"A nation whose national debt is approaching the size of its gross national product, that goes abroad to borrow money to keep non-essential workers on government payroll is a nation on the way down and out.

"And anyone who thinks this Obama party is ever going to cull the armies of tens of millions of government workers or scores of millions of government beneficiaries to put America's house in order is deluding himself.

"As long as this Congress and White House remain in power, a U.S. default on its national debt is inevitable. The only question is when."

"If the upcoming election results fail for any reason (including GOP campaign incompetence) to empower the public's overwhelming desire to stop and reverse the 'fundamental transformation' of the United States -- I suspect the country will be rocked to its core within the following months and few years.

"A foul and dangerous brew is heating up that is composed of: (1) The economic collapse that started in 2008; (2) the radical, 'fundamentally transforming' left-wing agenda of the government; and, (3) the thwarting of the public will -- with glee -- by the entrenched, non-elected powers (in the courts, media, colleges and government bureaucracies) as they get into the face and under the skin of the cultural and political majority."

"Primary elections in Georgia, Colorado, Minnesota and Connecticut on Tuesday will provide perhaps the best snapshot of the electorate’s mood since May 18, when Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter was ousted in a Democratic primary and Arkansas Sen. Blanche Lincoln was forced into a runoff by Lt. Gov. Bill Halter."

"If President Obama is interested in promoting growth now and in the future, he should commit to retaining the low tax rates Congress passed in 2003."

"When the House returns next week to rubber-stamp the Senate’s $26 billion state-aid package, Democrats will take a political crapshoot.

"Even though party leaders expect that approval will be a slam-dunk, some early responses from rank-and-file Democrats have raised red flags about the optics of returning to a special session to vote on more spending — even if it’s framed as saving teachers’ jobs.

"The risk for Democrats as they seek to bolster their flagging election prospects is that some of their vulnerable members will feel like they have to walk the plank, yet again, on a politically unpopular economic-stimulus agenda, while reminding voters of their failure to handle routine budget work this year."

"As the confirmation process for Solicitor General Elena Kagan draws to a close, the question of whether Ms. Kagan is capable of conforming herself to the appropriate role of judge in the American system should be at the heart of the Senate’s decision. For it is the idea of roles that is at the center of the American constitutional system, and the key test in any judicial confirmation process is whether the nominee understands the appropriate role of the judge in the American system of government. After reviewing Dean Kagan’s testimony and other relevant documents, I believe she fails this test, and I urge the Senate to reject her nomination to the Supreme Court."

"Missouri voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly rejected a federal mandate to purchase health insurance, rebuking President Barack Obama's administration and giving Republicans their first political victory in a national campaign to overturn the controversial health care law passed by Congress in March.

"'The citizens of the Show-Me State don't want Washington involved in their health care decisions,' said Sen. Jane Cunningham, R-Chesterfield, one of the sponsors of the legislation that put Proposition C on the August ballot...

"Missouri was the first of four states to seek to opt out of the insurance purchase mandate portion of the health care law that had been pushed by Obama. And while many legal scholars question whether the vote will be binding, the overwhelming approval gives the national GOP momentum as Arizona, Florida and Oklahoma hold similar votes during midterm elections in November."

"Without naming names or making political charges, the Congressional Budget Office last week issued a report titled 'Federal Debt and the Risk of a Fiscal Crisis.' The report's dry, measured words paint a painfully bleak picture of the long-run dangers from the current runaway government deficits.

"The CBO report points out that the national debt, which was 36 percent of the Gross Domestic Product three years ago, is now projected to be 62 percent of GDP at the end of fiscal year 2010 -- and rising in future years ...

"As the Congressional Budget Office puts it, if the national debt continues to grow out of control, a 'growing portion of people's savings would go to purchase government debt rather than toward investments in productive capital goods such as factories and computers; that 'crowding out' of investment would lead to lower output and incomes than would otherwise occur.'

"Just paying the interest on a growing national debt can require higher tax rates, which 'would discourage work and saving and further reduce output,' according to the CBO."

"Anyone who is familiar with the historical data available from the IRS knows full well that raising income tax rates on the top 1% of income earners will most likely reduce the direct tax receipts from the now higher taxed income -- even without considering the secondary tax revenue effects, all of which will be negative. And who on Earth wants higher tax rates on anyone if it means larger deficits? ...

"As a result of higher tax rates on those people in the highest tax brackets, there will be less employment, output, sales, profits and capital gains -- all leading to lower payrolls and lower total tax receipts. There will also be higher unemployment, poverty and lower incomes, all of which require more government spending. It's a Catch-22.

"Higher tax rates on the rich create the very poverty and unemployment that is used to justify their presence. It is a vicious cycle that well-trained economists should know to avoid."