Last week Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke announced a positive outlook for yet another round of quantitative easing (commonly abbreviated QE3 since it is the third round). According to a report from Rueters, The euro slipped against the dollar on Monday but was still close to a near four-month high hit on Friday when disappointing U.S. jobs data fanned speculation the Federal Reserve may launch more monetary stimulus this week. Heightened expectations that the Fed could announce another round of quantitative easing, known as QE3, after a two-day policy meeting ends on Thursday were likely to support the euro and riskier currencies like the Australian dollar in coming days, traders said. “Launch more monetary stimulus” is news speak for “quantitative easing.” It says something, I think, that central banks around the world are hoping for QE3, although it will hurt Americans in the process (see this article from Indonesia’s Jarkarta Post, and this post from Forbes on China’s desire for QE3).
Who is responsible for entitlements? The WSJ says both parties are
In an August 31, 2012 piece entitled, “Are Entitlements Corrupting Us? Yes, American Character Is at Stake,” Wall Street Journal essayist Nicholas Eberstadt charges the greatest contributors to the burgeoning entitlement crash in the American economy are the ones who rail against it the most and loudest: Republicans. We are heading in a direction which is uncharted in our history of governance. He writes, A half-century of unfettered expansion of entitlement outlays has completely inverted the priorities, structure and functions of federal administration as these were understood by all previous generations. Until 1960 the accepted task of the federal government, in keeping with its constitutional charge, was governing. The overwhelming share of federal expenditures was allocated to some limited public services and infrastructure investments and to defending the republic against enemies foreign and domestic. In 1960, entitlement payments accounted for well under a third of the federal government’s total outlays—about the same fraction as in 1940, when the Great Depression was still shaping American life. But over subsequent decades, entitlements as a percentage of total federal spending soared. By 2010 they accounted for just about two-thirds of all federal spending, with all other responsibilities of the federal government making up barely one-third. In a very real sense, entitlements have turned American governance upside-down. The issue, as Eberstadt sees it, is not limited to the oft blamed Democratic party. In fact, Republican administrations have overseen entitlement expansion at faster rates than Democratic ones.
“I am Voting for Ron Paul for President,” by Jay Sanders
I have known Jay Sanders since he was in elementary school, I would guess. He has grown into a thoughtful and faithful pastor, with a great wife and two cool kids. If you do not read his blog, Pastoral Ramblings, every day it is to your disadvantage. Jay is always insightful, biblically sound, and usually hilarious. It is linked in his bio below. I knew Jay had supported Ron Paul in the primaries, as I had done so for all the same wise, logical, and sensible reasons. :^) I did not know he planned to write-in Ron Paul in the general election until he offered to write the final post in this series. Thanks, Jay, for letting me know. In encourage you to read the other posts in this series: Keysha Hogan’s support of President Barack Obama published Tuesday, Brian Gass’ support of Mitt Romney from Wednesday, and Beth Lancaster’s support of Gary Johnson from yesterday. From Jay: When people ask me who I’m voting for in November I generally get the same response. “Well, a vote for Ron Paul would be a vote for Obama. Every vote counts, you know.” I supported Ron Paul when he ran for president in 2008 because he was the only candidate who was consistently committed to limited government. I have supported him this time around for the same reason. I will write his name in this November because I do not buy the lesser of two evils approach that many conservatives take.
“Why I am Voting for Gary Johnson for President,” by Beth Duren Lancaster
Beth Duren Lancaster has been interested in political conversation since a very early age. At the tender age of 15 or 16 she took a writer to task in the Atlanta-Journal Constitution for dissing young people for perceived disinterest in the political system. Her letter to the editor was published. I think we still have it in a scrapbook somewhere. I think she gets her interest in politics from her mother. I know she did not get it from me ;^) Today she is a guest contributor in support of Gary Johnson the Libertarian candidate for president. Gary Johnson began his campaign as a Republican, but, following an early exit, became the Libertarian candidate for president. To read the first two parts of this series see Keysha Hogan’s support of President Obama here and Brian Gass’ support of Mitt Romney here. The distinction between the two major parties seems to shrink with every election cycle, and although many Americans are disenchanted with the two major parties, their allegiance to their party of choice seems stronger than ever during presidential elections. Disappointed, disillusioned, and yet still fiercely loyal to the two-party system, I presume out of the hope that maybe this time will be the turning point.
