With the midterm elections coming up tomorrow, everyone is expecting Republicans to gain seats in the House and the Senate, but no one is sure to what degree. Let’s take a look and see what we can expect.

In the Senate, Republicans seem to be a lock to pick up at least two seats: Indiana, Wisconsin. Additionally, none of the seats they currently hold are in any danger according to recent polling. That would bring the margin in the Senate to 57-43. However, seven of those democratic seats are up for re-election and are very close. Republicans look to be in good shape in Pennsylvania, Nevada, Illinois and Colorado with recent polling showing margins of 2-4% in favor of Republicans. Assuming that they take those, the margin will move to 53-47.

Three other close seats look as though they will be taken by the Democrats: West Virginia, Washington, and California. If current polling is accurate, these seats will stay Democratic. However, if the polling methods used have a hidden bias toward Democrats (polls face obvious difficulties determining who will actually vote. Do you count registered voters, “likely” voters or “really likely” voters?) such as underestimating Republican turnout, then one or more of these races could shift. On nothing more than a hunch, I’m going to say the Republicans do grab an upset in one of these states due to momentum, and predict a final Senate margin of 52 Democrats and 48 Republicans.

In the House, things are obviously tougher to look at, with 435 races going on across the country. Here, we will resort to data provided by www.RealClearPolitics.com. RealClearPolitics accumulates polling data and classifies races into five categories: Likely Dem, Leans Dem, Toss Up, Leans GOP, and Likely GOP. Currently, RealClearPolitics shows Republicans grabbing 224 seats, Democrats grabbing 168 seats, with 43 toss ups. It is interesting to note that of the 43 toss ups, 41 are currently held by Democrats. While Democrats are facing difficult circumstances nationally, House races are localized, and thus national tendencies can be overcome by individual candidates. Indeed, by most counts this has been a clear strategy for Democratic House candidates: focus on local issues and distance yourself from the Pelosi-Reid-Obama agenda. For that reason, we’ll assume the toss ups break to the democrats by a fairly large margin: about 2 to 1. This would give us a final House tally of 238 Republicans and 197 Democrats.

Obviously, the conclusion we can draw from this is that we are heading toward a divided government once more. To accomplish anything, Democrats and Republicans must get along. Will it happen? That’s a topic for another time.

The Daily Show had a classic correspondent piece on Monday. Assif Mandvi takes a look at the hypocritical practices of the UFCW (United Food and Commercial Workers Union) in Nevada. In a way that only the Daily Show can, the clip highlights a UFCW attempt to rally against Walmart for their “oppressive” labor policies. However, the focus soon shifts when Assif finds out that the picketers are temporary employees hired by the union and receiving minimum wage and no benefits to picket in 107 degree heat.

See the clip here:

While the Daily Show makes light of the situation, there are important issues at play. The hypocrisy of the union’s leadership shows how unions have evolved to become identical to the organizations they claim to fight, and brings up the question: “how do you protect the individual against more powerful entities in society?”

Liberals claim the answer to be two-fold: government regulations and unions. However, both fail for the same reason. In each case, there is a monopoly that gives either the government or the union power over the people due to the extreme cost imposed of searching for an alternate good. A public school teacher must be in a union. Should the union start to adopt policies that he or she doesn’t appreciate, the teacher must switch not just his or her job, but switch their field of expertise. Quite simply, it is infeasible.

Similarly, our government holds us so that we are reliant on its services. The only option otherwise is to leave the country, quite obviously an expensive maneuver. To leave requires liquidation of assets, access to another country, and a similar switch in jobs. As such, a government can create policies that are not popular. While voter recourse still exists, the expansion of the government bureaucracy here has left little that elected officials can do, while more and more of the laws on our books are enforced by lifetime bureaucrats who ultimately answer to no one.

Lastly, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the role of Corporations in this argument. Liberals love to blame the “Big Business” for all of societies woes. But corporations do not suffer from the aforementioned flaws that unions and government face. With few exceptions, corporations face competition both for sales and for employees. While competition doesn’t provide a complete protection for the individual, it is much easier to buy a different car, shop at a different store or work for a different company than it is to shed the burden of a union or a government which becomes oppressive.

