Broback’s Blog

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Entries Tagged as 'Politics'

Gallup: “Americans Say Reagan Is the Greatest U.S. President”

August 30th, 2011 · No Comments · Politics

Details here. One major reason IMHO that many Americans get all tingly over the Gipper is not generally discussed. Those on the left certainly won’t bring it up. It has nothing to do with the skyrocketing employment or the plummeting inflation numbers he presided over. It has to do with our survival. Youngsters (and old [...]

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Intrade: Odds of Obama re-election fall below 50% for the first time

August 11th, 2011 · No Comments · Politics

Update: Love Carpe Diem Blog. You can catch Perry’s retake on this 2 days after I posted it. Remember, you heard it here first. : ) Latest odds here:

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Brace for the “Crossing of the Streams”: Reagan Poised to Eclipse Obama

April 19th, 2011 · 2 Comments · Politics

Apologies to Harold Ramis. I’ve written in the past about how Obama and Reagan’s approval ratings have compared at the same point in their presidencies. At the beginning of the year I showed how Obama had a comfortable lead, and I asked who wanted to bet me that Reagan would pass him. No takers. I [...]

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Incentives not Motives, or Why I Sympathize with Those Who Might Discriminate Against Me

April 19th, 2011 · No Comments · Politics

Let me open by saying I am an “old” (52) white guy, and if you live in a state that rigidly enforces age discrimination laws you probably think twice about hiring my ilk, and I don’t blame you. Thanks to the legislation put in place the incentives are stacked against me. One of the essential [...]

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The Duke of Wellington on “Mobility Apartheid”

April 17th, 2011 · No Comments · Politics

Most of my friends have patiently endured through my ongoing diatribes where I express dissent with the local politicians and misc. authoritarians who cheerfully embrace fees, taxes, and polices that all conspire to force the less financially fortunate from their cars. “Mobility Apartheid” has been my catch-phrase in these dialogs. I didn’t realize how the [...]

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“The Job of the Government is to Take Care of the People!”

April 10th, 2011 · No Comments · Politics

I know a real, live, person who used to enthusiastically offer up this jaw-dropping statement. (Really.) It came to mind immediately when I watched this high-I.Q., Harvard-educated scribbler essentially make the same (tearful) assertion in the clip below. Scroll to about 15 seconds from the end to see what I mean. While I believe that [...]

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Luckily, Many Outgrow It…

March 15th, 2011 · No Comments · Economics, Politics

My friend Steve finds a good quote from Einstein. I’ve been cataloging many of the professor’s statements over the years, as they are useful when illustrating the profound limitations of “book smarts” — but had not run across this one. It’s a keeper: “Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen.” My [...]

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States Badly in the Red? Sure Enough, Their Blueness Was a Likely Predictor (Duh…)

November 28th, 2010 · 2 Comments · Economics, Politics

There’s been a lot of discussion about how the “Blue” states seem to be suffering the most in this fiscal mess. Articles and posts like The Blue State Budget Crisis, Why is it that most of the states with massive budget problems are run by Democrats?, and Fiscal mess in blue states a problem for [...]

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How to Win Big Money on the 1098 Washington State Income Tax…NOT

October 27th, 2010 · 5 Comments · Politics

My friend Steve on his blog offers up a bet sure to serve as red meat for the class-warfare contingent: The Sky-Is-Falling Crowd says that 1098′s income tax will be immediately extended to lower earners. If you’re so sure, here’s a chance to make a buck on your certainty. Fifty bucks, actually. Here’s the bet: [...]

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The FDR/Johnson Strategy: A Legacy of Debt

September 28th, 2010 · 1 Comment · Politics

My response to the most recent “blame Reagan” post from my friend Steve (collect the entire set!) One that borrows more than a few keystrokes from him… The Entitlement Strategy is a brilliantly effective (and profoundly irresponsible) political framework. It goes like this: Borrow money from our children and from abroad, and use the money [...]

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