Comparing Quotes

Two great quotes from Presidents from two different parties.

"It [paternalism] perverts the patriotic sentiments of our countrymen and tempts them to pitiful calculation of the sordid gain to be derived from their government’s maintenance. It undermines the self-reliance of our people and substitutes in its place dependence upon governmental favoritism. It stifles the spirit of true Americanism and stupefies every ennobling trait of American citizenship. The lessons of paternalism ought to be unlearned and the better lesson taught that while the people should patriotically and cheerfully support their government, its functions do not include the support of the people."

- Grover Cleveland (D)

"Now more than ever before, the people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless, and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness, and corruption. If it be intelligent, brave, and pure, it is because the people demand these high qualities to represent them in the national legislature. …

If the next centennial does not find us a great nation … it will be because those who represent the enterprise, the culture, and the morality of the nation do not aid in controlling the political forces."

- James Garfield (R)

Today's Lesson in History

I pulled this from a section in today's National Review.

In 1922, Great Britain created the state of Jordan out of 80 percent of the Palestine Mandate — a geographical, not an ethnic, designation. The territory in the Mandate had been part of the Turkish (not Arab) empire for the previous four hundred years. Then in 1948, a U.N. “partition plan” provided equal parts of the remaining Turkish land to Arabs and to Jews living on the banks of the Jordan River. In this plan, the Jews were assigned 10 percent of the original Palestine Mandate, while the Arabs received 90 percent. None of this land had belonged to a “Palestinian” nation or a Palestinian entity. In the previous 400 years there had never been a province of the Turkish empire called “Palestine.” The entire region out of which Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank were created was known as “Ottoman Syria.”
In what would prove to be a continuing pattern, the Jews accepted the partition’s grossly unequal terms; their portion consisted of three unconnected slivers of land, of which 60 percent was arid desert. The Arabs, who had already received 80 percent of the Mandate land, rejected their additional portion, as they would continue to reject any arrangement that would allow for a Jewish state.
Immediately, five Arab nations launched a war against the Jews, who repelled the Arab attacks and established a Jewish state. When the fighting ended, the parts of the partitioned land that had been earmarked for the Arabs — namely, the West Bank and Gaza — were annexed by Jordan and Egypt, respectively, and disappeared from the map. There was no protest from the Arab world at the disappearance of “Palestine” into Jordan and Egypt, no Palestine Liberation Organization, no complaint to the U.N. The reason for the silence was that there was no Palestinian identity at the time, no movement for “self-determination,” no “Palestinian” people to make a claim. There were Arabs who lived in the region of the Jordan. But they considered themselves inhabitants of Jordan or of the Syrian province of the former Ottoman Empire. The disappearance of the West Bank and Gaza was an annexation of Arab land by Arab states.

Arab and Western revisionists have turned this history on its head to portray the Jewish war of survival as a racist, imperialist plot to expel “Palestinians” from “Palestine.” This is an utter distortion of the historical record. The term “Palestine Mandate” is a European reference to a geographical section of the defeated Turkish empire. The claim that there was a Palestinian nation from which ethnic Palestinians were expelled and which Israel now “occupies” illegally is a political lie.

In 1967, the Arab states attacked Israel again, with the express aim of “pushing the Jews into the sea.” Again they were defeated. And once again defeat did not prompt the Arab states to make peace or to abandon their efforts to destroy Israel. At an August 1967 summit in Khartoum, Arab leaders declared that they would accept “no peace, no recognition, and no negotiations” with Israel. This is the permanent Arab war against Israel. It is a war driven by religious and ethnic hatred, which is the only durable cause of the conflict in the Middle East.

Don't forget everyone, those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

Environmentalism and Integrity

Once again I find myself using a blog post as a comment response to a Facebook conversation. This works out well though as I get to flesh out my ideas and thoughts. I will for the sake of continuity of reading paste the specific comment I am responding to. If you want to view the entire thread you may view it here.

“’There is nothing ‘clean and green’ about your efforts.’ is an outright lie. Environmentalists don't promote deep water drilling. But Palin promotes deep water drilling or do you forget 2008 when they were screaming ‘drill baby drill’

None of the oil drilled in the US belongs to the US it belongs to Corporations that can choose to sell it to Americans or choose to sell it to the Chinese. “

There was also part of the original comment that stated, “Wouldn’t be a Sarah Palin article if it wasn’t riddled with half truths and outright lies.”

This was in response to a portion of a previously posted comment of mine which included the request to “Please do me a favor and point out the outright lies in her message so I can research that myself. Preferably with sources.”

I had planned to respond to this a little sooner but it happened just as I was getting ready to head out on a cruise with my beautiful wife. It has given me a bit more time to consider a portion of my response. I started thinking about the charge of an author’s article being “riddled with half truths and outright lies.” The theme of Integrity has been on my mind a lot the last several weeks. After looking at great examples of integrity such as George Washington along with several other people in history and a few that I know personally, I have come to the decision that leveling a charge against someone’s integrity is the absolute most serious charge or claim you can make against a person. It goes to the very character of one’s soul. In my opinion you need to absolutely make sure you have all of your facts lined up straight before leveling such a charge and make sure those facts are indisputably verified. In regards to the specific example cited in the quote above, I believe I have addressed it logically below as part of my response.

How an oil lease works.

You lease your land to the company that has the ability to produce, or extract, the natural resource. They typically give you a percentage of what they sell the product for. It is the same for state and federal governments. YOU control access to the land, therefore YOU own the land and all minerals contained therein. A private company is given a lease to develop the resource and they pay a percentage of the money they make for your granting them access to the natural resource. Whether a private individual or a government, you would never see a single red cent from the natural resource unless it was developed. The company “producing” the natural resource is paying you to access the resource. You own the resource. Most leases are for a specific amount of time. Most also include clauses that say you can sell the lease to somebody else if they don’t develop the resource. As you, or in the case of government, the state, has control over the terms of the lease, and can even specify the amount of time the lease is good for, YOU OWN THE RESOURCE, NOT THE OIL OR GAS COMPANY. When the lease is up, they can no longer develop that resource. I know a lot of people say, a percentage (the average is up to 25%) really isn’t fair, but considering the immense cost to develop natural resources you score pretty good. You do none of the work but get a pretty good payday at the end of the day. Besides, 25% of something is better than 100% of nothing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_and_gas_law_in_the_United_States

Objective vs Subjective

Palin’s statement that the work of “Extreme” environmental groups is not green is subjective. My college humanities class that I just completed spoke about critics in the world of the humanities and using critical skills in real life. There are two types of observations a critic uses, those that are subjective, and those that are objective. Objective observations would be the factual ones such as “the movie was filmed in black and white.” Subjective observations would be one such as “that movie was lame.” Palin made a subjective criticism there which cannot fall into the realm of being an outright lie because she was not claiming to state a fact. She was using a subjective opinion to describe her view on the results of over 30 + years of environmental lawsuits that tie up the ability of developers who have been granted leases by the government to develop our natural resources so they cannot be developed. As a result, developers have had to go further out to areas where the “Extreme” environmentalists could care less.

Extreme vs Environmentalism

I would like to think most people view themselves as friendly to the environment and attempting to be good stewards of the resources God has blessed us with. It is something that Governor Palin has addressed several times. Yes we need to be responsible, but at the same time we cannot lock everything up so we can all have feel good tingles running down us. There is a difference in wanting to be a good steward over the environment and taking those views to the extreme. That is what Palin is addressing and she is well acquainted with it. The State of Alaska has been declared ground zero for extreme environmentalism. From people attempting to blow up pipelines to filing frivolous lawsuits, they see it there. There is this article documenting “extreme” environmentalism to this essay written showcasing how “Global Warming” has been elevated to that of a religion by those on the left.

While groups like Green Peace have moved farther to the extreme side in completely limiting and locking up even good land use, one of its cofounders, Patrick Moore had this to say about Nuclear Energy. In the same article he discusses the lack of dependability in using energy sources such as wind and solar. Because Mr. Moore has turned against the more “extreme” environmentalists and suggested common sense approaches to some of our energy and environment concerns, in true Alinsky fashion they have turned on him.

Domestic vs International Development

You mentioned that the oil companies can sell to the Chinese if they want to. That is very true. I could sell my Toyota corolla to the Chinese if I wanted to. Because of the terms of the lease, the developer can sell to whomever they want. However, most developers prefer to sell to locations that are much closer to where they are extracting the resource. Less cost involved. It’s a tenet of basic economics. That is why the Chinese are pursuing their own leases and production capabilities. Coincidentally they just inked a HUGE lease deal with Cuba. The Chinese will drill in the same waters that are affected by the current spill and based upon their STELLAR work safety record I am sure the Chinese will develop it much more environmentally friendly then we do our own resources. So, China will develop what they need for themselves and who is left to buy their surplus, oh yeah us. Not only will China control all of our national debt but they will control a large portion of the oil we then use.

