Right Opposition

President Obama put his foot in his mouth this weekend while speaking to a gathering of Muslims at the White House. He argued that  a mosque should be built in lower Manhattan near the site of the collapsed World Trade Centers. Today he tried to take back the words in a poor attempt cover up his clueless, off the teleprompter speech.

Politico has the mosque story.

While the government should and must stay out of the fray officially, it can and should point out the obvious. Building this mosque near the World Trade Center is mean, divisive and a slap in the face to the memory of those who died at the hands of Muslim terrorists. Politicians and community leaders should point out the obvious and demand a stop. Not because the government stops it – it cannot – but because it’s just wrong.

President Obama has again shown his naivete. With his stumbling retraction he appears more and more silly. He no longer has any appearance of wisdom or leadership. He is just silly and embarrassing.

Deficit government spending is front and center now. Supporters of the Obama stimulus argue that deficit spending is needed to restore the strength of the economy. Opponents disagree. They say the deficits are staggering and crippling the economy. But at the same time those who oppose Obama are themselves arguing for deficits. They want an extension of the so-called Bush tax cuts. Obviously more money in would mean a smaller deficit.

Obama supporters argue that either way you have deficits. They are correct but incomplete in their analysis.

Some deficits are better than others.

Money that flows to Washington in the form of taxes represents a leakage from the economy. Even though the government will spend that money it will do so inefficiently and that’s the rub. Money spent by business is far more efficient than tax money doled out by Uncle Sam. Money can be spent on needed resources which directly impact the local business owner. This fully decentralized stimulus avoids politics, avoids unneeded handouts, avoids administrative overhead and places the money where it will do the most good.

And that deficit? It will rapidly disappear as revenues and incomes rise. It will also allow businesses to hire the unemployed and underemployed.

So why does the government seem so fixated on taking your money and spending it for you? It’s all about power and politics. Power over your labor and your money and gaining political goodwill by spending money where it buys the most votes.

For a thinking person devoid of political desires, the only answer is to extend the Bush tax cuts.