ever emanate from Washington is the absurd tendentious treatment of ethanol.  Over the past decade, ethanol has been the poster child for the worst aspects of big-government crony capitalism.  The ethanol industry has used the fist of government to mandate that fuel blenders use their product, to subsidize their production with refundable tax credits, and to impose tariffs on more efficient sugar-based ethanol from Brazil.  These policies have distorted the market for corn to such a degree that 44% of all corn grown in the country is diverted towards motor fuel blends.  If we would literally flush half the corn harvest down the toilet, we would be better off than using it to make our motor fuel less efficient.  . . . please click here for the rest of the post 

4.  The Golden Calf of Increased Tax Rates
Let me open by saying that if economics is a religion for you and your golden calf is government than you are already immune to logic and continuing with this piece any further is a waste of your time. It is with regret that I must preface this writing in such a way but I found during my nearly two-year campaign for the U.S. Senate in Maryland that no matter how powerful the argument against liberal economic policies there are some that are simply calcified in their beliefs. It is disturbing to watch a growing number of politicians, who fully understand the consequences of detrimental tax policy, begin to cower to those who perpetually yearn for more of your money.

The current fight to hike tax rates flies in the face of logic and in the interests of keeping the argument simple I want to address it from three fronts, tax rates and their effects on behavior, what the study of economics tells us about tax rates and the morality of increasing tax rates.  . . . please click here for the rest of the post 

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Sincerely yours,

Erick Erickson
Editor,RedState.com

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