This will not be a long diary, but I believe it is a harbinger of great fortune on this most important primary day in the great State of Indiana.

My parents and grandparents have been long-time supporters of Dick Lugar. They have voted for him religiously since 1976.

My grandparents have long since passed, but my parents remain…and they are approaching the age where they reflect upon the choices they have made and what they pass on to their children and grand-children.

With those considerations in mind, I first began speaking to them about the notion of replacing Lugar with Richard Mourdock a couple of months ago. They were, of course, hesitant to join this movement. Like many others in Indiana, they liked what they were familiar with. In this case, Richard Lugar has been like a political security blanket. As Republican and Democrat presidents and members of congress have come and gone, they knew they could always rely on Dick Lugar in the senate.

…that is, until they caught a glimpse of his voting record during the Obama presidency.

To be fair, I simply provided them with the evidence. I respect my elders – including my parents – and I told them up front that the decision is and always will be THEIRS as to who they support. But I gave them this warning: Who you send to congress directly reflects what sort of country you leave for your children, grand-children, and all who follow.

This morning, I awoke at 4a (as is my custom to help some of our elderly voters to the polls on election days) to find text messages from both parents. Their words?

Retire Lugar

Both parents…now divorced and barely speaking to each other (happily re-married though)…said the exact same thing in their messages.

RETIRE LUGAR

Fellow Hoosiers, it’s GAME ON. Let’s GOTV and make things right for the sake of our country.

Edited to add:

My fellow RedStaters, I have NEVER seen such a swell of support for a Republican like I have seen for Richard Mourdock since Reagan was running for election and re-election. I traveled three random neighborhoods in Kokomo, Tipton and Noblesville here in North Central Indiana. I counted three Lugar signs and forty-five Mourdock signs…FORTY-FIVE.

In the interest of brevity, I’ll try to keep this short and sweet.

According to the Treasury Department, Barack Obama’s so-called “Buffet Rule” will add a whopping $5 billion per year in revenues.

$5 billion…matched against a federal deficit projected to be close to $1.3 TRILLION. That’s less than a 0.5% dent in what has rapidly become the instrument of the decay of the value of the dollar (and the ballooning of oil and gas prices). As Billy Bob Thornton said in the movie Armageddon, that’s like shooting a BB gun at a freight train.

Is this an election year parlor trick? Of course it is. Barack Obama and the rest of his Chicago goon squad know how useless the Buffet Rule is from an economic standpoint. They know about divisiveness all too well, exploiting anyone and everything they can for their own selfish purposes.

What these clowns WON’T tell you is where they want to take the country: into a place where the federal government takes large amounts of money from those who work – ALL of us, not just the “1%” – and gives it to those who refuse to pull their fair share…a voting bloc that will forever be loyal because, quite frankly, they can’t survive if they are not. Obama also knows that he will have to come after middle-class Americans’ paychecks. Think making $50,000-80,000 exempts you? To those living off government assistance, THAT is wealthy. You will be expected to hand over increasingly larger amounts of taxes…in the interest of “fairness”.

One other disturbing trend:

Think about how tax policy has changed during the last 2 years. Sure, Obama kicked the can down the road on marginal tax rates, but what about the 2% reduction in FICA withholding? That money had to be made up per general funds i.e. marginal tax revenue.

In other words, now that Obama has created a generation of Americans dependent on government payouts, he is intent on making those payouts contingent upon GENERAL funds instead of FICA and other mandatory withholding. There will come a time when the two divisions of budget outlays, discretionary and mandatory, are merged into one…with workers making more than is deemed minimally necessary being soaked for EVERYTHING.

Think this all sounds CT-ish…far-fetched? WAKE UP…this is happening before our very eyes…and with very little fanfare nationally. In fact, it has already begun.

One thing more…and I don’t want to hit this one too hard because this is not a Romney diary, but it bears stating:

If you are a conservative hell-bent on standing on your purity soap-box through November, DON’T. 2012 is far more important than sitting at home wishing the primaries had turned out differently. Mitt Romney is our candidate and only chance to move Obama out of office.

Will Romney be better than Obama? There is no certainty, only opportunity. I think he will be. But what I do know is this:

If we sit at home wishing for something better (or worse, saying “Well, in 2016, we’ll choose a more conservative candidate”…because that worked out SOOO well for us after 2008), Obama gets reelected. While Romney may be better than Obama should he get elected, if Obama is reelected, Obama II will, at minimum, be as bad or worse than Obama I. That is a FACT…a fact that this great republic can’t afford to realize after it’s too late. The America we know and love will cease to be that great beacon of freedom. We owe our children and grandchildren better than that.