Decreasing Consumption

This one is very simple. In order to decrease consumption of something you have to produce a viable alternative. Otherwise demand for the original product will never go down. Once again, it’s basic economics. How can you decrease the demand for oil if you do not have a viable alternative to it? Some alternatives have been looked at, but none of them are to the point where they can decrease demand because they are either too expensive or do not produce a true economic benefit for the consumer, i.e. save them money. Once an economically viable alternative is found, developed, able to be produced at a low enough cost that people can afford it, you still have to develop a national infrastructure to make use of it. I am a believer in developing and using alternative sources, but it is something that has to currently be a long term goal as neither a cost effective alternative nor the infrastructure exist to carry out such a plan. In regards to oil, you also have to look at all the things that are made from petroleum products. Even if we all drove rainbow powered cars you wouldn’t even make a dent in petroleum consumption. You would need to eliminate something like plastic. This means, no IV bags, no IV tubes for the hospitals, no Vaseline, etc. It means no effective packaging method to keep food fresh and inexpensive for the public, no tvs, no computers, no radios, pretty much most of the products used by the public would have to disappear or use less cost effective and less safer alternatives to meet that demand. Here is a partial list of items made from oil.

http://www.ranken-energy.com/Products%20from%20Petroleum.htm

Energy and the Environment are subjects I have tackled here, here, here, and partially here.

As always everyone, keep yourself informed and don't be afraid to speak out.

Something to Think About

Got this in an email from someone. I verified some of the links, haven't verified all of them but it's a good start for someone wanting to dig into more information on this one. I'll probably have some interesting things to say in my personal blog when I chat about my cruise to Mexico last week.

What if 20 Million Illegal Aliens Vacated America ? ( note: ILLEGAL - here without papers )

I, Tina Griego, journalist for the Denver Rocky Mountain News wrote a column titled, 'Mexican Visitor's Lament' -- 10/25/07.

I interviewed Mexican journalist Evangelina Hernandez while visiting Denver last week. Hernandez said, 'They (illegal aliens) pay rent, buy groceries, buy clothes...What Happens to your country's economy if 20 million people go away?' Hummm, I thought, what would happen, so I did my due diligence, buried my nose as a reporter into the FACTS I found below.

It's a good question - it deserves an honest answer. Over 80% of Americans demand secured borders and illegal migration stopped. But what would happen if all 20 million or more vacated America? The answers I found may surprise you!

In California , if 3.5 million illegal aliens moved back to Mexico, it would leave an extra $10.2 billion to spend on overloaded school systems, bankrupt hospitals and overrun prisons. It would leave highways cleaner, safer and less congested. Everyone could understand one another as English became the dominant language again.

In Colorado , 500,000 illegal migrants, plus their 300,000 kids and grand-kids - would move back 'home', mostly to Mexico . That would save Coloradans an estimated $2 billion (other experts say $7 billion) annually in taxes that pay for schooling, medical, social-services and incarceration costs.
It means 12,000 gang members would vanish out of Denver alone.

Colorado would save more than $20 million in prison costs, and the terror that those 7,300 alien criminals set upon local citizens. Denver Officer Don Young and hundreds of Colorado victims would not have suffered death, accidents, rapes and other crimes by illegals.

Denver Public Schools would not suffer a 67 percent drop-out/flunk-out rate because of thousands of illegal alien students speaking 41 different languages. At least 200,000 vehicles would vanish from our gridlocked cities in Colorado. Denver 's 4% unemployment rate would vanish as our working poor would gain jobs at a living wage.

In Florida , 1.5 million illegals would return the Sunshine State back to America , the rule of law, and English.

In Chicago , Illinois , 2.1 million illegals would free up hospitals, schools, prisons and highways for a safer, cleaner and more crime-free experience.

If 20 million illegal aliens returned 'home' --

If 20 million illegal aliens returned 'home', the U.S. Economy would return to the rule of law. Employers would hire legal American citizens at a living wage. Everyone would pay their fair share of taxes because they wouldn't be working off the books. That would result in an additional $401 Billion in IRS income taxes collected annually, and an equal amount for local, state and city coffers.

No more push '1' for Spanish or '2' for English. No more confusion in American schools that now must contend with over 100 languages that degrade the educational system for American kids. Our over-crowded schools would lose more than two million illegal alien kids at a cost of billions in ESL and free breakfasts and lunches.

We would lose 500,000 illegal criminal alien inmates at a cost of more than $1.6 billion annually. That includes 15,000 MS-13 gang members who distribute $130 billion in drugs annually would vacate our country.

In cities like L.A. , 20,000 members of the ' 18th Street Gang' would vanish from our nation. No more Mexican forgery gangs for ID theft from Americans! No more foreign rapists and child molesters!

Losing more than 20 million people would clear up our crowded highways and gridlock. Cleaner air and less drinking and driving American deaths by illegal aliens!
America 's economy is drained. Taxpayers are harmed. Employers get rich. Over $80 billion annually wouldn't return to the aliens' home countries by cash transfers. Illegal migrants earned half that money untaxed, which further drains America 's economy - which currently suffers an
$8.7 trillion debt.

At least 400,000 anchor babies would not be born in our country, costing us $109 billion per year per cycle. At least 86 hospitals in California , Georgia and Florida would still be operating instead of being bankrupt out of existence because illegals pay nothing via the EMTOLA Act.

Americans wouldn't suffer thousands of TB and hepatitis cases rampant in our country-brought in by illegals unscreened at our borders.

Our cities would see 20 million less people driving, polluting and grid locking our cities. It would also put the 'progressives' on the horns of a dilemma; illegal aliens and their families cause 11 percent of our greenhouse gases.

Over one million of Mexico 's poorest citizens now live inside and along our border from Brownsville , Texas to San Diego , California in what the New York Times called, 'colonias' or new neighborhoods. Trouble is, those living areas resemble Bombay and Calcutta where grinding poverty,
filth, diseases, drugs, crimes, no sanitation and worse. They live without sewage, clean water, streets, electricity, roads or any kind of sanitation.

The New York Times reported them to be America 's new ' Third World ' inside our own country. Within 20 years, at their current growth rate, they expect 20 million residents of those colonias.
(I've seen them personally in Texas and Arizona ; it's sickening beyond anything you can imagine.)

By enforcing our laws, we could repatriate them back to Mexico. We should invite 20million aliens to go home, fix their own countries and/or make a better life in Mexico . We already invite a million people into our country legally more than all other countries combined annually. We cannot and must not allow anarchy at our borders, more anarchy within our borders and growing lawlessness at every level in our nation.

It's time to stand up for our country, our culture, our civilization and our way of life.

Interesting Statistics!

Here are 14 reasons illegal aliens should vacate America , and I hope they are forwarded over and over again until they are read so many times that the reader gets sick of reading them:

1. $14 billion to $22 billion dollars are spent each year on welfare to illegal aliens.
( that's Billion with a 'B' ) - http://tinyurl.com/zob77

2.. $2.2 billion dollars are spent each year on food assistance programs such as food stamps, WIC, and free school lunches for illegal aliens. - http://www.cis.org/articles/2004/fiscalexec.html

3. $7.5 billion dollars are spent each year on Medicaid for illegal aliens. http://www.cis.org/articles/2004/fiscalexec.html

4. $12 billion dollars are spent each year on primary and secondary school education for children here illegally and they still cannot speak a word of English! http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01.html

5. $27 billion dollars are spent each year for education for the American-born children of illegal aliens, known as anchor babies. - http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01.html

6. $3 Million Dollars 'PER DAY' is spent to incarcerate illegal aliens. That's $1.2 Billion a year. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01.html

7. 28% percent of all federal prison inmates are illegal aliens.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01.html

8. $190 billion dollars are spent each year on illegal aliens for welfare & social services by the American taxpayers. - http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0610/29/ldt.01.html

9. $200 billion dollars per year in suppressed American wages are caused by the illegal aliens.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01.html

10. The illegal aliens in the United States have a crime rate that's two and a half times that of white non-illegal aliens. In particular, their children, are going to make a huge additional crime probl em in the US. - http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0606/12/ldt.01.html

11. During the year 2005, there were 8 to 10 MILLION illegal aliens that crossed our southern border with as many as 19,500 illegal aliens from other terrorist countries. Over 10,000 of those were middle-eastern terrorists. Millions of pounds of drugs, cocaine, meth, heroine, crack, Guns, and marijuana crossed into the U.S. from the southern border. - http://tinyurl.com/t9sht

12.. The National Policy Institute, estimates that the total cost of mass deportation would be between $206 and $230 billion, or an average cost of between $41 and $46 billion annually over a five year period.& nbsp; - http://www.nationalpolicyinstitute..org/publications.php?b=deportation.org/publications.php?b=deportation

13. In 2006, illegal aliens sent home $65 BILLION in remittances back to their countries of origin, to their families & friends. http://www.rense.com/general75/niht.htm

14. The dark side of illegal immigration: Nearly one million sex crimes are committed by illegal immigrants in the United States !' - http://www.drdsk.com/articleshtml

Total cost a whopping $538.3 BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR!!!

