Saturday, July 23, 2011

Viewing US Flag Produces Republican Bias



Recent studies by four major universities have shown that simply viewing an American Flag tends to produce Republican Party bias.  It is important to note that it does NOT produce Democratic Party bias, only Republican Party bias.  Read more about the specific findings below as reported in the US News and World Report:


"A single exposure to an American flag resulted in a significant increase in participants' Republican voting intentions, voting behavior, political beliefs, and implicit and explicit attitudes, with some effects lasting 8 months," the study found. "These results constitute the first evidence that nonconscious priming effects from exposure to a national flag can bias the citizenry toward one political party and can have considerable durability."


"In contrast to the beliefs of the participants in the pilot study, the results from the experiments reported here show that exposure to the American flag introduces a bias toward the Republican Party over the Democratic Party. In one experiment, we tested whether subtle exposure to the American flag shifted people's beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors toward the Republican end of the political continuum. We found that a single exposure to a small American flag during deliberation about voting intentions prior to a general election led to significant and robust changes in participants' voting intentions, voting behavior, and political attitudes, all in the politically conservative direction."


"It is important to note that political ideology and party affiliation did not moderate these effects. That is, both liberal and conservative participants were influenced by the flag prime, and in the same (conservative) direction," said the study.



To prove the shocking results, the scholars in the spring of 2010 conducted another test, this time to see if exposure to an American flag produces a bias toward Republicanism, rather than the party that controls the White House. For this, they showed some pictures of buildings that included a flag, and others photos with the flag digitally erased.
That result: "Subtle exposure to the American flag significantly shifted both Democratic and Republican participants' beliefs, attitudes, and voting behavior toward Republicanism."



The three key findings of those attending July 4th celebrations:
  • When done before the age of 18, it increases the likelihood of a youth identifying as a Republican by at least 2 percent.
  • It raises the likelihood that parade watchers will vote for a Republican candidate by 4 percent.
  • It boosts the likelihood a reveler will vote by about 1 percent and increases the chances they'll make a political contribution by 3 percent.
What's more, the impact isn't fleeting. "Surprisingly, the estimates show that the impact on political preferences is permanent, with no evidence of the effects depreciating as individuals become older,"said the Harvard report.
Finally, the report suggests that if people are looking for a super-patriotic July 4th, though should head to Republican towns. "Republican adults celebrate Fourth of July more intensively in the first place."




Now how will the findings of these studies impact our way of life in the United States?  I may be a little paranoid, but I can easily see the following changes in the not to far distant future:


- American Flags will be banned within viewing distance of voting places.
- Visual images of the American Flag will not be allowed on government documents.
- Saying the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag will be forbidden by law in the United States.


and the worst of all....


- It will be unlawful to display the American Flag in the US Capital Building when the House or Senate is in session and especially when voting.  It will also be unlawful to display the American Flag in the Supreme Court.


I suspect there will be no change with respect to what Democrats think of the American Flag, especially Mr. Obama, who has shown disdain for America and its flag even before he was elected President.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Don't Punish The Rich!

      


The Obama Administration as well as liberals everywhere continue to blame the rich for our economic problems.  


"They fly corporate jets."  


"They make too much money."


"They need to pay more in taxes."


In light of the fact that 39% of all taxes are paid by the top 1% earners....


and...


In light of the fact that 86% of all taxes are paid by the top 25% earners...


and...


In light of the fact that 97% of all taxes are paid by the top 50% earners...


It is clear that the wealthy are already carrying the heaviest tax burden in America.


What most people fail to realize is that the wealthy are the employers.  They are the ones who pay America's salaries and create America's jobs. 


If we destroy the wealthy by taxing them so much that they lose their ability to make a profit  we will destroy their incentive to form companies that create jobs and pay salaries.


When I was little I remember a story about the goose that laid the golden egg.  If we kill the goose, we will have only ourselves to blame for our mess.



Friday, July 15, 2011

Reduce Spending Like Everyone Else in America










  The Obama Administration needs to take a lesson from the rest of the regular folks in America when it tries to solve its financial problems.

When a regular family in America finds itself in a situation where it is spending more than it makes, it has the same options as the federal government.

1- It can borrow money

2- It can reduce spending

3- It can obtain more money (i.e. Get a better job with a higher salary)

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that borrowing money is not a long term solution.  Many families have tried and eventually they go bankrupt.

Reducing spending can be painful, especially if you are used to a standard of living and you have to cut back on things that are used to having.  Just take a look at what is going on in Greece and you will see how painful it can be.

Then there is the third solution; get more money.  However, unlike a regular family who can't always get a higher paying job, the government simply raises our taxes to pay for what it wants.  This is what Obama wants to do and he told us today that 80% of us agree that he should raise our taxes.

I DON'T REMEMBER TELLING ANYONE THAT I WANT TO PAY HIGHER TAXES!

Where did Obama get this silly statistic that 80% of Americans want to pay higher taxes?#!&*%@

As painful as it will be, we need to reduce our expenses.  We need to shrink the size of government, and reduce our demand for government services.  This will be painful and people will complain.

Medicare benefits may be reduced.
Social Security increases may be lower.
Kids may have to bring lunches from home instead of having the government pay for them.
Government pensions may not be as high.
The Obama family may have to cut back on international vacations.
Government officials may have to fly coach instead of flying in their own military jets.
We may have to cut back on silly government funding research projects.
Maybe women will have to pay for their own abortions.
Maybe prisoners won't get viagra or get to have their own large screen TVs.

Yes it will be painful, BUT if we are going to save America from the same fate as Greece and other European countries who are on the brink of going bankrupt, we must reduce spending.

There is really no other way to solve the problem!!!