While it may be a bit premature, there is a general acknowledgment amongst political pundits that the November elections this year are going demonstrate a powerful and perhaps never seen political shift in American politics. The Tea Party movement is the major reason this is happening, leading to the curious question mused by Chip Hanlon at Red County today http://www.redcounty.com/tea-partiers-beware-perpetual-jihad/36843?taxonomy=26 entitled “Tea Partiers: Beware Perpetual Jihad” asking “what are you going to do when elected officials start doing what you ask of them?

Well the answer is simple, continually hold their feet to the fire!

While digesting the results of the election in which Oregon voters believed the deceptively simple messaging of the union led “Yes” campaign (not to mention the ineffective “No” messages), I realized that Oregon’s economy is going to have to get much worse before the voters wake up.

Deschutes County’s election results make that point clearly.

Here’s why: Deschutes County’s economy is really hurting with an official unemployment rate of 14% and Bend’s economy (the big dog in the county) may not have hit bottom yet as the Oregonian article today http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/01/bend_wondering_when_it_will_hi.html describes. Voters there defeated the tax increase measures by 17% and 19%, which means a lot of Democrats voted against them, as R’s only have an 8% voter registration advantage (2,700) in the county. Democrats have been steadily gaining ground and has been voting more liberally as more Californians have moved into the area.

You know it is bad when the uber liberal Oregonian newspaper editorial board rejects tax increases, even if it is for the wrong reasons. At least they recognize what the socialists don’t, namely that there is a destructive element to permanently raising taxes to during Oregon’s worst recession.

Yet one of the biggest lefty bloggers in Oregon, Steve Novick, is mystified and tied in knots over this stunning revelation  by the state’s biggest and most liberal newspaper. He then goes on a nonsensical rant that only reaffirms that extreme left is out of touch with ordinary Oregonians. In fact, he insults them! http://www.blueoregon.com/2010/01/the-oregonian-editorial-board-and-measures-66-and-67-why-im-reminded-of-friends-who-cling-to-abusive.html

The powerful, limited government revolution sweeping America in the form of the tea parties has been pooh poohed, dissed, ridiculed by the left and the establishment political class ever since the April 15^th events of this year. But no longer.

Why you ask? It is simple really. The true deniers of the left and the Republican establishment have gotten a huge wake up call as the Florida US Senate race evolves. Little known conservative Marco Rubio, associated with the Tea Party movement, has come from no where to take the lead against the establishment favorite, Governor Charlie Crist.

I call this stunning development “the Tea Party Effect”

It is always instructive to listen to the tortured reasoning of the socialist crowd, which is always trying to reconcile their failed ideas with capitalism. Their arguments miss the basic reason why socialism always fails.

It runs contrary to human nature.

As the income tax increase battle heats up in preparation for the January 26, 2010 vote, the apologists for tax class warfare make convoluted arguments meant to reassure the voting public that there will be no pain associated with voting in favor of higher business taxes. Chuck Sheketoff of the uber liberal Oregon Center of Public Policy (mostly union funded) makes just such arguments from an economic standpoint, even though he isn’t an economist. He seems to say that it is ok to raise taxes because it really isn’t that much and the rich folks can pay more without any negative consequences.

Boy is he ever out of touch with reality.

Doing the right thing for the wrong reasons.

Today’s elections will have a positive effect for freedom, yet it will be for the wrong reasons. You see the repudiation of socialism we will witness may force left leaning politicians of both parties to stop this insane rush to implement socialist ideas, however not because they have rediscovered the meaning of the limits within the Constitution, but only because they will worried about the next election.

IRS enforced health insurance mandate is the new debtor’s prison.

I love the progressive social movement. They are so full of contradictions and hypocrisy that it would be laughable if it wasn’t so sad, or so dangerous to our liberty. After all, the irony of the progressives purporting to care more about the poor, but actually instituting policies which hurt them is stunning.

If you aggregate all of the concepts that the President and the Democrat controlled Congress are trying to implement (not to mention here in Oregon), it amounts to a huge increase in the cost of living, which disproportionately hurts poor people. Higher fossil fuel prices because Congress locks up America’s oil, higher overall energy prices from cap and tax schemes, higher cigarette taxes, alcohol taxes and on and on. Obviously, these higher prices ripple through the economy creating inflation that affects every aspect of life making it harder for the average person to live the American dream, but especially poor people.

Wow! I was wrong folks!

In a stunning surprise announcement the Governor said that he would sign the massive, job killing tax increase bills earlier than we thought, giving us more time to gather signatures to repeal them. I really thought he would take the entire time he possibly could in an effort to thwart our efforts, but I was wrong.

I think.