Monday Quotes on the Constitution

“It is impossible to build sound constitutional doctrine upon a mistaken understanding of constitutional history, but unfortunately the Establishment Clause has been expressly freighted with Jefferson’s misleading metaphor for nearly 40 years. Thomas Jefferson was, of course, in France at the time the… Bill of rights [was] passed in Congress and ratified by the states. His letter to the Danbury Baptist Association was a short note of courtesy, written 14 years after the Amendments were passed by Congress. He would seem to any detached observer as a less than ideal source of contemporary history as to the meaning of the Religion Clauses of the First Amendment.”

- Chief Justice William Rehnquist

For those that want to know about the letter President Jefferson sent.

"On January 1, 1802, President Thomas Jefferson sent a letter to the Danbury Baptists of Connecticut, in response to their congratulations upon his winning the presidency. In it, Jefferson referred to a “wall of separation between church and state.” He wrote this in the context of perceived threats the Baptists felt were coming from the state, not the other way around."

Freedom of Speech... Under Attack Again

Seriously, am I turning into a conspiracy nut or is Freedom of Speech truly under attack again. As in, under attack by our own government. This last weekend, the President said that with the 24 hour news cycle and information on the internet, there can be "too much information." What the what? How can their ever be too much information? He went on to say that their is so much information out there you can't tell what is true and what is less than truthful. Information has been out there forever. At no time has anyone said there was too much information, unless they were attempting to suppress said information. What information can be out there that the government could be afraid of?

Here is what the President said in his own words.

"You're coming of age in a 24/7 media environment that bombards us with all kinds of content and exposes us to all kinds of arguments, some of which don't always rank all that high on the truth meter," Obama said at Hampton University, Virginia.

"With iPods and iPads and Xboxes and PlayStations, -- none of which I know how to work -- information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation,"

Since when was information a distraction? This is how it has always worked. People view the information out there, they see if it passes the smell test, then they see how it fits with their belief system, and then they work to reverify it with multiple sources. The founders wanted a robust debate in our society. That is why Free Speech is encapsulated in the FIRST Ammendment to the Bill of Rights.

This last week the President also announced his pick for the next Supreme Court Justice. She doesn't believe that all speech should be free. Consider this quote dug up by the First Amendment Center's David L. Hudson, who found it in a government brief signed by Kagan in United States v Stevens: “Whether a given category of speech enjoys First Amendment protection depends upon a categorical balancing of the value of the speech against its societal costs."

The 1st Ammendment states:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

So, no law "abridging the freedom of speech." That means no law whatsoever. Societal costs is such a red herring for Progressives to further their own agenda to control every single aspect of our lives. See my paper on Progressivism for more information on how Progressives feel about people being smart enough to make their own decisions.

Also going along with these two would be the FCC attempting to "reclassify" the internet. They are doing this to control it, and therefore the information that flows through it. They attempted to implement "net neutrality" through the normal means and were shot down by both congress and the courts. Now this part of the executive branch is just deciding to go against what was decided by congress, the courts, and going against well established precedent set by itself under administrations that were on both sides of the aisle, to get what they want. Whatever happened to separation of powers?

There is a reason I selected the quote I have at the top of my blog. The first thing tyrrants do go after is your voice, your freedom of speech. Consider the following quotes from previous Supreme Court Justices.

"Restriction on free thought and free speech is the most dangerous of all subversions. It is the one un-American act that could most easily defeat us."
- Thurgood Marshall

"If there is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment, it is that the government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable."
- William J. Brennan, Jr.

So, judge for yourself whether or not I am going a little loony, but I have to say this has me extremely worried. There was the flag email address to report to the WhiteHouse any falsehood your friends may be spreading about health care. Now the President says there is "too much" information out there and is attempting to appoint someone to the court with no judicial experience that has ideas of limiting speech for the "greater good." All while the FCC is trying to take over the internet.

As I mentioned before, do some of your own research. Look into some of these things yourself. Oh, and if you believe the most technologically savvy President in history doesn't know how to work an iPod (he gave one to the Queen with all his speeches on it as a gift) then I have some ocean front property on the East side of the Vegas Strip I wanna sell ya.

Remember, keep yourself and informed and do not be afraid to speak out.

Compare and Contrast: Monday Quotes

"We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge . . . would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other."
- John Adams

"Above this race of men stands an immense and tutelary power, which takes upon itself alone to secure their gratifications, and to watch over their fate. That power is absolute, minute, regular, provident, and mild. It would be like the authority of a parent, if, like that authority, its object was to prepare men for manhood; but it seeks, on the contrary, to keep them in perpetual childhood. . . . For their happiness such a government willingly labors, but it chooses to be the sole agent and the only arbiter of that happiness; it provides for their security, foresees and supplies their necessities, facilitates their pleasures, manages their principal concerns, directs their industry, regulates the descent of property and subdivides their inheritances: what remains but to spare them all the care of thinking and all the troubles of living?"
- Alexis de Tocqueville "Democracy in America"

Compare and Contrast: Morning Quotes

"One thing our founding fathers could not foresee… was a nation governed by professional politicians who have a vested interest in getting reelected. They probably envisioned a fellow serving a couple of hitches and then looking forward to getting back to the farm.” — Ronald Reagan


Seventy-two years ago, in 1937 at the height of the New Deal, Walter Lippmann, a repentant Progressive, noted that:

"[W]hile the partisans who are now fighting for the mastery of the modern world wear shirts of different colors, their weapons are drawn from the same armory, their doctrines are variations of the same theme and they go forth to battle singing the same tune with slightly different words....

Throughout the world, in the name of progress, men who call themselves communists, socialists, fascists, nationalists, progressives and even liberals, are unanimous in holding that government with its instruments of coercion, must by commanding the people how they shall live, direct the course of civilization and fix the shape of things to come.... [T]he premises of authoritarian collectivism have become the working beliefs, the self-evident assumptions, the unquestioned axioms, not only of all the revolutionary regimes, but of nearly every effort which lays claim to being enlightened, humane, and progressive.

So universal is the dominion of this dogma over the minds of contemporary men that no one is taken seriously as a statesman or a theorist who does not come forward with proposals to magnify the power of public officials and to extend and multiply their intervention in human affairs. Unless he is authoritarian and collectivist, he is a mossback, a reactionary, at best an amiable eccentric swimming hopelessly against the tide. It is a strong tide. Though despotism is no novelty in human affairs, it is probably true that at no time in twenty-five hundred years has any western government claimed for itself a jurisdiction over men's lives comparable with that which is officially attempted in totalitarian states....

But it is even more significant that in other lands where men shrink from the ruthless policy of these regimes, it is commonly assumed that the movement of events must be in the same direction. Nearly everywhere, the mark of a progressive is that he relies at last upon an increased power of officials to improve the condition of men."

Compare and Contrast: Monday Morning Quotes

Actually just one thought provoking quote today.

"People everywhere enjoy believing things that they know are not true. It spares them the ordeal of thinking for themselves and taking responsibility for what they know."

- Brooks Atkinson

Would you survive the next great depression?

Isn’t that such a scary topic heading? First off, no I am not being a fear monger or anything of that nature. Although I do feel that we haven’t seen the last of our country’s economic upheavals, I am not saying, oh my goodness there is going to be a disaster. There are many times in our lives when we are faced with potential trials that test the best of us. I do believe however that it is good to be prepared and have a proactive survivor mentality.

What do I mean by a survivors mentality? Experts say there's a 10/80/10 model for people that are confronted with crisis: 10 percent respond by doing the wrong thing; 80 percent wait for someone to tell them what to do, while they do nothing; and 10 percent respond with purpose, plan and action. An oft cited example is 9/11. When the people were sitting in their office buildings, how many people headed for the stairs immediately telling people we have to get out? How many people said, no, it’s all going to be ok, there is no problem? Worst though, how many people just sat there like sheep or worse like an ostrich with their head in the sand waiting for somebody else to pull them out and tell them what to do?

We have to be the ones that not only say we are going to be aware of what is going on around us, but we have to be prepared for the eventualities that something may happen. The first thing that I believe needs to be addressed is personal responsibility. I know it is not the standard approach to this topic. It is however where everything needs to start.

