New GOP, old ideas?

After the beating the GOP took in November, PJ media offered some advice for the party leadership.

Here are two of their ideas and my comment on them:

4) Investigate the possibility of reducing American forces in Germany: While NATO served an honorable and crucial role in winning the Cold War, the chances of another war in Central Europe are currently very low. Drawing down American troops to a “trip-wire” force could save up to $20 billion [3].

5) Consolidate and eliminate departments: There is also precedent for this. In the 1950s and the 1990s, programs that were duplicative were combined to save money (both decades saw balanced budgets). One possible department to consolidate would be the Department of Energy (whose budget was $27 billion last year [4]). Many of this department’s functions can be handled by other cabinet agencies. For example, regulation of oil and gas drilling can be done by the Environmental Protection Agency. Grants in the alternative energy field can be processed by the Commerce Department. Drilling permits can be handled by the Department of the Interior. And so on.
…
8) Make sure your members speak the language of the national interest: The 2012 CNN exit poll showed that Democrats were 38% of the voters, Republicans 32%, and independents 29%. So, any policy that comes across as appealing only to the Republican base isn’t likely to rally the nation as a whole. The good thing about “reform” themes is that they cross party lines, and especially appeal to independents.

9) National Guard/FEMA upgrade: The nation has repeatedly been hit by natural (hurricanes, earthquakes, etc.) and man-made (9/11) disasters over the last generation. More extensive training for the National Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency would seem to be a wise investment.

Why are US forces still in Europe? And don’t say it’s because of the middle east. Pull our forces out of Europe and leave a skeleton force to keep bases in Germany maintained. PATRIOT missiles, tankers and support units could be left in Germany. Navy ships, an infantry brigade and other units could rotate out on an as needed basis. Move the dependents home would save a vast amount of money. Make Germany a one year unaccompanied tour for most service members. Consolidate all the commands into one Joint Service Command and retire all the field grades who just sit in an office and drink coffee.

The National Guard needs to stop being the red-headed stepchild of the DoD. Upgrade their equipment and training. As the Active Duty force draws down, offer incentives to servicemembers to join the Guard. Newer vehicles and aircraft would help the Guard because they have a state mission AND are the strategic reserve of the DoD. No Rachel Maddow, they are not the unit at sit in the armory until a disaster strikes. If we’re going to use them, treat them well.

The education department should go back under Health and Human Services.  The Department of Homeland Security should either go away or be reformed after a long hard look at how it does business.  The silly “firewall” between departments could get the once over.  The FBI and CIA should share data on terrorists.

The Democrats have set themselves up as the party of “free stuff”.  We need to point out that under all their horseshit there is no pony.  Hold the “reality based” community to reality.  Point out that California and Detroit are disasters.

We need to show off the GOP governors and the states they are running. Show that our glasses are clean before we point out the turds in the liberals punchbowl.

Military pay and benefits

One again there are calls to “reform” military pay. I’ve said on this blog before that our service members don’t get paid enough. No we’re not europe; defense spending is not breaking the bank it’s actually smaller now. But many still attack our bennies.

Some bloggers, like In from the Cold, have struck back.

We have a powerful ally:

Col. Mike Hayden, USAF (Ret), deputy director, MOAA Government Relations
“Statements that rising personnel costs are “unaffordable”…“out of control”…”unsustainable”… and “will impact readiness” are geared to make headlines, alarm the reader, and (not infrequently) generate support for pursuing additional studies.

“If personnel costs continue growing at that rate and the overall defense budget remains flat with inflation,” CSBA authors hyperbolized, “military personnel costs will consume the entire defense budget by 2039.”

Elsewhere, they acknowledged that will never happen. But the quote was seized and repeated by reporters, pundits, bureaucrats and other “analysts.” E.g., James Kitfield did so in the July 2012 National Journal.

Is there any chance personnel costs will consume the entire defense budget by 2039? Of course not.

Before examining the personnel share, let’s first consider that the defense budget has consumed a progressively smaller share of federal outlays over the last 50 years”

The Military Officer’s Association of America is made up of people who’ve fought America’s wars. Company level commanders who’ve had to deal with military families. The Association of the United States Army echoes the call to help soldiers get better pay.

There are many leftist dirtbags who insist that the military revert to the Regan/Carter era of pay.

