............................................................................
Watching the viral protests in the Middle East has me thinking about what our long term strategy should be. I am, of course, approaching this from the vantage point of one who wants to protect America's national interest and security which includes protecting Israel at all costs. I am not convinced that our current administration has those same goals. That in and of itself is sad and dangerous. Clearly, the scope of the protests in these Muslim countries is too broad for America to influence the outcomes militarily, not to mention the distorted image that would most certainly be propagandized all over the world by that option. This doesn't mean the military has no role as I'll show later. This leaves few options mostly on the diplomatic and economic fronts. This seems to be the tact the administration is pursuing. I ask you, however. When the country is in the midst of a tumultuous fight to topple a government and events on the ground can change in minutes or hours; who do you negotiate with? Do you pick sides? Do you play both ends against the middle? As you can see this too is folly. There is no diplomatic solution to intensely opposite arguments. In other words, if you say you want to kill me, and I say I don't want you to; what is the diplomatic solution to that? Do we agree that I'll allow you to maim me instead? Don't laugh. There are so called 'smartest people in the room' who make such arguments for diplomacy all the time. Our own Congress has been negotiating the murder of millions of innocent children for decades now. At the moment the 'righteous' argument seems to be kill less and we'll go along. That's not diplomacy, that's surrendering your morals, ethics and principles. So it would seem that diplomacy is out as a viable option for the current Middle East turmoil. Which leaves economic solutions. The administration announced recently that they are working hard to implement this option. So, the country is burning down around you, the shops are closed and the people are cowering in their homes. Do we think that they care about economic sanctions? And how many of you want to bet that before long this same administration will propose humanitarian aid for the people? Do we believe that these dictators who have syphoned off billions of dollars in foreign aid and oil money are now going to suffer so greatly from an economic sanction that they will give up the power that they have spent a lifetime solidifying? Make no mistake, the only reason Mubarek gave in was because he was old and therefore did not have the confidence of his Army. Nor was he feared by them anymore. This is not true in many of these other countries. Okay, we should be able to agree that economic sanctions are pretty worthless here. What are we left with? How about common sense and good old American Liberty?
I propose that we come together as a nation and speak with one voice. I propose that we immediately implement a pincer move. On the one side we let the world know that we unequivocally stand for Liberty. We support the people who petition the government for basic rights. Look, we have enjoyed these rights for over two centuries and we have prospered astronomically from them. We go around the world espousing the basic rights of Man. We contend that freedom is the Natural State of Man. Well, put up or shut up! It's time to stand on your principles. But Keith but Keith, we may not get the governments we want over there if we do that. We may get Islamic states over there. Indeed. Liberty is messy like that sometimes. Liberty in and of itself precludes you from telling me how I should live. But you see my friend our Founding Fathers were brilliant and blessed men who knew that another component was necessary for Liberty to be truly allowed. That is the right to protection. The right to defend your Liberty. The right to go to a court of law and secure your Liberty. And barring that, a right to bear arms. This then, is the other side of the pincer move. This is where our military has a role. This is where we make it crystal clear to everyone in the world that we will defend Israel at all costs. We assert that we will not allow any nation that establishes a republican form of government to be attack without cause by it's neighbors. In essence we assert that the United States of America stands for Liberty for all and will not allow despotism to replace it once it is gained. Now before you get apoplectic about how this will plunge us into a World War where we are required to send troops all over the place to consummate this vision, take note; it doesn't take an all out war to cripple a small military. Especially when there will already be another military, the aggressors intended victim, who will be fighting them as well. Air and naval attacks can decimate an air force. Tanks can be taken out with ease at very little risk to American forces as proven by the two wars against Iraq. It really is a very viable military strategy to cripple any army that acts as an aggressor in this part of the world. It's not like taking on China or Russia. It is possible that China or Russia may take a stand against us but it will be a bluff and we need only to be solid in our conviction and stand strong and they will back down. These countries are not going to risk all out war with the United States over a small Mideastern dictator. With one caveat. We must ensure that oil is available to all who want to buy it on the free market. That is their only interest in the area. Make it readily available and they will not fight us.