We are personally responsible for our own well being and that of our families. It is up to us to make ends meet, to ensure that our children are properly educated, and to ensure we are prepared for any eventualities that may come down the line. I actually addressed the topic of personal responsibility in a previous blog post. One of the issues with Hurricane Katrina was that people sat around waiting for the government to swoop in and save them. News flash, it is not the job of the government to swoop in and save you. Those that did well and survived were those that heeded the warnings to leave town in advance. Next in line were those that were actually somewhat prepared and took personal responsibility to get themselves and others out of there. The state of Florida is generally able to tell FEMA we really don’t need that much help when a hurricane sweeps through there because they recognize they are the ones that need to take care of themselves.

We should not be dependent on the government or anybody else to take care of this. A friend recently addressed a portion of this topic. I have borrowed something from him below, a quote, and paraphrased his lead in.

This is a quote from Marion G. Romney, a former Apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and someone I consider to be a Prophet, Seer, and Revelator. He gave this talk regarding the LDS church welfare program. He chose these words when discussing welfare and taking care of our brothers and sisters who are needy.

"It is the responsibility of every Latter-day Saint to work and so impart of his substance, regardless of the shifting standards of this world. We must uphold these principles and oppose every derogation of them. We must be careful not to adopt the commonly accepted practice of expecting the government or anyone other than ourselves to supply us with the necessities of life.

The practice of coveting and receiving unearned benefits has now become so fixed in our society that even men of great wealth, and possessing the means to produce more wealth, are expecting the government to guarantee them a profit. Elections often turn on what the candidates promise to do for voters from government funds. This practice, if universally accepted and implemented in any society, will make slaves of its citizens.

We cannot afford to become wards of the government, even though we have a legal right to do so. It requires too great a sacrifice in self-respect and in political, temporal, and spiritual independence.

Let us work for what we need. Let us be self-reliant and independent. Salvation can be obtained on no other principle. Salvation is an individual matter, and we must work out our own salvation, in temporal as well as in spiritual things."

To sum it up, we are responsible for saving ourselves.

What areas should we focus on to survive the next great depression or even personal financial collapse?

Other than personal responsibility which truly is the start, you need to be responsible in your finances, and ensure that you take some emergency preparedness to heart. Let’s take a quick look at personal finances. You need to get yourself out of debt. You need to save up at least a year’s worth of expenses; this is beyond the normal 6 months that financial advisors would tell you. You then need to invest in your future and retirement. I am not going to cover all of these here, but will probably take all of these topics in further posts regarding surviving. The reason I say you need to be responsible with your finances is because most people aren’t. I did some financial advising for a while and the one thing I always came across is nobody had a plan. Lisa and I have recently obtained and are getting ready to start working through a program from Dave Ramsey. We have heard very good things and some of his concepts I have heard of have worked for us when we have applied them. Application is always the key.

Now for some emergency preparedness guidelines. Lisa and I have always heard growing up being LDS that you need to have a 1 year supply of food. I think it is something that everyone should slowly build up. Even if there was not some major disaster, I know some families who suffered long term unemployment. There food storage helped them eat for that time. Start small by picking up an extra can of food when you go shopping. After a while, the small things begin to add up. Besides the food storage you truly need to have a plan. If x happens then we do y and z. Make sure you have a plan that covers not only natural disasters or a total financial collapse, but any challenge your family may view as an emergency. It is something that my wife Lisa feels so strongly about she has started working with a company that helps people to do exactly these things. (Yes, I am going to take the opportunity to plug my wife’s business.)

I have mentioned briefly our faith. I believe that is something that as Americans we need to get back to. No matter what your faith is or your belief system, you need to strengthen yourself. You need to strengthen your faith. I also believe that as Americans, if we have a strong faith and we are financially sound as individuals, when the government comes knocking with its latest and greatest entitlement program we can say no thanks and tell them where to shove it. If enough of us are in this position we can really change the future.

The Lord has told us that if you are prepared ye shall not fear. Let us increase our faith, make ourselves ready for whatever may come at us in this life, and be the 10% of people that take charge in those situations and help bring some of the 80% to our side.

Remember, keep yourself informed and don’t be afraid to speak out.

Compare and Contast - Monday Quotes

“the most fundamental and indispensable mark of statehood” was “the original, absolute, unlimited, universal power over the individual subject, and all associations of subjects.” John Burgess - 19th century Progressive Political Scientist


"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their CREATOR with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the PURSUIT of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the CONSENT of the governed." Thomas Jefferson - Declaration of Independence


Emphasis is mine.

Education: Why do we keep throwing good money after bad?

I had a quick exchange with someone yesterday regarding education. They had stated that it is tragic that all these teachers in multiple states are being laid off. She mentioned California and a handful of states, including New Jersey. I shared with her the background on what was happening in New Jersey, and she thanked me for the information and mentioned that it was nice to have the other side of the story so you get a full picture. It was a pleasant exchange compared to some others I have had, particularly on a topic that is considered the Holy Grail, Education.

So, where am I heading with all this?

Several people are up in arms and screaming about cuts being made in education. Well, let us look at it like this. When times get tough for you financially you cut back on your expenses, right? Even if it is something that you really enjoy, you make the cut. I have hit hard enough times where I had to sell new game systems we’d had for only a handful of months. At one point we sold our extra car and made the necessary sacrifices to be a one car family. They are things that weren’t necessarily popular with either me or my wife, but we did it because it had to be done. It’s the same case with education. The money is not there, states have to cut the money. I know the last thing they would want to cut is education. You do however need to make cuts when necessary. It’s the responsible thing to do.

I know people are going to argue back and say, you can just raise taxes. Uh huh, that’s working out really well for New York and New Jersey, along with California. People are fleeing New York and California to escape the higher taxes; therefore you are going to lose even more revenue. In New Jersey, they elected a governor who promised to cut their high tax rates. Even a campaign stop from Obama and pressure from the unions in New Jersey couldn’t salvage the incumbent democrat.

I previously mentioned discussing the situation in New Jersey with someone. They need to cut $819 million from the school budgets. The Governor proposed that the teachers take a 1 YEAR pay freeze and pay 1.5% of their salaries towards benefits. At this time they pay nothing towards their benefits. This would save the state $800 million. So, that would mean no teachers laid off and no programs cut. A large number of the teachers are willing to do this, but the union isn’t having it. They are refusing and would rather see their members, whom they are supposed to represent, be laid off then cooperate with the Governor. In fact, one of the unions local presidents “jokingly” prayed for the death of the Governor in an email sent out to union members. Is that the kind of third grade discourse we have come to?

The union would rather have the Governor raise taxes. Hello, he was elected because the people recognized they are overtaxed and he promised to cut taxes and spending. Throwing good money after bad, particularly in education has never worked. In 1965 we spent $12 billion dollars in federal funds on education. In the 2011 budget we are set to spend $94 billion. Here’s the clincher. Between 1973 and 2008, achievement scores in math went up just two points, and reading scores just one point. If I was an investor, which we are when it comes to our children’s education, I would have serious issues with the return on investment here. All of the stats above are courtesy of the U.S. Department of Education.

We need to make several reforms to fix this, some of them I have mentioned previously, some I have not. I feel a comprehensive post on those ideas coming soon. Please take part in the education of your children. Remember that WE are responsible for teaching our children. The teachers are there to assist us, not the other way around. Be involved in the school boards, and take a good hard common sense approach to fix the issues in your own community. The future of our children and our nation depend on it.

Remember, keep yourself informed and don’t be afraid to speak out.

Compare and Contrast - Morning Quotes

"Government is not a machine, but a living thing. It falls, not under the theory of the universe, but under the theory of organic life. It is accountable to Darwin."
- Woodrow Wilson


“ The general principles upon which the Fathers achieved independence were the general principals of Christianity… I will avow that I believed and now believe that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God.”
–John Adams in a letter written to Abigail on the day the Declaration was approved by Congress

The Politics of Sit Down and Shut Up

Such a thought provoking topic, isn't it? This is exactly the type of politics and action that is being taken by progressives right now. They cannot discuss the issues that a vast majority of Americans have issues with. They cannot come on to the battlefield of ideas with what they are pushing and win. So, what is their solution? Straight from Saul Alinsky's Rules for Radicals. They are trying to silence the opposition. They are trying to tell us to sit down and shut up, because they know what's best for you. It is the type of thing that tyrants and dictators try to do. Tyrrants and Dictators then generally resort to physical means to try and suppress the opposition. I am not saying that the current progressives in power would go this far at this time. However, the President's Manufacturing Czar, Ron Bloom, did say, "We kind of agree with Mao that political power comes largely from the barrel of a gun."