On Monday, Rick Santorum laid out a case that high gas prices caused the Great Recession – essentially pointing out that high gas prices kept many Americans from paying their bills, thus resulting in the credit nightmare that ensued.

Here’s the problem with his argument…and the opportunity that is presented by virtue of his willingness to hammer Obama:

This isn’t 2008. People are less concerned with what caused the 2008 economic meltdown than they are with why we haven’t climbed out of it and how we can fix what ails us.

This is where we have a golden opportunity, regardless of who emerges from the primaries, to seal Obama’s fate once and for all.

There are two primary factors contributing to high gas prices – and both are derived directly from Barack Obama’s policy briefcase:

1. Bloated budgets, complete with $1-1.5 trillion yearly deficits, have so devalued our dollar that oil was hovering around $100/barrel long before Iran began beating its chest and making threats. Oil is priced in dollars; therefore, when it is weakened (as it has been during the Obama presidency), the cost of oil rises dramatically. But don’t take my word for it. Here are two statements from MSNBC (leftist) and Forbes attesting to the same correlation/causation:

Schoen (MSNBC)

Weak dollar. This has an indirect impact, but since oil is priced in dollars, as the value of the dollar falls, the price of oil in dollars goes up. Over the last five years, the dollar has fallen by 33 percent against the euro. If that keeps up, the upward pressure on oil prices will remain.

Woodhill (Forbes)

During the 1970s, the toxic combination of a weak dollar, high tax rates, and onerous regulations introduced a new word into America’s economic vocabulary: stagflation. Reaganomics banished this word to the history books. Now, President Obama and Fed Chairman Bernanke are teaming up to give stagflation another try.

Enter the GOP candidate for the presidency. Obama is and should be the sole beneficiary of criticism for the budgets he submitted to congress and the deficits that accompanied them. Explain in plain terms how devaluing the dollar led to $4-5/gallon gas – then watch the voting public turn on Obama so fast it will make his head spin.

2. Obama’s refusal to increase domestic oil production is a two-tiered monster. It not only artificially decreased the supply of oil, but it choked off revenue from this nation’s #2 revenue producer: oil contract royalties (#1 is the income tax). So when he whines about the wealthy not paying their fair share, how about we point out to the voting public the fact that HE has deprived the country of much needed revenue…FROM THE OIL INDUSTRY…by virtue of his refusal to issue more oil leases? That should go mighty well with his nonsensical class warfare arguments.

Of course, these issues matter not if our own candidates don’t trumpet them DAY AFTER DAY until the public is properly educated on Obama’s failures and how responsible he is for the fact that we haven’t recovered sufficiently from this recession. Think the American public won’t make the connection? Try reminding them how nice it was to only put $1.13/gallon into their gas tanks during the 1990s…and how little they can spend and save now that it is $4-5/gallon. They’ll get an education in what drives or suppresses consumer demand before our very eyes…and they’ll rightfully blame Obama for his role in the mess.

I’m for a good old fashioned social issues debate, but perhaps in 2012, we could argue issues that matter the most to the American public…and argue them with the facts that pound the nail in Obama’s reelection coffin.

As is my frequent custom, I recorded a spot for a Northern Indiana AM radio station. These segments are aired on that station and its FM affiliates the following morning, with the occasional hour-long round-table airing live.

Now, this is just a little piece of media in a small Hoosier area. However, you might be surprised at the number of emails I receive from listeners who appreciate a college and university professor explicating issues relative to business and economics in a manner inconsistent with the liberal bent we all have come to know and despise. Below I have pasted a brief summary (as detailed in yesterday’s media appearance) of my take on the impending budget battle and what it means for the country. Please feel free to comment/criticize/support in any way you deem appropriate…I have thick skin

General Budget Notes

In his final budget request prior to the 2012 Election, President Obama rolled out a $3.8 trillion spending request for Fiscal Year 2013 that promises more debt than the president’s proposal to reduce debt back in September of 2011. In the best of circumstances and according to his own economic team, President Obama’s budget will add an average of no less than $600 billion annually to an already $16 trillion national debt. This means that the national debt, by the end of 2022 and under the best of economic circumstances, will climb to $22 trillion.

That’s the bad news…here is the really bad news:

The president’s estimates operate under a number of optimistic assumptions. Namely, that the unemployment rate will slowly drop to (and stay at) 5% by 2020 and that Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will simultaneously ascend beyond the 1-3% range it currently produces to the tune of 4-5% growth. This budget also assumes that inflation will remain relatively static – an assumption that is contradicted by the existence of recurring deficits and a weak dollar.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, here is the really, really bad news:

Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid program spending obligations are projected by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to comprise amounts equal to 12.5% of overall GDP. That number is presently about 10%. At the same time, according to the CBO the number of Social Security recipients is expected to jump to about 75 million Americans by 2022 compared to 55 million as of 2012. This jump occurs at a time when the birth rate in the United States is about 3% lower than in years past…meaning there will be less workers paying the bills for these programs.

