China on Top: How China is Using America’s Playbook to Take Over the World
I ran across this documentary a while back and a had been holding the page open in a browser tab until I could get a chance to watch it. Finally had a bit of time to do so. This brief documentary is a bit of an eye opener. I think we can all recognize that China is major player on the global stage both economically and politically. But I don’t think we, the People and many in government office in the United States, are fully grasping the aspirations and consequences of China’s rising prominence; nor are we in a good place economically, politically or socially to deal effectively with the changing geopolitical landscape of a rising China.
What prompted me to get back to this was this tweet:
Do you notice anything about this map? Maybe how often the Chinese flag appears across the globe, including the United States. Maybe how often the Chinese flag appears in countries that the United States might want to have the most economic and political influence.
This documentary is a glimpse of a preventable near future, but we need to wake up. Like, now.
Before you simply dismiss this as some anti-China rant, hear me: this isn’t about China, this is about America. A little nationalism is good. Patriotism is good. “E pluribus unum” is good; holding fast to and practicing the Constitutional ideals that make America unique among nations is good.
Our feckless political, educational and business leaders have sold out our country culturally, socially, and financially, and it’s past time to wake up. It’s almost too late.
What has happened to the “shining city on a hill”?
Watch the full version of Reagan’s Farewell Address if you have the time.
There has been a swell of anti-capitalist sentiment in the last decade. That sentiment is reflected in how our government views business based on laws passed and regulations created. At times, our government treats businesses as if they were just an extension of government benefit programs or tools to push current ideological agendas. We forget that the primary purpose of a business is to derive a profit from the supply of goods and services. “Job creation” is not a primary purpose of business, it is a side affect of a successful business. “Wage growth” is not a primary function of business, it is a side affect of healthy competition for labor resources among thriving businesses.
We don’t have to look much farther than our own federal, state, and local governments to understand the economic impacts on businesses (and by extension the economy as a whole) of taxation, over regulation and government mandates. Here’s a brief video from Prager University that succinctly demonstrates how things like Obamacare and minimum wage increases squelch entrepreneurship and kill businesses rather than promote business creation and expand economic opportunity.
I recommend reading Marita Noon’s article at TownHall titled: Blame for Ford’s Mexico Move Falls On Obama Administration. In one brief read you’ll begin to understand the impact government over-regulation has on businesses and job creation/retention in our country.
If you don’t have time to read the article, the Obama administration, in their quest to save the world, have implemented aggressive CAFE (corporate average fuel economy) rules for automakers in the US. In order to meet these standards, auto manufacturers must build small, highly fuel efficient vehicles so that they meet the CAFE standard. However, several factors make these car models very low margin. So, in order to save money and increase margins, like any good business out to turn a profit, they look for cost cutting measures like moving production to low wage countries.
Folks, to say things like “Mexico is taking our jobs!” is short sighted. We need to ask, “Why are corporations taking their manufacturing elsewhere?” It’s not as simple as wages are lower someplace else, or “Mexico bad”. We have an incredibly burdensome regulatory state, powered by an ever increasing federal (and state) government bureaucratic class. From CAFE standards to licensing for hair braiders it all has an measurable effect on the economy. When our President and Congress address these issues, then some of these jobs will stay in America. But don’t hold your breath.
I haven’t watched all the hearing videos, but I’ve seen portions over the last couple of days. These hearings are some of the most amazing examples of Executive branch obstruction I have ever seen. If you do not think that the entire current Obama administration is working a full court defense of Hillary Clinton, you are either deaf, blind, insane, an idiot or quite possibly all of the above. When the FBI is unwilling to lawfully turn over information requested by Congress for the purposes of oversight, we have problems. When the FBI (or any agency really) selectively chooses the information to turn over to Congress, we have problems. When it appears that you are protecting people being named in documents by redaction and then preventing, or at least forestalling, revelation to Congress, we have problems. I’m just glad that Rep. Chaffetz and a few other members of Congress are finally getting a backbone and standing up to the Obama administration’s unlawful, unconstitutional and inexcusable actions. Oh, that they would have used this power starting, oh, let’s see, about 6 years ago.
There are things that just ain’t right. One of them is giving the run around to Congress. Here’s just a brief introduction to Executive obstruction with respect to Congressional oversight, starring the FBI’s acting legislative affairs chief, Jason Herring, and Representative Trey Gowdy.
After having celebrated 240 years of Independence and existence as a constitutional republic on the Fourth of July, the republic of the United States of America died today, July 5th, at 11:00 AM Eastern Time. The cause of death was determined to be the abandonment of the Rule of Law governing the republic of the United States. The death was broadcast live on TV and streamed across the Internet. Many witnessed the death across the United States and around the world as FBI Director James Comey presented damning evidence of felonious activity by the presumptive Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, that was punctuated, after 16 minutes of castigation, by the revelation that, despite all the evidence, the FBI will not recommend Hillary Clinton be prosecuted by the Department of Justice.