There are the SEIU goons, there is no better way to describe them, that attacked Kenneth Gladney, a black conservative, outside a town hall meeting in St. Louis. This was back in August. Kenneth was handing out and selling Don't Tread on Me flags. They shouted racial slurs at him and proceeded to beat him to the point he needed hospitilization.

For the most part they are trying to find ways to pick apart and isolate the opposition. However, the one thing that we have learned observing all these patriots come out in protest of the shredding of our Constitution, is that we are not alone. They cannot isolate us. They call us racist because we don't agree with the Presiden'ts policies. What a load of crap! We disagree with him because of his policies. Lloyd Marcus is a great example of the inclusiveness of the tea party movement. I absolutely LOVE his articles. He tells it as it is as he sends in updates from tea parties all over the country.

I had a friend in a recent debate back and forth call me a racist because I can't believe a black man can be President. I have known this individual for several years. He knows I am nothing even close to resembling a racist. However, he fell back on the only thing that the left has remaining; to try and accuse me of being a racist to get me to shut up. Interestingly enough, the debate started with me posting an article written by Lloyd Marcus. It truly boggles the mind sometimes. I'll probably throw up a post tomorrow with this last conversation that I had back and forth with him.

The other recent example is the boycott of Glenn Beck. I'll just let Glenn comment on it in his own words. It is truly interesting. I do agree that he must have hit a nerve, because all he ever does is play quotes of these progressives making statements that most Americans would disagree with.

The founders of this great nation wanted us to debate. As James Madison stated in the Federalist Papers, they recognized that although individual liberty can bring about a strong difference of opinion, it is essential to life. It is absolutely essential that we debate ideas with each other. The debate can be civil. The tea party protests have been shown to be peaceful. I have debates with friends in person and on Facebook that are civil. We share our ideas back and forth and attempt to back up our positions with valid sources.

Progressives have nothing left to say in the debate because the light is now shining on them, and what they have been up to in the dark for the last 100 years. Instead of scattering like a bunch of cockroaches as they have in the past, this time they are taking Salinsky's advice and jamming on the accelerator. Do not let anyone try to shame you for having an opinion or for your beliefs. Just realize that if they attempt to do this, they have no valid argument back and are scared at the possibilities you are presenting.

I wanted to just close this out with a link to a clip I will probably repost tomorrow as well so it sits on its own. Another great example of an up and coming leader that is speaking out. I really agree with what he has to say.

As always, remember to keep yourself informed and don't be afraid to speak out.

Compare and Contrast.....Monday Morning Quotes

So, to help all of us keep track of one set of values over another, Progressives vs the Founding Fathers, I thought I would start a Monday post dedicated to this compare and contrast. No commentary from yours truly, just the quotes as they stand by themselves.Oh, and I am not even pairing it along similar subjects. Just random quotes thrown together that hopefully will present a mosaic of the beliefs of each side.



"We are grateful to The Washington Post, The New York Times, Time Magazine and other great publications whose directors have attended our meetings and respected their promises of discretion for almost forty years. It would have been impossible for us to develop our plan for the world if we had been subject to the bright lights of publicity during those years. But, the work is now much more sophisticated and prepared to march towards a world government. The supranational sovereignty of an intellectual elite and world bankers is surely preferable to the national autodetermination practiced in past centuries."

David Rockefeller, founder of the Trilateral Commission, in an address to a meeting of The Trilateral Commission, in June, 1991.
Baden, Germany


Compared to;

“State legislatures will always be, not only the vigilant, but suspicious and jealous guardians of the rights of the citizens against encroachments from the federal government.”

Alexander Hamilton, Federalist Papers # 26

Post Racial America??

There has been a lot of slander recently thrown out at us folks that participate in the tea parties. Those that are trying to petition their government through peaceful means to signal that we don't agree with the direction they are taking our country. There was an excellent letter a poster shared on the Big Journalism site today. It was in response to this article, written by Andrew Breitbart. For everyone out there no matter what side of the arguments we face we are on, please seriously think about what Christine here is saying. I also encourage everyone for the appropriate background to read Mr. Breitbart's article in its entirety.

************

Here is a letter I wrote to Congressman Lewis - I submitted it to "The Hill" but I don't think they will publish it.

Dear Congressman Lewis,

Let me start with a very serious question Congressman. In 1965, which offense could your soul and spirt accept less, the institutional effort to refuse you and other blacks the right to express your voice participating in the political process via the ballot box or the effort by GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS to physically beat you and other demonstrators in order to SILENCE your voices and serve as a warning to others to scare them into turning their heads to injustice?

Given that you and so many others bravely risked serious harm marching on Bloody Sunday, I assume that the fear of being beaten and possibly death was easier for you to accept then the continuation of being denied the basic right to participate in the political process with your vote - your voice.

While I could not attend the recent rally in Washington, I did attend 2 tea party rallies in the last year and have been proud to stand with my fellow citizens. I was very concerned to hear about charges that a group of tea party protesters shouted racial slurs over and over again - "a chorus" as the reports indicated. While I do not believe thousands and thousands of protesters should be smeared by the actions of a few, I was very curious and intent on looking into these reports myself because the people I had met would never utter such words nor allow a group of people to utter them in our presence without confronting them sternly and insisting they leave.

I read everything I could about the incident and have watched many videos trying to see and hear for myself. I have become convinced that Representative Andre Carson and Representative Emanuel Cleaver are not telling the truth. Racism is a very serious charge - It should not be made lightly.

You lent your name to this charge based on hearsay. There are now many videos posted that do not show what Representative Carson and Representative Cleaver asserted yet this charge continues to smear the thousands and thousands of your fellow citizens loud, but peaceful, protesting.

I say this with 100% of the courage of my convictions, I would rather have been beaten by you and the other members of your group and have the proof of those scars and the blood stains. My soul and spirit could endure that better than the malicious smears against us as racists which is nothing more than an effort by GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS to intimidate and silence LAW ABIDING, PEACEFUL, citizens trying to petition our government concerning a health-care bill and out-of-control spending that we do not like, think is hurtful to our families, to our country and ALL its citizens regardless of color.

Congressman Lewis, regardless of your position on health-care or your personal opinions on the tea party protests, please do not let this charge against me and our fellow brothers and sisters stand without investigating for yourself. Please speak to Rep Carson and Rep Cleaver and look them in the eyes.

If you determine that these charges are false or exaggerated and say nothing to correct the record you have become one of those men on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Whether you can see it or not you have become a government official trying to silence me and scare others from speaking up and I grieve for your heart and soul and our county.

I have a clear conscience knowing that at every rally I attended I behaved respectively and so did every other person I observed, reports to the contrary are slander and those who level it should be ashamed.

It is time to apologize if you have the character that Dr. King dreamed we would all be judged by.

***********

I believe that all speaks for itself and how many of us feel.

Remember to keep yourself informed and don't be afraid to speak out.

Rainbows and Unicorns?

The Healthstrocity

I just wanted to post here some of my thoughts on the passage of the Constitution crushing bill that was passed last night. I have had a bit of discussion back and forth with a few people via Facebook and one email today. I figured I would share it here on my blog as it does capture most of how I feel regarding this. I'll start with the Facebook and then the email that I got directly.

My initial post on Facebook last night:

"It's a lynch pin day for the socialists and progressives. Not only was the health care debacle passed which does not and will not stand up to the constitutional smell test. But the bond raters have all but confirmed the U.S. is losing its AAA bond rating."

What a friend posted:

"If you don't like health care do use it. Now people who need health care now can get it. USA is not losing but we are all winning so there"
Sounds like a sore winner to me. What are we, 2?

What my beautiful and sexy intelligent wife said in response.

"How is that the case Jeff? Even a child can figure out that to pay for something for 4 years before the health care even kicks in is ridiculous. Hello, people! It's simple economics!!!"

"STOP MORTGAGING MY KIDS FUTURE!!!"

My initial response:

"Jeff, I don't even know where to start man. All I keep thinking is Stalin's quote, something along the lines of, "useful idiots" I know he was referring to the media, but it can be spread out further.

I know you want to help people and are all into the touchy feely, but you have to open up your brain and exercise it a bit. Do some of your own research. I can have a good solid debate with people who know where they stand on their principles and are willing to keep themselves informed. Even if we are on opposite sides of the debate.

First of all, like Lisa said, this isn't going to go into effect for at least 4 years. It's like saying, hey we are going to give you this shiny new car in 4 years but you have to start paying for it now. The corruption behind this bill is soo unbelievable. I don't even know where to start. It is going to take a series blog post with the relevant sources and facts to base it up. I would hate to be a hypocrite.

Medicare which is the intended starting model for this whole mess is rife with fraud. Other than that, they compensate doctors so little the doctors can't even afford to pay their basic bills to stay open if they take too many medicare patients. That is why more than 50% of doctors are no longer taking new medicare patients. Walgreens in several regions is starting to stop taking Medicare as a form of payment for prescriptions.

