Tony Island Blog - Sane Thoughts for an Insane World

Welcome to Tony Island blog! Mark Levin's latest book, The Liberty Amendments: Restoring the American Republic , proposes and discusses 10 Constitutional amendments that Levin believes will restore a more balanced constitutional republic. Each chapter opens with the proposed amendment and then goes on to discuss the merits of the amendment, including historical facts to bolster his case. I assume that Levin would want these to be added to the Constitution as written, but he could also be setting them out as discussion points. While I disagree with his amendments (see below), I do strongly recommend the book for the historical and contemporary information used to discuss the proposed amendments. I want to take a moment and remind our readers that any tinkering with the Constitution is fraught with peril. One only needs look at the Prohibition mess and react with horror anytime an amendment is proposed. Let's take a look at each amendment (briefly) and...

Welcome to Tony Island blog. "I'm Proud to be an American", by Lee Greenwood. We are one with Boston! Please pray for all those involved: victims, families and first responders. Thanks for reading Tony Island blog.

Welcome to Tony Island blog! You've undoubtedly heard about the "fiscal cliff" recently - those budget cuts and tax increases that will cause the world to end if they are allowed to be enacted. Of course, as with anything coming out of Washington, D.C. these days, it's a bunch of hooey. The tax increases won't cause the world to end and the budget cuts are mere trims - $110 billion per year evenly split between defense and non-defense spending - the overall budget is somewhere in the $3 trillion range. You'll hear about the "ten year" $500 billion cuts to defense...really? Over ten years? That's nothing. Same with the non-defense side. The big hoax is that we are a nation of laws and as such this "law" can be repealed and/or worked around. It's not a Constitutional amendment - it's a law. Then, why all the nail-biting, hand wringing going on? Politics, pure and simple. The Democrats want to scare the country (and the Rep...

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! I've been thinking about something lately - let's pretend that we elect a "Tea Party" Congress in 2012. Both houses are firmly in the hands of spending cutters - they take a large axe to much (if not all) of the Federal budget and manage not only to balance it, but to have a surplus that goes toward the debt. Then what happens after that? How many more Congresses will the people elect that will continue to cut and not spend? Stop wars and not start them? Stop "investing" and start saving? And my answer to that is...probably very few. It's hard to imagine sending a politician to Washington and have him/her do NOTHING! Think about it - if you sent your rep or Senator to Washington and he reported back to you that he did absolutely nothing - would you re-elect him? Would you seriously re-elect that person? And I think the answer is: NO! "We sent you there and paid you, now do something for us - send us some Federal ...

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! Take a moment to read this news article (complete with pictures!) about China's first aircraft carrier . While we bicker how about much more in debt we need to go (which is essentially what raising the debt ceiling is all about), China is developing its military muscle I don't want to sound like a "tin-foiled" alarmist, but I really found that article ominous. I don't think China's going to start a world war or anything, but I do think they will eventually combine their increased economic power with their increasing military power to throw their weight around the world - much like the US did for the latter half of the 20th century (and into the 21st). There won't be anyone to stop their increasing ambitions as the US will be straight jacked with our ever deepening debt problem. We're going to lose the global supremacy war and who knows how a global China will be to live under? Again, I don't think she'll invad...

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! I found this cool Presidential Approval Tracker (based on Gallup polling) on USAToday.com: http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/presidential-approval-tracker.htm You can compare Presidents' approval ratings or isolate one President. It's fun - try it out and leave your thoughts below! Thanks for reading Tony Island Blog!

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! Radical Leftists claim that the Bush tax cuts all but created the current debt crisis. Sane rational people maintain that tax cuts alone don't cause deficits - it's the combination of tax cuts and continued (or increased) spending that causes deficits. Actually, it's always spending that causes a deficit - correction - it's always over -spending incoming revenue that causes a deficit. It's impossible to have a deficit without spending.That's the definition of a deficit - over spending incoming revenue. But, surely, you say, tax cuts must  some how contribute to deficit spending, no? Well, actually, no. They only contribute to deficit spending when you don't account for the lower revenue they produce and continue to spend at the same rate you spent before you cut taxes. To prove this, let's take a quick trip to Fantasy-Land - a land where everything is milk and honey and the streets are paved with gold. In Fantasy-Land, ...

