Atlas Monday Rant Vlog

Dispatch from Iraq: "All this time I thought we were winning," said a sergeant first class sarcastically. "Seems folks back home have already run up the white flag."

More on the FOX hunt here

BTW, all my vlogs are on the Atlas VLOGS! page here.
 

The New York Times Continues To Ignore America's Economic Progress

The New York Times Says "Fixed Costs, Like Housing, Health Care And Gasoline" Are "Rapidly Outpacing" Paychecks And Benefits.   (Editorial, "Barely Staying Afloat," The New York Times, 5/10/06)

But Average Hourly Earnings Have Risen 3.8 Percent Over The Past 12 Months, Their Largest Increase In Nearly Five Years.  Hourly compensation rose at a 5.7 percent rate in the first quarter.  Personal income rose 0.5 percent in March. 

Real After-Tax Income Has Risen By 13.8 Percent Since January 2001. Real after-tax income has risen by $2,398 (8.2 percent) per person since January 2001.

Securities Prices Show The Market Believes That Inflation Is Expected To Remain In Check.

More Than 5.2 Million Jobs Have Been Created Since August 2003, And 138,000 Jobs Were Created In April.  The unemployment rate is 4.7 percent.

Yesterday, The Dow Jones Industrial Closed Within 83 Points Of An All-Time Record High.  The Dow is up 8.6 percent this year and closed yesterday at a six-year high.

GDP Grew At A Strong 4.8 Percent Annual Rate In The First Quarter.  This follows our economic growth of 3.5 percent in 2005 – the fastest rate of any major industrialized nation.

At $52 Trillion, Household Total Net Worth (Assets Minus Liabilities) Is At An All-Time High And Has Increased 8 Percent Over The Past Year And 33 Percent Over The Past Three Years.  The growth is due to both real estate and other financial investments (i.e. it's not just a result of rising housing prices).  Household financial net worth (which excludes housing and other tangible assets) is also at an all-time high.

The Conference Board Index Of Consumer Confidence Increased In April To Its Highest Level In Almost Four Years.

Productivity Increased At A Strong Annual Rate Of 3.2 %  in the First Quarter.

Real Consumer Spending (Which Adjusts For The Price Of Gasoline) Grew At A  5.5% Annual Rate In The First Quarter And 3.4 Percent Over The Past Four Quarters.

The President's Tax Relief Has Helped Spur America's Economic Momentum

The President Worked With Congress To Reduce Income Taxes For Every American Who Pays Income Taxes.  The Administration and Congress doubled the child tax credit, reduced the marriage penalty, cut taxes on capital gains and dividends, created incentives for small businesses to purchase new equipment and hire new workers, and put the death tax on the path to extinction.  Altogether, this tax relief left $880 billion in the hands of American workers and businesses.

The Wall Street Journal: President Bush's Tax Relief Is Responsible For Economic Growth.  "Critics continue to complain that President Bush's tax policies have only benefited the super-wealthy, but that would come as news to the five million Americans who were jobless before the 2003 tax cuts, and thus had no income, but now have a weekly paycheck." (Editorial, "Help [Very Much] Wanted," The Wall Street Journal, 4/10/06)

Yesterday, Congressional Leaders Agreed To A Tax Relief Extension Package That Will Help Millions Of Middle Class Families.  "Republican congressional leaders agreed Tuesday on a $70 billion measure to extend tax breaks for investors and prevent 15 million middle-income families from being hit by the alternative minimum tax, which was intended to affect only the wealthy."  (Jim Drinkard, "$70B Measure Would Extend Tax Breaks," USA Today, 5/10/06)

UPDATE: From Taranto today in WSJ;

[...] The breezy transition from a terrorist atrocity in Iraq to the president's approval rating is awfully crass, but it's also revealing. For many in the media and the Democratic Party, the Iraq war is merely a proxy for domestic politics. That is, "antiwar" passions are largely the result of anti-Republican, or anti-Bush, passions. Anger over Iraq today is barely distinguishable from anger over impeachment seven years ago or over Florida five years ago.

Comments

[Dark_Moon]

Nice Job Pam......

[js]

Awesome Vrant!

[turn]

Legions agin ya? I wanna be in the legion for ya! Could it be the Atlegion? Mebbe Pamalegion or just Plegion...

Seriously, by their twisted suicidal logic the Left's agenda (ol' fashioned socialism)is crystal clear--defeat the right by any means. Lies, spion, impoverishment to promote dependancy. The greatest tool of the day is the overwhelming repetition of the lies and attacks from every quarter.

Do you know the origin of the phrase 'politically correct'?
It was in Ch. Mao's Cultural Revolution. This is apocryphal but dead-on.

As Ming Wei was finishing her political officer class for ten year-olds on the acts and personage of the great Chairman, she claimed, "My comrades, Grandfather Mao is so wondrous his defecatory emanations smell like sweet posies."

After class, little Sal Li approached Ming Wei and said, "Surely, even Chairman Maos turds stink mightily, don't they"?

To which the political officer sighed and replied, "But it is politically correct to say otherwise. Oh, and Sal Li, please go stand in front of that section of the wall with all the little holes in it."

The left is so shortsighted in their quest to return to power and continue their incremental moves toward a workers' paradise that they utterly fail to see the scimitar poised above their heads.

[Golem]

Awesome Vlog! So much to comment on, but, let me say hey, you "too Jewish?" Not by a long shot. Or, as the Army would say: "Be all that you can be." And more. Atlas, you got wit.

[C Max]

They were expecting maybe Mary Tyler Moore?

[Ed Minchau]

Good vlog Pamela; I'm really glad you took your readers' advice and started doing this. The only quibble I have is that whoever is operating the camera for you keeps fooling around with the focus, which is distracting (if it is an autofocus camera, then there's something wrong with the autofocus; hope it's under warranty).

[punkinhead]

Too Jewish???

heh

Well, my thought upon hearing this comment was, "I wish all the lefty jews would become 'too jewish' and quit voting democrat."

I think the left would like to homogenize the world's citizenry. Ahh the joys of socialism.

dcc

[prairiemain]

What is with this "too Jewish" thing? I'm from North Carolina and you sound fine to me. My ears hear only truth and wisdom coming from you.

You are an astute observer of social and political issues and I am glad I stumbled on your offerings.

[isirota1965]

Too Jewish? Zeigazint........

[epaminondas]

Pam, when you have Jackie Mason sitting there with you maybe we can think about too jewish ..until then if there is such a complaint tell them to kishmeirintuchus ..arein

later

[Richard Davis]

'Anger over Iraq today is barely distinguishable from anger over impeachment seven years ago or over Florida five years ago"

-- Truer words were never spoken.

[Richard Davis]

Another Grrrrreeaat Vlog! (btw, you're not too Blueish, neva change)

My fav part of the Vlog? When you said, "Separate the Country" - I'm all for that.

Let's divide, the secular, pro-abortion, gay-marraige, anti-military, environmental wacko, illegal alien, (could go on) liberals on one side

and the God-fearing, pro-military, proud to be Americans on the other side

and we'll see which country produces more.

Wouldn't that be great?? Ahhh Utopia.

[Santorum2008]

Keep them coming!!

[MarcH]

Re: "too Jewish".

Someone dissed your accent in a comment on Hotair about your accent. My comment in reply was: "Nu, vat accent(?)".

[joshua payne]

oh my gosh! who are you? (emphtically) i love you! please love
me back!
jp