A Time for …?

Today’s USA Today had a headline that read, “Now what?  Obama, Republicans face choices of compromise or conflict.”  That may be true for Obama but sadly, each time that Republicans have gotten any kind of power in recent times, they took another choice: Cave.

Mainline Republicans want so much to be loved by Democrats and the main stream media that they have been willing to sacrifice values and their political careers to get on their good side.

When will the learn that some people live to hate them?

This new crop of Republicans in congress seem to have heard the message that this election was not an embracing of Republicans but a repudiation of the Obama plan.  The Republicans seem to have heard this but I doubt the President has.

For once the people have had a chance to speak where Obama and Congress were forced to listen, and for many of them, the message was, “Good bye!”

President Obama in his address yesterday essentially said that he lost track of the voters but that we were not smart enough to understand his policies so he should have explained better.  Which pieces of his policies did the voters not understand?

Was it Cap and Trade, which promised to raise energy prices and put coal miners out of work?  This in a time when unemployment is still very high and most families don’t have a lot of extra money to spend on higher energy bills?

Was it treating the Christmas underwear bomber as a criminal which allowed him to “lawyer up” in place of treating him as the terrorist he is?

Was it the give away programs to the labor unions (Harry Reid owes them big time for his re-election)?

Was it the rising debt that will bankrupt our children and grandchildren as it races to $14 Trillion?

Was it the growing government?  During this time of unemployment, the federal payroll continued to grow.

Was it ObamaCare, the unprecedented takeover of the health system?  I don’t think it was just an unfortunate coincidence that the last big Republican take over of the House happened after HillaryCare was soundly rejected by society.

Every one of the problems that these “fixes” were designed to address have  fixes.  Many of the fixes don’t require rampant socialism.

It is doubtful that the new Congress can repeal ObamaCare outright.  Obama still has the veto pen.  They can, however, deny funding for the federal programs and enact legislation that address the real problems without sacrificing liberty and our futures.  If necessary, we can address some of the more rational fixes.

I sincerely hope the new Congress will follow the mandate given to them in this election.  Let’s break with tradition.  It will take some compromise and a lot of conflict.  Let’s not cave this time.  Maybe the Democrats and media won’t like them but “We the People” will.

In God You do Trust

There seems to be an incessant a battle to remove “IN GOD WE TRUST” from the US currency.  Apparently this text (which is in all capitals) is supposed to “establish” a religion.

I looked up the word “god” on the on-line Webster’s Dictionary. The most common, of course is the capitalized “God” and the second definition also implies an external entity. The third definition, “a person or thing of supreme value”, however, is my focus.

One may logically argue (and my fallacy may be that I’m using logic where possibly none exists) that since the motto is in all capital letters that the word “GOD” does not imply any Judeo-Christian or other entity. It simply says, “GOD”. So, who or what is “GOD”?

If you believe in a personal or impersonal god, then that Person or “Imperson” would be your God. I think few can argue this point. That Being, Entity or Force would be one of “supreme value” and you should be living your life in relationship with that Being and its/her/his precepts and philosophy. For those people, life truly should be “IN GOD WE TRUST”. You know who your God is and you should trust in him/her/it.

If your “god” is a “Prima Mobile”, kind of like a Ronco “Set it and forget it” entity that kick started the universe then sat back to watch it all unfold, you should have some trust that this entity started things off correctly.  This “Prime Mover” (the translation of the Latin term) would have had some idea of how things should go and you should act in accordance with those ideas and ideals.

Even people who have polytheistic or animistic religions most likely have a favorite god, entity, spirit guide, or ancestor to whom they go for wisdom and guidance over and above the others. Maybe for some the motto should read “IN GODS WE TRUST” but for most, there probably is that singular being that to them is supreme.

If, however, you are a true atheist, you would have no external being or thing of supreme value, so who or what is your god? I would argue that working backward from the definition above, you should identify the “person or thing” in your life that is “of supreme value”. If there is nothing outside your life, then you, yourself, are your own god. The only question remains: Do you trust in yourself?