See how easy that is? No really. We have developed a mentality that if something is hard then we can't do it. The ironic result is that by not doing the hard things we cause ever more problems and so the net result is that it is harder not easier. Standing up for Liberty is hard. However, it is right and it is not as hard as dealing with the plethora of problems that arise from the lack of Liberty. Take a good look at those kids on the streets in the Middle East. They are not out there protesting for the right to Sharia law. They are not protesting to have their wives heads cut off in the soccer fields. They are not wearing burkas and saying that all women should. They are calling for freedom and liberty and basic human rights. We should support them wholeheartedly. We should support any subsequent government that respects those rights. We should support any duly elected president to any one of these countries. BUT we should also warn them all; we are serious about defending the free and punishing the oppressors. It will not happen overnight. In fact it will probably take a decade or two to work itself out. But if we are strong in our convictions and righteous in our cause we will prevail. And what will be left will be a group of free republican governments in the Middle East intent on free trade and commerce as a means to please their peoples and gain favor. What more than that can one ask for?
by: Keith D. Rodebush
February 26, 2011
February 24, 2011
Who Are WE?
************************************
What ever happened to righteous indignation? I'm only %@ damn years old, but I remember a time when a man's word was his bond. If a man looked you in the eye and shook your hand, you took him at his word and you held him to his promise. If he did not deliver, he wasn't just hurt in your eyes; the whole community knew that he was not trustworthy. I remember a time when our country would stand up for what is right. Clearly, we can never police the world, nor would we be wise to. But in cases when we couldn't, at least our leaders words were unequivocal. We stood for liberty and we condemned evil. Then we took whatever measures we could to support the oppressed. In neighborhoods across the land, people took care of each other. If a bad element moved in, we watched them like a hawk. We called the law every chance we got. We watched our neighbors property when they weren't around. This is what good people do. This is what decent people do. This is what righteous people do.
We seem to have lost an important section of our soul. Some prefer to blame it on technology; we're so engrossed in our gadgets that we don't pay attention to each other any more. Some blame it on the pace of society and that we all work too hard. Some blame it on the 'other' guys whether this ideology or that. Some say that this nation has lost it's soul, that it has strayed from the foundation of it's social and political structure; the word of God. Personally, I fall into this last camp for the most part, but it is more complicated than that.
Regardless of where your character is rooted, what is important is that you have character. There was a time when we confronted abhorrent behavior with righteous indignation. Whether you call it evil or just bad behavior or genetics, it doesn't matter. Good people used to rally together and condemn, revile, chastise and confront those that would tear down our society either from without or within.
So what has happened? What have we lost? Why is it so hard to come together against obvious evil? As hard as it is to understand, the answer is quite simple. We have lost it because there is a portion our brethren who have been actively working night and day for a century to make sure we lose it. As hard as it is for us to fathom or comprehend, there is a sizable portion of our own countrymen, who not only do not believe that America is great, but indeed believe that America is evil. They believe that they need to bring it down in order to rise it up in another image, an image of communal harmony that exists only in the mind of the dreamer and the pseudo-intellectual. They marched on Washington on October 2, 2010 and were quite transparent for a change. Usually they obfuscate and hide their real intentions behind slick marketing phrases such as 'Hope and Change' or 'Workers Unite' or 'Make the Rich Pay their Part' and any other of a plethora of catchy phrases that mean nothing. They are, however, critical to dividing the nation so that one group can be pitted against the other for the express purpose of dragging down the national psyche. It is only a depressed and disgusted public that will revolt. Therefore everything they do is intended to depress and disgust you. Never point out the good in America, always put America down, always depress the masses so they will be ready at a moments notice to revolt against America. You see my fellow Americans, we have been played like a West Virginia fiddle on Grandpa's porch. They WANT you to be depressed.