Unfortunately the Supreme Court long ago threw away the one protection afforded to citizens against government when it discarded the 10th amendment, which would have created a competitive “free market” environment amongst the states. Ultimately, we need to look for new solutions to ensure that an individual can flourish in society. Concealed monopolies such as our government and unions certainly are not the answer.

Gary Johnson - Rogue Politician

It may actually be Gary Johnson, former Governor of New Mexico and Triathlete. Yes, that’s right: politician and triathlete. Seriously, who does that?  Sure, you’ve probably never heard of him, but he is one of the most refreshing politicians out there today. As the profile on him (link below) states, he is currently considering running for President in 2012. To some, he may be classified as a Ron Paul copycat with no chance of success, but realistically the man has some good ideas. Here are some highlights from the article:

“The fact that we are arresting 1.8 million people a year — and to what end? We have had virtually no effect on this in decades of pursuing current policy. I don’t know why we can’t accept marijuana use similar to alcohol.”

“It’s never been a consideration that I would enlist the services of a prostitute, myself personally,” he says. “But if I were to do that, where would I want to enlist that service? Well, it would probably be in Nevada, where it’s legal, because it would be safe.”

“I have not watched Glenn Beck. I don’t watch him.”

“Johnson laments that the nation is “bankrupt” and adds that the current level of national borrowing is “catastrophic.” He blames both parties for this sorry state of affairs. Johnson’ s prescription is plain: “slashing spending,” especially with regard to “the Big Four: Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and Defense.”

And the best quote of the bunch:

“I don’t think you’ll ever hear me invoking God in anything I do.”

This country, and the GOP particularly, need a leader who can unfetter them from the draconian members of the religious right. It also needs someone who can make the tough choices with regard to fiscal policy, and who will actually stand up and say that we are not going to expand the government. It needs someone without the ego of our last few Presidents. It needs “The most interesting politician… in the world.” Here’s to you, Gary Johnson.

Read more about Gary Johnson here.

In the realm of legislation that fails to receive sensationalized media attention, Ron Paul’s HR 1207 has largely been ignored by the mainstream media.  However, the legislation has garnered the cosponsorship of over half of the representatives in the house, and a companion bill in the senate has enjoyed similar success.

So what is HR 1207?  HR1207 is a bill to audit the Federal Reserve; the quasi-governmental agency responsible for managing the money supply of the United States.  Despite the word “Federal” in the name, they are no more a part of the government than a Federal Bank.  The Federal Reserve’s website lists their goals as Influencing Monetary and Credit conditions, supervising and regulating banking institutions, maintaining the stability of the financial system, and providing financial services to depository institutions and the US Government.

Many people find fault with the Federal Reserve through the inflationary tactics it uses to accomplish its goals.  Inflation, the expansion of the monetary supply causes price increases and makes money worth less.   Since the Federal Reserve’s inception in 1913, the worth of an American dollar has fallen 97%; what one could buy for three cents in 1913, one now has to spend one hundred cents in 2009.

The rampant inflationary tactics have taken a new turn in the past decade, as the inflation creates boom and bust cycles within our economy, as evidenced most recently by the housing bubble that spawned our current recession.  Furthermore, the Federal Reserve has increased the monetary supply by buying assets of struggling companies, which results in a hidden tax on the average American consumer.

This issue becomes relevant to students as we progress through college and seek employment in the workforce.  A Federal Reserve that manipulates the financial markets has the ability to bring widespread panic and ruin to the population.

HR 1207: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-1207

Hillary Clinton shared a laugh this week with Saudi Arabian college students over the prospect of Sarah Palin being elected president. If Palin was elected, Clinton declared she would not emigrate to Canada, but would, in fact, visit often.
NYT Article: Clinton Enjoys a Laugh Overseas About a Palin Presidency
While it may be entertaining to envision Palin as president, why are Americans not more unnerved at the proximity Palin achieved to the vice presidency in 2008?

