Ricochet Podcast #42: One Shibboleth Down
It's the morning after and along with guests Jonah Goldberg and the WSJ's Bill McGurn, we tackle what it all means, what the future may hold, Paul Ryan's plan, Barney Frank's victory speech, the repudiation of Time Magazine, and of course, a gratuitous Star Trek reference.
Don your amor, here come the bullets:
- According to Wikipedia, Republicans picked up 32 seats in the 1928 election which translated to a 62% majority. In 1974, the GOP lost 48 seats, the largest single loss in U.S. history -- until now.
- Festivus is a holiday featured in "The Strike" episode of Seinfeld. The episode first aired on December 18, 1997. Since then many people have been inspired by the goodness of the Seinfeld holiday and they now celebrate Festivus as any other holiday.
- Congressman Paul Ryan's "Roadmap for America's Future" has it's own very slick website.
- Jonah mentioned William Voegeli's book Never Enough. Luckily, it was an Encounter Books Pick of The Week about a month ago. Buy it here.
- Ricochet contributor Haley Barbour gave press conference Wednesday alongside House Speaker-in-waiting John Boehner and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell as part of the midterm elections triumvirate victory team. Regrettably, he didn't mention us. Nonetheless, speculation about a possible Barbour presidential run has already begun.
- A profile of William F. Buckley from the The Miami News dated April 18th, 1967 in which he discusses his own rule, saying "I'd be the for the most right, viable candidate to win."
- Department store heir and DFL (Democratic-Farmer-Labor party) candidate Mark Dayton did indeed sell a painting by Renior (as well as another by Toulouse-Lautrec), that he inherited from his mother to help finance his campaign for governor of Minnesota. He claims he sold them for less than they were worth.
- Barney Frank's victory speech. Oy vey.
- One of CNN's ridiculous TweetGraphs. 140 characters aren't enough to describe how #silly they are.
- Back in September, Karl Rove expressed doubts about Christine O'Donnell's ability to win in Delaware. Ricochet contributor Mike Murphy expressed a similar sentiment. Both Rove and Murphy were roundly excoriated by Tea Party loyalists at the time. Turns out, Rove and Murphy were right.
- Almost exactly two years ago, Peter Beinart wrote in Time about the new liberal order and "why shifting attitudes about government could make Democrats the ruling party for a generation." Good call.
- Rob Long's giant brain enables him to host the podcast and read Dana Milbank's column in The Washington Post simultaneously.
- The Star Trek reference was entirely expected, but that doesn't mean we're able to provide a link. A little help, James?
- All of Jonah's recent posts on The Corner are here. We also recommend his Twitter feed.
- Jonah isn't the only one who would like Barack Obama to be more like Silent Cal.
- Are you a member of the Ricochet silent minority? Don't be shy, say hello!
Music in this week's episode:
- Let Yourself Go by James Brown
- Back In Black by AC/DC
The direct link to this week's episode is here (great for mobile devices!), but we'd really love it if you'd subscribe. Not an iTunes user? Please visit our Feedburner page for a number of other subscription options.
The Ricochet Podcast is sponsored by Encounter Books and their Broadside Series. This week's featured title is Obama Health Law: What It Says and How To Overturn It by Betsy McCaughey. Available for $5.99 at EncounterBooks.com.
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May '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #42: One Shibboleth Down
What, already? I'm exhausted, tired, emotional and dehydrated. Are we making up for having two in one week by creeping backwards?
That said, sweet line-up. Can totally see that working well.
And when do we get Peter's Oklahoma number?
Edited on Nov 3, 2010 at 9:47pmJul '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #42: One Shibboleth Down
Alright, it's off-topic, but here's a taste of the new leadership we elected yesterday:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP2p91dvm6M&feature=player_embedded#!
God Bless a country that makes such men as this.
May '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #42: One Shibboleth Down
The Social Security/Medicare discussion was a cop out, fellas. No, we won't let people die in the streets, but people like me won't have any Social Security or Medicare at this rate. It's not "bribing the middle class." It's middle-class welfare. We have entitlements in place to help the very poor: welfare, Medicaid, etc. According to Wikipedia, Social Security, Medicare and Medicare made up 39% of federal spending for FY 2009. SS alone was 20%. You are going to just blow that off and at the same time call for reductions in gov't spending? Sure people pay into it, expecting to get something. So what. I pay hefty taxes for public schools, but they're terrible. If folks see SS as a pension, they're uninformed. Without immediate, deep cuts to benefits with SS and Medicare, particularly to those who will eligible for them soon (The Boomers), we will continue to drive off a fiscal cliff. We cannot sustain this level of spending. Those Boomer Tea Partiers better be willing to walk the walk. Otherwise, they are full of it and no better than the dopey stoners at the Stewart rally.
Jul '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #42: One Shibboleth Down
It's really disturbing to hear someone on Ricochet advocate generational warfare in such an angry voice.
