What Fred said

Paul Krugman and Barack Obama urge more public spending on infrastructure and other throwaway projects.  While Obama is making noise as to streamlining the pork spending process…no more parking lots, trucking museums, and fishing camps, we’ll see what the results are.  George W Bush thought he could change the tone in Washington, too.  Nevertheless, it wasn’t deficit spending that got America into the Great Depression, but deficit spending by all American citizens and corporations, and at all levels of government, is a major contributor to our current problems.  If foreign investors have no confidence that America will get out of debt, eventually they will invest in their own “infrastructure”.  The Chinese just invested 500 billion to “stimulate” their economy.  They have the cash to do so, we don’t.  Fred is right, here.

On a related note, Amity Shlaes warns against constructing an edifice complex like Japan in the 90s:

What lessons should the United States take away (from Japan)? It is wrong to assume that construction will guarantee a two-fer for the economy — shining structures and redemptive growth. The private sector is often better than politicians at guessing what the market needs. And infrastructure projects demand so much political energy that there’s too little energy left over for everything else. Congress might want to remember all this as it debates infrastructure funding in the coming months. An edifice complex seems more likely to petrify a country than to move it forward.

Worth reading the whole thing.

Here is a pearl from Fred Thompson’s speech at the RNC.  With regard to Democrat’s Tax Policy and promises:

“Now our opponents tell you not to worry about their tax increases.

They tell you they are not going to tax your family.No, they’re just going to tax “businesses”! So unless you buy something from a “business”, like groceries or clothes or gasoline … or unless you get a paycheck from a big or a small “business”, don’t worry … it’s not going to affect you.”

Read his speech or see the video here.

WSMV-TV: Thompson Announcement Set For Nashville
Headquarters To Be Based At Fall School Building

Fred Thompson is set to announce that Nashville will be the home of his national campaign headquarters, WSMV is reporting.
A source close to the campaign planning tells WSMV that that Thompson planned to announce his candidacy on the steps of the historic Fall School Building Tuesday, but Thompson campaign officials deny that Tuesday’s announcement is an official run for the White House.
…
http://www.wsmv.com/politics/13555058/detail.html?rss=nash&psp=news

My trade dictates that I take a beginning-of-year hiatus…glad to be back.

Nothing groundbreaking here. I just wanted to point out that a Republican presidential candidate that many believe to be a “true conservative” was in favor of a most anti-conservative legislation, that being campaign finance reform. It’s a WashPost article, so log in will be required.

Surely you’ve all heard that Fred Thompson is “considering” running for President. Perhaps since there isn’t a true-blue (true-red?) conservative in the bunch of current Republicans on the top of the list, and since Newt is clearing his conscious of his infidelities, Thompson sees an opportunity.

I can’t say I don’t like him. Frankness and clarity of thought rank pretty high on the list of attributes I look for in a candidate for anything, and Thompson is proving he can speak intelligently about his stances. That’s what makes people like Giuliani attractive, because they can express their thoughts (on everything except abortion, of course) without slipping into that strange “Senatese” that grates on my nerves.

And hey…he’s played a president before. Why not do the real thing?

NashvillePost.com