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! Please study the graphic below carefully before reading the analysis that follows:  Before I begin my analysis of this graphic, I'd like to mention that it came from a New York Times editorial . Enough said. OK, where do I begin? I must say two things about this graphic off the bat: 1) it's absolutely brilliant! It takes a confusing subject (deficit, debt, budgeting) and confuses it even further. It places Vaseline over the lens of the budget debate to "soften the image" and thus make Obama look better. 2) it does show how fiscally irresponsible President Bush was. Liberal Loons run around calling Bush conservative - this graphic should show them he was anything but. Perhaps he was a social conservative, but he didn't seem to be a fiscal conservative. Now onto some of the gritty details. At first glance, you can easily fall into the Liberal trap that has been set - namely, that Bush's policies all but created the cur...

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! I stole this graphic from a Wall Street Journal online article : Gee, I guess the rich do pay their taxes and basically ours. Go down to the middle class and approximately 97.1% of taxes paid are paid by these two groups. It's high time we re-balance this tax paying act and spread the tax base. And before you all post comments suggesting that I'm "rich" ... please don't bother. I'm in the yellow box all the way through. Your thoughts? Raise taxes on the rich? How high should it go - till they contribute 75% of revenues? Share your thoughts below! And click a rating button to let us know how you rate this post! Thanks for reading Tony Island Blog!

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! President Obama held a news conference this morning in which he spouted more hot air that sounded good, but, when examined closely, is the same ole, same ole. Basically, the (evil) Republicans are holding him back from making a grand cut in the deficit (upwards of $4 trillion over the next so many years). He's willing to cut the budget and reform entitlements "if only" the (evil) Republicans would allow him to raise taxes, mostly by letting the Bush tax cuts expire in the "outlying years". By making all these reforms, the President, with absolutely no evil plans to expand goverment, would be able to continue making investments in America such as job re-training, "infrastructure bank" and student loans, among many other Progressive initiatives. Of course, all of these intiatives are outlined in the Constitution, thus justifying the President's spending of taxpayers money on them. The President was pummeled by reporte...

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! While you would think that a right-leaning blog such as Tony Island Blog would whole-heartedly support a "balanced budget amendment", in this case, you would be wrong. I am currently reading a book (review forthcoming) that, among many issues, outlines and supports a balanced budget amendment ("BBA"). There are eleven sections (when the book was published) to this proposed amendment, some of which contain definitions of various terms used in the amendment. While the idea of a balanced budget amendment gives my heart the "warm fuzzies", my logical head tells me it's not the way to go. So, without further ado: Here are my 5 reasons against any constitutional balanced budget amendment: 1) The Constitution should not be filled with economic amendments - Our Constitution elegantly outlines our (limited) form of government. It doesn't contain economic theories or definitions and neither should any proposed amendme...

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! I just wanted to share a new blog I found the other day - http://www.black-and-right.com/ As you might surmise from the URL, it's a right of center web site hosted by...wait for it...a black man! And...grab onto your socks...he hails from Massachusetts! Wow - has the world ended yet? He's got some great stuff. I always find it fascinating to find off-beat conservatives out there- that is, ones other than "white racists" that the media loves to portray all conservatives as being. Of course, I'm sure Bob Parks, the owner of http://www.black-and-right.com/  , gets his fair share of hate mail from liberal black Democrats. Check out his site for a refreshing take on conservatism. Have you checked out Bob Parks' blog or a similar "non-traditional conservative" blog lately? If so, share the link with us by posting a comment! Worthy "non-traditional" Web sites/blogs will get a shout out. Thanks for reading T...

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! If you are interested in liberty, then you have to read Woods and Gutzman's Who Killed the Constitution ? Taking 12 pivotal points in American history, the authors dissect the decisions and actions taken by Presidents, Supreme Court justices and Congresses to completely kill and gut the Constitution. I won't get into the 12 scenarios dissected so you can read them freshly for yourself, but I will say it was both an enlightening and depressing read. In the final chapter, the authors posit the question - "Can a written Constitution survive?" - any Constitution, not just ours, but of course ours is the one in discussion. It's an interesting question to pose considering ours has already been killed. At 202 pages, the book is a quick read - there's also the complete text of the Constitution as an appendix. This book is a real eye-opener and will have you thinking as you read each page. I strongly recommend you grab yourself a co...

