Ten Things

Ten Things to Keep In Mind for 2012 - By Kevin D. Williamson - Exchequer - National Review Online: "With an eye on 2012, here are ten important but sometimes counterintuitive facts to keep in mind:

1.      There is no austerity.

2.      There was no deregulation.

3.      You can’t trust Republicans on spending.

4.      Wall Street loves Democrats.

5.      People who voted for Barack Obama on civil-liberties grounds are fools.

6.      If you aren’t for massive entitlement reform, you’re for massive tax hikes.

7.      But taxing the rich won’t close the deficit.

8.      The housing bubble was largely a political creation.

9.      Well-meaning politicians are just as dangerous as self-serving ones.

10.  There’s no way out of this jam without big cuts to popular programs.

The real debate isn’t whether to cut, only what and how much and when. (My preferred answers: almost everything, a lot, now.)"

Click through and read the links referenced in the list. It's a serious dose of reality.