If you like the socialized "free" (I use that term loosely) medical care, it's such a short flight to Cuba. You and Michael Moore can hang out in those great Cuban hospitals together.

http://bigjournalism.com/hfontova/2010/03/10/pssst-msm-about-that-fabulous-free-cuban-health-care/

Oh yeah, how am I winning when somebody is taking my hard earned money that I have taken a 1/4 of a lifetime of working hard to get into this situation, and giving that money to somebody else."

Friends response:

"Let just say you beleave what you want I can beleave what I want. I am just saying I am happy. I am sorry for saying it the way I did. Now we the US can get health care. Yes some of it won't start till four years later but there is a lot of good going to come out of of this. Most people want NEW Health Care and we need it."

"So mike if someone who can't pay for Health Care and they need help you would let them Die just becouse they can't pay? Or would you help them and yes paying taxes is one why we all can help. Caring for people is not about making money it is about just helping. I you don't like that you tell us how we can do it. What would you do to change health care tell me your plan and I will listen to it."

My response:

"The point of paying taxes is not to help people. The only use for taxes as set out by the constitution was to fund the government in the very limited things they were tasked with doing. As far as helping people, that should be done by individuals and local communities. They can see who needs the help and give it. Progressives believe that people are either too dumb or to selfish to know whom in their community needs help, so you have to be taxed so their "professional" social workers can come in and deem who is worthy of such help.

Actually, 75% of Americans did not want this bill. Of the 200+ million out of 300 million Americans that have health care, 85% like what they have. I don't see where you get your information on most people want "New" health care.

Oh yeah, your death comment, probably straight from the blinding talent of Michael Moore, HOSPITALS CANNOT TURN PEOPLE AWAY. If you are sick and not even dying they have to treat you. Even if there is no conceivable way for you to pay them back. Of all the people I know that had to go to the ER because they didn't have healthcare, the hospital has always worked fairly with them to attempt to get a payment plan going. If people can't pay the hospital back they write off most of the cost.

If the healthcare here is so bad, how come the leaders of all those countries with their great "Free" healthcare come here to have their procedures performed. It is because the healthcare we provide is the best in the world.

Over the last several months as this debate has raged on, I have provided what I view as ways we can bring down the cost to make it more affordable. Even under the current plan, the democrats admit that not everyone will have health insurance coverage at the end of the day.

http://conservativesticks.blogspot.com/2009/07/hmo-or-dmv.html

Saddling the next three to four generations of any nation with this kind of debt is criminal. The process has been so corrupt it is unbelievable. Look up the "Louisiana Purchase", "Cornhusker Kickback", and a few others including naming one congressmans brother a federal judge in order to secure his vote.

All that being said of course, your state of Florida won't have to worry because they are wisely suing the federal government along with 41 other states to overturn the bill on constitutional grounds.

At least when FDR tried to pass health care and several other things as a "right", he attempted to do it through the constitutional ammendment process instead of steamrolling it and the will of the American people in the process."

Friends email:

"I am a supporter of this new Health Care plan and I did read all of it. if you need to read it here it is. there are lots of good in this bill and some of it sounds scary but it is not so bad as some people might think. after reading it I like it and yes we are going to pay new taxes and we all are going to need to get health care by Law. Just like Car Ins. we do now. We all pay taxes and do we all know where they all go I don’t and can you tell me that is a bad thing. We need to pay taxes for so many things so people can get things done. and yes paying 1.9 percent of my income is ok for me."

My lengthy response:

"You’ve read all 2000 pages of the bill? Plus the 700 plus pages that they are attempting to add through reconciliation? I am insulted that you would think that I have not read through these bills and also done the additional research to see what the effects of these provisions would be. You are just spouting the progressive/socialist talking points.

I have read the bill, I have read the amendments. This bill mandates that all citizens must buy health insurance. This is in violation of the Constitution. The car insurance argument is a crock. That is a measure decided by the states, which do have the power, also, you have the choice whether or not you buy and operate a vehicle. You are not required to buy something just because of the fact that you are a citizen. On top of that, they are going to fine me if I don’t buy health insurance or send me to jail if I don’t pay the penalty. It would be like saying I had to buy two dozen Krispy Kreme donuts every week just because I am a citizen.

This bill will cause people to lose jobs, by requiring businesses to provide health insurance. The money has to come from somewhere so they will lay off people to make up the difference cause they can’t raise prices. They say it will keep insurance prices down, but independent review also says that it will raise insurance premiums by 20%. In what bizarro world does that make any kind of common sense?

It means the IRS is scanning my personal information every month and violating my privacy to make sure I have insurance. That is a violation of my privacy on the level of the Gestapo. The feds used the Treasury Department to enforce prohibition instead of the FBI, why? It was all about power.

It creates an insurance panel of government bureaucrats that decide what has to be covered or not covered in an insurance policy. That is government getting in the way of me and my doctor.

Oh yeah, it also mandates the federal government pay for abortions. That means that my tax dollars, my personal money, is going to fund something I am morally opposed to. And don’t think for a minute that the most “pro-abortion” president in our nation’s history is going to sign an executive order outlawing it. His first act in office was to sign an executive order reversing the “Mexico City Rule” which outlawed the use of federal funds to pay for abortions overseas. Besides, an executive order outlawing a particular part of a signed law is unconstitutional. If a president could just executive order away any law he didn’t agree with that would be a dictatorship.

This bill creates $2.6 trillion in debt. Not the $840 billion they are trying to spout. They have shuffled off costs into other bills and reworded what is in the bill until they get it back how they want. The CBO only scores the language in the bill. If they said that the money to pay for it was coming from a pot of gold protected by a magical unicorn that is how the CBO would have to score it. Our nation cannot sustain this level of debt. It’s like saying, we’re in debt and we are going to lose the house, so let’s go out and buy 6 corvettes. We are about to lose our AAA credit rating. That is like defaulting on your credit card. That means the interest rate is going to be jacked up. That means all of a sudden we can’t even pay for our national defense let alone our debt. It means hyperinflation which turns us into a banana republic like Nigeria.

The founders of this nation never set it up to redistribute wealth. They were actually against it. They believed that the redistribution of wealth from one individual to another was an “evil practice.” That is what the USSR was all about. Telling somebody I know it sounds scary but it’s not as bad as you think is an argument used by tyrants throughout history. It is an argument used to strip people of their freedom. Castro and Che Guevara told their people the same thing. It’s the progressive elitist argument of I know you don’t want it but I know better than you do about what you need.

This country was founded on the notion of maximum liberty and very minimal government. By doing so, our success as a nation and as individuals has done more to elevate the quality of life of mankind than more than 6,000 years of history. I think that is a pretty good accomplishment in a little over 200 years. This bill strips those qualities and abilities away from us.

There are solutions that will work that do not violate the constitution, freedom, or my individual right to choose for myself. If I don’t want to buy health insurance and eat double fried apple pie stuffed into a gigantic cheeseburger pizza all day every day that is my right. When I die it is my fault, but I am the one that pays for my decision, nobody else.

The amount of corruption, arm twisting, special deals, favors, and buy offs are astounding. This legislation has nothing to do with helping the 11 million that are uninsured and want health insurance. They could settle that with a bill that is 5 pages long and cost less than 10% of their projected cost on this bill. It has always been about power and control. With this legislation added to the takeover of the auto industry, the insurance agency, and the banking industry; the federal government will now either own or substantially control 47% of the economy. The last time I checked that was called communism.

James Madison said, "If Congress can employ money indefinitely to the general welfare, and are the sole and supreme judges of the general welfare, they may take the care of religion into their own hands; they may appoint teachers in every State, county and parish and pay them out of their public treasury; they may take into their own hands the education of children, establishing in like manner schools throughout the Union; they may assume the provision of the poor; they may undertake the regulation of all roads other than post-roads; in short, everything, from the highest object of state legislation down to the most minute object of police, would be thrown under the power of Congress…. Were the power of Congress to be established in the latitude contended for, it would subvert the very foundations, and transmute the very nature of the limited Government established by the people of America."

And don’t forget this gem from Benjamin Franklin, “I am for doing good to the poor, but...I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. I observed...that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer.”

As I have said before, this is not about health care and people having access to treatment. They already have those things. It is about a government power grab.

When people become dependent on the government for their well being they give up their freedom and ability to choose much like a drug addict gives up their freedom to the substance they are addicted to. The so called “War on Poverty” started by President Johnson has been raging for over 30 years and the stats show it actually made the poverty situation worse.