The United States has suffered for some time with abandoning the Rule of Law, but today it became clear that all pretense has been officially abandoned. It is clear that laws have no meaning and that enforcement of laws is comepletely arbitrary. It is now absolutely clear that some people are treated with special deference with respect to those laws, or, in the case of Hillary Clinton today, they do not apply at all. If Hillary Clinton manages to be elected in the fall, We The People will have elected our first felon as the Leader of the Free World. Where once we impeached or prosecuted politicians that have broken the law, we now set about electing them to office. Oh, from what heights we’ve fallen!
Justice is a bedrock principle for any society that desires to be free to pursue liberty. If the Government can not or will not enforce laws, then what confidence does the Common Citizen have in that government? If the political class gets preferential or selective enforcement of those laws, then what confidence does the Common Citizen have in the political class and its government? If justice is no longer blind, then what hope can a Common Citizen have in a court of law? What becomes of the principle of “equality under the law”?
Consider the case of Bryan Nishimura, a Naval reservist that downloaded classified information to his personal devices, and plead guilty and sentenced for mishandling classified information.
How does this compare to what Hillary Clinton did? After all, she “retained” and/or “downloaded” (emailed) classified information to “personal devices” (a privately owned server and miscellaneous electronic devices). Also, like Nishimura, she had no nefarious intent with respect to the classified material.
Mr. Nishimura was fined $7,500, placed on probation for 2 years, had his security credentials revoked, and is barred from ever seeking a security clearance again. What does Hillary Clinton get for doing the same thing? Basically, a stern tongue lashing from Director Comey calling her “extremely careless”.
Folks, Lady Justice is now officially a whore of the political establishment.
Please listen to Ben Shapiro address point by point specifics of Director Comey’s statement. It’s worth listening to.
Watching the Democrat debate (I know right) tonight and surfing Twitter, and ran across the tweets below. This won’t be the “news” of the debate, but something I wanted to comment on. Because I’m thinking most people (about 68% of people including 92% of Democrats) really don’t know anything about macro economics.
68 percent of Americans are in favor of raising the minimum wage. That includes 92 percent of Democrats: https://t.co/XH3KcSfZfS#DemDebate
Look, just like you, I’d love for everyone to earn a good wage; however, there are a lot of caveats that go along with that remark, primarily the definition of what a “good wage” is in this country. Flipping burgers was never meant to be a career that sustains a family. Those jobs, minimum wage jobs, used to be mostly filled by young people who needed a job to earn a few bucks in spending money and get their foot in the door. They are low skilled jobs, and thus have low wages. Unfortunately we’ve exported millions of “next-step” jobs overseas, the ones you move on to when you’re tired of flipping burgers or get beyond a high school education. Because of the exporting of those jobs, our Government and Business Class has gutted America’s middle class, and has created a permanent service sector underclass that is totally reliant on a minimum wage.
You can be sure that most Americans don’t really understand the systemic effects of minimum wage increases. Even the Congressional Budget Office predicts job losses on the order of 1,000,000 jobs with an increase of the minimum wage to just $10.10. Our Democrat candidates want to push that to $15.00. Read for yourself what our own government says the effects of raising the minimum wage are. Raising the minimum wage is a band aid. To be sure it will benefit some wage earners, but it will slowly suck the life out the economy through inflationary effects and increased automation and self-service. Leading to fewer jobs at the low end of the market, and increased competition for those with low levels of education and skills.
The solution to “a living wage” is not going to be found by continued Government intervention in the labor market by setting wage floors. Policies that promote growth, investment, and culling unnecessary regulations on the business side and education (but not free tuition) need to be the primary focus if we want to see jobs created and wages increase in the USA. From what I’m hearing at the Democrat debate tonight, all we’re going to get is more government subsidization, and thus ever increasing debt.
I’m just a politico wanna be. I mean, if I were really into political commentary I would have known that the President was planning on having a speech to the nation last night. But I didn’t. In fact I was watching Anderson Cooper’s 60 Minutes segment on Bonobos when I was rudely interrupted by the President and his national address. Apparently others were rudely interrupted too. If he had anything interesting or new to say that would be one thing, but there was nothing new, nothing of real substance, and certainly contained nothing worth disrupting regularly scheduled programming. Everything he said could have been said in a press conference at the White House on Monday morning. And quite frankly, the Bonobos were much more interesting.
But as far as what was in the President’s speech, let’s take a look at a few things.
“For seven years, I’ve confronted this evolving threat each morning in my intelligence briefing…As Commander-in-Chief, I have no greater responsibility than the security of the American people.” – President Obama
Certainly, over the course of Obama’s presidency, he has acted in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief. We can all argue how effective or wise he’s been in executing those duties. One thing is clear, especially with recent revelations, is the depth that the administration will go to avoid, ignore or revise for its own benefit, which puts America at risk. When our own Commander-in-Chief can’t accurately name the enemy or doctors intelligence assessments for a more favorable narrative, we have problems. When we can’t bomb our enemies for fear of civilian casualties or causing environmental problems, we have problems. This administration has had a totally ineffective policy in place for more than 18 months, and it took Russian involvement to kick our president into action regarding ISIS.
