Rattrap's Rants

School Choice Explained

rattrap — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 17:09:09 +0000

It’s obvious now…

Market Failure? I think NOT!

rattrap — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 15:21:08 +0000

The current economic problems can be traced back to one source - Government!
Idiots in both the Evil party and the Stupid party are to blame.

The end of fiscal conservatism is here, read them and weep, and don’t say you weren’t warned.

Walter E. Williams :: Townhall.com :: Stubborn Ignorance
http://townhall.com/columnists/WalterEWilliams/2008/09/17/stubborn_ignorance

“These financial problems are not market failures but government
failure. The Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 is a federal law that
intimidated lenders into offering credit throughout their entire market
and discouraged them from restricting their credit services to low-risk
markets, a practice sometimes called redlining. The Federal Reserve
Bank, keeping interest rates artificially low, gave buyers and builders
incentive to buy and build, thereby producing the housing bubble.
Lenders were willing to make creative interest-only loans, often
high-risk “no doc” and “liar loans,” in order to allow people to buy
more housing than they could afford. Of course, with the expectation
that housing prices will continue to rise, it was no problem for
lenders and borrowers but housing prices began to fall, leaving some
people with negative home equity and banks in trouble.”

Lehman Brothers, Flood Insurance and Energy Independence | CEI
http://cei.org/2008/09/16/lehman-brothers-flood-insurance-and-energy-independence

“Business
failure is not only a permissible outcome of capitalism, it’s a necessary one.
As the great economist Joseph Schumpeter has written, the process of “creative
destruction” is essential for the market to function. For innovation to
flourish and the standard of living of the populace to improve, the market must
be free to reward success and punish failure.”

Organic Market - Forbes.com
http://www.forbes.com/opinions/2008/09/18/market-organic-regulation-oped-cx_rr_0918roberts.html

“Yet much of the current
chaos is the result of attempts to steer or control markets rather than
let them be. Much of the chaos is the result of political failure.”

Energy Talking Points Talk-back

rattrap — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 01:19:56 +0000

Okay, I’m tired of the liberal talking points on energy, so let’s dispel a few:

“We can’t drill our way out of the problem” - Well no, not any more! If we had drilled in ANWR and the OCS some time ago then we would be fine. But we also can’t NOT drill. It would be the epitomy of stupidity to sit on 1.5 trillion barrels of oil and not go after it.
“Even if we did drill now we would not see the oil for 7-10 years.” - If we had drilled 10 years ago when Clinton vetoed the bill to go after ANWR we would have it NOW! The most pessimistic estimates put the oil in the market at 5 years, 3 years is more likely.
“If we invest in alternative/renewable energy, it will reduce our need.” - Time to market for those technologies is 5-7 years at it’s most optimistic, then the infrastructure has to be built, and people have to buy them. And if they don’t buy them, no infrastructure. doesn’t sound like that plan will help now, or later.

Oil, Oil everywhere, but not a drop for us…

rattrap — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 14:40:10 +0000

The US sits on vast reserves of oil in ANWR, the OCS, and in shale. Yet, the short term thinking in Washington DC, FOR THE LAST 30 YEARS, has left us dependent on despotic regimes in far away places filled with people who loathe us. If we started exploring and drilling 15 years ago, we would be paying a small fraction of the cost for energy that we do now. Additionally we would have developed technologies that extracted the shale oil economically.

And don’t tell me nuclear power would help with oil costs in the US, Oil produces such a small fraction of our electricity that it wouldn’t have an effect.

Bailout? Get Real!

rattrap — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 14:11:58 +0000

Can somebody please explain to me why congress is even debating a mortgage bailout?

What happened to personal responsibility? How is it I’m going to end up paying for someone else’s bad judgments? Both the lenders and the borrowers made bad decisions to enter the contract in the first place. But it’s a CONTRACT! So, buck up and pay for your own mistakes. You should have thought about some long term things before you signed on the line.

I shouldn’t have to pay for your mistakes, YOU SHOULD!

Pres. Bush is NOT a conservative

rattrap — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 15:50:45 +0000

Don’t be fooled by the R party designation. He has made some conservative decisions (SCOTUS Judges Roberts and Alito, and Tax cuts) but his ideology is not conservative. For proof, look at the following items:

Medicare Drug Plan
Department of Homeland Security
No Child Left Behind
Immigration

The sum of these policy decisions has increased the size of the federal government by 37%, as well as its intrusion into your life. Numbers 1,3, and 4 are openly liberal in the design, scope, and implementation. I explained to one person who thought that I supported the President the difference between him and conservatives, along with what neo-con means. It means Socialist Hawk! If you look at the execution of domestic and foreign policies you will see this to be true.

Rattrap

Immigration reform? How about ENFORCING EXISTING LAWS!?

rattrap — Thu, 17 May 2007 14:34:46 +0000

How is it that it is suddenly OUR problem that Mexico is so corrupt and pathetic that it exports it’s economic and social problems by way of invasion. How weak kneed are our “leaders” that they can’t recognize an invasion? How are the citizens of the US so duped by the politicians, who could care less for us, into thinking that new laws and “reforms” are needed? There are laws on the books from the first amnesty disaster, which caused the current problem, that go unenforced. Were they enforced there would be no problem, or it would be small enough that it could be easily handled. We don’t need these “new” laws, we need to force the government to enforce the laws that THEY passed! Do that and the desire fades to trespass.

We passed a law the authorizes and funds 800 miles of fence, 2 miles have been built.
OBEY THE LAW!, BUILD THE FENCE!

Eliminate the minimum wage (see here) and the economic reason to draw them here dies on the vine.

The US Government is too big!

rattrap — Fri, 11 May 2007 02:28:02 +0000

At every level and nearly every function the government is too big, too inefficient, wasteful, and all too often, interferes with private citizens and enterprises who want to get things done. Here is an example. We need to take back our country from the politicians (both parties!)who have stolen it from us! The President has put forth an incredible spending package that will hasten the bankrupting of the U.S. Not only will it create thousands of citizens wholly dependent on the government, it will take monies away from those who can help the people the best, namely you and I as taxpayers.

The Importance of the Constitution

rattrap — Tue, 08 May 2007 02:23:01 +0000

I recently had a conversation with a person about the Constitution of the U.S. I indicated that I am a constitutionalist. Upon hearing this she went into this dissertation on how it was ratified and asked me what I felt. I told her that I didn’t vote because I wasn’t there at the time, so it had no bearing on me. Being short on time, and patience for those who consistently seem to find something wrong about America I left. I have thought a little about my encounter and have decided to write my response here.

Being a constitutionalist means that I believe in the principles of government written in the Constitution. How it got ratified, who voted on it, or how those votes were counted is exterior to this belief. If you think that there is something wrong with those principles of government then I am willing to listen to you (as long as you are factual and polite). I have no time for people who wish to take any opportunity to make themselves a victim. If you disagree with our Constitution fine, if you fail to recognize it, for what ever made up reason, then you may surrender your citizenship at the nearest immigration office. Our country has enough problems with the liberals trying to break down the country from within, and the threats to our freedom from without.

We don’t need people who hate America as citizens.

The American Identity

rattrap — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 02:15:18 +0000

I have posted the outline for the series of articles which will discuss the American Identity, what it is, how it has been diminished in our culture, and how it can be restored in this great country.

As the articles are written the points in the outline will become links, so check back often.