Pay freezes and benefit cuts would cause the Army to bleed numbers. Soldiers on food stamps, NCO’s and officers leaving, morale nosediving and enlistment down. The left wants that, I don’t.

How about we cut the think tanks and the pay of Congressmen who say stupid things instead?

Here and now

Two youtube videos to chew on:

Yes some NYT editorial from a law professor states the “reasons” to give up on the constitution and overthrow the law of the land.

When the law and public opinion don’t go their way, this is the left, (╯°□°)╯︵,,.┻━┻._.,

Bill Whittle states the obvious:

┬─┬ノ( º _ ºノ) Now the article is over, let me put it back up.

Chew on this: 2013

Some tasty links:

• “Working Americans have just experienced a pay cut they didn’t expect — the cut resulting from the expiration of the reduction in the payroll tax rate.” Powerline
• Leslie Eastman finds that liberals don’t like the new tax hikes. Legal Insurrection.com
• Life in the USSR circa 1989. Daily Mail
• “Trillion Dollar Coin.” HotAir.com

the left fails economics forever. I guess they want us to live in a third world country with hyper inflation.
The left always has some excuse, the rich, low taxes or some defense. Given that the left controls two branches of government, the branch that spends money and the branch that collects it, they have no excuse. So out comes the crazy solutions: more taxes, a platinum coin, soon pension funds may be at risk.

The left promised the moon: free stuff and a free ride. I have to wonder, they played to people’s greed to get into office. When the budget reckoning comes, will they play to the rage? Programs will have to be cut, may will be canceled to fix the budget. Entitlement fraud happens despite the left playing the race card, accusing people of racism when the welfare rolls have to be fixed. So the right, the tea party, ordinary Americans, thinking, will become the enemy. The economy and the country will be fixed until the next generation will fall for the okeydoke.

Well played lefties, well played.

In the Carboniferous Epoch we were promised abundance for all,
By robbing selected Peter to pay for collective Paul;
But, though we had plenty of money, there was nothing our money could buy,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: “If you don’t work you die.”
— “The Gods of the Copybook Headings“, Rudyard Kipling

R.I.P. Gen. Schwartzkopf

Godspeed General!

Gen. Norman Schwartzkopf Dead: World Remembers ‘Stormin Norman’: ABCNews.

“Herbert Norman Schwarzkopf, KCB (/ˈʃwɔrtskɒf/;[1] August 22, 1934 – December 27, 2012) was a United States Army general who, while he served as Commander of U.S. Central Command, was commander of coalition forces in the Persian Gulf War.”
– Wikipeida

Lens

The left and it’s partners in the media see the world through a Marxist-leftist lens. An Afghan policewoman has “mental illness and was driven to suicidal despair by poverty” but an American criminal has ” hundreds of bullets for a military-style assault rifle and handguns”. Um, both shitheads had “military style” weapons. All weapons are “military style” in fact. Unions conspire to drive up prices and pass that on to consumers at the expense of jobs. Politicians, not wanting to appear heartless, give public sector unions whatever they want. The costs get passed on to us all.

Screw up, don’t get fired, get paid and go back to work, even if your screwups cost lives. Wave around a banned rifle magazine and act shocked when police investigate you for violating the ban. Of course gun deaths have been going down for years, but that violates the narrative.

Meanwhile, as the world burns, a Democratic congressman proposes raising taxes when challenged on the “fiscal cliff.”

The left thinks name calling and class warfare will rule the day. It’s not about “compromise”, it’s about compromising opposition to win. Marx viewed all of history as haves vs. have-nots. The 60′s left viewed America as the enemy and violent dissent the way to power. “Tea Party?” “NRA?” According to the left they are products of the 1% and fake.

Meanwhile the left resorts to name calling and dancing on graves to promote gun control.

Real Americans don’t live with bodyguards, or in McMansions. Most businesses are SMALL, most gun owners obey the law. Rich people give to charity in record numbers as opposed to the prius-driving “I kisses a dolphin” crowd that expect the government to pay their student loans.

And they wonder why they are losing.

Merry Holidaze!

Merry Christmas interwebs!

Remember that for your nice cozy Christmas, many men and women have given up theirs to stand for freedom.

“Sen. Bob Dole delivered a touching salute to his long-time colleague and fellow World War II veteran Sen. Daniel Inouye as he lay in state in the Capitol Rotunda.”

–
Twitchy, picture via:Outsidethebeltway.com

And have a happy new year!