“Well, here’s what I want you to know: The threat from terrorism is real, but we will overcome it. We will destroy ISIL and any other organization that tries to harm us.” – President Obama
Can we just call this what it is? This is a lie. Or if we want to be generous, it’s a bed time story that the President tells us so we can sleep at night. Islamic Terrorism is not going away, and we will not “overcome it” by “being strong or smart”, at least not in any cultural, political or military sense. The point being, the Left continually ignores or dismisses that Islamic Terrorism is a religious issue. It’s so politically incorrect and acknowledgement presents its own problems, I know. However, it is an Islamic theological and ideological issue. Ideas, “ologies” and “isms” can only be combated by conversion to other ideas, “ologies” and “isms”. And the Islamic Terrorists have resoundingly rejected Western ideals because the Quran leads them to reject our Western ideals. There is a reason why many Muslims don’t assimilate and the rejection of the West is one of the main reasons.
People are willing to die and kill for certain beliefs. Where we, the Western world and in particular the United States, will spend a decade and more fighting in the deserts and mountains of 3rd world countries for our and others freedom and the spread of democracy, Islamic Terrorists will fight for centuries for the spread of Islam. Western political will waxes and wanes with changes of presidency and the economy. Islamic belief and will doesn’t change. Why? Western secular values are for this life only, and Islam offers values for this life and the one after.
The really radical solution to Islam is fostering the spread of Christianity. The truth and power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only message available to peaceably overcome Islamic ideology and theology. Of course, that option is off the table for our secular government, so the Church will need to step up and fulfill its evangelistic mandate.
“To begin with, Congress should act to make sure no one on a no-fly list is able to buy a gun. What could possibly be the argument for allowing a terrorist suspect to buy a semi-automatic weapon? This is a matter of national security.
We also need to make it harder for people to buy powerful assault weapons like the ones that were used in San Bernardino. I know there are some who reject any gun safety measures. But the fact is that our intelligence and law enforcement agencies — no matter how effective they are — cannot identify every would-be mass shooter, whether that individual is motivated by ISIL or some other hateful ideology. What we can do — and must do — is make it harder for them to kill.” – President Obama
The “no-fly list” violates the 5th and 14th Amendment “due process” provisions. Which, Mr. President, is clearly a violation of those American principles that you say we need to uphold in these troubled times. The flaws have been clearly demonstrated by people like former Sen. Ted Kennedy, and others, being placed on the list. While I don’t necessarily have a “right to fly” I do have a right to travel freely, and in a modern society air travel is one method I should be able to utilize. I should at least be able to know whether I am on a no-fly list, and be able to challenge my inclusion by seeing and refuting the “evidence” that the government used to place me on the list. Until very recently, and after a Supreme Court challenge, there wasn’t even a way to know you were on the no-fly list, other than being denied, let alone a process for removal. A watch list like this, one with no real redress for citizens, is extremely dangerous and can easily be a vehicle for denying 2nd Amendment and other rights. Until a proper redress process is created, using the no-fly list should be a non-starter. Really, any government list should be off the table as it merely encourages the Police and Surveillance State to collect more information on citizens.
This is not in any way about “gun safety” it’s about “gun control”. The Left’s use of the euphemism of gun safety is a continued ploy to change the language of the debate. After all, who isn’t for gun safety? Or who isn’t pro-choice? Right? Limiting guns and types of guns are restrictions not safety measures. Training, education, certification, storage and handling procedures can be considered safety measures.
Also, since when in this country should law abiding citizens’ rights be violated or stripped by its government, because of the law breaking actions of other people. There are millions of gun owners who don’t use their guns to murder others, singly or in mass, and yet our government would deprive them and future citizens of this right as specifically granted under the Constitution. We all know that people intent on murder and mayhem, do not respect lists or laws and sometimes, oh my gosh, they even lie. But liberal logic says if something doesn’t work, we just need more of it.
“We cannot turn against one another by letting this fight be defined as a war between America and Islam. That, too, is what groups like ISIL want. ISIL does not speak for Islam. They are thugs and killers, part of a cult of death, and they account for a tiny fraction of more than a billion Muslims around the world — including millions of patriotic Muslim Americans who reject their hateful ideology.” – President Obama
Many on the Left just don’t get religion, I’ve already touched on this previously, but it probably can’t be emphasized enough. The attempt to separate ISIS from Islam, can not be done when you understand that the things that ISIS is fighting for are believed and are supported widely in the Islamic world. The poll most often used by both the Left and Right is the Pew poll about Muslims opinion about ISIS. The Left sees nothing to worry about, as even Pew’s own headline states that there is “much disdain for ISIS”. However, those percentages represent millions of Muslims that actually do support ISIS. However, the Pew poll answers nothing about whether they support the underlying doctrines of Islam supported by ISIS. Hundreds of millions more are supportive of the same Islamic doctrines and theology that ISIS is fighting for regardless of what particular group they view favorably or unfavorably.
I’ll close with two videos. One from Ben Shapiro discussing the “tiny minority” of Muslims that are “radical”.
And one straight from Islam Net Video, straight from an Islamic conference, describing what “normal” Muslims believe. Learn what Islam teaches its disciples.