That, perhaps, is the crux of the argument and where the problem may lie. Perhaps these people objecting to “IN GOD WE TRUST” are simply admitting that they cannot even trust in themselves, their own gods. If they cannot trust in themselves, why should any of us put any of our trust in them as well. They don’t deserve to be leaders of anything and their opinions should not mold society’s thinking or actions.

I used to think that these people fighting so hard against a reference to a universal concept of a “god” had guilty consciences and were afraid that their beliefs were wrong. It seems to me now that they simply can’t trust in anything because if they did, that would be their “god”.

And GOD forbid that should ever happen.

The Forgotten Amendment 1b

When people quote the Bible and want to refer to only one piece of a verse, they’ll append the reference with “a” for the first part or “b” for the second.  If they want to skip over other phrases, they’ll use “c” or other letters as needed.  The same is true when some people want to quote from the Constitution.

The First Amendment 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” (emphasis mine).  The first phrase (“Congress shall make no law…”) is often called “the establishment clause”.  This is the weapon used to kill any (mostly Judeo-Christian) public expression of faith.

People often, however, neglect Amendment 1b, “or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

Wanting to stop any expression of religion because it “offends” you actually prohibits another person’s “free exercise thereof”.  I’m not Jewish but why should a Hanukkah menorah offend me or anyone else?  It has meaning to Jews.  To others, it’s simply a branch with lights.  If a Muslim wants to wear special head cover, why should someone object, as long as it does not jeopardize safety or workplace efficacy?  If a Jehovah’s Witness doesn’t want a transfusion or vaccination, don’t give him one, but don’t make the people pay for his alternative care, too.  If a Christians want to sing carols about the birth of Someone very important to them, what is truly gained by stopping them?  How does that “promote the general welfare” (the phrase from the Constitution that people use to justify almost every extra-constitutional action of Congress)?

It’s time for people to lighten up.  I’ve said it before.  Freedom of religion is not the same as freedom from religion.  If you don’t want to look at that manger scene, don’t look at it.  What’s wrong?  Got a guilty conscience?

Maybe it’s time to examine your heart and not someone else’s religious practices.

Can Businesses Bailout the Government? – Part 3

In Part 1, I discussed the problem of overspending and how government cannot get us out of the mess it has gotten us into.  Part 2 discussed some of the signs that we may be at the point of no return and some of the consequences.  Here I’d like to discuss some of the solutions.

Follow the US Constitution.  If it’s not there, you can’t do it, even if you think it will “promote the general welfare”.  That phrase is a platitude, not a mandate.  The mandates are clearly spelled out.

Eliminate all programs not constitutionally mandated.  If the rationale is “it’s for the general good” without some justification from a Constitution’s specific Article and Section, it has to go.  Here are a few examples.

Welfare is not the responsibility of the government.  It is the responsibility of the Churches, Synagogues, Mosques, socially-conscious atheists and the states in which the people reside.

Bring our troops home.  Not necessarily right this instant from Iraq or Afghanistan since there is unfinished work there.  Rather bring them back from Germany, the UK, Korea, Japan, Iceland, and the dozens of other places that they are deployed.  Our troops exist to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States”, not the friends of the government.  They’re not there as the pawns of the UN when it doesn’t like something.  If some country wants our expertise and training, let them pay for it fully.

Cut the pay and the days that Congress is in session.  There was never an intent for professional politicians when the Constitution was created.  Make them work in the real world so they understand real world problems.  Congress onlyunderstands what it is spoon-fed through its taxpayer-provided boondoggles and junkets.  Let them see first hand in their own businesses what they’ve done to the American people.

Eliminate Congressional pensions.  They’re the servants of the people, not the employees.  They should serve and then get back to their outside jobs.  Entrenchment in government only brings contempt toward the people they are called to serve.

Make Congress subject to every law they impose on the rest of us.  This means that their private pension plan will be folded into Social Security and they’ll get the same benefits the rest of us get.