Boomers had 13% or more of their earnings confiscated by the Federal government throughout their working lives, with the expectation of some return down the line - and now you excoriate us as though we are some sort of welfare mooches?
I'm sorry you came late to the greatest Ponzi scheme in history, but your contempt for your fellow citizens is unseemly.
Edited on Nov 3, 2010 at 11:22pmJul '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #42: One Shibboleth Down
Kenneth
It's really disturbing to hear someone on Ricochet advocate generational warfare in such an angry voice.
Boomers had 13% or more of their earnings confiscated by the Federal government throughout their working lives, with the expectation of some return down the line - and now you excoriate us as though we are some sort of welfare mooches?
I'm sorry you came late to the greatest Ponzi scheme in history, but your contempt for your fellow citizens is unseemly. · Nov 3 at 11:20pm
I'm sorry that childless 50 somethings expect my kids to give up 90% of their earnings for 75 years to pay for ludicrous, pie-in-the-sky benefits for people too silly read the writing on the wall.
I guess we're both sorry. I guess we're both disturbed. Grow up. Man up. This ain't France, we can raise the retirement age without riots, right?
May '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #42: One Shibboleth Down
Kenneth
It's really disturbing to hear someone on Ricochet advocate generational warfare in such an angry voice.
Boomers had 13% or more of their earnings confiscated by the Federal government throughout their working lives, with the expectation of some return down the line - and now you excoriate us as though we are some sort of welfare mooches?
I'm sorry you came late to the greatest Ponzi scheme in history, but your contempt for your fellow citizens is unseemly. · Nov 3 at 11:20pm
Edited on Nov 03 at 11:22 pm
So you'd rather have the younger generation be taxed more than 13% with no expectation of return? I'm supposed to just lie down and let an entire generation steamroll everyone else? If anyone is advocating for and practicing generational warfare, it's the Boomers - and they've been doing it for quite a while. I'm only acting in self-defense. How can anyone, regardless of age, gloss over 20% of federal spending on Social Security? I don't see my "voice" as angry, but merely practical.
Jul '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #42: One Shibboleth Down
Palaeologus
Kenneth
It's really disturbing to hear someone on Ricochet advocate generational warfare in such an angry voice.
Boomers had 13% or more of their earnings confiscated by the Federal government throughout their working lives, with the expectation of some return down the line - and now you excoriate us as though we are some sort of welfare mooches?
I'm sorry you came late to the greatest Ponzi scheme in history, but your contempt for your fellow citizens is unseemly. · Nov 3 at 11:20pm
I'm sorry that childless 50 somethings expect my kids to give up 90% of their earnings for 75 years to pay for ludicrous, pie-in-the-sky benefits for people too silly read the writing on the wall.
I guess we're both sorry. I guess we're both disturbed. Grow up. Man up. This ain't France, we can raise the retirement age without riots, right? · Nov 3 at 11:36pm
Boomers didn't ask for the system, we were compelled to contribute to the system. To excoriate us for that is to blame slaves for slavery.
Edited on Nov 4, 2010 at 12:11amJul '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #42: One Shibboleth Down
Kenneth
Boomers didn't ask for the system, we were compelled to contribute to the system. To excoritate us for that is to blame slaves for slavery. · Nov 3 at 11:59pm
You know, I don't detest boomers, my folks are boomers. You're right, it's completely unfair to lay it all at their doorstep. To be clear, I've been paying in for about 20 years. I'm fine with that. I'm fine with paying in about 10 more without scaling it down. Even if I never collect a dime.
We can manage this in the short term, but there is no way I'm ever going to support the pretense that SS is sustainable for the long haul. Boomers don't have to become ascetics, but they should negotiate in good faith.
May '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #42: One Shibboleth Down
Its either going to be boomers or gen x. As a gen x myself I have never considered SS as part of my retirement plans. I think some of the younger boomers are going to have to suck it up and take the hit with us though. Anyone under 55 right now should not expect any benefits if we are going to make any progress on this issue. I'm even willing to say we continue to pay for a set number of years for those within a couple of years of retirement or already drawing benefits so my kids and grand kids don't have to.
Jun '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #42: One Shibboleth Down
My advice on entitlements is to phase them out slowly. We could, for example, means test social security on a scaled system that would see it reduced over five to seven years until only those retirees with no other source of income are left on the rolls. We could do the same with tax exemptions like the mortgage interest deduction. Give people five to seven years to plan and adjust and I think most people would be okay with the changes. In addition, we could put a lifetime cap on Medicare payments. If people knew that running to the emergency room for a head cold would reduce their lifetime benefit by the actual cost of the trip, they would be less likely to abuse the system. Our fiscal mess doesn't require rocket science to solve the problem. All we need are a few common sense solutions.
