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Prepare for the Worst
American Spectator ^ | 10/8/08 | Peter Ferrara

Posted on 10/08/2008 8:43:04 AM PDT by truthandlife

Just two weeks ago, a book on economic policy was released that will be a classic for the ages. Entitled The End of Prosperity, by Art Laffer, Steve Moore, and Peter J. Tanous, the book explains in full detail the economic disaster that will befall America if it takes a sharp left turn to neo-socialism under the leadership of the far left President Barack Obama, the ultraleft Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid with 60 liberal Democrat Senators, and their pal the ultraliberal Howard Dean heading the Democrat party.

Indeed, one of the insights of the book is that a major factor already tanking the stock market and leading foreign capital to flee America is the threat of the economic policies promised by Obama. Obama proposes increases in every major federal tax, on savers, investors, employers, small business, big business, and anyone who would start a business. Obama also promises to add additional federal spending of almost $1.5 trillion over the next four years, including a new global war on poverty in which Obama would tax Americans and send the money to the UN to spend worldwide (already introduced by Obama in legislation). That would be on top of all the spending increases already scheduled for our exploding entitlements and other programs. Obama also promises a massive increase in regulatory controls, even though government regulation is already estimated to cost America over $1 trillion per year, about $8,000 in lost output for every U.S. household. Then there is Obama's attack on free trade and promises of protectionist trade policies that contributed so much to the Great Depression.

(Excerpt) Read more at spectator.org ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Editorial; Front Page News
KEYWORDS: 2008; artlaffer; bailout; democratcongress; democrats; economy; electionpresident; elections; financialcrisis; laffer; nobama08; obama; pelosi; reid; socialism; taxes
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Great article!
1 posted on 10/08/2008 8:43:04 AM PDT by truthandlife
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To: truthandlife
"Entitled The End of Prosperity, by Art Laffer, Steve Moore, and Peter J. Tanous, the book explains in full detail the economic disaster that will befall America if it takes a sharp left turn to neo-socialism under the leadership of the far left President Barack Obama, the ultraleft Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid with 60 liberal Democrat Senators, and their pal the ultraliberal Howard Dean heading the Democrat party."

OMG, what a NIGHTMARE!!!!

2 posted on 10/08/2008 8:44:42 AM PDT by Jersey Republican Biker Chick (Some days it is not worth chewing through the restraints.)
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Prepare for the Worst

I am.

3 posted on 10/08/2008 8:44:56 AM PDT by CE2949BB (McCain/Palin 08)
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To: truthandlife

It’s a nice change from “It’s Clinton’s fault...”.


4 posted on 10/08/2008 8:45:21 AM PDT by Wolfie
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To: CE2949BB

God is in control.

Remember that. We will ride through the dark days.


5 posted on 10/08/2008 8:46:08 AM PDT by se_ohio_young_conservative (GO Sarah Palin !)
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To: truthandlife

Obama, the ultraleft Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid with 60 liberal Democrat Senators,
That says it all.


6 posted on 10/08/2008 8:47:04 AM PDT by Vaduz (and just think how clean the cities would become again.)
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To: CE2949BB

Prepare for the Worst

Note to self - BMA


7 posted on 10/08/2008 8:48:17 AM PDT by GreyWolf (My $.02)
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To: truthandlife

This could be as bad as the Crash of 1987 </sarc>


8 posted on 10/08/2008 8:48:23 AM PDT by HammerOfTheDogs
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To: Vaduz

On the bright side, after two years of the Uberleft running the country, the Repubs will retake both houses of Congress in 2010. Unfortunately, by then Obama will have packed the courts with Marxist hatemongers and largely destroyed the financial markets.


9 posted on 10/08/2008 8:49:14 AM PDT by pabianice
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To: Jersey Republican Biker Chick

MOST INTERESTING PART OF THE ARTICLE:

The End of Prosperity

Laffer et al. explain why they think the end is now near:

[W]e are now witnessing nearly all of the economic policy dials that were once turned toward growth being twisted back towards recession. [O]ur politicians in both parties, but especially the liberal Democrats, are getting everything wrong — tax policy, regulatory policy, monetary policy, spending policy, trade policy. We call this the assault on growth. The political class seems to be almost intentionally steering the United States economy into the abyss — and, to borrow a phrase from P.J. O’Rourke, the American electorate, alas, seems ready and willing to hand them the keys and the bottle of whiskey to do it.

Obama promises across the board tax increases, America’s corporate tax rates are already the second highest in the industrialized world, prices are already rising and the dollar is declining, America is turning its back on free trade, the federal budget is already spiraling out of control and entitlements threaten far worse, regulations already strangle energy production, producing high energy costs for the economy, cap and trade global warming regulations threaten to shut the economy down, unions calling for legal powers to force unionization, the left campaigns for costly but low quality socialized medicine, these are all indicators of a fatal economic heart attack for America. Laffer et al. explain what is behind the current financial crisis:

This list of economic body blows explains why, for the first time in years, hot capital is escaping over the borders out of the United States and flowing into China, India, Europe, and even Japan....[S]tarting in late 2007, foreigners started pulling their money out of the United States, and Americans started investing more abroad. Global investors are losing confidence in the U.S. The result is a falling stock market and a collapse of the dollar.