Dismantle Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.  This has to be done over time without pulling the rug out from under anyone but entitlements like this have got to stop.  I’ve not thought out how to do this completely yet, but when I do, I’ll write about it.  I’d like to hear your views.

Pass an Amendment to give the President line-item veto authority.  Congress passes the bills it sends to the President and the President getst the blame because he is forced to sign bad legislation to get one small good item.  Let him cut out programs that he feels are wrong.  Congress can always override his veto if they disagree.  Right now the President gets blamed for a lot of bad legislation that is really Congress’ fault.  Give him (or her) line item veto authority and then the blame will squarely fall on the Oval Office.

Promote the arts through public service broadcasts and strong copyrights, not failed giveaway programs.  The Constitution has limited authority here which does not include the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, National Endowment for the Arts, or National Endowment for the Humianities, among other give-away programs.  Make these organizations not-for-profit or non-profit entities and let “we the people” support the ones we feel are worthy of our dollars.

Promote the sciences by having strong patent laws that are vigorously enforced.  Let Science and Society decide what to work on through corporate and private funding.  If Branson wants to build a rocket ship to go to the Moon, we should let him and let him reap the benefits.  Our space program should be limited to national security.  Granted that includes some research but I don’t think “the breeding habits of Belgian endive” ranks as a national security issue.

Article 1, Section 8 is not a sand box for faceless bureaucrats who mandate social programs in our schools.  Federal grants must be limited only to programs that directly support the Constitutional mandates for the Federal government.  “Oh, I’m sure there is a military benefit there someplace” is not sufficient.

Freedom of religion is not freedom from religion.  Let everyone (not) practice as he or she sees fit.  Nobody says you have to look at my Nativity scene or his Menorah.  What’s the matter?  Got a guilty conscience?  Allowing something is not promoting it.  After all, isn’t that the argument these same people use to justify giving out condoms in schools?

Strip the courts of their “legislation from the bench” rulings.  If it’s a good, constitutional idea, put it into law.  If not, nullify it through the judicial oversight powers granted in the Constitution.  The same goes for extra-constitutional Executive Orders from the White House.  If it’s your jurisdiction, then by gosh and by golly, step up and do your job!

I believe Congress does not nullify these judicial legislators and executive orders because (a) they like what they mandate but the elected representatives don’t have the honesty to go on record to put it into law, or (b) they’re so busy doing their own unconstitutional activities that they don’t have time to do their constitutionally-mandated responsibility of being the check and balance over the Presidency and the Judiciary.

Eliminate Labor Union welfare.  Congress is getting read for yet another labor union bailout.  All this does is attempt to buy the votes of the labor unions at the expense of the American people.  What did the Chrysler buyout gain the US citizens?  They’re still losing money and Fiat is struggling to get them profitable.

Eliminate “corporate welfare” by ending subsidies to farmers, manufacturers and businesses.  If they can’t stand on their own, they should fail.  This will immediately encourage competition that will make goods and services better and cheaper.  Small, family-owned farms can get tax breaks if necessary but let’s let food be cheaper for all of us.  Farmers know the benefit of crop rotation and letting soil rest.  If necessary, encourage that through a tax break but let them assume a lot of the responsibility themselves.  In no way should we ever pay a farmer (corporate or “little guy”) not to plant crops.  Remove quotas for tobacco, sugar and other crops as well.  If they want to grow it, let them compete like the rest of us have to.

Eliminate import quotas. Soft drinks use corn syrup because sugar is too expensive.  It’s too expensive because we have import quotas.  This same explanation holds for other foods and goods as well.  Quotas limit supply which drives up prices.

Ethanol from corn is a horrible idea.  It takes corn away from the food supply for both people and animals, thus driving up prices for food.  Ethanol or methanol from farm waste or other crops that rest the land is a much better idea.

Man-up on unfair trade.  Don’t waste years of hand wringing over countries undercutting their prices and currency.  If they violate a trade agreement, call them on it with sanctions immediately.  That’s one Constitutional mandate Congress seems to forget about until some country has destroyed some segment of the US economy.