Aug '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #42: One Shibboleth Down
As a "the glass is half-empty and I don't really like what's in the glass in the first place" sort of guy, I've pretty much always expected SS to fold up right before I became eligible for it. I'm 56, for the record. So I give SS another 4 years or so, and then we'll hear the Grand Announcement that it's over. Done. Thanks for playing, folks. But sorry - you didn't win anything.
My Dad worked until he died at age 75. I've got a sneaking suspicion that i will, too. Lucky me, I like what I do. And youth isn't a qualifier in the job description.
For the record, I'm totally behind the concept of gradually raising the retirement age - even if it affects me. I think we gotta do that, if SS is to have even a prayer of surviving.
Also, for the record - if the government was willing to return my SS contributions for the past 30+ years, no interest, in return for me walking away from the system for the rest of my life - I'd take it.
May '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #42: One Shibboleth Down
1. I'm in a similar position and I'm not fine with it; in fact, I resent it.
2. Forget the notion of "paying in." "Paying in" is not an apt description of Social Security. It's an income shifting scheme, so you are paying for someone else to retire. Later someone else would be asked to pay for you to retire.
Sorry, Kenneth, but I'll tell you the same thing I've advised my parents: If I have anything to do with it, your retirement is on your dime. And don't give me the fairness argument. I'll sic Governor Christie on you to give you the what-for about fairness.
Sep '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #42: One Shibboleth Down
I'm entitled to my entitlements
May '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #42: One Shibboleth Down
But you also must address the huge problem of Medicare fraud, which isn't so easy. And there is a segment of the population that gets too much care. There are too many hospitals in certain areas, while others are unserved.
Jul '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #42: One Shibboleth Down
Matthew Gilley
1. I'm in a similar position and I'm not fine with it; in fact, I resent it.
2. Forget the notion of "paying in." "Paying in" is not an apt description of Social Security. It's an income shifting scheme, so you are paying for someone else to retire. Later someone else would be asked to pay for you to retire.
1. I don't blame you a bit Matthew. But 50-60 year olds vote. Pols know it, and act accordingly. If we're gonna fix this impending train wreck we need Boomers in the coalition. If we wait until we're that old we'll have too much "invested" to want to give it up.
2.Good point. I should have said "paying off."
Oct '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #42: One Shibboleth Down
From Time in 1982:
"The retirement program set up by the Social Security Act of 1935 was modest. It covered workers in commerce and industry only (leaving out the self-employed, farmers, service workers and government employees), plus their spouses and dependents. Taxes, collected beginning in 1937, were set at 1 % of the first $3,000 of a worker's pay, a maximum of $30 a year, with a matching levy on the employer. Benefits initially averaged $22.60 a month. Those were moderate sums even then, and designedly so. Social Security, as Roosevelt made quite clear, was not intended to guarantee a comfortable retirement; it was meant to ward off destitution. Said F.D.R. while signing the law: 'We can never insure 100% of the population against 100% of the hazards and vicissitudes of life, but we have tried to frame a law which will give some measure of protection to the average citizen and to his family . . . against poverty-ridden old age.' It was a point that his political successors would have done well to remember, and most certainly did not." - http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,953496-4,00.html
Jul '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #42: One Shibboleth Down
A note on the podcast outro...the juxtaposition of Peter saying Ricochet over AC/DC was sublime!
May '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #42: One Shibboleth Down
It may not be an apt description but those of us who are self employed have been handing over 14% of our incomes for too long not to see any return. Even if I had stuffed that percentage of cash in my mattress, I'd be better off.
May '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #42: One Shibboleth Down
Since 9/11, the US Navy has been flying the Navy Jack (related to the Gadsden flag) on every active vessel. Flags have significance. You don't fly a flag like the Gadsden unless you have the courage and integrity to back up your principles with action. The first Gadsden carriers, in the words of William Tyler Page,"established upon those principles of freedom, equality, justice, and humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes." Now, how can we ask our sons and daughters to carry our flag into battle to fight Islamic extremism, while at the same time wrap ourselves in the Gadsden, but lack the courage and integrity to make the personal sacrifices necessary to battle another, and perhaps more dangerous, impending national security threat - being owned by China? Sorry, "but I paid into it," is thin gruel when I visit Arlington and see kids buried there who never made it to 20. The Gadsden means something, more than some Republican "don't scare the old voters" talking point. And if the Tea Partiers want to appropriate an American symbol for their cause, they better follow through or what they've done means nothing.
Edited on Nov 4, 2010 at 10:03amMay '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #42: One Shibboleth Down
EJHill
It may not be an apt description but those of us who are self employed have been handing over 14% of our incomes for too long not to see any return. Even if I had stuffed that percentage of cash in my mattress, I'd be better off. · Nov 4 at 8:47am
Trust me, I hear you. But this is one issue where I take a completely inflexible, full steam ahead and to you-know-where with the consequences approach.