So what’s the deal?

If ever there was a time for House Republicans to hold the line on spending and validate the support they received during the 2010 midterm elections, that time is NOW. The Democrat-controlled Senate will likely rubber-stamp Obama’s budget request, opting to punt to the next congress and avoid making tough choices before the election. However, the House of Representatives is controlled heavily by a GOP faction that was put in place to handle this very dilemma.

The absolute worst thing Republicans can do is cower from a budget fight. Economically, this country is stuck in the mud due to recurring deficits, a weak dollar, and high oil and gas prices that have persisted due to that weak dollar. Businesses are just beginning to hire again, but they will be less likely to further do so if they believe their taxes will be increased in the months and years to follow…and the president’s budget proposal stands to do that very thing.

Then there are the last GOP presidential candidates standing. If ever there was an opportunity for Newt Gingrich to stay competitive in this race, that time is NOW. He was House Speaker when we balanced our budget. He has also successfully stared down a popular Democrat president (Clinton) and won battles on several fronts…including budgetary, social and energy-related fronts. Mitt Romney must hammer away at the business end of the discussion by pointing out that the path to robust business growth does not involve depriving small businesses, many of whom will fall under Obama’s $250,000 or more tax target, of operating capital. Rick Santorum? He should forget the other two candidates and be in full-time attack Obama mode. This budget gives him a mighty salient and convenient tool to do so.

This is a dangerous time for the country and its economy. Greece is in ruins because it kicked the debt can down the road so long that is was forced into severe
spending cuts to secure a path out of oblivion. Will the United States take a quicker path to solving its budget woes, or will it kick the can like Greece has? Do we have the will to do what is necessary, or will we wait until the spending cuts are so draconian (and the tax increases so debilitating) that the country will slip into depression? That answer may well rest with House Republicans – who are likely the only obstacle standing between fiscal and monetary sanity and another $6+ trillion in debt.

I have been very torn in recent weeks over which candidate would be a better nominee to take back the White House…Newt Gingrich or Rick Perry.

Both men have flaws…and let’s be honest, ALL HUMANS have flaws. But it occurs to me that among this list of flawed candidates rests some pretty terrific talent to bring conservatism back to the forefront in American policy making at a time when it has never been needed more.

Given those realities, I have come to the conclusion that a Perry/Gingrich ticket is the best available to conservatives…and here are just a few of the reasons why:

1. Rick Perry has the money, record and value system to advance conservatism in a big way. He is terrific on the stump…and despite my shrinking concerns about his debating skills, many on this site have convinced me that his ability to derail the calm, cool and collected demeanor of Romney and Obama will be on display full force should he get the nomination. I agree with this premise more each time I read and consider it.

2. One of the reasons I like Newt Gingrich is his ability to intelligently and articulately express why conservatism is good for the country. That is no small task on the big stage. However, why couldn’t he advance these ideals as the #2 on the ticket? He’ll be campaigning with Perry and debating JOE BIDEN, of all people. If that isn’t a stage for success on the policy communication platform, I don’t know what is.

3. These two candidates, presented in this ticket, will rally conservatives AND Independents alike. Indies LOVE winners…and there are few who have won as much during their careers as Rick Perry. Plus, we will have a ticket that has balanced budgets and created jobs…the two most important economic tasks facing a new administration.

4. It is becoming abundantly clear that the media is scared stiff of the possibility of Obama facing someone like Perry. That same media has always feared Gingrich, as they remember when he took it to Clinton on welfare reform and balanced budgets. Plus, their mantra of the idiot conservative would pretty much vanish into thin air with a Ph.D. and historian on the ticket. Their dream ticket of Romney/anti-Romney would also be crushed – as would Obama’s chances of re-election – if we didn’t nominate someone with such easily-exploitable policy flaws as Mitt Romney.

Call me crazy, but I think this is the path to certain victory in 2012. As always, I welcome your spirited dissent in the comments to follow!

I am not a Libertarian. I am a conservative.

Yet I find myself perplexed by the number of conservatives ready to toss Newt Gingrich aside because of his personal life. What is it that drives this insatiable need to sit in judgment of this man and the decisions he has made in his personal life?

Is it the squeaky-clean lives we all have lead where we have neither committed physical adultery, nor have we lusted after another in our minds? (Both ARE sins, according to the scripture…)

Is it the fact that we are looking to tear down a candidate who might not be our personal favorite? I thought that was what Democrats did to their opponents…correct me if I’m wrong here…

Is it the fact that SOME of Newt’s policy positions, which he puts forth with unequaled eloquence and mastery, simply do not sync with our own? Last I checked, even Reagan had some policy positions nearly every conservative disagreed with at some point or another. Did we work to tear him down endlessly?