Each Sunday, the Patriot will provide a look at some of the news issues that you should know about. We know it is tough for college students to keep up-to-date on current events. The Patriot’s Sunday News Beat is your answer to that. This week’s column will be mainly an aggregation of links, due to time constraints.

George Will describes the Demorat’s attempts to prematurely end a school choice program in Washington D.C. designed to help lower income families, and how it demonstrates the Democrat’s consistent approach to make citizens dependent on the government. Article here.

Walter Mead takes a look at the New York Times attempt to cover the latest climate controversies, and details the extensive level of bias reporting within the article which leaves readers still without an adequate scope of the issues at hand. Article here.

Salena Zito takes a look at the current Congressional landscape, and discusses the crucial role that many Pennsylvania races are poised to play in 2010: Article here.

Mark Landsbaum of the Orange County Register has the most comprehensive list of falsifications and scandals perpetrated by climate “scientists.” There will be more to come on this later in the week. Article here.

Additionally, The Times (UK) covers the research of Dr. John Cristy, former head of the U.N. IPCC. His research has found that much of the warming reported at multiple stations worldwide was due to issues in the immediate area, and do not serve to explain the climate at all. Article here.

Karen DeYoung and Joby Warrick, of the Washington Post, expose the fact that the Obama Administration has preferred killing terrorists to capturing terrorists in overseas operations. They discuss some of the possible reasons for this radical policy, as well as the possible implications: Article here.

In addition to all of that, the Winter Olympics have begun in Vancouver, Canada. Unfortunately, the start of the games was marred by the horrific death of a luger, Nodar Kumaritashvili, who died while making a practice run on the course. Samantha Shields of the Wall Street Journal describes some of the aftermath of the terrible death: Article here.

You can follow the results of the 21st Winter Olympics at: http://www.nbcolympics.com.

That’s everything for now. Until next time, have a good week.

“The Pentagon’s most recent inventory of bases lists a total of 716 overseas sites. These include facilities owned and leased all across the Middle East as well as a significant presence in Europe and Asia, especially Japan and South Korea…

The count also does not include any sites in Iraq where, as of August 2009, there were still nearly 300 American bases and outposts. Similarly, U.S. bases in Afghanistan — a significant percentage of the 400 foreign sites scattered across the country — are noticeably absent from the Pentagon inventory.”

In a continuation of cold-war era politics, The United States has increased her projection of power across the globe, deploying military personnel throughout the globe in ever-greater numbers, with mind-boggling arrays of equipment; 1.5 million pieces in Iraq alone.

What are your thoughts on the deployment of the U.S. military? Discuss them here.

The following link to a Huffington Post article highlights the reasons why men all over the world die earlier than women.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/myles-spar-md/why-do-men-die-younger-th_b_457660.html

However, this article calls into question our societies aggressive support for heteronormativity. Should men in our society rule? Should we continue to take excessive risks on wall street? Is our encouragement of sport teams best for Lehigh?

As a service to both conservatives and liberals, the Patriot is proud to provide accurate commentary on some individuals who position themselves as Conservative thinkers but are, in fact, anything but. One of those polarizing figures is Sarah Palin, or “Failin” if you prefer.

While Palin is idolized by an undue number of conservatives, the blunt truth is that this woman rarely has any idea what she is talking about. Despite that this has been demonstrated virtually any time she talks, some people still refuse to admit that she is a walking disaster.

So, while we will eventually get around to detailing some of her past displays of incompetency, we thought we should begin with a current one, to be labeled Case #001 by the Lehigh Patriot. This is Palin answering a question at the Tea Party Convention about how Congress should change.

In this clip, Palin says that elected U.S. leaders ought to become “god fearing” again, and “ask for divine inspiration” to help make the U.S. safe and prosperous again.

As effective as that may be, this is a woman positioning herself for a run at the White House, and her answer to our problems is to ask her American God to give us some miracles to solve health care, immigration, deficits, unemployment, excessive taxation and Middle East turmoil?