The threatened left-wing economic policies are all the more dangerous now because the rest of the world has shifted so sharply towards much lower tax rates and free markets, threatening to leave America in the dust as an uncompetitive wasteland mired in nostalgia for socialism. Since Reagan, income tax rates across the industrialized world have been cut by more than one-third, and corporate tax rates have been reduced by one-half. The flat tax has been adopted in 24 countries. Putin adopted a 13% rate for Russia that raises more revenue than the former system with a 50% top rate. From 1978 to 1998, China reduced its tax burden by two-thirds. A recent study found that “supply-side” countries that have cut their tax rates almost in half since the 1990s have grown three times as fast as countries that have raised taxes since that time.

It is, frankly, obvious that lower tax rates increase incentives for economic growth and productive activity, and that higher tax rates reverse such incentives. Nor is it hard to understand that increasing regulatory costs will slow the economy while reducing such costs will expand it. Obviously, ample supplies of low cost energy will help the economy, shortages of high cost energy will kill it. High government spending is clearly not good for the economy, lower government spending is. We know how to create an economic boom, and we know what policies will lead to economic disaster. The Left denies these obvious truths only because it craves more government power. If America does not wake up to what is happening, there will be much suffering through a long dark night.


10 posted on 10/08/2008 8:49:50 AM PDT by truthandlife ("Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God." (Ps 20:7))
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To: truthandlife

Good point. THe RNC ought to be running ads suggesting the scenario of an unchecked Dingy Harry, Nancy 9 percent, and Obama.


11 posted on 10/08/2008 8:51:14 AM PDT by Obadiah
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To: Jersey Republican Biker Chick
"Entitled The End of Prosperity, by Art Laffer, Steve Moore, and Peter J. Tanous, the book explains in full detail the economic disaster that will befall America if it takes a sharp left turn to neo-socialism under the leadership of the far left President Barack Obama, the ultraleft Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid with 60 liberal Democrat Senators, and their pal the ultraliberal Howard Dean heading the Democrat party."

OMG, what a NIGHTMARE!!!!

Not for William Ayers, Osama bin Laden, Michael Moore, Castro, Hugo Chavez and the rest of America's enemies...........

12 posted on 10/08/2008 8:52:02 AM PDT by cowboyway ("The beauty of the Second Amendment is you won't need it until they try to take it away"--Jefferson)
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To: All

Does anyone have the Saturday Night Live Bailout Skit?? If so, put it up here. It was pulled this morning because it really slams the Democrats hard, showing who did what and to whom!! Limbaugh had the YTube clip and it was all taken down and out by NBC about an hour ago. A little levity goes a long way in these dark time with the market and the debate last night.


13 posted on 10/08/2008 8:52:03 AM PDT by cousair
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To: se_ohio_young_conservative

Thank you. I need to be reminded/refocused daily anymore!


14 posted on 10/08/2008 8:52:13 AM PDT by aussiemom
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To: truthandlife
This list of economic body blows explains why, for the first time in years, hot capital is escaping over the borders out of the United States and flowing into China, India, Europe, and even Japan....[S]tarting in late 2007, foreigners started pulling their money out of the United States, and Americans started investing more abroad. Global investors are losing confidence in the U.S. The result is a falling stock market and a collapse of the dollar.

China is a more capitalistic country than the USA...

15 posted on 10/08/2008 8:52:30 AM PDT by 2banana (My common ground with terrorists - they want to die for islam and we want to kill them)
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To: All

Does anyone have the Saturday Night Live Bailout Skit?? If so, put it up here. It was pulled this morning because it really slams the Democrats hard, showing who did what and to whom!! Limbaugh had the YTube clip and it was all taken down and out by NBC about an hour ago. A little levity goes a long way in these dark time with the market and the debate last night.


16 posted on 10/08/2008 8:52:56 AM PDT by cousair
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To: truthandlife

......Obama also promises to add additional federal spending of almost $1.5 trillion.....

More incomprehensible numbers.

Last night Obama repeatedly spewed numbers. Every number produced a groan from my wife. The numbers are a meaningless jumble of mind numbing proportions. She is my sounding board for reality. Is she is sick of numbers, so are many many more.

Rush knows and wisely advises that numbers over the radio don’t come across. So it was with Obama in the debate. It ends up being Gargantuan garbled garbage.


17 posted on 10/08/2008 8:55:13 AM PDT by bert (K.E. N.P. +12 . Off With her head.....)
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To: Jersey Republican Biker Chick
Neo-socialism. Now that's an interesting word and an accurate description. We should start throwing that word around like the libs do with "neo-con".
18 posted on 10/08/2008 8:55:26 AM PDT by jersey117
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To: se_ohio_young_conservative

God is in control.

We know how it all ends.


19 posted on 10/08/2008 8:55:32 AM PDT by FES0844 (FES0844)
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To: truthandlife

20 posted on 10/08/2008 8:57:45 AM PDT by kingattax (99 % of liberals give the rest a bad name)
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