It is time for this nation to rise to calling of it's founders. It is time to accept the responsibility of a nation founded on the mantle of freedom given to Men of character, honesty and prudence. it is time to regain our posture amongst a world rightly jealous of our success but nevertheless respectful of our righteousness. Regardless of what they say; they know we are right. They know we are good. They know we are free. They know we are virtuous. They know we are right. At times it rubs them the wrong way. But they ALL come here. Make no mistake, they ALL come here. WE may have forgotten that America is the promise of freedom and Liberty around the world, but they have not. That is why they come my friends. Every day. Every night. Legally. Illegally. They all come here. How sad that WE are the ones who have forgotten.
America. Yes, I'm talking to you. You the union man. You the artist. You the professor. You the line worker. You the laborer. You the teacher. You the professional. You the student. You the youth and promise. You the wisdom and aged. Every single American out there. Right is right and wrong is wrong. Put aside your differences for this one thing. America stands for freedom and liberty. Think very hard and very long. Is your party supporting freedom and liberty? Is your legislator voting for freedom and liberty? Are you supporting others who want freedom and liberty? More importantly, are you willing to steal the freedom and liberty of others for your own purposes?
You will either be judged by your fellow man or by God. Regardless of which you believe; is your life a testament to freedom and liberty for others? Is your life a testament to righteous indignation to all who would steal liberty from your neighbors? Are you willing to die for your neighbors freedom? If you will not lay down your life for the liberty of others then you cannot expect them to lay it down for you. In that case what is your life worth? You know as well as I. Nothing. No human soul deserves the fate of a worthless life. What is the worth of YOUR life? What will be written about you? What will your grandchildren and great-grandchildren say about YOUR life? Did you stand in these turbulent times? Or did you cower in the comfortable corner of your materialistic existence? Clearly, we live in extraordinary times. Times that require a greater measure of dedication to the principles in which our nation was founded. Times that require righteous indignation for ALL that would divide this great nation and prevent us from rising to the apex of the American spirit.
by: Keith D. Rodebush
What ever happened to righteous indignation? I'm only %@ damn years old, but I remember a time when a man's word was his bond. If a man looked you in the eye and shook your hand, you took him at his word and you held him to his promise. If he did not deliver, he wasn't just hurt in your eyes; the whole community knew that he was not trustworthy. I remember a time when our country would stand up for what is right. Clearly, we can never police the world, nor would we be wise to. But in cases when we couldn't, at least our leaders words were unequivocal. We stood for liberty and we condemned evil. Then we took whatever measures we could to support the oppressed. In neighborhoods across the land, people took care of each other. If a bad element moved in, we watched them like a hawk. We called the law every chance we got. We watched our neighbors property when they weren't around. This is what good people do. This is what decent people do. This is what righteous people do.
We seem to have lost an important section of our soul. Some prefer to blame it on technology; we're so engrossed in our gadgets that we don't pay attention to each other any more. Some blame it on the pace of society and that we all work too hard. Some blame it on the 'other' guys whether this ideology or that. Some say that this nation has lost it's soul, that it has strayed from the foundation of it's social and political structure; the word of God. Personally, I fall into this last camp for the most part, but it is more complicated than that.
Regardless of where your character is rooted, what is important is that you have character. There was a time when we confronted abhorrent behavior with righteous indignation. Whether you call it evil or just bad behavior or genetics, it doesn't matter. Good people used to rally together and condemn, revile, chastise and confront those that would tear down our society either from without or within.
So what has happened? What have we lost? Why is it so hard to come together against obvious evil? As hard as it is to understand, the answer is quite simple. We have lost it because there is a portion our brethren who have been actively working night and day for a century to make sure we lose it. As hard as it is for us to fathom or comprehend, there is a sizable portion of our own countrymen, who not only do not believe that America is great, but indeed believe that America is evil. They believe that they need to bring it down in order to rise it up in another image, an image of communal harmony that exists only in the mind of the dreamer and the pseudo-intellectual. They marched on Washington on October 2, 2010 and were quite transparent for a change. Usually they obfuscate and hide their real intentions behind slick marketing phrases such as 'Hope and Change' or 'Workers Unite' or 'Make the Rich Pay their Part' and any other of a plethora of catchy phrases that mean nothing. They are, however, critical to dividing the nation so that one group can be pitted against the other for the express purpose of dragging down the national psyche. It is only a depressed and disgusted public that will revolt. Therefore everything they do is intended to depress and disgust you. Never point out the good in America, always put America down, always depress the masses so they will be ready at a moments notice to revolt against America. You see my fellow Americans, we have been played like a West Virginia fiddle on Grandpa's porch. They WANT you to be depressed.