Better yet, pictures taken during the event show she was reading off of her hand while answering the question, and photos taken by the AP clearly show the notes on her hand. That brings us to a quick session of “Life Lessons with Sarah Palin.”

How to answer questions from the “Gotch-ya” Media by Sarah Palin

Step 1: Wink, Smile, and talk about God. Step 2: Know questions in advance.

Step 3: Write notes on the inside of my hand.

Step 4: "Discretely" read the notes off of my hand.

(Photos 1 and 2 AP)

(Photo 3 http://tweetphoto.com/10644777)

If Palin used notes to identify the three things this country should do to improve, we may finally have an answer to how she finally received her degree in communications. For those who don’t know, it took Palin almost six years at four different colleges to eventually obtain her degree in communications finally from the University of Idaho. Based on these revelations, it seems the University of Idaho should investigate whether or not Palin used this technique during some of her exams.

Each Sunday, the Patriot will provide a look at some of the news issues that you should know about. We know it is tough for college students to keep up-to-date on current events. The Patriot’s Sunday News Beat is your answer to that. Enjoy!

What’s in the news this week? Here at Lehigh, there isn’t much. There was a bird storm, followed by a snowstorm. Our bookstore manager allegedly ripped up several Brown and White’s due to an editorial he didn’t like, leading the Brown and White to claim that free speech was ‘stifled’. Given that their policy toward online comments – to never publish comments with links to outside sources – this editorial should be a good source of laughter for those who enjoy outright hypocrisy.

Looking to the bigger picture, here are the biggest stories and the best articles from the week.

Liberal Condescension

Gerard Alexander, a professor of politics at the University of Virginia, wrote a great piece in the Washington Post on the history of liberal condescension in politics, and how it has been much more extreme than condescension coming from the right. It is quite enjoyable if you are open-minded, regardless of political affiliation.

Alexander’s Article

Climate Change Collapsing

Those silly “Climatologists” are at it again. More and more manipulations of data and misinformation are being discovered each day, and more and more news organizations around the world are covering the collapse. Most notably, India has decided to create it’s own agency to monitor climate change, since they feel that they cannot trust the IPCC. Additionally, the British head of the IPCC from 1997 – 2002 publically stated that the U.N. IPCC is on the verge of losing its credibility. Other instances of manipulation have been brought to light: baseless claims that climate change will destroy 50% of the Amazon, and manipulation of reports on water-stressed populations. With IPCC claims actually being scrutinized as they should have, it is quite likely that more inaccuracies and falsifications will appear over the coming weeks.

Healthcare: Pass / Fail Edition

In America’s most famous three-ring circus, Washington  D.C., Democrats continue to be flummoxed by the complexities of passing a healthcare bill that is opposed by a majority of the public during an election year. America’s angriest woman and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi still says that the bill will be passed, but on the same day President Obama admitted that Healthcare Reform may not pass. Given the lack of newsworthy progress on the bill, it seems that President Obama’s outlook may be more likely.

Palin Speaks, People Cry

Liberals and Conservatives can unite in a fest of both laughter, and tears due to Sarah Palin’s latest reappearance.

For those who want to cry, or laugh, at Palin’s lack of logic and reason, Joan Walsh of Slate has an article for that.

For those who want to cry, or laugh, at Palin’s lack of vocabulary and sentence structure, there’s no better place to find that than from Fox News, where you can read, or try to read, the transcript of her interview with Chris Wallace.

The interview starts with a simple question and a butchered response, and it was all downhill from there:

WALLACE: How do you see yourself as a member of the Tea Party movement or a member of the Republican Party?

PALIN: Oh, I think the two are and should be even more so merging because the Tea Party movement is quite reflective of what the GOP, the planks in the platform are supposed to be about. Limited government and more freedom, more respect for equality. That’s what the Tea Party movement is about, so I think that the two are much entwined and I’m happy about that.

Additionally, her exchange at the end of the interview regarding her intentions for 2012 is particularly scary, due to both her many grammatical errors, and her bizarre reasoning.

That’s all we’ve got. Until next time, have a good week!