Winston Spencer Churchill

Winston Churchill was born on this day in 1874. The twentieth century boasted more than a handful of truly outstanding statesmen and national leaders. Making the short list for the greatest statesmen of the last century are: (1) Theodore Roosevelt, who led America to become a true world power; (2) Franklin Roosevelt, who led a country out of isolationism to defeat Hitler's Germany; (3) Ronald Reagan, who never doubted that American virtue would triumph over the Evil Empire and thus led the way for what was the disintegration of the Soviet Union.

The greatest statesman, however, was Winston Churchill. His stalwart leadership as Prime Minister during the early years of World War II kept Hitler at bay while Churchill was recruiting America to join the war against the Nazis. England was completely overpowered during the fall of 1940 when Germany was torridly air bombing London for weeks on end. Churchill kept his country, and the free world, in the game by imploring his military to fight with tenacity and by maintaining an erect, no-surrender attitude through his speeches and actions. The "Blood, Toil, Tears, and Sweat" speech, the "The Finest Hour" speech, the "The Few" speech, and the "We Shall Fight on the Beaches" speech will echo throughout time as clarion calls reminding us that evil cannot defeat an indomitable spirit. Through his words, Churchill turned the English language into a weapon of mass destruction.

The Churchill biography is gigantic even when measured only by his public service and military accomplishments. However, the prodigious Churchill created a vast body of work as an author. He wrote a total of 43 books in 72 volumes. To name a few of the best known books: The World Crisis (about WWI - 5 volumes); A History of the English Speaking People (4 volumes); The Second World War (6 volumes). His mode of relaxation was painting and Churchill even became an accomplished painter.

Winston Churchill was a truly remarkable man who possessed a fiery passion for charging forward into adversity for the sake of a Good. What made him exceedingly impressive was his ability to accomplish what he did despite some serious human obstacles. Churchill had a speech impediment that would have caused most people to withdraw from ever engaging in public speaking. Also, throughout his life, Churchill suffered bouts of major depression, calling his depressive states the "Black Dog". Undeterred, he rose above these drawbacks with a will and a drive and a talent that the human race rarely sees. 

When Churchill resigned as Prime Minister in 1955, he bade farewell to his Ministers leaving them with a message and a piece of advice. The message was: "Man is spirit". The advice was: "Never be separated from the Americans". The inimitable Winston Churchill was a savage gift to a world that was in peril.

Quick Notes:

Churchill's favorite cigar? Romeo y Julieta. He began cigar smoking while in Cuba in 1895.

Churchill's favorite drink? Whisky and Soda

Best Winston Churchill biography? Churchill, a Life by Martin Gilbert.

Churchill's Public Service Timeline:

1893: Enrolls in Royal Military Academy

1895: Visits Cuba while on leave during the Cuban War of Independence and comes under fire for the first time

1896: Cavalry officer Churchill is posted to India

1897: Volunteered to fight local tribesmen in Malakand (now part of Pakistan)

1898: Participates in a cavalry charge in Sudan

1899: Loses first attempt to be elected to parliament. Travels as journalist to the Boer War in South Africa. Is captured and escapes.

1900: Elected to parliament as a conservative

1904: Leaves the Conservatives to join the Liberals

1911: Is appointed First Lord of the Admiralty

1915: Blamed for Dardanelles disaster in WWI. Resigns. Rejoins the army and fights in France

1919: Secretary of State for War and Air

1924: Leaves Liberals and rejoins Conservatives. Is made Chancellor of the Exchequer

1930s: "The Wilderness Years". Churchill out of office but is a lone voice warning of the menace from Germany

1939: Britain declares war on Germany. Churchill is back as First Lord of the Admiralty

1940: Is made Prime Minister

1945: Loses PM re-election

1946: In a speech in Kansas, coins the term "Iron Curtain"

1951: Becomes Prime Minister again

1955: Resigns as PM

1964: Leaves the House of Commons

1965: Dies in London at age 90

“Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never – in nothing, great or small, large or petty – never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.” – Sir Winston Churchill

A Worthwhile Read

Walter Williams, a self-described conservative economist/commentator, wrote an interesting piece that aims to shed light on how money, as a medium of exchange, can camouflage coercive activities that we would otherwise view as intolerable. This obfuscation is exacerbated when it is combined with big, fungible pot of money whose sizable ante is the result of the millions of dollars gathered from government reaches into our pocketbooks to fund "social goods". 

Thankful For

A country whose promise of freedom makes it the best place to live in and whose democratic ideals makes it the most noble to die for.

Friends and loved ones who stick with you through thick and thin. No one can be forced to be a friend. It is this very freedom of choice that sublimates this relationship.

Parents who not only dedicated a lifetime of sacrifice to their children but who, in one shining and heroic moment, showed the wisdom to act with courage, conviction, and optimism to make a decision that forever bettered their children's lives.

Siblings whose company allows you to feel more comfortable than with anyone else. You can talk to them about anything and laugh about almost everything. New stories constantly enter our private history and old stories never grow stale.

Children who need not do anything else but look into your eyes for you to tremble at the magnificent splendor and power of unconditional love. Children exist as the means for God to share with us a glimpse of the extent of His love for us, His children.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Cut, Baby, Cut

President-elect Obama has signaled that he will not pursue the repeal of the Bush tax cuts, citing the dire financial markets and the worsening economic conditions. Barack Obama is to be applauded for heeding the advice of his economic advisors. His implied intention now is simply to allow the tax cuts to go away once they expire in 2011. At that time the previous higher tax rates would come back into effect. If keeping taxes low is the right medicine now, then what kind of economic quack would construct an argument that higher taxes would be good for the economy later? We will leave that for another day.