It is time for this nation to rise to calling of it's founders. It is time to accept the responsibility of a nation founded on the mantle of freedom given to Men of character, honesty and prudence. it is time to regain our posture amongst a world rightly jealous of our success but nevertheless respectful of our righteousness. Regardless of what they say; they know we are right. They know we are good. They know we are free. They know we are virtuous. They know we are right. At times it rubs them the wrong way. But they ALL come here. Make no mistake, they ALL come here. WE may have forgotten that America is the promise of freedom and Liberty around the world, but they have not. That is why they come my friends. Every day. Every night. Legally. Illegally. They all come here. How sad that WE are the ones who have forgotten.
America. Yes, I'm talking to you. You the union man. You the artist. You the professor. You the line worker. You the laborer. You the teacher. You the professional. You the student. You the youth and promise. You the wisdom and aged. Every single American out there. Right is right and wrong is wrong. Put aside your differences for this one thing. America stands for freedom and liberty. Think very hard and very long. Is your party supporting freedom and liberty? Is your legislator voting for freedom and liberty? Are you supporting others who want freedom and liberty? More importantly, are you willing to steal the freedom and liberty of others for your own purposes?
You will either be judged by your fellow man or by God. Regardless of which you believe; is your life a testament to freedom and liberty for others? Is your life a testament to righteous indignation to all who would steal liberty from your neighbors? Are you willing to die for your neighbors freedom? If you will not lay down your life for the liberty of others then you cannot expect them to lay it down for you. In that case what is your life worth? You know as well as I. Nothing. No human soul deserves the fate of a worthless life. What is the worth of YOUR life? What will be written about you? What will your grandchildren and great-grandchildren say about YOUR life? Did you stand in these turbulent times? Or did you cower in the comfortable corner of your materialistic existence? Clearly, we live in extraordinary times. Times that require a greater measure of dedication to the principles in which our nation was founded. Times that require righteous indignation for ALL that would divide this great nation and prevent us from rising to the apex of the American spirit.
by: Keith D. Rodebush
February 22, 2011
"See Little Johnny-This is How You Throw a Tantrum!"
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Guest blogger JT puts the Wisconsin teachers in the Dunces chair...
I want to thank the Democrat National Committee, Organizing for America, unions in general, and public sector unions in particular for doing in one week what the conservative movement has been unable to do in five decades-show that liberalism is not so much looking out for the "little guy" as it is looking out for itself.
Last week, leftist power brokers and reportedly up to 70,000 useful idiots descended on Madison, WI and showed the nation what they are really about-their utter contempt for the taxpayer. They (not so peacefully) assembled to voice their opposition to-wait for it-the notion that government employees should contribute to their own generous benefits and pensions like the rest of the working people in this country.
Wisconsin state Democrats took a page out of the Texas Democrat playbook by taking their marbles and fleeing the state, effectively shutting down the state legislature by preventing a quorum required to do business. Not to be outdone, teachers lead by example by showing their students that if you don't get your way, don't waste your time working within the system, throw a tantrum and call in sick. Thankfully, the teachers were equally ineffective at teaching protesting as they are at teaching reading, writing, arithmetic, and history as most students had no idea what they were protesting.
Predictably, the democrat party stenographers at MSNBC, WAPO, NYTimes, etc. aren't reporting much on the counter protest the way they did during the Obamacare debate. Or that Wisconsin Gov. Walker campaigned on and was elected to address the state financial crisis and the problem of public sector collective bargaining along with a new Republican majority in the state legislature. In fact they are breathlessly supportive of government employees' right to "collectively bargain" and that is where the crux of this matter resides. It isn't collective bargaining when you bargain with other people's money.