“I Am Voting for Mitt Romney for President,” by Brian Gass
This second in the “I Am Voting for…” series features support for Republican nominee, former Governor Mitt Romney. Writing in support of Romney is my friend, Brian Gass. (You can read the first part of this series, “I Am Voting For Barack Obama for President,” by Keysha Hogan, by clicking here.) The rules of engagement are the same as yesterday. Questions and challenges are fair game. Name calling and general childishness will be deleted without warning or explanation. In other words, try not to act like candidates for office. Why I Support Mitt Romney for President: Full disclosure: Out of all of the Republicans running for President, Mitt Romney was probably my 6th choice. Besides having more natural affinity for other candidates, my concerns with Romney were twofold: Is Mitt Romney truly a social conservative? Could Mitt Romney defeat Barack Obama? The first concern centered primarily upon his early positions on abortion in Massachusetts while the second was because he WAS from Massachusetts. I wasn’t at all sure that a Governor from the Northeast could rouse the Republican electoral base which rests primarily in the South and Midwest. I cannot disguise the fact that my primary passion as a voter and as a Christian was in seeing Barack Obama replaced. Once Mitt Romney had secured the nomination, however, I slowly began moving from being resigned to having to vote for Romney to now being excited about the potential of his presidency.
Planned Parenthood rally at the DNC is hyped but poorly attended
A story this afternoon on Lifenews.com purported to show two different faces of today’s Planned Parenthood rally at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, NC. The Democratic National Convention will likely pass the most extreme pro-choice platform ever codified by an American political party. It will be a platform that promotes the continued legal status of abortion on demand. That is, the legal right of a woman to kill a child in the womb at any point from conception through live birth. Much of this aborting will be handled by Planned Parenthood the nations largest and best funded abortion provider. Two photos from the pro-life website were crowd shots, taken close to the stage. One of them was angled in such a way to give the impression of very high attendance. The other was taken from inside the crowd, again giving the perception of a full house.
Minority Report: Is technology making science fiction nightmare a reality?
Just a decade ago, Stephen Spielberg unleashed on cinematic audiences a dystopian future of fear, prediction and the authoritarian state. Minority Report told of a future in which the “Precrime Division” of the police department stopped crimes before they happened, then charged and prosecuted for a crime they never actually committed. The predictions of the crimes are given in video form by mutated humans, called “precogs,” then interpreted and acted upon by the police. Constitutional civil liberties attorney John W. Whitehead recently published a commentary analyzing how some of today’s technology lends itself to the further creation of an authoritarian state like the one imagined in Minority Report. He writes:
“I am Voting for Barack Obama for President,” by Keysha Hogan
With the close of the Republican National Convention and the opening of the Democratic National Convention this week the attention of the electorate will soon be laser-focused on November and Election 2012. President Barack Obama (D) and GOP nominee Mitt Romney are very close depending on the day and the poll, with Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson well back. Decreasing civility, and increasing mud-slinging–especially between the Obama and Romney campaigns–are certain to mark the coming months. It is all very predictable. I have asked several friends to contribute articles for Kingdom in the Midst in support of their preferred candidate for president. Today a new friend, Keysha Hogan of Dallas, Texas, has written in support of President Barack Obama. I appreciate her thoughtful reasoning. She will attempt to interact in the comments, but holds a full-time job so her opportunities will be limited. Writers in support of Mitt Romney and Gary Johnson are already lined up, and I also hope to find someone who plans to write-in Ron Paul. Engagement in these posts is welcome but stay on topic. Personal attacks will be deleted without warning or explanation. If civility is to decrease let it decrease somewhere else.