PJ Media

It seems that Robert Reich, the former Labor Secretary in the Clinton Administration a href=”http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/2007/10/how-to-be-redistributionist.html”has proposed a redistributionist/a tax strategy for “the rich:”br /br /blockquoteWhat’s fair? I’d say a 50 percent marginal tax rate on the very rich (earning over $500,000 a year). Plus an annual wealth tax of one half of one percent on net worth of people holding more than $5 million in total assets….If the Democrats stand for anything, it’s a fair allocation of the responsibility for paying the costs of maintaining this nation./blockquotebr /br /Reich calls it a fair allocation, I call it highway robbery–taking 50% of someone’s money at gunpoint (and face it, that’s what the government does, don’t believe it? Try making a lot of money and then not pay tax on it and see what happens) is basically theft. It’s not fair allocation, it’s not “redistributionist” strategy, it is theft, plain and simple and it should be illegal. Sure, I’ll go along with citizens having some obligation to pay a modest share of taxes (what about a href=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060875496?ie=UTF8tag=wwwviolentkicomlinkCode=as2camp=1789creative=9325creativeASIN=0060875496″the fair tax/aimg src=”http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wwwviolentkicoml=as2o=1a=0060875496″ width=”1″ height=”1″ border=”0″ alt=”" style=”border:none !important; margin:0px !important;” / to accomplish this?) to pay for roads, national security and other government necessities but the idea that one can be taxed at such a high rate deserves a swift and severe response from those in this country who believe in economic freedom; luckily there are some people out there who realize this type of tax is more than about money, it is about the freedom to practice one’s profession without penalty for success. a href=”http://meganmcardle.theatlantic.com/archives/2007/10/robert_reich_suggests_a_new.php#comment-721126″A commenter/a at Megan McArdle’s blog points out:br /br /blockquote….Let’s face it. A patent attorney makes big bucks because there aren’t that many folks that are very good electrical engineers or PhDs in chem/bio, plus have a law degree, but the market demand for good ones is very high. Supply is tight, demand is high. Same for other highly paid professionals.br /br /Between the two of us (my partner and I), we make close to $500k/year. But we both came from lower middle class families (we both worked our way through school and had huge student loans…our families too poor to help), so it isn’t like we’re “fat cats.”br /br /You start banging us any harder in taxes, we’ll quit working so hard. Might just say “f— it” and retire. We won’t be the only ones. That’ll make our talents even more scarce and increase the wages of those that remain.br /br /Moreover, what is the incentive for a young kid today to work like a dog, go into debt to learn the skills needed to provide what the economy needs so badly as shown by market wages.br /br /And we’ll sit here and wonder why China and India leap ahead of us and our economy/standard of living stagnates…. /blockquote br /br /Another a href=”http://meganmcardle.theatlantic.com/archives/2007/10/robert_reich_suggests_a_new.php#comment-724114″dissenter at McArdle’s place/a has the right idea:br /br /blockquoteI’d sell my business and retire (at 42) if such taxes were enacted. I’d forfeit my citizenship and move to Ireland or the Cayman Islands, too./blockquotebr /br /Where is Milton Friedman when you need him? Is this a premonition of what is to come if the Democrats are in power? I sure hope not or it may be time for another Boston Tea Party of sorts by those of us who believe that economic freedom is imperative to a free society.

It's all about Hillary this week, predicts PJM analyst William Bradley. She'll have a lot to celebrate as she turns 60 as the woman to beat -- both for her Democratic rivals and for the Republican field, which still lacks a clear frontrunner and appears to be reviving Reaganesque rhetoric in view of Putin's latest moves.

The media are missing an entire story in Iraq, writes PajamasXpress blogger Victor Davis Hanson. “It’s not just that things are turning around, but rather Gen. Petraeus has assembled perhaps the most gifted group of Army officers seen in a generation-who feel they are going to snatch victory from the jaws of political defeat.” Read the full post here.

PJM CEO Roger L. Simon admits he is no Nostradamus when it comes to predictions... but some say Nostradamus was no Nostradamus either. In any case, throwing caution to the wind, he shares what he foresees in the near future.

The U.S. and international press has sounded alarm bells regarding they perceive to be a Nazi-like campaign to kick out immigrants by the party that claimed victory in Switzerland's elections yesterday. Robert Mayer attempts to get at the truth behind the inflammatory headlines.

PJM Warsaw: A sigh of relief can be heard today across Europe after the center-right 'pro-business, pro-EU' Civic Platform party rode to victory in the Poland elections. Peter Gentle reports that the new majority party promises to dismantle wasteful-state run public services, jump-start the economy -- and get out of Iraq.

Over 130,000 votes have been cast in the weekly PAJAMAS MEDIA PRESIDENTIAL STRAW POLL. The thirty-ninth week has officially begun.