If the employees of a company collectively bargain with the owner or executive management of the company for their pay and benefits, it involves the people (or agents thereof) with something at stake. Both the employees and the owner(s) of the company have something to win or lose at the negotiating table. The same cannot be said of public employees. When government employees go to the negotiating table, they are not dealing with the people paying the bill for their compensation-the taxpayer. They are dealing with a disinterested party (as far as keeping costs down) whose main interest is getting re-elected and often does so by handing out taxpayer dollars. This presents a clear conflict of interest. Both the politician and government employee union come to the negotiating table with nothing to lose. The politician gets votes without paying a cent, the union gets pay and benefits for its members that are completely out of line with the private sector, and the taxpayer gets the ever growing bill.
It's not just Wisconsin facing this unsustainable funding model. Other states are coming to the realization that public employee collective bargaining is contributing to their fiscal woes. Texas, New Jersey, California, Illinois, and Ohio are dealing with huge deficits and will have to make difficult decisions. And difficult decisions are what is needed to put us on a sound fiscal course as long as Washington, which can often be counted on to do precisely the wrong thing, minds its own business and refuses to bail out the states. Doing so will only prolong and exacerbate the problem. It's time to pay the piper.
Do not be mislead, the left is coming unhinged because they see their gravy train leaving the station without them and their power evaporate. The taxpayer, increasingly tapped out, is now wise to their game and has demanded a seat at the negotiating table. So keep on keeping on liberals, the moral bankruptcy of your position is on full display for the world to see.
by: Jon Thomas
Guest blogger JT puts the Wisconsin teachers in the Dunces chair...
I want to thank the Democrat National Committee, Organizing for America, unions in general, and public sector unions in particular for doing in one week what the conservative movement has been unable to do in five decades-show that liberalism is not so much looking out for the "little guy" as it is looking out for itself.
Last week, leftist power brokers and reportedly up to 70,000 useful idiots descended on Madison, WI and showed the nation what they are really about-their utter contempt for the taxpayer. They (not so peacefully) assembled to voice their opposition to-wait for it-the notion that government employees should contribute to their own generous benefits and pensions like the rest of the working people in this country.
Wisconsin state Democrats took a page out of the Texas Democrat playbook by taking their marbles and fleeing the state, effectively shutting down the state legislature by preventing a quorum required to do business. Not to be outdone, teachers lead by example by showing their students that if you don't get your way, don't waste your time working within the system, throw a tantrum and call in sick. Thankfully, the teachers were equally ineffective at teaching protesting as they are at teaching reading, writing, arithmetic, and history as most students had no idea what they were protesting.
Predictably, the democrat party stenographers at MSNBC, WAPO, NYTimes, etc. aren't reporting much on the counter protest the way they did during the Obamacare debate. Or that Wisconsin Gov. Walker campaigned on and was elected to address the state financial crisis and the problem of public sector collective bargaining along with a new Republican majority in the state legislature. In fact they are breathlessly supportive of government employees' right to "collectively bargain" and that is where the crux of this matter resides. It isn't collective bargaining when you bargain with other people's money.
If the employees of a company collectively bargain with the owner or executive management of the company for their pay and benefits, it involves the people (or agents thereof) with something at stake. Both the employees and the owner(s) of the company have something to win or lose at the negotiating table. The same cannot be said of public employees. When government employees go to the negotiating table, they are not dealing with the people paying the bill for their compensation-the taxpayer. They are dealing with a disinterested party (as far as keeping costs down) whose main interest is getting re-elected and often does so by handing out taxpayer dollars. This presents a clear conflict of interest. Both the politician and government employee union come to the negotiating table with nothing to lose. The politician gets votes without paying a cent, the union gets pay and benefits for its members that are completely out of line with the private sector, and the taxpayer gets the ever growing bill.