There is plenty of talk and maneuvering for a sizable financial stimulus package to coincide with Obama's inauguration. If you really want to see surge in consumer confidence, a curtailment of job loss, and an upward jolt in investment in both real estate and financial markets, all that Obama needs to do is to announce that he will immediately call for a tax cut. Lower personal income taxes for all income brackets, lower capital gains tax to spur investment activities, and lower corporate taxes to save jobs. This would, of course, require some gritty spending cuts at all levels of government as a show of fiscal discipline.

I don't think that the democrats will actually cut taxes across the board, or at all for that matter. However, such a move would be the ideal antidote for the economic ills that are dogging us. Cut, baby, cut.

Odd Committee Chairmanships

Henry Waxman (D), California recently ousted fellow Democrat John Dingell from Michigan to gain the chairmanship of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The problem is that Mr Waxman despises oil companies. The appropriateness of this assignment for Waxman could only be rivaled by naming an incurable couch potato to head the President's Council on Physical Fitness. This is the same Mr Waxman that opposed random drug testing of federal employees but was all over Barry Bonds' steroid use and endorsed establishing drug testing for major league sports. I'm no fan of Bonds, but how exactly does Mr Waxman conclude that Mr Bonds' drug habits pose a greater risk to our health than do possible acts by federal employees, such as airport security workers? 

Then there is Barney Frank (D), Massachusetts. Mr Frank chairs the House Financial Services Committee. The problem is that Mr Frank hates capitalism and desperately wants to spread the wealth around by sticking it to the "rich". A Financial Services Committee chair that is partial to socialism? Quite bizarre indeed. What next? A museum curator that is hostile to the arts?

Lastly, we come to Charles Rangel (D), New York. Mr Rangel is the House Ways and Means chair. A very big assignment for sure. Contrary to the others mentioned here, this chairmanship makes sense because Mr Rangel is enamored with taxes. Now, he doesn't like to pay his taxes but he wants to make sure that we are not deprived of our Biden-described patriotic duty to pay more taxes.

Brokaw's Spite

Yesterday Joe Lieberman appeared on Meet the Press, hosted by Tom Brokaw. Throughout the presidential campaign, Mr Brokaw would invariably ask tough questions and follow-ups to Republican advocates. However, he obsequiously performed verbal curtsies when interviewing Obama supporters. Like others at NBC/MSNBC, his unflagging devotion to an Obama victory was emetically evident throughout the campaign season and after. Mr Brokaw's cheerleading, mind you, did not reach the soaring heights of Chris Matthews' and Keith Olbermann's. Mr Olbermann must still be emotionally distraught with envy because he was not selected as the YouTube Obama Girl.

The Lieberman interview was more akin to an interrogation and amply displayed Mr Brokaw's irritation with Mr Lieberman's support for John McCain. Brokaw badgered Lieberman with a clip from the senator's Republican National Convention speech where Lieberman did praise Obama but remarked that McCain was more qualified. Lieberman's defense of his evaluation of the presidential candidates caused Brokaw to fulminate and ask Lieberman if he shouldn't apologize for bad-mouthing Obama.

Brokaw also showed a clip from the same speech where Lieberman affirmed his support for Sarah Palin as Vice President. Brokaw's eyes squinted, his bottom lip stiffened, and then he hectored Lieberman for believing that Palin was more prepared for VP than he, Lieberman, and Biden. 

Lieberman deflected Brokaw's insidious attacks and expressed an interest in focusing on today's issues. Then, Brokaw the Grand Inquisitor shifted into the fastidious Father Brokaw, asking Lieberman if he would like to apologize for all his wrong-doings during the campaign, remarking that Lieberman had used the word "regret" but not "apology" during the interview. Good grief.

Joe Lieberman carried himself with dignity throughout this ambush. Tom Brokaw was petty, partisan, and vindictive. 

The Politics of Selfishness

Suppose you had gone to a restaurant with five friends and you were under the impression that it was going to be more or less "dutch". You were hungry and consumed 22% of the food that was brought to the table. When the bill came you were asked to pay 40% of the tab. Seems unfair, correct? Now suppose that your same group intends to return to the restaurant and they will expect you to now pay even more, say 43%, of the tab even though you will consume the same proportion as last time. If you balk at this apportionment, you will be called selfish. "An outrage", you proclaim.

According to the IRS, in 2006, the top 1% of wage-earners paid 40% of income taxes while earning 22% of all income. The top 10% paid 71% of all income taxes and the top 50% paid 97%. The bottom 50% paid 3%. 

Being in the top 1% in 2006 meant that your adjusted gross income was $388 thousand or greater. To qualify for the top 50%, you needed $32 thousand in income.

Pre-Bush, in 2000, the top 1% paid 37%. The top 10% paid 66% and the top 50% paid 96%. The bottom 50% paid 4%.

Hence, despite the "tax cut for the rich" there was increased disproportionality in the tax burden distribution. That Bush guy, he really favored the rich. But how could this happen? Easy, the number of millionaire income taxpayers nearly doubled between 2003 and 2006 and these new "rich" entrants paid more in taxes because, while cut, the tax rate schedule remained progressive.

The next time you go to that restaurant with your friends, you should consume 20% but go ahead and pay 50%. The next three friends can pay another 60%. The remaining two pals will then receive a refund for the 10% that was overpaid even though there bellies will be plenty full. Then no one will call you selfish, at least not until your next restaurant rendezvous.