NEW DEAL: PJ Media editors have noted that the number of weekly votes in our poll has diminished drastically from the tens of thousands cast at the outset. For months now, many readers have been complaining to us about the increasing inutility of the poll because of vote-swarming by second tier candidates. Many voters have lost interest and are not participating. Websites that had run our widget were no longer doing so.

Something needed to change.

Therefore, especially since the campaign itself appears to be narrowing its focus to front-running candidates, henceforth the PJ Media Poll will be restricted to those first tier candidates listed on the front poll page of the leading online poll aggregator Real Clear Politics. As of now, that is four candidates on the Democratic side and five on the Republican. We will change our lineup on the Sunday after RCP does, if it does.

DON’T FORGET: You can put the poll on your website or blog with our free voting widget and become a precinct in the PJ Media Straw Poll. Learn how the readers of your site are voting and compare it the the total.

"The winner of tonight's debate could very well be eavesdropping on your phone calls or invading your sovereign nation in as little as 15 months from right now." Stephen Green of Vodkapundit drank his way through yet another Republican presidential debate. Find out why he declared Hillary Clinton the winner.

The legendary Malibu Castle with its “picture-perfect” view of the Pacific Ocean has been completely destroyed by the wildfire currently raging in Malibu, CA. Nearby Pepperdine University has been evacuated and is threatened.

For the first time, the Fred Thompson campaign provides a live-blog in Spanish from Carlos Curbelo. La campaña de Fred Thompson ha anunciado que Carlos Curbelo retransmitirá el acontecimiento en el blog al mismo tiempo en español.

Today, I received my copy of a href=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345503708?ie=UTF8tag=wwwviolentkicomlinkCode=as2camp=1789creative=9325creativeASIN=0345503708″span style=”font-style:italic;”The Dangerous Book for Dogs/span,/a a parody of a href=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061243582?ie=UTF8tag=wwwviolentkicomlinkCode=as2camp=1789creative=9325creativeASIN=0061243582″span style=”font-style:italic;”The Dangerous Book for Boys/span/a written by authors of span style=”font-style:italic;”the Onion/span. The book description (Hat tip: Instapundit) looked so funny that I had to order it:blockquotebr /br / span style=”font-style:italic;”The Dangerous Book for Dogs/span asks a simple question: isn’t there more to being a dog than wearing a mini cashmere sweater and riding around in a $400 evening clutch? What about the simple pleasures of life — feeling the wind in your fur, digging up the grass beneath your paws, smelling another dog’s butt? Isn’t that part of the great joy of being a dog?/blockquotebr /br /The book is “written” by two dogs, Rex and Sparky, who (from the back cover) “wrote this parody without authorization (because they are dogs and they do what they want).” The book is written for other dogs and starts with a Preface entitled, “I Didn’t Have This Book When I Was a Puppy.” “Today’s dog should never forget that there’s a whole wide world of adventure out there.”br /br /From there, the chapters include such adventures as: “Things You Can Chase,” “Begging-A Primer,” “Foul Smells Every Dog Should Roll In,” “How to Make Your Owner Look Like an Idiot,” “Creative Pee Stains,” “Training a New Human” and “How to Ruin the Perfect Dinner Party.”br /br /In the “How to Make Your Owner Look Like an Idiot” chapter, there is a section on “Aggressive Crotch Sniffing.” I have always wondered why the heck dogs do this. Here is why from a dog’s point of view:blockquotebr /br / A common myth held among humans is that we enjoy sticking our snouts into their crotches. False. Who on earth would think this is a pleasant experience? No, the truth is that we sniff crotches because it makes owners wildly uncomfortable. There’s not a lot of technique here. Take your nose; shove it into a crotch.br /br / The real payoff comes when the people your owner is speaking with begin to scroll through a laundry list of questions in their minds: What is wrong with this person’s crotch that his dog is so attracted to it? Doesn’t he wash himself? Is he keeping a sandwich in his crotch? Why would he do that? I have to stop speaking to this person immediately and report him to the authorities.br /br / Also, consider environments and scenarios in which a sniffed crotch would be particularly embarrassing. Is your owner making out with somebody? He won’t be for long if you dive-bomb his trousers…./blockquotebr /br /Okay, so now you have an idea of the humor of span style=”font-style:italic;”The Dangerous Book for Dogs/span. Is the book worth the ten buck purchase price? Uhh, perhaps if you enjoy this type of humor, are a dog lover or owner or want a cheap Christmas gift for the dog lover in your life. Otherwise, I think span style=”font-style:italic;”The Dangerous Book for Boys/span or span style=”font-style:italic;”The Daring Book for Girls/span is a better buy.

