Inside Track Online!

I have ranted on numerous occasions against my own party, noting the three “C”s that currently grip too much of it and stain its brand: cluelessness, cowardice and corruption. Too many Republicans are either unable to grasp or too craven to admit they have abandoned the principles of limited government that got them elected and are into denial over the damage done by a steady cavalcade of crooks and perverts.

Politics is a matter of “compared to what.” Time to report on the Democrats.

Starting locally, everyone concedes there’s a path of leadership from the long-time Democrat-dominated Tucson City Council. Throw in a worthless Republican mayor. Most of this body needs help chewing its food. From reneging on promises to make public safety a first priority to the total fiasco of Rio Nuevo, please note that Democrats are and have been in charge.

Move over to the Pima County Board of Supervisors, with the Democrat majority on the board being sued — successfully — by the Pima County Democratic Party over election transparency and the possibility of altered voting results. A Democrat mantra exists since 2000 complete with conspiracy theories about GOP-leaning computer firms somehow manipulating local Democratically controlled election boards. Yet when confronted with hard evidence that those computers could be rigged here in Pima County, the three Democrat Supes fought any attempts to even discuss the problem and cost local taxpayers hundreds of thousands defending their inexplicable obstinacy.

At the state level, we find a governor extorting an entire industry to gain support for and against ballot propositions, while a left-leaning mainstream media lets her get away with it. We also note a state Democrat Party and Democrat governor pushing for higher sales taxes. Memo to my Democrat friends — time to take that part about sales taxes being “regressive” out of your state platform.

The national Democratic Party has the incredibly Mickey Mouse method of selecting a presidential candidate they and we just suffered through. Democrats rant against the Electoral College, while the system they themselves use with everything from Super Delegates to weighted votes is even more undemocratic as well as being pathetically irrational. Are you really ready to turn governing the country over to folks who are this inept at governing themselves?

Biggest issue on the table in November is gas prices. Democrat answer? Punish Big Oil. Please explain how that lowers prices or produces more oil. Way past time for Republicans to quit hiding out back by the garbage cans and unify around a simple three part policy. Drill more wells; build more refineries; start more nuclear power plants. Do that, mean it, force the Dems in Congress to vote against it. Pass it and watch oil prices take a dive and the speculators get punished.

Democrats oppose those solutions for one big reason. They see the gas crisis as a golden opportunity to reshape the American lifestyle into something closer to their fundamental collectivist philosophy. From lefty economist Paul Krugman to Senator Obama himself, listen to and read closely what they say. They like higher gas prices. Obama only regrets that they came “too fast.”

Senator Obama tell us that we are 3 percent of the world’s population but we consume 25 percent of the world’s resources and that’s wrong. He left something out. We produce most of that 25 percent. He also failed to note how wretchedly governed most of that world is.

Republicans need to stop staring at their shoes and present a comprehensive and simple package for reducing energy costs and foreign oil dependence. Let the Obamas wallow in the guilt.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Dancing around raising property taxes

Reluctant pundit stakes reputation on GOP longshot

Paperwork 'default' may be behind rise of 'independents'

"Culture’ no excuse for Vick’s dogfighting