United Liberty

Insiders don’t expect the Audit the Fed language to be part of any financial “reform” legislation that passes Congress:

Washington insiders overwhelmingly believe Congress in 2010 will pass new regulations on the financial industry.

According to a new poll by FD, a communications and strategy firm, 76 percent of Washington insiders say financial regulations will head to President Barack Obama’s desk this year.
[…]
A similar 74 percent of insiders believe Congress will not pass legislation requiring an audit of the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy. The Fed has come under heavy criticism this year for its role in propping up the economy and carrying out bailouts of major financial institutions. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke received the fewest votes in favor of his confirmation of any Fed chairman.

It’s probably for the best. Whatever financial “reform” package passes Congress is not going to help the economy or strengthen financial institutions. Even Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) voted against the bill in the House, which contained his audit language because it was a horrible bill overall.

During the race last fall in NY-23, I wrote about the anger from conservatives directed at former House Speaker Newt Gingrich over his endorsement of Dede Scozzafava.

If you’ll recall, Scozzafava was/is a statist on economic issues, supporting card-check, the “stimulus” bill and tax hikes, among other troubling positions. This led many conservatives to endorse Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman. Gingrich, however, stood his ground, continuing to back the same candidate as Markos Moulitsas of the Daily Kos.

Gingrich has showed time and time again that he is no friend of liberty. He backed the Wall Street bailout and Medicare expansion in 2003. He also enabled the big spending way of George W. Bush.

Now Gingrich tells us that he learned a lesson from NY-23:

“She turned out to be a huge disappointment, and she turned out not to be frankly a loyal Republican,” Gingrich told an interviewer in New Hampshire this weekend.

The former speaker added that conservatives who criticized his endorsement at the time “had the better of that argument.”

Gingrich said he didn’t realize how “radical” Scozzafava was when he endorsed her. Conservatives lambasted her for supporting gay marriage and card check, among other liberal positions.

Planning to overthrow the government in South Carolina? You’ll have to pay a $5 registration fee to the South Carolina Secretary of State or face a fine and jail time:

Terrorists who want to overthrow the United States government must now register with South Carolina’s Secretary of State and declare their intentions — or face a $25,000 fine and up to 10 years in prison.

The state’s “Subversive Activities Registration Act,” passed last year and now officially on the books, states that “every member of a subversive organization, or an organization subject to foreign control, every foreign agent and every person who advocates, teaches, advises or practices the duty, necessity or propriety of controlling, conducting, seizing or overthrowing the government of the United States … shall register with the Secretary of State.”

There’s even a $5 filing fee.

By “subversive organization,” the law means “every corporation, society, association, camp, group, bund, political party, assembly, body or organization, composed of two or more persons, which directly or indirectly advocates, advises, teaches or practices the duty, necessity or propriety of controlling, conducting, seizing or overthrowing the government of the United States [or] of this State.”

Seriously? Add this to the “dumb law” file.

Super Bowl XLIV between the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints kicks off at 6:30pm.

This should be a good game between two great passing games. Expect a lot of scoring. Neither team has an amazing defense, but each has qualities (the Colts have a great defensive line, but the Saints have a good secondary and solid linebackers).

The Colts are the favorite, but…Geaux Saints!

You may have seen the video from Carly Fiorina’s campaign attacking the fiscal record of Tom Campbell, both are seeking the Republican nomination for United States Senate in California. Chuck DeVore is also running as well, and is viewed as the most fiscally conservative candidate in the race.

In the video, Fiorina accuses Campbell of being a wolf in sheep’s clothing, hitting him on support of tax increases, billion dollar budget deficits and failing to sign the Taxpayer Protection Pledge. At the end of the video, you seen the “demonsheep” wondering in the field. It has since become a hit on Twitter, with some of the Red State guys creating an account for the demonsheep.

Here is the “Fiscal Conservative in Name Only” (or FCINO) ad. Have a laugh:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is still in trouble in his home state, though he has made some gains against his potential Republican opponents, according to a new Rasmussen poll:

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely voters in the state finds Reid earning 39% to 41% of the vote against any of four GOP challengers. Still, that’s an improvement from last month when he picked up just 36% against his top two opponents. But Reid had 43% support against those two Republicans in December.

His Republican opponents, meanwhile, are not doing as well this month, down slightly from the 50% high they’ve hit in the previous surveys. This continues to suggest that the race is still about Reid and not about them.
[…]
Businessman Danny Tarkanian now leads Reid 47% to 39%. Sue Lowden, ex-chairman of the Nevada Republican Party, holds a 45% to 39% lead on the Senate majority leader, while former Assemblywoman Sharron Angle earns 44% of the vote to Reid’s 40%.

Last week, Carpe Diem wrote last week about consumers paying $2.5 billion in tariffs on imported sugar, which is part of the cost of protectionist policies.

CNBC recently had a free trader and someone from a special interest group to discuss the issue. Take notice how the guy representing farm interest immediately ties getting rid of these tariffs to importing oil and getting rid of the US sugar industry. He just doesn’t believe in competition:

H/T: Club for Growth

From the Heritage Foundation, here is a look at projected budget deficits over the next ten years. Interestingly, the Obama Administration over shoots projects from the baseline set by the Congressional Budget Office, which almost always a generous estimate.

According to Gallup survey, 36 percent of Americans have a favorable view of socialism. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that 53 percent of Democrats and 61 percent of so-called “liberals” have a positive view of this economic system that emphasizes collectivism over the individual.

The survey also shows:

• 95% of Americans have a positive view of small business
• 86% have a positive view of free enterprise
• 84% hold a positive view of entrepreneurs
• 61% have a positive view of capitalism, 33% hold an unfavorable view
• 49% hold a negative view of big business
• 51% have a unfavorable view of the federal government, 46% have a favorable view

If voters would actually identify what Democrats were doing as socialism, they wouldn’t have control of Congress at the end of the year. I wonder if we’ll start hearing “socialism” and “socialist” more often during campaign season.