PJM Groningen: Unrest in the Moroccan neighborhoods of Amsterdam have many fearing that the chronic violence that rocked the Paris suburbs will spread to the Netherlands. If the Dutch police don't get much tougher much faster, warns Michael Van Der Galien, that is exactly what is going to happen.

The resignation of Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani, and his replacement with Saeed Jalili should for at least the short term send shivers down the spine of anyone who is looking for a negotiated settlement for the current Iranian nuclear crisis, writes PJM analyst Meir Javedanfar.

Gossip and rumor have always been around, but today, once something is posted on the Internet, it spreads around the world instantly and never goes away. Perhaps this powerful medium needs some stricter policing, asks Daniel J. Solove in %%AMAZON=0300124988 The Future of Reputation: Gossip, Rumor, and Privacy on the Internet.%% PJM's culture critic David Freeman has a review.

Paul Jacob and two others were indicted this month on felony charges in Oklahoma and could serve more than ten years in prison. Their crime? Simply exercising their First Amendment right to petition the government, contends the Sam Adams Alliance.

Now that Al Gore has managed to snag a Nobel Prize, some critics are worried that his words will be taken much too seriously. That's something that PJ Media columnist Burt Prelutsky can't even do with the Peace Prize itself, especially when he considers all the "gallant souls" who have never won it.

Well, there was a a href=”http://drhelen.blogspot.com/2007/10/live-like-caveman-to-cure-depression.html”lot of controversy/a about how to treat depression in my post, “Live like a Caveman to Cure Depression?” Some of you thought the “Stone Age” cure was a bunch of junk science. However, here is one woman who thinks that the “caveman” approach might just work: br /br /br /object width=”425″ height=”350″param name=”movie” value=”http://www.youtube.com/v/zM-jzE4hK9M”/paramparam name=”wmode” value=”transparent”/paramembed src=”http://www.youtube.com/v/zM-jzE4hK9M” type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” wmode=”transparent” width=”425″ height=”350″/embed/object

Is it time for Al Gore to get over the election of 2000, or for Conservatives to get over Al Gore? Mariel Garza argues that critics of Gore's Nobel Peace Prize are just angry that the former vice president "had the gall to go and do something meaningful with his time."

Screeners at LAX missed 75% of fake bombs hidden on undercover agents last year. Stunning news? More like business as usual at airports across the country, writes Annie Jacobsen.

Sam Browback dropping out? John McCain keeping up? David Corn and Richard Miniter discuss this and more, like Barack Obama's Tonight Show's appearance, GOP candidates aiming at their party rivals' personal lives, and Rep. Bobby Jindal as a rising star who could be Louisiana's first Republican governor since the Reconstruction. Click and watch! [Audio-only MP3 version available here]

Iranian president Ahmadinejad's spiritual advisor wants to spread chaos across the world - and kill all enemies of Islam - in order to hasten the arrival of the Twelfth Imam. Banafsheh Zand-Bonazzi and Elio Bonazzi report that the most devastating consequences of Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Messbah-Yazdi's influence in Iran may be yet to come. (Read part one of the series here.)

Tune in each Thursday to XM Channel #130, POTUS ’08 at 6:00 PM Eastern/3:00 PM Pacific for PJ Media’s weekly PJM Political show! (And at 11:00 PM Eastern/8:00 Pacific for a rebroadcast) If you missed this week’s show, click here to listen:

October 18 PJM Political On XM Satellite Radio

PJM Political spends a fair amount of time in the Minnesotan corner of the Blogosphere this week, as Captain Ed Morrissey interviews GOP presidential hopeful, Senator John McCain. Also joining host Bill Bradley are:

And for extended “Director’s Cut” podcast versions of several of this week’s segments, click here.

Finally, if you missed our previous episodes of PJM Political, listen here.

In order to present as much variety as possible, the interviews that are featured each week on PJM Political are often edited in length. However, you can hear the full-length versions of several of the interviews from this week’s show, here:

And click here to listen to our complete 20-minute interview with John Hinderaker and Paul Mirengoff of Power Line:

Pajamas Meets Power Line

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It's 1980 all over again, at least if the malaise felt by Americans today is any indication. That doesn't depress PJM columnist Rick Moran, who optimistically believes that "we're still the only nation on earth that can will ourselves to become a different place just by changing the political scenery."

Glenn Reynolds and Helen Smith traveled to the Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Conference in NY, and talked to energy efficiency guru Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute, MacArthur Genius Award winner and science educator Shawn Carlson, and appropriate-technology entrepreneur Shawn Frayne. A fascinating discussion ensued on everything from how America can save energy and protect the environment without sacrificing our lifestyle, to ways of helping the third world, to techniques for energizing American students' interest in science and technology.