It's not just Wisconsin facing this unsustainable funding model. Other states are coming to the realization that public employee collective bargaining is contributing to their fiscal woes. Texas, New Jersey, California, Illinois, and Ohio are dealing with huge deficits and will have to make difficult decisions. And difficult decisions are what is needed to put us on a sound fiscal course as long as Washington, which can often be counted on to do precisely the wrong thing, minds its own business and refuses to bail out the states. Doing so will only prolong and exacerbate the problem. It's time to pay the piper.
Do not be mislead, the left is coming unhinged because they see their gravy train leaving the station without them and their power evaporate. The taxpayer, increasingly tapped out, is now wise to their game and has demanded a seat at the negotiating table. So keep on keeping on liberals, the moral bankruptcy of your position is on full display for the world to see.
by: Jon Thomas
February 20, 2011
Pearls...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Civility does not stupidity require.
A liar lies, even to you.
A hamburger salary and a steak appetite will get you neither.
Faith in God is virtuous; faith in Man is foolish.
Government = Force
Dividing the country by race is racist.
Dividing the country by sex is sexist.
Dividing the country by wealth is just stupid.
Who’s your daddy is not intended to be a multiple choice question.
Education by idiots is not.
Killing of innocents is always choice; but never right.
Respect is earned; contempt is free.
Voluntary Slavery becomes involuntary.
An educated fool is still a fool.
Freedom comes from God; Slavery from Man.
Heed your enemies or suffer their success.
Compromising ones principles is not compromise; it’s submission.
Patriots commit; socialist submit.
I’ve never worked for a poor man.
Don’t turn the fruit of your labor into vinegar.
To love freedom and government is to ignore history.
Rapid decisions cause vapid opinions.
Charity comes from Prosperity.
Nihilism is the refuge of a weak mind.
Youth will pass; stupidity will not.
Weakness is not kindness.
The Meek will inherit the earth. The righteous don’t want it.
Liberalism, like rust; never sleeps...
Education doesn't equal intelligence.
Please. Think for yourselves my fellow Americans. Knowledge is not a right, it is a privilege. It comes from self discipline and research. Believe nothing. Verify everything. Trust in God and your life will be righteous.
by: Keith D. Rodebush
special thanks to JT
Civility does not stupidity require.
A liar lies, even to you.
A hamburger salary and a steak appetite will get you neither.
Faith in God is virtuous; faith in Man is foolish.
Government = Force
Dividing the country by race is racist.
Dividing the country by sex is sexist.
Dividing the country by wealth is just stupid.
Who’s your daddy is not intended to be a multiple choice question.
Education by idiots is not.
Killing of innocents is always choice; but never right.
Respect is earned; contempt is free.
Voluntary Slavery becomes involuntary.
An educated fool is still a fool.
Freedom comes from God; Slavery from Man.
Heed your enemies or suffer their success.
Compromising ones principles is not compromise; it’s submission.
Patriots commit; socialist submit.
I’ve never worked for a poor man.
Don’t turn the fruit of your labor into vinegar.
To love freedom and government is to ignore history.
Rapid decisions cause vapid opinions.
Charity comes from Prosperity.
Nihilism is the refuge of a weak mind.
Youth will pass; stupidity will not.
Weakness is not kindness.
The Meek will inherit the earth. The righteous don’t want it.
Liberalism, like rust; never sleeps...
Education doesn't equal intelligence.
Please. Think for yourselves my fellow Americans. Knowledge is not a right, it is a privilege. It comes from self discipline and research. Believe nothing. Verify everything. Trust in God and your life will be righteous.
by: Keith D. Rodebush
special thanks to JT
February 1, 2011
Trust But Verify
"Trust but verify." This phrase was made famous by President Ronald Reagan when negotiating nuclear treaties with Russia, our once great enemy and now our 'friends'; ahem...
I find this to be a useful phrase in dealing with our political allies as we negotiate policies with our current and future representatives in the federal government. It is a sad fact that we cannot trust our own legislators these days. To be sure there are exceptions but the rule still is that a politician simply cannot be trusted to tell us the truth. Therefore we must keep a constant vigil to watch what they say and then watch very closely what they do. We must remember! Too many times voters forget what their leaders have said just a few short years or even months ago. Many patterns can be found in our discourse with politicians. The overwhelming winner, however, is the pattern of lying to the people on one hand, while making back room deals on the other, for the purpose of personal gain in power and influence.
