Culture Watch

Nancy Morgan surveys the week that was.

The eyes of the nation were riveted on the economy last week, with Obama desperately claiming that the bloated spending bill now under consideration in the Senate was necessary to avert catastrophe and an irreversible recession.

The cost of this government expansion program would give each taxpayer $9,718.40 cash money if it were distributed to we the people instead of to cronied political interests. Oh well, we voted this guy in.

Meanwhile, lots of news showing a radical shift in U.S. policy and governance slipped:

UNDER THE RADAR:

The (only) good news is, states are finally starting to rebel against the federal bureaucracy. So far, eight states have introduced resolutions declaring state sovereignty under the Ninth and Tenth Amendment to the Constitution. The resolutions are designed designed to reassert state authority through a rollback of federal authority under the powers enumerated in the Constitution, with the states assuming the governance of the non-enumerated powers, as required by the Tenth Amendment. Good news indeed. Here's hoping more Americans will support this nascent movement.

Senator Boxer has asked the State Department to expedite UNCRC, The U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, which opponents say could destroy American sovereignty by imposing international rulings on American law. This could reach the Senate in 60 days.

Meanwhile, virtually unnoticed, the Defense Department is forming a civilian expeditionary workforce that will be trained and equipped to deploy overseas in support of military missions worldwide. Operative words are civilian expeditionary workforce.

Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL) has introduced a new bill calling for homeland security to establish no fewer than six national emergency centers for corralling civilians on military installations. Think what this means. Scared yet?

Also absent from the news is a statement from House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank that should be cause for alarm. "Congress will consider legislation to extend some of the curbs on executive pay that currently apply to those banks receiving federal assistance." Translation: Government could determines wages, which means the government will have taken the place of the free market. Good-bye capitalism.

A new bill introduced the first day the of present session of Congress, with zero coverage from the MSM, H.R. 45 (Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009), targets all gun owners in the U.S.A.

Also under the radar, Al Franken, who is demanding to be seated in the US Senate even before incumbent Norm Coleman's challenge is resolved, has joined the burgeoning ranks of Democrat tax cheats. Franken admitted to owing $50,000 in back taxes, interest and penalties. I guess he has to pay interest and penalties cause he's not yet seated. Aargh.

GOVERNMENT AT WORK:

Having run out of cash, California has started delaying $3.5 billion in payments to taxpayers, contractors, counties and social service agencies. Gee, isn't that what Madoff is accused of? The only difference is California took the taxpayers' money under threat of force while the Madoff investors gave it willingly.

Even though California has defaulted and is facing a $42 billion deficit, California has managed to find enough room in its budget to sponsor an elaborate statewide campaign to promote homosexual adoption.

The Post Office, also, is running out of money and will likely cut back on mail deliveries. Their biggest challenge: The cost of providing health care to current and future retirees. Its $53 billion obligation is greater than that of the Big Three automakers. Thank-you, unions.

Despite the destructive effects of unions, they continue to enjoy Obama's favor, with legislation favorable to them being enacted at an alarming rate.

CULTURE:

Same-sex marriage made gains as a state judge ruled gay marriages performed in other states are now recognized in New Jersey for the purpose of divorce. In Vermont, a bill that would allow same-sex unions was introduced in the Legislature.

Meanwhile, a lesbian couple who led the fight for gay marriage in Massachusetts has filed for divorce. Rates of anal, vulval and vaginal cancers are skyrocketing for "baby boomers" born in the decades after the Second World War.

African-Americans, who make up 12 percent of the U.S. population, are bearing the brunt of the AIDS epidemic, accounting for nearly half of all new HIV infections and almost half of all Americans living with HIV. Can I say that??

A leader in the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has declared that the breakdown of traditional families, far from being a "crisis," is actually a triumph for human rights.

This week is an exception for Culture Watch. Usually, we try to accentuate the positive but this week holds very little good news. In the face of incipient socialism, the best we can do is offer this gem: The best defense of capitalism ever. In this 2 1/2 minute video clip, Milton Friedman demolishes all arguments against capitalism. Watch it and forward it to your friends.

If you'd like a preview of what will happen if we continue on our current course, I urge you to read Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged. If you're still angry, check out "10 Ways Conservatives Can Fight Back." 

Till next week, stay vigilant and keep smiling.