Promote manufacturing here at home.  Cut taxes of companies that build or renovate manufacturing facilities.  Technology is wonderful.  Use it to automate factories and train workers to be the technicians that run the technology.  You’ll save the environment, too, by not having to ship raw goods overseas and finished goods back.

Unravel the health care mess Congress created. Congress created the health care “crisis” with its over-regulation in the 1960s and its foisting HMOs on the unsuspecting public in the 1970s.  Real health reform is when the individual, not an “insurance” company or HMO bureaucrat, along with the doctor decide what is needed.  Put in real medical tort reform to bring down costs and make people pay for “scheduled maintenance”, just like they have to do for their cars.  I don’t put in an insurance claim every time I change my oil.  Why should I do it for a runny nose?  Expand the use of tax-free medical Health Savings Accounts for normal visits and allow all people to set up one.  Save insurance for the truly catastrophic and expensive events.  That’s what you do for your house, right?  What’s your home insurance deductible?

Abortion is a medical and moral decision, not a political one.  It should be handled like every other medical procedure with states allowing and limiting how and when they can be performed, just like they limit who can perform an appendectomy or write a prescription.  On the moral side, let the debate be handled at the state level.  In addition, parents or legal guardians must be involved when minor children have this procedure.  The political cop-out here is that the courts can appoint some hack to approve the abortion for a young girl even when the parents are still “fit” to be parents.  Politics have made a complete mess of this (and other) situation.

I know that as we dismantle the unconstitutional programs that there will be a lot of bureaucrats and hard working people who will have to get real jobs in the real world.  Nevertheless, with all of the extra money people and companies will save through reduced taxes and reduced regulation, new opportunities will open up.  Many can become entrepreneurs and small business owners in their own right.  They can do it, that is, if they haven’t forgotten how to do an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay. 

OK, maybe they can’t do it.  However, we should not eliminate Corporate Welfare only to replace it with Bureaucratic Welfare.  Oh, right, we already have Bureaucratic Welfare.  It’s called “Government Jobs”.

Can Businesses Bailout the Government? – Part 2

In Part 1 I discussed what I saw to be why the government cannot get itself out of the economic mess we are all in.  Here I would like to explore some of the warning signs that we are in a you-know-what-load of trouble.  I’ll examine solutions in Part 3.  The solutions are not new.How would your family get out of its debt problems short of declaring bankruptcy?    We talk about “the family of man”.  How will/should our national “family” solve this problem?

There is no way the government can tax its way out of this mess without destroying the very lives and liberties it is supposed to be securing.

The only way to overcome debt is first to stop overspending and then, second, to pay it off.  That having been said, no gutless politician has the you-know-whats to propose cutting spending to the point where we have real surpluses as measured by real revenues and not vaccuous projections.  Historically a surplus has been seen by the politicians simply as more money to spend.  This policy is not only inane but is a sure milestone on the road to national bankruptcy.

How will we as a nation know we are bankrupt?  You personally know when the bank won’t lend you money and your credit cards are suspended.  The Treasury will know it when countries like China stop buying our debt.

Just as you have to show the bank that you are a responsible borrower, government, too, must prove that it is responsible.  Other countries will continue to buy a country’s debt as long as they feel that it will honor its commitments to service that debt and not devalue the currency to wipe out that debt.  When those who buy government debt don’t buy it, regardless of the interest rate, governments have two choices.  They can either go into default or they can print more money.  The first leads to massive tax increases and the second leads to massive inflation.  The only question that remains is: Do you want the rock or the hard place?

The only real solution that won’t make matters worse in the long run is for our government to cut spending down to just the Constitutionally-mandated programs and create a climate where individuals and businesses can produce to grow the economy.  Growth alone won’t get us out of this financial mess.  We must also radically cut spending down to only the programs that the Constitution allows.

Government has stepped way out of bounds.  It’s time to call off-sides and bring it back in.