The New, New Deal and the Narcissism of the Legacy

"Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." With that in mind, and the deliberate altering of the history taught in our schools, it becomes all the more clear why so many people would cheer the efforts of this president and this congress. They have been denied the truth of history and are therefore doomed...

Examining the chain of events leading up to the stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression has today become an exercise in pursuit as they are not served up willingly by educators. The accounts are still there, however, simply because they actually happened, and also because those who will perpetrate the same tragedies have not yet succeeded in scrubbing them from existence. Even so, now they must be actively sought out.

A further examination of the alleged remedies administered by equally
alleged leaders at the time reveals a terrifying sense of deja vu, one
that makes one wonder why someone would deliberately repeat such
grievous errors. Let's take a look back, keeping in mind our current
state of affairs regarding the economy.

In 1928, the country was in a recession and the housing market was anemic (sound familiar?). Then the Federal Reserve Board - which is nothing remotely federal but, rather, a private corporation - squeezed the money supply, nearly doubling the discount rate to banks in a little over a year and a half, from 3.5 percent to 6 percent between January 1928 and August 1929.

Over the next three years, the money supply shrank 30 percent and lines of credit were cut off. Meanwhile, Congress was debating the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, which was designed to protect struggling farmers against agricultural imports. The Act was even more draconian than the Fordney-McCumber Tariff, passed in 1922, and had an adverse effect on investing and the Stock Market. In the span of three days in 1929, the Market became unstable and ultimately crashed.

In June 1930, President Hoover signed Smoot-Hawley into law, further exacerbating the effects of Fordney-McCumber, virtually sealing off international trade of not only agricultural produce, but all goods. An international trade war erupted, halting the exportation of goods to foreign markets.

Federal spending skyrocketed in 1930 and 1931. Hundreds of millions of dollars were paid in farm subsidies. Congress established the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, distributing still more hundreds of millions of dollars to businesses (again, sound familiar?). As a result of the ensuing budget deficits, Hoover signed the Revenue Act, doubling the income tax rate, with the top bracket nearly tripling, from 24 percent to 63 percent. Hoover, Congress and the Federal Reserve, in a foolish attempt to minimize the effects of the recession, only made things drastically worse.

Enter Franklin D. Roosevelt who, in 1932, ran against Hoover by promising to not be Hoover, a promise that was discarded as soon as he was sworn into office. Roosevelt modelled the New Deal on the same misguided principles of Hoover, only worse. As Roosevelt advisor Rexford Guy Tugwell would later disclose:

"We didn't admit it at the time, but practically the whole New Deal was extrapolated from programs that Hoover started."

Indeed, Roosevelt became Hoover on steroids, raising the top income tax bracket to 79 percent and then to 90 percent. In 1933, he instituted the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) which essentially brought private manufacturing companies under government control. The federal government would now dictate production and pricing standards.

Perhaps a little too late, the Supreme Court eventually ruled NIRA was unconstitutional, but in six months after its passage, production dropped 25 percent. Roosevelt established the Civil Works Administration which was subsequently superseded by the Works Progress Administration, both of which have been credited with "putting people to work", but which were actually little more than money siphons for crooks and gluttons. And from 1931 until 1940, the unemployment rate never dropped below 14 percent. It was apparent that the only beneficiary of the New Deal was the government.

As a result of Roosevelt's government interference, the Great Depression lasted a decade. Barack Obama is following the same blueprint for disaster. The question, then, is does he do so from a perspective of ignorance of history, or does he do so believing that the people are ignorant of history? And is he more concerned about his legacy than with actually healing the nation's economy?

These are but a few legitimate questions regarding Obama's handling of this recession. There are many others, perhaps even more nefarious in context, such as whether Obama is simply a tool being used by a larger interest.

Coming soon: The Bilderberg Group.

Sources:
Liberty and Tyranny - Mark Levin
www.NPRI.org
modern-us-history.suite101.com

Gingrich "Gripping & Grinning"

As much as I've always liked Newt Gingrich, there was a time - 2008, for example - when even I realized that he was perhaps too toxic to be a candidate for president. Still saddled unfairly with the false stigma of wanting to "kill Medicare", it seemed that Newt would have been a drag on the Republican party's chances of succeeding George W. Bush.

At the time, I never imagined that John McCain would win the nomination, but even then it seemed more unimaginable that Barack Whatshisname had a prayer of becoming president at all. With a past shrouded in mystery, what little we did know about Obama suggested no acumen or experience that would guide him to the Oval Office. Well, look at us now.

The man running our country seems hell-bent on our demise - barely concealing the contempt that half us knew was there prior to his election - and yet enjoying adulation in lieu of scrutiny from the press. The few organizations and individuals that actually sound the alarm bells are cast as dangerous heathens, the serious message dismissed out of hand.

Thankfully the ranks of the dismayed have expanded well beyond talk radio hosts and Internet news outlets, spawning the Tea Party movement and, now, emboldening potential 2012 contenders to speak up. Heaven knows our current Republican representatives have been more than timid in their opposition to the Obama, Reid and Pelosi agenda.

With Obama spearheading the radical transformation of America, he immediately set out to create the impression that this nation is just like any other, no better and no worse, which is undoubtedly how he and his wife have viewed it. His early Forgive Us Our Trespasses tour, in which he winged around the world in order to apologize and bow to foreign leaders, was the beginning.

He then accelerated an insane spending spree, the likes of which are unprecedented, and perpetrated a government takeover of private businesses. His economic policies have stifled job growth, he has raised taxes, broken promises, and quarterbacked a hurry-up offense in legislation, all the while claiming to be doing "the peoples' work" despite the fact that more than half of the people kept shouting "NO!" and "STOP!".

He has coddled our enemies while alienating our allies, ignoring the taunts of North Korea and Iran while chastising and ostracizing Israel and Great Britain. His treatment of his counterparts has been an embarrassment, to put it mildly, and would be laughable if they weren't so sad.

Now he has ordered the term "Islamic jihad" removed from threat assessments, telegraphed our intent to remain passive when attacked, and cavalierly announced that we'll be severely reducing our defense capabilities. Apparently he sees no threats from without, but seems more than eager to attack as potentially dangerous the Tea Parties and Fox News, Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck. History has shown that tyrants typically engage their critics on such a personal and intimate level.

So it is with pleasure that I now see Newt Gingrich dipping his toes in the campaign waters in New Orleans. If ever the time was right for a serious contender in 2012, it is now. Perhaps Newt knew this in 2008 as well, although I'd wager he never expected the need now to be as crucial as it is.

There is already speculation of a Gingrich/Palin ticket emerging in the near future. Sarah would need some heavy exposure as a competent leader as governor of Alaska, and it's doubtful the New York Times or Newsweek would offer any help; or truth.

But Gingrich, along with whomever should be his running mate, is emerging as the right man at the right time. Whatever toxicity there may have been has dissipated. Combined with the obvious disaster that has been inflicted upon us, the triad of Obama, Reid and Pelosi has infuriated so many people that whatever attacks they may level at Gingrich leading up to 2012 will likely be largely ineffective.

There is also the great possibility that Obama will be damaged beyond repair when forced to deal with a hostile Congress for the last two years of his reign. Newt, I hope you hear us. We need you desperately.