Oh yeah, in looking at the access to care argument, 50% of doctors already refuse to take Medicaid patients. Why? Because the federal government’s repayment rates to the doctors are so low the doctors can’t afford to keep their offices open much less make any kind of living. 1/3 of doctors have stated that if the bill is passed and goes into effect they will leave their practice. How does that increase access to medical care? It just leads to rationing and denial of care like they have in the UK and Canada. Speaking of denial of care, a recent study showed that the insurer that denied THE MOST claims was Medicare/Medicaid.

Speaking of our taxes and where they go, yes by law we are told where are taxes are going. They don’t just disappear down into some magical money pot. In fact, your precious bill states that it is being covered by specific taxes. Of course, none of that money in the first four years will go into it anyways. They’ll use it to say they are bringing down the national debt or the budget deficit. Obama has only been in office a little over a year and he has already outspent all other President’s in US History.

I refuse to let our elected leaders shred the constitution, spit on my individual rights, mortgage my great-grand children’s future, and subvert the will of 75% of the people all so they can feel nice and fuzzy and secure themselves even more power."

As I mentioned in another post, the people were protesting outside while the bill was being debated and voted on last night.

The short short of what I would do is this. First of all, scrap the whole freaking thing. No bill needs to be 2700 pages and this one is just a nightmare. Allow the purchase of health insurance across state lines. This is something that is currently prohibited by federal law. Tort reform to put caps on malpractice lawsuits. The malpractice insurance rates for doctors are driving them out of business because of the frivolous lawsuits and awards. Portability, allow me the individual to buy my insurance policy instead of my employer. This allows me to take it with me when I decide to move on from current employment somewhere else. It also ensures coverage in case I am laid off. Allow me to pick what I want in my policy a la carte. I don't need fertility treatment coverage, so why should I have to be in that risk pool and pay for it. It's the state mandating that insurance policies in that state have certain coverage. These are just a couple simple ideas among many that would help bring down cost. One thing about letting the individuals buy the policy instead of employers, means that the companies can give the money they pay towards employee health insurance to the employee as part of their salary. That gives an instant raise.


One of the things I didn't mention before is the health care bill states that to purchase a gun you have to pass a psychiatric exam. That is such a blatant violation of the 2nd ammendment it astonishes me. The reconciliation package they are trying to push nationalizes the entire student loan industry. What the hell does that have to do with healthcare?

Yes, I come across as empassioned during this whole thing. That is because to me my personal liberty and that of my children is one of the most precious gifts we have. Before coming down to this life there was a war fought in heaven over the basic principle of choice. Am I free to make my own choices. This bill and push by progressives strips away our individual choice. I am tired of people being sucked in by the propaganda press and not doing their own research into the issues. That is one of the reasons I started this blog was to attempt to help keep my friends and family informed on what is going on out there and to help educate a little bit. I also try and mention all sources of my information so it just isn't me spouting off.

As always everyone, keep yourself informed and don't be afraid to speak out.

Chad Christensen Part 4

Chad Christensen Part 3

Chad Christensen Part 2

Chad Christensen Part 1

Remembering the Declaration of Independence

Entitle Me Bonanza

So I promised Mr. Harbin a post on why I think entitlements (all of them) are bad and why I think we should work to get rid of all of them.

First and foremost the US Constitution does not bestow the power upon the Federal Government to give entitlements or redistribute money. I know people like to quote the "General Welfare" clause. That however is in the Preamble to the Constitution. The powers laid out below that are what constitutes the powers given to the Federal Government. "The Preamble was never meant to be legally binding and never has been." James Madison had more to say on this subject below.

"If Congress can employ money indefinitely to the general welfare, and are the sole and supreme judges of the general welfare, they may take the care of religion into their own hands; they may appoint teachers in every State, county and parish and pay them out of their public treasury; they may take into their own hands the education of children, establishing in like manner schools throughout the Union; they may assume the provision of the poor; they may undertake the regulation of all roads other than post-roads; in short, every thing, from the highest object of state legislation down to the most minute object of police, would be thrown under the power of Congress…. Were the power of Congress to be established in the latitude contended for, it would subvert the very foundations, and transmute the very nature of the limited Government established by the people of America."

Now if the State of Montana wants to give free vet care to cows, that is completely within their purview to do so.

Even outside of the Constitutional argument which really should settle it, there is another issue. When people start to get a benefit or as they say "somethin for nothin" it changes their outlook. I for one believe that if I work hard to improve my life and the lives of my family then I will be blessed with the fruits of that labor. Will I do better than somebody else? Not necessarily. We have all been blessed with varying amounts of talent and ability. Although I do believe in a fair and equal playing field, I don't believe there should be equal results.

Our nation’s founders declared the first object of government is to protect “the diversity of the faculties of men, from which the rights of property originate.”

Now, I do recognize to get rid of every single entitlement out there at one time would cause a lot of pain. However, I believe a lot of them could be eliminated and I am all for losing any advantages I have been given due to these entitlements. You can eliminate a big chunk now and slowly bring down the others over time. You also need to inform the people that is what is going to happen and you are going to allow them the opportunity to make their own way and feel the sense of pride that comes in making their own way.

On a personal note, if a good chunk of entitlements were eliminated I would most likely lose my job. That is a price I am more than willing to pay if it means my boys have more freedom and a better shot at liberty than what I have had.

The 10th ammendment leaves all things not mentioned to the Federal Government in the Constitution to the "purview of the states." The Founders understood through long experience that unless government were closer to the people that it would just grow into something intolerable that the people could not exercise strong control over. They consented to be governed, and not to be ruled.

As a closing thought, consider the following statement from Benjamin Franklin.

“I am for doing good to the poor, but...I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. I observed...that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer.”

Remember to keep yourself informed, and don't be afraid to speak out.

Understanding History and Moving Forward

There is a lot that has been going on out there this week. We had the "Health Care Summit" in which the democrats were allotted twice as much time to speak as dissenting Republicans. Of course, the President recognized this and said since he is President, his talking time doesn't count towards the total. The Republicans did get to get some good conservative ideas across and hopefully some people were still watching the telecast at that point to catch it. The media shouldn't be calling them the party of no even now. Particularly since they said, here are the ideas we have been suggesting since the beginning.

We also saw some democrats try to pull a fast one in the House this week while everyone was watching the "Health Care Summit". They attempted to ammend the intelligence services bill with all sorts of penalties and punishments for our intelligence officers who are trying to do their jobs. Oh, and all the scientists claimed this morning that January 2010 was the hottest January in the history of the world.

With all of this going on and being rammed down our throats, one has to think, what can I do? How do we move forward from all this while not falling into the abyss? I believe that comes from a solid understanding of history and who we are as a nation. I've ordered a great book that I am waiting to ship from Amazon. Apparently after Glenn Beck mentioned it on his show it went through the roof. I'm looking forward to receiving it because it gives more knowledge on who we are.

I believe that a great disservice is being done to our children today by the schools. They are not teaching history, and what they are teaching as history has been glossed over with a progressive veneer.

So how do we move forward? Understanding who we are is the first part along with understanding the greatness of our nation and not apologizing for it just because somebody doesn't agree with us. We do all we can to share knowledge with those around us. We need to shine the light on what is really going on. We then need to use the knowledge we have, along with good old American ingenuity, and use those things that will work. The things that take us back to our roots as a nation and closer to the Founders intents.

I know this weeks post is a little rambling, but I am tired of people saying they don't like what is going on and don't know what to do about it. Don't stick your head in the sand. Learn what is going on, learn why those that are doing it are attempting to and what their ultimate goal would be. If you don't agree with them, then speak out. By sitting silent you just allow your freedoms and your agency to be stripped away.

Remember to keep yourself informed and don't be afraid to speak out.

Core Education Programs

I've been thinking about this recently. One of my coworkers has sacrificed for years to ensure her daughter could attend private schools. It has really paid off well. In our discussion we chatted about core programs in education. She noticed the one thing that the private schools had that public schools don't is a good core curriculum. It was mentioned a bit in my last post regarding progressive education.

I think their are a couple reasons why the private schools are so much more successful than the public schools. I would say free schools, but public schools don't come cheap to the taxpayer.

1. Private schools can get rid of teachers that don't teach or don't measure up. They can reward those that do well based on merit. This is something that the education unions have killed in the public schools.

2. Parents are paying and have a choice. The schools know that the parents will vote with their feet if the programs don't measure up. When The Washington Post asked George Parker, head of the Washington, D.C., teachers union, about the voucher program there, he said: "Parents are voting with their feet. ... As kids continue leaving the system, we will lose teachers. Our very survival depends on having kids in D.C. schools so we'll have teachers to represent."

John Stossel wrote a good piece on the above two things recently.

3. I believe that the charter and private schools are successful because they not only have the ability to form their own programs and curriculum, but they have a core curriculum. They teach things like US History, The Constitution, Government, and concentrate on the three R's as well as science.