Is it because we see him as less electable than the other candidates?

Is it because he isn’t physically fit?

How many other petty reasons will we use to justify drudging up 20 year-old personal matters that have nothing to do with saving this country?

People, we have serious problems to fix…and we need a problem solver NOW.

I don’t give a rip who Newt has cheated on in the past. That’s right…I DON’T CARE. The man has obviously made some terrible personal mistakes, but look at this from a practical point of view: If God hadn’t forgiven him for his sins, would he have put this historic opportunity to transform the greatest nation on Earth within his grasp?

As for the other candidates…

Rick Perry would have been my preferred candidate…if only he could find a coherent sentence once in a while when speaking in front of a national audience. The guy simply isn’t ready for the GOP prime-time, let alone for an all-out war with the Obama machine. At one point I wasn’t sure, but now I am convinced: Obama v. Perry on the national stage = 4 more years of darkness…BANK ON IT.

Mitt Romney is worse than a RINO. He is a wolf in sheeps wool, pretending to be just conservative enough to fool the GOP primary electorate until he sprints to the left in the general. NO THANK YOU…

Bachmann…Santorum…Paul…Huntsman…pretenders all…

Newt Gingrich may not be the perfect candidate, but he is one who can, at a minimum, serve to right many of the Obama wrongs socially, economically, and with regards to foreign affairs. And he can crush Obama not once…not twice…but THREE (3) times in nationally-televised  debates. Don’t tell me that prospect doesn’t make you grin ear-to-ear!

I will not presume to tell anyone here how they should feel and vote. Each person desiring a dramatic shift in this country’s direction must leave his/her own decision at the foot of his/her conscience.

As for me, I will not “hold my nose” and vote for this guy if he is our candidate. I will proudly say that I chose the candidate best able to restore America’s greatness.

Just when you thought hope for conservatism was lost on college campuses, they let one of us take the wheel.

I am a Master’s graduate nearing Ph.D. conferral. My dissertation is being written to demonstrate the overwhelming viability of lessened government intervention in free markets and reduced taxes as a conduit to lower unemployment, higher wages, and better benefit dissemination.

I am also a proud professor of political science and economics.

I know what you must be thinking:

What the heck is a conservative, anti-Keynesian economist doing infiltrating liberal academia?

My answer is very simple: I am fed up with the left-wing indoctrination of our susceptible, impressionable youth via public education - and rather than complain about it, I am taking my fight to the trenches.

If there is a canard to be refuted in politics, it is the ridiculous notion that liberals are somehow more educated than conservatives. Quite the contrary, conservatives have historically relied on facts and reason to quash the ideals of those espousing public-sector solutions to policy problems. It has only been the betrayal of conservative principles and values that has allowed liberal ideals to win over what has been, at times, a snake oil buying public.

The unsurprising reality of the college classroom is much like it is at the ballot box. As easily as a student can be indoctrinated by a left-wing ideologue in the classroom, he can be freed from the lies and distortions of the left with regards to conservatism. When both options are presented in a non-biased (yet factual) manner, it’s quite refreshing to witness the number of students who, through no coercion whatsoever, opt for the conservative route.

This was the case when I recently presented the president’s budget and the bleak economic outlook of the country (as the projected deficit exceeds 10% of the overall GDP) to my class. As they took a look at receipts and outlays, it became patently clear to all that the spending of the federal government was bankrupting their future and the futures of their children and grandchildren. As they pondered the total accumulation of debt at the end of the decade, they swiftly began to loudly proclaim that spending cuts were necessary to save the country’s economic future. Not a single student made the assertion that raising taxes was the solution to this economic quandary.

This was, my friends, a class of mostly liberal students before the debate based on their comments to that point. That so many could be persuaded by facts so quickly via a single class session speaks volumes of the opportunities we have to encourage such revelations from the inside.

If you take anything away from this diary, please let it be the following:

There are some within the walls of higher academia working to overturn what has, thus far, been an unbalanced diet of anti-capitalist nonsense fed to the mouths of babes. Some of these students were strong enough to overcome the indoctrination, but others have simply needed the opportunity to properly digest both lines of thought before realizing which ideology is the economic path to individual, group and aggregate prosperity and which represents the path to despair.

There was a time when I thought my principles and values would exclude me from higher education. Now that I’m inside, expect nothing but my relentless mission to reverse the damage that has been done to our precious youth as they helplessly made their way through public school systems. The left had their opportunity to ruin these kids. Now, they’re mine to educate the right way.