Take for example, Barack Obama on the debt limit. While serving in Congress as a rookie senator from Illinois, he lambasted the body for even suggesting that we should raise the debt ceiling. He chided the politicians for lack of leadership and frivolous spending policies that were driving us into deeper debt and bankrupting our grandchildren...
"The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. Government can’t pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government’s reckless fiscal policies.
Over the past 5 years, our federal debt has increased by $3.5 trillion to $8.6 trillion.That is “trillion” with a “T.” That is money that we have borrowed from the Social Security trust fund, borrowed from China and Japan, borrowed from American taxpayers. And over the next 5 years, between now and 2011, the President’s budget will increase the debt by almost another $3.5 trillion...Every dollar we pay in interest is a dollar that is not going to investment in America’s priorities."
--Barack Obama on the floor of the Senate; March 16, 2006--
This very same man has raised the debt by over 3.2 Trillion (also with a T) in two years and is on course to raise it to unsustainable limits. Please take that in for just a second. The hypocrisy is frightening. This same man just made a State of the Union speech in which he called for debt reduction, presumably in response to the last historical election loss by his party, while at the very same moment calling for more spending. And to be fair let us not forget George HW Bush's "Read my lips, no new taxes" pledge which he promptly broke, or his son's spending spree that would have made any Democrat president blush up till that point.
The pattern is always the same. The party in power cuts spending on the other parties favorite policies while increasing spending on their own pet policies. All to gain favor with powerful entities whether they be Unions or Corporations or both. The party out of power screams bloody murder about the reckless spending of the current administration, then when they gain power back, continues the trend.
Inevitably, they spend us into oblivion and the debt ceiling is not high enough for their insane addiction. They all scream that eternal damnation and the end of life as we know it will occur if we don't raise the limit and allow the spending to continue. In fact, the exact opposite is true. The raising of the limit and the continued spending is precisely what will cause the death of this republic. What follows will likely be a more tyrannical and powerful central government that will control the country's assets for their own purposes. The people will get much poorer while working harder and the bourgeoisie will get much richer and more powerful than ever. Sound familiar? It should. Every government in history has repeated this pattern. That is why our Constitution is so important and we must return to it's original intent.
It is a daunting task ahead of us, I admit. But it can be accomplished. The wisdom of our Founding Fathers put into place a system that will allow us to recover. But just as they stated over and over again in their writings, it can only be done by a virtuous and educated people. Arm yourself with the truth. Do not allow any politician to lie and get away with it. Many of us are already involved with political organizations. We must encourage these organizations to take it very seriously when someone lies to us. Especially our friends! We must let them know that if they lie to us, if they vote for spending more even on their favorite programs, we will not support them in the next primary. Then we must remember and follow through.
Trust but verify. And above all, REMEMBER. One strike and you're out; this must be our policy for our legislators from this point forward. Lastly, the most important moment will come when we finally do turn this government around, like we started to in '94; because that is when our friends will become comfortable and flush with their victory. Their eyes will glaze and their ears will perk to the sirens' song from the devils of commerce. The unholy alliance between government and business must be broken for good (and yes, Unions are businesses. Make no mistake). Watch them closely when they fail, watch them closer when they succeed. Never forget, even Thomas Jefferson was corrupt when seeking office (paid news editors to spread lies on Adams) as was John Adams after election (Sedition Act). These greatest of men fell victim to their own human frailties; just as they warned us in their writings on government. Fortunately for us, they set the government up to protect us from Man's inherent evil tendancy. They gave us the framework to TRUST BUT VERIFY.
by: Keith D. Rodebush
I find this to be a useful phrase in dealing with our political allies as we negotiate policies with our current and future representatives in the federal government. It is a sad fact that we cannot trust our own legislators these days. To be sure there are exceptions but the rule still is that a politician simply cannot be trusted to tell us the truth. Therefore we must keep a constant vigil to watch what they say and then watch very closely what they do. We must remember! Too many times voters forget what their leaders have said just a few short years or even months ago. Many patterns can be found in our discourse with politicians. The overwhelming winner, however, is the pattern of lying to the people on one hand, while making back room deals on the other, for the purpose of personal gain in power and influence.