By having a core curriculum that EVERY student has to pass, it ensures that students have the base knowledge necessary to make decisions. In instructing the kids, they aren't being taught what to think, they are being taught how to think. They then use those skills to evaluate what is out there in the world and form their own opinions.

My homework assignment for my readers in blogo land today is, what types of courses would you include in your core curriculum? If you were to set up your own charter school, what kinds of courses would you want EVERY student to take and be competent in?

The public school system is dumbing down a lot of our kids, teaching them "what" to think instead of "how" to think. It is failing the very communities it is supposedly supposed to be lifting up. Join the discussion and lets get involved to help future generations get an education that will serve them well through life and will serve to protect the future of our great nation.

Remember to keep yourself informed, and don't be afraid to speak out.

I Love Lord Monckton

Progressive Education

My carpool buddy mentioned something to me at the beginning of this week that just made my skin crawl. She was at a meeting of the textbook committee for our local schools. The committee is made up of 15 people. Of the 15, 7 of them wanted to eliminate any books in the curriculum that mentioned the Founding Fathers, the Constitution, the Fourth of July, Christmas and any other religious holiday. What a travesty! She said she thought of me at the meeting because somebody behind her said something to the effect of "Freakin Progressives."

In the coming months as I read more history and do more research, I believe that I will focus a lot more on the progressives and the agenda they have secretly been pushing for over the last 100 years. It seems to be the direction my blog is starting to head. Of course I will share why their agenda is so damaging and try to enlighten as many people as possible as to how we can work towards keeping strong conservative independant values and freedom at the forefront.

It has been plain from the outset of my research on Progressivism, which started with my school paper previously posted, that Progressives do not like the Constitution. They think the Founding Fathers got it wrong. The issue progressives have with the Constitution is that it limits the powers of the federal government. That was one of the biggest reasons the founders included not only a separation of powers but eventually the 10th ammendment as well. The Founding Fathers spent a LOT of time reviewing the governments of the past. They looked for what worked and what didn't. Their conclusion? No previous system of government had worked. That is why our Constitution and other founding documents are so unique. They are originals.

Our nation's founders were well read and educated. They understood that if you do not learn and understand history you are doomed to repeat it. The history of our nation's founding is something that progressives have been trying to obscure for a long time. It started with changes to the education systems as far back as 1880. The university system in our country does not cover much curriculum on our nations founding and civics. The Intercollegiate Studies Institute released its fourth annual national Civic Literacy Report entitled "The Shaping of the American Mind: The Diverging Influences of the College Degree & Civic Learning on American Beliefs." One of the scary things mentioned is that 60% of respondents could not identify on a multiple choice test several bits of basic knowledge that are REQUIRED knowledge for passing the citizenship test.

All of this fits in with the progressive model. If people don't know their history and the miracle that the founding of our nation was, then the progressives that push for more and more government can tweak that history to whatever they want it to be. Progressives have obviously on a Universtiy level been distorting our nations history and eventually working to not teaching it at all. This of course has trickled down over the years to our K-12 system. I remember as a kid learning about George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, The Declaration of Independance, The Constitution, and the great sacrifices our forefathers made to establish a truly free society. That's what our history classes pretty much were. These days its hard to find a school that teaches actual American History, not the slanted progressive view of it, and apparently based upon the efforts of some in my community, to have a school teach it at all.

Remember to keep yourself informed, and don't be afraid to speak out.

Energy Independance

It was interesting to hear somebody who has no plan to use great sources of clean energy, like nuclear, tout it in a speech which essentially was a bold faced lie. Yep, that is what you are getting out of the President and his progressive friends in Washington. More on that in a minute.

One of the biggest ongoing issues that creeps up now and then is energy independance. It seems the only time we pay attention to it is when oil prices go up. Then they have hearings on capitol hill, they grill the oil companies, and put on a big dog and pony show. To what end? All so they can look like they are doing something and keep the status quo. As soon as the energy prices naturally start to fall a bit, the public stops the complaining and moves on because they no longer see it as an issue.

The thing with energy is that it has to be addressed. Real solutions have to be implemented by people with the cajones to do it right. That is your standard issue with politicians, they don't want to stand up for anything unless it gets them immediate election returns.

So, how do we go about creating energy independence? Why do we need to do it?

How about we start with the why's first. We import a vast amount of our energy supplies. At least in the forms of oil and natural gas. This obviously adds to the cost of the end product. If we developed it ourselves it would be cheaper. Just a simple rule of economics. Many of the countries we get our oil from don't like us very much. Even if they feign affection. This presents national security implications. Besides, wouldn't it be better to keep all that cash in our own country? Our energy demands as a nation will continue to go up. That is just a natural consequence of an expanding people and a growing nation.

How do we create energy independence? It really is a two pronged approach. All you hear about in the media and the noisemakers is green energy. While I agree that we need to be responsible in our energy development and that fossil fuels won't last forever, I don't buy into the "climate change" hysteria. We have talked about it here before. All the brouhaha continues to be further and further discredited. That being said, we need to fast track and develop the natural resources we have right now and continue to explore and discover more. This will allow us an energy source that is homegrown while we work to develop economically viable energy alternatives. You cannot just cut off one and use government funds and mandates to develop the other. For a good example, look at Spain. For every green job their government funded, the economy lost 2.2 other jobs. That comes out to a net loss of 1.2 jobs.

There are several energy sources we can tap. We have great reserves of oil and natural gas in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge. Don't be fooled by all the pictures of polar bears and elk prancing across grasslands. ANWR is like the deserts of Nevada with no plants or animals, just a bunch of ice and snow. It might make the snow fairies mad, but we need to develop it. Governor Palin showed a great use of tapping the resources in Alaska responsibly through the private sector. Not only have they expanded exploration and production for both oil and natural gas, they are in the midst of building a natural gas pipeline to bring all that energy to the rest of us. The environmentalists can complain all they want about pipeline projects decimating the ecology along their paths, but the facts show that life expanded along the current Alaska Oil Pipeline after it was built.

There are responsible ways to drill offshore. We are the best at environmentally safe ways of exploiting our natural resources. We need to free up the offshore areas so we can drill. If the state of California would learn from Alaska and allow more development off the coast, they would have a lot more money coming in instead of getting ready to file bankruptcy in April. You are not talking about rigs right on the beachline a mile off shore. You are talking about platforms several miles offshore. Hardly an eyesore. Plus, we are more responsible than any other country in the world when it comes to energy development. It would be safer for the trees and animals here than exploiting those resources in some third world country with no controls.

There are also great shale reserves in the mountain west. The technology has improved by leaps and bounds and continues to do so allowing us to extract this oil. It is reported that these shale reserves hold more oil than the fields in the middle east. They have also found vast reserves of oil in the upper midwest.

The great thing about tapping all of these sources is that it creates JOBS. It creates long term jobs for people in all sorts of fields. It also decreases the economic cost of energy. Of course, along with the increase in domestic production we also need to increase our refinery capacity so we can eliminate the costly bottle neck between the fields and the consumer.

As I mentioned, we all know that fossil fuels won't last forever. They may last us a couple hundred years or whatever, but we need to have a plan. One of the great sources of renewable and clean energy is nuclear. By ramping up our nuclear production it would once again create jobs, lower the cost of energy, and we would have a continuous supply. There was a great post about nuclear energy and the President's SOTU remarks posted today. It pretty much sums up that little topic mentioned at the beginning of this post. There was also this week some good discussion on Yucca Mountain.

While we wait for the cost of solar power to come down and finding the illusive spot on the earth where it is sunny 24/7 365, we need to use the resources we have been blessed with. They will tell you that it doesn't matter because those sources of energy won't be able to hit the market for like 10 years. That is one of the problems. Somebody needs to step up and say lets get going so we aren't having this same conversation 10 years from now. Also, the reason it takes so long is that the government creates too much red tape and beuacracy to get through, besides all the litigation from the environmentalists to do it. That is why it takes 10 years. For the companies that are just sitting on their leases. Tell them to start producing or you will revoke their lease and sell it to the highest bidder. They did that in Alaska and it worked wonders.

Car companies are working on viable alternatives to gasoline for vehicles. Some of the most promising work has been done with fuel cells. It would be a clean source of fuel. The biggest hurdle to overcome once they design a good cost efficient model, is the need for new types of stations to refuel your vehicle at.

Overall, the energy issue is something that can easily be solved by the free market. Companies are not going to push out a vehicle or product the people are going to hate. They will develop energy resources closer to their biggest consumers if given the opportunity. Other countries such as China seem to recognize this which is why their energy development is going full bore. They are even working with companies to drill oil in the Gulf of Mexico, our backyard.

Remember to keep yourself informed, and don't be afraid to speak out.