"Obama's dream is actually an American nightmare" Welcome to my blog! For our first post of 2011, I have an excellent book to recommend: The Roots of Obama's Rage  by Dinesh D'Souza. D'Souza presents a theory about Obama and then methodically backs it up with facts from Obama's own words and books. He then uses this theory to help us understand Obama's odd policy decisions and actions. Finally, he uses the theory to predict future actions the President will take - and how harmful they will be for America and her global allies. I have been reading several similar books lately and I have to say that D'Souza's take is excellent and his theory explains Obama better than many others I have read. He really hit the nail on the head and the sound is reverberating across the globe. I really don't want to give too much more away - I urge you to read this book. There is one section in which D'Souza explains how Obama makes his radical id...

Welcome to my blog! In preparation for the November midterm elections, I am recommending various books, bumper stickers and other types of material to make you aware of what is at issue this year. Do you want a capitalist-based, freedom from the state  society or a state-run socialist freedom-inhibiting society? You'll help decide that by how you vote in November. To help, here's this week's recommended reading: Newt Gingrich lays down the reasons against a socialist state as personified by Obama and the Radical Left and the steps to take to avoid such a society. Highly recommended reading. Grab your copy today, read it and be ready to vote in November! Thanks for reading my blog!

Welcome to my blog! Now is the time to start beating the bushes and getting the Revolutionaries ready for November! We need to stop Socialism in its tracks! Each week (if not more frequently), I will post a Revolutionary task - a book to read, a bumper sticker to stick, etc. Hopefully, this will get the word out and people will Vote in November! This week's entry is a simple, yet effective bumper sticker you can start using now: STOP this OBAMA-NATION Vote November 2, 2010 by stamped Thank you for reading my blog!

Welcome to my blog! The video below is from the swearing in ceremony of Republican Senator Scott Brown (MA). In an historic upset special election in Massachusetts, a conservative Republican won the seat of the deceased "liberal lion" of the Senate, Ted Kennedy, effectively eroding the Democrats choke-hold on the Senate for the time being. The funny thing is that the Massachusetts state Democrats shot themselves in the foot and severely hobbled the national party's and Barack Obama's agenda. Back in 2004, when it looked like Senator John Kerry (D-MA) could win the Presidency (bwahahaha), the Massachusetts state Democrats (who have a huge margin in both houses of the General Court) quickly passed a law that called for a special election to replace a Senator instead of being chosen by the Governor (it was feared that then Republican Governor Mitt Romney would choose a Republican to replace Kerry). The law passed and Kerry lost his Presidential bid. Fast forward seve...

Welcome to my blog! Are you tired of the massive government expansion that President Obama is proposing - from health care takeover to private enterprise takeover? Want to express your outrage over this unprecedented government expansion? Well, I picked out some bumper stickers for you! Purchase one or all three - but proudly display them EVERYWHERE! STOP this OBAMA-NATION Vote November 2, 2010 by stamped View other Obama Bumper Stickers Vote for Obama? Thanks, Asshole. by TheRatFactory View more Bumpersticker Bumper Stickers Anti-Obama Bumper Sticker by My2Cents View more Sorry yet Bumper Stickers So - what do you think? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below! Thanks for reading my blog and be sure to Follow my Blog!

Welcome to my blog! As we welcome 44 to the White House, the thought crosses my mind on what to do about Presidential term limits. Is it time to repeal the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, which limits a person to two terms as President? Passed in reaction to Franklin Roosevelt's unprecedented 4 terms, the 22nd Amendment effectively makes a second term President a "lame duck" on day 1 of his second term. We've seen over the years that much mischief results during this lame duck Presidency, especially if the incumbent won in a landslide or similar overwhelming majority. It seems that the prospect of having to be re-elected to a second term keeps most first term Presidents "honest" therefore it could be reasoned that eliminating any term limits on a President would keep his feet to the fire and thus more "honest" throughout his Presidency - for however long such a Presidency may last. About 10 years or so ago, the idea of term limits for Senators ...

Welcome to my blog! Just thought I'd add this little tax cut widget which compares Obama's and McCain's tax cut forecasts assuming their tax plans are put into effect. See how much you'll save (or pay!) using the widget below and then post your comments! More importantly, be sure to VOTE on Tuesday, Novmember 4, 2008! Thanks for reading my blog!