Take for example, Barack Obama on the debt limit. While serving in Congress as a rookie senator from Illinois, he lambasted the body for even suggesting that we should raise the debt ceiling. He chided the politicians for lack of leadership and frivolous spending policies that were driving us into deeper debt and bankrupting our grandchildren...
"The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. Government can’t pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government’s reckless fiscal policies.
Over the past 5 years, our federal debt has increased by $3.5 trillion to $8.6 trillion.That is “trillion” with a “T.” That is money that we have borrowed from the Social Security trust fund, borrowed from China and Japan, borrowed from American taxpayers. And over the next 5 years, between now and 2011, the President’s budget will increase the debt by almost another $3.5 trillion...Every dollar we pay in interest is a dollar that is not going to investment in America’s priorities."
--Barack Obama on the floor of the Senate; March 16, 2006--
This very same man has raised the debt by over 3.2 Trillion (also with a T) in two years and is on course to raise it to unsustainable limits. Please take that in for just a second. The hypocrisy is frightening. This same man just made a State of the Union speech in which he called for debt reduction, presumably in response to the last historical election loss by his party, while at the very same moment calling for more spending. And to be fair let us not forget George HW Bush's "Read my lips, no new taxes" pledge which he promptly broke, or his son's spending spree that would have made any Democrat president blush up till that point.
The pattern is always the same. The party in power cuts spending on the other parties favorite policies while increasing spending on their own pet policies. All to gain favor with powerful entities whether they be Unions or Corporations or both. The party out of power screams bloody murder about the reckless spending of the current administration, then when they gain power back, continues the trend.
Inevitably, they spend us into oblivion and the debt ceiling is not high enough for their insane addiction. They all scream that eternal damnation and the end of life as we know it will occur if we don't raise the limit and allow the spending to continue. In fact, the exact opposite is true. The raising of the limit and the continued spending is precisely what will cause the death of this republic. What follows will likely be a more tyrannical and powerful central government that will control the country's assets for their own purposes. The people will get much poorer while working harder and the bourgeoisie will get much richer and more powerful than ever. Sound familiar? It should. Every government in history has repeated this pattern. That is why our Constitution is so important and we must return to it's original intent.
It is a daunting task ahead of us, I admit. But it can be accomplished. The wisdom of our Founding Fathers put into place a system that will allow us to recover. But just as they stated over and over again in their writings, it can only be done by a virtuous and educated people. Arm yourself with the truth. Do not allow any politician to lie and get away with it. Many of us are already involved with political organizations. We must encourage these organizations to take it very seriously when someone lies to us. Especially our friends! We must let them know that if they lie to us, if they vote for spending more even on their favorite programs, we will not support them in the next primary. Then we must remember and follow through.
Trust but verify. And above all, REMEMBER. One strike and you're out; this must be our policy for our legislators from this point forward. Lastly, the most important moment will come when we finally do turn this government around, like we started to in '94; because that is when our friends will become comfortable and flush with their victory. Their eyes will glaze and their ears will perk to the sirens' song from the devils of commerce. The unholy alliance between government and business must be broken for good (and yes, Unions are businesses. Make no mistake). Watch them closely when they fail, watch them closer when they succeed. Never forget, even Thomas Jefferson was corrupt when seeking office (paid news editors to spread lies on Adams) as was John Adams after election (Sedition Act). These greatest of men fell victim to their own human frailties; just as they warned us in their writings on government. Fortunately for us, they set the government up to protect us from Man's inherent evil tendancy. They gave us the framework to TRUST BUT VERIFY.
by: Keith D. Rodebush
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)