Charlie Rangel doesn't like people with money

Charlie Rangel doesn't think that everyone being taxed at the same rate is fair. I immediately roll my eyes when someone talks about "fairness". Rob, at "Say Anything" has the topic covered quite nicely:

What’s “unfair” is the fact that approximately 95% of the taxes in this country are paid by the richest 10% of the population.

Greenspan is, of course, right. Under our current tax system as you increase your income you increase your tax burden. In some circumstances its actually better to earn less money because the increased tax burden tends to offset the increase in income. A system like that takes away some of the incentive to earn more money. A more equitable taxation system would change all that.

And lets not forget that spreading the tax burden out will likely mean a tax cut for the wealthiest 50% of Americans who are currently paying approximately 90% of the taxes. What will they do with that extra money in their paychecks? Some will probably save it (which is good for the banking industry allowing them to give out more loans), some may invest it (which is good for the stock market) and most will probably spend it (which is good for the economy and encourages the production of more jobs).

Read the rest, as it is quite good, if you believe in rewarding the productive people in our country.

Marc Cooper on the LA Mayor Race

Marc Cooper has ties with Labor. His daughter is a radical union organizer, and Marc is friendly to labor. Besides Marc's ties to The Nation and "progressives", he has impressive credentials as a radical leftist (but a sensible one, which may be a killer in an age when the leadership are "mad dogs"). Marc thinks that by backing the incumbant mayor in this election, organized labor may have made a critical error, which could cost them influence. This is a knock-down drag out fight between Democrats (would you think a Republican would have a chance in LA?). Marc starts off saying:

Hahn's top rival in 2001, liberal Democrat and former Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa, is running ahead of the Mayor. Another former Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg, a more moderate Democrat, is also in contention.

My current column looks at the curious role that organized labor is playing in this election. Back in 2001, the powerful county federation of labor went all out for Villaraigosa-- himself a former labor organizer and someone who had a 100% pro-union voting record.

Read the rest and the links, although this seems to be the meat.

Buy the whole NHL?

A group has offered to buy the entire 30-team NHL. I can't figure out why anyone would want it, but there it is. The guys at Fraters Libertas (or at least Chad, the Elder), have the line on this deal. I wouldn't mind seeing it happen, as the present ownership is as wacko as the players. How else would things have come to their present low state?

This is amazing: Color Photos from WWI

Thanks to INDC Journal for pointing this out (and to the guys who posted them): color photos (from the French side) of WWI. This looks real, and not just colorized black and white photos, I would say. Even WWII color photos are relatively rare, but this is really cool.

Our lefty buddies are trying to belittle the Ten Commandments issue

New Donkey has jumped on the bandwagon regarding the Ten Commandments issue. NPR started this latest buzz that they hope will cause the whole issue to be dismissed. New Donkey calls his post: "The Yul Brynner/Roy Moore Connection". He starts off with:

As you may know, the U.S. Supreme Court is hearing a case today involving a Ten Commandments monument on the Texas State Capitol grounds. But you probably don't know--I certainly didn't until I collapsed into hysterical laughter at the NPR report on the subject this morning--where the monument really came from: Hollywood!

That's right: the organization (called the Fraternal Order of Eagles) that actually put up the monument, and several hundred like it around the country, was being massively subsidized by Cecil B. DeMille as part of his effort to promote his movie, The Ten Commandments. In fact, DeMille sent Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner out to appear at a number of the monument dedications.

Marc Cooper thoughtfully provides his whole Atlantic commentary

Marc Cooper continues to be my favorite thinking leftist. I find the usual leftist who spouts the current talking points to be tiresome, but Marc Cooper always teaches me new things. I often don't agree with his fundamental point, but often I do agree. Today, he excerpts his Atlantic commentary and then provides a link to the Word document version of the entire text (with a few small typos that are easily fixed). His basic message is that the left needs to learn to tolerate intellectual diversity, and work to co-exist with ordinary, non-leftist elite, people.

Marc Cooper "gets it" (and seems to get around)

Marc Cooper spent time in Beirut in 1973, before the Civil War, and has fond memories (except that he said "Druids" when he meant the "Druse"). He has a good post about the collapse of dictatorships and the rise of democracy:

Regime Change!

Oh yes, Regime Change! In the upside-down world we now inhabit, that slogan was once the sole property of an internationalist, democratic Left. We can only blame ourselves for ceding such an exhilarating concept to the Neocons.

No matter. Regime change it is in Lebanon, it seems. And if the popular tide continues rising, it could wash right into Damascus and sweep the murderous Assad clan from its perch.

After the horrific reports of Monday’s car bomb massacre in Iraq, what wonderful news that the pro-Syrian government in Lebanon has been forced to resign in the face of mounting demonstrations. Tens of thousands of Lebanese have been coming into the streets after senior opposition leader Rafik Hariri was killed by a bombing linked to Syria.

Too bad most leftist can't get on board the regime change wagon.

Charles Johnson comments on the latest developments in the Middle East

Charles Johnson is very positive about the latest developments in the Middle East. He (of Little Green Footballs), says:

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t pleased about this mention in Mark Steyn’s latest column for the Telegraph, and even more pleased to be associated (in a very small way) with today’s historic events in the Middle East: The Arabs’ Berlin Wall has crumbled.

Meanwhile in Damascus, Boy Assad, having badly overplayed his hand in Lebanon and after months of denying that he was harbouring any refugee Saddamites, suddenly discovered that - wouldja believe it? - Saddam’s brother and 29 other bigshot Baghdad Baathists were holed up in north-eastern Syria, and promptly handed them over to the Iraqi government.

And, for perhaps the most remarkable development, consider this report from Mohammed Ballas of Associated Press: “Palestinians expressed anger on Saturday at an overnight suicide bombing in Tel Aviv that killed four Israelis and threatened a fragile truce, a departure from former times when they welcomed attacks on their Israeli foes.”

He has more to say, so I recommend that you read the rest (the first link).

Ed Morrissey has a good post about how Syria is feeling the heat

Syria is trying to ease the pressure on it by handing over Saddam's half brother and 29 other Baathist officials from Iraq. Ed Morrissey has a long post about what is happening. Some of the important stuff:

Jack Kelly wrote earlier that the Iraq War has already been essentially won, with nothing much left than the cleanup. This constitutes a major part of that effort, and as long as the pressure remains on the Syrians, more cleanup will follow after this. It also confirms that Syria indeed had a hand in fomenting the terrorist attacks in Iraq; now, with this revelation and the apparent reversal of course by an extremely nervous Assad, we may see the entire Zarqawi/Ba'athist effort collapse in on itself within weeks.

I hope it isn't wishful thinking, but things really seem to be running our way, and the way of civilization over barbarism.

I like the Twin Cities, and learned to like the NARN

I have not seen such a picture of so many of the Northern Alliance Radio Network (NARN) guys before (from the Fraters Libertas blog):

The woman is Minnesota State Senator Michele Bachmann, who stopped by the NARN radio show. That was what had occasioned the picture. The front row is King Banion, then Senator Bachmann, John Hinderacker, "Chad the Elder". The back row is Mitch Berg, Ed Morrissey, and "St. Paul". The Fraters Libertas guys are the only ones using "handles". The rest of the Twin Cities and St. Cloud bloggers use their names. I had become acquainted with these guys thanks to Hugh Hewitt, when I was driving home from work in Minneapolis, at the start of his show (which is not on at a time where I could listen in Dallas).